sFlow

http://www.sflow.org/developers/specifications.php

http://www.inmon.com/technology/index.php

sFlow solutions consist of:

• Network equipment with sFlow Agents, which monitor network traffic and generate sFlow data.
• sFlow collectors (software or appliances) which receive and analyze sFlow data.

sFlow has been implemented on a wide range of network switches and routers, from affordable L2 workgroup switches to high-end core routers providing probe-like functionality for every interface. sFlow enabled switches and routers future-proof the network infrastructure making many applications possible that otherwise would not be practical because of the prohibitive expense of external probes

A number of sFlow collectors advantage of the sFlow network traffic monitoring capability in these switches. These collectors provide a variety of solutions including congestion control and troubleshooting, route profiling, audit trail security analysis, and accounting for billing.

What is sFlow?

Originally developed by InMon, sFlow is the leading, multi-vendor, standard for monitoring high-speed switched and routed networks. sFlow technology is built into network equipment and gives complete visibility into network activity, enabling effective management and control of network resources. InMon is a founding member of the sFlow.org industry consortium.

What can I do with sFlow?

InMon's traffic management products provide comprehensive traffic analysis, defending against threats to network availability and security, ensuring the delivery of critical voice, email, web, database and other services that are essential for an organization to function. Take a product tour and see how InMon and sFlow provide the visibility needed to maintain control of your network.

Who uses sFlow?

InMon's sFlow products have been purchased by over 300 leading Enterprise, Service Provider, Educational, Healthcare, Government and Media customers around the world. InMon's customers include Hewlett-Packard, Philips, Equinix, Stanford University, BBC and NASA.

What equipment supports sFlow?

sFlow is widely available in all classes of network equipment; from small department switches through to large 10G data center switches and routers. The first sFlow capable devices started shipping in 2002 and now sFlow is available throughout the product lines of most leading network equipment vendors, including: Alcatel-Lucent, Allied Telesis, Arista, Brocade, Cisco, Dell, D-Link, Enterasys, Extreme, Fortinet, Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi, Huawei, IBM, Juniper Networks, NEC and ZTE. For a complete list of products supporting sFlow, see sFlow.org.

How does sFlow compare to other traffic monitoring technologies?

Cisco Netflow® was originally developed as a technique to accelerate IP routing. One feature of Netflow that became popular was its ability to report on expired TCP/IP flows. Unlike Netflow, sFlow was developed exclusively as a monitoring technology. sFlow offers greater scalability and reporting detail; providing detailed, real-time, L2-7 information on traffic throughout the network.

RMON was developed in 1991 to standardize probes that could be attached to shared networks. RMON doesn't scale well in today's high-speed, segmented networks. Most network equipment vendors now implement sFlow, providing greater detail and scalability at a much lower cost.

How can I get more information?

The sFlow blog and sFlow.org web sites contain general information on sFlow. Please contact us to find out more about sFlow and our traffic management solutions.