SonicWall SuperMassive 9800 Series
Uncompromising, High-Performance, Next-Generation Firewall Protection for your Enterprise Network

Overview:

The SonicWall SuperMassive Series is SonicWall’s next-generation firewall (NGFW) platform designed for large networks to deliver scalability, reliability and deep security at multi-gigabit speeds with near zero latency.

Built to meet the needs of enterprise, government, education, retail, healthcare and service provider, the SuperMassive Series is ideal for securing distributed enterprise networks, data centers and service providers.

The combination of SonicWall’s SonicOS operating system, patented* ReassemblyFree Deep Packet Inspection (RFDPI) technology and massively multi-core, highly scalable hardware architecture, the SuperMassive E10000 and 9000 Series deliver industry-leading application control, intrusion prevention, malware protection and TLS/SSL decryption and inspection at multi-gigabit speeds. The SuperMassive Series is thoughtfully designed with power, space and cooling (PSC) in mind, providing the leading Gbps/watt NGFW in the industry for high performance packet and data processing, application control and threat prevention.

The SonicWall RFDPI engine scans every byte of every packet across all ports, delivering full content inspection of the entire stream while providing high performance and low latency. This technology is superior to proxy designs that reassemble content using sockets bolted to anti-malware programs, which are plagued with inefficiencies and the overhead of socket memory thrashing, which leads to high latency, low performance and file size limitations. The RFDPI engine delivers full content inspection to eliminate various forms of malware before they enter the network and provides protection against evolving threats — without file size, performance or latency limitations.

The RFDPI engine also performs full decryption and inspection of TLS/SSL and SSH encrypted traffic as well as non-proxyable applications, enabling complete protection regardless of transport or protocol. It looks deep inside every packets (the header and data part) searching for protocol noncompliance, threats, zero-days, intrusions, and even defined criteria to detect and prevent hidden attacks that leverage cryptography, block encrypted malware downloads, cease the spread of infections, and thwart command and control (C&C) communications and data exfiltration. Inclusion and exclusion rules allow total control to customize which traffic is subject to decryption and inspection based on specific organizational compliance and/or legal requirements.

Application traffic analytics enable the identification of productive and unproductive application traffic in real time, and traffic can then be controlled through powerful application-level policies. Application control can be exercised on both a per-user and pergroup basis, along with schedules and exception lists. All application, intrusion prevention and malware signatures are constantly updated by the SonicWall Threats Research Team. Additionally, SonicOS, an advanced purpose-built operating system, provides integrated tools that allow for custom application identification and control.

Benefits

• Get complete breach prevention including high performance intrusion prevention, low latency malware protection and network sandboxing
• Gain full granular application identification, control and visualization
• Find and block hidden threats with decryption and inspection of TLS/ SSL and SSH encrypted traffic, without performance problems
• Scale security performance for 10/40 Gbps data centers
• Adapt to service-level increases and ensure network services and resources are available and protected

SuperMassive 9000 Series Lineup

The SonicWall SuperMassive 9000 Series features 4 x 10-GbE SFP+, up to 12 x 1-GbE SFP, 8 x 1-GbE copper and 1 GbE management interfaces, with an expansion port for an additional 2 x 10- GbE SFP+ interfaces (future release). The 9000 Series features hot-swappable fan modules and power supplies.

Features & Benefits:

SonicOS Feature Summary

¹ Not supported on SonicOS 6.2.7.7
² Requires added subscription.

Deployment & Architecture:

Reassembly-Free Deep Packet Inspection engine

RFDPI is a single-pass, low latency inspection system that performs stream-based, bi-directional traffic analysis at high speed without proxying or buffering to effectively uncover intrusion attempts, malware and identify application traffic regardless of port and protocol. This proprietary engine relies on streaming traffic payload inspection in order to detect threats at Layers 3-7. The RFDPI engine takes network streams through extensive and repeated normalization and decryption in order to neutralize advanced obfuscation and evasion techniques that seek to confuse detection engines and sneak malicious code into the network.

