WhatsUp Gold Flow Monitor
Network traffic monitoring
Visualize network bandwidth utilization and network performance
What is flow?
A flow is a series of packets with a set of common characteristics sent between devices. As packets traverse a device, seven parameters are analyzed, if they all match exactly, then this sequence of packets is determined to be a flow. Flows are comprised of one of the IP protocols (usually TCP or UDP) depending on the end system being accessed.
What is flow management?
Flow management is the analysis of the different types of traffic traversing the network (as compared to simply looking at bandwidth utilization) to ensure the network is able to support key business applications. The practice of flow management began with the implementation of NetFlow, a technology developed by Cisco, which is part of the device IOS (internal operating system). In addition to the NetFlow format, other popular formats include J-Flow (developed by Juniper Networks), and sFlow (RFC 3176 standard). The vast majority of hardware manufacturers support one or more flow formats.
Why is flow management important?
The practice of flow management enables you to efficiently characterize the IP traffic on a network, which is critical to identifying the cause of link/network congestion, facilitating effective network capacity planning, and ensuring network resources are used to support organizational goals, including the support of key business applications.
What can flow management data be used for?
Flow data can be used for many applications such as:
- Traffic and bandwidth utilization analysis
- Application monitoring
- User monitoring
- Network performance monitoring
- Network capacity planning
- Security analysis
- Traffic engineering
- Peering agreement
- Usage-based billing
- Destination sensitive billing
How does it work?
Each flow enabled router or switch (source) collects and aggregates information about traffic passing through it, and when configured to do so, transmits the information to a flow enabled network management and monitoring system such as WhatsUp Gold. WhatsUp Gold then converts the flow data into actionable reports (or something to that nature).
How does WhatsUp Gold support flow management?
Flow management support is provided through a Flow Monitor plug-in that fully integrates into the WhatsUp Gold web console. It supports multiple popular formats including NetFlow, J-Flow and sFlow.
What components are included?
The WhatsUp Gold Flow Monitor includes all the required components to enable flow data collection and reporting including; dedicated flow SQL database, flow collector, management and configuration interface and reporting.
What type of information does it provide?
WhatsUp Gold Flow Monitor provides comprehensive information to network managers allowing them to identify, view and report on the following types of data about their network and its usage.
- Protocol
- Application (port number)
- Conversations
- Sender host
- Receiver host
- Sender domain
- Receiver domain
- Sender top level domain (TLD)
- Receiver TLD
- Top sender country
- Top receiver country
- Type of service (ToS)
How is it licensed?
The WhatsUp Gold Flow Monitor is licensed by flow source. A flow source is a device that collects network traffic data and forwards flow compliant records to a designated collector. A source can have any number of configured interfaces.
Which manufacturers support flow management?
In addition to Cisco, a number of OEM manufacturers support NetFlow. Specific information for the manufacturers is provided below.
Cisco Device Support
The following IOS versions and hardware platforms fully support flow record export for NetFlow v1, v5 and v9.
| Cisco IOS Software Release Version | Supported Cisco Hardware Platforms |
|---|---|
11.1CA, 11.1CC |
Cisco 7200 and 7500 series, RSP 7200 series |
12.0 |
Cisco 1720, 2600, 3600, 4500, 4700, AS5800 |
12.0T, 12.0S |
Cisco 1720, 2600, 3600, 4500, 4700, AS5800 |
12.0(3)T, 12.0(3)S |
Cisco 1720, 2600, 3600, 4500, 4700, AS5300, AS5800 |
12.0(4)T |
Cisco 1400, 1600, 1720, 2500, 2600, 3600, 4500, 4700, AS5300, AS5800 |
12.0(4)XE |
Cisco 7100 series |
12.0(6)S |
Cisco 12000 series |
It should be noted that the following Cisco devices do not support NetFlow: Cisco 2900, 3500, 3660, 3750.
Other Vendor Support for Cisco’s NetFlow Format
- 3Com - 8800 Series Switches
- Adtran - NetVanta 3200, 3305, 4305, 5305, 1524, 1624, 3430, 3448, 3130, 340, and 344 (Supports NetFlow version 9)
- Riverbed
- Enterasys Networks
- Extreme Networks - Does not support input/output interface, octets, or first and last times
- Foundry Networks
- Packeteer
- VMware – ESX Server v3.5 based upon virtual switch
sFlow and J-Flow Device Support
WhatsUp Gold Flow Monitor device support includes the following manufacturers and devices:
3Com
- 4800G Family
AlaxalA Networks
- AX7800R
- AX7800S
- AX7700R
- AX5400S
Alcatel-Lucent
- OmniSwitch 6850
- OmniSwitch 9000 series
Allied Telesis
- SwitchBlade 7800R series
- SwitchBlade 7800S series
- SwitchBlade 5400S series
Brocade
- BigIron series
- FastIron series
- IronPoint series
- NetIron series
- SecureIron series
- ServerIron series
Comtec Systems
- Rex 16Gi
- 24Gi
- 24Gi-Combo
D-Link
- DGS-3600 series
Dell
- Dell 6200 series
Extreme Networks
- Alpine 3800 series
- BlackDiamond 6800 series
- BlackDiamond 8800 series
- BlackDiamond 10808
- BlackDiamond 12804C
- BlackDiamond 12800R Series
- Summit X150 Series
- Summit_X250e Series
- Summit X450 Series
- Summit i series
Force10 Networks
- C series
- E series
H3C
- H3C S7500E Series Switches
- H3C MSR 20-1X Series Routers
Hewlett-Packard
- ProCurve 2610 series
- ProCurve 2800 series
- ProCurve 2900 series
- ProCurve 3400cl series
- ProCurve 3500yl series
- ProCurve 4200vl series
- ProCurve 5300xl series
- ProCurve 5400zl series
- ProCurve 6200yl series
- ProCurve 6400cl series
- ProCurve 6600 series
- ProCurve 8212zl
- ProCurve 9300m series
- ProCurve Routing Switch 9408sl
- ProCurve Wireless Edge Services xl Module
- ProCurve Wireless Edge Services zl Module
- ProCurve Access Point 530
Hitachi
- GR4000
- GS4000
- GS3000
Juniper Networks
- EX series
NEC
- IP8800/R400 series
- IP8800/S400 series
- IP8800/S300 series