configure nodealias ports ip-device-trackingNEW!

configure nodealias ports [port_list |all] ip-device-tracking [on | off]

Description

Enables or disables IP device tracking on specified ports. IP device tracking uses ARP probing to monitor the presence and activity of client devices, particularly useful for keeping silent devices (devices with minimal traffic) connected and preventing authentication timeout for NetLogin authenticated clients.

When enabled, the switch sends periodic ARP probes to devices in the IP device tracking table. If devices respond to the probes, their session remains active and the inactivity timer is not triggered. This prevents silent devices from being disconnected due to idle timeout.

Syntax Description

nodealias Node Alias feature that maps source IP address, MAC address, and protocol on a per port basis.
ports Designates that specified ports should have the specified maximum number of nodealias entries applied.
port_listLists the ports to apply the specified maximum number of nodealias entries to. Designated as a port list separated by comma (,) or dash (-).
allSpecifies that all ports have the specified maximum number of nodealias entries.
ip-device-trackingSpecifies IP device tracking configuration on the specified port(s).
onSpecifies to enable ARP probing. Devices are marked as "Active" when responding to ARP probes or "Inactive" when probe failures exceed the configured max-failures threshold.
offSpecifies to disable ARP probing. All devices are marked as "Not Tracked" and ARP probe monitoring stops (Default).

Default

Off (disabled).

Usage Guidelines

IP device tracking is particularly beneficial for environments with:
  • Silent devices that generate minimal traffic
  • NetLogin authenticated clients that risk timeout due to inactivity
  • IoT devices, printers, or other equipment with sporadic communication patterns

When enabled, this feature prevents unnecessary re-authentication of idle but connected devices. Configure ARP probe parameters using the configure nodealias ports ip-device-tracking arp-probe command before enabling this feature. The feature works in conjunction with NetLogin authentication to maintain active sessions. It is not required to configure arp probe parameters to enable ip-device-tracking on port. Default values would suffice for ip-device-tracking to work.

This feature is applicable for both Netlogin and Non-netlogin clients.

Example

The following example enables IP device tracking on port 7:

# configure nodealias ports 7 ip-device-tracking on
The following example enables IP device tracking on multiple ports:
configure nodealias ports 1-8,10 ip-device-tracking on

History

This command was first available in version 33.6.1.

Platform Availability

This command is available on X440-G2, X450-G2, X460-G2, and X465 series switches.