Workflow to configure flow statistics collection

Stages
 

Specify the data and aggregation types that must be turned on in the aggregation policy. Turn on only what is needed to minimize resource consumption (CPU, memory, network bandwidth, disk IO, and database storage space) and specify the collection interval length for each data type. Note that the size of the interval has an impact on memory resources (longer intervals consume more memory). See How do I configure flow statistics aggregation?.


Specify the destination of the collected data. For some data types, the destination is predetermined. For others it can be selected. Specify the upload target for each file format in the upload policy, and for IPDR and CSV file formats, configure FTP or SFTP server upload targets. See How do I set upload targets and policies?.


Add routers to the collection policy, specifying the management IP (source of UDP data), the system IP (the collector translates the management IP to the system ID), and the data protocol. See   How do I specify the NEs for flow statistics collection?.


Configure the routers (NEs) to collect desired flow information (according to their capabilities) and send the collected flow information to the NSP Flow Forwarder Service. The Flow Forwarder exposes a NSP VIP that has to be used by the routers as the target for the IPFIX data. The Flow Forwarder uses specific UDP ports for each data type and the routers have to be configured to send the data to the proper UDP port. They are as follows:

  • System Cflowd: 4741

  • CGNAT: 4742

  • Netflow V5: 2055