In message <400D9745.76839304@greendragon.com>, William Allen Simpson writes:
Eriks Rugelis wrote:
On the other hand, if your environment consists of a large number (100's) of potential tapping points, then you will quickly determine that in-line taps have very poor scaling properties. a) They are not rack-dense b) They require external power warts c) They are not cheap (in the range of US$500 each) d) Often when you have that many potential tapping points, you are likely to be processing a larger number of warrants in a year. An in-line tap arrangement will require a body to physically install the recording equipment and cables to the trace-ports on the tap. You may also need to make room for more than one set of recording gear at each site.
This is a feature, not a bug. Law enforcement is required to pay -- up front -- all costs of tapping. No pay, no play.
Right, at least in the U.S. See section 4(e) of http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/2518.html --Steve Bellovin, http://www.research.att.com/~smb