What is a network switch?

A network switch is the box with many sockets that connects the computers, printers and servers in one office to each other, sending each piece of traffic only to the device it is meant for. Unmanaged switches simply work out of the box. Managed switches can be configured: they can split the network into separate segments (VLANs) and copy traffic to a monitoring port, a feature called port mirroring or SPANSPAN: switch port analyser. A switch setting that sends a copy of network traffic to one port, where a sensor can watch it.. That copy is how a network sensor sees the traffic between devices without being in the way. If you plan network monitoring, check whether your main switch is managed.

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