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(March 2013)| A packet analyzer (also known as a network
analyzer, protocol analyzer or packet sniffer, or for particular
types of networks, an Ethernet sniffer or wireless sniffer) is a
computer program or a piece of computer hardware that can
intercept and log traffic passing over a digital network or part
of a network. As data streams flow across the network, the
sniffer captures each packet and, if needed, decodes the
packet's raw data, showing the values of various fields in the
packet, and analyzes its content according to the appropriate
RFC or other specifications. Packet capture is the process of
intercepting and logging traffic. On wired broadcast LANs,
depending on the network structure (hub or switch), one can
capture traffic on all or just parts of the network from a
single machine within the network; however, there are some
methods to avoid traffic narrowing by switches to gain access to
traffic from other systems on the network (e.g.,