How to Use This Tool
Apply sampling, captured-byte fraction and compression to a line-rate storage ceiling. Estimate packet-capture storage from link rate, duration, sampling, captured-byte fraction and compression assumptions.
The decision this tool supports
A line-rate estimate can overprovision sampled captures by orders of magnitude, while ignoring snap length or compression can still exhaust a sensor disk. This page keeps the decision bounded to estimated stored capture and the supporting outputs shown beside it. Packet Capture Storage does not import an account, infer a market rate, or silently substitute an industry average.
Inputs and units
The Packet Capture Storage calculation uses Observed traffic rate, Capture duration, Traffic sampled, Bytes retained after snap length, Stored size after compression. Keep all money values in one currency and all time, distance, mass, energy or volume entries in the unit printed beside the field. Mixing Packet Capture Storage scopes can produce a plausible number with the wrong meaning.
- Observed traffic rate is entered in Mbit/s.
- Capture duration is entered in minutes.
- Traffic sampled is entered in %.
- Bytes retained after snap length is entered in %.
- Stored size after compression is entered in %.
Formula and worked check
Full GB = Mbit/s × 10⁶ ÷ 8 × seconds ÷ 10⁹; stored size multiplies by sampling, retained-byte and compressed-size percentages. 100 Mbit/s for 60 minutes is a 45.00 GB full ceiling; 1% sampling, 25% retained bytes and 50% stored size yields 0.06 GB. The Packet Capture Storage default is an executable known-answer case, not a benchmark or recommendation. Change one input and verify that the direction of estimated stored capture still matches the stated relationship.
How to interpret the result
Treat this as a decimal-GB ceiling and measure actual packet sizes, sampling method and compression on representative traffic. The additional Packet Capture Storage outputs expose the denominator, comparison, capacity or reverse value needed to audit the primary result instead of presenting one unexplained number.
Assumptions
- Traffic rate is an average over the capture duration.
- Sampling, retained-byte and stored-size percentages are independent planning factors.
- Storage uses decimal GB.
Save the Packet Capture Storage input values and date with any material decision. A later Packet Capture Storage rerun is reproducible only when the same assumptions and units are available.
Limitations and safety boundary
Burst rate, file headers, indexes, rotation reserve, metadata, packet-size distribution, loss and compression variability are excluded. Packet Capture Storage is an estimate and cannot replace a contract, local code, licensed professional, calibrated measurement, lender statement or platform report where one governs the decision.
Source and privacy
The Packet Capture Storage definition or rule was checked against IETF RFC 5476 — Packet Sampling on 2026-08-26. Recheck IETF RFC 5476 — Packet Sampling when a specification or policy behind Packet Capture Storage can change. Packet Capture Storage arithmetic runs in this browser tab; ecech does not receive the values through a calculation API.
Sources & assumptions
Tool Spec v2 · verified 2026-08-26. Platform rules and fees can change; the editable inputs remain authoritative for your account.
Official references
- IETF RFC 5476 — Packet Sampling (checked 2026-08-26)
Model assumptions
- Traffic rate is an average over the capture duration.
- Sampling, retained-byte and stored-size percentages are independent planning factors.
- Storage uses decimal GB.
- Burst rate, file headers, indexes, rotation reserve, metadata, packet-size distribution, loss and compression variability are excluded.
