Copyright TechTarget - All rights reserved https://cyber.law.harvard.edu/rss/rss.html Techtarget Feed Generator en Sat, 14 Mar 2026 22:05:24 GMT https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking editor@techtarget.com <p>A point of presence (PoP) is a point or physical location where two or more networks or communication devices build a connection from one place to the rest of the internet. PoPs are crucial to global information exchange and telecommunications services. They act as access points for local networks and their devices to establish connections to the internet.</p> <p>POP also stands for the Post Office Protocol used by email clients. For this definition, see <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/POP3-Post-Office-Protocol-3">POP3</a>.</p> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="How PoPs work"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>How PoPs work</h2> <p>Each point of presence has a unique <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchunifiedcommunications/definition/Internet-Protocol">Internet Protocol</a> address. A PoP acts as a facilitator for the flow of data between endpoints. When an end user tries to access something online, the device sends data to the nearest PoP. The PoP sends the data through other networks until it reaches its destination. As such, PoPs are critical in controlling network traffic flow. A PoP usually includes routers, servers and <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/switch">switches</a>.</p> <p>An internet service provider (<a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/ISP">ISP</a>), online service provider or entertainment provider likely has more than one PoP on the internet. The number of PoPs that an ISP or online service provider has is sometimes used as a measure of its size or growth rate. The more PoPs a service has, the larger its reach.</p> <p>A PoP might reside in a rented space owned by the telecommunications carrier -- such as Verizon or AT&amp;T -- to which the ISP connects.</p> </section> A point of presence (PoP) is a point or physical location where two or more networks or communication devices build a connection from one place to the rest of the internet. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/visuals/digdeeper/5.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/point-of-presence-POP Mon, 07 Jul 2025 14:00:00 GMT <p>Cisco introduced switches with AMD Pensando digital processing units Tuesday that run security and network services on the devices instead of on separate appliances.</p> <p>The Cisco N9300 series of Smart Switches is powered by the Cisco Silicon One E100 network processor, designed for top-of-rack switching. The chip provides 4.8 Tbps of capacity, advanced telemetry, line-rate encryption and integration with AMD DPUs.</p> <p>Cisco is not the first vendor to introduce data center switches with DPUs. In 2021, Hewlett Packard Enterprise introduced the Aruba Networking CX 10000 series with a Pensando processor for networking and security services, including firewalls, encryption and load balancing.</p> <p>AMD <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/news/252515660/AMD-heats-up-DPU-competition-with-Pensando-acquisition">acquired Pensando</a> for $1.9 billion a year later. At the time, Pensando made a programmable packet processor that competed with DPUs from Intel and Nvidia.</p> <p>Cisco waited for customer demand to build before releasing a switch with DPU for enterprises.</p> <p>"DPU acceleration in data center switching is still in its early stages, with use cases continuing to evolve," the company said in an emailed statement. "Cisco takes a deliberate approach to innovation -- ensuring we deliver solutions that truly address customer needs at the right time."</p> <p>The Cisco Smart Switch will initially run <a href="https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/security/hypershield/hypershield-ds.html">Cisco's Hypershield</a>, a distributed security architecture leveraging DPUs and the extended Berkeley Packet Filter. EBPF is a Linux kernel technology that executes programs in a sandbox separate from the OS.</p> <p>Hypershield automatically analyzes large amounts of security data to make recommendations and provide general insights. It also provides visibility into application processes.</p> <p>"Every port on a network of Smart Switches becomes a network security enforcement point," said Shamus McGillicuddy, an analyst at Enterprise Management Associates. "This leads to more efficiency in traffic flow, which is critical to latency-sensitive applications like AI."</p> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/cisco_smart_switch-f.jpg"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/cisco_smart_switch-f_mobile.jpg" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/cisco_smart_switch-f_mobile.jpg 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/cisco_smart_switch-f.jpg 1280w" alt="Cisco Smart Switch" data-credit="Cisco" height="448" width="560"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>The Cisco N9300 series top-of-rack Smart Switches is powered by the Cisco Silicon One E100 network processor. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Preparing for AI"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Preparing for AI</h2> <p>The Smart Switch is a logical option for enterprises refreshing their networks to run AI models and applications. While the hardware isn't AI-specific, it would route traffic from AI applications running on clusters of GPUs. Organizations doing large-scale AI today include financial institutions, large pharmaceuticals and cloud providers.</p> <p>"The thing we're hearing is that AI is having a big impact on all networking infrastructure -- data center and edge, " said Jim Frey, an analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group, now part of Omdia. "Everyone's really looking at this and saying, 'How can I prepare for AI?'"</p> <p>Cloud providers and organizations with hyperscale data centers have run network and security services on DPUs attached to switches for years. Cisco offers the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/iosxr/cisco8000/sonic/b-release-notes-sonic-master11-0.html" rel="noopener">8000 series</a> of white-box switches to select customers who want to run the SONiC open source network OS on a Silicon One processor. Microsoft developed SONiC, or Software for Open Networking in the Cloud, for hyperscale data centers.</p> <p>"Cisco has taken what they've learned from selling Silicon One to hyperscalers and has figured out how to package it for non-hyperscalers -- for everybody else," Frey said.</p> <p>The Smart Switches run Cisco's NX-OS and are managed through the <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/news/252491408/Cisco-dashboard-simplifies-access-to-multiple-NetOps-tools">Nexus Dashboard</a>, a unified platform for managing, monitoring and operating data center networks. Integrated services include lifecyle device management and policy orchestration.</p> <p>Cisco could run various network and security services on the DPUs in the future, including network address translation, IPsec encryption, application load balancing, event-based telemetry and DDoS protection, the company said. Also, Cisco could allow select customers in vertical industries to run custom-built services on the DPUs.</p> <p>Cisco plans to ship its first available N9300 Smart Switch in the spring. It will feature 24 100G ports. A model featuring 48 25G ports, two 100G ports and six 400G ports is scheduled for release in the summer. Pricing was not disclosed.</p> <p><i>Antone Gonsalves is an editor at large for Informa TechTarget, reporting on industry trends critical to enterprise tech buyers. He has worked in tech journalism for 25 years and is based in San Francisco. Have a news tip? Please drop him an&nbsp;</i><a title="mailto:antone.gonsalves@informatechtarget.co" href="mailto:antone.gonsalves@informatechtarget.co"><i>email</i></a><i>.</i></p> </section> Cisco introduces the Smart Switch series, as enterprises refresh networks in preparation for running AI models and applications. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/security_a244600171.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/news/366619009/Cisco-launches-Smart-Switches-with-AMD-DPUs-for-security Tue, 11 Feb 2025 17:01:00 GMT <h3>What is a bridge?</h3> <p>A bridge is a class of network device designed to connect networks at Open Systems Interconnection (<a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/OSI">OSI</a>) Level 2, which is the <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/Data-Link-layer">data link layer</a> of a local area network (<a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/local-area-network-LAN">LAN</a>). Bridges must connect like LAN protocols -- for example, <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/Ethernet">Ethernet</a>, <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/FDDI">Fiber Distributed Data Interface</a> or <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/Token-Ring">token ring</a> -- and bridged networks pass the <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/packet">packets</a> of all higher-layer protocols running on the network. While any LAN protocol can be bridged, most LANs today are Ethernet-switched LANs, and most bridges are Ethernet bridges.</p> <p>The biggest risk in bridging is <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/network-traffic">traffic</a> overload. All broadcast messages are sent across an entire LAN, and even messages directed to a single station are sent to every port on many LANs. This issue can be addressed by <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/network-segmentation">segmentation</a>. Bridging builds an extended LAN by connecting LAN segments, and advanced bridge technologies aim at improving the options for an extension to eliminate the problems of traffic overload.</p> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineImages/networking-osi_layer.png"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineImages/networking-osi_layer_mobile.png" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineImages/networking-osi_layer_mobile.png 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineImages/networking-osi_layer.png 1280w" alt="A diagram of the OSI model, which depicts the functions of a networking system." height="514" width="560"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>The OSI model provides a framework to describe networking functions. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <h3>Bridge models and types</h3> <p>A bridge connects LAN segments to form a single "flat" network that appears as a continuous Level 2 domain or LAN. There are two common models of bridging: local and remote. Local bridging is created by linking LAN switches with local cables, and remote bridging is when two bridges are connected via a wide area network, or <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/WAN-wide-area-network">WAN</a>. In today's network applications, local bridging is the most common model, used in both <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatacenter/definition/data-center">data centers</a> as well as departmental and branch applications.</p> <p>A simple bridge forwards all packets it receives, which means that there is no actual segmentation and that traffic growth problems are inevitable. To prevent this, advanced bridges, such as transparent and source-routing bridges, use a forwarding table to identify the path from the LAN where a packet originates to the bridged LAN where the destination resides, and send only to the destination LAN segment. If multiple paths exist, this can create a loop where packets multiply until they use all LAN capacity. Early models of bridging used a <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/spanning-tree-protocol">spanning tree</a> algorithm to detect the best path to cover all possible destinations and eliminate loops.</p> <p>The modern approach is to use multiport bridging, which detects complex bridging configurations where LANs have multiple possible bridge connections between them, making it a "shortest path" specification. This is the best approach to creating a resilient bridged network.</p> <h3>Difference between routers and bridges</h3> <p>Because IP networks dominate communications today, bridges are usually associated with the creation of an IP <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/subnetwork">subnetwork</a>, a LAN or a bridged-LAN community that serves as the basic unit of connection in IP/router networks, including the internet. Bridges, as elements of a LAN, are standardized by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, in the <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/IEEE-Institute-of-Electrical-and-Electronics-Engineers">IEEE</a> 802 family. An IP subnet contains a router that serves as the default <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/iotagenda/definition/gateway">gateway</a> to other IP subnets and the internet. In the bridged IP subnetwork, traffic between subnet members is passed at OSI Level 2, and traffic to others is directed to the default gateway for transmission at Level 3, the <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/Network-layer">network layer</a>.</p> <p>A bridge can be combined with a router in a product sometimes called a <em>brouter</em>, but the term is no longer in common use. Instead, most routers have some support for bridging features, allowing the default gateway to serve as both a bridge and a gateway to other subnetworks.</p> A bridge is a class of network device designed to connect networks at OSI Level 2, which is the data link layer of a local area network. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/visuals/digdeeper/5.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/definition/bridge Fri, 07 Jul 2023 13:00:00 GMT <h3>What is traceroute?</h3> <p>Traceroute is a <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchwindowsserver/definition/command-line-interface-CLI">command-line</a> utility that returns information about the communication route between two <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/node">nodes</a> on an Internet Protocol (<a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchunifiedcommunications/definition/Internet-Protocol">IP</a>) network. The utility sends out User Datagram Protocol (<a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/UDP-User-Datagram-Protocol">UDP</a>) test <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/packet">packets</a> and tracks their path as they travel from the system where the utility is running -- the source -- to the destination, which might be a server, router or other device on the network.</p> <p><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/system-administrator">Administrators</a> and analysts can use traceroute as a diagnostic tool to troubleshoot network and connectivity issues. They can verify which network path their data is traveling and identify any places where there might be problems or unusual routing patterns.</p> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/networking-udp.png"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/networking-udp_mobile.png" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/networking-udp_mobile.png 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/networking-udp.png 1280w" alt="Diagram of the four UDP header fields." height="226" width="560"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>The traceroute command-line utility sends out UDP test packets to track their path from an originating system to a destination. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <p>Traceroute is included with <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatacenter/definition/Unix">Unix</a> and most Unix-like operating systems, including Linux, macOS, FreeBSD and IBM AIX. If it's not included, users typically can install it manually, often for free, using a <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatacenter/definition/RPM-Package-Manager-Red-hat-Package-Manager">package manager</a> such as Yellowdog Updater, Modified or <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/definition/sudo-superuser-do">sudo</a> apt.