Cool News Taps from Net Optics

You know I am always on the prowl for new networking gear to perform network security monitoring. In fact, I may write a whole new book about the subject, pulling enterprise network instrumentation coverage from future editions of The Tao and other books and concentrating it in a single volume.

In the spirit of sharing information on new gear, I am happy to let you know about two cool new products from Net Optics. The first is the 10/100 Teeny Tap, pictured above. This is a fully-functional, dual-power, dual output traditional 10/100 Mbps tap. It's functionally equivalent to the 10/100 Ethernet Tap.

The second neat product is the iTap Gigabit Dual Port Aggregator. This is a Gigabit tap that provides two outputs where each are combinations of the two TX input streams. This tap is similar to the Gigabit Dual Port Aggregator with several major differences, which I noted last month. I ran some traffic through this tap today and I really liked seeing the traffic load on the LCD screen. I did not get a chance to try the remote management features, but I plan to soon.

I took some photos of the Teeny Tap sitting above a traditional Ethernet tap, on top of the copper iTap. (There will also be a fiber iTap.) You can see just how tiny the Teeny Tap is. You can also buy the Teeny Tap online. It ships with a smart black canvas carrying case that looks like a digital camera container. It is big enough to hold the tap and two power supplies, along with some cables. I intend to take one with me on all of my engagements.

Thank you to Net Optics for sharing these with me. Who in your organization could use a Teeny Tap? I'm sure any consultants who travel as frequently as I do with a laptop bag would love to replace their existing setup with a Teeny Tap. As for the iTap, expect to see more of these everywhere -- the statistical functions are awesome.