Once a packet undergoes the necessary pre-processing, including TLS/SSL decryption, it is analyzed against a single proprietary memory representation of multiple signature databases: intrusion attacks, malware, botnet and applications. The connection state is then advanced to represent the position of the stream relative to these databases until it encounters a state of attack, or other “match” event, at which point a preset action is taken. In most cases, the connection is terminated and proper logging and notification events are created. However, the engine can also be configured for inspection only or, in the case of application detection, to provide Layer 7 bandwidth management services for the remainder of the application stream as soon as the application is identified.

Extensible architecture for extreme scalability and performance

The RFDPI engine is purposely designed with a keen focus on providing security scanning at a high level of performance, to match both the inherently parallel and ever growing nature of network traffic. When combined with multi-core processor systems, this parallelismcentric software architecture scales up perfectly to address the demands of deep packet inspection (DPI) at high traffic loads. The SuperMassive platform relies on processors that, unlike x86, are optimized for packet, crypto and network processing while retaining flexibility and programmability in the field — a weak point for ASICs systems.

This flexibility is essential when new code and behavior updates are necessary to protect against new attacks that require updated and more sophisticated detection techniques. Another aspect of the platform design is the unique ability to establish new connections on any core in the system, providing ultimate scalability and the ability to deal with traffic spikes. This approach delivers extremely high new session establishment rates (new conn/sec) while deep packet inspection is enabled — a key metric that is often a bottleneck for data center deployments.

Security and protection

The dedicated, in-house SonicWall Threats Research Team works on researching and developing countermeasures to deploy to the firewalls in the field for up-to-date protection. The team leverages more than one million sensors across the globe for malware samples and for telemetry feedback on the latest threat information, which in turn is fed into the intrusion prevention, anti-malware and application detection capabilities.

SonicWall NGFW customers with the latest security capabilities are provided continuously updated threat protection around the clock, with new updates taking effect immediately without reboots or interruptions. The signatures on the appliances protect against wide classes of attacks, covering up to tens of thousands of individual threats with a single signature.

In addition to the countermeasures on the appliance, SuperMassive firewalls also have access to the SonicWall CloudAV Service, which extends the onboard signature intelligence with more than seventeen million signatures, and growing. This CloudAV database is accessed via a proprietary, lightweight protocol by the firewall to augment the inspection done on the appliance. With Capture Advanced Threat Protection, a cloud-based network sandbox, organizations can examine suspicious files and code in an isolated environment to stop advanced threats such as zeroday attacks.

Application intelligence and control

Application intelligence informs administrators of application traffic traversing their network so they can schedule application controls based on business priority, throttle unproductive applications and block potentially dangerous applications. Real-time visualization identifies traffic anomalies as they happen, enabling immediate countermeasures against potential inbound or outbound attacks or performance bottlenecks.

SonicWall Application Traffic Analytics provide granular insight into application traffic, bandwidth utilization and security threats, as well as powerful troubleshooting and forensics capabilities. Additionally, secure single sign-on (SSO) capabilities ease the user experience, increase productivity and reduce support calls. Management of application intelligence and control is simplified by the intuitive webbased interface.

Global management and reporting

For highly regulated organizations wanting to achieve a fully coordinated security governance, compliance and risk management strategy, the optional SonicWall Global Management System (GMS) provides administrators a unified, secure and extensible platform to manage SonicWall firewalls, wireless access points and switches through a correlated and auditable workstream process. GMS enables enterprises to easily consolidate the management of security appliances, reduce administrative and troubleshooting complexities, and govern all operational aspects of the security infrastructure, including centralized policy management and enforcement; real-time event monitoring; user activities; application identifications; flow analytics and forensics; compliance and audit reporting; and more. GMS also meets the firewall change management requirements of enterprises through a workflow automation feature. With GMS workflow automation, all enterprises will gain agility and confidence in deploying the right firewall policies, at the right time and in conformance to compliance regulations. GMS provides a coherent way to manage network security by business processes and service levels, dramatically simplifying lifecycle management of your overall security environments as compared to managing on a device-by-device basis.

Specifications:

¹ Testing Methodologies: Maximum performance based on RFC 2544 (for firewall). Actual performance may vary depending on network conditions and activated services.
² Full DPI/Gateway AV/Anti-Spyware/IPS throughput measured using industry standard Spirent WebAvalanche HTTP performance test and Ixia test tools. Testing done with multiple flows through multiple port pairs.
³ VPN throughput measured using UDP traffic at 1280 byte packet.
⁴ Applies to SuperMassive 9200, 9400 and 9600. SuperMassive 9800 UC APL certification is pending.
⁵ Supported on SonicOS 6.1 and 6.2.
⁶ For every 125,000 DPI connections reduced, the number of available DPI SSL connections increases by 750.
*Future use. All specifications, features and availability are subject to change.

