Emulex validates 100GbE line rate capture

Emulex Corporation has announced the results of definitive 100Gb Ethernet (100GbE) performance tests that demonstrated incredible strides being made by Endace, a division of Emulex, in the capacity for full-stream recording over high speed networks. The tests were performed in partnership with Ixia, a provider of test, assessment and optimisation solutions that accelerate and secure application delivery, and Merlin International, a leading IT solution provider to the US federal government.

Wednesday, 10th April 2013 Posted 11 years ago in by Phil Alsop

For organisations considering 100GbE deployments, the ground-breaking tests further validate the leadership of Endace intelligent network recording solutions. Network recording is essential for effective network troubleshooting, diagnostics and security forensics, and the lack of solutions in this space has challenged operations teams’ deployment of 100GbE network technology.

The reality is that many network analytics and security forensics tools in use today can only handle a fraction of a 10 Gb per second (Gbps) link, let alone 100 Gbps, meaning outputs are often inaccurate and misleading. Endace customers have proven that it’s only by having complete data that operations and security teams can resolve issues without any guesswork.

“The availability of full-rate network recording at 100GbE is an important milestone on the road to broader adoption of 100GbE technology,” said Shaun Walsh, senior vice president of marketing and corporate development. “These test results are also highly relevant to today's 10GbE world. Until now, network and operations security teams have been forced to choose between high bandwidth and network visibility. With this independent validation, by Ixia and Merlin, of the accuracy of EndaceProbes™ in recording full network streams at 10 Gbps and above, we’ve proven that they can have both.”

These test results prove conclusively that Endace products enable line rate network recording on a 100GbE network link, with zero packet loss. This new milestone was established by leveraging the newly-introduced EndaceAccessTM Network Visibility Headend in conjunction with proven EndaceProbe Intelligent Network Recorders.

The tests, conducted at the Merlin International Laboratory in Washington D.C., utilised the Ixia XM2 with a 100GbE and a 10GbE Load Modules tester connected to an EndaceAccess Network Visibility Headend and multiple EndaceProbes. The test substantiated the following:

· 100 per cent of the 100GbE stream traversed the EndaceAccess Headend, confirming that EndaceAccess can handle full line rate 100 Gbps throughput without missing a packet.
· 100 per cent of the traffic sent to the EndaceProbes was received, indexed and recorded, proving that EndaceProbes deliver 100 per cent accurate line rate recording.
· 100 per cent of the traffic sent to the Ixia tester was received, verifying that no packets were lost anywhere in the test process.

“100GbE networking is real and organisations need to be confident the tools they use to monitor and protect their networks are capable of handling full network load when the network is under attack,” said Michael Haugh, senior market development manager, Ixia.

“This is an important test for our federal customers who are actively looking at leading-edge 100GbE networking solutions,” said David Brager, CTO, Merlin International. “We’re pleased to have been part of the testing process and look forward to working with IXIA and Endace in the future.”