Network Instruments

GigaStor Probe Appliance

Network Instruments GigaStor Overview
The GigaStor provides massive data collection and unique time-based analysis that eliminates the need to recreate problems, therefore rapidly decreasing resolution time. Now available for WAN, LAN, Fibre Channel, gigabit and 10 GbE networks with portable units also available.

Retrospective Network Analysis
Stop missing critical events. With the GigaStor everything is captured - every transaction, every packet, every protocol.  This data is captured for hours, days, weeks, sometimes months and with this data and a unique time-based navigation system, your networking team has the benefit of perfect hindsight to attack every network problem and anomaly.

Now it is easy to “rewind” your network, determine the source, perform comprehensive analysis, and move on.

Forensics
GigaStor plays a significant role in data mining, network forensics, and data retention compliance.

For example, the GigaStor not only shows communications that occurred, but it can reconstruct the mined data—providing hard evidence such as phone conversations, web pages, documents, instant messages, and e-mails. See how it works

Use GigaStor’s retrospective network analysis to solve security problems. GigaStor acts like a security camera recording every action occurring on the network.

If a breach is suspected, the GigaStor compares the breach to thousands of network attacks and anomalies with “Snort-style” IDS functionality. Once identified, the GigaStor provides drill-down analysis to determine the source and time of the occurrence.

Store Everything
GigaStor can hold up to 48 TB of data or offload to a SAN for almost unlimited storage potential. The appliance continually updates and tracks storage capacity, as it pertains to your network. Choose 4 TB, 8 TB, 12 TB or scale up to 48 TB with GigaStor Expandable.

Comprehensive Analysis
GigaStor provides long-term, real-time, and post-capture network statistics across multiple topologies and technologies. Track bandwidth utilization, network top talkers, individual link utilization, application metrics, NetFlow data, and much more with a full arsenal of information at your fingertips. Expert analysis provides insight into possible causes for network performance and offers immediate solutions.

Ideal for Transaction-Heavy Organisations
The GigaStor is ideal for data mining and network forensics. Filter and mine network data by MAC stations, IP stations, IP pairs, TCP ports, UDP ports, VLANs, and physical ports. For example, for monitoring slow Oracle transactions simply choose your time-window and filter through the Oracle protocols. GigaStor provides the ability to quickly drill down to individual application metrics to immediately isolate and resolve the problem.

Gen2™ Ensures Line-Rate Captures
All full-duplex gigabit and Fibre Channel products include the Gen2 capture card designed exclusively by Network Instruments. Obtain the fastest processing and accurate time stamping. Best of all, with one GigaStor box you can have up to 8 simultaneous combinations of SPAN sessions, trunked links, and full-duplex connections.

Reduced Overhead
The GigaStor was designed to manage all data processing and Expert analysis on the box itself. This eliminates the need to transfer heavy files across your network to your local console. Instead, only screen updates are sent, allowing analysis to take seconds rather than hours.

GigaStor Expandable
A new configuration allows growing enterprises more flexibility and scalability for performing retrospective network analysis. Start with a 16 TB hardware appliance and add an additional 16 TB or 32 TB of storage as necessary.

Regardless of your network, there is a GigaStor to fit:

For full-duplex, gigabit networks

• Line-rate capture
  
• Analyse up to eight ports
  
• Full Observer statistics
  
• Data-mining and stream reconstruction
  
• Individual and aggregate link metrics

For 10 GbE networks

• 16-lane PCI Express card
  
• Can sustain 10 GbE full-duplex analysis at line rate
  
• Critical features such as filtering and statistics are performed directly on the card

For Wide Area Network connections

• Go back in time to review WAN metrics
  
• Obtain over 30 real-time statistics on WAN performance
  
• Monitor CIR to verify and enforce Service Level Agreements
  
• Review traffic across serial and digital WAN links
  
• Perform WAN analysis on WAN encapsulation and payload data
  
• Ensure complete capture on serial HSSI, digital T3/DS3/E3, and serial and digital T1/E1
  
• Obtain a comprehensive summary of WAN errors

For Fibre Channel networks

• Over 30 real-time statistics
  
• Packet capture and decode
  
• Nanosecond resolution, a 24 GB memory buffer (max)
  
• Over 590 protocols decoded
  
• Over 20 real-time Fibre Channel Experts for faster troubleshooting
  
• Network trending and reporting

Write-to-SAN Option
Configure the GigaStor appliance to provide almost unlimited storage capacity by writing directly to your storage area network. A dedicated SAN card ensures high-performance write speeds for continuous, guaranteed data transfer.

• Provides greater storage flexibility
  
• Capacity limited only by your network SAN
  
• Write-to-SAN rates of 1 Gbps, 2 Gbps, and 4 Gbps are supported
  
• Ideal for data-heavy organisations

GigaStor Portable

• Self-contained appliance for in-the-field network forensics
  
• Capture hours and days worth of packet-level data
  
• Isolate network issues quickly with a unique time-based navigation utility
  
• Reconstruct data-streams to review web pages visited, VoIP conversations, instant messages, and e-mails
  
• Includes in-depth VoIP analysis with over 70 metrics to track call quality

Includes an ntap™ to Ensure Complete Full-Duplex Captures

• All configurations of the GigaStor include an internal ntap that provides a copy of all traffic to the analyser.
  
• In case of gigabit over fiber (i.e. optical) networks, the ntap splits the optical signal, providing one signal to the network and the other signal to the analyser.
  
• In the case of gigabit over copper, the ntap electronically duplicates the gigabit signal—sending one signal to the network, and the other signal to the analyser.
  
• With an ntap the data flow always remains unaltered and uninterrupted.
  
• In the case of the 10 GbE GigaStor, it can include an internal optical ntap but copper TAPs are sold separately.

Deployment
The GigaStor is rack mountable. It includes all necessary software and ntaps so that you can insert and remove the GigaStor around your network without disruption of flow. The appliance then reports back to any Expert or Suite console located on your network for in-depth analysis. If desired, it can also be configured as a local console for on-site analysis. And because the GigaStor is part of the Network Instruments Distributed Network Analysis (NI-DNA™) architecture, it integrates seamlessly with other Network Instruments products.