Niagara Networks - Network Visibility
close
close-x

Site Search

    3808E Product - Datasheet
    Discover the full suite of visibility Solutions
    Overview
    The Niagara 3808E hybrid packet broker is a compact, multifunctional platform that integrates bypass TAP capabilities with intelligent packet brokering
    Key Features

    All-in-one - inline bypass switch, intelligent packet broker + active TAP platform that enables fail-safe & fail-open inline sub 50ms switching. This all‑in‑one design eliminates the need for separate TAPs, and packet brokers, reducing visibility costs by over 50 %

    Use Cases

    Ensure telco-grade high availability, policy-based protection for inline security stacks to empower SOC and NOC operations

    FAQ
    Read the FAQ to discover common questions and learn more about the solution
    Select Option
    Request a quote
    3808E Hybrid Bypass Solution Highlights

    PROTECT THE NETWORK INTELLIGENCE LAYER

    The Niagara Networks 3808E is a carrier-grade hybrid bypass and packet broker platform, designed for high-availability inline deployments where uptime, resilience, and flexibility are paramount.
    Part of Niagara’s Bypass series, the 3808E combines optical fail-safe protection and intelligent traffic management in a single, modular 1RU system. The modular chassis supports up to two double-bay field-replaceable modules, delivering up to eight 1/10/25/40/100 Gb bypass segments and integrated monitoring ports - enabling organizations to deploy inline and out-of-band security tools with complete agility. 
    All-in-One Hybrid Visibility
    • Combines fail-safe inline bypass, intelligent packet brokering, and active TAP functionality in a single compact 1RU system
    • Supports multi-rate interfaces (1/10/25/40/100 Gb) for flexible deployment across diverse network environments
    • Provides carrier-grade optical protection with < 50 ms failover to maintain uninterrupted traffic flow
    • Eliminates the need for separate TAPs and packet brokers - simplifying design, deployment & management

    Intelligent Traffic Aggregation
    • Precision Filtering and Load Balancing for Optimal Tool Utilization
    • Aggregates traffic from multiple links into high-speed protected segments
    • Offers FabricFlow™ filtering and session-aware load balancing for efficient tool distribution
    • Captures, replicates, and forwards traffic with L2–L4 visibility and user-defined byte filtering
    • Enhances performance monitoring and threat detection through granular, flow-aware policies
    Cost-Efficient, Carrier-Grade Reliability
    • High-density, pay-as-you-grow architecture with flexible port options
    • Reduce Visibility Infrastructure Costs by 50 % Without Compromise
    • Replaces multiple visibility components - TAPs, bypass switches, and packet brokers - with one unified platform
    • Reduces hardware footprint, power consumption, and operational overhead across tool farms
    • Fail-open/fail-close optical relay and configurable heartbeat protection ensure network uptime in all conditions
    • Achieves enterprise-grade resiliency and visibility at over 50 % lower total cost of ownership (TCO)

    Carrier-Grade Visibility & Protection in a Compact 1RU Form Factor

    All-in-one Solution

     

    High-Density, Modular Design

    • Supports up to 8 bypass or active TAP segments
    • Up to 2 pluggable modules - each supporting 2 or 4 bypass segments and up to 16 appliance ports
    • Multi-rate interface support: 1/10/25/40/100 Gb
    • Compact 1RU rackmount chassis with redundant, field-replaceable power supplies

    Carrier-Grade Reliability

    • BypassP2 optical protection (< 50 ms switching)
    • Configurable heartbeat mechanism per segment for continuous monitoring
    • Supports fail-open or fail-close optical relay configurations
    • Inline traffic continuity during appliance or power failures

    Flexible Deployment Modes

    • Inline Bypass Mode: Ensures uninterrupted traffic flow
      to and from inline tools (e.g., firewalls, IDS/IPS)
    • Active TAP (Split Mode): Mirrors one network direction per tool port
    • Active TAP (Aggregate Mode): Combines both directions for single-tool analysis
    • Packet Broker Mode: Full Layer 2–4 visibility, filtering & aggregation

    FabricFlow Packet Broker Intelligence

    • Aggregate, replicate, and filter traffic across segments
    • Session-aware load balancing
    • L2–L4 and user-defined byte filtering
    • High-availability policies between primary and secondary bypass segments

