VistaOne

By Steve Evans

Not only is VistaOne a Riverbed Platinum Partner, but we are also a Riverbed Authorized Training Partner.  And thus, I am in Atlanta this week teaching the Riverbed Steelhead Appliance Deployment and Management class.

I have taken a lot of classes in my “IT” career. If you're in IT, I bet you have too. Have you ever been to a class that just seems to be a waste of time?  Like the class that is so “fluffy” it must have been written by marketing staff? 

Or the class which just wets your appetite but never actually gets into the details you want and need?  Or the class so full of boring lecture and devoid of interaction that you have to prop your eyes open with paperclips or risk drool emanating from mouth as your head nods in sleepiness?  Well, the Riverbed class is none of those. When I took this class as a Riverbed customer, I was amazed how chock full of pertinent information it contained, how much hands-on lab work it contained and how I was actually required to think to solve problems. 

When I later went through the certification process to teach the class, I was further impressed by all the thought that is put into the class and labs, ensuring this the best class of its kind. I am continually amazed at the attention to details to ensure that not only is everything covered but covered in such a ways as to engage the student and convey maximum knowledge transfer and retention.

Tomorrow, with the release of Apple's iOS 7, tens of millions of iPhone, iPad and iPod users will download the update as it becomes available. How will this traffic impact your administrative, residential or wireless networks? Your critical applications? How much of your institution's internet bandwidth will be consumed by Apple updates? 

Even after the initial release this Wednesday, iOS 7 will continue to impact internet and intranet traffic as users who may be hesitant at first, will begin to update their Apple devices. You can also "expect a continued stream of updates throughout the rest of the year as apps both incorporate those features and also begin to take on the visual design of iOS 7", says Forbes. If you own an iOS 6 device, you know that this has already begun to happen, with developers scrambling to get their apps ready for iOS 7.

The first step in dealing with major bandwidth events is classifying or identifying not only the specific updates (or for that matter, big event streaming video) but also who's downloading them from what location and on what devices. Once you can see particular traffic, appropriate policy can be applied. Then update traffic can be constrained or limited, even by time of day. It can be cached, reducing stress on your internet service, while delivering the updates at LAN speed to users. Or it can be accelerated from your internet "head end" or data center to remote campuses, alleviating stress on typically smaller WAN links. 

Exinda on Gartner's 2013 Magic Quadrant for WAN Optimization Controllers

"Exinda continues to add performance enhancements to its portfolio. It now delivers a strong platform that combines solid WAN optimization capabilities with leading application and user characterization for fine-grained bandwidth management into a single platform. ...By combining WAN optimization, bandwidth management and management/reporting into a common integrated suite, Exinda offers a simple-to-consume solution." 

Get the 2013 Magic Quadrant WAN Optimization Controller Report from Exinda.

What Makes Exinda Different? Exinda's WAN Optimization Suite integrates enterprise-caliber bandwidth optimization and acceleration with best-in-class application network visibility and control in a single, easy-to-use suite. Now you can create a high-performance WAN for your organization that delivers a reliable, predictable user experience for strategic applications wherever they are used. Exinda's WAN Optimization solution provides:

Integrated Network Optimization Suite

Easy Application SLA Assurance

Riverbed Enables 24x Faster Application Performance, Increases IT Efficiency in Donor Communication, and Cuts IT Costs

SAN FRANCISCO—September 11, 2013— Riverbed Technology (NASDAQ: RVBD), the application performance company, today announced that the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) has deployed Riverbed® Steelhead® wide area network (WAN) optimization appliances in 12 of its African offices and in many field offices. With the Steelhead appliances in place, the Foundation has seen application performance from its consolidated data center improve by as much as 24 times, resulting in increased employee productivity and better allocation of IT resources. As a result, the non-profit organization has seen communications with donors improve, donations rise and ultimately, more of its time focused on its mission of saving lives. 

Riverbed to Acquire OPNET Technologies, Inc.

