System information

324 Switched Observer
Switched Modes
Discover Network Names – Switched
Discover Network Names works in the same way for both switched and non-switched
mode. In switched mode, since all broadcasts are propagated over all ports on the switch,
eventually Discover Network Names will find all relevant addresses. There is no
additional setup for using Discover Network Names in switched mode.
Packet Capture – Switched
When working in switched mode, Packet Capture works in a similar manner as in standard
mode with the following exceptions:
• In switched mode, Observer must “prepare” the switch for packet capture. This
preparation will begin as soon as you click the Start icon. If Observer is using looping
to monitor statistical information on your switch, preparation includes the
discontinuing of the looping process and mirroring of one or more ports (depending
on what your switch supports) to the Observer port. This may take a few seconds;
therefore, your capture will not start immediately.
• Prior to the capture starting, all other modes that are currently running will be ended.
These running modes are dependent on the looping function and would no longer
report accurate data.
• When the capture is ended, the switch is reset back into looping mode.
The preparation dialog allows you to define which port(s) you want to capture. While in
Packet Capture mode, Observer is no longer “sampling” data from the ports. Observer,
with the help of your switch, will capture all packets on the designated port(s).
When the S
TART CAPTURE button is clicked, the Prepare Switch dialog is displayed. This
dialog will not be displayed if you have selected “Static” from the Looping Mode
dropdown on the Switch Dashboard Setup dialog. See “Main Switch Dashboard – Switch
Setup Tab” on page 309.
In this dialog you can configure which port or ports you would like to capture data from.