GigaSMART Load Balancing
GigaSMART Load Balancing distributes network traffic across monitoring and security tools to help scale visibility beyond the capacity of a single tool. As traffic volumes grow, teams can share the processing workload across multiple tool instances and make better use of available capacity.
As part of the Gigamon Deep Observability Pipeline, GigaSMART Load Balancing supports traffic delivery to analysis tools using configurable distribution methods. Depending on the application and platform, these include weighted delivery and load balancing based on fields within encapsulated traffic.
Distribute Traffic Across Tool Ports
GigaSMART Load Balancing distributes traffic processed by the GigaSMART engine to multiple tool ports or supported tunnel endpoints. Stateless load balancing uses hashes derived from packet fields. Stateful load balancing uses sessions maintained by supported GigaSMART applications. Available methods and licensing depend on the selected capability and platform.
Supported tool groups can include ports operating at different speeds. Operators can configure weights to account for port bandwidth or attached tool capacity. For supported encapsulation types, inner-header hashing allows traffic distribution to use fields inside a tunnel.
Benefits of GigaSMART Load Balancing
Use GigaSMART Load Balancing to scale traffic delivery while aligning the workload with monitoring requirements:
- Scale monitoring capacity: Distribute traffic across multiple tool instances when the workload exceeds the capacity of a single tool or port.
- Improve tool utilization: Configure weighted delivery to account for differences in tool capacity or port bandwidth.
- Support monitoring resiliency: Supported failover configurations redistribute traffic when a destination becomes unavailable. Recovery behavior depends on the selected load balancing mode and configuration.
- Distribute encapsulated traffic: Use supported inner-header fields to load balance traffic carried in GTP, GRE, or ERSPAN tunnels.
- Support mobile network analysis: Combine GTP-aware distribution with the appropriate GigaSMART capabilities to deliver mobile traffic to monitoring tools according to the selected session or packet criteria.
Ideal Use Cases
Common monitoring and security use cases include:
- Expand packet analysis capacity: Share traffic across multiple instances of packet-based security, packet capture, or forensic analysis tools as monitoring requirements grow.
- Scale analysis of east-west traffic: Distribute acquired traffic between workloads across monitoring tool instances for security and performance analysis.
- Monitor GTP-encapsulated mobile traffic: Use the supported hashing or stateful GTP capabilities to distribute traffic according to the required monitoring context.
- Plan for destination failures: Use supported failover capabilities and sufficient remaining tool capacity to help maintain traffic delivery when a destination is unavailable.
- Accommodate mixed tool capacities: Configure delivery weights for supported tool ports with different speeds or attached tools with different processing limits.
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GigaSMART Features
GigaSMART® offers several essential traffic intelligence services required for deep observability into infrastructure blind spots.
Adaptive Packet Filtering
Identifies patterns across any part of the network packet, including the packet payload.
De-duplication
Targets, identifies, and eliminates duplicate packets, blocking unnecessary duplication and sending optimized flows.
NetFlow Generation
Delivers basic Layer 2–4 network traffic data to analysis tools.
Tunneling
Alleviates blindness of business-critical traffic at remote sites, virtualized data centers, or in the public or private cloud.
Advanced Flow Slicing
Reduces bandwidth usage by slicing payloads and packets from long data flows.
Header Modification
Normalizes traffic feed to suit monitoring or security workflows.
Packet Slicing
Truncates packets while preserving the protocol headers required for network analysis.
Advanced Load Balancing
Divides and distributes traffic among multiple tools based on a variety of data points.
Masking
Provides customizable data protection by overwriting specific packet fields with a set pattern.
Source Port Labeling
Provides context to packets and identifies behaviors and threats based on network location.
Application Filtering Intelligence
Extends Layer 7 visibility to thousands of common and proprietary applications.
Application Metadata Intelligence
Provides application visibility to identify performance and quality issues, and potential security risks.
Application Visualization
Provides a complete view of the applications running on your network.
5G Correlation
Forwards subscriber sessions to specific tools by filtering on subscriber, user device, RAN, or network slice IDs.
FlowVUE Flow Sampling
Provides subscriber IP-based flow sampling.
GTP Correlation
Enables mobile service providers to monitor subscriber data in GPRS Tunneling Protocol tunnels.
SSL/TLS Decryption
Creates a secure channel between the server and the end user's computer or other devices as they exchange information.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Load balancing for network monitoring distributes traffic across multiple analysis tool instances so they can share a workload. In Gigamon deployments, GigaSMART Load Balancing directs traffic processed by GigaSMART to tool ports or supported tunnel endpoints using the configured distribution criteria.
GigaSMART Load Balancing lets multiple tool instances share traffic that would otherwise be sent to a single destination. Configured weights can account for differences in port bandwidth or tool capacity. This helps teams expand monitoring capacity while continuing to use existing tools, provided the combined capacity is sufficient for the traffic being delivered.
Server and application load balancing generally distributes user requests across application servers. GigaSMART Load Balancing focuses on distributing network traffic to monitoring and security tools for analysis. Its purpose is to scale traffic visibility and tool utilization.
Licensing depends on the capability. Gigamon documentation distinguishes stateless load balancing included with base licenses, stateful capabilities associated with specific GigaSMART application licenses, and separately licensed Enhanced Load Balancing. Confirm the requirements for the selected platform, software version, and application.
GigaStream provides port-bundle load sharing in GigaVUE-OS. GigaSMART Load Balancing distributes traffic processed by GigaSMART and adds options such as application-specific stateful balancing, supported inner-header hashing, and mixed-speed tool groups. Select the capability that matches your processing and deployment requirements.
Learn more about GigaStream traffic distribution.
Yes. Supported GigaSMART load balancing port groups can include ports operating at different speeds. You can configure delivery weights to account for bandwidth differences or attached tool capacity. Port-group and platform restrictions still apply, so validate the intended configuration before deployment.
GTP-aware distribution supports analysis of traffic carried in GPRS Tunneling Protocol tunnels. Depending on the configuration, stateless balancing can use inner IP fields or GTP tunnel identifiers. Stateful GTP balancing uses the relevant GigaSMART application context to keep associated subscriber traffic on the selected tool. Inner-header hashing and subscriber correlation are different capabilities with different requirements.
GigaSMART supports stateless hashing and application-specific stateful load balancing. Supported stateful metrics include bandwidth, packet rate, connection count, cumulative traffic, and round robin, with weighting options where available. Stateless hashing uses configured packet fields, including supported inner headers for encapsulated traffic.
The available metrics depend on the selected application, load balancing mode, platform, and software version. Check the relevant product documentation when selecting a method.
For supported methods, see the GigaSMART Load Balancing documentation.
Tools that analyze network packets can benefit, including packet-based security monitoring, packet capture, forensic analysis, and network performance monitoring tools. Distribute traffic across suitable instances of the same analysis function, and confirm that each destination can process the assigned traffic.
GigaSMART Load Balancing helps the Gigamon Deep Observability Pipeline deliver traffic to these tools as monitoring requirements grow.
Contact Gigamon to discuss load balancing options for your monitoring environment.
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