Tofino Argon Devices Protect Industrial Networks

Byres Security (BSI) has introduced the Tofino Argon series, five rugged plug-n-protect security appliances with varying connectivity, temperature and power-supply capabilities. The series also includes a selection of firmware modules that customise the functionality of each appliance.

The result is a practical and effective cyber-security system that is suitable for protecting industrial facilities with a variety of Scada, process control and networking systems. The release of these new products lets companies select the exact mix of security features, fibre/twisted-pair network support and environmental hardening their plants require in a security solution.

For example, detailed filtering of Modbus TCP messages over fibre-optic cable (by combining the Tofino Argon Modbus Enforcer LSM with the Tofino 220 MM/MM appliance) may be ideal for securing an onsite tank farm, while secure remote maintenance support over a DSL modem would take advantage of the Tofino Argon VPN LSM and the Tofino 220 TX/TX appliance combination.

The Tofino Argon Product Series is part of the Tofino Industrial Security Solution, which includes Tofino technology, sold by Belden / Hirschmann, Honeywell and MTL Instruments. All Tofino products are simple to implement and do not require shutdowns to deploy, providing increased safety, network security and performance of control systems.

VPN Router Computer Suits Industrial Networks

Korenix has launched the Jetbox 9533G, a four-port Gigabit Embedded networking VPN router computer designed to provide extended high-bandwidth data transmission in industrial networks. In addition to its interface of LAN, WAN, DIO, Serial Console and USB ports, the RISC-based computer is designed with four PoE ports for delivering power along with data to higher-resolution cameras and other high-performance PoE enabled devices.

The computer has a complete Layer3 routing and VPN functionality to expand networking capabilities and reduce system costs by managing dynamic long-distance and secure overlay gigabit network groups. Combined with IP-31 rugged fanless, anti-vibration/shock design and -25C to +70C operating temperature, Jetbox 9533G is said to ensure the reliability and high performance of large network infrastructures in severe industrial environments. The Jetbox 9533G features four integrated Gigabit RJ45 ports.

With the Giga ports, the VPN computer works as a backbone networking device to connect up to 4 gigabit switches in extended networks for delivering maximum throughput for high performance, high density and reliable connection. The Jetbox 9533G is compliant with the IEEE802.3af PoE standard and operates as power-sourcing equipment to provide 15.4W power per port to higher resolution IP cameras, VoIP phones, wireless access points and other PoE-enabled devices. IPC providers can benefit from the 4 Giga PoE ports of the computer to deliver hundreds of megapixel video streams with reduced construction, maintenance time and costs.

In addition to the PoE interface, the Jetbox 9533G provides eight DIO channels, RS232 console, USB port for connecting and reading the status of RFID readers, I/O devices and other data-enriched products in remote locations. Jetbox 9533G supports VPN functionality and therefore can expand high-bandwidth networking capabilities and reduce system costs by establishing long-distance and secured network connections over WAN. The complete Layer3 routing capabilities of Jetbox 9533G, including the OSPF, IPv6, and DVMRP are claimed to help users efficiently manage extended gigabit network groups in industrial environments.

Jetbox 9533G is an embedded Linux system for front-end industrial control applications. It can execute customised Linux programs or Java programs via the built-in JavaVM. In addition, it provides a user-friendly web UI - Webmin - for Linux beginners to easily manipulate the network or device-related settings. For users' specific applications, Jetbox 9533G supports the Korenix Auto-Run customisation setting on SD card, allowing them to develop customised industrial control applications while making the industrial network management easier and more flexible.

In-line Adapters Now Support 1Gbps Networks

Napatech today extended its In-line range of adapters to support 1Gbps networks. The NT4E In-line and NT4E-STD In-line adapters provide full line-rate throughput at 1Gbps with zero packet loss, no matter the packet size. This allows vendors of network appliances, such as intrusion-prevention systems (IPS) or WAN Optimization solutions, to build high performance products based on cost-effective, standard server platforms.

Erik Norup, president of Napatech, said: 'It is no longer necessary to build proprietary hardware to achieve high performance. 'Cost-effective standard servers can be used with the NT4E and NT4E-STD, providing the data-processing horsepower and throughput to guarantee that all traffic can be analysed at full line-rate, in real-time.' There will still be a need for in-line network appliances that monitor, analyse and secure the 1Gbps links into 10Gbps networks.

One can expect that these links will be fully utilised, requiring full 1Gbps line-rate performance. The NT4E In-line and NT4E-STD In-line adapters are ideal for OEM network-appliance vendors in the network-performance monitoring, network test, network security, financial trading and policy enforcement markets, especially those that require full 1Gbps throughput.

The NT4E-STD In-line adapter is suitable for customers that need accurate time-stamping and full line-rate reception and transmission of 1Gbps data traffic with zero packet loss. The NT4E In-line adapter extends these features with advanced protocol and flow recognition, filtering and intelligent distribution of traffic processing on up to 32CPU cores. An extensive software suite is provided for ease of integration, supporting Linux, FreeBSD and Windows.