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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Network Instruments’ Aggregator nTAPs Provide Greater Visibility Into Full-Duplex Traffic than SPAN Ports

Aggregator nTAPs address customers’ need for deploying security and analysis devices on full-duplex links

London, UK — June 18 2007 —Network Instruments®, a leading provider of innovative analysis solutions for in-depth network intelligence and continuous availability, today announced the availability of its Aggregator nTAPs. Aggregator nTAPs support a buffer of up to 512 MB and can be integrated with all leading security and network management tools for visibility into full-duplex network links.  By aggregating full-duplex traffic into a single stream to any analysis or security device, the Aggregator nTAP™ provides greater connection flexibility and reduces the chance of dropped packets when compared to a SPAN port.

The Aggregator nTAP buffer of up to 512 MB enables it to handle higher utilisation spikes on a full-duplex link than other aggregator TAPs. Unlike competitive offerings which separate buffers for send and receive, the Aggregator nTAP’s unique pooled buffer design means it dynamically allocates as much memory as required to capture both sides of the full-duplex network conversation. For companies relying on SPAN ports to view full-duplex traffic, the Aggregator nTAP significantly decreases the likelihood of dropped packets and lost data, providing a more accurate view of data for monitoring and analysis.

“We have already seen significant demand for our Aggregator nTAP, particularly from customers deploying open-source security and analysis applications which are incapable of receiving full-duplex network traffic without a TAP or SPAN in place,“ explains Ian Cummins, European sales director for Network Instruments.  “Priced at up to 40 per cent less than the competition, the Aggregator nTAP is ideal for customers with a limited budget and the 256 MB or 512 MB buffer provides much greater protection against packet loss than a SPAN port.” 

Network Instruments’ UK distributor Arc Technology is currently recruiting resellers for the Aggregator nTAP. “For companies who do not have the resources to invest in a sophisticated appliance-based solution, open-source applications are becoming an increasingly popular alternative,” says Jim Harvey, Observer® Product Manager, Arc Technology. “We are really excited by the opportunity to introduce the Aggregator nTAP to the portfolio of products available through ARC, and are currently looking to offer this product to resellers to help them address the network management and security needs of these customers more effectively.”
The Aggregator nTAP is priced at £1,345 for the 256 MB buffer and £1,795 for the 512 MB buffer. Each Aggregator nTAP supports 10 Mb, 100 Mb and 1000 Mb network traffic and connections, and has two separate simplex ports for streaming data to analysis and security devices with single-receive capture interfaces.

More information is available at www.networkinstruments.co.uk.

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About Network Instruments
Network Instruments provides in-depth network intelligence and continuous network availability through innovative analysis solutions. Enterprise network professionals depend on Network Instruments’ Observer product line for unparalleled network visibility to efficiently solve network problems and manage deployments. By combining a powerful management console with high-performance analysis appliances, Observer simplifies problem resolution and optimises network and application performance. The company continues to lead the industry in ROI with its advanced Distributed Network Analysis (NI-DNA™) architecture, which successfully integrates comprehensive analysis functionality across heterogeneous networks through a single monitoring interface. Network Instruments is headquartered in Minneapolis with sales offices worldwide and distributors in over 50 countries. For more information about the company, products, technology, NI-DNA, becoming a partner, and NI University please visit www.networkinstruments.com.

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