Internet Network Security Blog

If you’re just getting used to the notion of 10-Gbit Ethernet, you might be surprised to learn that Anue Systems is releasing what it says is the first network monitoring switch that is intended to help manage networks of up to 40 Gbits. Network monitoring switches perform tasks such as filtering out only a particular type of network traffic and then routing it to a network monitoring tool specifically intended to manage that traffic but that might not have the capacity to handle and filter that volume of traffic itself. Such switches can typically handle multiple filtering and routing tasks simultaneously.

Due to issues such as data racks that are so full it’s hard to find a place to locate probes, and underpowered monitoring tools that are not capable of reliably monitoring even 10 Gbit Ethernet traffic, IT administrators are increasingly turning to monitoring switches such as those produced by Anue, says Andre Kindness, a senior analyst for Forrester Research. "Network engineers can plug any or all of their network monitoring and management tools directly into a matrix switch and have them all sit on a rack together," he says. "The switch can share all the flow-based information with other tools, which eliminates the span port and network tap shortage. This can help standardize operations and keep various teams from willy-nilly adding taps, probes or span ports, which can be a management nightmare and security risk." The new Anue products also help enterprises position themselves to support forthcoming 40 Gbit networks in the future, he adds.

"40 G is not yet mainstream, but it is becoming increasingly common as the normal cycles of data center refresh occur and new data centers are planned and built," says Jim Frey, managing research director for Enterprise Management Associates. "Whenever network technologies take a step up in bandwidth, it creates significant disruption on the monitoring and management tools side, both for network and security management objectives. We saw a similar wave of disruption when 10 Gbit Ethernet arrived several years back. Essentially, management and monitoring tools that are designed to handle lower and more commonplace data rates, such as 1 G, don't support either the media interfaces for higher data rates nor can they handle the total volume of data that might be pushed at them."

The Anue 5288 Net Tool Optimizer provides up to 32 10 Gbit ports per rack unit, and supports up to 16 40-Gbit and up to 32 1-Gbit, which gives network administrators a growth path to 40 Gbit while still supporting existing 1-Gbit and 10-Gbit networks--as well as protecting users’ investments in their management tools, says Rudy Millian, product manager for the Austin, Texas, company. The product also features a small footprint with lower energy requirements, and continues to use the same drag-and-drop interfaces that the company’s previous 5200 series of products have been using, he says.

Pricing for the devices, which are available now, start at $70,000 and range up to $225,000 for a fully configured 64-port model.

See more on this topic by subscribing to Network Computing Pro Reports IT Pro Ranking: WAN Optimization Appliances (subscription required).

When it comes to network monitoring, probes appear to be an endangered species in large organizations, according to a new study from Enterprise Management Associates (EMA). Conducted on behalf of Lancope, Inc., a vendor of NetFlow-based solutions, the research examined the usage, priorities, and practices surrounding network-based flow data records, also known as Flow Record Data, including NetFlow, sFlow, jFlow and IPFIX.

Over 100 network managers, engineers, architects, administrators, and executives from organizations of at least 5,000 employees were involved in the study. Lancope and EMA will host a webinar on Tuesday, Sept. 27 to discuss the findings and on how flow data can be used to support a range of enterprise IT objectives both now and in the future.

The survey was intended to find out just what is happening in the flow monitoring market and specifically how NetFlow, an open-source technology originally developed by Cisco, was doing, says Lancope CTO Adam Powers. “Sixty percent of respondents said they were replacing packet-based monitors. That's really good because that saves the customer money.”

Supported by a variety of network vendors, including Cisco, Juniper and Enterasys, NetFlow collects IP traffic information. Originally developed by InMon, sFlow monitors high-speed switched and routed networks while jFlow is an IP traffic flow sampler technology used by Juniper manufactured routers and switches.

