Virtual Instruments Unveils Traffic Analysis Point

Virtual Instruments, provider of the NetWisdom SAN (storage area network) optimization solution, unveiled the Traffic Analysis Point (TAP) device. A core component of the NetWisdom Enterprise solution, the TAP device enables real-time Fibre Channel network transaction monitoring, analysis and diagnosis, which reduces the risk of storage-network downtime and enables infrastructure optimization.

The TAP device is a new appliance designed by Virtual Instruments and optimized for the NetWisdom Enterprise storage-area-network monitoring solution, which provides the application-to-SAN transaction performance data storage administrators need to manage their Fibre Channel switched networks.

Enterprise customers like Barclay’s Card Services, Kaiser Permanente and McKesson Corp., increasingly house their business-critical data in the SAN, which makes greater SAN visibility, performance and reliability a requirement. Leveraging NetWisdom Enterprise with the new TAP device gives companies a cost-effective way to see – in real time – the data flowing between their SANs and business applications, which helps them optimize infrastructure utilization and detect costly problems before they occur.

As an integral part of Virtual Instrument’s NetWisdom Enterprise solution, the TAP device:

• Offers a passive diagnostic layer for network maintenance activities that require data visibility without interrupting the network.
• Provides the necessary access points for monitoring equipment, detecting failures, and expanding the continuous monitoring solution.
• Monitors storage array ports, including ISLs.
• Enables a periodic SAN Health Check to optimize the storage infrastructure for maximum return on investment.

Unlike Mirror or SPAN ports, TAP devices show complete visibility of network traffic and mirror the data flowing between two network points.

Mark Urdahl, Virtual Instruments’ Chief Executive Officer, said: “IT administrators can find themselves in serious and expensive situations when the storage network experiences a problem or down time with limited visibility into the root-cause of the problem.  Having Virtual Instruments’ TAP device is like having a window into your SAN traffic. It provides unprecedented access to SAN transactions so that performance and troubleshooting issues can be proactively identified and resolved, allowing our customers to realize tremendous cost savings.”

According to Arun Taneja, Founder, Taneja Group, “Tapping the SAN is a best practice that solves a problem I hear about frequently: the inability to get data off of the fabric, and as a result, inability to quickly resolve network issues in complex and virtualized environments. The unique value of the Virtual Instruments TAP device is the quality and depth of data it collects to help IT administrators manage their systems and make the services delivery cloud transparent. The analytical engines work across multi-vendor platforms without disrupting IT operations or network traffic. The result is increased visibility, a better managed SAN and improved ROI.”

Availability and Pricing
The TAP device is currently available as a core component or a
standalone monitoring appliance. A single TAP device offers four ports
and has an optional, 1U rack-mountable chassis that supports up to 16
ports. Pricing starts at $300 per port for a TAP device.