Packet Design Adds Support for Multiple OSPF Areas

Packet Design Inc., a start-up based in Palo Alto, California, introduced a new version of its Route Explorer appliance for diagnosing and analyzing IP layer problems by providing visibility into routing operations, no matter how large or highly subdivided the network. The company's Route Explorer, which is deployed as a router but does not forward traffic, "listens" to the network control plane, computing and displaying a layer 3 topology map while logging all routing events in a local database. The information is then analyzed and visualized in real time from a remote console. Route Explorer version 1.5 adds the ability to traverse OSPF area boundaries, showing and analyzing route paths across the entire network. OSPF areas are typically used to isolate different parts of networks geographically or administratively. Also new to Route Explorer is an extensive set of route-analysis reports and alerts, including a "watch list" function that proactively signals the network operator when a key route or router experiences changes or problems.
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