Inline Bypass - Enables High-Availability Failover

An inline bypass switch sits between two network segments and connects them through one or more inline tools. It monitors tool health and can automatically reroute traffic around the tools (bypass) if they fail, need maintenance, or are taken offline.

• Fail-open prioritizes availability: traffic continues flowing even if inline tools are down.
• Fail-closed prioritizes security: traffic is blocked if inspection cannot be guaranteed.
  
  

Niagara's inline bypass allows per-segment configuration depending on risk tolerance and business requirements.

Yes. Niagara supports inline service chains, so multiple tools (e.g., firewall → IPS → SSL inspection → DLP) can be connected in sequence. The inline bypass switch manages the entire chain as a single protected segment.

Niagara inline bypass switches are engineered for rapid, deterministic failover at the physical layer (telco grade sub 50ms failover).

Exact timing depends on configuration and environment, but failover is designed to minimize packet loss and preserve session continuity wherever possible.

Yes. Inline segments can provide out-of-band copies of traffic to monitoring tools even when inline devices are bypassed - ensuring visibility and forensic capabilities remain intact.

Existing sessions continue uninterrupted. Inline bypass preserves traffic flow during tool failure or maintenance, minimizing session resets and service disruption.

Absolutely. Operators can place tools into maintenance mode, gracefully rerouting production traffic around them while updates, signature changes or firmware upgrades are applied. Once maintenance is complete, tools can be reinserted without disruption.

By automatically isolating failed tools and maintaining traffic flow, inline bypass allows teams to troubleshoot and repair security appliances without urgency or service impact.

Niagara supports symmetric steering so that both directions of a flow traverse the same inline device. This is critical for stateful inspection such as firewalls and IPS systems.

Yes. Niagara inline bypass switches integrate seamlessly with Niagara packet brokers. Alternatively, users can deploy a hybrid bypass switch - a multi-purpose platform that combines bypass, TAP, and packet broker capabilities in a single device.
In addition, Niagara platforms interoperate with compatible third-party visibility solutions, giving NetSecOps teams a smooth migration path to evolve their visibility stack without requiring full infrastructure replacement.

Niagara inline solutions are designed for core, aggregation, and edge layers. The Niagara 3808E inline hybrid bypass switch is carrier-grade and engineered for high-capacity, high-availability environments common in data center cores.

Start by mapping critical traffic flows, existing inline tools, and uptime requirements. With that baseline, Niagara can propose segment layouts, policies (fail-open / fail-closed), service chain configurations, and growth paths that align with your operational and business needs.

Absolutely. Inline bypass is vendor-agnostic and supports heterogeneous security chains, allowing organizations to deploy and protect tools from different vendors within the same architecture.

Because it allows organizations to deploy deep inspection inline without sacrificing availability, inline bypass has become a foundational requirement for resilient security architectures.