Acquisition extends Riverbed’s Network Performance Management business into high-growth Application Performance Management market

BETHESDA, Md. & SAN FRANCISCO—October 29, 2012—Riverbed Technology (NASDAQ: RVBD), the performance company, and OPNET Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: OPNT), the leading provider of solutions for application and network performance management, today announced that Riverbed® has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire OPNET for $43 per share in cash and stock, representing an equity value of $1 billion and an enterprise value of $921 million. The acquisition will enable Riverbed to extend its network performance management (NPM) business into the multi-billion dollar application performance management (APM) market. The combination of Cascade® and OPNET will create a new force in the converged market for NPM and APM, with over $250 million in annualized revenue.

Networks and applications are required to work together to deliver the performance business users demand. The addition of OPNET’s broad-based family of APM products enhances Riverbed’s already strong position in the NPM market. The resulting combination is a product line with unparalleled visibility and insight into application and network performance. This acquisition enables Riverbed to provide customers with a unique integrated solution that not only monitors network and application performance, but also accelerates it.

OPNET has been recognized as a leader in the APM market: www.opnet.com/gartner-magic-quadrant-apm/.

“The addition of OPNET establishes Riverbed as the clear leader in the high-growth and converging application and network performance management markets,” said Jerry Kennelly, Chairman and CEO at Riverbed. “This acquisition also transforms Riverbed into a billion dollar revenue company.”

“Riverbed and OPNET have natural synergies,” said Marc Cohen, OPNET’s Chairman and CEO. “Riverbed’s leadership in accelerating business technology combined with OPNET’s industry-leading suite of APM products provides customers with a single solution for monitoring, troubleshooting and actually fixing the application and network performance problems challenging them today.”

OPNET will be combined with Riverbed’s Cascade business unit. The transaction is expected to be accretive to Riverbed’s 2013 earnings per share on a non-GAAP basis. Leveraging the Riverbed brand, channels and infrastructure, Riverbed expects meaningful revenue and operating synergies in 2014.

Exchange Offer Details

Under the terms of the agreement between Riverbed and OPNET, Riverbed will acquire all of the outstanding shares of OPNET common stock pursuant to an exchange offer, followed by a second step merger. In the exchange offer and the merger, OPNET stockholders will receive for each OPNET share they own: (i) $36.55 in cash; and (ii) 0.2774 of a share of Riverbed common stock. The cash portion of the offer consideration will be financed through Riverbed’s existing cash on hand and new debt. The exchange offer is subject to customary closing conditions, including the tender into the exchange offer by OPNET stockholders of shares representing at least a majority of the outstanding shares of OPNET common stock on a fully diluted basis, receipt of financing and the expiration or termination of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act, as amended, and is expected to close before December 31, 2012.

Goldman, Sachs & Co. is serving as financial advisor to Riverbed; Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati are serving as legal advisors to Riverbed. Lazard is serving as financial advisor to OPNET and Cooley LLP is serving as legal counsel to OPNET. Riverbed has received financing commitments from Morgan Stanley and Goldman, Sachs & Co.

Conference Call

Riverbed will host a conference call and webcast today, October 29, 2012, at 7:00 a.m. Pacific Time (10:00 a.m. Eastern Time) to discuss its proposed acquisition of OPNET. To participate via telephone, in the U.S. the toll free dial-in number is (877) 474-7568; outside the U.S. dial +1 (706) 634-6541. Please call 10 minutes prior to the scheduled conference time. A live webcast and supporting slides can be accessed at www.riverbed.com/investors. The webcast replay of the conference call will be archived on the Riverbed Investor Relations website.

About OPNET

Founded in 1986, OPNET Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:OPNT) is the leading provider of solutions for application and network performance management. For more information about OPNET and its products, please visit www.opnet.com.

