Endace adds NetFlow stats to network probe

Endace has claimed that its NinjaProbe network traffic monitoring boxes can now generate stats in NetFlow format, thanks to technology developed in Sprint Nextel's R&D labs. The New Zealand-based company said that this will allow users to analyze the data generated by the probes with their regular network analysis software.

The company claimed that increasing network speeds and industry regulation mean there is more and more need for specialist network monitoring hardware that can capture every packet on the wire. It said that while NetFlow data has traditionally been generated within the switches and routers themselves, higher traffic volumes will make it impossible for those devices to continue carrying that extra workload.

Stuart Wilson, Endace's CTO, acknowledged that the lack of a NetFlow capability has limited NinjaProbe's usefulness, but said that it can now feed stats into a broad range of network management tools.

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Endace has claimed that its NinjaProbe network traffic monitoring boxes can now generate stats in NetFlow format, thanks to technology developed in Sprint Nextel's R&D labs. The New Zealand-based company said that this will allow users to analyze the data generated by the probes with their regular network analysis software.

The company claimed that increasing network speeds and industry regulation mean there is more and more need for specialist network monitoring hardware that can capture every packet on the wire. It said that while NetFlow data has traditionally been generated within the switches and routers themselves, higher traffic volumes will make it impossible for those devices to continue carrying that extra workload.

Stuart Wilson, Endace's CTO, acknowledged that the lack of a NetFlow capability has limited NinjaProbe's usefulness, but said that it can now feed stats into a broad range of network management tools.

"By integrating with the extensive range of existing NetFlow collectors and analyzers, NinjaProbe systems can be used for many more monitoring applications, including real-time security and billing," he said.

He claimed that NinjaProbe systems are independent from the network infrastructure, so they can monitor multi-vendor networks where needed and generate granular statistics under all network conditions.

"NetFlow records are widely used as the source of traffic statistics for many different networking security and operational tools," said Tim Kelley, the director of Sprint Nextel's applied research & advanced technology lab, which licensed the technology to Endace.

"The ability to optimize statistics for each application is key in analyzing high-volume network traffic," he added.