</p> <p>Though traceroute is not included with Windows systems, Microsoft offers a comparable utility called tracert. The tracert utility returns information similar to what traceroute provides. The primary difference between the two is that traceroute transmits UDP packages by default, whereas tracert transmits Internet Control Message Protocol (<a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/ICMP">ICMP</a>) echo request packets. However, traceroute includes an option for sending ICMP echo packets rather than UDP packets.</p> <p>Traceroute is often compared to the <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/ping">ping</a> utility, which can also be used to troubleshoot network issues. But the two serve different purposes. Ping can only verify connectivity between two network nodes; it provides no routing information. For that, a user needs traceroute or a comparable tool.</p> <div class="youtube-iframe-container"> <iframe id="ytplayer-0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xTqtm7-k25o?autoplay=0&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;widget_referrer=null&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https://www.techtarget.com" type="text/html" height="360" width="640" frameborder="0"></iframe> </div> <h3>How traceroute works</h3> <p>When two nodes communicate across the internet or a large <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/private-IP-address">private IP network</a>, data packets travel -- or hop -- from one <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/iotagenda/definition/gateway">gateway</a> to the next until they reach their destination. Traceroute gathers details about these gateways and generates a list that shows the <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/host">hostname</a> and IP address of each one, if the information is available. The utility also records the time it took, in milliseconds, for the UDP packet to travel round-trip between the source computer and the specific gateway.</p> <p>When you run a traceroute command, the utility sends a packet with a time limit of 1. This is known as the time-to-live (<a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/time-to-live">TTL</a>) value, which indicates the number of permitted hops. In this way, the limit will be exceeded when it reaches the first gateway that receives the package, causing the gateway to return a time exceeded message. Traceroute uses this message to determine the round-trip time for the data to travel between the source computer and the first gateway.</p> <p>After receiving the time exceeded message, traceroute increases the TTL value by 1 so that it will be exceeded when it is received by the second gateway in the path rather than the first. Upon receiving the packet, the second gateway returns its own time exceeded message, which traceroute once again uses to determine the round-trip time. This process continues for each hop in the path until the packet reaches its final destination or the request exceeds the total number of permitted hops.</p> <p>Traceroute determines when a packet has reached its destination by including a port number that is outside the normal range. When the destination receives the packet, it returns a port unreachable message, which enables the utility to measure the time length of the final hop.</p> <p>While a traceroute command is running, it displays information about each hop in the route path between the source and destination, listing the details one hop at a time. By default, traceroute sends out three probes to each gateway and then displays the results for each probe. The user can override the default number of probes when running a traceroute command.</p> <p>If information about the gateway is not available for a specific probe, the utility will instead display an asterisk. This can occur if the gateway fails to respond for any reason. For example, it might be configured to disregard traceroute requests, or it might be too busy to respond to such requests. If a hop is listed with three asterisks, it means that all three probes failed to gather information about the gateway.</p> <h3>Running a traceroute command</h3> <p>To run a traceroute command, the user must specify, at a minimum, the utility's name, <span style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;">traceroute</span>, and the destination's hostname or IP address. For example, the following command runs a traceroute request against TechTarget's site in Brazil.</p> <pre>traceroute www.techtarget.com.br</pre> <p>The following screenshot shows the last 12 hops returned by this traceroute command, which originated on the U.S. West Coast. The path includes destinations in California and Brazil, with other possible locations in between.</p> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/traceroututility_screenshot-h.jpg"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/traceroututility_screenshot-h_mobile.jpg" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/traceroututility_screenshot-h_mobile.jpg 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/traceroututility_screenshot-h.jpg 1280w" alt="Screenshot of example traceroute results." data-credit="Robert Sheldon/TechTarget"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>The last 12 hops returned when running an example traceroute command. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <p>The left-hand column lists the hop numbers. The first hop shown is the 14th, and the last hop is the 25th, which is the destination. Each hop reflects the three probes for that specific gateway. For example, hop 23 shows a gateway in Brazil. The gateway's hostname is dist-fvcg2ita001.locaweb.com.br, and its IP address is 179.188.36.92. This information is followed by the three round-trip times, one for each probe.</p> <p>In some cases, the hostname will give you a clear sense of its location, as in hop 14, which indicates that the gateway is in Great Oaks, Calif.</p> <p>Hop listings often show two or three IP addresses. This can occur for a number of reasons, such as high traffic volumes or active load-balancing operations. For example, hop 22 indicates that the first two probes went to one IP address and the third probe went to a second IP address. The times associated with each IP address indicate the number of probes to that address.</p> <p>Some listings include only the IP address and no hostname. You can often look up an address on a site such as whatismyipaddress.com. This can be useful in trying to better understand how traffic is being routed across the internet or where roadblocks might exist. These sites will often provide details about who is hosting a gateway and where it is located. If a listing includes nothing but three asterisks, as in hop 19, you can assume that the gateway did not respond to any of the probes. In that case, there is little you can learn from this listing other than that a hop was made.</p> <p>Traceroute supports a number of options for controlling the utility's behavior and output. The exact options depend on the underlying operating system and its version of traceroute, although many options are common across systems. For example, different versions commonly support the <span style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;">-P</span> option, which lets you specify an IP protocol such as ICMP or <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/TCP">Transmission Control Protocol</a>, rather than using the default UDP. Another common option is <span style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;">-q</span>. With this one, you can specify the number of probes per hop, thus overriding the default three.</p> <div class="youtube-iframe-container"> <iframe id="ytplayer-1" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/614QGgw_FA4?autoplay=0&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;widget_referrer=null&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https://www.techtarget.com" type="text/html" height="360" width="640" frameborder="0"></iframe> </div> <p><em><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/tip/How-to-use-traceroute-to-troubleshoot-network-problems">See how to use traceroute to troubleshoot network problems</a>.</em></p> Traceroute is a command-line utility that returns information about the communication route between two nodes on an Internet Protocol (IP) network. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/visuals/digdeeper/5.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/traceroute Wed, 19 Apr 2023 08:00:00 GMT <h3>What is a plane (in networking)?</h3> <p>A plane is an integral component of <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/telecommunications-telecom">telecommunications</a> architecture and networks. This architecture consists of three planes, or logical entities: the <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/data-plane-DP">data plane</a>, the <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/control-plane-CP">control plane</a> and the management plane. Each plane represents a different area of network operations and carries different types of network traffic.</p> <p>Networks can be represented two-dimensionally as a set of flat lines connecting various nodes. But in real networking environments, a network has three dimensions, or planes, which together determine how data moves in the network.</p> <p>Networking planes -- also known as traffic planes -- represent logical separations to classify traffic based on its function in the network. Such separation enables network administrators to develop and consistently apply <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/definition/security-policy">security policies</a>. It also allows them to design network control functions based on the policies and implement them on the various elements in the network.</p> <p>The data plane, control plane and management plane each have different characteristics, functions and security requirements in the network. They also operate at different speeds. It is especially important to understand how these planes work in a software-defined network (<a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/software-defined-networking-SDN">SDN</a>) because it helps network administrators to use a software application to configure the network and optimize its speed in an agile manner.</p> <h3>Networking planes in SDN</h3> <p>In conventional networking, all three planes are implemented in the <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/firmware">firmware</a> of <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/router">routers</a> and <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/switch">switches</a>. SDN <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/decoupled-architecture">decouples</a> the data and control planes. It also removes the control plane from network hardware and implements it in software. Since there is no need to change the configuration of physical equipment, SDN enables programmatic access and consequently makes network administration much more flexible.</p> <p>Moving the control plane to software also allows dynamic access and administration of the network. Network admins can <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/traffic-shaping">shape traffic</a> from a centralized control console without having to touch individual switches. They can also change the rules of any switch when necessary to prioritize, de-prioritize or even block specific types of <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/packet">data packets</a> while maintaining a granular level of control.</p> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/sdn-sdn_architecture.png"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/sdn-sdn_architecture_mobile.png" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/sdn-sdn_architecture_mobile.png 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/sdn-sdn_architecture.png 1280w" alt="Diagram of software-defined networking architecture"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>Software-defined networking removes the control plane from network hardware and implements it in software. It also decouples the data and control planes. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <h3>What is the data plane?</h3> <p>In a network, the data plane is sometimes known as the user plane, forwarding plane, carrier plane, data path or bearer plane. It refers to all the processes that are responsible for forwarding packets from one interface to another -- source to destination -- based on the control plane's logic. Thus, the data plane depends on the control plane to function.</p> <p>The primary function of the data plane is to carry the network's user traffic, or data packets, and transit the packets while applying some action to them. These actions are always applied on the basis of rules that are programmed into <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/routing-table">routing tables</a>.</p> <p>The data plane takes packets from one port of a switch and sends them to another port through the router. These actions happen at line speed and require inputs from the control plane to determine which ports to send packets to.</p> <p>Usually, data plane traffic does not have destination <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/IP-address-Internet-Protocol-Address">Internet Protocol (IP) addresses</a> belonging to networking devices such as routers or switches. Rather, the plane sources the traffic and then sends it on to other network-supported devices, such as PCs or servers. It is the router's job to forward these packets downstream as quickly as possible. All data plane traffic must be controlled to protect the router and network against threats that might arise from both legitimate and malicious traffic.</p> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/11_essential_network_management_tasks-f.png"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/11_essential_network_management_tasks-f_mobile.png" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/11_essential_network_management_tasks-f_mobile.png 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/11_essential_network_management_tasks-f.png 1280w" alt="Illustrated list of 11 essential network management tasks" height="361" width="560"> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <h3>What is the control plane?</h3> <p>The control plane controls how data packets are forwarded in the network. It makes forwarding decisions and also implements other network functions, such as quality of service (<a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchunifiedcommunications/definition/QoS-Quality-of-Service">QoS</a>) and virtual local area network (<a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/virtual-LAN">VLAN</a>).</p> <p>The main function of the control plane is to create logic and to program actions for the data plane. Thus, while the data plane actually forwards the packets, the control plane determines, or controls, how the packets should be forwarded. Unlike the data plane, where packets go through a router, the packets of the control plane are locally originated by the router itself, which then processes the packets to update the routing table.</p> <p>In any network, routers use multiple protocols to identify network paths. These paths are stored in the routing tables. The process of creating these tables is part of the control plane. Routers typically use these protocols to create routing tables:</p> <ul class="default-list"> <li>Border Gateway Protocol, or <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/BGP-Border-Gateway-Protocol">BGP</a></li> <li>Open Shortest Path First, or <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/OSPF-Open-Shortest-Path-First">OSPF</a></li> <li>Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol, or <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/EIGRP">EIGRP</a></li> <li>Intermediate System to Intermediate System, or <a href="https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc1142" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IS-IS</a></li> </ul> <p>The control plane includes both receive packets and transit packets. The receive packets are generated and consumed by the control processes running on the router, while the transit packets are required to maintain the network's overall performance even if they are not destined for processes running on the intermediate routers.