Cisco: storm-control unicast

Cisco Storm Control Unicast

Cisco Storm Control is a network security feature that helps protect against network flooding incidents. It detects and blocks traffic that exceeds a certain rate of traffic, or “storm”, on a network interface, such as a switch port. Storm Control can be configured to block both broadcast and unicast packets.

Broadcast and unicast packets differ in how they are sent and handled on a network. Broadcast packets are sent to all devices on a network and are not acknowledged, while unicast packets are sent from one device to a specific destination and are acknowledged.

Broadcast packets are more prone to network flooding incidents because they are sent to all devices on the network, so a device that is sending a large number of broadcasts can overwhelm the network. Broadcasting is also used for many network services, such as DHCP, so it is important to be able to control it.

Unicast packets, on the other hand, are less prone to flooding incidents because they are sent to a specific destination, so a device that is sending a large number of unicast packets will only affect the destination device. Unicast packets are also used for many services, such as file transfers and remote access, so it is important to be able to control them as well.

Cisco Storm Control can be configured to block both broadcast and unicast packets. When a packet rate exceeds a configured threshold, the switch will drop any broadcast and/or unicast packets that exceed the threshold. The threshold can be configured for a specific port, or for all ports on the switch.

The Cisco Storm Control feature can be used to protect against network flooding incidents by blocking broadcast and unicast packets that exceed a configured threshold. This can help ensure that the network remains available and responsive, even during periods of high traffic.

Cisco Storm Control is a powerful network security feature that can help protect against network flooding incidents. It can be configured to block both broadcast and unicast packets, and the threshold can be configured for a specific port or for all ports on the switch. It is an important tool for IT administrators to have in their toolbox to help ensure that their networks stay secure and available.