ES3500 Series User’s Guide
246
C
H A P T E R
3 0
sFlow
This chapter shows you how to configure sFlow to have the Switch monitor traffic in a network and
send information to an sFlow collector for analysis.
30.1 sFlow Overview
sFlow (RFC 3176) is a standard technology for monitoring switched networks. An sFlow agent
embedded on a switch or router gets sample data and packet statistics from traffic forwarded
through its ports. The sFlow agent then creates sFlow data and sends it to an sFlow collector. The
sFlow collector is a server that collects and analyzes sFlow datagram. An sFlow datagram includes
packet header, input and output interface, sampling process parameters and forwarding
information.
sFlow minimizes impact on CPU load of the Switch as it analyzes sample data only. sFlow can
continuously monitor network traffic and create reports for network performance analysis and
troubleshooting. For example, you can use it to know which IP address or which type of traffic
caused network congestion.
Figure 140
sFlow Application
sFlow Collector
sFlow Agent