</p> <p>The control plane does not operate at wire speed, which means it operates at a lower speed than the data plane. Despite its lower speed, it plays an important role in the network because without it, the other traffic planes would not function. Router and network operations would also be disrupted. To protect the state of the network, it's crucial to secure the control plane and prevent its compromise.</p> <div class="youtube-iframe-container"> <iframe id="ytplayer-0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IRPRX2fVJYY?autoplay=0&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;widget_referrer=null&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https://www.techtarget.com" type="text/html" height="360" width="640" frameborder="0"></iframe> </div> <h3>What is the management plane?</h3> <p>The management plane, which carries administrative traffic, is considered a subset of the control plane. It is a logical entity where network devices such as switches, routers, web interfaces, command-line interfaces (<a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchwindowsserver/definition/command-line-interface-CLI">CLI</a>) and <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatacenter/definition/shell">shells</a> are configured and monitored. In this plane, the traffic used to access, manage and monitor the network elements is defined, along with all the network's <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/provisioning">provisioning</a>, maintenance and monitoring functions.</p> <p>The management plane runs on the same processor as the control plane. It always includes receive packets that are generated and consumed by the management processes running on the router.</p> <p>It is just as important to secure the management plane as it is to secure the control plane to help ensure proper router and network operations. This also avoids unauthorized access and prevents attackers from compromising the <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchunifiedcommunications/definition/Internet-Protocol">IP</a> traffic planes by taking advantage of weak passwords or unencrypted management access or by modifying traffic flows.</p> <h3>What is the services plane?</h3> <p>A services plane is considered part of the network when there are different services running over a common IP network core. This logical entity consists of the following:</p> <ul class="default-list"> <li>customer traffic receiving dedicated network-based services;</li> <li>private-to-public interfacing;</li> <li><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/definition/firewall">firewalls</a>;</li> <li>intrusion detection and prevention systems, or <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/definition/intrusion-detection-system">IDS</a>/<a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/definition/intrusion-prevention">IPS</a>; and</li> <li>QoS for voice and video.</li> </ul> <p>Unlike data plane traffic that receives only native IP delivery support, the services plane includes traffic with specialized network-based functions and consistent end-to-end handling. Also, services plane traffic is generally transit traffic, so it is processed differently from data plane traffic. Administrators usually create and enforce different policies with the plane because it represents different kinds of services. Securing the plane helps to ensure stable and reliable flows of specialized traffic.</p> <div class="youtube-iframe-container"> <iframe id="ytplayer-1" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/znIjk-7ZuqI?autoplay=0&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;widget_referrer=null&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https://www.techtarget.com" type="text/html" height="360" width="640" frameborder="0"></iframe> </div> <p><em>Learn about the <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/answer/What-are-the-5-different-types-of-network-management">five different types of network management</a> and <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/tip/Overview-of-network-management-tasks-and-best-practices">network management tasks and best practices</a>. Explore the <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/opinion/The-importance-of-unified-end-to-end-network-management">importance of unified, end-to-end network management</a> and how to <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/answer/How-do-I-plan-a-network-management-strategy-for-multiple-tools">plan a network management strategy for multiple tools</a>.</em></p> A plane is an integral component of telecommunications architecture and networks. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/visuals/digdeeper/6.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/plane-in-networking Wed, 28 Dec 2022 11:00:00 GMT <p>Extensibility and optimization are essential to any enterprise platform. The ability to tailor a platform to specific application or business needs without making permanent changes creates opportunities for innovation and enhancement while prolonging the platform's life.</p> <p>Kubernetes versions 1.25 and later take full advantage of extensibility and optimization by using Container Network Interface (CNI) to work with varied network technologies and <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/network-topology">topologies</a>. Kubernetes currently requires network plugins to support pods and drive the Kubernetes network model.</p> <p>Take a closer look at how CNI works with Kubernetes and compare popular network plugins currently available for Kubernetes, including Calico, Flannel, Weave Net, Cilium and Multus.</p> <h3>What is Container Network Interface?</h3> <p>Container technology uses virtual instances to compose, operate and scale highly modular enterprise workloads. Because containers rely on intercommunication over enterprise and cloud networks, <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/Ultimate-guide-to-network-management-in-the-enterprise">enhancing and optimizing network management</a> can dramatically improve container and application performance.</p> <p>The <a href="https://github.com/containernetworking/cni/blob/spec-v1.0.0/SPEC.md" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNI specification</a> -- version 1.0.0 at time of publication -- is a formal document that details a vendor- and technology-agnostic networking approach for application containers using Linux. With the CNI plugin model, IT admins can create and deploy a wide range of network options for their containers, enabling them to use Kubernetes in diverse networking environments.</p> <p>The CNI specification defines five aspects of a container networking environment:</p> <ol class="default-list"> <li>the format used to define the network configuration, including network names, plugins to deploy, keys and network object names;</li> <li>the protocol used for <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchitoperations/tip/A-breakdown-of-container-runtimes-for-Kubernetes-and-Docker">container runtimes</a> -- such as runc, CRI-O and containerd -- to interoperate or communicate with network plugins;</li> <li>the procedure for plugin execution;</li> <li>the procedure for plugins to assign functions or tasks to other plugins; and</li> <li>the data type definitions that enable plugins to return results or pass data to the container runtime.</li> </ol> <p>A pod or container has no network interface when it is first created. CNI plugins insert a network interface into the container network namespace. This virtual network then connects hosts and containers, assigns IP addresses, configures routing and performs other tasks to define the network environment so that containers can communicate.</p> <p>This process is surprisingly complex. The type of <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchitoperations/video/Explore-the-basics-of-Kubernetes-cluster-networking">cluster networking</a> used in the context of containers and Kubernetes must address four distinct types of communications: pod-to-pod, pod-to-service, external-to-service and tightly coupled container-to-container.</p> <p>Because Kubernetes is responsible for sharing machines between applications, it's critical to prevent two applications from using the same ports and to coordinate ports across multiple systems. Rather than solve these issues internally, Kubernetes uses a plugin approach, which reduces the burden on Kubernetes itself.</p> <p>CNI is not a Kubernetes plugin, but rather the specification that defines how plugins should communicate and interoperate with the container runtime. CNI plugins can be created and developed in any manner, and they often reflect the standards of development, testing and delivery found in other software projects. However, plugins must ultimately adhere to the CNI specification to be used with Kubernetes in a working container environment.</p> <div class="youtube-iframe-container"> <iframe id="ytplayer-0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JomsxTeB1bg?autoplay=0&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;widget_referrer=null&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https://www.techtarget.com" type="text/html" height="360" width="640" frameborder="0"></iframe> </div> <h3>How does CNI relate to Kubernetes?</h3> <p>CNI is not native to Kubernetes. Developers using the CNI standard can create network plugins to interoperate with a variety of container runtimes. CNI networks can use an <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/tip/Intro-to-encapsulation-and-decapsulation-in-networking">encapsulated</a> network model, such as Virtual Extensible LAN (<a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/VXLAN">VXLAN</a>), or an unencapsulated -- also known as decapsulated -- network model, such as Border Gateway Protocol (<a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/BGP-Border-Gateway-Protocol">BGP</a>).</p> <p>Kubernetes is just one of the runtime environments that adheres to the CNI specification. Other CNI-compatible runtimes include the following:</p> <ul class="default-list"> <li>rkt</li> <li>CRI-O</li> <li>OpenShift</li> <li>Cloud Foundry</li> <li>Apache Mesos</li> <li>Amazon Elastic Container Service</li> <li>Singularity</li> <li>OpenSVC</li> </ul> <p>Dozens of third-party plugins adhere to the CNI standard, including Calico, Cilium, Romana, Silk and Linen. The <a href="https://github.com/containernetworking/cni/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNI project page</a> on GitHub maintains a comprehensive list of CNI-compatible projects.</p> <h3>Benefits and drawbacks of CNI plugins</h3> <p>The following are some of the benefits of using a CNI plugin architecture:</p> <p><strong>Software extensibility.</strong> With CNI plugins, developers don't need to build software for every possible deployment situation or environment. Instead, businesses can simply choose the plugin that best fits their requirements.</p> <p><strong>Avoiding lock-in.</strong> Ideally, a plugin approach prevents <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatacenter/definition/vendor-lock-in">vendor lock-in</a> and enables businesses to use plugins created by anyone.</p> <p><strong>Easy changes.</strong> When deployment needs or environments change, businesses can alter the platform simply by installing new CNI plugins.</p> <p>However, CNI plugins are not perfect, and any plugin-based platform can also present potential problems. Businesses should consider these tradeoffs before deploying any plugin-dependent platform:</p> <p><strong>Unexpected bugs.</strong> Platform developers don't always test or validate plugins, which can lead to flaws such as bugs, poor performance and security problems. Any testing or validation of a software platform should account for its intended plugins, including re-validating the platform for stability and performance when a plugin is updated or replaced.</p> <p><strong>More moving parts.</strong> Admins need to follow updates and patches not only for platforms such as Kubernetes, but also for any plugins, which can complicate software deployment and management.</p> <p><strong>Changing standards.</strong> Plugin standards such as CNI are not permanent, and any developments can require changes to plugins. This, in turn, might demand new or updated plugins that involve added complexity and labor for the business. Likewise, there are no guarantees of backward compatibility or timely updates for vital plugins to adhere to new standards. All of this can be disruptive for businesses.</p> <h3>Compare Kubernetes CNI plugins</h3> <p>There are numerous CNI plugins for Kubernetes. Each plugin performs similar tasks and is installed as a <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/daemon">daemon</a>, but plugins differ in their design and approach to encapsulation, routing, datastores, encryption and support. Organizations should consider each of these factors when choosing a Kubernetes CNI plugin.</p> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/kubernetes_cni_plugin_comparison-f.png"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/kubernetes_cni_plugin_comparison-f_mobile.png" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/kubernetes_cni_plugin_comparison-f_mobile.png 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/kubernetes_cni_plugin_comparison-f.png 1280w" alt="The table compares the features, pros and cons of four CNI plugins for Kubernetes: Calico, Flannel, Weave Net and Cilium." height="336" width="560"> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <h4>Calico</h4> <p><a href="https://github.com/projectcalico/calico" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Calico</a> is a popular open source CNI plugin designed for flexibility, network performance, advanced network administration, and connection visibility between pods and hosts.</p> <p>Calico uses BGP routing as an underlay network or IP-in-IP and VXLAN as an overlay network for encapsulation and routing. BGP does not encapsulate IP traffic, which eliminates the need for an encapsulation layer and enhances container network performance. Calico handles tunneling encryption with WireGuard.</p> <p>The plugin supports tracing and debugging using network management features such as policy management and <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/access-control-list-ACL">access control lists</a> (ACLs). Network policies use allow/deny matching, which can be created as needed and assigned to pod network ingress policies. Calico offers enterprise support through Calico Enterprise.</p> <h4>Flannel</h4> <p><a href="https://github.com/flannel-io/flannel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Flannel</a> is a mature and stable open source CNI plugin designed around an overlay network model based on VXLAN and suitable for most Kubernetes use cases.</p> <p>Flannel creates and manages <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/subnet">subnets</a> with a single daemon that assigns a separate subnet to each Kubernetes cluster node as well as an internal IP address. The plugin uses etcd to store host mappings and other configuration items. Encryption is supported through standard IPsec.</p> <p>Flannel is a good choice for IT staff new to the Kubernetes CNI landscape who want greater command over their Kubernetes clusters. However, Flannel does not support network policies, cannot run multiple hosts through a single daemon and does not offer enterprise support.</p> <h4>Weave Net</h4> <p><a href="https://github.com/weaveworks/weave" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Weave Net</a>, a product of Weaveworks, offers CNI plugin installation and configuration within Kubernetes clusters.