Welcome to the Cubro FAQ page!

Network monitoring and network visibility are related concepts, but they have different meanings. Network monitoring refers to the process of collecting and analyzing network traffic data to identify performance and security issues. Network monitoring tools typically use metrics such as bandwidth utilization, latency, and packet loss to measure network performance and detect anomalies. The goal of network monitoring is to detect and resolve problems in the network as quickly as possible.

Network visibility, on the other hand, refers to the ability to see and analyze all network traffic in real-time, including application traffic and security threats. Network visibility solutions provide deeper insights into network activity and enable IT teams to optimize network performance and security. Network visibility solutions often use packet capture and analysis techniques to provide detailed visibility into network traffic.

In essence, network monitoring is a subset of network visibility. Network monitoring provides a basic level of visibility into network performance, while network visibility provides more advanced and comprehensive insights into network activity. Network visibility solutions are typically more powerful and feature-rich than network monitoring tools.

Cubro offers a wide range of network visibility solutions, including network TAPs, packet brokers, network probes, and network analyzers. These solutions are designed to provide real-time visibility into network traffic, application performance, and security threats, enabling organizations to monitor and optimize their networks for peak performance and security.

Cubro’s network visibility technology stands out from other network visibility solutions in several ways, including its advanced filtering capabilities, its ability to perform deep packet inspection, and its support for a wide range of protocols and interfaces. Cubro’s solutions are also highly scalable and flexible, making them ideal for small and large enterprises.

Cubro’s network visibility solutions can be integrated with a wide range of network management tools and platforms, including SNMP managers, SIEMs, and network performance monitoring (NPM) tools. Cubro also provides APIs and SDKs for custom integration with other tools and platforms.

Cubro’s network visibility solutions are designed for high performance and low latency, ensuring that network traffic is monitored and analyzed in real-time without impacting network performance. The exact performance you can expect will depend on your specific solution and hardware configuration.

Cubro’s network visibility solutions provide real-time insights into network traffic, application performance, and security threats, making it easier for IT teams to troubleshoot issues and resolve problems quickly. Cubro’s solutions also include advanced filtering and search capabilities, enabling IT teams to quickly identify and isolate specific network issues.

Common use cases for Cubro’s network visibility solutions include network monitoring and analysis, application performance monitoring, security threat detection and response, compliance monitoring, and network troubleshooting and problem resolution.

Cubro’s support team is available 24/7 to help customers with any issues or questions. Send us an email at support@cubro.com or log in to our support portal.

You need to register on our support portal (https://support.cubro.com/) to access the manuals.

No, SFPs (small form-factor pluggable) require electrical power to operate. They are typically powered by the network device they are plugged into, such as a switch or router.

No, this is not necessary. You can use SFPs from every SFP vendor.

Cubro’s solutions support a wide range of protocols and interfaces, including Ethernet, TCP/IP, HTTP, SSL/TLS, SSH, VoIP, and many others. Cubro’s solutions are highly scalable and can simultaneously support multiple protocols and interfaces.

Cubro’s network visibility technology can help organizations meet regulatory compliance requirements by providing real-time visibility into network traffic, application performance, and security threats. Cubro’s solutions can monitor and log network activity, enabling organizations to generate audit trails and comply with regulatory requirements.

Yes, Cubro offers comprehensive training and support for its solutions, including technical support, online training, and onsite training. Check this link to learn more about our training. Cubro’s support team is available 24/7 to help customers with any issues or questions. Send us an email at support@cubro.com or log in to our support portal.

All users guides and manuals are available via the Cubro Support Portal.

A network TAP is a hardware device that allows the interception and monitoring of network traffic passing between two points in a computer network. The TAP is installed between two network devices, such as switches or routers, and copies all the data flowing between them, without interrupting the flow of traffic.

No, an electrical (copper) network TAP is an active device and requires power to operate and copy data. However, the TAP is failsafe and ensures the connected live link is always fully funkctional, even after a power outage.

Yes, an optical (fiber) network TAP is a passive device and does not require any electrical power source. 

Why should I use a network TAP if I can use SPAN ports? 

SPAN ports are a standard method for network monitoring, however, there are several reasons why a network TAP is the better choice in certain situations:

• Increased reliability: Network TAPs don’t rely on software
• Better visibility: Network TAPs provide complete visibility, including error packets
• Security and compliance: SPAN ports can create uncontrolled duplication of data

A network TAP is designed to copy the data of a bidirectional Link which always consists of 2 directions. West to East and East to West traffic, or in other words, Uplink and Downlink. The 1 Link network TAP provides a copy of both separated on two monitoring ports.

