Network Protocols Glossary
What is a network protocol? Protocols are the rules of the road for how data exists and moves on the network. They allow many different systems and computers to communicate.
NetFlow and SFlow
What is NetFlow and SFlow?
NetFlow, developed by Cisco, is a protocol for collecting and reporting information about IP network traffic. It's a cornerstone of network monitoring, providing granular visibility into network behavior. SFlow is a more open and vendor-neutral alternative to NetFlow.
What is the purpose of NetFlow and SFlow
Both Netflow and Sflow sample network traffic rather than capturing every packet, making it less resource-intensive. Data gets exported in the form of flow records. Network devices (routers, switches) generate flow records and export them to a collector for analysis. Each record represents a conversation (or flow) between two network endpoints. Flow records typically include source and destination IP addresses, port numbers, protocol, number of packets, number of bytes, start and end time, and other relevant information.