What is a SPAN port, and do I need special hardware?

A SPANSPAN: switch port analyser. A switch setting that sends a copy of network traffic to one port, where a sensor can watch it. port (switch port analyser, also called port mirroring) is a switch setting that copies the traffic of other ports to one port, where a sensor can watch it. Most managed switches support it, usually in the web interface under a name such as mirroring or monitor session; unmanaged switches do not. A network TAPTAP: test access point. A small device that copies the traffic on a network cable for a sensor to watch. is a small device that does the same on a cable, for places without a managed switch or where you want a copy that cannot drop packets under load. Mirror the uplink to your router or the ports of your servers to see the most. With NetSenX, one agent on a SPAN or TAP port watches a whole segment and counts as one device.

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