</p> <p>Weave creates a mesh <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/overlay-network">overlay network</a> capable of connecting all cluster nodes. The overlay uses a kernel system to move packets and works directly between pods within a single host, though this is not an option when moving traffic between hosts.</p> <p>The Weave plugin handles other network functions -- such as fault tolerance, load balancing and name resolution -- through a Weave DNS server. Weave uses IPsec for encryption and VXLAN as the standard protocol for encapsulation and routing.</p> <p>Unlike many other CNI plugins, Weave does not use etcd, instead storing network configuration settings in a native database file used by Weave and shared between pods. The plugin supports network policies through a specialized weave-npc container, which it installs and configures by default.</p> <h4>Cilium</h4> <p><a href="https://github.com/cilium/cilium" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cilium</a> is an open source CNI known for high scalability and security that is installed as a daemon on each node of a Kubernetes cluster.</p> <p>Cilium uses VXLAN to form an overlay network and extended Berkeley Packet Filter to manage network connectivity and application rules. It supports both IPv4 and IPv6 addressing and uses BGP for unencapsulated routing. Cilium can support multiple Kubernetes clusters and, like Multus, provides multi-CNI capabilities.</p> <p>Cilium handles aspects of network management, such as network policies, through HTTP request filters. Policies can be written to <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchitoperations/definition/YAML-YAML-Aint-Markup-Language">YAML</a> or JSON files, both of which provide network traffic enforcement for incoming and outgoing traffic.</p> <h4>Multus</h4> <p><a href="https://github.com/k8snetworkplumbingwg/multus-cni" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Multus</a> is a CNI plugin designed to support multiple network interfaces to pods.</p> <p>By default, each Kubernetes pod has only one network interface and a loopback. Multus acts as an umbrella or meta-plugin that can call other CNI plugins, enabling businesses to deploy pods with multiple network interfaces.</p> <p>Multus is useful in several settings, including traffic splitting, where traffic types must be carefully managed to ensure quality of service. It can also enhance performance for certain traffic types that benefit from hardware performance boosts, including single-root <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchstorage/definition/I-O-virtualization-IOV">I/O virtualization</a>, and improve security where <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchitoperations/feature/How-to-approach-Kubernetes-multi-tenancy-for-resource-isolation">multi-tenant networks require careful isolation</a>.</p> <h3>The future of CNI</h3> <p>Because the current 1.0.0 CNI specification meets a wide range of container network configuration needs, CNI is not expected to advance rapidly in the near future. However, the CNI standard might evolve to provide greater autonomy and more dynamic responses to changing network conditions.</p> <p>For example, future CNI versions might allow for dynamic updates to existing network configurations or enable dynamic policy updates in response to security demands, such as firewall rules, or network performance requirements.</p> With Container Network Interface plugins, IT teams can create and deploy network options for diverse Kubernetes environments. Learn how CNI works and compare top network plugins. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/container_g1275954204.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchitoperations/tip/Explore-network-plugins-for-Kubernetes-CNI-explained Tue, 22 Nov 2022 15:45:00 GMT <p>Chinese network equipment maker H3C has introduced what it says is the first Wi-Fi 7 router, nearly two years before the scheduled release of the wireless standard.</p> <p>The H3C Magic BE18000 offers a peak throughput of 18.443 Gbps, giving an early glimpse of the significantly higher throughput over current Wi-Fi 6 or 6E hardware.</p> <p>The BE18000 can operate in the 2.4, 5 or <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/answer/What-do-the-6-GHz-band-and-Wi-Fi-6E-mean-for-wireless-networking">6GHz bands</a> or all three simultaneously with <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/answer/What-is-the-difference-between-Wi-Fi-6-and-Wi-Fi-7">multilink operation unique to Wi-Fi 7</a>. Multilink operation allows connections to change frequency on the fly to avoid interference and improve latency.</p> <p>The router, which can run in today's Wi-Fi networks, is equipped with 320 MHz of channel bandwidth, up from Wi-Fi 6's <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/MHz">160 MHz</a>. H3C has not said when it will start taking orders for the BE18000, which it introduced late last month.</p> <p>Wi-Fi 7's high throughput and low latency will be particularly useful for robotics in manufacturing. The specification also supports more connections per access point than Wi-Fi 6 or 6E, which should be helpful in areas with thousands of devices, such as a stadium during concerts or sports events.</p> <p>Vendors have released pre-standard hardware for several generations of Wi-Fi. H3C's release of a Wi-Fi 7 router demonstrates that the unfinished specification is sufficient for product use.</p> <p>Historically, standards have remained stable between initial hardware releases and the finalized specification. If standards do shift, vendors can update the hardware's firmware.</p> <p>"Generally, that's been sufficient," said J. Gold Associates analyst Jack Gold.</p> <p>H3C introduced its Wi-Fi 7 hardware years before most companies are ready to adopt the standard. Therefore, the product is less about sales and more about bragging rights and drawing attention to its brand, Gold said.</p> <p><a href="https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252517930/Qualcomm-announces-Wi-Fi-7-product-line">Qualcomm's Networking Pro 1220 platform</a> drives the BE18000. The Pro 1220 is one of four Wi-Fi 7 chipsets the company announced in early May. They compete with products from Broadcom and MediaTek.</p> <p>Qualcomm's Network Pro series combines <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/feature/The-future-of-Wi-Fi-7-adoption-in-enterprises">Wi-Fi 7 features</a> with the company's intelligent multi-channel management technologies. The latter increases the speed of Wi-Fi 6 and 6E devices while improving their network utilization.</p> <p>The availability of Wi-Fi 7 silicon will likely lead to other hardware vendors shipping products in the future. However, most companies are unlikely to start deploying Wi-Fi 7 infrastructure until after the IEEE standards body finalizes the specification, <a href="https://ieee802.org/11/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">802.11be</a>, in 2024.</p> <p>Companies that <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/news/252513324/Research-predicts-enterprises-will-skip-Wi-Fi-6E-entirely">held off on adopting Wi-Fi 6E</a> would be the first to upgrade to Wi-Fi 7, analysts said. Developers of the standard expect it to handle up to 40 Gbps of traffic per router.</p> <p><em>Madelaine Millar is a news writer covering network technology at TechTarget. She has previously written about science and technology for MIT's Lincoln Laboratory and the Khoury College of Computer Sciences, as well as covering community news for Boston Globe Media.</em></p> The H3C Magic BE18000, powered by a Qualcomm chipset, offers several significant Wi-Fi 7 features, including multilink operation and 320 MHz of channel bandwidth. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/disaster_recovery_g175031469.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/news/252522576/Chinese-vendor-H3C-introduces-first-Wi-Fi-7-router Mon, 11 Jul 2022 11:32:00 GMT <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="What is a circuit?"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>What is a circuit?</h2> <p>In electronics, a circuit is a complete circular path that electricity flows through. A simple circuit consists of a current source, <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/conductor">conductors</a> and a load. The term circuit can be used in a general sense to refer to any fixed path that electricity, <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatamanagement/definition/data">data</a> or a signal can travel through.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="How electronic circuits work"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>How electronic circuits work</h2> <p>In an electronic circuit, electrons come out of the power source, travel along conductors, go through a load to perform work and are finally returned to the source. It is called a circuit because of the circular path that the electrons flow through. The relationship between the electrical flow and load is described in <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/Ohms-Law">Ohm's Law</a>. In a circuit, the electrons travel from the negative side of the power supply to the positive side.</p> <p>Most modern electronic devices use <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/printed-circuit-board-PCB">printed circuit bords</a> that have circuit traces that act as the conductors. The circuit boards will also contain all the connectors and other components needed for the circuit to perform the needed job.</p> <p>Circuits can be miniaturized and printed on a substrate in an integrated circuit (<a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/integrated-circuit-IC">IC</a>). The IC will contain all the needed circuit traces, <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/transistor">capacitors, transistor and other parts needed</a> to do a job. In most devices an IC will be put on a circuit board and then connected to a power supply.</p> <div class="youtube-iframe-container"> <iframe id="ytplayer-0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OiV8WhI5gpw?autoplay=0&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;widget_referrer=null&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https://www.techtarget.com" type="text/html" height="360" width="640" frameborder="0"></iframe> </div> <p>An open circuit is when the path for electricity is broken so that it cannot flow in a complete circuit. In an open circuit, no electricity can flow and no work can be done.</p> <p>A short circuit is when there is an electrical path directly from the output to the input of a power supply. Since electricity wants to find the shortest path, or path of least resistance, all of the current will go through the short, bypassing the load. This will cause the circuit to no longer work properly and can damage the power supply, cause parts to overheat and potentially start a fire. To protect against short circuits causing damage, a fuse or circuit breaker is placed in the circuit to break the electric path if too much current is drawn by a short circuit.</p> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/integrated_circuits_by_generations-f.png"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/integrated_circuits_by_generations-f_mobile.png" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/integrated_circuits_by_generations-f_mobile.png 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/integrated_circuits_by_generations-f.png 1280w" alt="integrated circuits by generations" data-credit="TechTarget" height="213" width="560"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>Circuits can be miniaturized and printed on a substrate in an integrated circuit that contains all circuit traces, capacitors, transistors and other required parts. Microcontrollers are types of integrated circuits that govern specific operations in embedded systems. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Circuits in networking and telecommunications"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Circuits in networking and telecommunications</h2> <p>In telecommunications, a circuit is the complete path that a message takes to go from the sender to the receiver and back again. Historically, for <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchunifiedcommunications/definition/telegraph">telegraphs</a> and early <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchunifiedcommunications/definition/Telephony">telephone</a> systems to work, they required a complete electrical path between the sender and receiver. This was accomplished with long wire runs that could be connected as needed at switchboards.</p> <p>In telephony, each voice connection is a circuit and the number of simultaneous calls, or circuits, is used to rate telephone service capacity. <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/circuit-switched">Circuit switched</a> networks create physical circuit connections automatically. In switched <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/fiber-optics-optical-fiber">fiber networks</a> instead of an electrical circuit being connected, the path that the light travels is changed.</p> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/how_circuit_switching_works-f.png"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/how_circuit_switching_works-f_mobile.png" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/how_circuit_switching_works-f_mobile.png 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/how_circuit_switching_works-f.png 1280w" alt="how circuit switching works" data-credit="TechTarget" height="319" width="560"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>Diagram illustrating how circuit switching works </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <p>Even though a direct electrical connection is no longer needed in modern networks, the term circuit is still used. In these contexts, the circuit can be the routing that a data packet takes as it traverses a network. Virtual circuits can be created in a frame relay network, such as in ethernet or the internet, to define dedicated paths that certain packets should follow. A permanent virtual circuit (PVC) is a logical packet routing path through another network established for an indefinite period.</p> <div class="youtube-iframe-container"> <iframe id="ytplayer-1" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j85O69Utlz8?autoplay=0&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;rel=0&amp;widget_referrer=null&amp;enablejsapi=1&amp;origin=https://www.techtarget.com" type="text/html" height="360" width="640" frameborder="0"></iframe> </div> <p><em>See also: </em><em>monostable circuit</em><em>, </em><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/crosstalk"><em>crosstalk</em></a><em>, </em><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/iotagenda/definition/microcontroller"><em>microcontroller</em></a><em>, </em><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/optoisolator"><em>optoisolator</em></a><em>, </em><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/conductance"><em>conductance</em></a><em>, </em><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/phase-locked-loop"><em>phase-locked loop</em></a><em>, </em><em>international private leased circuit</em><em>, </em><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchmobilecomputing/definition/electromagnetic-interference"><em>electromagnetic interference</em></a><em>, </em><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/impedance"><em>impedance</em></a><em>, </em><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/apparent-power"><em>apparent power</em></a><em>, </em><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/propagation-delay"><em>propagation delay</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/backplane"><em>backplane</em></a><em>.</em></p> </section> In electronics, a circuit is a complete circular path that electricity flows through. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/visuals/digdeeper/1.