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== Technology ==
== Technology ==


Sandvine's technology focuses on policy management, including the control of spam, quality of service, and P2P path optimisation.
Sandvine's technology focuses on policy management, including the control of spam, usage-based billing, quality of service, and P2P path optimisation.


Rather than identifying individual messages, spam control is based on identifying sources of spam from behaviors such as using multiple SMTP servers, using multiple source (EHLO) domains and large address books.<ref>[http://www.freepatentsonline.com/EP1743466.html A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETECTING SOURCES OF ABNORMAL COMPUTER NETWORK MESSAGES - Patent EP1743466<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.wipo.int/pctdb/en/wo.jsp?wo=2005109816 (WO/2005/109816) A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETECTING SOURCES OF ABNORMAL COMPUTER NETWORK MESSAGES<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
Rather than identifying individual messages, spam control is based on identifying sources of spam from behaviors such as using multiple SMTP servers, using multiple source (EHLO) domains and large address books.<ref>[http://www.freepatentsonline.com/EP1743466.html A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETECTING SOURCES OF ABNORMAL COMPUTER NETWORK MESSAGES - Patent EP1743466<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.wipo.int/pctdb/en/wo.jsp?wo=2005109816 (WO/2005/109816) A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETECTING SOURCES OF ABNORMAL COMPUTER NETWORK MESSAGES<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
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The P2P path optimizer <ref>[http://www.wipo.int/pctdb/en/wo.jsp?wo=2003094465 (WO/2003/094465) PATH OPTIMIZER FOR PEER TO PEER NETWORKS<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> focuses on Gnutella, and uses a path cost algorithm to reduce congestion while still delivering the same content. Stateful Policy Management <ref name="meeting the challenge">[http://www.sandvine.com/general/getfile.asp?FILEID=16 "Meeting the Challenge of Today's Evasive P2P Traffic"]</ref> uses stateful deep-packet inspection and packet spoofing to allow the networking device to determine the details of the p2p conversation, including the hash requested. The device can then determine the optimal peer to use, and substitute it for the one selected by the P2P algorithm, by "[sitting] in the middle, imitating both ends of the connection, and sending reset packets to both client and server." <ref>[http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20071021-comcast-traffic-blocking-even-more-apps-groupware-clients-affected.html Comcast traffic blocking: even more apps, groupware clients affected<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
The P2P path optimizer <ref>[http://www.wipo.int/pctdb/en/wo.jsp?wo=2003094465 (WO/2003/094465) PATH OPTIMIZER FOR PEER TO PEER NETWORKS<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> focuses on Gnutella, and uses a path cost algorithm to reduce congestion while still delivering the same content. Stateful Policy Management <ref name="meeting the challenge">[http://www.sandvine.com/general/getfile.asp?FILEID=16 "Meeting the Challenge of Today's Evasive P2P Traffic"]</ref> uses stateful deep-packet inspection and packet spoofing to allow the networking device to determine the details of the p2p conversation, including the hash requested. The device can then determine the optimal peer to use, and substitute it for the one selected by the P2P algorithm, by "[sitting] in the middle, imitating both ends of the connection, and sending reset packets to both client and server." <ref>[http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20071021-comcast-traffic-blocking-even-more-apps-groupware-clients-affected.html Comcast traffic blocking: even more apps, groupware clients affected<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>


The usage-based-billing includes<ref>[http://www.sandvine.com/news/pr_detail.asp?ID=243 Sandvine Supports Cricket Broadband Internet]</ref> pre-paid and post-paid 3G and 4G mobile access, as well as all fixed access<ref>[http://www.sandvine.com/news/pr_detail.asp?ID=283 Sandvine supports pre- and post-paid service plans across converged networks]</ref>.
⚫
Sandvine products are used by [[Comcast]] in the United States to manage Internet traffic generated by peer-to-peer file sharing software.<ref>[http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/retrieve.cgi?native_or_pdf=pdf&id_document=6520169715 Comcast's compliance report to FCC on its network management techniques]</ref>

=== Comcast Controversy ===

⚫
Sandvine products are used by [[Comcast]] in the United States to manage Internet traffic generated by peer-to-peer file sharing software.<ref>[http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/retrieve.cgi?native_or_pdf=pdf&id_document=6520169715 Comcast's compliance report to FCC on its previous network management techniques]</ref>. Sandvine's current congestion management product, Fairshare, is described in detail in an IETF draft<ref>[http://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-livingood-woundy-congestion-mgmt-09 Comcast's Protocol-Agnostic Congestion Management System]</ref>.


