Site24x7 NetFlow Analyzer | Network Traffic Monitoring
Obtain complete visibility into your network traffic and bandwidth performance in real time. Identify traffic peaks, top applications, and conversations using different flow technologies so that you can analyze for what and by whom your bandwidth is being used.
In this doc, we'll cover:
- Prerequisites
- System requirements
- How it works
- Supported flows
- Adding a device to monitor network traffic
- NetFlow templates
- Performance metrics monitoring
- Threshold and Availablity Profile
- Health dashboard
- Troubleshooting tips
Prerequisites
- To perform network traffic analysis using Site24x7, you must install an On-Premise Poller (version: 4.6.0 or above) in the network being monitored.
- The devices should be able to export flows to Site24x7.
System Requirements
To analyze your network traffic deeply using Site24x7 Network Traffic Monitoring, there are certain hardware and port requirements.
Hardware requirements based on rate of flow
Hardware requirements are susceptible to change based on the rate of flow. Here's the consolidated list based on the flow rate:
| Maximum no. of devices per On-Premise Poller | Rate of flow/second | Processor | RAM | Disk space for aggregate data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 0 to 3,000 | 2.4 GHz Quad core | 8 GB | 200 GB |
| 100 | 3,000 to 10,000 | 3.2 GHz Quad core | 16 GB | 250 GB |
| 200 | 10,000 to 50,000 | 3.2 GHz Quad core | 24 GB | 300 GB |
Server type: Only 64 bit OS is supported.
Port requirements
| Port name | Default port numbers | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| NetFlow listener port | 9996 (Learn more about On-Premise Poller-specific port number) | The listener port on which NetFlow exports are received from routers. |
| SNMP | 161 | The default SNMP port to fetch the device information. |
How it Works
You have to install an On-Premise Poller and configure your devices to export flows to it. Once the On-Premise Poller receives the flows, the list of all devices that export flows to Site24x7 will be displayed, from which you can pick the desired devices and interfaces and add them for analysis.
Site24x7 analyzes the traffic and bandwidth at the device, interface, application, and conversation level and provides you with different performance metrics that you can correlate to obtain insights. With numerous graphs and reports as well as the custom dashboard, Site24x7 simplifies your usage and performance monitoring.
Supported Flows
Adding a Device to Monitor Network Flows
Export your network traffic to Site24x7 to monitor the traffic flows and bandwidth performance in real time. You can set up a device to export flows for network traffic analysis by following the five steps below:
- Choose an On-Premise Poller.
- Export commands to configure flow exports. You can do this manually or automatically by providing your network credentials.
- Choose devices and interfaces.
- Organize your monitors and configure profiles.
- Verify your entries and export flows for monitoring.
NetFlow Templates
Site24x7 provides a list of predefined templates that contain preconfigured values. The different types of templates are:
- Application templates: These templates are matched with the applications, protocols and ports and are associated with the template for simplified analysis.
- DSCP templates: Differentiated Services Code Point (DSCP) is a way of classifying and managing network traffic to obtain the quality of service stats on modern networks.
You can use the generic templates or create custom templates.
Performance Metrics Monitored
Network Traffic Monitoring works by analyzing the traffic performance at different levels:
Threshold and Availability Profile
Configure threshold limits for different performance metrics, so that you can receive alerts and take necessary actions when they are breached. You can also do this at the child-level for interface metrics.
Health Dashboard
Obtain a complete picture of the top devices and interfaces that generate maximum traffic and use the network bandwidth using the NetFlow Health Dashboard. This will give you a thorough understanding of the traffic pattern in your network and the interfaces that carry maximum traffic.