Look at NetOptics Directors or the VSS 4x24. I've deployed several. On Mon, May 23, 2011 at 8:34 PM, Darren Bolding <dar...@bolding.org> wrote:
> We are planning on purchasing some network taps for a couple of locations > in > our network, and we expect to make significantly greater use of them in the > next year or two. > > Something that is new since I last investigated taps (it has been a while) > is that many of them now allow for functionality I would typically think of > as far outside what a simple tap does. > > For example: > > Selective forwarding of packets based on MAC address, TCP/UDP port, IP > address range etc. > Selective forwarding/load balancing based on flow, so that you can > distribute traffic across a cluster of devices (e.g. IDS or netflow probes) > Ability to insert a device (firewall, IDS, etc) into the network flow and > via software configuration bypass traffic around the device- e.g. able to > quickly drop a device out of the network path. > - Some have the ability to send network probes, or monitor traffic > downstream of an inline device so they can automatically take the device > out > of line if it fails to pass traffic. > - Some can filter which traffic goes through the inline device and merge it > back with the traffic that was not sent to the inline device for downstream > consumption. > Some can be connected and automatically be managed as if one device, > allowing monitor and replication ports to be used across the stack/mesh of > devices. > > All of this is very interesting. Of course these taps cost more than your > basic dumb tap. > > More interestingly to me is that these taps are no longer dumb, and that > makes them a bit of a riskier proposition. In evaluating some we have run > into issues ranging from misconfiguration/user error to what appear to be > crashes (with associated loss of forwarding). > > I'm wondering if anyone has had significant experience deploying these more > advanced taps, whether it was good or bad, general comments you might like > to share regarding them, and whether you would recommend particular > vendors. > > If people reply off-list, I will make a point of summarizing back if I get > any feedback. > > Thanks! > > --D > > -- > -- Darren Bolding -- > -- dar...@bolding.org -- > -- Jason
