Datacom Systems SS-1204SX-BT

Full-Duplex Visibility for Single Interface Monitoring Solutions

The 1200 Series SINGLEstream™ Gigabit (10/100/1000) Link Aggregation Tap from Datacom Systems provides a superior solution for 24x7 monitoring of Ethernet links.

While traditional network taps might enable full-duplex monitoring of all traffic on a network link, they transmit the data to the monitoring device (e.g. analyzer, IDS, probe) in two separate half-duplex streams. Not only does this require the monitoring device to have two network interface cards (NIC), it also requires that the device be capable of combining and processing both streams of data in order to monitor both sides of the conversation. Not all monitoring devices have that capability.

The 1200 Series SINGLEstream™ 10/100/1000 Link Aggregation Tap faultlessly combines the two data streams, allowing any connected monitoring device to receive a full-duplex stream of data with one NIC.

The SINGLEstream™ SS-1200 Series Configurable Link Aggregation TAPs provide maximum flexibility allowing a choice of aggregation or non-aggregation of the bi-directional data on a single 10/100 or 1000Mb link.

• Manage TAP via management port or local serial port
• Any-to-Any architecture can send traffic to any port from any other port, eliminating the need for network managers to manage or change complex configurations of SPAN ports or move tools around their network.
• In-Line design eliminates contention for network access by freeing up SPAN/Mirror ports
• 24X7 access point for network monitoring and security tools
• In-Line design eliminates contention for network access by freeing up SPAN/Mirror ports

Features and Benefits:
 

Benefits:

• View entire full-duplex conversations using single-interface monitoring tools
• Decreased reliance on switch resources for network management visibility - eliminate SPAN port contention, oversubscription, and configuration errors
• After installation, deploy tools right away without impacting your production network
• Easily share test access points without maintenance windows or approval
• Single point of deployment and remote management minimizes management expenses and reduces MTTR
• Keep your monitoring tool plugged in while troubleshooting the same link

Features:

• Aggregation - Combine multiple network links or channels into one stream for visibility into complete network conversations
• Regeneration - Send copies of traffic from the tap to multiple connected tools to share data sources
• 100% Network Uptime - Multi-mode fiber tap is completely passive and won’t disrupt the network even if power is lost to the tap
• Monitoring Port Speeds from 10 to 1000MB, full duplex, half duplex, or auto-negotiate
• Stays invisible to the network for enhanced security
• Compatible with all major manufacturers’ monitoring systems and analyzers
• Flexible traffic flow to monitoring tools - single-direction or bidirectional for traffic injection
• Dual Redundant Power ensures monitoring uptime

Solutions:

	Full Duplex Aggregation Monitoring network traffic from two different sources is an important and frequent requirement in network analysis, commonly referred to as data “aggregation.” For example, in order to properly troubleshoot most network problems, network professionals need to receive traffic from both sides of a full duplex conversation. While traditional taps might enable full-duplex monitoring of all traffic on a network link, they transmit the data to the connected monitoring device in two separate half-duplex streams (one for Tx and one for Rx). Not only does this require the monitoring device to have two network interface cards, it also requires that the device be capable of combining and processing both streams of data in order to monitor both sides of the conversation. Not all monitoring systems, including the most popular software solutions, have the required hardware to aggregate traffic. The SINGLEstream™ Link Aggregation Tap combines both directions of a full duplex data stream and allows any connected monitoring device, including those with only one NIC, to receive a copy of all the data - even in a single trace file.
	Dual Stream Mode For dual-receive capable tools and times when there is no substitute for full line rate data capture (e.g. network attacks), the SINGLEstream™ can be configured to work exactly like a traditional full duplex tap, providing a copy of full-rate Gigabit data to connected tools in two separate streams (Tx and Rx).
	Totally Passive and Power Fault Tolerant Fiber taps are completely passive devices and are not a point of failure on the network. Even if power is lost to the tap, the network traffic will not be affected. While some copper Gigabit taps prevent the operation of redundant routing and failover systems because they keep both sides of the network invisible to the other, the passive nature of optical fiber also eliminates this possibility of network failure. If one side of the link fails for any reason, the device on the other side of the link will recognize this outage immediately, so routers and switches can engage redundant protocols and failover systems. Because both sides of the link are always open, the network will automatically re-establish the primary link as soon as both sides of the network and the endpoint devices become operational.
	Regeneration One-to-Many configurations replicate copies of identical network traffic to provide multiple tools monitoring access to the same links. In addition to eliminating contention for access to critical links, multiple tools can be connected to the same link for redundancy, testing, or advanced monitoring applications.
	Reliable and Easy to Use Unlike setting up operating systems and binding NICs, the SINGLEstream™ Link Aggregation Tap is simple to deploy, and every unit comes with dual redundant power supplies to ensure monitoring uptime.

Diagrams:

Technical Specifications:

Documentation:

Download the Datacom Systems SS-1204SX-BT Datasheet (.PDF)