    Management & Orchestration

    • Web‑based UI EMS with granular access control
    • REST API for third‑party integration 
    • Niagara Visibility Controller (NVC) - providing centralized configuration, policy automation, and orchestration across multiple devices via an intuitive web GUI

    MADE in the USA

    Niagara Networks is among the few companies designing and manufacturing network visibility solutions in the USA, ensuring quality, reliability & security compliance Learn more

    3808E - Hybrid Bypass use cases

    Use Cases

    Maintain uninterrupted traffic during maintenance or tool failure with carrier-grade optical and heartbeat bypass mechanisms.
    Read the Solution Use Case (opens in a new tab)
    Deploy resilient multi-rate visibility across 1G – 100G links with redundant power and sub-50 ms failover.
    Read The Case Study (opens in a new tab)

    Enabling uncompromised high-availability with COTS-based appliances. The solution increases dramatically operational efficiency and the high availability of complex inline cybersecurity tools.

    Read The Application Note (opens in a new tab)

    Aggregate, filter, and distribute traffic intelligently across multiple monitoring, performance, and security tools.
    Ensure efficient utilization of existing infrastructure by sending only relevant traffic to each tool.

    Read the Solution Use Case (opens in a new tab)

    3808E – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

    It combines bypass functionality with packet broker intelligence. This allows the same platform to operate in inline, active TAP, or packet broker roles - configurable per segment.mechanisms.
    In the industry, such devices are often referred to as hybrid bypass TAPs or hybrid bypass packet brokers - both terms describe the same versatile functionality offered by the 3808E

    The 3808E integrates dual protection mechanisms - an active bypass with heartbeat monitoring and a passive optical fail-open mode - ensuring uninterrupted connectivity even during power or appliance failures (< 50 ms recovery).

    It brings hardware-level resilience to security appliances and virtual security appliances that typically lack embedded bypass functionality. This allows organizations to achieve the same high availability as proprietary hardware solutions, while maintaining an open, scalable architecture that enables cascading of inline security and monitoring tools. The 3808E ensures continuous uptime through sophisticated bypass protection policies and flexible configuration options, achieving an always-on inline security stack that software-based solutions alone cannot deliver.

    Yes. The 3808E chassis supports up to eight independent bypass segments, each of which can protect a single inline appliance or be combined to protect multiple appliances using load-balancing schemes.

    The active mechanism detects appliance health via heartbeat packets and reroutes traffic seamlessly upon failure, while the passive optical relay ensures connectivity in the event of total power loss - providing redundant layers of fail-safe protection.

    Appliances can be serviced or replaced without interrupting network traffic. Its modular design and load-balancing capabilities allow easy scaling by adding more security and monitoring appliances or upgrading hardware performance as network demand grows.

    The 3808E supports:

    • Inline active bypass for continuous traffic inspection

    • Passive bypass for power-failure resilience

    • Active TAP (split or aggregate) for out-of-band monitoring

    • Hybrid inline and monitoring configurations within the same chassis

    The 3808E provides REST API integration with 3rd party systems and/or can be managed centrally via the Niagara Visibility Controller (NVC) for orchestration, policy automation, and monitoring across multi-vendor environments.

    Through FabricFlow™ technology, users can perform L2-L4 filtering, user-defined byte matching, traffic replication, and session-aware load-balancing - optimizing tool performance and ensuring precise traffic delivery.

    The 3808E provides up to 400 % higher bypass density per rack unit for 40/100Gb networks, reducing TCO by over 50 % & simplifying deployment across multi-vendor, mission-critical cybersecurity chains.

    Absolutely. Its hybrid architecture allows inline service protection while generating filtered traffic copies for offline analysis, threat detection, or compliance reporting - all within the same device.

    Unlock smarter visibility 

    Discover how Niagara’s Network Intelligence platform empowers NOC and SOC teams with advanced packet processing, deep traffic insight, and scalable performance across any environment.


    Fill out the form and our team will connect with you to explore how our solution can strengthen your network visibility strategy.

     

     

     

    Designed, Engineered & Manufactured in the USA

    From design to production, our solutions are built to the highest standards of quality, security, and performance, trusted by organizations worldwide and deployed in some of the world’s largest mission-critical networks.

    Connect with a Visibility Expert