Converting Network-to-Tool port

A Network port can be converted to a tool port by following the steps below,

  1. Remove the Network port from the flow

Assuming that we want to remove port "Ethernet 63/1" from the flow, The network ports can be reconfigured as below

//Before
pbnoscli(config)# flow flow01
pbnoscli(config-flow-flow01)# network-ports Ethernet4/1,Ethernet6/1,Ethernet63/1,Ethernet8/1
pbnoscli(config-flow-flow01)# 

//Reconfiguring flow01
pbnoscli(config)# flow flow01
pbnoscli(config-flow-flow01)# network-ports Ethernet4/1,Ethernet6/1,Ethernet8/1
pbnoscli(config-flow-flow01)# 

2. Change the mode of the port to VLAN-aware

//Reconfiguring port mode
pbnoscli# configure terminal 
pbnoscli(config)# interface ethernet Ethernet63/1
pbnoscli(config-if)# mode vlan-aware 
pbnoscli(config-if)# 

This step is only required if the port was configured as VLAN-unware when it was initially configured as a network port.

3. Change the interface type to 'tool'

//Reconfiguring Ethernet63/1
pbnoscli# configure terminal 
pbnoscli(config)# interface ethernet Ethernet63/1
pbnoscli(config-if)# type tool 
pbnoscli(config-if)# 

The 'type' command under the interface works like a description for the user about the port type

4. Add the port to Port-Channel, if required

  • Adding the port to the Port-Channel

If the port channel is already part of a flow, then the flow has to be deleted and reconfigured with the new Port-Channel

//Deleting Flow
pbnoscli(config)# no flow flow01

//Deleting old Port-channel
pbnoscli(config)# no port-channel 1 ports 

//Create a new Port-channel with the new port 
pbnoscli(config)# port-channel 1 ports Ethernet20/1,...,Ethernet63/1
pbnoscli(config)# 
  • Create the flow and add ports

// Some code
pbnoscli(config)# flow flow01
pbnoscli(config-flow-flow01)# network-ports Ethernet4/1,Ethernet6/1,Ethernet8/1
pbnoscli(config-flow-flow01)# tool-ports port-channel1
pbnoscli(config-flow-flow01)# 
  • Add rules to filter traffic

//Adding rules to the flow
pbnoscli(config)# flow flow01
pbnoscli(config-flow-flow01)# rule 1 permit match-all counters enable              
pbnoscli(config-flow-flow01)# rule 2 permit match-all ipv6 counters enable 
pbnoscli(config-flow-flow01)# end

5. Adding the port the tool port

//Before
pbnoscli(config)# flow flow01                 
pbnoscli(config-flow-flow01)# tool-ports port-channel1
pbnoscli(config-flow-flow01)#

//Adding the port to the existing set of tool ports
pbnoscli(config)# flow flow01                 
pbnoscli(config-flow-flow01)# tool-ports port-channel1,Ethernet64/1
pbnoscli(config-flow-flow01)#

The new port can be added to the existing list if it's not part of the Port-Channel

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