OmniPeek: The Complete Network Analysis Tool OverviewOmniPeek is a commercial network analysis and packet capture tool designed for network engineers, security analysts, and IT teams who need deep visibility into network traffic, performance issues, and security events. Developed by Savvius (formerly WildPackets) and now part of LiveAction, OmniPeek combines packet capture, protocol analysis, real-time monitoring, and powerful visualization to help diagnose complex problems across wired and wireless environments.
What OmniPeek Does — at a Glance
OmniPeek collects and decodes network packets, presenting them in ways that make it easier to identify root causes of latency, packet loss, congestion, misconfigurations, or malicious activity. Key capabilities include:
- Packet capture and decoding: Full packet capture with decoding for hundreds of protocols.
- Real-time monitoring: Continuous capture and live dashboards for latency, throughput, errors, and flows.
- Deep protocol analysis: Drill down into application-layer interactions (HTTP, DNS, VoIP/SIP, etc.).
- Filtering and searching: Powerful capture and display filters to isolate relevant traffic quickly.
- Expert analysis and alerts: Built-in expert rules that surface common network problems and anomalies.
- Distributed capture: Remote capture agents and collectors for multi-site visibility.
- Export and reporting: Save captures, generate reports, and export PCAPs for forensic or collaborative work.
Typical Use Cases
- Troubleshooting performance problems — e.g., slow application response, high latency, high retransmissions.
- VoIP and video quality analysis — examining jitter, packet loss, codec details, call flows.
- Security incident investigation — reconstructing sessions, confirming suspicious flows, extracting files.
- Network capacity planning — understanding traffic patterns and top talkers.
- Wireless troubleshooting — capturing wireless frames and analyzing 802.11 behavior (when supported by suitable adapters).
Architecture and Components
OmniPeek is composed of a few main components that together provide end-to-end capture and analysis:
- OmniPeek Client: The primary GUI application used by analysts to view captures, run expert analyses, build dashboards, and generate reports.
- Capture Engines/Agents: Lightweight processes or appliances placed at key points (data centers, branch offices, Wi‑Fi chokepoints) to perform packet capture and forward data to the client or central repository.
- Central Manager / Collector: Optional centralized servers that aggregate captures, store capture archives, manage agents, and provide historical analysis.
- Plugins and Protocol Decoders: Extendable decoders and modules allow OmniPeek to interpret new or proprietary protocols as needed.
Key Features in Detail
Packet Capture & Storage
OmniPeek supports full packet capture at line rates (depending on hardware), with options for circular buffers, event-based capture, and selective capture using advanced filtering. Captures can be stored locally or centrally and exported in PCAP format for use with other tools.
Protocol Decoding & Analysis
OmniPeek includes decoders for hundreds of protocols, enabling analysts to inspect payloads and protocol fields. Application-layer reconstruction makes it possible to view HTTP requests/responses, reassemble TCP streams, and analyze VoIP call details.
Real-Time Dashboards & Visualization
Prebuilt and customizable dashboards present key metrics such as throughput, packet loss, latency, retransmissions, top talkers, and protocol distributions. Visual timelines and sequence diagrams help correlate events across multiple captures.
Expert System & Alerts
The built-in expert rules engine flags common issues (e.g., duplicate ACKs, retransmissions, high RTT, malformed packets) and provides explanations. Alerts can be configured to notify teams when thresholds or anomalies occur.
Distributed Capture & Multi-Site Support
Remote capture agents enable distributed visibility. For larger environments, a central collector aggregates capture summaries and metadata while allowing selective retrieval of full packet data when needed.
Wireless Analysis
With compatible wireless adapters and drivers, OmniPeek can capture 802.11 frames, decode management/beacon frames, and assist in diagnosing interference, roaming issues, and authentication problems.
Integration & Extensibility
OmniPeek can interoperate with other tools through PCAP export, APIs, and plugin modules. Integration with network management or SIEM systems helps feed forensic data and alerts into broader operational workflows.
Strengths
- Robust packet-level visibility combined with protocol-level interpretation.
- Strong expert analysis features that accelerate root-cause identification.
- Real-time dashboards that make it easier to monitor and correlate issues as they occur.
- Distributed capture for multi-site organizations.
- Mature product with a long history in the network analysis space.
Limitations & Considerations
- Licensing and cost: OmniPeek is a commercial product; budgeting for licenses and support is necessary.
- Hardware dependency: Full line-rate capture requires appropriate capture hardware and network tap/mirroring.
- Learning curve: Powerful features and deep analysis capabilities require skilled analysts to use effectively.
- Wireless capture limitations: Effective Wi‑Fi analysis depends on compatible radios/drivers and proper placement of capture points.
How OmniPeek Compares to Alternatives
| Feature | OmniPeek | Wireshark | Network Performance Monitoring (NPM) tools |
|---|---|---|---|
| Packet capture & decoding | Yes, enterprise-grade | Yes, free/open-source | Limited or flow-based |
| Real-time dashboards | Yes | Limited (third-party) | Yes, focused on metrics |
| Distributed capture | Yes | Not natively | Varies by vendor |
| Expert rules/alerts | Built-in | Community-driven | Yes, metrics-based |
| Cost | Commercial | Free | Commercial |
Practical Tips for Using OmniPeek Effectively
- Place capture points strategically (core, aggregation, Wi‑Fi controllers) rather than trying to capture everywhere.
- Use capture filters to reduce noise and focus on relevant flows.
- Regularly archive important captures and tag them with metadata (time, location, incident ID).
- Combine OmniPeek packet data with flow telemetry (NetFlow/IPFIX) and monitoring metrics for faster triage.
- Train staff on protocol analysis basics (TCP behavior, DNS/HTTP flows, VoIP metrics) to get the most from the tool.
Example Workflow — Troubleshooting a Slow Web Application
- Define scope: Identify affected clients, servers, and time window.
- Start captures at the client-side gateway and server ingress/egress.
- Use display filters to isolate HTTP/TCP flows between the client and server.
- Inspect TCP sequence numbers, retransmissions, and RTTs to see if network issues are causing slowness.
- Reassemble HTTP streams to check for server errors, large responses, or slow application-side processing.
- Use OmniPeek expert alerts to surface anomalies and correlate with server-side logs.
Licensing, Support, and Training
OmniPeek is sold under commercial licensing; contact the vendor for pricing and licensing tiers. Paid support and professional services are available, and many organizations benefit from vendor or third-party training for advanced protocol analysis and custom expert rule development.
Conclusion
OmniPeek is a comprehensive packet-level network analysis platform suited for teams that need deep packet inspection, distributed capture, and strong expert-driven diagnostics. It excels where detailed forensic visibility and protocol-level troubleshooting are required, particularly in complex enterprise and multi-site environments. When paired with proper capture architecture and trained analysts, OmniPeek can dramatically reduce time-to-resolution for performance and security incidents.
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