Network analysis

What would you do with a 288 TB network time machine?

Who needs a DeLorean and its one point twenty-one jiggawatts when you can have a GigaStor SAS, which stores 288 TERABYTES of network data?

According to a press release from Network Instruments, GigaStor “is the largest retrospective network analysis (RNA) platform available for storing and capturing network packets and transactions for later analysis and investigation.” Network Instruments said that the vast capacity was needed as more networks tap into 10 Gigabit Ethernet, particularly for those companies with larger data centers. The appliance was originally designed for a military customer, according to the company, who needed to store a month’s worth of networking data.

Deep diving into deep packet inspection

Speaking of deep packeteering, dPacket.org is a new non-profit with the goal to “foster and support community interest and progress in deep packet inspection (DPI).” OK, so the Gates Foundation it’s not, but I got on the phone with two of the founders, Kyle Rosenthal and Axel Weichert, both formerly with DPI provider Bivio Networks, yesterday to talk a little bit about the site’s ambitions and how it might help network engineers who are tackling how to integrate DPI into their networks.

They said they initially set out to create a very technical community, but they’ve since broadened that mandate to include high-level discussions about the place of DPI at both the network and service provider level. That topic tends to bring out ideologues on both sides, particularly as it’s linked to net neutrality, but hopefully the savvy searcher can avoid the worst of the flame wars and find some useful information, such as vendor profiles and a piece on using DPI to check and improve Skype traffic.

Rosenthal said one of dPacket’s big challenges would be to prove to readers that the site isn’t an industry mouthpiece, which might be tough with financial sponsors like Sandvine and Ellacoya. Still, the more resources there are for complex subjects like DPI the better, particularly if they are willing to tackle both the tough technical aspects of network deployment alongside the creation of ethical guidelines to address how far into the network should DPI peer, and how that information should be handled.

PacketTrap shares vision of integrated network management, monitoring tools

At Interop, I sat down with PacketTrap CEO Steve Goodman, who showed me PacketTrap’s network management console and talked about the company’s philosophy of integrating disparate tools.

Vint Cerf wows ‘em at SHARKFEST

Earlier this week, I wrote a post about the SHARKFEST conference, a small and focused networking event that features some very high-powered speakers, namely Internet pioneer Vint Cerf and protocol analysis expert Laura Chappell.

Tim O’Neill has posted a video and uploaded the slides of Vint Cerf’s presentation over at LoveMyTool, if you’d like to check them out. Vint’s talk covered Internet usage and growth in the 21st century so far, how technology and protocols are changing, what the drivers are behind that change, and how standards groups are working on adapting technology to meet future demands.

Laura Chappell has quite an extensive recap of SHARKFEST posted on her Inside Laura’s Lab blog. If you can make it through her entire post, you’ll truly feel like you were in attendance! Also stay tuned to SearchNetworking.com for more from Laura; she’ll be joining us soon for a virtual trade show on network monitoring. For now, click over to her latest animated article at Novell Connection Magazine. This one explains everything you need to know about TCP connection loss.

(Updated 4/8/08.)

SHARKFEST: Open source network analysis fans churn up the waters with the Father of the Internet and Mother of Invention

Just when you thought it was safe to go into the NOC….da, dum….da, dum….that’s when SHARKFEST sneaks up on you.

Actually, SHARKFEST is an event about protocol analysis, an activity we at SearchNetworking highly recommend to make you safer, in networking terms, at least. The use of protocol and network analyzers can not only root out problems in network performance but also discover all kinds of nasty security holes and potential vulnerabilities in your network. The conference is put on for developers and users of the open source network analyzer Wireshark (formerly known as Ethereal). If you live or plan to be in the Mountain View, Calif., area this week, SHARKFEST will be held at Foothill College today through April 2.

What’s really exciting for the Wireshark folks is that the keynote speaker on Tuesday is Dr. Vinton Cerf, a man regarded by many as one of the Fathers of the Internet. Cerf now serves as vice president and chief Internet evangelist for Google (but, hey, we all have to eat, right?), chairman of the board of ICANN and honorary chairman of the IPv6 Forum. According to the SHARKFEST agenda, Vint will be talking about “non-discriminatory network service.”

In a press release, Gerald Combs, Wireshark creator and director of open source projects at CACE Technologies, co-sponsor of the event, said, “Dr. Cerf’s presence at SHARKFEST ‘08 is an amazing testament to the importance of the open source movement and the Wireshark project.” I have to agree. Although Vint’s role at Google is “evangelist,” you don’t see him speaking often to IT audiences, so his presence is quite a coup. I hope the attendees think of some tough questions to challenge him.

So SHARKFEST has a lot going for it. 1.) It has a very cool name (despite the hyper-capitalization). 2.) It has the Father of the Internet. 3.) It has my all-time favorite IT speaker in the whole world: Laura Chappell. She’ll be giving sessions on trace file analysis, TCP/IP resolution processes, network forensics, cool security tools, and case studies about solving network performace issues with WireShark.

Laura is the founder of Wireshark University and the Protocol Analysis Institute. She has trained thousands of network and security administrators, saved hundreds of companies from ruin and embarrassment, and worked extensively with government agencies to safeguard networks and improve security measures.

If you have not seen Laura Chappell in action, you do not know what you’re missing. Not only is she funny and energetic and a riveting speaker, but she will show you things you can find out about your network that you never thought were possible. All with very simple, mostly free, tools. She’s so neat that Disney has optioned a script tentatively called “Mother of Invention” based on her life.