According to independent testing<ref>[http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2007/10/comcast-also-jamming-gnutella-and-lotus-notes eff.org article on Comcast jamming Gnutella and Lotus]</ref>, Comcast injected reset packets into peer-to-peer connections, which effectively caused a certain limited number of outbound connections to immediately terminate. This method of network management was described in the IEEE Communications, May 2000 article "Nonintrusive TCP Connection Admission Control for Bandwidth Management of an Internet Access Link"<ref>[http://www.comsoc.org/ci/public/2000/may/index.html IEEE Communications Interactive<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.comsoc.org/ci/private/2000/may/Kumar.html Nonintrusive TCP Connection Admission Control for Bandwidth Management of an Internet Access Link<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>.
According to independent testing<ref>[http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2007/10/comcast-also-jamming-gnutella-and-lotus-notes eff.org article on Comcast jamming Gnutella and Lotus]</ref>, Comcast injected reset packets into peer-to-peer connections, which effectively caused a certain limited number of outbound connections to immediately terminate. This method of network management was described in the IEEE Communications, May 2000 article "Nonintrusive TCP Connection Admission Control for Bandwidth Management of an Internet Access Link"<ref>[http://www.comsoc.org/ci/public/2000/may/index.html IEEE Communications Interactive<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.comsoc.org/ci/private/2000/may/Kumar.html Nonintrusive TCP Connection Admission Control for Bandwidth Management of an Internet Access Link<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>.


A product whitepaper published by Sandvine confirms that its products are configurable to use "Session Management" capability to prevent customers using BitTorrent from providing uploads to peers who are not close to them on the network. This affects all uses of BitTorrent (such as open-source project distribution, patch distribution and illegal downloads). <blockquote> In cases where a subscriber is a “seeder” and uploads content to an off net “leecher”, session management is an effective strategy... the subscriber may be session managed without negative impact. This is the default behaviour for Sandvine’s session management policy and limits external leechers from connecting to internal seeds.<ref>Session Management: BitTorrent Protocol - Managing the Impact on Subscriber Experience http://www.sandvine.com/general/getfile.asp?FILEID=21</ref></blockquote>
A product whitepaper published by Sandvine confirms that its products are configurable to use "Session Management" capability to prevent customers using BitTorrent from providing uploads to peers who are not close to them on the network. This affects all uses of BitTorrent (such as open-source project distribution, patch distribution and illegal downloads). <blockquote> In cases where a subscriber is a “seeder” and uploads content to an off net “leecher”, session management is an effective strategy... the subscriber may be session managed without negative impact. This is the default behaviour for Sandvine’s session management policy and limits external leechers from connecting to internal seeds.<ref>Session Management: BitTorrent Protocol - Managing the Impact on Subscriber Experience http://www.sandvine.com/general/getfile.asp?FILEID=21</ref></blockquote>

The reliance of Sandvine hardware on forged RST packets to enforce [[traffic shaping]] on commercial networks is of questionable legality, given the wording of [[United States]] (and other) anti-[[hacking]] statutes. A noteworthy legal challenge to [[Comcast]]'s network management policies has yet to be decided.


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 06:27, 23 November 2010

Sandvine Incorporated
Company typePublic
TSX: SVC
AIM: SAND
FoundedWaterloo, Ontario (2001)
HeadquartersWaterloo, Ontario
Key people
Dave Caputo, Co-Founder, President and CEO
Scott Hamilton, CFO
Tom Donnelly, Co-Founder, EVP Marketing & Sales
Brad Siim, Co-Founder, COO and VP Engineering
Don Bowman, Co-Founder, CTO
Revenue$73.7M (2007)
Number of employees
350+ (Q1 2008)
Websitewww.sandvine.com

Sandvine Incorporated (TSX: SVC, AIM: SAND), is a networking equipment company based in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Sandvine network policy control products are designed to implement broad network policies, ranging from service creation[2], billing [3], congestion management, and security[4]. Sandvine targets its products at consumer Tier 1 and Tier 2 networks including cable, DSL, and mobile.[5]

Company history

Sandvine was formed in August 2001 in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, by a team of approximately 30 people from a recently closed Cisco acquisition, PixStream. An initial round of VC funding launched the company with $20M (Cdn). A subsequent round of financing of $19M (Cdn) was completed in May 2005.

