Purpose - Currently, there is a lack of a unified standard in testing an intrusion detection system (IDS). Thus, the purpose of this paper is to focus on testing of the completeness, accuracy, and capability of Snort and Snorting. Design/methodology/approach - The experimentation and evaluation of the technology in network IDS are discussed in this paper. The calculated data and significance of the result were analyzed to provide significant information for future IDS modification. Findings - The testing report is crucial in providing important theory and experiment significance for the future designing of a better IDS software and other detection system. Originality/value - The paper expresses the function and ability to evaluate the performance of Snort in many different perspectives.