Netis Packet Agent
A software probe for capturing and forwarding network packets in cloud, Kubernetes, and virtualized environments.
What is Netis Packet Agent?
Netis Cloud Probe is an open-source software probe that captures network packets on one device and forwards them to another for analysis. It solves the problem of monitoring network traffic in cloud, Kubernetes, and virtualized environments where traditional hardware taps or SPAN ports are unavailable. The tool provides high-performance packet forwarding with minimal overhead using encapsulation methods like GRE, VXLAN, or ZMQ.
Network engineers, DevOps teams, and cloud infrastructure operators who need to monitor and analyze network traffic in environments without dedicated hardware monitoring devices.
Developers choose Netis Cloud Probe because it offers a software-based alternative to expensive hardware taps, specifically designed for modern cloud and virtualized infrastructure. Its high-performance forwarding and support for multiple encapsulation protocols make it a versatile tool for network visibility where traditional methods fail.
Overview
A Software Probe for network packet capturing and forwarding in Cloud/Kubernetes and Virtualized environment.
Use Cases
Best For
- Monitoring network traffic in Kubernetes clusters without dedicated hardware taps
- Capturing packets in cloud environments where SPAN ports are unavailable
- Forwarding network traffic for analysis in virtualized infrastructure
- Implementing software-based network taps in private or public clouds
- Analyzing network performance in environments with virtual switches lacking SPAN functionality
- Building custom network monitoring solutions for DevOps and SRE teams
Not Ideal For
- Environments with existing, efficient hardware taps or SPAN ports that meet monitoring needs
- Small-scale or ad-hoc packet capture where simpler tools like tcpdump are sufficient
- Teams lacking in-house network engineering skills to configure encapsulation and JSON settings
- Projects requiring built-in, real-time analysis with a graphical user interface
Pros & Cons
Pros
Version 0.9.0 shows up to 71.8% increase in forwarding rates with reduced CPU usage compared to previous versions, as evidenced in the benchmark table for ZMQ output.
Specifically targets cloud, Kubernetes, and virtualized environments where hardware taps are unavailable, addressing a clear gap in traditional network monitoring.
Supports GRE, VXLAN, and ZMQ encapsulation for packet forwarding, allowing integration with various remote analysis setups and network architectures.
Includes cpdaemon for managing cpworker instances and integrates with Cloud Probe Manager for policy configuration and statistics visualization, enabling scalable control.
Cons
The README explicitly states no commitment to provide support, which poses risks for production use and issue resolution in critical environments.
Requires detailed JSON configuration files for capture and output settings, which can be daunting for users unfamiliar with network protocols like GRE or VXLAN.
Full management and visualization rely on Cloud Probe Manager (CPM), which is not included and requires separate development or contact with Netis, limiting out-of-the-box functionality.
As a software-based solution, it may introduce packet loss or latency under high loads compared to dedicated hardware taps, despite performance optimizations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Projects
PCAPdroidNo-root network monitor, firewall and PCAP dumper for Android
Deepfence PacketStreamer:star: :star: Distributed tcpdump for cloud native environments :star: :star:
sharppcapOfficial repository - Fully managed, cross platform (Windows, Mac, Linux) .NET library for capturing packets
pmacctpmacct is a small set of multi-purpose passive network monitoring tools [NetFlow IPFIX sFlow libpcap BGP BMP RPKI IGP Streaming Telemetry].
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