About Riverbed

Riverbed delivers performance for the globally connected enterprise. With Riverbed, enterprises can successfully and intelligently implement strategic initiatives such as virtualization, consolidation, cloud computing, and disaster recovery without fear of compromising performance. By giving enterprises the platform they need to understand, optimize and consolidate their IT, Riverbed helps enterprises to build a fast, fluid and dynamic IT architecture that aligns with the business needs of the organization. Additional information about Riverbed (NASDAQ: RVBD) is available at www.riverbed.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This document contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: (i) statements about the benefits of the exchange offer and the merger; (ii) future financial and operating results following the exchange offer and the merger; (iii) the combined company’s plans, objectives, expectations and intentions with respect to future operations, products and services; (iv) the competitive position and opportunities of the combined company; (v) the impact of the exchange offer and the merger on the market for the combined company’s products; and (vi) the timing of the completion of the exchange offer and the merger. In addition, words such as “anticipate,” “believes,” “budget,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predicts,” “project,” “should,” “will” and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of Riverbed’s management and are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of Riverbed. The risks and uncertainties that could cause our results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: (a) risks related to the integration of OPNET into Riverbed and the anticipated future benefits resulting from the acquisition of OPNET; (b) Riverbed’s or the combined company’s ability to react to trends and challenges in our business and the markets in which we operate; (c) Riverbed’s or the combined company’s ability to anticipate market needs or develop new or enhanced products to meet those needs; (d) the adoption rate of Riverbed’s or the combined company’s products; (e) Riverbed’s or the combined company’s ability to establish and maintain successful relationships with our distribution partners; (f) our ability to compete in our industry; (g) fluctuations in demand, sales cycles and prices for Riverbed’s or the combined company’s products and services; (h) shortages or price fluctuations in Riverbed’s or the combined company’s supply chain; (i) Riverbed’s or the combined company’s ability to protect intellectual property rights; (j) general political, economic and market conditions and events; (k) difficulties encountered in integrating Riverbed’s and OPNET’s businesses and technologies; (l) the expense and impact of legal proceedings; and (m) other risks and uncertainties described more fully in Riverbed’s and OPNET’s documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements in this document are based on information available as of the date hereof, and Riverbed assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements. Riverbed reserves the right to modify future business or product plans at any time.

Additional Information and Where to Find It

The exchange offer for the outstanding shares of OPNET referenced in this document has not yet commenced. This announcement is for informational purposes only and is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell shares of OPNET, nor is it a substitute for the registration statement and exchange offer materials that Riverbed and its acquisition subsidiary will file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) upon commencement of the exchange offer. At the time the offer is commenced, Riverbed and its acquisition subsidiary will file exchange offer materials on Schedule TO and a registration statement on Form S-4 with the SEC, and OPNET will file a Solicitation/Recommendation Statement on Schedule 14D-9 with the SEC with respect to the exchange offer. The exchange offer materials (including a Prospectus/Offer to Exchange, a related Letter of Transmittal and certain other offer documents) and the Solicitation/Recommendation Statement will contain important information. Holders of shares of OPNET are urged to read these documents when they become available because they will contain important information that holders of OPNET securities should consider before making any decision regarding tendering their securities. The Prospectus/Offer to Exchange, the related Letter of Transmittal and certain other offer documents, as well as the Solicitation/Recommendation Statement, will be made available to all holders of shares of OPNET at no expense to them. The exchange offer materials and the Solicitation/Recommendation Statement will be made available for free at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. Free copies of these documents will be made available by Riverbed by mail to Riverbed, 199 Fremont Street, San Francisco, CA 94105, Attention: Investor Relations.

In addition to the Prospectus/Offer to Exchange, the related Letter of Transmittal and certain other offer documents, as well as the Solicitation/Recommendation Statement, Riverbed and OPNET file annual, quarterly and special reports and other information with the SEC. You may read and copy any reports or other information filed by Riverbed or OPNET at the SEC public reference room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the Commission at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the public reference room. Riverbed’s and OPNET’s filings with the SEC are also available to the public from commercial document-retrieval services and at the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov.

VistaOne continues its monthly webinar series comparing different traffic shaping solutions with our second episode, "The Traffic Shaping Toolbox" tomorrow, February 28, 2012, at 2pm Eastern time.

