Face it we are in dynamic times. 10Gbps, new protocols, and federal requirements. Through the years OASYS has provided our clients with solutions to satisfy court order requirements for legal intercept required by FCC/LEA (Law Enforcement Act 1994). From the days of Carnivore we grew with the requirements.
Let's take it from the wire:
A. To get at individual or streams or a target’s data on 1Gbps and 10Gbps shared links it is necessary to filter down to a target (i.e. IP address or set of addresses). The recording tools are often not up to the task of capturing all the packets when stressed to sustained high utilization of 600Mbps or more. Gigamon and others manufacture appliances that can be configured to only pass packets based on your filter. Ok so we got the target stream to just that target.
B. Now the recording tool has to have the ability to capture and store that data in a protected fashion to maintain a legally useful Chain of Evidence. Some manufacturers provide a federally approved software component to accommodate this application. WildPackets is our partner and they are above the other as they have been with this application from the beginning and provide a complete recording tool call the OmniEngine which can be offered as a complete appliance or you can build your own with applicable hardware and storage. We will build to suit on IBM and HP servers. A few clients have requested connections to existing SAN's and we have provided HBA controllers to support this. WildPackets also provides high performance Gigabit and 10Gbit Analyzer cards with GPS packet time stamping to insure accuracy and no packet loss.
C. Storage can become an issue so in a few cases we have built the entire system - from the wire to the taps to the aggregating and filtering appliance that feeds the recorder. With multiple targets being captured at the same time storage becomes an issue where the internal multiple TB system needs to off load to a SAN's. To keep maintenance and support streamlined we work as a Business Partner with IBM to accommodate all the hardware and support for the platform.
D. Pulling it all together. Early on in the process many broadband providers outsourced to Trusted Third Parties or owned a few systems that would be deployed when required by DOJ orders. As requirements grew with technology changes and requirements became more specific broadband providers installed collectors through out the network. Prices for hardware and software have fallen and money has been made available to assist in becoming a compliant carrier. We are involved in upgrades to earlier systems that lived on a plane and are no longer capable of keeping up or supporting new protocols like VoiP.
Anyone interested in what is new and required can contact Chris Johnson at chrisj@oasyscorp.com for more information or questions on what you can do about VoiP requirements and the many protocols you will encounter.
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