Storm Control

We understand the importance of transparency and collaboration in our partnership, and we want to provide our clients with a clear understanding of how storm control is implemented in our network. While storm control is a vital component of our service to ensure network stability, it's essential to be aware of certain limitations regarding the information we can provide in such situations.

What Storm Control Does:
Storm control is a feature in our network designed to respond when broadcast, multicast, and unknow unicast traffic crosses a threshold of 10Mbps. Its primary goal is to prevent network disruptions and ensure the seamless experience of all our clients.

Our Limitations:

1. Limited Visibility: Our network utilizes NetFlow strategically at specific points to optimize the monitoring and management of network traffic. While NetFlow provides valuable insights, it is important to note that certain types of traffic, particularly those originating from layer 2 interfaces, may not be captured due to the nature of the technology.

2. Packet Capture Challenges: Our storm control protocols are designed to protect the network by automatically shutting down ports or applying throttling to prevent widespread issues during a storm event. While this swift action is crucial for maintaining network integrity, it can sometimes limit the immediate retrieval of packet data for further analysis. However, we tailor our response based on the interface type to ensure minimal impact on our clients, whether it's a single client connection or shared circuits.

How Storm Control Works:
Our network interfaces are equipped with storm-control settings that activate when specific traffic types—broadcast, multicast, and unknown unicast—exceed certain thresholds, effectively preventing network congestion and ensuring a smooth experience for all clients. This configuration is pivotal in averting potential over-saturation and maintaining optimal network performance, thereby minimizing the risk of latency or downtime. We also remain flexible and responsive to our clients' unique needs, providing tailored exceptions to traffic rules when necessary to support their specific business requirements.

Challenges with External Devices:
It's worth noting that determining the cause of a storm becomes more challenging when we don't manage all components of your network. For instance, if your firewall is not within our management scope, it might be challenging to pinpoint the source of the storm, without a traffic capture provided by our client.

Our Response:
When our automated storm control alert system is triggered, the affected port is disabled automatically. However, please rest assured that we will only re-enable the port after receiving confirmation from you that the traffic is intended. This added layer of security ensures that your network remains safe and stable. Please note that this manual re-enablement process may require some time due to the necessary due diligence to prevent the port from immediately crossing the threshold again, maintaining network consistency and safety.

We believe in a collaborative approach to network management and are committed to working closely with you to address and resolve any storm control events. Our goal is to minimize disruptions and keep your network performing at its best.

If you have any questions or need further information regarding storm control or any other aspect of our services, please don't hesitate to reach out. Your satisfaction and network reliability are our top priorities.