Storage

General

The Network Multimeter allows to attach a storage device which then can be used for several storage-related functions:

• write traffic packet captures to the storage device instead of streaming the capture as a live download
• use the Network Multimeter to analyze the contents of a packet capture file residing on the storage device
• use the storage device for the packet ring buffer feature Capture module

Web interface

Managing storage devices

The Network Multimeter supports disks formatted with an ext4 filesystem and will only use the first partition of a disk.

If a compatible disk is attached it will be activated automatically and the Storage page will show stats about the device as well as the contents.

If an unformatted disk or a disk with an incompatible file system is attached it will show up on the Storage page where it can be formatted using the Format button displayed next to the device's type and size. After formatting the disk, it will be automatically activated for use as storage device.

If an active storage device is to be disconnected from the Network Multimeter the Deactivate button on the Storage page can be used to deactivate the storage device.

The page will show that no storage device is active any more and now the device can be disconnected safely.

For security reasons, the Securely erase content button allows for deleting the whole content of the disk.

Everything on the disk is overwritten with randomly generated patterns that will make any attempts to recover the data very difficult.

The erasing may take several hours depending on the size and the speed of the disk.

If you want to use the disk after erasing, you have to format it afterwards.

Working with storage contents

The Network Multimeter will only show the top level directory of the storage device and interaction is only possible with files the reside in the top level directory.

It is currently not supported to work with directories.

Generic files which are not packet capture files will show with two buttons next to them.

As the names suggest the Delete button will delete the file from the storage device and the Download button will start a browser download of this file.

In addition to these two buttons an Analyze PCAP button will show next to packet capture files.

When this button is pressed the Network Multimeter will reset all statistics and start analyzing the packet capture file.

Progress, statistics and the option to resume normal operation will appear at the top of the Storage page.

WebDAV

The Network Multimeter also provides access to the storage contents via WebDAV.

For this, use the Connect to server or Connect to a network drive function on your computer and use the link https://<host name>/webdav.

The credentials are the same as of the web interface.

WebDAV is supported natively by all current operating systems.

If you have connection problems due to SSL certificate issues under Windows you may try 3rd party tools with WebDAV support.

iSCSI

A remote iSCSI target can be used as a storage device.

The iSCSI target must be reachable over the management network connection.

To add an iSCSI target as storage device use the Configure iSCSI device button which is visible on the Storage page when no storage device is currently activated.

In the displayed dialog you must enter the host which can be an IP address or host name and may include a port number (e.g. 'storageServer:3260').

You must also enter the iSCSI Qualified Name (IQN) of the iSCSI target on the iSCSI host.

Using authentication like CHAP is optional and if no authentication is to be used the User and Password` fields can be left empty.

After confirming the dialog by pressing the Configure button the iSCSI storage device will show up in the storage device list after a few seconds.

The Allegro Network Multimeter will also try to activate a configured iSCSI target automatically after system startup.

Once an iSCSI device has been configured the device can be modified or removed using the Modify iSCSI device and Remove iSCSI device buttons on the Storage page.

Only one iSCSI device can be used at a time.