The research found that the most popular current uses of flow data are traffic monitoring (76 percent) and security monitoring (61 percent). However, while traffic monitoring was the most popular reason for deploying flow data initially, once implemented, security became the most significant, says Powers.

“One of the things that differentiates Lancope is we do NetFlow security. We do behavioral analysis and detecting network badness. That's very difficult to do.” Lancope’s StealthWatch System was recently named the best joint security and network management solution (Best Joint Security & Network Management Solution ) in EMA's Radar report for Application-Aware Network Performance Management (ANPM).

Other key findings include: 47 percent of respondents leverage flow data for understanding services consumption; 46 percent use flow data for planning/engineering; 96 percent say they expect to maintain or expand their use of flow data over the next 12-18 months; and NetFlow is the most popular type of flow data, used by 70 percent of respondents.

The report's author, EMA's Jim Frey, managing research director, states that any organization seeking to improve the alignment between IT operations and the business, as well as those looking to improve their ability to ensure the security of increasingly complex infrastructures, focus on the use of flow record data as a mature and proven technique for addressing both sets of objectives.

See more on this topic by subscribing to Network Computing Pro Reports Dataflow's Big Data Edge (subscription required).

When it comes to network monitoring, probes appear to be an endangered species in large organizations, according to a new study from Enterprise Management Associates (EMA). Conducted on behalf of Lancope, Inc., a vendor of NetFlow-based solutions, the research examined the usage, priorities, and practices surrounding network-based flow data records, also known as Flow Record Data, including NetFlow, sFlow, jFlow and IPFIX.

Over 100 network managers, engineers, architects, administrators, and executives from organizations of at least 5,000 employees were involved in the study. Lancope and EMA will host a webinar on Tuesday, Sept. 27 to discuss the findings and on how flow data can be used to support a range of enterprise IT objectives both now and in the future.

The survey was intended to find out just what is happening in the flow monitoring market and specifically how NetFlow, an open-source technology originally developed by Cisco, was doing, says Lancope CTO Adam Powers. “Sixty percent of respondents said they were replacing packet-based monitors. That's really good because that saves the customer money.”

Supported by a variety of network vendors, including Cisco, Juniper and Enterasys, NetFlow collects IP traffic information. Originally developed by InMon, sFlow monitors high-speed switched and routed networks while jFlow is an IP traffic flow sampler technology used by Juniper manufactured routers and switches.

The research found that the most popular current uses of flow data are traffic monitoring (76 percent) and security monitoring (61 percent). However, while traffic monitoring was the most popular reason for deploying flow data initially, once implemented, security became the most significant, says Powers.

“One of the things that differentiates Lancope is we do NetFlow security. We do behavioral analysis and detecting network badness. That's very difficult to do.” Lancope’s StealthWatch System was recently named the best joint security and network management solution (Best Joint Security & Network Management Solution ) in EMA's Radar report for Application-Aware Network Performance Management (ANPM).

Other key findings include: 47 percent of respondents leverage flow data for understanding services consumption; 46 percent use flow data for planning/engineering; 96 percent say they expect to maintain or expand their use of flow data over the next 12-18 months; and NetFlow is the most popular type of flow data, used by 70 percent of respondents.

The report's author, EMA's Jim Frey, managing research director, states that any organization seeking to improve the alignment between IT operations and the business, as well as those looking to improve their ability to ensure the security of increasingly complex infrastructures, focus on the use of flow record data as a mature and proven technique for addressing both sets of objectives.

See more on this topic by subscribing to Network Computing Pro Reports Dataflow's Big Data Edge (subscription required).

In this era of waning wired client connectivity, there are lots of used and vacant UTP runs scattered about. At the same, many wireless access points are poor candidates to take advantage of the typical knee-high data jacks that pervade most modern buildings. And then there’s the slick little Snap-On Wi-Fi access point from Extreme Networks, which brings an innovative form factor and decent feature set to market.

