Net Optics 10-100 to Triple-speed Port Aggregator User Manual

Installation Guide for

10/100 to Triple-speed Port Aggregator

Model TPA-CU

In- Lin e

800-0045-001 Doc. PUBTPACUU Rev. 1, 12/08

Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Key Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

About This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Unpacking and Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Product Diagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

LED Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Application Diagrams: Memory Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

10/100 to Triple-speed Port Aggregator

Cabling Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Connecting to the Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Connecting to the Monitoring Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Specications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Limitations on Warranty and Liability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

10/100 to Triple-speed Port Aggregator

PLEASE READ THESE LEGAL NOTICES CAREFULLY.

By using a Net Optics Tap you agree to the terms and conditions of usage set forth by Net Optics, Inc.

No licenses, express or implied, are granted with respect to any of the technology described in this
manual. Net Optics retains all intellectual property rights associated with the technology described in
this manual. This manual is intended to assist with installing Net Optics products into your network.

Trademarks and Copyrights

© 2010 by Net Optics, Inc. Zero DelayTM Net Optics® is a registered trademark of Net Optics, Inc.
Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of the individual
companies and are respectfully acknowledged.

Additional Information

Net Optics, Inc. reserves the right to make changes in specications and other information contained

in this document without prior notice. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this
document is accurate.

Introduction

Net Optics 10/100 to Triple-speed Port Aggregator provides ultra-efcient

access to critical links. This pioneering technology enables any monitoring
device to simultaneously monitor a full-duplex link - using only one NIC per
device.

Typically, full-duplex monitoring with a network tap requires two NICs (or
a dual channel NIC) – one interface for each side of the tapped full-duplex
connection. The Port Aggregator Tap combines and regenerates these streams,
sending all aggregated data out two separate passive monitoring ports.

Triple-Speed Monitoring Ports

The 10/100 to Triple-speed Port Aggregator features triple-speed 10/100/1000
ports for monitoring tools, enabling faster tools to capture both sides of a
fully-utilized 100 Mbps full-duplex link without relying on the Tap's buffering
capability.

Buffering Prevents Lost Data

The 10/100 to Triple-speed Port Aggregator is designed to handle the com-

bined trafc of a single full-duplex link. When the trafc queue exceeds the
capacity of a 10 or 100 Mbps NIC, the Tap buffers the overow of up to one

gigabyte of data for both sides of the full-duplex connection. The buffer clears

automatically when the trafc volume falls below the receiving capacity of the
NIC. For example, if there is a trafc burst on a 100 Mbps network port and
a 100 Mbps monitoring device is now receiving 140 Mbps of trafc, the Tap

buffers data until the burst is over. The Tap then sends the buffered data to the
monitoring device until the buffer is cleared.

10/100 to Triple-speed Port Aggregator

Simple to Deploy

The Net Optics 10/100 to Triple-speed Port Aggregator is a simple plug-and­play solution addressing the fact that many monitoring systems, including
most software-based solutions, only offer a single channel NIC, limiting full­duplex visibility. While adding a second NIC can help maintain data integrity

and visibility, there is a trade-off in exibility and ease-of-use. An operating

system and NICs that enable binding are often required to achieve the same
functionality as the Port Aggregator Tap. In contrast, the Port Aggregator Tap

requires no additional components or conguration on the monitoring devices.

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