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Peribit Networks earlier this week launched a new low-end option in its unique line of WAN bandwidth-saving devices and added a new centralized configuration and management tool for the devices.
The startup, which applied DNA research techniques to improve expensive WAN bandwidth utilization in a manner akin to data compression, added a new hardware option intended for branch offices. The Santa Clara, Calif., firm also enhanced its Molecular Sequence Reduction software and added a new Central Management System to simplify deployment and management of larger installations of the devices.
“We found up to 90 percent of network traffic is highly repetitive and can be encoded more efficiently. There are very many applications and data types designed for operation across high-speed LANs that are inefficient in WANS,” described co-founder and chief technology officer Amit Singh in Santa Clara.
One user working with the existing models found that in some cases the devices were able to reduce WAN overhead by as much as 90 percent, according to Rob Edwards, senior network analyst at IDEXX Laboratories Inc., in Westbrook, Maine.
“We are averaging about a 50 to 55 percent reduction,” he said. “Weve been running these for several months, and I havent had one issue with them,” added Edwards about the reliability of the devices.
The firms Sequence Reducer devices sit on a LAN and in real-time intercepts network traffic destined for the WAN and performs its code translation before sending the packets on their way. Unlike stateless data compression algorithms, the MSR software introduces minimal latency.
“We guarantee there will be one millisecond or less delay as we process the network traffic. With traditional compression technology, as (link) speed increased, so did latency. We go down as speed increases,” said Singh.
For enterprises running out of WAN bandwidth or about to introduce new bandwidth-intensive applications into their production networks, the tool promises a quick payback, according to Singh. IDEXX Labs Edwards said his company expects to see the devices pay for themselves in nine months.
The new SR-20 Sequence Reducer device is intended for branch offices and sub-512 Kbps circuits. The existing SR-50 and SR-55 Sequence Reducer devices are intended for higher-speed WAN links of up to 45Mbps.
The one rack-unit device supports up to five connections to other locations and can support WAN speeds of up to 2Mbps. It is priced starting at $2,900 and ships in March.
The new Central Management System allows operators to configure or install new upgrades from a central location. The tool, which also provides reporting, can manage up to 500 Sequence Reducers. It starts at $5,000 and is due in March.
Peribit also enhanced the MSR software to allow it to prioritize traffic and honor QOS settings already in use in a customers network. The software allows operators to create up to 16 classes of service, into which different applications can be assigned. The classes of service use a proprietary queuing mechanism to allocate bandwidth.
Peribit also added new packet capture features, a “top talkers” report and automated application identification. The new release is due in March.