Having witnessed first-hand the migration of network clients away from the wire in favor of the portability benefits of wireless, I frequently find myself pondering the use of abandoned data jacks when it comes time to add wireless access points to a given area. I’m one of those purists who sees the simple premise wiring run as a component unto itself. If it was installed and tested properly, it is as much an IT asset as anything. And to pull in new wire for access points that mount to the ceiling when perfectly suitable runs live eighteen inches above the floor can feel like a travesty at times.

Sure, you can just plug in a patch cable and locate the AP on a desk or bookshelf. Or add wire mold to dress the patch cable up wall to a higher mounting spot. If the jack is active, you can use a little switch to expand the network (clunky). Or, you can get Extreme’s new single-gang, flush mount, versatile little Altitude 4511 Snap-On Wi-Fi access point. Built for easy installation, the 4511 also attempts to make building enterprise-class wireless environments easy. I like almost everything about it.

The important stuff goes like this: the 4511 installs in 2 minutes or less on existing cabling. It has three times the output power of competitors with the same form factor. Based on Motorola wireless technology, it can fulfill roles including client access, IPS, spectrum analysis, or troubleshooting. It can be its own wireless controller, or control up to 24 neighboring APs on the same WLAN. The 4511 can also extend the Ethernet network by incorporating a variety of RJ-45 modules and performing as a full-featured Ethernet switch, on top of its wireless duties. Very powerful.

So what’s not to love? For client access, the 4511 is only a single-radio component. You can do 11g/n or 11a/n, but not both on the same AP. (Spectrum analysis and troubleshooting does cover both bands on a single 4511.) Nor can the 4511 do mesh, which is pretty much standard with most mainstream access point offerings today. But on balance, Extreme is giving those in the market a very cool new wireless solution that can offer a lot of options when costly rewire just isn’t an option.

The WLAN designer side of my brain can forgive what I see as the shortcomings of a single-band access point, when I consider the power that comes with getting full-function, low profile APs into client spaces like hotel and hospital rooms. Too often, operational constraints force access points to land in hallways and closets, where walls and doors come between access points and a growing procession of lower-powered wireless client devices like smartphones and tablets. The 4511 is unobtrusive enough to mount anywhere you have a good data jack, and that alone commands respect.

At the time of publication, Extreme Networks is not a client of and has no business relationship with Lee Badman.

In this era of waning wired client connectivity, there are lots of used and vacant UTP runs scattered about. At the same time, many wireless access points are poor candidates for taking advantage of the typical knee-high data jacks that pervade most modern buildings. And then there’s the slick little Snap-On Wi-Fi access point from Extreme Networks, which brings an innovative form factor and decent feature set to market.

Having witnessed first-hand the migration of network clients away from the wire in favor of the portability benefits of wireless, I frequently find myself pondering the use of abandoned data jacks when it comes time to add wireless access points to a given area. I’m one of those purists who sees the simple premise wiring run as a component unto itself. If it was installed and tested properly, it is as much an IT asset as anything. And pulling in new wire for access points that mount to the ceiling when perfectly suitable runs live 18 inches above the floor can feel like a travesty at times.

Sure, you can just plug in a patch cable and locate the AP on a desk or bookshelf. Or add wire mold to dress the patch cable up wall to a higher mounting spot. If the jack is active, you can use a little switch to expand the network (clunky). Or, you can get Extreme’s versatile little new single-gang, flush-mount Altitude 4511 Snap-On Wi-Fi access point. Built for easy installation, the 4511 also attempts to make building enterprise-class wireless environments easy. I like almost everything about it.

The important stuff goes like this: The 4511 installs in 2 minutes or less on existing cabling. It has three times the output power of competitors with the same form factor. Based on Motorola wireless technology, it can fulfill roles including client access, IPS, spectrum analysis or troubleshooting. It can be its own wireless controller, or control up to 24 neighboring APs on the same WLAN. The 4511 can also extend the Ethernet network by incorporating a variety of RJ-45 modules and performing as a full-featured Ethernet switch, on top of its wireless duties. Very powerful.

