Cisco SwitchProbe devices are hardware products with embedded firmware, designed to collect statistical information of an attached network segment. Using the various Cisco SwitchProbe models, you can monitor different network topologies such as Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, Multiport Fast Ethernet, Token Ring, Wide Area Network (WAN), OC-3 and DS-3 Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI), and High-Speed Serial Interface (HSSI).SwitchProbe devices support Remote Monitoring1 (RMON1), Remote Monitoring2 (RMON2), and Cisco's enhanced RMON extensions. These devices provide complete protocol monitoring and decoding when used with a client equipped with protocol decode software. All models also support the MIB II system and interface groups.Each SwitchProbe device contains specialized firmware known as agent code. In addition to gathering statistics, the SwitchProbe device supports filters and packet. Capture RMON1 groups so you can examine individual packets or sequences of packets to identify and isolate network problems. The device also supports all RMON2 groups and can decode packets from the network layer through the application layer of the OSI model. With this feature, you can monitor traffic on the basis of network layer protocols and addresses, and monitor application-level traffic.