Patent ID: 9148358
Filing Date: 2015-09-29
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method comprising: receiving instructions, at a network captured traffic distribution device communicatively coupled to a plurality of network captured network traffic distribution devices arranged in a stacked topology in which the network captured traffic distribution device exchanges configuration information with at least one of the plurality of network captured traffic distribution devices, to filter received captured network traffic according to one or more criterion, the captured network traffic being a copy of the network traffic flowing through a communication network to a first target destination; receiving captured network traffic by the network captured network traffic distribution device from at least one of an inline traffic capture point and a minor port; filtering in accordance with the configuration information, by the network captured network traffic distribution device, the received captured network traffic responsively to the received instructions, wherein the received instructions include a criterion used to filter the received captured network traffic; generating, by the network captured traffic distribution device, a plurality of filtered captured network traffic sets from the filtered captured network traffic; determining, by the network captured network traffic distribution device, a second target destination of each filtered captured network traffic set; determining, by the network captured traffic distribution device, filtered captured network traffic sets of the plurality of filtered captured network traffic sets that have a same second target destination; aggregating, by the network captured traffic distribution device, the filtered captured network traffic sets determined to have the same second target destination; and transmitting, by the network captured network traffic distribution device, the aggregated filtered captured network traffic sets toward the second target destination determined for the aggregated filtered captured network traffic sets.