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I think you need a switch that has SPAN functionality<br />
<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_mirroring" rel="ugc">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_mirroring</a><br />
<br />
With a switch configured with a span port you can then use software such as this one to monitor network traffic - <a href="http://www.tamos.com/htmlhelp/commtraffic/faq.htm" rel="ugc">http://www.tamos.com/htmlhelp/commtraffic/faq.htm</a><br />
<br />
See on that page the part where they explain that on a switched network you need a span port(note obviously this software is not free but its cheap)<br />
<br />
As for the models of switch that provide this I only know of Cisco models
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I think you need a switch that has SPAN functionality

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_mirroring [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_mirroring]

With a switch configured with a span port you can then use software such as this one to monitor network traffic - http://www.tamos.com/htmlhelp/commtraffic/faq.htm [http://www.tamos.com/htmlhelp/commtraffic/faq.htm]

See on that page the part where they explain that on a switched network you need a span port(note obviously this software is not free but its cheap)

As for the models of switch that provide this I only know of Cisco models

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Thanks, Experts.<br />
My need is simply to count ethernet frames.<br />
So, thanks for giving me the confidence to proceed.
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Thanks, Experts.
My need is simply to count ethernet frames.
So, thanks for giving me the confidence to proceed.

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I have not used a managed network switch before.<br />
<br />
Using one, can I log traffic (quantity of packets) between nodes in a LAN?<br />
Say for example, traffic between workstations and a router.<br />
All I am interested in is traffic volume. Not sniff contents, segment or block packets.<br />
<br />
I am aware that there are software to do this. But I am after a simple, maintenance free solution.<br />
<br />
If indeed this is feasible, how would this feature/function of a switch be referred to.<br />
Just so that if I were to get one, to ensure that it will do the job.<br />
<br />
Thanks, Experts.
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I have not used a managed network switch before.

Using one, can I log traffic (quantity of packets) between nodes in a LAN?
Say for example, traffic between workstations and a router.
All I am interested in is traffic volume. Not sniff contents, segment or block packets.

I am aware that there are software to do this. But I am after a simple, maintenance free solution.

If indeed this is feasible, how would this feature/function of a switch be referred to.
Just so that if I were to get one, to ensure that it will do the job.

Thanks, Experts.

Using a managed network switch to log traffic

A switch is a device that filters and forwards packets of data between LAN segments. Switches operate at the data link layer or the network layer of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Reference Model and therefore support any packet protocol. LANs that use switches to join segments are called switched LANs or, in the case of Ethernet networks, switched Ethernet LANs. A hub is a connection point for devices in a network. Hubs are commonly used to connect segments of a LAN. A hub contains multiple ports; when a packet arrives at one port, it is copied to the other ports so that all segments of the LAN can see all packets.