A network packet broker is a device that intelligently manages and distributes network traffic to various monitoring and security tools. It acts as a “traffic cop” for network data, directing relevant data to the appropriate tool and filtering out irrelevant traffic.

Cubro’s advanced NPB technology uses a combination of hardware and software to provide a wide range of features and capabilities, including advanced filtering and traffic shaping, packet deduplication, load balancing, and intelligent packet slicing. Cubro’s hardware is also designed for high performance and low latency, ensuring that traffic is delivered quickly and accurately to monitoring tools.

The G5+ packet brokers are Cubro’s next-generation advanced packet brokers based on the Intel Tofino chipset. This chipset is the latest generation of P4 programmable Ethernet-Switch ASIC, which allows for deeper inspection of individual Ethernet frames. The G5+ packet brokers provide improved scalability, increased packet-per-second processing, and a more advanced feature set than previous Cubro products. Therefore, the use of the Tofino chipset and the focus on improved performance and functionality are some key differences that set the G5+ packet brokers apart from previous Cubro products.

Cubro’s NPB technology includes a variety of advanced features, including:

• Multi-stage filtering: allows for complex filtering based on multiple criteria, such as source/destination IP, port, protocol, and more
• Packet slicing: allows for the extraction of specific portions of packets for more focused analysis
• Packet deduplication: eliminates duplicate packets to reduce the load on monitoring tools and improve efficiency
• Load balancing: distributes traffic across multiple monitoring tools for better resource utilization and performance
• Time stamping: provides accurate time stamps for each packet to aid in troubleshooting and analysis
• Traffic shaping: allows for the manipulation of traffic flows to optimize performance and resource utilization

Cubro’s NPB technology is designed for high performance and flexibility, with a wide range of advanced features and capabilities that are unavailable in other solutions. Additionally, Cubro’s hardware is purpose-built for NPB applications, ensuring low latency and high reliability. Cubro’s solutions also offer a lower total cost of ownership than other NPB vendors, making them a cost-effective option for organizations of all sizes.

Cubro’s NPB technology can benefit organizations in a variety of ways, including:

• Improved network visibility: By intelligently filtering and directing traffic to monitoring tools, Cubro’s NPB technology can provide better visibility into network traffic and help identify and resolve issues more quickly.
• Enhanced security: By directing traffic to security tools, Cubro’s NPB technology can improve overall network security and help prevent threats.
• Better resource utilization: By load-balancing traffic across multiple monitoring tools, Cubro’s NPB technology can help organizations make better use of their monitoring resources and improve overall efficiency.
• Cost savings: By reducing the load on monitoring tools and improving overall efficiency, Cubro’s NPB technology can help organizations save money on monitoring and security tools over time.

A network bypass switch, also known as a bypass switch, is a hardware device that is designed to maintain network availability in the event of a power outage, hardware failure, or other network disruption. A bypass switch is installed in-line with network traffic and automatically switches traffic to a backup path when a failure occurs.

Cubro Bypass is a family of network bypass switches designed to provide high availability and network resiliency for mission-critical applications. Cubro Bypass switches are available in a range of configurations, including inline and out-of-band bypass, and can be customized to meet the specific needs of your network.

Cubro Bypass works by monitoring the health of network traffic and switching traffic to a backup path when a failure occurs. Cubro Bypass switches are designed to detect power outages, hardware failures, and other network disruptions and can automatically switch traffic to a backup path in less than a millisecond.

The benefits of using Cubro Bypass include increased network availability, reduced downtime, and improved network resiliency. Cubro Bypass switches are designed to ensure that critical applications remain online and accessible in the event of a network failure or disruption.

Cubro Bypass switches are compatible with a wide range of networks, including enterprise networks, service provider networks, and data center networks. Cubro Bypass switches can be customized to meet the specific needs of your network, and can be deployed in inline or out-of-band configurations.

Cubro Bypass switches are easy to deploy and can be integrated into your network infrastructure quickly and easily. Cubro Bypass switches can be deployed in-line with network traffic or as an out-of-band solution and can be customized to meet the specific needs of your network.

Cubro Bypass switches offer advanced management and monitoring capabilities, including remote management and monitoring, SNMP support, and a user-friendly web interface. Cubro Bypass switches provide real-time visibility into network traffic and health, enabling IT teams to identify and resolve issues quickly.

Yes, Cubro Bypass switches can be integrated with a wide range of network management tools and platforms, including SNMP managers and SIEMs. Cubro Bypass switches also provide APIs and SDKs for custom integration with other tools and platforms.

Cubro Bypass switches are available in a range of configurations, including inline and out-of-band bypass. Cubro Bypass switches can be customized to meet the specific needs of your network, and can support different speeds and network topologies.