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Conference netcad::hub_mgnt

Title:DEChub/HUBwatch/PROBEwatch CONFERENCE
Notice:Firmware -2, Doc -3, Power -4, HW kits -5, firm load -6&7
Moderator:NETCAD::COLELLADT
Created:Wed Nov 13 1991
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:4455
Total number of notes:16761

2830.0. "Bit Pattern filtering on DECswitches ?" by BRIEIS::BARKER_E (Ummm...) Wed Oct 04 1995 14:07

    Hi,
    
    	I'm working on a response to a Statement of requirements. Digital
    network kit fits well inall areas except for a statement which says :-
    
    'It should be possible to restrict traffic flowing between adjacent
    networks by :-
    
    - protocol type 
    - source address
    - destination address
    - any bit pattern within the message'
    
    First three above are fine, but am I right in thinking none of the
    DECswitch family can filter on any bit pattern ?  If this is the case,
    can anyone comment whether this sort of requirement occurs often and
    whether there may be any plans to do this in the future (Routeabout ?) ? 
    IMHO, this bit pattern matching as a bit overkill, security should be
    on the systems, not resorting to filtering within the network, I may
    try and feed this back to the customer.
    
    I had a similar requirement back in October '91 (showing my age !)
    which revealed that Vitalink did provide this on their TransLan's. I
    would like to propose Digital kit but the above could turn out to be a
    show stopper.
    
    		Euan
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name		DateLines
2830.1Filtering by bit pattern matching causes performance hitNETCAD::BATTERSBYWed Oct 04 1995 16:5113
    Euan, I  know we don't do the bit pattern matching on our switch
    products, and it was not done on the older bridge products. 
    As for future, I asked about this and was told that it is not implemented 
    in the Routeabout or in the DECswitch 900EE or 900EF router images
    either. Doing this level of filtering by bit pattern matching I'm told
    results in a significant performance penalty.
    You should probably emphasize the performance cost in your response
    to your requestor's statement of requirements.
    Perhaps others can also offer other suggestions or solutions on 
    addressing your customers concerns with security while still being
    able to offer our switch products as part of your overall solution.
    
    Bob
2830.2CSC32::B_GOODWINMCI Mission Critical Support TeamWed Oct 04 1995 18:047
Don't you just love customers that try to implement security in there datalink
devices! The bridges that I have seen that could do bit pattern filtering took a
nasty performance hit because of the time it took to examine each packet.
Protocol and address filtering can be done in the hardware, bit pattern
filtering is done in the software. I would let you customer know about the
disadvantage of this.
2830.3ExcellentBRIEIS::BARKER_EUmmm...Thu Oct 05 1995 07:039
    re: .1 & .2,
    
    	Thanks, that's just the confirmation I need of a suspicion I had
    about performance being hit. Time to go and talk to the customer and
    make this work to our advantage,
    
    	Cheers,
    
    		Euan