ClearSight analyzes 10G

ClearSight Networks last week introduced a protocol analyzer for 10 Gigabit Ethernet networks that includes support for IPv6, VoIP and multimedia protocols.

ClearSight, formerly AppDancer, unveiled its ClearSight Analyzer 10 Gigabit, which follows the Analyzer 10/100 and Analyzer Gigabit products. The 10G version is a combination of hardware and software that supports monitoring, post-capture decode, testing and analysis. The company says the product will perform full-line bit capture, meaning it can capture data at high speeds and without dropping packets, which is critical when trying to get an accurate read on protocol and routing performance.

“We look at the actual applications, and we take a top-down approach and are able to identify the problem by analyzing performance metrics and protocol errors,” says Sam Li, CTO at ClearSight. He goes on to say that the product helps network and application managers see end-user experiences at the time of an application problem.

The appliance monitors network devices and various applications, including VoIP. VoIP activity can be viewed at the call-control level – H.323 and Session Initiation Protocol are both supported – as well as at the Real-time Transport Protocol. The product also supports key IPv6 protocols, including: BGP4+, PIM-SM IPv6, OSPF V3, DHCP IPv6-PD, Mobile IP and others.

ClearSight Analyzer 10 Gigabit is a bench-top or rack-mountable test appliance based on Intel’s 2.2-GHz Pentium 4 processor with a 400-MHz processor side bus and two 10/100/1000M bit/sec Ethernet ports. Dual 10G optical ports support a combined 1G-byte trace buffer.

ClearSight competes most with Network Associates and its line of Sniffer products.

Analyzer products from ClearSight start at about $8,000, and pricing scales depending on the protocols and applications being monitored. Available now, ClearSight Analyzer 10 Gigabit costs about $146,000. The company says the product is for high-end enterprises that have already deployed 10 Gigabit Ethernet.