[NTLUG:Discuss] Network 'passthru' viewer

[David Simmons]

Guys/Gals,

Help me to understand what software/hardware is necessary to compete the
following task.

I have Verizon FIOS...recently the quality of service has been bad (meaning
I try to go to a website and it times out)..but at times of the it works
great.  Even when I believe it's not working well (as indicated by trying to
log into the local Verizon router and it taking ALONG time to respond) I see
the lights flickering.  SO, I think to myself, "Who's fault is this?"  Do I
have a hacked machine that's spitting out spam/junk?  Is it my side or their
side?

So I figure if I had a system/laptop/whatever with two network cards - I
could setup network pass-through or bridging so that I could
see/categorize all of the packets that are flowing through (seeing their
source & destination IP address.....and having some sense of the content of
the packet - beit email, web, etc, etc).

I was originally thinking an IPCop setup...but realized that I don't want
ANY firewalling going on...just want the data to flow through and
watch/sniff/see what it is?

Any help / ideas / webpages would be appreciated,

-dave

-- 
Those with sight believe what's believable. Those with vision know what's
unbelievable.