sFlow overview
sFlow, which stands for “sampled flow,” reports packet-flow and port-counter samples from a data plane interface to receiving collectors on a timely basis.
Note: In a Vyatta router, sFlow supports enough functionality and flexibility such that packet-forwarding performance does not drop significantly, yet still delivers enough processing power to provide a significant advantage when processing packets through the data plane pipeline.
You can configure a Vyatta router to perform the following tasks:
- Sample packet flows.
- Collect packet headers from sampled packets to gather inbound traffic information on these packets.
- Collect byte and packet port-counter statistics (counter samples).
- Compose flow sample messages from the collected information.
- Relay messages to an external device known as a collector. A Vyatta router supports up to four collectors.
Note: The Vyatta router supports sFlow (v5), which replaces the version outlined in RFC 3176.