Angenieux 1270A450-005 user manual Background Information, Datacryptor Ethernet Unit

Datacryptor Ethernet User Manual Background Information

4 Background Information

Datacryptor Ethernet Unit

The Thales Datacryptor Ethernet units are high performance, integrated security appliances that provide encryption at high line speeds. The 1 Gig and 10 Gig Ethernet units operate at optical line speeds and have the added advantage that they can, over limited distances, use copper media. The device’s high-speed processing capabilities eliminate bottlenecks while providing data encryption and integrity.

It is ideal for bandwidth intensive, latency sensitive applications that demand security and speed, such as site-to-site VPNs, and the transfer of imaging over the network. It provides secure transport over private or public networks.

Figure 4-1. An Example of a Site to Site Ethernet Layer 2 connection

A site-to-site VPN application is shown above. The Thales Datacryptor Ethernet is deployed on either side of the connection, securing the data transmitted across the untrusted public network. Data is sent from a web server through to the host network. It is then encrypted by the Datacryptor Ethernet for secure transfer over the public network, where a second Datacryptor Ethernet decrypts the data at its destination.

Gigabit Ethernet Technology Overview

The Gigabit Ethernet technology used by the 1 Gig and 10 Gig Ethernet units is the latest specification in the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet standard series. This standard allows the transmission of data at one or ten Gigabit per second transmission speeds (1 Gbps or 10 Gbps). However the speed is usually designated as 1,000 Mbps or 10,000 Mbps, as appropriate, to comply with the standard method of showing Ethernet network speeds.

Ethernet Layer 2 Services

Ethernet Layer 2 security services include:

Encryption - The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm is a symmetric block cipher capable of using cryptographic keys of 128, 192, and 256 bits to encrypt and decrypt data in blocks of 128 bits. The Datacryptor uses 256 bit keys.

1270A450-005 - June 2008 Page 17