So what’s not to love? For client access, the 4511 is only a single-radio component. You can do 11g/n or 11a/n, but not both on the same AP. (Spectrum analysis and troubleshooting does cover both bands on a single 4511.) Nor can the 4511 do mesh, which is pretty much standard with most mainstream access point offerings today. But on balance, Extreme is giving those in the market a very cool new wireless solution that can offer a lot of options when costly rewire just isn’t an option.

The WLAN designer side of my brain can forgive what I see as the shortcomings of a single-band access point, when I consider the power that comes with getting full-function, low-profile APs into client spaces like hotel and hospital rooms. Too often, operational constraints force access points to land in hallways and closets, where walls and doors come between access points and a growing procession of lower-powered wireless client devices like smartphones and tablets. The 4511 is unobtrusive enough to mount anywhere you have a good data jack, and that alone commands respect.

At the time of publication, Extreme Networks is not a client of and has no business relationship with Lee Badman.

Who hasn't been out of the office and received a call about a down server, a user who can't reset their password, or some other system problem. It's a 5 minute fix but it will take much longer just to get to a computer. Remote desktops can help. Wyse's PocketCloud is a Windows remote desktop and VNC client in both a free a paid version. You can log in, navigate the screen, pull up function keys, and using innovative UI components like the mouse pointer, access commonly used functions. While I am not ready to trade my desktop in for a smartphone and PocketCloud, I can say it makes remote management a snap and shows that remote desktop has come a long way since I use RDP on my Palm Treo.If it were an all windows world, then PocketCloud would be all I'd need. But when I manage Unix servers, I prefer a CLI instead. Connectbot is a SSH client for Android. It can also access the local shell as well. Connectbot works extremely well as a terminal. The font size can be changed, the terminal handles colors, and all of your favorite shell commands available. Control keys like Control and Escape are available as well as a soft keyboard, though if I find a hard keyboard is more useable than Android's soft keyboard. Using screen based apps like Emacs has some special problems such as extensive use of the CTRL and ESC keys. Connectbot puts them on the touch screen so they are accessible when you need them. Connectbot also saves host profiles, including font sizes and other options.If Connectbot is your cup of tea, the Hackers Keyboard is going to be your friend. It is a full 5 row soft keyboard that fits everything, including a 4-way pad, on the screen. It's a bit crowded on a phone, but having access to the special keys like CTRL, ESC, and function keys is a winner. I wouldn't want to live on it (I have a hard enough time with the stock keyboard as it is without going more smaller), but when I go into Connectbot, Hackers Keyboard is selected.File Expert is yet another file manager, but this one lets you access your files remotely via FTP, HTTP, and Bluetooth as well as sporting a SMB client. All that is missing is an SMB server and it would be complete. If you transfer files to and from your Android phone, then this app lets you do it every which way. Click a file or directory on the SMB share, copy, move back to the Android phone, and paste. You can even copy from your Android phone to your SMB share. You can also use File Expert as a FTP and HTTP file server.While File Expert has some nice features, it lacks secure file transfers. That is where AndFTP comes in. Supporting