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/circuit Mon, 25 Apr 2022 00:00:00 GMT <p>Cisco has introduced a suite of network hardware to make hybrid workplaces more responsive to the needs of at-home and in-office employees.</p> <p>The new products, unveiled Thursday, include two Wi-Fi 6E access points and four Catalyst 9000X switches, two powered by the&nbsp;Silicon One Q200 chipset. The latest technology works together to provide the power and connectivity needed to meet the network demands of a hybrid workplace.</p> <p>The two access points, the Catalyst 9136 and Meraki MR57, are Cisco's first high-end Wi-Fi 6E APs.</p> <p>The Catalyst 9136, managed through Cisco's DNA Center software console, includes Cisco's Radio Resource Management and Smart AP Catalyst Power Management features to optimize power use and performance automatically. The 9136 includes embedded sensors that monitor environmental data like temperature and humidity. Cisco positions it as the most flexible, powerful option.</p> <p>The Meraki MR57 offers <a href="https://community.fs.com/blog/wpa3-security-why-your-enterprise-business-needs-it.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WPA3 enterprise-grade security</a> and has management and optimization capabilities through the Meraki cloud-based dashboard.</p> <figure class="main-article-image half-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/Meraki_AP.jpg "> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/Meraki_AP_half_column_mobile.jpg " class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/Meraki_AP_half_column_mobile.jpg 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/Meraki_AP.jpg 1280w" alt="Cisco Meraki MR57 AP" data-credit="Cisco" height="187" width="280"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>Cisco Meraki MR57 AP </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <p>The MR57 is a more streamlined option than the 9136. Both APs are backward-compatible with 2.4 and 5 GHz spectrum in addition to 6 GHz.</p> <p>Cisco designed the 100G Catalyst 9300X and 9400X access switches and the 400G Catalyst 9500X and 9600X core switches to handle the high data transfer speeds of the latest APs.</p> <p>The X in the name means the hardware has more bandwidth and higher throughput than their 9000-series counterparts. Cisco plans to release an X version of all Catalyst 9000 switches eventually.</p> <p>The 9500X and 9600X are the first Catalyst 9000 switches to run on the highly programmable <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/news/252475395/Ciscos-Silicon-One-networking-chip-targets-cloud-data-centers">Silicon One</a> chip, which Cisco plans to install in the entire line over time. Both switches offer dual-rate 400G/200G uplinks, another first for Cisco's campus switches.</p> <p>The thread running through all the latest products is enabling a hybrid workforce as the pandemic wanes. Cisco expects companies' bandwidth needs at branch offices to balloon as returning workers use video conferencing and real-time collaboration tools to work with at-home employees.</p> <p>The pandemic, which forced companies to operate with many employees working from home, has made companies "incredibly agile," said Bob Laliberte, an analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group.</p> <p>"What Cisco is doing with this announcement is putting together a blueprint for organizations that want to rearchitect their entire campus environment to enable the hybrid work there," Laliberte said.</p> <figure class="main-article-image half-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/Catalyst_switches.png"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/Catalyst_switches_half_column_mobile.png" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/Catalyst_switches_half_column_mobile.png 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/Catalyst_switches.png 1280w" alt="Cisco Catalyst 9000X series switches" data-credit="Cisco" height="89" width="280"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>Cisco Catalyst 9000X series switches </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <p>The Catalyst 9000X series switches and 6E access point will be available for order next week, while the Meraki 6E AP will be orderable in March. Cisco has not released prices for the new devices.</p> <p>Cisco launched the new product during an online event where executives teased an upcoming private 5G-as-a-managed service announcement. The company plans to release details during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, at the end of the month.</p> <p>Cisco will collaborate with multiple service providers and tech partners, including Dish Networks, on the cloud-delivered 5G service. The service complements Cisco's Wi-Fi 6E products, executives said.</p> <p><em>Enterprise Strategy Group is a division of TechTarget.</em></p> <p><em>Madelaine Millar is a news writer covering network technology at TechTarget. She has previously written about science and technology for MIT's Lincoln Laboratory and the Khoury College of Computer Science, as well as covering community news for Boston Globe Media.</em></p> Cisco has launched two Wi-Fi 6E APs and four switches to update campus networks and improve hybrid workplaces. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/code_g1297696209.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/news/252512959/Cisco-launches-APs-switches-to-enhance-hybrid-workplaces Thu, 03 Feb 2022 17:04:00 GMT <p>Juniper introduced a <a href="https://searchitchannel.techtarget.com/definition/line-card">line card</a> and two edge routers to its MX portfolio, as well as a new generation of Trio ASICs to power the devices.</p> <p>The MX10K LC9600 Line Card, available now, and MX10004 Multi-Service and MX304 Compact Multi-Service edge routers, shipping later this year, are all run with the new Trio 6 <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/ASIC-application-specific-integrated-circuit">ASIC</a>, which better optimizes logical scale and power efficiency than the Trio 5 silicon did.</p> <p>The MX10K LC9600 Line Card offers a throughput of 9.6 Tbps per slot and scalability of up to 400 Gb data transfer speeds. The card includes embedded media access control security on each port. It is operated through Juniper's Junos OS, the programmable network operating system Juniper uses to deliver automation at scale to its routing, switching and security portfolios.</p> <p>The MX10004 multi-service edge router is a 7RU, 4-slot line card configuration in the same universal chassis as the rest of the MX10k line. It can support the LC9600 line card and the LC2101 and LC480 line cards. The MX304 is a compact, highly power-efficient 2RU routing platform intended for use cases where space and power are scant. Both <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/news/252467882/New-features-added-to-Juniper-Networks-security-platform">MX routers</a> run the Junos OS.</p> <p>The new devices, introduced Tuesday, will interest enterprises and service providers, particularly those with edge deployments that require local compute power, said Will Townsend, vice president and principal analyst of Moor Insights.</p> <p>The 7 nm Trio 6 chip powering the new appliances optimizes logical scale and programmability for edge service nodes, placing less emphasis on throughput, Juniper said. The chip marks a 70% improvement in power efficiency over the Trio 5, although its use in specific appliances will cause variability in that number.</p> <p>Juniper Networks also announced a new ASIC in the Express line, optimizing throughput in core network use cases, which will power its <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/news/252448332/Juniper-Ericsson-partnership-aimed-at-5G-market">PTX10K</a> series platforms.</p> <figure class="main-article-image half-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/MX10004_(1_compressed).png"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/MX10004_(1_compressed)_half_column_mobile.png" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/MX10004_(1_compressed)_half_column_mobile.png 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/MX10004_(1_compressed).png 1280w" alt="The MX10004 router" data-credit="Juniper Networks" height="224" width="280"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>The MX10004 router </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <p>The Express 5 offers 28.8 Tbps throughput speeds, doubling the 14.4 Tbps throughput speeds offered by the previous generation of Express ASICs, as well as a 45% improvement in power efficiency, Juniper said. The Express 5 reaches <a href="https://ethernettechnologyconsortium.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/800G-Specification_r1.0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">800 Gb</a> data transfer speeds, although that adoption cycle won't commence until 400 Gb has finished rolling out.</p> <p>The new chips are a part of Juniper's ongoing attempt to differentiate itself from its competition by leaning into purpose-built silicon. Using different ASICs for edge and core scenarios allows the company to maximize throughput in the data center and logical scale at the edge instead of balancing both attributes in a single chip.</p> <p>"If you talk to other players around the industry, they think they can get away with using more broadly purposed ASICs," said Lewis Insights analyst Chris Lewis. "But Juniper has always been very good at focusing on the detail of the network and the data center, and that's why they've gone down this route."</p> <p>Major Juniper Networks competitors in the ASIC space include Cisco's Silicon One, which is standalone silicon, and Nokia's FP5.</p> <p>The MX10K LC9600 Line Card is available now; the MX10004 Multiservice Edge Router will be available later in the second half of 2022, while the MX304 Compact Multiservice Edge Router will be orderable in the first half of the year. Juniper has not released a timeline for the PTX appliances powered by the Express 5, nor has it released pricing for any of the products.</p> <p><em>Madelaine Millar is a news writer covering network technology at TechTarget. She has previously written about science and technology for MIT's Lincoln Laboratory and the Khoury College of Computer Science, as well as covering community news for Boston Globe Media.</em></p> Juniper Networks has announced routers and a line card to take advantage of the more scalable, efficient Trio 6 ASIC. It also announced a higher-throughput Express 5 ASIC. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/mobile_g1267081443.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/news/252512454/Juniper-announces-routers-line-card-using-new-Trio-6-ASIC Tue, 25 Jan 2022 16:52:00 GMT <p>Cisco has introduced the Catalyst IE9300 Ruggedized Series Switch optimized for industrial environments such as electrical substations or oil pipelines.</p> <p>The latest addition to Cisco's Catalyst line improves the company's existing industrial switching products by incorporating Cisco Cyber Vision to offer heightened network visibility.</p> <p>The IE9300 has a sensor to send data to the <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/news/252477446/Cisco-Cyber-Vision-targets-industrial-IoT-security">Cyber Vision software</a> for inventorying and tracking connected IoT devices, including those too old to respond to modern device identity standards. Cyber Vision also follows software versions on the devices.</p> <p>Cyber Vision's security components include monitoring device communication patterns and detecting anomalies and imminent threats.</p> <p>The new switch offers enterprise-grade security, automation and performance, while also being ruggedized to continue functioning at capacity through temperature fluctuations, electromagnetic noise and dusty conditions, said Vikas Butaney, vice president of Cisco IoT. Unlike previous industrial switches from Cisco, the Catalyst IE9300 is also stackable; up to eight can be stacked and managed as one.</p> <p>Like the rest of the Catalyst line, the IE9300 has the IOS-XE operating system to make management easier for IT workers familiar with Catalyst switches in branch environments. The IE9300 offers zero-trust security, often found in office environments but less widely available in industrial ones.</p> <p>The IE9300 can be managed through the Cisco DNA Center console and secured using the company's <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchmobilecomputing/definition/Cisco-Identity-Services-Engine-ISE">Identity Services Engine</a>. The hardware features 28 Gigabit Ethernet ports.</p> <figure class="main-article-image half-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/IE_9310_26S2C_cisco_catalyst_ie9300_rugged_series_switch_front_left_kw13194_transparent.png"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/IE_9310_26S2C_cisco_catalyst_ie9300_rugged_series_switch_front_left_kw13194_transparent_half_column_mobile.png" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/IE_9310_26S2C_cisco_catalyst_ie9300_rugged_series_switch_front_left_kw13194_transparent_half_column_mobile.png 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/IE_9310_26S2C_cisco_catalyst_ie9300_rugged_series_switch_front_left_kw13194_transparent.png 1280w" alt="The Cisco Catalyst IE9300 ruggedized series switch" data-credit="Cisco" height="224" width="280"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>The Cisco Catalyst IE9300 ruggedized series switch </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <p>Although the switch is not available for general order until early February, several electrical companies, including Schneider Electric and World Wide Technology, have been testing the product since summer 2021, Cisco said. The beta testers identified the product's adherence to the stringent <a href="https://electrical-engineering-portal.com/download-center/books-and-guides/power-substations/implementation-of-iec61850#:~:text=IEC%2061850%20Standard%20IEC%2061850%20is%20the%20global,for%20high-speed%20substation%20protection%20applications%2C%20interlocking%20and%20intertripping." target="_blank" rel="noopener">IEC 61850 networking standards</a> as a key enabler in their electric substation use cases.</p> <p>The IE9300 reflects an ongoing trend toward increasingly converged IT and <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/operational-technology">operational technology</a> that IT staff can manage using the same software tools, said IDC analyst Brandon Butler.</p> <p>"In the past, IT has been the primary buying center for networking equipment, but we're increasingly seeing OT groups looking to purchase networking equipment to satisfy the needs that they have within their business," Butler said. "There are some advantages for organizations to have a switching platform that both IT and OT are comfortable managing."</p> <p>Cisco did not release pricing for the latest device but said the cost would align with its other rack-mount industrial switches.</p> <p><em>Madelaine Millar is a news writer covering network technology at TechTarget. She has previously written about science and technology for MIT's Lincoln Laboratory and the Khoury College of Computer Science, as well as covered community news for Boston Globe Media.</em></p> The IE9300 uses Cisco's Cyber Vision to improve visibility and security. The latest hardware bolsters Cisco's portfolio of Catalyst hardware for industrial use. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/arvr_g1273484747.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/news/252512334/Cisco-launches-industrial-Catalyst-switch Fri, 21 Jan 2022 16:03:00 GMT <p>Juniper Networks updated the Mist network management platform with a range of setup and management operation capabilities for the Session Smart Router that runs the company's SD-WAN.</p> <p>Starting this week, customers can use the cloud-based Mist platform to provision and configure Session Smart Routers (SSR) while managing other Juniper products, including the SD-WAN, access points and Ethernet switching.