LAN analyzer puts the puzzle pieces together.

Handheld diagnostic tool improves performance.

With the growth of networking, and especially local area networks (LANs), maintaining adequate testing equipment for service technicians is imperative. One such device is the Microtest COMPAS test instrument, a handheld network diagnostic

The instrument accomplished tests for servers, NetWare, Internet protocol (IP), and new technology (NT). It also detects media access control addresses and their originating vendors. In the LAN-monitor mode, the instrument analyzes segment utilization by reviewing the top talkers, the top protocols, the top error sources, and the top broadcasters. Also useful is the feature of Internet control message protocol monitor and station name resolution.

In the cable-analysis mode, the tester allows a look at different states the wires may be in on a network. It can show a map of the cabling and trace cables, along with crosstalk and signal levels.

In the serial-communication mode, serial data communications between two devices can be observed and the extent to which the handshaking method slows down the receiving device's processing of data can be determined.

We used the product for more than six months in daily testing and troubleshooting and found that this genre of products was invaluable for network troubleshooting--sort of like a garage door opener: once you have one, you wonder how you lived without it.

On the plus side, the ergonomics of the instrument were intuitive. There was a single diagnose button that accomplished the main tests, and the screens were intuitive. The on-screen menu uses four buttons (F1 through F4) in conjunction with menu navigation commands, such as "save," "back," and "select" on the bottom of the screen above the corresponding button.

There were some minor quirks in the instrument, but we found these to be distractions rather than problems. First, the screen has a narrow viewing angle. With typically only one person using the device, this was a minor annoyance. Second, the noise-generation function (simulating packet traffic) was nice, but we could not find a way to mute the function when we wanted quiet. Third, the help functions could use some more tweaking.

Microtest has created a good product for broadly applied testing, covering NT, NetWare, and IP diagnostics. The Microtest COMPAS would be a useful tool for a small to midsized company with an established network and experienced network administrator.

Because COMPAS is completely portable, problems can be resolved quickly right at the problem site. Also, with COMPAS' unique NetTap feature, it can be inserted between any network mode and the hub to monitor traffic or test the network. There is also an Internet COMPAS module for the COMPAS to troubleshoot Internet connections.

The product weighs in at less than two pounds and is the size of a large calculator, certainly not a strain to carry around. The carry case and the product case were structured to take the abuse given by our testers.

Kovac is a professor in the program of the Applied Research Institute at Ball State University, Muncie, Ind.

www.microtest.com Circle 263 for more information from Microtest, Inc.

Microtest, founded in 1984, grew from a small consulting business which specialized in developing computer networks for major companies into a producer of network test and connectivity products. Those products range from its OMNIScanner2--which tests CAT 5, 5E, 6, and 7--to its MICROSCANNER, a pocket-sized cable test tool designed to check cabling integrity. Other network test and diagnostic products include a multimode fiber-optic certification tool and an autosensing fiber testing tool.

The COMPAS performs such tests as duplicate IP address detection, IP ping, IP host summary list and detail, Internet control message protocol (ICMP), monitoring and trace route, domain name system (DNS) support for simplified troubleshooting and DHCP (dynamic host configuration protocol) support for automatic configuration.

Key features of the COMPAS are that it:

* Identifies all network devices in under 10 seconds;

* Locates defective hubs, NICs, and cables;

* Identifies network segments;

* Offers handheld portability;

* Finds top error sources;

* Identifies live/dead wall jacks;

* Monitors network traffic;

* Runs IP diagnostics;

* Identifies all available NetWare and Microsoft networks; and

* Is available English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish UI.