SFTP and FTPS, you can use secure file transfer protocols to move files around over insecure networks. It's a simple client which makes it very useful in the field. The pro version supports folder syncing and RSA/DSA key support in SSH. If you need to transfer files to your device, QuickSSHD or SSHDroidPro are SSHD servers with SFTP and SCP support.Shark Reader and its companion app Shark for Root and Shark for Root (Native) reads and captures traffic off the Android's network connections. It only captures traffic on the local device and doesn't seem to put the NIC in promiscuous mode (so spying on your neighbors!), but it works well to see what is going in and out of the device. You could capture traffic and move it to a PC and use Wireshark to analyze the packets, but Shark Reader will do an OK job on the phone. It will decode most common protocols, but not all and the packet display is weak, but then again, you aren't going to be packet diving on your phone anyway.Overlook Fing is a full featured host discovery tool that will sweep an IP address range discovering devices, perform reverse DNS lookups, and perform TCP/UDP port scans. You can edit TCP port numbers to names, connect to services from the apps, and execute simple commands to test connections. You can also save and share your networks. It's a handy port scanner and network discovery tool.WiFi Analyzer is one of the handiest tools for viewing the Wi-Fi channels around you. Turn it on and you will see all the AP's that are nearby, their channels, power levels from where you are, and a wealth of other details like security settings. There are a number of views available from the channel graph displayed, to more detailed pages. It's not going to replace your site survey gear, but if you want to try to find an unused channel or are just curious as to what is in the air, this apps for you.Network Info II shows you what your phone is connected to. You can see data about your cellular network, all the details of your Wi-fi connection including AP capabilities like encryption methods and networking, Bluetooth connecdtions, last GPS fix, and IPv6 configuration. It's not an app I use often, but when I need to know what my Android network connections look like, it's the app I turn to.Convertr is one of the handiest numeric conversion tools I have used to date. Choose from one of several data types like area, distance, data transfer, choose the original and desired units, and enter the number and Coverter does the work for you. It even offers options for converting data rate and data size from decimal to the International System of Units (SI) equivalent. 1Kb equals 1024 bits SI. It's easy to use and offers a wealth of conversions.If you run the open source network and server monitor Cacti, this app is for you. Cactiviewer provides a read-only view of the graphs you have defined in Cacti. While it isn't a full featured management application, you can monitor activity and graphs from your phone.If you run Passler's PRTG network monitoring software at twork, PTRGDroid is the companies mobile management app for their PRTG networking monitoring software. PTRGDroid is more full featured than Cactiviewer. You can manage when alerts notify you such as setting a ring tone or vibrate. You can also drill into logs, alerts, graphs, and other data collected from the PRTG software. You can add multiple PRTG servers as well.If you manage VMware hosts, keeping on top of them remotely is pretty important. VMware Viewer is a bare-bones viewer only that lets you look at servers and clusters. You can purchase extra modules to manage VM's and snapshots. Others include iVMControl, and vmwClient. Granted, you can't access the console remotely, You can always use PocketCloud or Connect bot to connect.

