In many network environments it is desirable and often necessary to have an IDSdevice monitoring a on a 24x7 basis. Additional monitor ports allow a protocol analyzeror other network management tools to access the same link on a permanent or as needed basis. This eliminates contention for access to the data. The extra monitor ports also allow redundant devices to be connected to the same link as a failsafe measure to prevent the loss of data in case one of the connected devices has problems or needs to be updated.