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Complete Integration of Flow Technology
NetFlow and sFlow® has been fully integrated into the Observer platform. This ensures the same solution used for comprehensive analysis, such as measuring application performance and obtaining real-time VoIP metrics, now displays statistics on NetFlow and sFlow data.
Observer continues to be the only solution that provides network professionals with complete network visibility and monitoring capabilities across the entire organization.
About NetFlow
NetFlow is a Cisco-inspired traffic reporting mechanism that device manufacturers have embedded into devices such as routers and switches. NetFlow tracks statistics per “flow” where a flow is defined as a routed traffic stream passing between a pair of addresses on a particular port. It then pushes this data to a collector such as a Network Instruments Advanced Expert Probe.
How Observer Integrates NetFlow
Any Advanced Expert Probe can be configured to aggregate flows from various NetFlow devices on a particular site and send updated information to a centralized Observer console. The console then displays the NetFlow data, providing:
- Real-Time Statistics
- Top Talkers
- Pairs Matrix
- Bandwidth Usage
- VLAN Analysis
- Application Awareness
- Long-Term Trending
Integration Advantages
IT can realize a number of benefits by integrating NetFlow technology in an Observer environment.
- Gaining visibility into routed traffic across every port can be a large investment with probes alone, especially in networks that implement load-balancing and failover redundancy schemas. NetFlow, coupled with Observer, allows you to leverage both technologies to provide maximum, economical, and scalable visibility.
- NetFlow can operate as a first-line diagnostic monitor because it detects abnormal activity as it occurs. For example, NetFlow could detect an end user station consuming an excessive amount of bandwidth. You could then run Observer's Expert to further analyze that activity.
- Setting up an Advanced Expert Probe to collect multiple NetFlow streams from multiple devices near the switches and routers will consolidate and encrypt the traffic before sending it to the Observer console, thereby improving security and reducing bandwidth consumption.
- NetFlow technology is commonly included on enterprise infrastructure, so no additional investment is needed for complete visibility.
- Application performance immediately affects productivity and hence the bottom-line. NetFlow can identify which applications are active on the network and provide usage statistics on those applications. With the addition of Observer, you can then drill down and analyze the application’s performance.
“Tracking NetFlow through Observer offers many benefits. NetFlow data reveals abnormal activity on the network and then I can drill down on that particular activity with Observer. Although NetFlow shows diagnostic data, I need Observer to resolve the issue particularly at the application level. As a result, with Observer I can collect and also act upon NetFlow data already running across our networks.”
Stephen Joseph, LEK Securities
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About sFlow
sFlow, similar to NetFlow, is a standard traffic reporting mechanism that device manufacturers have embedded into switches. sFlow monitors sampled traffic on the backplane of these switches and then pushes the data to any Network Instruments Advanced Expert Probe. Similar to how Observer integrates NetFlow, Observer then provides real-time statistics and long-term trending reports on this data as well.
To learn more about sFlow, visit sFlow.org.
The Advanced Expert Probe acts as a NetFlow and sFlow collector, aggregating and transferring data flows to any Expert Observer or Observer Suite console on the network.
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