Network Packet Brokers, or NPB in short, have become a mandatory part of the network infrastructure, enabling network visibility and solving multiple critical issues for cyber security and network performance management tools that need to analyse network traffic. The challenge is that legacy packet brokers where designed on proprietary hardware with limited performance and high cost. CGS Tower Networks has introduced a paradigm shift in the network visibility market by offering UVA (Unified Visibility Architecture), a unified packet broker software that runs on multiple X86 servers and network appliances as well as Broadcom switches. One of the benefits of the UVA, is that it can be deployed with full functionality on a variety of hardware platforms, including the Mini NPB, the smallest packet broker in the industry.
The Mini NPB comes in two flavours: 5 x 1G copper ports with one port for management console or 3 x 1G copper ports, 2 x 1G SPF pluggable and one port for management.
It has several unique differentiators, including:
- Compact and portable
- Full functionality in a single chassis: Aggregation, Regeneration, Filtering, Load Balancing, Header Stripping, Deduplication, Data Masking, Packet Slicing, Time-Stamping, Data Capture and De-Fragmentation
- Easy to configure and manage with multiple management interfaces including Web UI, CLI, SNMP, Net CONF and REST API
- Extremely low cost
The Mini NPB is the ideal platform for the following use cases:
- Troubleshoot network with a compact & portable debug and diagnostic tool
- Enable cost/effective NPB deployment for small branch offices
- Free over utilized cyber security and NPM tool resources by filtering traffic, eliminating duplicated packets and removing packet payload
- Capture filtered network traffic for further analysis
- Kick-off a small-scale Network Visibility project
To sum up: The Mini NPB with its compact size and entry level pricing brings packet broker functionality and benefits to new markets and deployment scenarios that required it but could not afford it until now.
