4 Recent Solarflare Breakthroughs in Server Speed & Security

Solarflare had led many exciting breakthroughs in enhancing server performance, speed, and security over the past year. Below is a quick recap of four recent innovations from Solarflare:

1. CSS enhances risk management for HFT:

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Recent improvements to Solarflare’s Capture SolarSystem (CSS) enables packet capture deployment on the top of every server rack in the data center, providing enhanced “DVR-like” real time lossless data recording. CSS positions financial institutions for success by providing greater threat mitigation, regulatory compliance requirements, and optimized trade execution management with precise time stamping capabilities. For more on how CSS improves high volume trading, read the full post here.

2. Solarflare + Velocimetrics Drastically Improve Trading

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Solarflare and Velocimetrics have partnered to provide financial institutions involved in high frequency trading with enhanced performance and analytics tools. Combining the cost effective, distributed, and openly architected packet capture platform CSS with Velocimetrics financial analytics enables trades to be tracked, monitored, and analyzed in real-time. For more on the exciting partnership, read the full post here.

3. OpenOnload Makes the Web and VOD 50% Faster

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One in three high traffic websites run NGINX to enhance delivery, performance and security. Recent improvements to Solarflare’s OpenOnload stack have accelerated NGINX and NGINX Plus performance by twofold for serving high demand web and video on demand traffic. Solarflare’s OpenOnload updates lend themselves to across the board improvements for the functionality, speed, and security of high traffic sites. By delivering lower latency and higher message rates, OpenOnload is the best option for cloud and HPC applications like the millions powered by NGINX. For more on the improved performance enabled by OpenOnload, read the full post here.

4. CloudFlare + Solarflare Building a Better Web in China

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Startup CloudFlare  accelerates, optimizes, and protects millions of websites, leading to 50% faster load times while using 60% less bandwidth.  Recently CloudFlare turned to Solarflare for their server solutions, needing a 10 GbE capable of keeping pace with their massive growth and rapid-fire networking needs. Solarflare 10GbE Onload has stepped up the plate to deliver the lowest latency, highest performance, and most scalable server solution. Cloudflare Software Engineer Marek Majkowski recently called Solarflare’s OpenOnload a “magical network accelerator” for its kernal bypass abilities. In bringing these technologies to China, the notoriously slow and restricted Internet service there is getting a major overhaul, thanks to an innovative partnership with Baidu. For the full story on how CloudFlare and Solarflare are bringing an “internet super highway” to China, check out the post here.

How Solarflare Dramatically Improves Risk Management & Performance for Financial Institutions

Recent improvements to Solarflare’s Capture SolarSystem (CSS) have addressed key risk management and compliance issues facing financial institutions. CSS enables packet capture deployment on the top of every server rack in the data center, which provides enhanced “DVR-like” real time lossless data recording. The latest version of CSS allows customers to capture the entire network traffic flow in a rapidly searchable form. Providing valuable features for financial institutions involved in high volume trading, CSS enables these four key capabilities:

  • Greater visibility and network instrumentation capabilities for regulatory reporting
  • Enhanced network capabilities for performing risk analytics
  • Greater performance monitoring
  • Next generation threat detection

Designed with a scalable approach in mind, CSS is an open software platform that enables distributed, high performance, pervasive capture of all network nodes. Key features include line rate capture to disk (up to 40 Gb/sec), indexed query of captured data, and intuitive GUI allowing rapid deployment of data capture solutions across enterprise data centers and other high-demand networks. With an open API, CSS can also be easily integrated with third-party analytic applications to create customized data retention and analytics solutions.

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CSS positions financial institutions for success by enabling both buy-side and sell-side market participants to address several types of risk issues, including:

  • Mitigating cybersecurity risk by providing greater visibility into enterprise network, enabling prevention of hostile intrusion and data theft.
  • Enabling firms to effectively address regulatory compliance requirements and deliver a comprehensive record of audit trail.
  • Improving operational efficiency by proving proof of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) compliance, enhanced troubleshooting process and network analysis.
  • Optimizing electronic trade execution management with high performance precision time stamping capabilities.

The updates to Solarflare CSS are exciting because they give real solutions to financial firms facing new regulations and cybersecurity concerns. CSS gives traders a streamlined way to capture, analyze and manage massive volumes of data across global trading systems. Combined with updated risk management capabilities, CSS is a giant step in reducing the time and cost between intrusion detection (IDS) and prevention (IPS). Solarflare’s updated CSS technology is a win-win for financial institutions looking to stay ahead of risks and regulatory reporting while also improving performance and mitigating threats.