Who hasn't been out of the office and received a call about a down server, a user who can't reset their password, or some other system problem. It's a 5 minute fix but it will take much longer just to get to a computer. Remote desktops can help. Wyse's PocketCloud is a Windows remote desktop and VNC client in both a free a paid version. You can log in, navigate the screen, pull up function keys, and using innovative UI components like the mouse pointer, access commonly used functions. While I am not ready to trade my desktop in for a smartphone and PocketCloud, I can say it makes remote management a snap and shows that remote desktop has come a long way since I use RDP on my Palm Treo.If it were an all windows world, then PocketCloud would be all I'd need. But when I manage Unix servers, I prefer a CLI instead. Connectbot is a SSH client for Android. It can also access the local shell as well. Connectbot works extremely well as a terminal. The font size can be changed, the terminal handles colors, and all of your favorite shell commands available. Control keys like Control and Escape are available as well as a soft keyboard, though if I find a hard keyboard is more useable than Android's soft keyboard. Using screen based apps like Emacs has some special problems such as extensive use of the CTRL and ESC keys. Connectbot puts them on the touch screen so they are accessible when you need them. Connectbot also saves host profiles, including font sizes and other options.If Connectbot is your cup of tea, the Hackers Keyboard is going to be your friend. It is a full 5 row soft keyboard that fits everything, including a 4-way pad, on the screen. It's a bit crowded on a phone, but having access to the special keys like CTRL, ESC, and function keys is a winner. I wouldn't want to live on it (I have a hard enough time with the stock keyboard as it is without going more smaller), but when I go into Connectbot, Hackers Keyboard is selected.File Expert is yet another file manager, but this one lets you access your files remotely via FTP, HTTP, and Bluetooth as well as sporting a SMB client. All that is missing is an SMB server and it would be complete. If you transfer files to and from your Android phone, then this app lets you do it every which way. Click a file or directory on the SMB share, copy, move back to the Android phone, and paste. You can even copy from your Android phone to your SMB share. You can also use File Expert as a FTP and HTTP file server.While File Expert has some nice features, it lacks secure file transfers. That is where AndFTP comes in. Supporting SFTP and FTPS, you can use secure file transfer protocols to move files around over insecure networks. It's a simple client which makes it very useful in the field. The pro version supports folder syncing and RSA/DSA key support in SSH. If you need to transfer files to your device, QuickSSHD or SSHDroidPro are SSHD servers with SFTP and SCP support.Shark Reader and its companion app Shark for Root and Shark for Root (Native) reads and captures traffic off the Android's network connections. It only captures traffic on the local device and doesn't seem to put the NIC in promiscuous mode (so spying on your neighbors!), but it works well to see what is going in and out of the device. You could capture traffic and move it to a PC and use Wireshark to analyze the packets, but Shark Reader will do an OK job on the phone. It will decode most common protocols, but not all and the packet display is weak, but then again, you aren't going to be packet diving on your phone anyway.Overlook Fing is a full featured host discovery tool that will sweep an IP address range discovering devices, perform reverse DNS lookups, and perform TCP/UDP port scans. You can edit TCP port numbers to names, connect to services from the apps, and execute simple commands to test connections. You can also save and share your networks. It's a handy port scanner and network discovery tool.WiFi Analyzer is one of the handiest tools for viewing the Wi-Fi channels around you. Turn it on and you will see all the AP's that are nearby, their channels, power levels from where you are, and a wealth of other details like security settings. There are a number of views available from the channel graph displayed, to more detailed pages. It's not going to replace your site survey gear, but if you want to try to find an unused channel or are just curious as to what is in the air, this apps for you.Network Info II shows you what your phone is connected to. You can see data about your cellular network, all the details of your Wi-fi connection including AP capabilities like encryption methods and networking, Bluetooth connecdtions, last GPS fix, and IPv6 configuration. It's not an app I use often, but when I need to know what my Android network connections look like, it's the app I turn to.Convertr is one of the handiest numeric conversion tools I have used to date. Choose from one of several data types like area, distance, data transfer, choose the original and desired units, and enter the number and Coverter does the work for you. It even offers options for converting data rate and data size from decimal to the International System of Units (SI) equivalent. 1Kb equals 1024 bits SI. It's easy to use and offers a wealth of conversions.If you run the open source network and server monitor Cacti, this app is for you. Cactiviewer provides a read-only view of the graphs you have defined in Cacti. While it isn't a full featured management application, you can monitor activity and graphs from your phone.If you run Passler's PRTG network monitoring software at twork, PTRGDroid is the companies mobile management app for their PRTG networking monitoring software. PTRGDroid is more full featured than Cactiviewer. You can manage when alerts notify you such as setting a ring tone or vibrate. You can also drill into logs, alerts, graphs, and other data collected from the PRTG software. You can add multiple PRTG servers as well.If you manage VMware hosts, keeping on top of them remotely is pretty important. VMware Viewer is a bare-bones viewer only that lets you look at servers and clusters. You can purchase extra modules to manage VM's and snapshots. Others include iVMControl, and vmwClient. Granted, you can't access the console remotely, You can always use PocketCloud or Connect bot to connect.

