Aviz Networks describes Aviz Packet Broker v2.12 packet processing

Aviz Packet Broker v2.12 uses software-defined packet brokering on SONiC/ONIE-compatible switches to provide traffic filtering, aggregation, replication, and tunneling-related processing, alongside flow-aware load balancing. The approach targets enterprise teams seeking network visibility without scaling bottlenecks tied to proprietary packet broker appliances.

Research Overview

The blog describes data center and service provider demand for increased traffic visibility while avoiding additional proprietary equipment. It frames traditional packet brokers as harder to justify as traffic volumes grow and networks move toward 100G and 400G environments.

To address that, it highlights Aviz Packet Broker v2.12 as enabling packet broker functionality on ONIE-ready switches through a software-based deployment, rather than a dedicated hardware appliance.

Key Findings

Aviz Packet Broker v2.12 supports traffic allocation to monitoring and security tools through aggregation, replication, filtering, steering, packet slicing, timestamping, and decapsulation. The stated goal is to send tools the intended traffic and avoid forwarding unwanted packets.

The blog also states that APB adds extension header filters for VXLAN, GRE, ERSPAN, and GTPU to improve visibility for overlay networks, telecom systems, and modern data center architectures.

Technical Breakdown

According to the blog, APB v2.12 provides capabilities beyond basic forwarding, including packet slicing and timestamping for traffic handling before it reaches downstream tools. It also includes decapsulation features intended to process tunneled traffic for visibility use cases.

For overlay and telecom scenarios, the blog describes filtering based on extension headers, including VXLAN, GRE, ERSPAN, and GTPU. It positions the extension header filtering as relevant to determining what is inside encapsulated tunnels rather than only outer headers.

Product Update

The blog presents v2.12 as combining open hardware options with load balancing and secure operations within a software-defined architecture. It says APB can run on supported switches from Celestica, Dell, Edgecore, and NVIDIA, and lists 10 GbE up to 400 GbE as supported, with 800G+ still being qualified.

It also describes advanced flow-aware load balancing for distributing traffic among monitoring appliances and LAG links using inner headers, outer headers, or both. The blog states that flow-aware behavior is meant to keep related traffic together so monitoring tools see complete sessions rather than fragments.

Operational Impact

The blog argues that traditional packet brokers can require frequent hardware upgrades, tie teams to a single vendor, and add capital and maintenance costs as traffic grows. It states that APB’s software deployment on open ONIE-ready switches aims to reduce dependency on dedicated proprietary appliances for each expansion.

It also links filtering and steering to tool performance by noting that monitoring and security tools have finite processing capacity. The blog claims that sending unfiltered traffic can degrade performance and bury useful signals, while APB routes traffic intended for each tool.

Aviz Packet Broker v2.12 is positioned as a software-defined packet broker that runs on SONiC/ONIE-compatible switches, providing tunnel-aware filtering, traffic handling features, and flow-aware load balancing for monitoring and security tools. This “Blog Signals brief” is a fact-based summary of the vendor blog.