Join us for a brief overview of the control mechanisms available to manage traffic with Exinda Networks' Unified Performance Management, Procera Networks' PacketLogic, and Blue Coat's PacketShaper.

All the details and registration can be found here.

In case you missed our webinar last month--here's all the info and where to view the archived version.

By Steve Evans

Riverbed is always adding new features.  Given their position in the magic "squares", I'd expect them to be leading innovation.  But with such frequent upgrades, d

o you upgrade or not?  The new RiOS 7.0 has some stellar features that one could very well take advantage of.  And that really is the answer.  Can you take advantage of the new features?  If not, maybe you should wait.  Riverbed maintains several “tracks” of code so you should never be compelled to upgrade to a new major version just to stay current.  Your current major version is also being kept up to date with bug fixes and minor enhancements.  The following are all currently maintained major RiOS versions: 6.5, 6.1, 6.0, 5.5, 5.0, and 4.1. 

Although I’ve had some recommend upgrading to the latest code, I prefer the more conservative route of upgrading to the latest code in the current release unless you are looking to gain access to features of a new major version.  Below is a list I compiled of the new features for 6.0, 6.1, 6.5, and 7.0 to help you decide if you would like to jump up to one of the newer versions.  If you are not interested in taking advantage of any of these new features, I recommend the latest RiOS version at your major release level.  If you would like some help deciding whether you need to upgrade, feel free to contact us and we'll do a personalized assessment for you.

How about those engineering releases?  Are those safe?  Unlike the “Official Release” versions, the engineering releases have not yet undergone extensive Q&A testing.  However, usually they are worth considering due to the bug fixes they provide.  In my conversations with Riverbed engineers, I’m always encouraged to upgrade to the latest engineering release if it is available. Although I’ve never yet had a problem upgrading to the latest engineering release code, if you're not currently having any problems, it's probably best to stay on the "Official Release" version which has been extensively run through their Q&A process.  However, if you do upgrade and have an issue, don’t forget that the Riverbed allows you to easily boot back into the previous version.  

So what’s the verdict?  Upgrade or not?  The answer is “Yes!”  Decide if you need the new features of a major version, and if you do, upgrade. If not, upgrade to the latest code in your current track.  And as always, backup your configuration before an upgrade and read the release notes!

Happy Upgrading! 

New Feature Summary for RiOS versions 6.0, 6.1, 6.5, and 7.0:

RiOS 6.0:

Branch Warming Support - Branch warming keeps track of data segments created while a Steelhead Mobile user is in a Steelhead appliance-enabled branch office and sends the new data back to the Mobile laptop. When the user goes back on the road, they receive warm performance.

SSL Server IP Auto-discovery - This feature enables Steelhead appliances to automatically discover servers that map to a particular certificate, greatly increasing the usability of configuring SSL. Also, new servers added to the SSL cluster are discovered automatically without Steelhead administrator intervention.

SSL Distributed Termination - RiOS Version 6.0 changes how Steelhead appliances handle SSL client reuse messages to provide both scaling and latency benefits

Secure Peering over SSL - In RiOS Version 6.0, you have the option to use SSL to protect optimized traffic between Steelhead appliances. You can choose to use SSL to encrypt traffic between Steelhead appliances for SSL traffic only, for Secure Applications (MAPI and signed SMB traffic), or for all optimized connections. This feature provides an alternative to IPSEC for protecting Steelhead-to-Steelhead traffic.

Expanded WAN Visibility Mode Options – Adds a “Full Transparency with Reset” for use with stateful firewalls.  When running in Full Transparency mode, some stateful firewalls see the probe and inner connection setup sequence as a potential attack, and as a result, drop the connection. In RiOS Version 6.0, the WAN visibility mode Full Transparency with Reset enables the Steelhead appliance to send an RST (reset connection flag) between the probe and inner connection setup. This clears the state on firewalls and enables the inner connection setup to succeed. Note: Full Transparency with Reset mode is not guaranteed to work with all firewalls.

Health Check - A new Health Check report that provide you with the ability to perform simple checks (such as cable swap and gateway ping tests). Health checks enable you to perform basic troubleshooting tasks and provides event information.

