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How JitterTrap relates to tools you may already use.

Common Tools

ToolWhat It DoesLimitation for Real-Time Debugging
pingAverage RTT, packet loss %Doesn't show timing variance or one-way delay
iperfThroughput, bandwidth capacityDoesn't show inter-packet timing or per-flow behavior
tc/netemConfigures impairmentsNo measurement or visualization
vnStat/iftopTraffic volume over timeNo packet-level timing

JitterTrap and Wireshark

Wireshark is the standard for packet analysis—deep protocol decoding, powerful filtering, detailed timing analysis from captures.

The workflow challenge: You can't run Wireshark continuously forever. Disk fills up. And intermittent problems might happen once an hour or once a day.

JitterTrap's role: Continuous monitoring with a sliding window buffer. When a timing threshold is violated, JitterTrap saves the relevant packets. You get a pcap of just the interesting event, ready for Wireshark analysis.

  1. JitterTrap monitors — ring buffer captures continuously
  2. Threshold triggers — timing anomaly detected, buffer saved
  3. Wireshark analyzes — decode protocols, dig into details

JitterTrap decides what's worth keeping. Wireshark tells you what happened.

Capability Matrix

CapabilitypingiperfWiresharktc/netemJitterTrap
Throughput measurement—✓✓—✓
Packet capture——✓—✓
Protocol decode——✓——
Inter-packet timing——post-hoc—real-time
Per-flow breakdown——post-hoc—real-time
TCP RTT/Window——post-hoc—real-time
Impairment injection———✓✓
Sliding window buffer————✓
Threshold triggers————✓

When to Use What

SituationTool
Check if host is reachableping
Measure raw bandwidthiperf
Decode protocol detailsWireshark
Configure impairments on a Linux boxtc/netem
Monitor timing continuouslyJitterTrap
Catch intermittent timing eventsJitterTrap → Wireshark
Inject impairments while observingJitterTrap
Find failure thresholdsJitterTrap

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