Ports may be dedicated as network inputs or tool output, or maybe configurable as either, with most products trending toward the latter.
Some devices can interconnect chassis to configure logical systems with hundreds of ports, although user interface complexity can serve as a limiting factor in many products.
A unique characteristic of the data monitoring switch, as opposed to matrix switches and aggregating Taps, is that it can support a flexible set of port mappings including: In addition to directing monitoring traffic, data monitoring switches are capable of filtering traffic by Layer 2 to Layer 4 protocol criteria such as VLAN or IP address, enabling only traffic of interest to be sent to specific tools.
Some data monitoring switches offer different management interfaces (fully integrated GUI, automation, etc.
either on the individual level or by using groups, filter library / archiving, and the ability to manage multiple devices simultaneously from a single interface.