Oracle Forms Support for Sun JRE and 12i - RiOS Version 6.0 support for Oracle Forms extends to include Oracle server 12i and the Sun JRE for all modes of deployment of Oracle Forms (native, HTTP and HTTPS).

Centralized Print Optimizations - RiOS Version 6.0 optimizes print traffic that spools across the WAN to a Windows print server in a datacenter.

HTTP Object Prefetch Table - Enhanced HTTP object prefetch provides the same benefits as a dual-ended object cache. HTTP object prefetch provides optimization for all Web applications (Sharepoint, SAP, and so forth).

SMB Signing Improvements - RiOS Version 6.0 simplifies configuration of SMB signing and provides support for multiple-domains (that is, where the client and server are in separate domains

Citrix Enhancements - QoS and Unwrap - RiOS Version 6.0 provides the following enhancements for Citrix ICA traffic:

The ability to decompress and decrypt ICA traffic and provide bandwidth optimizations to the ICA traffic.

Classifying different ICA virtual channels and tying it to the Steelhead QoS so that high priority real time traffic (like keystrokes and screen refreshes) from one user will not be negatively affected by lower priority high throughput traffic (like print traffic).

Improvements to the Riverbed Services Platform (RSP) - RSP improvements include the following features:

 Backup and Restore. RiOS Version 6.0 enables you to back up your RSP slots for restoration at a later time either to the same device or to replicate this configuration across multiple devices.

Enhanced disk support. RiOS Version 6.0 allows the you to add one or more disks to a virtual machine as well as providing the ability to grow (expand the capacity) an existing pre-allocated disk.

Virtual In-Path support for Optimization VNIs. RiOS Version 6.0 supports virtual in-path setups (like WCCP) for packages that use optimization VNIs (for example, a security or monitoring solution).

Enhanced watchdog. In RiOS Version 6.0, a package creator can provide a heartbeat that is constantly monitored to determine if a package is running.

Current Connections Report - The enhanced Current Connections report displays the connections that are intercepted by the Steelhead appliance, including more detail on the connections that are passed through unoptimized. The new level of detail displays whether a connection is intentionally or unintentionally being passed through and exactly what real-time condition is causing the pass-through status. The Current Connections report contains two tables: one summarizing the current connection activity and another displays information about individual connections.

Pass-through Connection Resets - This feature enables one to reset a selected connection from the pass-through connection report.

Management Access Control List (Management ACL) - Steelhead appliances are subject to the network policies defined by a corporate security policy, particularly in large networks. Using a Management ACL, you can restrict inbound IP access to a Steelhead appliance, protecting it from access by hosts that do not have permission without using a separate device (such as a router or firewall). You can specify which hosts or groups of hosts can access and manage a Steelhead appliance by IP address (and other IP parameters), simplifying the integration of Steelhead appliances into your network. You can also change the standard management ports to match your corporate standards.

XML/SOAP API - RiOS Version 6.0 provides a SOAP server to handle HTTP requests that conform to the SOAP specification. The API enables you to access configuration and management commands. For detailed information, see the Steelhead Appliance API Guide.

Improved Logging - RiOS Version 6.0 offers numerous logging improvements, including the following:

More detailed log messages with event severity, timestamp, appliance identifier, process or user responsibility, change in appliance status, and event description.

Consolidated log message that identifies the issue or event.

User-definable logging level for each feature. For example, an administrator can select one or more application blades and one or more processes.

Nested filtering enables you to easily filter logs by multiple parameters.

Improved log export functionality that enables you to generate a bundle that includes all logs, dumps, and configuration files.

Improved SNMP MIB Coverage – RiOS Version 6.0 expands MIB coverage to include the following traps:

User Login/Logout

User Entering Configuration Mode

New User Created

Device Configuration Locally Changed

Device Configuration Saved Locally

TCPDump Configured/Started

Power Supply Failure

Cascade v9 and NetFlow v9 Support - Cascade v9 and NetFlow v9 on Steelhead appliances always track both ingress and egress traffic on specified interfaces. These flow formats send enough data for a full picture of network traffic to be generated from a single Steelhead appliance without needing correlating flows from peer appliances. Cascade v9 adds Steelhead-specific data fields that include information on which Steelhead optimized the connection and the peer with which it optimized.

