SparrowIQ - Focused on Your Network

General product FAQs

• What are the supported platforms?

  Sparrow^IQ is supported on Microsoft Vista, 7, 8, Server, and within a Virtual Machine running either of these.

• Which browsers are supported?

  Sparrow^IQ is accessed via a browser. The following minimum versions of these popular browsers are supported.

  • Chrome 20
  • Firefox 13
  • Internet Explorer 9
  • Safari 5
• What about mobile devices?

  Sparrow^IQ can be accessed from any machine on the network. All you need is a supported browser. Sparrow^IQ can be accessed with iPhone, iPad (using Safari) and Android devices (using Firefox)

• What network size can Sparrow^IQ run on?

  The load on the network is what matters. For example, a 10 person business running a few servers could generate high data rate for an online service and will require a higher version of Sparrow^IQ compared to a 50 person business which does not generate much traffic. The limiting factor, in effect, is the traffic and flow rates in the network (see the Technical FAQ section for definition of flows). The maximum sustained traffic rate depends on the product version and is 25% higher than the advertised throughput, though short bursts of traffic are allowed.

• How do I decide which version of Sparrow^IQ to get?

  We recommend downloading a free trial version of Sparrow^IQ, which provides you with the tools necessary to evaluate your needs. The free trial will work for 15 days during which you can monitor your network and decide on the version of Sparrow^IQ to purchase.

• What about bigger networks? (scalable solutions)

  Please contact us by emailing sales@sparrowiq.com if you have a larger network and interested in learning more about our scalable solutions.

• What kind of product support can I expect?

  We strive to provide quick responses to your questions. Normally, we respond in less than 24 hours of a business day.

Licensing FAQs

• What license options are available?
  • Sparrow^IQ Trial – is a free trial license valid for 15 days.
  • Sparrow^IQ 7 – is a subscription license and supports up to 7 Mbps of throughput.
  • Sparrow^IQ 15 – is a subscription license and supports up to 15 Mbps of throughput.
  • Sparrow^IQ 30 – is a subscription license and supports up to 30 Mbps of throughput.
• What type of support is included?

  The support package allows you to update to the latest version of SparrowIQ for free as long as you have an active subscription. The package also provides customers with priority email technical support.

• Can I upgrade my Sparrow^IQ version by paying the difference in licensing fee?

  Yes. If you find that the current version of Sparrow^IQ cannot keep up with the volume of traffic in your network, you can simply pay the difference and upgrade to a higher version of Sparrow^IQ.

• What is the difference between update and upgrade?

  An update is a change in version number in Sparrow^IQ (say from v1.2 to v1.3). A new version may include new features and bug fixes. An upgrade is a change in the size of network support – say from Sparrow^IQ 7 to Sparrow^IQ 15.

• Can I try/use Sparrow^IQ for free?

  Absolutely. You may download and install a free trial license, which is valid for 15 days.

• What are the limitations of the trial version?

  There are no limitations – it is fully featured for a period of 15 days.

• Can I extend my free trial?

  Please contact us at sales@sparrowiq.com to extend your trial license.

• Can I cancel my subscription?

  We'd hate to see you go, but if you wish to cancel, we understand. You are free to cancel at any time without penalty unless you have signed a longer term agreement.

Deployment and requirements FAQs

• What are my deployment options?

  You have two options for deployment and depends on how you send a copy of the network data to the Sparrow^IQ PC. You can deploy Sparrow^IQ either by using the port mirroring capabilities, also called SPAN port capabilities of a switch (SPAN mode) or by using a Network Tap.

• What is a network tap?

  A Network Tap copies all of your network data to a monitor port. There are usually two ends, say A and B connections which pass the network traffic through and one or two monitor ports. It is this/these monitor port(s) that will be connected to the Sparrow^IQ PC.

• What is Port Mirroring (switch with a SPAN port)?

  Port Mirroring is a feature on Ethernet switches that copies all network traffic data to one or more switch port. This is also referred to as SPAN – Switched Port Analyzer, a Cisco term or RAP – Roving Analysis Port, a 3Com term.

