How we tested GigaStor
We connected the GigaStor to each of our six Cisco-routed Gigabit and Fast Ethernet network segments. The client and server platforms included Windows NT/XP/98/2000/2003, Unix (AIX), Red Hat Linux and Macintosh OS X. Relational databases on the network were Oracle 8i, Sybase Adaptive Server and Microsoft SQL Server 2000. Windows Server shared files, while Internet Information Server, Netscape and Apache software served up Web pages. We set up T-1, T-3, OC-1 and OC-3 WAN links for the GigaStor to eavesdrop through.
In each test, we looked at the GigaStor’s ability to discover our network nodes, monitor those nodes for availability and performance, decode protocols, filter traffic based on network address, protocol type and other parameters, produce useful statistical summaries of network activity, help troubleshoot problems and report on the current status of the network’s devices and connections. To determine the GigaStor’s performance, we flooded the WAN links with a known number of network messages and noted the ability of the GigaStor to keep up with the traffic.
