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Network Taps

From Black Box Network Services

Two common methods for gaining a window into a network are by installing a network tap or by using a mirror port
(called a SPAN port by Cisco®) on a network switch. Both network taps and mirror ports provide a window into traffic on
a network segment, enabling you to use a network analyzer or other monitoring tool for troubleshooting, diagnostics, security,
or forensics compliance.
A network tap is a hardware device that's installed on your network. It enables network traffic to pass through unimpeded while
duplicating all data to a monitor port where it can be accessed by a network analyzer.
Port mirroring, on the other hand, is a capability built into many high-end networking devices. This feature enables the data from
individual ports to be duplicated to another port, creating a mirror port that acts as a software network tap.

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Topics of Interest

Network monitoring from the inside out: network taps vs. mirror ports.

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