</p> <p>Specific additions in the latest release include zero-touch provisioning, which will allow customers to set a template for the configuration of WAN topology, security policy, WAN service and policy, and network tenancy. IT managers can apply the same setup to any new SSR hardware by simply plugging it in and scanning a code on the back.</p> <p>The update also includes new security features. They include intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS) and URL filtering, available through an add-on called the Branch Security Pack.</p> <p>The latest updates build on the Mist network visibility capabilities <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/news/252496876/Juniper-adds-Mist-AIOps-to-its-128-Technology-based-SD-WAN">added to the Juniper SD-WAN last year</a>. Overall, the features point to Juniper gradually building a unified and AI-enabled network management system in the cloud.</p> <p>"It's really building up those integrations for the Mist cloud for SD-WAN deployments -- that's a pretty big deal for Juniper," said IDC analyst Brandon Butler.</p> <figure class="main-article-image half-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/cq5dam_web_1280_1280.png"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/cq5dam_web_1280_1280_half_column_mobile.png" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/cq5dam_web_1280_1280_half_column_mobile.png 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/cq5dam_web_1280_1280.png 1280w" alt="Juniper Networks SSR120" data-credit="Juniper Networks" height="280" width="280"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>The Juniper Networks SSR120 appliance </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <p>The Session Smart Router stems from <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/news/252490849/Junipers-128-acquisition-needed-to-improve-SD-WAN">Juniper's $450 million acquisition of 128 Technology</a> in 2020. The latter company took a <a href="https://www.128technology.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/white-paper-session-smart-routing-how-it-works.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">session-based approach</a> to SD-WAN routing that included bandwidth, encryption, firewall and microsegmentation policies.</p> <p>The approach received high marks from analysts who said it used significantly less bandwidth than competing products. Also, 128 Technology's security technology avoided the latency problems caused by the encrypted tunnels competing vendors used to carry network traffic.</p> <p>Juniper also released a new series of appliances for customers who want its SD-WAN pre-installed. The SSR120 and SSR130, designed for small and medium-size branch platforms, are available now. The SSR1000 line, positioned for data center deployments, is due to ship in February. Juniper did not release pricing.</p> <p>Mist AI is a flagship product for Juniper Networks. Rivals Cisco and Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, are also shifting more capabilities <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/feature/In-2022-AI-network-management-is-all-about-growing-trust">to cloud-based and AI-enabled software</a> that provides a single console for managing network operations.</p> <p><em>Madelaine Millar is a news writer covering network technology at TechTarget. She has previously written about science and technology for MIT's Lincoln Laboratory and the Khoury College of Computer Science, as well as covering community news for Boston Globe Media.</em></p> Network managers can configure, deploy and manage Juniper's Session Smart Routers through the Mist cloud, which monitors the company's SD-WAN on the SSR. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/storage_g1288032037.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/news/252512331/Juniper-adds-SSR-management-features-to-Mist-cloud Fri, 21 Jan 2022 15:15:00 GMT <p>Network-as-a-service company Aryaka Networks Inc. has added a midsize business tier to its managed software-defined WAN and introduced security services built on a secure access service edge architecture.</p> <p>This week, Aryaka introduced the products and a new global L3 network called FlexCore. Aryaka calls the SASE services Prime, while the other product adds an EZ tier for smaller businesses to the company's SmartConnect SD-WAN. Prime is Aryaka's first SASE product.</p> <p>Prime adds to Aryaka's managed SD-WAN security features, including a secure web gateway, web filtering, and a cloud-based firewall. The SASE services run on only SmartConnect EZ. The company plans to eventually add Prime to SmartConnect Pro.</p> <p>Aryaka built Prime on technology from the May acquisition of Secucloud, a German cloud-based SASE platform provider. Aryaka plans to make Prime generally available in April.</p> <p>The new EZ SmartConnect operates on the more cost-efficient L3 FlexCore. The company's enterprise version, rebranded Pro, continues running on the company's higher-performing L2 network. Aryaka plans to make EZ available late in the first quarter of 2022.</p> <p>Aryaka has not released pricing for SmartConnect EZ or Prime.</p> <p>The global L3 network FlexCore supplements Aryaka's existing L2 service. Because FlexCore operates on Layer 3 of the <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/OSI">OSI model</a> -- which networks through routing -- instead of Layer 2 &nbsp;-- which networks through code -- it is more flexible, lower cost and lower performing than the L2 service, said Aryaka CMO Shashi Kiran.</p> <p>In general, midsize businesses have less performance-intensive networking needs and a smaller IT budget than Aryaka's <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/news/252471342/Aryaka-hybrid-WAN-expected-to-broaden-market-appeal">mostly large enterprise</a> customers, Kiran said.</p> <p>According to Zeus Kerravala, founder of ZK Research, more midsize businesses have had to turn to network-as-a-service companies like Aryaka to support the higher number of employees working from home during the pandemic.</p> <p>With so many people working from home, a midsize company that once had a small network "now has a big network," Kerravala said. Therefore, he said he expects companies smaller than enterprises to sign up for <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/tip/7-key-SD-WAN-trends-to-evaluate">managed SD-WAN and SASE services</a>.</p> <p>Aryaka also announced the release of AppAssure, a software capability that delivers greater visibility and observability to more than 3,500 software-as-a-service applications. The service is free for existing customers and will be generally available in January.</p> <p><em>Madelaine Millar is a news writer covering network technology at TechTarget. She has previously written about science and technology for MIT's Lincoln Laboratory and the Khoury College of Computer Science, as well as covering community news for Boston Globe Media.</em></p> Aryaka's managed SD-WAN and SASE products for midsize enterprises deliver their services over the company's new L3 private core. Aryaka plans to ship the products next year. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/arvr_g1273484747.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/news/252510848/Aryaka-releases-SASE-managed-SD-WAN-offerings Fri, 10 Dec 2021 17:57:00 GMT <p>Aruba has beefed up its Instant On switch portfolio for small and midsize businesses with the introduction of the 1960 series.</p> <p>The latest series is the second in the <a href="https://www.arubainstanton.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instant On</a> product line. The 1960 series offers more bandwidth and scalability than the 1930 series, according to Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company.</p> <p>Scalability is a significant feature in the new products introduced this week. The 1960 hardware is stackable and can be managed online as one device through the Instant On app. Cloud-based network management is a critical feature, given SMBs' limited IT resources.</p> <p>The 1960 series consists of five models, ranging in price from $899 for a 24-port switch to $2,299 for 48 ports. Like the rest of the Instant On portfolio, customers can set up and manage 1960 switches through the Instant On mobile app.</p> <p>All the latest switches include Class 6 <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/Power-over-Ethernet">Power over Ethernet (POE)</a>, letting companies plug-in webcams or <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/tip/WLAN-AP-reviews-Aruba-instant-access-points">Wi-Fi access points</a> requiring 60 watts or less.</p> <figure class="main-article-image half-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/Aruba_IO_1960_Family_Switches_FT.jpg"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/Aruba_IO_1960_Family_Switches_FT_half_column_mobile.jpg" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/Aruba_IO_1960_Family_Switches_FT_half_column_mobile.jpg 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/Aruba_IO_1960_Family_Switches_FT.jpg 1280w" alt="Aruba HPE" data-credit="Five white switches sitting in a stack" height="195" width="280"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>The five switches in the new 1960 switch series. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <p>"That's going to be ideal for organizations that have a slightly larger footprint, maybe more connected devices," said Brandon Butler, a research manager for enterprise networks at IDC. "I think about this as being for the larger end of the small and medium-sized business [spectrum]."</p> <p>Aruba launches the new series into a crowded marketplace. Companies ranging from <a href="https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/small-business/networking/switches.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cisco</a> to <a href="https://ui.com/switching" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ubiquiti</a> to <a href="https://www.netgear.com/business/wired/switches/portfolio/#:~:text=NETGEAR%20Switches%20The%20%231%20choice%20for%20small%20businesses,are%20small%20businesses%20globally.%20Reliable%2C%20affordable%2C%20easy%20setup." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Netgear</a> offer small business-optimized switches. Still, midsized enterprises already invested in the Aruba product suite and looking to upgrade could favor the 1960 series, Butler said.</p> <p><em>Madelaine Millar is a news writer covering network technology at TechTarget. She has previously written about science and technology for MIT's Lincoln Laboratory and the Khoury College of Computer Science, as well as covering community news for Boston Globe Media. She is a 2021 graduate of Northeastern University, and originally hails from Missoula, Mont.</em></p> Aruba is launching the 1960 series, the latest addition to its small business-optimized Instant On portfolio. The new switch offers more bandwidth and scalability. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/code_g1195673150.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/news/252509133/Aruba-launches-more-powerful-Instant-On-switches Thu, 04 Nov 2021 17:05:00 GMT <p>Cisco has released the P100 processor, a 19.2 Tbps chip optimized for high-density, high-performance routing in web-scale data centers.</p> <p>Launched this week, the P100 is the <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/news/252475395/Ciscos-Silicon-One-networking-chip-targets-cloud-data-centers">11^th product in the Silicon One family</a>, which <span>the company introduced in 2019</span> for communication and cloud service providers. The application-specific integrated circuits (<a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/feature/Primer-A-new-generation-of-programmable-ASICs">ASIC</a>) were the first that Cisco sold for white-box switches. Many service providers prefer the open hardware over proprietary products from Cisco and other vendors.</p> <p>Within a line card, the P100 provides maximum benefit when used in triplicate within a 36-port device, Cisco said. The configuration carries more bandwidth and a high performance-to-power ratio within a relatively small amount of space.</p> <p>Higher bandwidth reduces the network complexity that comes with working around bandwidth constraints. As a result, customers' total operating costs will fall with the P100, according to Cisco.</p> <p>In a fixed system, one P100 can run a router with 24 800 Gbps interfaces.</p> <p>At the center of the P100 development team's thinking was the performance to power ratio. Rakesh Chopra, head of Cisco Silicon One architecture, said the "fundamental limitation that exists in the industry" is electrical power to drive data centers. Therefore, a chip's power efficiency is a crucial selling point.</p> <p>Will Townsend, an analyst at Moor Insights &amp; Strategy, said the P100 builds on a product line with a demonstrated track record in silicon performance. "Silicon One overall positions Cisco very well for routing and web-scale switching," he said.</p> <figure class="main-article-image half-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/P100_story_graphic_from_Cisco.jpg"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/P100_story_graphic_from_Cisco_half_column_mobile.jpg" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/P100_story_graphic_from_Cisco_half_column_mobile.jpg 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/P100_story_graphic_from_Cisco.jpg 1280w" alt="The P100 is the 11th ASIC in the Silicon One family." data-credit="Cisco" height="157" width="280"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>The P100 joins 10 other ASICs in Cisco's Silicon One family. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <p>Cisco launched the P100 this week. The company did not release pricing.</p> <p>Cloud service providers like AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud are typical customers for Silicon One and competing products from Broadcom. In general, the cloud providers favor using the chips in hardware designs standardized by the <a href="https://www.opencompute.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Open Compute Project</a> founded by Facebook in 2011.</p> <p>Meanwhile, <a href="https://blogs.cisco.com/news/cisco-corporate-news-1021" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cisco announced this week</a> that it intends <span>to acquire the German enterprise software company Replex GmbH</span>. Cisco plans to fold technology from the privately held company into the AppDynamics application performance monitor.</p> <p>Cisco's AppDynamics provides visibility into the performance of application infrastructure, service tiers and business transactions. Replex would add expertise in the Kubernetes container platform and real-time data extraction and analytics.</p> The P100 ASIC delivers a high performance-to-power ratio for web-scale data centers. It's the 11th chip in the Silicon One family. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/rms/onlineimages/clock-time14.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/news/252508803/Ciscos-newest-Silicon-One-chip-steps-up-routing-performance Thu, 28 Oct 2021 18:12:00 GMT <p>Juniper Networks has integrated its Mist AIOps technology with its software-defined WAN product to detect network problems and maintain adequate bandwidth for applications.</p> <p>Juniper announced this week that the cloud-based Mist ingests telemetry data from routers that power the company's SD-WAN. The latter is based primarily on the $450 million&nbsp;<a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/news/252490849/Junipers-128-acquisition-needed-to-improve-SD-WAN">acquisition of 128 Technology</a>&nbsp;late last year.</p> <p>128 Technology brought Juniper a unique <a href="https://www.128technology.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/white-paper-session-smart-routing-how-it-works.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">session-based approach</a> to SD-WAN routing that uses significantly less bandwidth than competing products, analysts said. The encrypted tunnels used by other technologies to carry traffic can cause latency problems.