The general “user” will probably not be interested in this information.  On the other hand if you are the “techie” or find yourself spending a lot of time troubleshooting browser issues, you may find it interesting.  If you are a developer or  do a lot of troubleshooting you may already be aware of this and if so I apologize now.

 

Whether working on my car, computer, or application, I find it is always easier if you have the right tools for the right job.  When troubleshooting connectivity issues at the packet level a “sniffer” is hard to beat.  Hardware sniffers are the best but also expensive so most of us will resort to the software type and if you have an extra laptop you can have the poor man’s hardware sniffer.

 

For browser issues there are similar tools available that can prove invaluable.  I guess I cannot mention names here so if you find that you are interested you can PM me for the name.  There is a paid version and thankfully a free one also. 

My developer team used this tool and solved many issues.  I have used it at home many times to determine if I had issues with my browser, network, or if the problem was on the other end.  When you can see the request go out and leave your network and the other end does not respond or responds with an improper acknowledgement it can speed up the resolution time, reduce frustration, and build confidence that you are on the right track.

 

Oh… I just googled it and it pulled up a Microsoft MSDN article so I guess it would be safe to provide that link.  It does work with multiple browsers, not just IE.

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ff966510(v=vs.85).aspx .

 

If this even helps one person it will be worth it.

 

Best Regards,

Dave