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Packet Capture Storage Calculator

Calculate storage requirements for network packet capture

The maximum speed of the monitored network link.
Mbps
How long you need to capture and retain packet data.
Average percentage of the link capacity actually in use. Typical: 30-60%.
%
What percentage of traffic is actually captured (BPF filter). 100% = full capture, lower = filtered capture.
%

Results

Effective Capture RateMbps
Total Data Volume
Storage with 10% Overhead
Required Disk Write SpeedMB/s
IOPS Required (4K blocks)IOPS
Peak Write Speed NeededMB/s
How it works: Data volume = (link_speed × utilization × filter_ratio × duration) / 8. Storage includes 10% overhead for pcap headers and filesystem. Disk write speed = capture_rate / 8 (Mbps to MB/s). IOPS calculated assuming 4KB write blocks.