Abstract

Tolly Group Report #202147 (August 2002) evaluates netVmg’s Flow Control Platform (FCP) v2.2, an edge appliance that steers outbound traffic across multiple ISPs according to real-time cost and performance policies. The test methodology required error-free operation while the FCP monitored 100,000 prefixes and processed up to 681 Mbit/s of live traffic without injecting probe load. In detailed sizing runs, it sustained 681 Mbit/s at 1,518-byte frames and 410 Mbit/s at 512-byte frames while making policy decisions in parallel.

Policy-driven route control works in real time. The Passive Flow Analyzer flags flows that exceed user-defined latency, loss, or cost thresholds, launches lightweight probes, and triggers iBGP updates to move “sick” traffic to a healthier link—all without disrupting other prefixes. Tests showed the appliance responding correctly to induced latency, packet-loss, and cost events across four simulated carrier paths.

Operational resilience and visibility. Because the FCP sits out-of-path, a device failure cannot interrupt WAN connectivity, yet it still provides automatic fail-over by rewriting routes when an ISP link degrades. FlowView and the CLI deliver real-time and historical reports on latency, loss, bandwidth usage, route changes, and projected billing, aiding troubleshooting and capacity planning.

Together, these results confirm that the FCP scales to large prefix counts, enforces business policies in milliseconds, and enhances uptime without becoming a single point of failure—making it a strong fit for multihomed enterprises that need automatic, performance-aware route optimization.