Mac CIFS clients - Mac clients can now benefit from faster WAN access to Windows file shares.

SNMP v3 Support - SNMPv3 provides the infrastructure for authentication and privacy via the User-based Security Model (USM), and a much richer access control using the View Based Access Control Mechanism (VACM). Using SNMPv3 is more secure than SNMP v1 or v2.

Adaptive Data Streamlining - RiOS Version 6.0 provides the following enhancements:

SDR-M optional per in-path rule. This feature enables you to configure SDR-M specific to a source, destination, subnet, and port using an in-path rule. This feature is useful in hybrid environments that include thin client traffic (such as ICA, Terminal Services, and RDP) in conjunction with regular traffic (such as MAPI, CIFS, and HTTP).

SDR-Adaptive. This feature enables consistently high LAN-side throughput while delivering consistent data reduction. This feature is useful in branch scale-in environments at the data center as well as providing a replication solution between data centers.

RiOS 6.1:

MAPI Encryption for Windows 7 - RiOS version 6.1 now supports encrypted MAPI traffic for Windows 7 clients via Kerberos constrained delegation and cross-domain trust.

Exchange 2010 Support - This feature includes support for Exchange 2010 server and the corresponding Outlook clients.

Multi-Inpath WCCP - This feature includes support for multiple interfaces on a Steelhead appliance to participate in WCCP groups on one or more routers.

HTTP Authorization Optimizations - HTTP optimization includes support for SharePoint 2007, along with more and improved configuration settings to tune a particular subnet dynamically, with no service restart required. Authentication settings include

Support for an unauthenticated connection to serve prefetched objects, as long as the connection belongs to a session whose base connection is already authenticated.

Ability to force NTLM authentication In the case of negotiated Kerberos and NTLM authentication.

Ability to remove all credentials from the request on an already authenticated connection. This works around Internet Explorer behavior that re-authorizes connections that have previously been authorized.

Ability to prevent a WAN round trip by issuing the first 401 containing the realm choices from the client-side Steelhead appliance.

SRDF/A and FCIP Storage Optimizations - RiOS version 6.1 provides two new storage module optimization features:

SRDF/A optimization increases the data reduction LAN-to-WAN ratio with either equal or greater data throughput in environments with SRDF traffic and delivers the data to the TCP consumer without compromising data integrity.

FCIP optimization increases the data reduction LAN-to-WAN ratio with either equal or greater data throughput in environments with SRDF traffic. This feature includes support for V-Max-to-VMax traffic optimization.

Windows 2008 R2 Support - RiOS version 6.1 supports domain security in both native and mixed modes for Windows 2008 R2. It also supports delegation for users that are in domains trusted by the server's domain. In addition, it now automatically updates the delegate user in Active Directory with delegation rights to servers, streamlining configuration.

Riverbed Services Platform High Availability - A new high availability feature in RSP allows you to automatically copy specific RSP slots on a Steelhead appliance (source) to another Steelhead appliance (target). If the source Steelhead appliance ever fails, you can replace its slots with the slot functionality using the cloned slots on the target Steelhead appliance.

MAPI Admission Control - When the MAPI optimized connections have exceeded the admission control maximum threshold of 85%, RiOS now passes through new MAPI connection clients but continues to intercept and optimize existing MAPI connection clients.

Fast Directory Browsing - Provides CIFS extended directory caching to enhance directory browsing over the WAN.

In-Path MSP Management - Provides a way to configure a secondary MIP interface that you can reach through the physical in-path LAN and WAN interfaces. Configuring a secondary MIP interface allows management of Steelhead appliances from a private network while maintaining a logical separation of network traffic.

