nCap: wire-speed packet capture and transmission

Abstract

With the increasing network speed, it is no longer possible to capture and transmit network packets at wire-speed using general-purpose operating systems. Many companies tried to tackle this problem by manufacturing costly network adapters able to keep up at high network speeds. This paper describes a new approach to wire-speed packet capture and transmission named nCap based on commercial network adapters rather than on custom network adapters and software.