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Monthly Archives: August 2010

100 Gigabit Networks, We're Getting Warmer…

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    Though the economy is still lagging, there is no slowdown in the demands being placed on networks. We predicted last year at this time that 100G networks were on their way when the Department of Energy awarded $62 million to build one. Since then, networking vendors like Cisco and Juniper Networks have been racing to introduce 100-Gigabit Ethernet with Juniper being the first to draw blood by creating a 100 Gigabit Ethernet router interface card this past June.

    According to a recent NetworkWorld article, Brocade Communications is introducing a 100-Gigabit Ethernet module next month for the top-end Ethernet, IEEE 802.3ba standard. The standard defines specifications for both 40Gbps and 100Gbps connectivity.

    The number of issues surrounding the development and deployment of a 100G Ethernet network will depend on how deep into the network the 100G needs to go. Even with these recent innovations there are still challenges to consider including:

    • Network analysis and monitoring – there is still no single network analyzer that can capture at 100Gbps.  One way to achieve this is with a series of load balancing taps that break the traffic down into smaller 10G lines, which then feed into separate analyzers working in parallel. No one has invented it yet
    • Infrastructure/cabling – twisted pair cable only goes up to 20G right now and to go higher it would mean re-cabling with fiber
    • Cost - if 100G comes into play and everything has to be replaced in between the core router and PC’s, it’s going to cost money. Even the network card in the PC has to be upgraded to 100G

    As we continue down the 100G path, the next generation of networking tools will surely follow. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves – the proliferation of 100G networks is still a pipe dream today.

      100 Gigabit Networks, We’re Getting Warmer…

      Posted on by .

        Though the economy is still lagging, there is no slowdown in the demands being placed on networks. We predicted last year at this time that 100G networks were on their way when the Department of Energy awarded $62 million to build one. Since then, networking vendors like Cisco and Juniper Networks have been racing to introduce 100-Gigabit Ethernet with Juniper being the first to draw blood by creating a 100 Gigabit Ethernet router interface card this past June.

        According to a recent NetworkWorld article, Brocade Communications is introducing a 100-Gigabit Ethernet module next month for the top-end Ethernet, IEEE 802.3ba standard. The standard defines specifications for both 40Gbps and 100Gbps connectivity.

        The number of issues surrounding the development and deployment of a 100G Ethernet network will depend on how deep into the network the 100G needs to go. Even with these recent innovations there are still challenges to consider including:

        • Network analysis and monitoring – there is still no single network analyzer that can capture at 100Gbps.  One way to achieve this is with a series of load balancing taps that break the traffic down into smaller 10G lines, which then feed into separate analyzers working in parallel. No one has invented it yet
        • Infrastructure/cabling – twisted pair cable only goes up to 20G right now and to go higher it would mean re-cabling with fiber
        • Cost - if 100G comes into play and everything has to be replaced in between the core router and PC’s, it’s going to cost money. Even the network card in the PC has to be upgraded to 100G

        As we continue down the 100G path, the next generation of networking tools will surely follow. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves – the proliferation of 100G networks is still a pipe dream today.

          Prowling the Network for a Rogue Wireless Access Point

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            WildPackets welcomes this guest blog post from independent security consultant Dr. Gordon Mitchell, who details below using Wildpackets OmniPeek Network Analyzer to hunt for a rogue wireless access point to solve network security vulnerabilities.

            Prowling the Network for a Rogue Wireless Access Point

            By way of review, a wireless access point (WAP) is a device that allows wired communication devices to connect to a wireless network using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. The WAP usually connects to a router and can relay data between wireless devices, such as computers or printers and wired devices on the network. Prior to wireless networks, setting up a computer network required running tons of cables through walls and ceilings in order to deliver access to all the devices in the building. With a WAP, network users can add devices that access the network with fewer cables.

            Wireless access is convenient and increases flexibility but at the same time security becomes a larger issue. Wired networks usually base the security on physical access control, but if wireless access points are connected to the network, anyone close by could connect. In fact, major data thefts have been initiated by attackers who have gained wireless access to organizations by connecting wirelessly to access points inside the organization.

            Most often, the hardest part is convincing IT that there is an actual wireless network security breach. Fortunately, solutions like Wildpackets OmniPeek Network Analyzer make looking for wireless signals easy.

            When I suspected a breach on a customer’s network, I immediately turned to OmniPeek and produced a quick demo. My first step was to check the peer map for unencrypted connctions (see illustration below).


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            The IT guy said that there was no problem. After I reviewed the header of an email that he had just sent, I asked him if he was sure. There was an address on this plot, which was really close to the IP address of his mail server. After a bit of head scratching, he agreed.

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            Looking closer at the suspect IP address, it indicated that it was coming from a D-Link wireless router. But the company didn’t have any of those, so they assumed it “wasn’t a problem”. After offering a further explanation of rogue access points, they began to slowly agree.

            blog3.png


            In the end, OmniPeek convinced the IT department that there was a problem to be investigated – an unauthorized access point on a critical server. With tools like OmniPeek, it’s easy to prowl through complex networks and identify security issues, but a well-rounded explanation of the problem is truly the key to keeping networks healthy.