Lotus Notes Pull Replication - A new Lotus Notes pull replication feature allows the current Steelhead appliance to request information from the source Steelhead appliance. The request specifies the information that the current Steelhead appliance needs, based on its knowledge of changes already received from the source Steelhead appliance and from all other domain controllers in the domain.  When the current Steelhead appliance receives information from the source, it updates that information. The current Steelhead appliance’s next request to the source Steelhead appliance excludes the information that has already been received and applied.

Passthrough Automatic Kickoff - Provides a way to reset established connections per in-path rule to force them to go through the connection creation process again.

HP ProCurve Support - The Steelhead appliance on HP ProCurve takes IT consolidation to the next level, where the Steelhead appliance is actually integrated into the network switch. Using HP Transparent Mode technology, Riverbed seamlessly integrates with the HP zl series switches and HP ONE service modules to provide WAN acceleration inside HP ProCurve switches.

RiOS 6.5

QoS Enhancements

Simplified setup – This is a Basic QoS configuration page streamlines setup for networks that require minimal configuration of network traffic.

AppFlow Engine (AFE) – This allows for advanced classification and shaping of network traffic. The Steelhead inspects classification rules for information within the TCP/UDP payload. With AFE, QoS can identify applications accurately and differentiate applications that use the same port on the same server. For example, Sharepoint and Microsoft Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) can use port 80 on the same server. Once an application is identified, you can place into different classes for QoS enforcement. AFE identification is similar to deep packet inspection (DPI) because it identifies applications based on patterns. This approach allows you to more accurately identify modern applications than signature-based DPI methods by being aware of the more complex ways they communicate and the dependencies between multiple flows.

Port label handling – This allows you to specify a port range for more efficient port handling.

Connection tracking for pass-through traffic – This eliminates per-packet inspection of flow oriented traffic, thereby enhancing performance.

Rule hierarchy – This allows you to increase the number of rules per site.

Site awareness – This improves performance and scalability in multi-site configurations.

Satellite Optimization – This feature includes adaptive-TCP optimization to better utilize bandwidth over lossy links with high latency and deliver resiliency in the face of packet loss. This release also offers improved support for SCPS interoperability.

IPv6 Management Support - Steelheads can now receive, process, and forward IPv6 packets. This allows them to interface with other systems and protocols in a manner similar to that of IPv4.

CIFS SMB2 Support - All of the currently provided CIFS SMB latency optimizations in the Steelhead are now provided for native SMBv2.

SMB2 Signing Support - This feature includes support for end-to-end client-server SMB2 signing.

Outlook Anywhere Optimization - This feature includes support for Outlook Anywhere optimization and automatic detection of RPC-over-HTTP(S) connections. In addition, you can select a new Outlook Anywhere latency optimization policy for in-path rules to activate RPC over HTTP(S) optimization on matching connections.

Citrix ICA - This feature uses the RC5 algorithm to encrypt the ICA protocol, securing communication sent between a MetaFrame Presentation Server and a client.

In-Path Interfaces Page - The Steelhead Management Console now includes an In-Path Interfaces page that includes a checkbox to enable Link State Propagation.

SSL Client Side Support - This feature includes support for optimizing SSL environments that use client-side SSL certificates to authenticate clients in addition to authenticating servers by the use of SSL certificates.

MAPI v2 Prepopulation - The Steelhead now includes support for MAPI v2 prepopulation.

SCEP/CRL GUI Support - You can now use the Steelhead Management Console for SCEP/CRL management in addition to the Command Line Interface (CLI).

Selective Optimization for SRDF - Delivers higher levels of performance, visibility and control of EMC’s SRDF enterprise SAN replication protocol. Includes the ability to track and tune optimization for SRDF on a per RDF-group basis, thereby increasing the overall optimization and performance of SRDF traffic and ultimately leading to improved Recovery Point Objectives (RPO).

