BOOSTER
C8R-X1 / C8P-X1
C8R-X2 / C8P-X2
F8R-X1 / F8P-X1
F8R-X2 / F8P-X2
AGGREGATION TAPSUSER MANUALIf you have any questions, you can contact us through our website:www.profitap.com
or by email:support@profitap.com
For the latest documentation and software, visit our Resource Center:
https://resources.profitap.com/

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Overview
1.1. General Overview
1.2. Features Overview
1.2.1. Link Failure Propagation
1.2.2. Fail-Safe
1.2.3. No Break Fast Failover
1.2.4. Galvanic Separation1.3. Technical Specifications
1.4. Interfaces and LED Behavior
1.4.1. Booster In-Line
1.4.2. Booster In-Line Dual Output
1.4.3. Booster SPAN
1.4.4. Booster SPAN Dual Output
2. Installation and Configuration
2.1. Hardware Installation
2.1.1. Booster In-Line & Booster In-Line Dual Output
2.1.2. Booster In-Line Dual Output & Booster SPAN Dual Output
2.2. Driver Installation
2.3. Firmware Update
2.4. Command Line Interface
2.5. Port Tagging
2.6. Port Tagging System
2.7. Aggregation
LegalDisclaimer
Copyright
Trademarks

44444445667891010101010101111121314141414

1. Overview
1.1. General Overview
Profitap Booster Aggregation TAPs aggregate traffic from up to 8 x 10/100/1000M ports and output thistraffic as a 1/10G stream.
●●●●

The Booster In-Line model aggregates up to 4 x RJ45 in-line links to a single SFP+ output.
The Booster In-Line Dual Output model aggregates up to 4 x RJ45 in-line links and replicates that
traffic to two SFP+ outputs.
The Booster SPAN model aggregates up to 8 x SFP SPAN (out-of-band) inputs to a single SFP+output.
The Booster SPAN Dual Output model aggregates up to 8 x SFP SPAN (out-of-band) inputs andreplicates that traffic to two SFP+ outputs.

1.2. Features Overview
The Booster In-Line and Booster In-Line Dual Output models integrate features specific to in-line links.

1.2.1. Link Failure Propagation
Profitap in-line TAPs transmit link failure errors between ports, allowing the network to activate a redundantpath, while the TAP stays available for autonegotiation. LFP ensures less downtime, and is essential forhigh availability networks.

1.2.2. Fail-Safe
In case of power outage or failure, the TAP activates its fail-safe circuit, connecting network ports A and B
together. The monitor port is disabled when the TAP is unpowered.

1.2.3. No Break Fast Failover
When a power transition event occurs, the network devices renegotiate the link. This operation can take up
to 5 seconds depending on network configuration and can cause a network topology reconfiguration.
No-Break helps reduce this time by trying to keep the link up without renegotiation during the power change
event. With No Break, the network path unavailability lasts between 30 and 300 ms.

1.2.4. Galvanic Separation
The network ports are galvanically separated from the monitor port to ensure maximum security.

41.3. Technical Specifications
Booster In-Line

Booster In-Line Dual
OutputBooster SPAN

Booster SPAN Dual
OutputRack-mountable:
C8R-X1

Rack-mountable:
C8R-X2

Rack-mountable:
F8R-X1

Rack-mountable:
F8R-X2

Portable:
C8P-X1

Portable:
C8P-X2

Portable:
F8P-X1

Portable:
F8P-X2Connectors

8 x RJ45 8 pins
1 x SFP+ cage
1 x USB 2.0 type B
2 x 12 VDC input

8 x RJ45 8 pins
2 x SFP+ cage
1 x USB 2.0 type B
2 x 12 VDC input

8 x SFP cage
1 x SFP+ cage
1 x USB 2.0 type B
2 x 12 VDC input

8 x SFP cage
2 x SFP+ cage
1 x USB 2.0 type B
2 x 12 VDC input

LEDs

16 x Speed/link activity
2 x Status/link activity
2 x Power
1 x Fan

16 x Speed/link activity
18 x Status/link activity 20 x Status/link activity
4 x Status/link activity
2 x Power
2 x Power
2 x Power
1 x Fan
1 x Fan1 x Fan

Max Network Latency

1G: 425 ns
100M: 740 ns
10M: 6000 ns

1G: 425 ns
100M: 740 ns
10M: 6000 ns

Order References—Power Consumption(12V) 1.5 A max

Dimensions (WxDxH)

120 x 205 x 41 mm
4.72 x 8.07 x 1.61 in

WeightAccessories

800 g
1.76 lb1 x 30 W Universal power supply (C14)

