OmniPeek

OmniPeek

Developer(s)	WildPackets
Operating system	Windows
Type	Packet analyzer
Website	www.wildpackets.com

OmniPeek is a packet analyzer software tool from WildPackets Inc.. It is used for network troubleshooting and protocol analysis. It supports a plugin API.

History

WildPackets, Inc., was founded in 1990 by Mahboud Zabetian and Tim McCreery. The first product by WildPackets was written for the Mac, and called EtherPeek. It was a protocol analyzer for ethernet networks. It was later ported to Windows, which was released in 1997. In 2001, AiroPeek was released, which added support for 802.11 wireless networks. In 2003, the OmniEngine Distributed Capture Engine was released as software, and as a hardware network recorder appliance.

On the morning of July 15, 2002, the WildPackets' building in Walnut Creek California completely burnt to the ground. However, the company survived the fire.^[1]

Acquisitions

WildPackets acquired Net3 Group in November 2000. Their product, NetSense, an expert system for network troubleshooting, was converted into a plug-in and integrated into a new version of the product called EtherPeekNX.^[2]

WildPackets acquired Optimized Engineering Corporation in 2001. Optimized network analysis training courses and instructors were added to WildPackets services.^[3]

Extensibility

OmniPeek has API's on the front-end for automation, API's on the back-end for analysis, as well as other mechanisms to extend and enhance the program.^[4]

Plug-ins: There are over 40 different plug-in's available for the OmniPeek Platform. These plug-ins range from simple logging extensions to full-blown applications that are hosted by OmniPeek.

Remote Adapters: Adapters provide a means to capture packets and stats from various sources. Currently, there are remote adapters to capture from RMON, NetFlow, SFlow, Cisco AP's, Aruba AP's, and linux boxes. Adapters are also available to aggregate packets from multiple network segments and wireless channels at the same time.

Decoders: The most notable of these are the protospecs and decoder files, which are interpreted text files that can be extended by the user to enhance the display and analysis of existing protocols, and add knowledge of completely new protocols, without releasing new versions of the application.^[5]

Plugin Wizards: The Plugin Wizards for both the OmniPeek Console and the OmniEngine are Microsoft Visual Studio Project Templates that generate working plug-ins. When the wizard is run, a dialog appears providing options for different types of functionality that sample code will be generated for. When the wizard is complete, the user is left with a working plugin with entry points for adding application logic. These plug-in wizards make it easy and quick to develop extensions to OmniPeek.

MyPeek: The MyPeek Community Portal is a website dedicated to the extension of OmniPeek. It provides plug-in's, scripts, adapters, tools, and various levels of support for the different plug-ins posted there, and expertise for those interested in extending OmniPeek themselves.^[6]

PlaceMap: is a freely available standalone Google Maps Packet sniffer application for Windows that captures network traffic and maps nodes to the Google Map. PlaceMap is a notable example of extensibility in that it uses exactly the same Google Map plugin that is also available for the OmniPeek, and is uses the peek driver API to capture packets.^[7]

Example Plugins

• Google Map Plugin - Map nodes to a Google Map^[8]
• SQLFilter Plugin - Save and query packets from a database
• PeekPlayer Plugin - Send packet an adapter or a capture window
• PowerBar Plugin - Write scripts that process packets
• Decoder Plugin - Decode packets
• WatchMe Plugin - Display web sites in real-time from URL's
• Browser Plugin - Construct and display web pages from packets
• IM Plugin - Display instant message screen names and chat
• WebStats Plugin - Collect and report web statistics
• Remote TCPDump Adapter Plugin - stream packets from any machine with SSH and tcpdump
• Cisco Remote Adapter Plugin - stream packets from Cisco Access Points
• Aruba Remote Adapter Plugin - stream packets from Aruba Networks Air Monitors

References

1. ^ "WildPackets Survives Fire". http://www.internetnews.com/wireless/article.php/1433881. Retrieved 2009-07-23. 
2. ^ "WildPackets to buy Net3". 2000-11-20. http://eastbay.bizjournals.com/eastbay/stories/2000/11/20/daily2.html. Retrieved 2009-07-23. 
3. ^ "WildPackets to Acquire Optimized Engineering Corporation; Expands Protocol Analysis Training and Services.". Business Wire. 2001-01-31. http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-10587967_ITM. Retrieved 2009-07-23. 
4. ^ "An Open API Sets WildPackets Apart". http://windowsitpro.com/article/articleid/95726/an-open-api-sets-wildpackets-apart.html. Retrieved 2009-07-23. 
5. ^ "Throwin' Down The Decoder Gauntlet!". http://blog.wildpackets.com/2008/05/throwin-down-the-decoder-gauntlet.html. Retrieved 2009-07-23. 
6. ^ "WildPackets Launches MyPeek Community Portal". http://www.thefreelibrary.com/WildPackets+Launches+MyPeek+Community+Portal.-a0179645388. Retrieved 2009-07-23. 
7. ^ "PlaceMap 1.0.0.4". http://download.cnet.com/PlaceMap/3000-2085_4-10588141.html. Retrieved 2009-07-23. 
8. ^ "WildPackets Offers Free Google Map Plug-In". http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/575128/wildpackets_offers_free_google_map_plugin/index.html. Retrieved 2009-07-23. 

External links

• Official website
• Network World, Sept. 18, 2006: Review of WildPackets' OmniPeek. By Anthony Mosco, Robert Smithers, Robert Tarpley
• Network World , April 23, 2007: WLAN analyzers: WildPackets' OmniPeek For Windows 4.1. By Tom Henderson, Rand Dvorak
• IT Week. Network IT Week, 19 Aug 2006, by Dave Bailey. WildPackets' latest OmniPeek tool makes it easier to inspect traffic and troubleshoot networks. Tested: WildPackets OmniPeek Enterprise 4.0
• Network World, March 10, 2008: Clear Choice Test VoIP analysis tools. By Rob Smithers of Miercom
• Cisco Website, Mar. 22, 2006: LWAPP Decodes Enablement on WildPackets OmniPeek and EtherPeek 3.0 Software