In a context where data networks must guarantee continuity and security, enterprises and service providers rely on inline security and monitoring systems to protect and control high-speed traffic. Organizations rely on advanced monitoring capabilities, robust security controls, and effective traffic decryption to ensure visibility, protect sensitive data, and detect potential threats across their networks, making application-monitoring platforms essential components of modern network architectures. However, placing these systems directly in the traffic path can introduce operational risks, such as temporary loss of visibility or even service interruptions.
To address these requirements, Microtel Innovation proposes a coordinated approach that integrates two products: the HRB-140 Optical Bypass Switch and the Aster A-640 Network Packet Broker.
Ensuring uptime, scalability and full visibility across modern networks
The joint use of HRB-140 and A-640 ensures that network traffic remains uninterrupted and fully observable. The HRB-140 prevents outages caused by maintenance or device faults, while the A-640 enables intelligent traffic management and optimized use of monitoring resources.
○ Eliminating single points of failure:
If an inline device is powered down or fails, the HRB-140 automatically enables traffic bypass.
○ Managing increasing bandwidth:
The Aster A-640 provides high switching capacity, efficiently aggregating and distributing traffic across multiple monitoring or security tools.
○ Optimising tool efficiency and costs:
The A-640 applies selective packet filtering, slicing, and header stripping, sending only relevant information to analysis tools.
○ Maintaining security and compliance:
By ensuring uninterrupted traffic and complete visibility, operators can enforce security policies, identify anomalies in real time and maintain compliance with operational standards.
HRB-140 and Aster A-640 improve traffic flow and enhanced visibility for high-speed networks.
HRB-140: continuous uptime for inline deployments
The HRB-140 Optical Bypass Switch guarantees uninterrupted service by removing the risk of inline equipment failure affecting network continuity. It uses bidirectional heartbeat packets to monitor the operational status of connected devices and, in case of fault or power loss, automatically enables traffic bypass.
The HRB-140 supports up to 8 × 10/25 Gb/s or 2 × 40/100 Gb/s links, with redundant AC or DC power modules and an insertion loss below 2 dB. Its compact 1U chassis can host up to two bypass modules, offering a flexible and reliable solution for high-availability infrastructures such as 5G transport networks, data-centre interconnects and industrial control systems.
Aster A-640: advanced traffic management and visibility
The Aster A-640 Network Packet Broker provides comprehensive management of high-speed traffic within monitoring architectures. With high switching capacity and multiple high-speed interfaces, it aggregates, filters and distributes traffic efficiently toward multiple analysis or security systems.
It supports advanced packet manipulation functions such as packet slicing, header stripping, VLAN and MPLS tag management, and tunnel encapsulation or decapsulation (VXLAN, GRE, NVGRE). These functions enable targeted data delivery to each monitoring tool, improving performance and reducing unnecessary data processing.
Advanced traffic management for complex networks
The synergy between the HRB-140 Optical Bypass Switch and the Aster A-640 Network Packet Broker allows operators to maintain high service availability and detailed traffic visibility, even in complex, high-capacity networks.
By combining automatic fail-safe switching with advanced traffic orchestration, Microtel Innovation offers a practical and adaptable solution that supports continuous operation, efficient monitoring and secure data management in the most demanding network environments.