In March 2006 Sandvine completed an initial public offering on the London AIM exchange under the ticker 'SAND'. In October 2006 Sandvine completed an initial public offering on the Toronto stock exchange under the ticker 'SVC'.

Initial product sales focused at congestion management as operators struggled with the high growth of broadband. Many operators have shifted focus to revenue generating services and reducing operational expenditure.

Technology

Sandvine's technology focuses on policy management, including the control of spam, usage-based billing, quality of service, and P2P path optimisation.

Rather than identifying individual messages, spam control is based on identifying sources of spam from behaviors such as using multiple SMTP servers, using multiple source (EHLO) domains and large address books.[6][7]

Quality of service control is provided for a range of media applications including video conferencing, VoIP and gaming.[8][9].

The P2P path optimizer [10] focuses on Gnutella, and uses a path cost algorithm to reduce congestion while still delivering the same content. Stateful Policy Management [11] uses stateful deep-packet inspection and packet spoofing to allow the networking device to determine the details of the p2p conversation, including the hash requested. The device can then determine the optimal peer to use, and substitute it for the one selected by the P2P algorithm, by "[sitting] in the middle, imitating both ends of the connection, and sending reset packets to both client and server." [12]

The usage-based-billing includes[13] pre-paid and post-paid 3G and 4G mobile access, as well as all fixed access[14].

Comcast Controversy

Sandvine products are used by Comcast in the United States to manage Internet traffic generated by peer-to-peer file sharing software.[15]. Sandvine's current congestion management product, Fairshare, is described in detail in an IETF draft[16].

According to independent testing[17], Comcast injected reset packets into peer-to-peer connections, which effectively caused a certain limited number of outbound connections to immediately terminate. This method of network management was described in the IEEE Communications, May 2000 article "Nonintrusive TCP Connection Admission Control for Bandwidth Management of an Internet Access Link"[18][19].

A product whitepaper published by Sandvine confirms that its products are configurable to use "Session Management" capability to prevent customers using BitTorrent from providing uploads to peers who are not close to them on the network. This affects all uses of BitTorrent (such as open-source project distribution, patch distribution and illegal downloads).

In cases where a subscriber is a “seeder” and uploads content to an off net “leecher”, session management is an effective strategy... the subscriber may be session managed without negative impact. This is the default behaviour for Sandvine’s session management policy and limits external leechers from connecting to internal seeds.[20]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Company Profile for Sandvine Corp (CA;SVC)". Retrieved 2008-10-16.
  2. ^ Sandvine Incorporated: Press Release - StarHub Selects Sandvine to Deploy End-to-End PacketCable MultiMedia Solution
  3. ^ Sandvine Incorporated: Press Release - Major Wireless Carrier Selects Sandvine’s 10-Gigabit Ethernet Solution to Give Subscribers More Control over their Mobile Internet Experience
  4. ^ Adelphia Selects Sandvine to Protect Subscribers from Worms and Spam. - Free Online Library
  5. ^ Sandvine Management's Discussion and Analysis
  6. ^ A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETECTING SOURCES OF ABNORMAL COMPUTER NETWORK MESSAGES - Patent EP1743466
  7. ^ (WO/2005/109816) A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETECTING SOURCES OF ABNORMAL COMPUTER NETWORK MESSAGES
  8. ^ Sandvine Incorporated: Service Delivery Engine
  9. ^ CNW Group | VECIMA NETWORKS INC. | CableMatrix and VCom Showcase First QoS Enhanced Video Conferencing over WiMAX Solution
  10. ^ (WO/2003/094465) PATH OPTIMIZER FOR PEER TO PEER NETWORKS
  11. ^ "Meeting the Challenge of Today's Evasive P2P Traffic"
  12. ^ Comcast traffic blocking: even more apps, groupware clients affected
  13. ^ Sandvine Supports Cricket Broadband Internet
  14. ^ Sandvine supports pre- and post-paid service plans across converged networks
  15. ^ Comcast's compliance report to FCC on its previous network management techniques
  16. ^ Comcast's Protocol-Agnostic Congestion Management System
  17. ^ eff.org article on Comcast jamming Gnutella and Lotus
  18. ^ IEEE Communications Interactive
  19. ^ Nonintrusive TCP Connection Admission Control for Bandwidth Management of an Internet Access Link
  20. ^ Session Management: BitTorrent Protocol - Managing the Impact on Subscriber Experience http://www.sandvine.com/general/getfile.asp?FILEID=21
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