The European Advanced Networking Test Center conducted a test of deep packet inspection gear to see how effective it was at filtering peer-to-peer traffic. The general results suggest that current DPI technology does an okay job, but needs to get better. Also, while DPI systems do a good job of filtering traffic, they are not yet as effective at filtering content, which may be good news for the user community, bad news for the content industry and not terribly good or bad news for network operators who are most concerned right now with their ability to manage their networks.
However, the results could broadly be viewed as inconclusive because only two of about 28 DPI technology vendors actually completed the testing. The test program was commissioned by online publication Internet Evolution and a French music industry organization. Internet Evolution (a sister pub of Light Reading) compiled a report that looks at various aspects of the testing, and the conclusions that could be drawn. Some vendors didn't submit products for the tests, and others withdrew their products after testing began. The two that finished: Ellacoya Networks (recently acquired by Arbor Networks and ipoque GmbH.
For more:
- here's the report at Internet Evolution
- or read the summary at Light Reading
Related article:
- Arbor Networks announced the Ellacoya acquisition in January