</p> <p>Mist uses telemetry from "session-smart" SD-WAN routers to set, monitor and enforce service levels across the WAN, Juniper said. The <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchitoperations/definition/AIOps">AIOps</a> service will also detect anomalies and provide visibility into WAN conditions that could affect people and devices using the network.</p> <p>"Mist is one of the more mature AIOps technologies in the networking world," said Shamus McGillicuddy, an analyst at Enterprise Management Associates. "Extending Mist to Juniper's SD-WAN portfolio is a great [market] differentiator."</p> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Juniper's market challenge"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Juniper's market challenge</h2> <p>McGillicuddy said Juniper's most significant challenge in the crowded SD-WAN market will be signing up new customers. Juniper, which competes with <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/news/252457313/WAN-access-focus-of-Cisco-Viptela-DNA-Center-integration">Cisco</a> and VMware, could find them through deals with managed service providers.</p> <p>"The vast majority of enterprises consume SD-WAN as a managed service, so Juniper will need to sell MSPs and service providers on the value of this [announcement]," McGillicuddy said.</p> <p>Enterprises also prefer a hybrid approach to a managed SD-WAN, where the enterprise handles some management responsibilities. "Mist-driven SD-WAN can fit into that kind of operations model quite well," McGillicuddy said.&nbsp;</p> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/Juniper_Mist_With_SD_WAN.jpg "> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/Juniper_Mist_With_SD_WAN_mobile.jpg " class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/Juniper_Mist_With_SD_WAN_mobile.jpg 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/Juniper_Mist_With_SD_WAN.jpg 1280w" alt="Juniper Mist" data-credit=" Juniper" height="318" width="560"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>A view of the Juniper SD-WAN router in the Mist AIOps console. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <p>Juniper's latest Mist integration included adding the vendor's Marvis virtual network assistant service, which network operators access through a dashboard on the Mist console. The <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/news/366568157/Juniper-adds-data-center-networks-to-Mist-AI">AI-driven Marvis</a> contains a natural language interface.</p> <p>Juniper <a href="https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252473815/Mist-gets-into-gear-with-first-self-driving-network-for-the-enterprise">designed Marvis</a> to identify root causes of issues <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/news/252486983/Juniper-Mist-stretches-to-WAN-management">across IT domains</a>, including the WLAN, LAN, WAN and security. Network managers can set Marvis to fix problems when possible. Marvis makes recommendations for issues outside of the domains.</p> <p>Juniper also announced integration between Mist and its SRX Series Services Gateways, which provide unified threat management services. UTM includes a firewall, URL filtering, antivirus protection and application-level security. The new integration lets companies use Mist to onboard and configure an SRX gateway.</p> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/Juniper_EX4400_Switch.jpg"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/Juniper_EX4400_Switch_mobile.jpg" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/Juniper_EX4400_Switch_mobile.jpg 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/Juniper_EX4400_Switch.jpg 1280w" alt="Juniper's Mist-managed EX4400 switch" data-credit="Juniper" height="140" width="560"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>Juniper's Mist-managed EX4400 switch </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <p>Finally, Juniper added another switch to its EX Series portfolio, which the company has designed for Mist.</p> <p>The new EX4400 has the tools for designing an EVPN-VXLAN network fabric that extends from the data center to the campus core, distribution and access layers, Juniper said. Security capabilities include microsegmentation using group-based policies.</p> </section> Juniper has brought Mist's cloud-based analytics to the 128 Technology SD-WAN that the company acquired late last year. Juniper also launched Mist integration with the SRX gateway. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/visuals/searchTelecom/wireless_mobile_networks/telecom_article_014.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/news/252496876/Juniper-adds-Mist-AIOps-to-its-128-Technology-based-SD-WAN Wed, 24 Feb 2021 14:35:00 GMT <p>Dell Technologies has partnered with SK Telecom and VMware to develop a private 5G and edge computing platform in a box.</p> <p>The partners introduced their upcoming OneBox MEC (mobile edge computing) product this week but did not provide a release date. OneBox aims to provide turnkey technology for deploying a private 5G network. The MEC portion would enable application services that need the low latency and high speed of 5G, such as industrial IoT systems.</p> <p>OneBox would contain a Dell EMC PowerEdge XE2420 server, the VMware Telco Cloud Platform and the 5GX MEC Platform from SK Telecom. Industries that could consider the integrated bundle, particularly in the U.S., include mining, transportation, construction and manufacturing.</p> <p>Private 5G is growing as a replacement for outdated wireless networks. For example, heavy equipment maker <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/news/252494178/Private-5G-networks-to-gain-momentum-in-2021">John Deere plans to deploy a 5G network</a> to improve its manufacturing operations in Iowa and Illinois.</p> <p>John Deere is one of many companies looking at 5G to support industrial IoT. A recent Nemertes Research survey found that six in 10 companies using or planning to use an IoT-specific network protocol this year were considering or committed to 5G.</p> <p>SK Telecom's latest partnership comes a year after the Korean carrier <a href="https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252476627/SK-Telecom-gets-close-to-the-Edge-with-global-MEC-task-force">launched a Global MEC Task Force</a> to develop and share with other companies 5G and MEC technologies. The task force, formed in cooperation with Singtel, Globe, Taiwan Mobile and PCCW Global, planned to expand the 5G MEC ecosystem in Asian countries and develop overseas market opportunities.</p> <p>Other vendors focused on private 5G include Nokia. Last July, <a href="https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252486490/Nokia-launches-first-commercial-enterprise-5G-standalone-private-wireless-networking">the company launched</a> 5G standalone industrial-grade wireless networking systems. The network equipment maker said the products provide 4.9G/LTE and 5G networking. Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology was the first to deploy the technology, Nokia said.</p> <h3>The Cisco AireOS controller is history</h3> <p>Cisco has stopped selling AireOS-based wireless LAN controllers.</p> <p>After 15 years, the product portfolio has reached the end of life and will no longer be available to customers. Instead, Cisco resellers will offer the company's IOS XE-based Wi-Fi products.</p> <p>AireOS controllers' obsolescence is evident when compared with today's products. Initially, AireOS supported 100 access points and had less than 4 Gbps of throughput. Today's smallest controller in the Catalyst family, the 9800-L, supports as many as 500 access points and has 10 Gbps.</p> <p>Over the years, Cisco introduced a lot of Wi-Fi technology in the AireOS. The list includes radio resource management, application visibility and control, flexible radio assignments and <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/tip/Software-defined-access-networks-pose-promise-and-pitfalls">software-defined access</a>.</p> <p>AireOS controllers have supported Wi-F- standards starting with 802.11n to 802.11AC waves 1 and 2. But with 802.11 ax, or Wi-Fi 6, gaining traction, Cisco's Catalyst 9800 Series wireless controllers are more capable of handling the network's higher speeds and device density.</p> <p>"The AireOS controllers have matured over time and can now be replaced by functionally richer Catalyst technology controllers," Cisco product manager Byron Magrane said <a href="https://blogs.cisco.com/networking/after-15-years-cisco-wireless-aireos-controllers-are-going-away" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in a blog post</a>.</p> <h3>Comcast partners with Cisco Meraki on teleworker VPN</h3> <p>Comcast Business has started offering the Cisco Meraki cloud-based management platform with its hosted or on-premises VPN gateway.</p> <p>Comcast has paired the two services with an all-in-one device that provides cloud-based security and wireless and wired connectivity options for the homes of remote workers. The Meraki platform provides IT teams with centralized management, policy-based access controls and traffic segmentation.</p> <p>The VPN gateway is a component of the Comcast Business Teleworker VPN. Comcast said the latter service provides secure and reliable connections to business systems, applications and files over broadband.</p> <p>The offering provides secure connectivity for laptops, desktops, VoIP phones and other devices. Other features include 24/7 support and the option of adding 4G LTE as a backup.</p> OneBox MEC is a 5G-enabled mobile edge computing platform. The hardware will contain turnkey technology for deploying a private 5G network and application services. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/visuals/searchVMware/ESX_ESXii_management/vmware_article_013.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/news/252495959/News-Briefs-Dell-partners-to-deliver-OneBox-MEC Fri, 05 Feb 2021 16:48:00 GMT <p>Cisco has added a couple of lower-end products to its Catalyst 8000 line of branch and aggregation routers.</p> <p>Introduced this week, the Catalyst 8200 and 8500L series are the latest additions to what Cisco calls its edge platforms. The products mark the first expansion of the Catalyst 8000 line <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/news/252490976/Bye-bye-ISR-hello-Catalyst-8000-for-Cisco-SD-WAN">launched last October</a> as replacements for outdated ISR hardware.</p> <p>The Catalyst <a href="https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/routers/catalyst-8200-series-edge-platforms/nb-06-cat8200-series-edge-plat-ds-cte-en.html?oid=dstetr024667#Platformdetails" target="_blank" rel="noopener">8200 branch router</a> supports 8 CPU cores for packet forwarding, 8 GB RAM for running security services, and Intel's QuickAssist Technology for faster data compression and encryption.</p> <p>The 8200 provides up to 1 Gbps of aggregate forwarding throughput and is an upgrade to the ISR 4300 and 2900. The new hardware has twice the performance of the ISR 4300, according to Cisco.</p> <p>The 8300 series introduced last year has a maximum throughput of 18 Gbps. Cisco designed the 8300 and the 8200 for its Viptela software-defined WAN product.</p> <p>The latest hardware comes in a smaller form factor with a physical depth of fewer than 12 inches. Cisco built the device for companies that need to deploy SD-WAN software in remote and mobile locations.</p> <h3>Aggregation routing</h3> <p>The <a href="https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/routers/catalyst-8500-series-edge-platforms/datasheet-c78-744089.html?oid=dstetr023042" target="_blank" rel="noopener">8500L</a> adds to the 8500 series of aggregation routers introduced in October. Cisco has designed the hardware for use in private data centers and colocation facilities.</p> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/Cisco_Catalyst_8200.jpg"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/Cisco_Catalyst_8200_mobile.jpg" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/Cisco_Catalyst_8200_mobile.jpg 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/Cisco_Catalyst_8200.jpg 1280w" alt="Cisco Catalyst 8200" data-credit="Cisco" height="179" width="560"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>Cisco Catalyst 8200 branch router </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <p>The 8500L is for 1G/10G aggregation use cases, the series' entry-level. The hardware has 12 x86 cores and up to 64 GB of memory, and companies can rack or stack its 1RU form factor.</p> <p>The 8500L is an upgrade for the Cisco ASR1x and the ASR2x.</p> <p>Along with the latest routers, Cisco introduced <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/answer/What-roles-do-vCPE-and-uCPE-have-at-the-network-edge">universal customer premises equipment</a> (uCPE) for running virtualized network services, such as firewalls and WAN optimizers, in the branch.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/routers/catalyst-8200-series-edge-ucpe/nb-06-cat8200-series-edge-ucpe-ds-cte-en.html?oid=dstetr024668" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Catalyst 8200 uCPE</a> has eight CPU cores to support up to 500 Mbps of aggregate IPsec throughput and third-party services. Companies can deploy the uCPE in SD-WAN mode and use Cisco's vManage software to configure the overlay and underlay. VManage is the management product for Cisco's SD-WAN.</p> <p><em>Antone Gonsalves is the news director for the Networking Media Group. He has deep and wide experience in tech journalism. Since the mid-1990s, he has worked for UBM's </em>InformationWeek, TechWeb<em> and </em>Computer Reseller News<em>. He has also written for Ziff Davis' </em>PC Week<em>, IDG's </em>CSO Online<em> and IBT Media's</em> CruxialCIO<em>, and rounded all of that out by covering startups for Bloomberg News. He started his journalism career at United Press International, working as a reporter and editor in California, Texas, Kansas and Florida.</em></p> The 8200 and 8500L are for branch and aggregation use cases, respectively. The 8200 is for companies requiring an entry-level device for running a Cisco SD-WAN in the branch. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/visuals/searchITChannel/network_channel/itchannel_article_006.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/news/252495604/Cisco-adds-lower-end-routers-to-Catalyst-8000-line Fri, 29 Jan 2021 12:10:00 GMT <p>Cisco has introduced a family of Catalyst routers built for the company's software-defined WAN technology. The latest Catalyst 8000 products provide a much better SD-WAN platform than the ISR routers that drew customer complaints in the past.</p> <p>This week, Cisco released the Catalyst 8300 Series for running an SD-WAN in branch offices and the 8500 Series for companies that need an aggregation router. Cisco calls its 8000 portfolio Edge Platforms.</p> <p>The 8300 hardware is an upgrade of the Integrated Services Router (ISR) 4400, and the 8500 Series is a refresh of the Aggregation Services Router (ASR) 1001-HX and the 1002-HX. Cisco designed the 8500 for data centers and <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/colocation-colo">colocation centers</a>.</p> <p>Cisco launched the latest routers three years after acquiring SD-WAN maker Viptela for $610 million. Having special routers for the technology will likely please loyal customers <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/news/252476076/Cisco-2020-Challenges-prospects-shape-the-new-year">unhappy with the software's performance on the ISR</a>.</p> <p>Adventist Health, based in Roseville, Calif., is one such customer. The healthcare provider tried to run the Cisco SD-WAN on the 18-month-old ISRs in the nonprofit's 340 clinics. (Cisco provided Adventist as a customer reference).</p> <p>"We love Cisco, but it was almost like [it was saying] 'Hey, let's go ahead and bolt this new technology onto an older router,'" said Ed Vanderpool, IT technical manager at Adventist. "[The 8300] is a new router that is really built for this, instead of trying to do a bolt-on."