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 124" 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