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User Guide for the Cisco Network Analysis Module (NAM) Traffic Analyzer, 5.0
OL-22617-01
Chapter 4 Capturing and Decoding Packet Data
Sessions
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Hardware Assisted Filters
Hardware Assisted Capture enables you to improve capture performance by providing hardware-specific
filters to help you eliminate as much extraneous traffic as possible. The packets filtered out by hardware
filters are not processed by the NAM, and therefore capture performance improves.
Choose Capture > Sessions to view the status and settings of the hardware assisted capture feature of
the Cisco NAM. It will appear at the bottom of the page, in the Hardware Filters section.
Note Hardware filters apply only to the Cisco 2200 Series Appliances.
Software filters add flexibility to your filtering, but a Hardware Assisted Capture Session is most
efficient when you use only hardware filters. The less traffic requiring software filtering, the more
efficient the filtering.

Configuring a Hardware Filter

The Hardware Filters window displays the status and settings of the Hardware-Assisted Capture if a
capture has been defined. To configure a capture:
Step 1 Choose Capture > Packet Capture/Decode > Sessions.
Step 2 At the bottom of the screen, in the Hardware Filters section, click the Create button.
Step 3 Enter a name in the Name field.
Step 4 Choose one of the following types of filters from the Type drop-down list:
• VLAN
• VLAN and IP
• IP
• IP and TCP/UDP
• IP and Payload Data
• Payload Data