RiOS 7.0

Acceleration of End-to-End Video Solutions - With stream splitting technology, also known as application layer multicasting, a single video stream can serve a large number of viewers in a particular location. When these new optimizations are combined with data streamlining to store on-demand videos in branch locations, QoS to prioritize bandwidth utilization, and prepositioning to proactively improve users’ video experience, Riverbed provides a robust video solution for the enterprise. These live and on-demand optimization capabilities also leverage current partnerships with leading video content management solutions providers such as Polycom, Adobe, Qumu and MediaPlatform. With these integrated solutions, organizations can not only enhance video production and content management but also delivery and distribution.

Optimizations for Adobe Video Solutions - Native stream splitting for Adobe Flash over HTTP allowing the effective delivery of multimedia communication and collaboration solutions to remote employees for live broadcasts as well as videos on demand.

Live Video Stream Splitting for Microsoft Silverlight - Organizations using Microsoft Silverlight can now use more video, effectively without increasing bandwidth capacity or negatively impacting the performance of other applications.

UDP Optimization – Now optimize applications that run on both TCP/IP and UDP, including replication solutions.

IPv6 - As IPv6 is adopted, RiOS 7.0 ensures organizations can take advantage of bandwidth optimization for UDP traffic and TCP over IPv6

ICA over SSL Optimization – Adds SSL to the available transport for ICA.

Client drive mapping - enables organizations to optimize content accessed directly from a thin client, including thumb drives.

On Demand Packet Capture - allows customers with Cascade Pilot to leverage Steelhead appliances in branch offices for on-demand packet capture and remote analysis.

Encrypted Lotus Notes – Organizations that have embraced Lotus Notes can now accelerate Encrypted Lotus Notes traffic.

Microsoft Online Services Optimization – Riverbed can now deliver increased performance for messaging and collaboration solutions, including Exchange Online, SharePoint Online and Office Live.

End-to-End Kerberos Authentication Support – Riverbed can now optimize applications that utilize the Kerberos authentication standard, which is used by Microsoft applications and platforms including Active Directory and Windows Server. 

Native Skipware Integration - Riverbed’s Skipware® software now integrates directly with RiOS 7.0.  Skipware is based on the proprietary commercial implementation of the Space Communications Protocol Standard (SCPS), which has become the de facto standard for US Department of Defense satellite networking environments.

By David Mackey

We at VistaOne like to educate customers on available solutions to ensure through collaboration, we employ the best solution for the problem and the environment. VistaOne engineer Jim Dixon recently described the way several traffic shapers prioritize network data.

Blue Coat PacketShaper

PacketShaper allows the management of aggregate class traffic through the use of "partitions" or virtual pipes. Traffic in a partition can have both a guaranteed minimum and a capped maximum. Individual flows or connections can also be controlled with the use of policies. It's also possible to shape or control on a per host basis with the use of "Dynamic Sub-Partitions". PacketShaper's shaping mechanism is TCP Rate Control and works by manipulating TCP rather than directly dropping packets.

Exinda Exinda also allows for the management of aggregate traffic via guaranteed minimums and capped maximums. With Exinda, this can be done either with a virtual circuit, which is similar to the PacketShaper partition, or on separate classifications of traffic called policies within a virtual circuit. Exinda also does per host shaping they call Dynamic Virtual Circuits.

In addition, it's possible do shaping or control based on total accumulated bandwidth per host. For example, I could set a bandwidth limit of a gig a day per host and drop the connection rate for hosts who exceed that daily limit. Both policies and virtual circuits can be scheduled and thus different policy can be in effect during business and after hours. Exinda uses its own implementation of Hierarchical Token Bucket Queuing for control.

Procera PacketLogic Procera has a unique approach of allowing an individual connection to be classified more than once. This allows for per host, or even per connection policy to be in effect at the same time a global policy is in effect on the same type of traffic. So it's possible to limit each P2P connection to 1k and also limit all P2P to 1M, etc. With Procera, traffic can be classified by application attribute (for example, HTTP URL or server host name) and even behavior (streaming, download, random looking/encrypted).

Procera can classify connections based on their client or server roles. It's possible to limit (or block) local hosts when they are acting as servers but allow client connections on those same hosts for the same application.