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User Guide for the Cisco Network Analysis Module (NAM) Traffic Analyzer, 5.0
OL-22617-01
Chapter 4 Capturing and Decoding Packet Data
Sessions
Figure 4-1 Quick Capture
Sessions
The purpose of Capture Sessions is to capture, filter, and decode packet data, manage the data in a file
control system, and display the contents of the packets. The captured packets can then be decoded and
analyzed on the NAM for more efficient problem isolation.
As shown in Figure 4-2, network packets coming into NAM must pass at least one hardware filter in
order to go on to the next step. If no hardware filters are configured, all packets pass through. See
Hardware Assisted Filters, page 4-12 for more information about hardware filters.
Note Hardware filters apply only to the Cisco 2200 Series Appliances.
Note Custom Capture Filters are not available in the NAM Traffic Analyzer 5.0 release.
Packets must then pass at least one software filter in that particular session to be saved by that session.
If no software filters are configured for a session, then all packets are captured.
For each hardware and software filter, every field you configure must match if the packet is to pass
through that filter. The more fields you configure inside a filter, the more specific that filter is, and
therefore fewer packets will pass through it.