- Cisco IOS NetFlow Overview
- Getting Started with Configuring Cisco IOS NetFlow and NetFlow Data Export
- Configuring NetFlow and NetFlow Data Export
- Configuring NetFlow Aggregation Caches
- Using NetFlow Filtering or Sampling to Select the Network Traffic to Track
- Configuring NetFlow BGP Next Hop Support for Accounting and Analysis
- Configuring MPLS Egress NetFlow Accounting and Analysis
- Configuring MPLS-aware NetFlow
- Configuring NetFlow Multicast Accounting
- Configuring SNMP and using the NetFlow MIB to Monitor NetFlow Data
- Configuring NetFlow Top Talkers using Cisco IOS CLI Commands or SNMP Commands
- NetFlow Layer 2 and Security Monitoring Exports
- NetFlow Reliable Export With SCTP
- Detecting and Analyzing Network Threats With NetFlow
- Index
Contents
- Configuring NetFlow Aggregation Caches
- Finding Feature Information
- Prerequisites for Configuring NetFlow Aggregation Caches
- Restrictions for Configuring NetFlow Aggregation Caches
- NetFlow Data Export
- Information About Configuring NetFlow Aggregation Caches
- NetFlow Aggregation Caches
- NetFlow Cache Aggregation Benefits
- NetFlow Cache Aggregation Schemes
- NetFlow Aggregation Scheme Fields
- NetFlow AS Aggregation Scheme
- NetFlow AS-ToS Aggregation Scheme
- NetFlow Destination Prefix Aggregation Scheme
- NetFlow Destination Prefix-ToS Aggregation Scheme
- NetFlow Prefix Aggregation Scheme
- NetFlow Prefix-Port Aggregation Scheme
- NetFlow Prefix-ToS Aggregation Scheme
- NetFlow Protocol Port Aggregation Scheme
- NetFlow Protocol-Port-ToS Aggregation Scheme
- NetFlow Source Prefix Aggregation Scheme
- NetFlow Source Prefix-ToS Aggregation Scheme
- NetFlow Data Export Format Versions 9 and 8 for NetFlow Aggregation Caches Overview
- How to Configure NetFlow Aggregation Caches
- Configuring NetFlow Aggregation Caches
- Verifying the Aggregation Cache Configuration
- Configuration Examples for Configuring NetFlow Aggregation Caches
- Configuring an AS Aggregation Cache Example
- Configuring a Destination Prefix Aggregation Cache Example
- Configuring a Prefix Aggregation Cache Example
- Configuring a Protocol Port Aggregation Cache Example
- Configuring a Source Prefix Aggregation Cache Example
- Configuring an AS-ToS Aggregation Cache Example
- Configuring a Prefix-ToS Aggregation Cache Example
- Configuring the Minimum Mask of a Prefix Aggregation Scheme Example
- Configuring the Minimum Mask of a Destination Prefix Aggregation Scheme Example
- Configuring the Minimum Mask of a Source Prefix Aggregation Scheme Example
- Configuring NetFlow Version 9 Data Export for Aggregation Caches Example
- Configuring NetFlow Version 8 Data Export for Aggregation Caches Example
- Additional References
- Feature Information for Configuring NetFlow Aggregation Caches
- Glossary
Configuring NetFlow Aggregation Caches
This module contains information about and instructions for configuring NetFlow aggregation caches. The NetFlow main cache is the default cache used to store the data captured by NetFlow. By maintaining one or more extra caches, called aggregation caches, the NetFlow Aggregation feature allows limited aggregation of NetFlow data export streams on a router. The aggregation scheme that you select determines the specific kinds of data that are exported to a remote host.
NetFlow is a Cisco IOS application that provides statistics on packets flowing through the router. It is emerging as a primary network accounting and security technology.