Services & Add-Ons:

Advanced Gateway Security Suite (AGSS)

Leverage SonicWall Advanced Gateway Security Suite (AGSS) to deliver a multi-engine sandbox, powerful anti‐virus, anti‐spyware, intrusion prevention, content filtering, as well as application intelligence and control services. An upgrade over CGSS, this package features Capture Advanced Threat Protection (ATP), a multi-engine sandbox that runs and inspects suspicious files, programs and code in an isolated cloud-based environment.

Comprehensive Gateway Security Suite (CGSS)

Get the most from your deep packet inspection firewall with the SonicWall Comprehensive Security Suite (CGSS) subscription. CGSS includes gateway anti-virus, anti-spyware, intrusion prevention, application intelligence and control service, content/URL filtering and 24x7 support. Combine security, productivity and support in a single, bundled solution that lowers TCO.

Gateway Security Services

Enable your business firewall to provide real-time network threat prevention with SonicWall gateway anti-virus, anti-spyware, intrusion prevention and application intelligence and control. Block the latest blended threats — including viruses, spyware, worms, Trojans, software vulnerabilities and other malicious code. Guarantee bandwidth prioritization and ensure maximum network security and productivity with granular policies for both groups and users.

Capture Advanced Threat Protection

The cloud-based SonicWall Capture Advanced Threat Protection Service scans a broad range of files to detect advanced threats, analyzes them in a multi-engine sandbox, blocks them prior to a security verdict, and rapidly deploys remediation signatures. The result is higher security effectiveness, faster response times and a lower total cost of ownership.

Content Filtering Services

Gain a cost-effective, easy-to-manage way to enforce protection and productivity policies, and block inappropriate, unproductive and dangerous web content in educational, business or government environments. SonicWall Content Filtering Service lets you control access to websites based on rating, IP address, URL and more. You get the ideal combination of control and flexibility to ensure the highest levels of protection and productivity, which you can configure and control from your network security appliance, eliminating the need for a costly, dedicated filtering solution. Extend enforcement of your internal policies to devices located outside the firewall perimeter by blocking unwanted internet content with the content filtering client.

Content Filtering Client

Extend the enforcement of web policies in IT-issued devices outside the network perimeter. Although it doesn't require a firewall, it can be optionally coupled with SonicWall Content Filtering Service as an ideal combination to keep students and employees off of dangerous or non-productive websites by switching to cloud-enforced policies even when they are using roaming devices.

Support Services

Benefit from advanced technical assistance and ongoing software and firmware updates with SonicWall Dynamic Support. The service includes:

• Telephone and web-based support 24x7
• Direct access to highly-trained senior support engineers
• Advance exchange hardware replacement in the event of a failure
• Access to electronic support tools

TotalSecure Hardware & Services Bundle

Enjoy the convenience and affordability of deploying your firewall as a SonicWall TotalSecure solution. This combines the hardware and services needed for comprehensive network protection from viruses, spyware, worms, Trojans, key loggers and more — without the complexity of building your own security package.

Comprehensive Anti-Spam Service

Block threats from your email server and stop spam at the gateway by adding SonicWall Comprehensive Anti-Spam Service (CASS) to your SonicWall firewall. Rapidly deploy your spam firewall software with one-click activation of up to 250 users.

Enforced Client Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware Software

Execute an innovative, multi-layered, anti-virus internet security strategy with SonicWall firewalls and Enforced Client Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware software. You get SonicWall Reassembly-Free Deep Packet Inspection anti-malware at the gateway, and enforced anti-virus protection at the endpoints. You can redirect any user with a non-compliant endpoint to a web page to install the latest Enforced Client Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware software. Provide automatically updated security definitions to the endpoint as soon as they become available. Plus, you can automate enforcement to minimize administrative overhead.

Documentation:

Download the SonicWall SuperMassive Series Datasheet (.PDF)