bandwidth getting max'd

Hello,

I'm looking for some suggestions. Once or twice a week my network bandwidth spikes and the T1 is maxed out. I am looking for a way to track this down. I want to find out whose or what is doing this.

I don't have access to our main router since it is managed by our T1 provider. Behind the router sits a PIX506E and behind that is a cisco 2950 which links up all the workstation/servers.

What would be the easiest way to monitor the bandwidth traffic so I can track this down?

The snmp protocol (udp 161) will give you info on what your router is up to. Also, I would take a look at a piece of software called cacti (cacti.net). Cacti is a gui front end that collects snmp data and makes it look real pretty!

Span the pix port on your 2950 to an unused port. Plug wireshark sniffer in that unused port and capture all the traffic then look at the conversation list to see who is the most talkative.