Operating Temperature

0°C to +40°C
32°F to 104°F

Storage Temperature-22°C to +70°C-7.6°F to 158°F

MTBF

150 000 hours

Relative Humidity
Compliance—

10 to 95%, non-condensing
RoHSCE5

1.4. Interfaces and LED Behavior
1.4.1. Booster In-Line

1

Power and fan status LEDs

51G/10G SFP+ output (Tx only)

2TAP designator

6SFP+ status/activity LEDs

3

RJ45 speed/activity LEDs

7

RS232 over USB (115200/8-N-1)
setup/update port

4

10/100/1000M RJ45 input (Rx/Tx)

8Redundant power inputs:
1 input required for operation
2 inputs for redundancy

LED Function

RJ45
speed/activity
LEDs

1G/10G SFP+
output Tx LED

LED State

Description

Left LED green

TAP operating at 10 Mbit/s

Right LED green

TAP operating at 100 Mbit/s

Left+Right LEDs green

TAP operating at 1000 Mbit/sBlinking

Port is linked up and has Rx/Tx activity

OrangeNo SFP module or SFP module not initialized

GreenNormal operation

RedPacket drops

BlinkingActivity

6

1.4.2. Booster In-Line Dual Output

1

Power and fan status LEDs

5

1G/10G SFP+ outputs (Tx only):
X1: masterX2: slave

2

TAP designator

6

SFP+ status/activity LEDs

3

RJ45 speed/activity LEDs

7

RS232 over USB (115200/8-N-1)
setup/update port

8Redundant power inputs:
1 input required for operation
2 inputs for redundancy410/100/1000M RJ45 input (Rx/Tx)

LED Function

RJ45
speed/activity
LEDs

1G/10G SFP+output Tx LEDs

LED State

Description

Left LED green

TAP operating at 10 Mbit/s

Right LED green

TAP operating at 100 Mbit/s

Left+Right LEDs green

TAP operating at 1000 Mbit/s

Blinking

Port is linked up and has Rx/Tx activity

OrangeNo SFP module or SFP module not initialized

Green

Normal operation

Red

Packet drops

BlinkingActivity

71.4.3. Booster SPAN

1Power and fan status LEDs

5

1G/10G SFP+ output (Tx)

2Input designator

6

SFP+ status/activity LEDs

3

SFP status/activity LEDs

7

RS232 over USB (115200/8-N-1)
setup/update port

4

10/100/1000M SFP input (Rx)

8Redundant power inputs:
1 input required for operation
2 inputs for redundancy

LED Function
SFP status/activity
Rx LEDs

1G/10G SFP+ output
Tx LED

LED State

Description

Green steady

Link without activity

Green blinking

Link with activity

OrangeNo SFP module or SFP module not initialized

Green

Normal operation

RedPacket drops

Blinking

Activity8

1.4.4. Booster SPAN Dual Output

1Power and fan status LEDs

51G/10G SFP+ outputs (Tx):
X1: masterX2: slave

2Input designator

6

SFP+ status/activity LEDs

3

SFP status/activity LEDs

7

RS232 over USB (115200/8-N-1)
setup/update port

8

Redundant power inputs:
1 input required for operation
2 inputs for redundancy

4

10/100/1000M SFP input (Rx)

LED Function
SFP status/activity
Rx LEDs

1G/10G SFP+ output
Tx LEDs

LED State

Description

Green steady

Link without activity

Green blinking

Link with activity

OrangeNo SFP module or SFP module not initialized

Green

Normal operation

RedPacket drops

BlinkingActivity

92. Installation and Configuration
2.1. Hardware Installation
2.1.1. Booster In-Line & Booster In-Line Dual Output
1. Install the TAP with NO power source connected.
2. Power both network devices, do NOT power the TAP yet. Check connectivity between network
device A and B.
3. Apply power to the TAP.
4. Check network link between network device A and B and the operational state of the TAP.

2.1.2. Booster In-Line Dual Output & Booster SPAN Dual Output
Important: The Booster Dual Output models feature a master (X1) output port and a slave (X2) output port.
When using a single output port, port X1 must be used. When using both outputs, the speed of both ports is
dictated by port X1. Changing the speed or module type may require a reboot of the unit.

2.2. Driver Installation
Drivers are not required for standard operation. However, they are required in order to use the Setup port,
for configuration and firmware update purposes.
Visit https://resources.profitap.com/ to download the latest drivers and software.
The BoosterUpdater package is available for Windows 7 / 8 / 10 (32-bit and 64-bit). It contains both theBooster drivers, and the BoosterUpdater software used for firmware updates.

