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Stackable NWay Ethernet Switch User's Guide
Broadcast
storms
have
long
been
a
concern
for
network
administrators with routers traditionally being used to prevent their
occurrence, and if that failed, limit their scope. However, switches
are now able to limit broadcast domains better and cheaper than
routers. Also, many switches have broadcast sensors and filters built
into each port to further control broadcast storms—such as the
Switch you have purchased.
Port-based Broadcast Packet Filter
The Switch is equipped with sensors that count the number of
broadcast frames arriving at each port. When a certain level ( r ising
threshold) is reached, the sensors can initiate a broadcast filter
(rising action) which drops all broadcast packets arriving at the
affected port. This effectively partitions the broadcast packets from
the rest of the network, thereby limiting the effects of a broadcast
storm. The port-based Broadcast Storm Filter settings can be set by
the user. Please refer to the Configure Ports section of this manual
for more detailed explanations regarding port-based Broadcast Storm
filter settings.
MAC-based Broadcast Packet Filter
Broadcast domains can also be managed on the MAC level. In this
case, broadcast domains can be defined to include specific devices
(MAC addresses). To do this, simply enter the MAC addresses of the
computers and peripherals you wish to include in the broadcast
domain(s). Any unknown or broadcast packets generated within the
Mac-based broadcast domain will only be sent to the other members.
Other parts of the network are effectively shielded. Configuring MAC-
based broadcast domains is done in the VLANs and MAC-based
Broadcast Domains submenus of the Console or Web-based
management programs.
50
Switch Management Concepts
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