• What are the minimum requirements?
  • A Network Tap or Ethernet switch with SPAN or port mirroring capability.
  • A PC with following minimum hardware requirements
    1. Dual Core 2+ GHz processor
    2. 2 GB RAM
    3. 80 GB HDD
    4. 1 to 3 Ethernet interfaces
       • 1 Ethernet interface is required if using switch with port mirroring
       • 2 Ethernet interfaces are required if using an Aggregator Tap
       • 3 Ethernet interfaces are required if using regular Tap
  • The PC requires the following software
    1. Microsoft Vista, 7, 8, or Server 2008
    2. Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable 2008

  The Visual C++ Redistributable 2008 package can be downloaded for free from Microsoft's website. Check your installed programs list if the packages are already installed. Note that the multiple versions of the VC++ Redistributable can co-exist on the PC without any impacts.

  • A web browser to access Sparrow^IQ. The following minimum versions of these popular browsers are supported.:
    1. Chrome 20
    2. Firefox 13
    3. Internet Explorer 9
    4. Safari 5
• Where should I deploy Sparrow^IQ (placement in the network)?

  Sparrow^IQ should be deployed where it can listen to all the network traffic that needs to be monitored. If you want all of your corporate network traffic to be monitored, the best place would be to deploy at the default gateway.

• Can I run Sparrow^IQ on virtual platforms?

  Yes. Sparrow^IQ has been successfully tested and supported on the following virtual platforms:

  • VMWare vSphere Hypervisor (formerly ESXi 5.0)
  • VMWare Player

  Any of the operating systems supported by Sparrow^IQ (Windows Vista, 7, 8, and Server) can be installed as the Client OS on the virtual platform.

Sparrow technical FAQs

• What are flows / what is flow analysis?

  A flow is a sequence of network packets from one source to one (unicast) or more (anycast or multicast) destinations. Analyzing the flows in your network can tell you what kind of traffic is utilizing your network resources.

• What is Netflow?

  Netflow is a network protocol developed by Cisco for collecting IP traffic information. Netflow has become a standard for monitoring networks and provides the following fields to identify each unique flow. The following details the metrics used in Netflow version 5, which is the one of the most commonly used version for IPv4 networks.

  • Ingress interface
  • Source IP address
  • Destination IP address
  • IP protocol
  • Source port
  • Destination port
  • IP type of service
• Cant I just use free tools like MRTG?

  MRTG only provides you with an overall picture of your bandwidth rates and does not give you detailed components of the traffic that is using up your network resources. This is the visibility of your network that Sparrow^IQ can provide.

• How does Sparrow^IQ work without Netflow capable router?

  Sparrow^IQ needs access to your network traffic and internally builds flow-type data and presents you with the gadgets and reports that you see on screen. Sparrow^IQ does this without netflow data being sent from a router.

• Does Sparrow^IQ support direct Netflow interface monitoring?

  No. Currently we do not support direct Netflow interface monitoring. Keep an eye on our future releases for this one.

• How about sFlow?

  No. Currently, Sparrow^IQ only works independently as an all-in-one package. Again, keep your eye on Sparrow^IQ future releases for this feature.

• Is there a limit on number of flows that can be monitored by Sparrow^IQ?

  Maximum flow rate scales with computing power and there is no artificial limit on the rate at which Sparrow^IQ can monitor traffic. Please contact sales@sparrowiq.com for details and to discuss your specific needs.

• Does Sparrow^IQ put a load on my network?

  No. Sparrow^IQ passively listens to all incoming network traffic and reorganizes the data internally to present meaningful reports for your convenience. Sparrow^IQ generates only minimal DNS packets to resolve the IP addresses. The only other data is the HTTP traffic between the Sparrow^IQ PC and your web browser, which is comparable to a user visiting an average website.

• Is Sparrow^IQ a big brother tool? What about privacy of the data?

  No. Sparrow^IQ monitors your network without any Deep Packet Inspection. So, it can tell you where your network resources are being utilized without any inspection of the user data.