Virtuora TC overview
Virtuora TC overview

Fujitsu Limited today announced the launch of FUJITSU Network Virtuora TC software that can run on conventional PC servers to perform full wire speed packet capture of 20 Gbps communications data, accumulation, and conduct high-speed searches. This product is only available in Japan.

Virtuora TC overview
Virtuora TC overview

The widespread adoption of cloud computing and the explosive growth of mobile devices has led to more diverse and more complex data flowing over wide area networks. There is interest in technology that collects all data flowing through a network, can analyze it, and can achieve complete trail management to understand the causes of problems and other situations that occur on the network. However, until now it has not been possible to collect the large volume of data that is generated on a daily basis and perform high-speed searches over a given period of time at a low cost.

Virtuora TC performs full wire speed packet capture on all communications data, and by performing high-speed searches on the accumulated data to find the desired information, can quickly spot the causes of network problems. In addition, by applying complete trail management to the accumulated data, it can also be used to verify cyber attacks.

This product will be exhibited at Interop Tokyo 2015, running June 10-12 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture.

Background

With the emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) era, in which numerous sensors and other devices are connected to the network, data passing through the network is becoming increasingly diverse. At the same time, the DevOps approach has gained increasing attention as a model for system development that integrates development and operations, to maintain the quality of network services and respond quickly to new needs as services also become more sophisticated. With network-utilization scenarios and network operations both changing, it is increasingly important to create value from big data collected in the field, handle unanticipated troubles, and put in place security that can address increasingly complex and intelligent cyber-attacks.

One method to achieve this is to accumulate all the data passing through the network and analyze it to discover the cause of problems or other situations on the network. This technique, called complete trail management technology, is gaining evermore attention, but it requires expensive, specialized hardware to accumulate the massive volumes of data being generated daily, and it has been difficult to inexpensively accumulate data for a period of time and performing high-speed searches on it.

About Virtuora TC

Virtuora TC is software for complete communications-data trail management. It performs full wire speed packet capture of all communications data passing over a wide-area network, generates indices for each session, and can extract desired data from huge volumes of communications data in a few dozen seconds, or even as quickly as a few seconds. This product is an application of the high-speed accumulate-and-search technology developed by Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd.

Product features are as follows.

1. Enables full wire speed packet capture, accumulation, and high-speed searches of 20 Gbps network data

Along with reducing the number of disk accesses by writing communications data to disk batched by session, this processes data without imposing delays on other processes. As a result, communications data flowing at 10 Gbps in each direction (20 Gbps total upstream and downstream) can be captured and accumulated in real time. In addition, an index is generated for each session being accumulated, so that a desired piece of data can be found within several tens of seconds, or as quickly as a few seconds, from the total volume of communications data.

2. Runs as software on conventional PC servers

Performing full wire speed packet capture of all communications data passing over a wide-area network has typically required expensive, specialized hardware, but because this product runs as software on a conventional PC server, it enables network quality management systems for low capital expenditures.

3. Expandable accumulation capacity without shutting system down

Adding a data-storage server makes it possible to expand data-accumulation capacity without shutting the system down or losing any data. Capacity can be expanded up to 702 TB while continuing to accumulate data. On a network with 10 Gbps traffic upstream and down, or 20 Gbps in total, this can accommodate roughly three days-worth of traffic at constant peak throughput.

4. Connects to different analysis systems

The accumulated communications data can be used by various different analysis systems such as for managing the quality of communications lines and cloud services, or for security purposes, etc., through the API provided by Virtuora TC.

Usage Scenarios

1. Quality management for communications services

With cloud services, if there is an interruption in video or audio, this makes it possible to accurately trace the state of communications based on captured data at the time in question. In turn, that allows service providers for video or audio, along with the communications carriers that support them, to raise their quality of service and provide high-quality services.

Figure 2. Quality management for communications services

2. Enhancing network DevOps solutions

In DevOps, which integrates development and operations, there is an iterative lifecycle from service planning and development to deployment and operations. To improve efficient operations and user experience in virtual networks, it is important to continuously conduct virtual network usage status monitoring, analysis, and carry out feedback regarding optimum equipment and operations of network resources

This product can identify the scope of services affected by changes to virtual networks and at the same time continuously analyze and improve services. In addition, by inputting analysis results into service planning and development, the DevOps lifecycle can move quickly and speedy provision of new services can be achieved.

3. Security measures

Complete trail management of communications data is an effective countermeasure for today’s increasingly serious customer-data breaches resulting from internal activity and increasingly complex and sophisticated external cyber attacks. This product provides comprehensive security against delayed-action malware and repeat violations of network policies.

Future Plans

The company plans to release an updated product with an expanded API for security and network forensics during fiscal 2015. The company is also working on technology capable of accumulating up to 100 Gbps, to support the line-concentration technologies developed at Fujitsu Laboratories. This is for use with virtualized environments, such as NFV, which virtualizes the network functions of existing networks. This is due to be released in fiscal 2016 after completing operational trials.

Pricing and Availability

Pricing and Availability
Product Name Price, Availability
FUJITSU Network Virtuora TC V01 Media Pack JPY 20,000 June 9, 2015
FUJITSU Network Virtuora TC Basic Software License V01 JPY 6 million June 9, 2015
FUJITSU Network Virtuora TC Data-Storage Server , 1 additional license JPY 400,000 June 9, 2015

Sales Target

Sales of JPY 12 billion of complete systems including peripherals by end of fiscal 2017 (Fujitsu’s fiscal year ends the last day of March).