Packet Tracer vs. Riverbed Modeler (discontinued)

Very suitable for educational purposes or for training new employees on a virtual system. It is also very suitable for making initial designs for networks and presenting them to clients before starting implementation. Unfortunately, it is not suitable for network testing and penetration testing. Also, it is not possible to add Firewall devices from other companies.

Metropolitan network modeling is possible, small-large or even huge scale organization network modeling is possible.

Less appropriate for home user network modeling, OPNET should only be used to model large scale solutions. Great industry tool.

Incentivized

• It contains most of Cisco's products in one place without the need to use a third party
• You can design and implement a complete network with all settings and export the configuration file
• Track and monitor connection status and data traffic

• Allows the USE of C++ In Routing protocol of individual switch nodes
• Easy to use, Easy to setup a working network model, allows to even have computers and all sorts of peripherals like IP Printers etc
• You can stress test your network simulation, absolutely fantastic tool, bridges Monte Carlo with visual representations of the network in question
• Great Customer Support
• Good training articles available online, used as a staple in university setting.

Incentivized

• Improve editing tools for writing on the workspace
• Add tools to help integrate with network analysis programs
• Add features to enable the program to access the Internet

• Riverbed Modeler needs to improve the scenarios of LAN MAN WAN, as the available scenarios under all of these follow a simple area structure that's not connected to the ISP when it comes to simulation. This generates dummy traffic.
• Riverbed Modeler also needs to work on the selection of result sets so that, as with most designed networks, we can select any result parameter to show. All the parameters are displayed, whether they are relevant or not. It needs to display only relevant result parameters to select.
• The back-end TCP/IP model needs more clarity to expose the structure to some changes.

Incentivized

There exist many simulation simulators like NS2, but Riverbed Modeler is one of the simulators which introduces the GUI interface for networking. The platform just changes the scenario of networking, as it makes it so easy to understand and implement. The functionality almost listed every possible network in the world, which is not given by any other tool. Moreover, it is releasing updated versions to match with the latest technology.

Incentivized

• Improving group skills through practical applications
• Solve some problems related to network design
• The task can be solved at home, you don't have to be in the toffice

• It comes with a costly paid license, but simulating the network before actual deployment saves a lot of costs, in case after deployment we feel performance is not good and we need to change. This would waste a lot of money, but Riverbed saves this money.
• Its OPNET GURU academic edition is available free of cost, but with limited functionality, which is good for students in maximum case. This will degrade our sale of Riverbed Modeler.
• A one-time investment in Modeler saves a lot of cost regarding networks, topology, designing, and provides a lifetime license with updates.

Incentivized