A leader in the WAN optimization controller (WOC) market, Blue Coat Systems is supercharging its CacheFlow 5000 appliance with more than three times greater throughput and cache storage in the same 4U footprint. Targeted at service providers, and now shipping with IPv6 support, the upgrade is intended to address the explosion of rich Web 2.0 content, especially videos and large files that are 'severely straining service provider networks, making it challenging to both provide a top quality user experience and contain bandwidth costs', says the company.

Over the last three to four years, Blue Coat's service provider customers have seen Web traffic doubling, tripling every year, and most of it is chunky video that is bandwidth intensive and expensive, or creating issues with customer satisfaction. That led to the introduction of the original CacheFlow 5000 in March 2010, which has been deployed in nearly 50 service provider networks globally. Blue Coat says that users have averaged 40-50 percent bandwidth savings on general Web traffic, improved user experience with up to a ten-fold increase in download speeds, and achieved a return on investment averaging 12 months.

The new release features 64-bit software and hardware improvements and an option for 10GigE Fiber, in addition to existing copper, to support high-speed network interfaces. The company says another key differentiator is its CachePulse cloud service, which delivers on-the-fly caching rule and instruction updates to deployed CacheFlow appliances to provide sustained high bandwidth savings. The company says the service leverages a feedback loop to know how the Web is changing and to identify shifts in how popular sites are delivering content, as well as to include optimizations for new and emerging websites. An in-rack upgrade is available for existing CacheFlow customers.

The new appliance is all about positioning Blue Coat to better handle customer requirements around the continuing data explosion -- more online video consumption, more Internet usage and more Internet-enabled devices (smartphones, tablets, set-top boxes, etc,) mean more network management and bandwidth challenges for the carriers, says Melanie Posey, research VP, hosting & managed network services, IDC. “The increased performance of the new CacheFlow appliances helps Blue Coat help carriers to get out in front of these challenges better. So the beefed up performance does help to broaden the market for caching and carrier networks by combining this with all the intelligence carriers can get from the boxes (what the popular sites are, where the traffic is coming from, etc.) in a way that helps them optimize their networks and reduce their costs.”

The transparent caching market will grow rapidly through 2015 to address the growing popularity of Web services and telecom operator's appetite to deploy infrastructure that improve QoE of Internet based services, says Brian Partridge, VP, Yankee Group. “This new product release aligns well with this trend by adding additional capacity/performance aligned with traffic growth patterns. Bluecoat's core product is now on par or exceeds performance achieved by competitors such as Oversi, PeerApp, and Juniper.”

See more on this topic by subscribing to Network Computing Pro Reports IT Pro Ranking: WAN Optimization Appliances (subscription required).

A leader in the WAN optimization controller (WOC) market, Blue Coat Systems is supercharging its CacheFlow 5000 appliance with more than three times greater throughput and cache storage in the same 4U footprint. Targeted at service providers, and now shipping with IPv6 support, the upgrade is intended to address the explosion of rich Web 2.0 content, especially videos and large files that are "severely straining service provider networks, making it challenging to both provide a top-quality user experience and contain bandwidth costs," says the company.

During the last three to four years, Blue Coat's service provider customers have seen Web traffic doubling or tripling every year, and most of it is chunky video that is bandwidth-intensive and expensive, or creating issues with customer satisfaction. That led to the introduction of the original CacheFlow 5000 in March 2010. The system has been deployed in nearly 50 service provider networks globally. Blue Coat says that users have averaged 40% to 50% bandwidth savings on general Web traffic, improved user experience with up to a tenfold increase in download speeds. In addition, the company says, customers have achieved a return on investment in an average of 12 months.

The new release features 64-bit software and hardware improvements and an option for 10 Gbit Etherner Fiber, in addition to existing copper, to support high-speed network interfaces. The company says another key differentiator is its CachePulse cloud service, which delivers on-the-fly caching rule and instruction updates to deployed CacheFlow appliances to provide sustained high-bandwidth savings. The company says the service leverages a feedback loop to determine how the Web is changing and identify shifts in how popular sites are delivering content, as well as to include optimizations for new and emerging websites. An in-rack upgrade is available for existing CacheFlow customers.