</p> <figure class="main-article-image full-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/Cisco_Catalyst_8000_Edge_Platforms_family_8300_on_left_and_8500_on_right.jpg"> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/Cisco_Catalyst_8000_Edge_Platforms_family_8300_on_left_and_8500_on_right_mobile.jpg" class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/Cisco_Catalyst_8000_Edge_Platforms_family_8300_on_left_and_8500_on_right_mobile.jpg 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/Cisco_Catalyst_8000_Edge_Platforms_family_8300_on_left_and_8500_on_right.jpg 1280w" alt="Cisco Catalyst 8000 Edge Platforms family" data-credit="Cisco" height="184" width="560"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>Cisco's Catalyst 8000 Edge Platforms family. On the left is the 8300 Series, on the right is the 8500 Series. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <p>Over the next year, Adventist plans to replace all its Cisco routers in the clinics with the 8300 to run the Cisco SD-WAN. Adventist uses ISRs as old as the <a href="https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/routers/1900-series-integrated-services-routers-isr/series.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1900 Series</a>, released in 2009.</p> <p>The clinics feed all traffic over MPLS networks to two ISRs running in each of Adventist's 24 hospitals. The nonprofit plans to use the Cisco SD-WAN to introduce broadband as a secondary link between the clinics and the hospitals. Adventist doesn't plan to replace the ISRs in the hospitals or the ASR running in each of its two data centers, which receive all the network traffic from the hospitals.</p> <h3>Catalyst 8000 specs</h3> <p>The <a href="https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/routers/catalyst-8300-series-edge-platforms/datasheet-c78-744088.html?oid=dstetr023050#Overallplatformbenefits" target="_blank" rel="noopener">8300 Series comprises four models</a> with six built-in Ethernet ports of 1 Gb or 10 Gb, delivering 2 Gbps or 5 Gbps of SD-WAN throughput. The <a href="https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/routers/catalyst-8500-series-edge-platforms/datasheet-c78-744089.html?oid=dstetr023042" target="_blank" rel="noopener">8500 Series consists of two models</a> with options for 1/10/40/100 GbE ports.</p> <figure class="main-article-image half-col" data-img-fullsize="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/Cisco_Catalyst_Cellular_Gateway.jpg "> <img data-src="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/Cisco_Catalyst_Cellular_Gateway_half_column_mobile.jpg " class="lazy" data-srcset="https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/Cisco_Catalyst_Cellular_Gateway_half_column_mobile.jpg 960w,https://www.techtarget.com/rms/onlineimages/Cisco_Catalyst_Cellular_Gateway.jpg 1280w" alt="Cisco Catalyst Cellular Gateway for 4G LTE" data-credit="Cisco" height="187" width="280"> <figcaption> <i class="icon pictures" data-icon="z"></i>The Cisco Catalyst Cellular Gateway for 4G LTE. </figcaption> <div class="main-article-image-enlarge"> <i class="icon" data-icon="w"></i> </div> </figure> <p>The devices run the IOS-XE network operating system and include an Intel x86 CPU with up to 32 GB of DRAM in the 8300 and 64 GB in the 8500. The computing platform runs container-based microservices for analytics apps and other extensions from Cisco or its partners.</p> <p>Companies can integrate the hardware with Cisco Umbrella, a cloud-based service that searches for threatening internet activity.</p> <p>Cisco also introduced the Catalyst Cellular Gateway with the latest routers to connect the new hardware and ISR and ASR devices to 4G LTE. Companies can use the gateway to make a cellular network either as a backup or a primary SD-WAN link.</p> <p>Finally, Cisco introduced the Catalyst 8000V Edge routing software, which runs on an x86 platform. The product brings the Catalyst 8000 family's functionality into private cloud environments and public clouds, including AWS, Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud. Cisco plans to release the 8000V in December.</p> The new Catalyst 8300 Series of routers replace ISRs that customers said were ill-equipped to run the Cisco SD-WAN. Cisco also introduced Catalyst 8500 aggregation routers. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/visuals/searchTelecom/wireless_mobile_networks/telecom_article_014.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/news/252490976/Bye-bye-ISR-hello-Catalyst-8000-for-Cisco-SD-WAN Thu, 22 Oct 2020 13:23:00 GMT <p>Although the market has shifted and more vendors are providing <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchitoperations/tip/Match-cloud-application-monitoring-to-integration-needs">cloud-based monitoring</a>, there are still a wide range of feature-rich server monitoring tools for organizations that must keep their workloads on site for security and compliance reasons. &nbsp;</p> <p>Here we examine open source and commercial on-premises server monitoring tools from eight vendors. Although these products broadly <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchitoperations/feature/Words-to-go-Aspects-of-an-IT-monitoring-strategy">achieve the same IT goals</a>, they differ in their approach, complexity of setup -- including the ongoing aspects of maintenance and licensing -- and cost.&nbsp;</p> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Cacti"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i><strong>Cacti</strong></h2> <p>Cacti is an open source <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/network-monitoring">network monitoring</a> and graphing front-end application for RRDtool, an industry-standard open source data logging tool. RRDtool is the data collection portion of the product, while Cacti handles network graphing for the data that's collected. Since both Cacti and RRDtool are open source, they may be practical options for organizations that are on a budget. Cacti support is community-driven.</p> <p>Cacti can be ideal for organizations that already have RRDtool in place and want to expand on what it can display graphically. For organizations that don't have RRDtool installed, or aren't familiar with Linux commands or tools, both Cacti and RRDtool could be a bit of a challenge to install, as they don't include a simple wizard or agents. This should be familiar territory for Linux administrators, but may require additional effort for Windows admins. Note that Cacti is a graphing product and isn't really an alerting or remediation product.&nbsp;</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="ManageEngine Applications Manager"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i><strong>ManageEngine Applications Manager</strong></h2> <p>The ManageEngine system is part of an extensive line of server monitoring tools that include application-specific tools as well as cloud and mobile device management. The <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchitoperations/news/252470884/ManageEngine-Applications-Manager-adds-OCI-monitoring">application monitoring framework</a> enables organizations to purchase agents from various vendors, such as Oracle and SAP, as well as customer application-specific tools. These server monitoring tools enable admins to perform cradle-to-grave monitoring, which can help them troubleshoot and resolve application server issues before they impact end-user performance. ManageEngine platform strengths include its licensing model and the large number of agents available. Although the monitoring license per device is all-inclusive for interfaces or sensors needed per device, the agents are sold individually.</p> <p>Thirty-day trials are available for many of the more than 100 agents. Licensing costs range from less than $1,000 for 25 monitors and one user to more than $7,000 for 250 monitors with one user and an additional $245 per user. Support costs are often rolled into the cost of the monitors. This can be ideal for organizations that want to make a smaller initial investment and grow over time.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Microsoft System Center Operations Manager"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i><strong>Microsoft System Center Operations Manager</strong></h2> <p>The product monitors servers, enterprise infrastructure and applications, such as Exchange and SQL, and works with both Windows and Linux clients. Microsoft System Center features include configuration management, orchestration, VM management and data protection. System Center isn't as expansive on third-party applications as it is with native Microsoft applications. System Center is based on core licensing to match Server 2016 and later licensing models.</p> <p>The base price for <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchwindowsserver/definition/Microsoft-System-Center-Operations-Manager-Microsoft-SCOM">Microsoft System Center Operations Manager</a> starts at $3,600, assuming two CPUs and 16 cores total and can be expanded with core pack licenses. With Microsoft licensing, the larger the environment in terms of CPU cores, the more a customer site can expect to pay. While Microsoft offers a 180-day trial of System Center, this version is designed for the larger <a href="https://searchservervirtualization.techtarget.com/tip/Get-to-know-Hyper-V-2019-new-features-and-functionality">Hyper-V environments</a>. Support is dependent on the contract the organization selects. &nbsp;</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Nagios Core"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i><strong>Nagios Core</strong></h2> <p>Nagios Core is free open source software that provides metrics to <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchitoperations/tip/How-the-Nagios-monitoring-tool-tracks-IT-environment-details">monitor server</a> and network performance. Nagios can help organizations provide increased server, services, process and application availability. While Nagios Core comes with a graphical front end, the scope of what it can monitor is somewhat limited. But admins can deploy additional community-provided front ends that offer more views and additional functionality. Nagios&nbsp;Core natively installs and operates on Linux systems and Unix variants.</p> <p>For additional features and functionality, the commercial Nagios XI product offers true dashboards, reporting, GUI configuration and enhanced notifications. Pricing for this commercial version ranges from less than $7,000 for 500 nodes and an additional $1,500 per enterprise for reporting and capacity planning tools. In addition to agents for OSes, users can also add network monitoring for a single point of service. Free 60-day trials and community support are available for the products that work with the free Nagios Core download.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Opsview"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i><strong>Opsview</strong></h2> <p>Opsview system monitoring software includes on-premises agents as well as agents from all the major cloud vendors. While the free version provides 25 hosts to monitor, the product's main benefit is that it can support both SMBs and the enterprise. Pricing for a comprehensive offering that includes 300 hosts, reporting, multiple collectors and <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/network-analyzer">network analyzer</a> is less than $20,000 a year, depending on the agents selected. &nbsp;</p> <p>Enterprise packages are available via custom quote. The vendor offers both on-premises and cloud variations. The list of agents Opsview can monitor is one of the most expansive of any of the products, bridging cloud, application, web and infrastructure. Opsview also offers a dedicated mobile application. Support for most packages is 24/7 and includes customer portals and a knowledgebase.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Paessler PRTG Network Manager"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i><strong>Paessler PRTG Network Manager </strong></h2> <p>PRTG can monitor from the infrastructure to the <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchapparchitecture/definition/software-stack">application stack</a>. The licensing model for PRTG Network Monitor follows a sensor model format over a node, core or host model. This means a traditional host might have more than 20 sensors monitoring anything from CPU to bandwidth. Services range from networking and bandwidth monitoring to other more application-specific services such as low Microsoft OneDrive or Dropbox drive space. A fully functional 30-day demo is available and pricing ranges from less than $6,000 for 2,500 sensors to less than $15,000 for an unlimited number of sensors. Support is email-based.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="SolarWinds Server and Application Monitor"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>SolarWinds Server and Application Monitor</h2> <p>SolarWinds offers more than 1,000 monitoring templates for various applications and systems, such as Active Directory, as well as several virtualization platforms and cloud-based applications. It also provides dedicated virtualization, networking, databases and security monitoring products. In addition to standard performance metrics, SolarWinds provides application response templates to <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchitoperations/tip/How-to-troubleshoot-a-server-problem">help admins with troubleshooting</a>. A free 30-day trial is available. Pricing for 500 nodes is $73,995 and includes a year of maintenance.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="Zabbix"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>Zabbix</h2> <p>This free, open source, enterprise-scale <a href="https://www.techtarget.com/searchitoperations/tip/Zabbix-monitoring-requires-experience-for-best-results">monitoring product</a> includes an impressive number of agents that an admin can download. Although most features aren't point and click, the dashboards are similar to other open source platforms and are more than adequate. Given the free cost of entry and the sheer number of agents, this could be an ideal product for organizations that have the time and Linux experience to bring it online. Support is community-based and additional support can be purchased from a reseller.</p> </section> <section class="section main-article-chapter" data-menu-title="The bottom line on server monitoring tools"> <h2 class="section-title"><i class="icon" data-icon="1"></i>The bottom line on server monitoring tools</h2> <p>The products examined here differ slightly in size, scope and licensing model. Outside of the open source products, many commercial server monitoring tools are licensed by node or agent type. It's important that IT buyers understand all the possible options when getting quotes, as they can be difficult to understand.</p> <p>Pricing varies widely, as do the features of the dashboards of the <a href="https://www.gartner.com/reviews/market/it-infrastructure-monitoring-tools" target="_blank" rel="noopener">various server monitoring tools</a>. Ensure the staff is comfortable with the dashboard and alerting functionality of each system as well as mobile ability and notifications. If an organization chooses an open source platform, keep in mind that the installation could require more effort if the staff isn't Linux savvy. &nbsp;</p> <p>The dashboards for the open source monitors typically aren't as graphical as the paid products, but that's part of the tradeoff with open source. Many of the commercial products are cloud-ready or have that ability, so even if an organization doesn't plan to monitor its servers in the cloud today, they can take advantage of this technology in the future.&nbsp;</p> </section> Compare these eight on-premises network, server and application monitoring tools to determine which best fits your organization's specific use cases, business needs and budget. https://cdn.ttgtmedia.com/visuals/digdeeper/3.jpg https://www.techtarget.com/searchwindowsserver/feature/On-premises-server-monitoring-tools-meet-business-needs-budget Tue, 31 Dec 2019 12:21:00 GMT 60 webmaster@techtarget.com