Description: This object indicates how the port is to be used. The variable usage applications are shown above. These applications are defined such that they are mutually exclusive. In other words, a port using the security(2) application cannot also use the monitor(3) application at the same time.

The default usage is standard(1), or no special behavior (the port behaves as normal switched port).

The security(2) usage adds addressing security to the port, whereby all learned addresses are secure address.

The monitor(3) usage provides network diagnosis by reflecting traffic on other ports to this port.

The portGrouping(4) application treats this and other ports in the same group as one(inter-switch) connection for more bandwidth potential. When the c2900PortUsageApplication is portGrouping, the c2900PortGroupIndex is set to the index value of the port group. The source address of a received frame is used to determine on which port within the group the frame should be transmitted.

The network(5) usage saves address table space when the port is used as the link to a large network with many MAC addresses by disabling address learning on the port and allowing unknown unicasts packets received on other ports of the vlan the port associated with to be forwarded only to the port.

The networkGroup(6) usage treates this and other ports in the same group as a network port group. All ports in port are network ports in the sense that address learning is disabled on them and unknown unicast packets received on other ports of the vlan are forwarded to the group.

The portGroupDest(7) application treats this and other ports in the same group as one(inter-switch) connection for more bandwidth potential. When the c2900PortUsageApplication is portGroupDest, the c2900PortGroupIndex is set to the index value of the port group. The destination address of a received frame is used to determine on which port within the group the frame should be transmitted.

The protected(8) application does not forward any traffic to other protected ports. It does not forward all kinds of unicast, multicast and broadcast traffic to any other protected port. The protected ports, however, forward traffic normally to non-protected ports and vice versa.