The new appliance is all about positioning Blue Coat to better handle customer requirements around the continuing data explosion. More online video consumption, more Internet usage and more Internet-enabled devices (such as smartphones, tablets and set-top boxes) mean more network management and bandwidth challenges for the carriers, says Melanie Posey, research VP, hosting and managed network services, IDC. "The increased performance of the new CacheFlow appliances helps Blue Coat help carriers to get out in front of these challenges better. So the beefed-up performance does help to broaden the market for caching and carrier networks by combining this with all the intelligence carriers can get from the boxes--hat the popular sites are, where the traffic is coming from, etc.--in a way that helps them optimize their networks and reduce their costs."

The transparent caching market will grow rapidly through 2015 to address the growing popularity of Web services and telecom operators' appetite to deploy infrastructure that improves the quality of experience of Internet-based services, says Brian Partridge, VP, Yankee Group. "This new product release aligns well with this trend by adding additional capacity/performance aligned with traffic growth patterns. Bluecoat's core product is now on par or exceeds performance achieved by competitors such as Oversi, PeerApp and Juniper."

See more on this topic by subscribing to Network Computing Pro Reports IT Pro Ranking: WAN Optimization Appliances (subscription required).

Cisco has announced three additions to its ASR 9000 Series Aggregation Services Routers System portfolio, and while, like all of its new releases, the latest service provider offerings are IPv6-ready, it's the mobile solution that is expected to be the big draw initially. The network giant says the proliferation of mobile Internet services and devices such as tablets and smartphones are fueling demand for bandwidth and quality experiences.

With the last 32-bit address space Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) expected to be issued this year, its 128-bit successor, IPv6, is drawing a lot of attention from service providers, says Cisco. It's still early days, with less than a third of these companies having migration strategies in place, and another third starting to prepare. The company says it is really trying to take the IPv6 problems off the table through its strategy of simplifying the design, deployment and management of services through IPv6 next-generation networks.

The latest additions to the 9000 series, which was introduced three months ago and has an installed base of more than 500 service providers, feature Cisco's nV (Network Virtualization) technology, which blends the network edge, aggregation and access layers into a single 96 Tbps system. Of the three new platforms – ASR 901 cell site router, ASR 903 unified Ethernet access router, and ASR 9001 small edge router – it's the 901, a high-capacity, low-power router for 2G, 3G and 4G mobile cell sites that is expected to draw the most interest, says the company, primarily because carriers are looking to offload 4G traffic off of their networks. Both the 901 and 903 will ship before year-end, while the 9001 will ship early next year.

Cisco says using its nV technology with its low power usage, zero-touch configurations, single-click upgrades and single touch-point management can lower operating costs and total cost of ownership. According to ACG Research's ASR 9000 study, the router family 'achieves dramatically reduced TCO'. CapEx is reduced because the ASR 9000 System has high port densities and more card slots per chassis, and due to its distributed router functionality and its network virtualization design, simplifies network operations and reduces operations expense (OpEx) by up to 71 percent. The savings are attributed to simpler network operations across the lifecycle and up to a 65 percent reduction in power consumption, which reduces power, cooling, and floor space expenses. TCO is reduced by up to 73 percent over competitive solutions that lack nV technology.

Depending upon which market research you use, Cisco is gaining or losing router market share. According to Synergy Research Group's '2Q11 Service Provider and Carrier Ethernet (CE) Switch Market Share' report, investment in edge and core IP network increased 9.3 percent sequentially to $2.96 billion with Cisco the biggest beneficiary, narrowly edging out Juniper.

A similar report from Infonetics Research said Alcatel-Lucent, Huawei, Juniper and ZTE continue to take market share from Cisco in the IP edge segment (the sum of IP edge routers and carrier Ethernet switches). On the plus side, Cisco's IP edge revenue was up 12 percent in Q2, but its competitors are growing faster.

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