Frontline Untangles Web Traffic

By Michael Foley
iApplianceWeb
(07/16/01, 09:12:14 AM EDT)

Frontline Test Equipment, Inc., has released their FTS for NTCIP analyzer, a protocol analyzer for the NTCIP family of protocols, for the SNMP and STMP protocols. FTS for NTCIP monitors live data streams sent between a central system and field devices by listening to both sides of the communications channel.

The NTCIP is a family of standards that provides both the rules for communicating and the vocabulary necessary to allow electronic traffic control equipment from different manufacturers to operate with each other as a system. The NTCIP is the first set of standards for the transportation industry that allows traffic control systems to be built using a mix of different manufacturers' systems.

The FTS for NTCIP feature set includes: real-time data capture, time stamping, filtering, and error analysis. It decodes data frames between a central system and one or more field devices at the bit level. This allows detection of minute and intermittent problems associated with NTCIP compatible products, applications, and systems.

The analyzer monitors serial links, Ethernet links, or internal modem links. For serial links, this is accomplished through a special connection; for Ethernet, it is accomplished with a standard Ethernet Card (NIC). Additional Spy software is used to monitor modem connections.

FTS for NTCIP is a test tool for ITS system product developers, system integrators, and system troubleshooters. FTS for NTCIP runs on any Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000 compatible PC.

Link:
Frontline Test Equipment