Broadcast filtering helps to prevent a broadcast storm, which is a massive transmission of broadcast packets being sent by a single port to every port on a local area network (LAN). Forwarded message responses can overload network resources, slow regular network traffic, or cause the network to time out. Broadcast filtering lets you limit the number of broadcast packets that each port sends. When you turn on broadcast filtering, you have the option to set the storm control rate on each port of your switch.
Storm control rates are the rates at which ports on your switch allow broadcast packets to be sent. Your switch measures the rate of incoming broadcast, multicast, and unknown unicast packets per port and discards packets when the rate exceeds the allowed value.
To configure broadcast filtering and storm control rates on your Nighthawk switch:
- Log in to your switch by typing its IP address into the address bar of your web browser or using a saved bookmark.
- Enter your password.
- At the top left corner of the screen, click PRIORITIZATION.
- Click the slider below Broadcast Filtering to enable it.
- Click STORM CONTROL RATE.
- Click the blue pencil icon.
- To set a storm control rate limit for a port, select a rate in Kpbs or Mbps from the individual menu for that port.
- Click APPLY.
Your storm control rate settings are saved and the EDIT STORM CONTROL RATE page closes. - Click APPLY.
Your broadcast filtering settings are saved.
After you configure broadcast filtering and storm control rates on your switch, you might want to change settings for QoS, rate limits, flow control, multicast, and IGMP snooping. For more information about these settings, see the following knowledge base articles:
- What is QoS and how do I configure it on my GS808E Nighthawk S8000 Gaming & Streaming Switch?
- What is port-based rate limiting and how do I configure it on my GS808E Nighthawk S8000 Gaming & Streaming Switch?
- What is flow control and how do I enable or disable it on my GS808E Nighthawk S8000 Gaming & Streaming Switch?
- What are multicast and IGMP snooping and how do I configure them on my GS808E Nighthawk S8000 Gaming & Streaming Switch?