Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Networking

    Mega-Matrix Switch Pumps Up Network Monitoring

    By
    Paula Musich
    -
    February 27, 2006
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Startup Gigamon Systems is launching a new tool to address a relatively recent problem for IT: too many discrete monitoring tools and not enough network Switch Port Analyzer ports to plug them into.

      “It used to be that having enough SPAN [switch port analyzer] ports wasnt a problem. Now with voice-over-IP IDSes [Intrusion Detection Systems], Sarbanes-Oxley [Act], and HIPAA [Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act] requiring tools for monitoring appropriate use, sniffers and RMON probes, the network manager has a problem: too many packet grabbers,” said Tom Gallatin, co-founder of the San Jose, Calif., startup.

      The new GigaVUE-MP switch provides eight 10/100 ports with a four-port expansion module. Version 2.0 adds the ability to stack the switches using 10 Gigabit Ethernet to scale the out-of-band infrastructure. That addresses the scalability limitations of existing multiport taps or matrix switches.

      /zimages/1/28571.gifClick here to read more about the Matrix C2 line of Gigabit Ethernet stackable switches from Enterasys.

      And unlike matrix switches, GigaVUE-MP can filter traffic, aggregate and multicast data to different monitoring tools.

      “Matrix switches or taps do not allow this flexible integration and changing that Gigamon can do where you can send out things at will,” said Jeffrey Nudler, senior analyst at Enterprise Management Associates, in Portsmouth, N.H. “The other thing is that the way they structured the devices, they can scale to the point where others cant.”

      “[GigaVUE-MP] is a matrix switch on steroids. It not only allows you to remotely control [monitoring devices], it will also allow you to do filtering, data aggregation and speed changes,” said Marshall Manhoff, a former senior technical manager for the network analysis group of a major ISP.

      GigaVUE-MP enables users to put analyzers on any network and adjust them to any speed.

      “This device just wants to see this subnet, this other device only wants to see that server—you can put on a bunch of filters so youre just going to see the traffic going to that one server,” added the user, who is using GigaVUE-MP to aggregate monitoring across two enterprise campus networks.

      The new Gigamon product also allows enterprises to filter both inbound and outbound traffic and direct all of that traffic to one analyzer instead of sending it off to a dozen or more.

      Also new in Version 2.0, which is available now, is the ability to logically divide and map traffic to individual tools, so that operators can split multi-gigabit traffic based on VLAN (virtual LAN) ranges, applications, IP addresses, flows or other characteristics, so that high-speed traffic wont overload any one monitoring tool.

      Gigamon CEO Denny Miu said he believes that forces are converging to require a separate infrastructure for monitoring the production network.

      “There is a place for monitoring where the monitoring is not on the production traffic but [on] a copy of the production traffic. Our box works on replica. With Sarbanes-Oxley, where monitoring is the equivalent of auditing, our customers need to ensure that the tools they buy dont put anything back into the network,” Miu said.

      “The secondary infrastructure is exactly what Im doing,” said the Fortune 500 user. “Im building an infrastructure where I have multiple stacks of [GigaVUE-MPs] on both campuses. For the 10 Gigabit links that are connected to my core switches, I can span into the [GigaVUE-MP] and those collect traffic from multiple core switches and I can feed anything I want,” the user added.

      A 10G-bps stacking channel can be used to connect as many as 640 ports. The data switch also overcomes problems introduced by SPAN ports and the risk those introduce for dropping packets on high-bandwidth links.

      “With all these point tools, they all collect different data at different times, and being able to synchronize data from different tools and merge them always eluded the business,” said Nudler. “[Gigamon] solves the problem of integrated tools with access to the data, but they are also capable of presenting the identical data to everyone else.”

      /zimages/1/28571.gifCheck out eWEEK.coms for the latest news, views and analysis on servers, switches and networking protocols for the enterprise and small businesses.

      Paula Musich

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×