GE MultiLink ML1200

MULTILINK ML1200 MANAGED FIELD SWITCH – INSTRUCTION MANUAL 9–1
Multilink ML1200
Managed Field Switch
Chapter 9: Port Mirroring and
Setup
Digital Energy
Multilin
Port Mirrori ng and Setup
9.1 Port Mirroring
9.1.1 Description
This section explains how individual characteristics of a port on a MultiLink ML1200
Managed Field Switch is configured. For monitoring a specific port, the traffic on a port
can be mirrored on another port and viewed by protocol analyzers. Other setup includes
automatically setting up broadcast storm prevention thresholds.
An Ethernet switch sends traffic from one port to another port. Unlike a switch, a hub or a
shared network device, the traffic is “broadcast” on each and every port. Capturing traffic
for protocol analysis or intrusion analysis can be impossible on a switch unless all the
traffic from a specific port is “reflected” on another port, typically a monitoring port. The
MultiLink ML1200 Managed Field Switch can be instructed to repeat the traffic from one
port onto another port. This process - when traffic from one port is reflecting to another
port - is called port mirroring. The monitoring port is also called a “sniffing” port. Port
monitoring becomes critical for trouble shooting as well as for intrusion detection.