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Switch Port Mirror Limitations on Monitoring PC using Wireshark

My question is quite general. I'm using a Dell PowerConnect 5324.

I would like to monitor the traffic of 1 PC using another PC as a monitor running wireshark. On page 228 of the switch it says

The following restrictions apply to ports configured to be destination ports:
1. IP interfaces are not configured on the port
2. The port is not a VLAN member

Does this mean that I can't use the Monitoring PC as a regular PC that browses the internet or shares files with other PCs?

Thanks!

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

pkutter

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pkutter

Just another note, not all network equipment stops traffic to and from the pc connected to the destination port. It seems to be vendor specific. Some vendors block traffic and some don't.

really24

ASKER

Thanks for the reply. It's nice to get some confirmation.

What if my monitoring PC has 2 NICs? Would that work?

really24

ASKER

Sorry, I wasn't specific.

If I still want to use the Monitoring PC for other network tasks, could I do it if the PC had 2 network interfaces? I know the network card has 2 ports. I would like to avoid dedicating a PC just for monitoring if I don't have to.

Thanks!

SOLUTION

TeckBargains

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really24

ASKER

Thanks a lot for your quick responses and help.