2.3. Firmware Update
Visit https://resources.profitap.com/ to download the latest firmware.
In order to update the Booster firmware, perform the following steps:
●
●
●
●
●

Run the BoosterUpdater software
Select the firmware file (****.fw)
Click the Update button
Wait for the operation to complete
Reboot the Booster

10

2.4. Command Line Interface
In standard operation, the USB port works as a virtual COM port (115200/8-N-1). Use your preferredterminal software.
The list of commands can be obtained using the help command.

2.5. Port Tagging
The Booster is able to insert VLAN tags to ingress packets. That way, the source port information of eachpacket is forwarded to the analyzer.
The port tagging feature is controlled by the following commands:
CommandParameter

Description

tag enable—

Enable VLAN tag insertion

tag disable—

Disable VLAN tag insertion

set tag -n

Decimal number
0 - 4095

Set VID for inserted 802.1q and802.1ad tags on port 0. Other port (p)will be tagged with VID + p.

set tag -q

hh hh hh hh(4x 8bits hexadecimal)

Set 802.1q tag to insert. The last 12 bits
are ignored.

set tag -ad

hh hh hh hh(4x 8bits hexadecimal)

Set 802.1ad tag to insert. The last 12bits are ignored.

set tag -1hhhh(16 bits hexadecimal)

Set TPID field to detect. If detected,
802.1ad tag is inserted, otherwise
802.1q is inserted.

set tag -2hhhh(16 bits hexadecimal)

Set TPID field to detect. If detected,
802.1ad tag is inserted, otherwise
802.1q is inserted.

tag save—Save current configuration in
non-volatile memory

tag load—

Load configuration from non-volatilememory

tag default—

Load default configuration

11

2.6. Port Tagging System
When port tagging is enabled, the Booster tags all incoming packets with the tag configured by –q or –ad
parameter and the VID + port number.
When the original packet does not match the TPID fields configured by –1 or –2 parameters, the packets
are tagged according to the –q and VID + port number parameters:

When the original packet matches the TPID fields configured by –1 or –2 parameters, the packets aretagged according to the –ad and VID + port number parameters:

In the case of multiple VLAN present in the original packet, the first TPID field is compared with TPID –1and –2 parameters. The original VLAN tags are not altered.
All parameters are configurable and can be stored in nonvolatile memory using the ’tag save’ command.
Saved setup is automatically loaded at startup. By default, values are:
●
●
●
●
●
●

Tagging DISABLED
VID: 0TPID 1: 8100
TPID 2: 88a8
802.1q tag: 81 00 00 00
802.1ad tag: 88 a8 00 00

12

2.7. Aggregation
The 8 input ports’ traffic is aggregated and forwarded to the output SFP+ port(s).
On the In-Line models, the 8 input ports are triple speed 10/100/1000BASE-T ports.
On the SPAN models, the 8 input ports are 10/100/1000 SFP ports.
The Booster SPAN's input SFP cages support:
●
●
●
●
●
●
●

1000BASE-SX module
1000BASE-LX module
100BASE-FX module (Source Photonics)
1000BASE-CX 1GE copper cable
1000BASE-T module
100BASE-TX module
10BASE-T module

The output SFP/SFP+ cage supports:
●●●●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●

10GBASE-LRM module
10GBASE-SR module
10GBASE-LR module
10GBASE-ER module
10GBASE-R passive direct attach cable
10GBASE-R active direct attach cable
10GBASE-T module
1000BASE-SX module
1000BASE-LX module
1000BASE-CX 1GE copper cable
1000BASE-T module

Changing the output module type may require a reboot.
The Booster embeds 1 Mb of shared memory for burst absorption, in case the output port speed is lower
than the sum of input bandwidth. In this case, packet drops are indicated in red by the output port Tx LED.
The Booster aggregates and forwards any packets from 50 Byte to 10 KByte, including CRC error packets.

13LegalDisclaimer
The manufacturer makes no representations or warranties with respect to the contents hereof andspecifically disclaims any implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. The
manufacturer reserves the right to revise this publication and to make changes in the content thereof
without obligation of the manufacturer to notify any person of such revision or changes.

Copyright
This publication, including all photographs and illustrations, is protected under international copyright laws,with all rights reserved. Neither this manual, nor any of the material contained herein, may be reproduced
without written consent of the author.

Trademarks
The trademarks mentioned in this manual are the sole property of their owners.

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