- Finding Feature Information
- Prerequisites for Configuring NetFlow Aggregation Caches
- Restrictions for Configuring NetFlow Aggregation Caches
- Information About Configuring NetFlow Aggregation Caches
- How to Configure NetFlow Aggregation Caches
- Configuration Examples for Configuring NetFlow Aggregation Caches
- Additional References
- Feature Information for Configuring NetFlow Aggregation Caches
- Glossary
Finding Feature Information
Your software release may not support all the features documented in this module. For the latest caveats and feature information, see Bug Search Tool and the release notes for your platform and software release. To find information about the features documented in this module, and to see a list of the releases in which each feature is supported, see the feature information table at the end of this module.
Use Cisco Feature Navigator to find information about platform support and Cisco software image support. To access Cisco Feature Navigator, go to www.cisco.com/go/cfn. An account on Cisco.com is not required.
Prerequisites for Configuring NetFlow Aggregation Caches
Before you enable NetFlow, you must:
Configure the router for IP routing
Ensure that one of the following is enabled on your router, and on the interfaces that you want to configure NetFlow on: Cisco Express Forwarding (CEF), distributed CEF, or fast switching
Understand the resources required on your router because NetFlow consumes additional memory and CPU resources
If you intend to use Version 8 export format with an aggregation cache, configure Version 5 export format for the main cache.
If you need autonomous system (AS) information from the aggregation, make sure to specify either the peer-asor origin-as keyword in your export command if you have not configured an export format version.
You must explicitly enable each NetFlow aggregation cache by entering the enabled keyword from aggregation cache configuration mode.
Router-based aggregation must be enabled for minimum masking.
Restrictions for Configuring NetFlow Aggregation Caches
Cisco IOS Releases 12.2(14)S, 12.0(22)S, or 12.2(15)T
If your router is running a version of Cisco IOS prior to releases 12.2(14)S, 12.0(22)S, or 12.2(15)T the ip route-cache flow command is used to enable NetFlow on an interface.
If your router is running Cisco IOS release 12.2(14)S, 12.0(22)S, 12.2(15)T, or later the ip flow ingress command is used to enable NetFlow on an interface.
Memory Impact
During times of heavy traffic, the additional flows can fill up the global flow hash table. If you need to increase the size of the global flow hash table, increase the memory of the router.
Performance Impact
Configuring Egress NetFlow accounting with the ip flow egress command might adversely affect network performance because of the additional accounting-related computation that occurs in the traffic-forwarding path of the router.
NetFlow Data Export
Restrictions for NetFlow Version 9 Data Export
Backward compatibility--Version 9 is not backward-compatible with Version 5 or Version 8. If you need Version 5 or Version 8, you must configure it.
Export bandwidth--Export bandwidth use increases for Version 9 (because of template flowsets) versus Version 5. The increase in bandwidth usage versus Version 5 varies with the frequency with which template flowsets are sent. The default is to resend templates every 20 packets, which has a bandwidth cost of about 4 percent. If necessary, you can lower the resend rate with the ip flow-export template refresh-rate packets command.
Performance impact--Version 9 slightly decreases overall performance, because generating and maintaining valid template flowsets require additional processing.
Restrictions for NetFlow Version 8 Export Format
Version 8 export format is available only for aggregation caches, and it cannot be expanded to support new features.
Information About Configuring NetFlow Aggregation Caches
- NetFlow Aggregation Caches
- NetFlow Data Export Format Versions 9 and 8 for NetFlow Aggregation Caches Overview
NetFlow Aggregation Caches
- NetFlow Cache Aggregation Benefits
- NetFlow Cache Aggregation Schemes
- NetFlow Aggregation Scheme Fields
- NetFlow AS Aggregation Scheme
- NetFlow AS-ToS Aggregation Scheme
- NetFlow Destination Prefix Aggregation Scheme
- NetFlow Destination Prefix-ToS Aggregation Scheme
- NetFlow Prefix Aggregation Scheme
- NetFlow Prefix-Port Aggregation Scheme
- NetFlow Prefix-ToS Aggregation Scheme
- NetFlow Protocol Port Aggregation Scheme
- NetFlow Protocol-Port-ToS Aggregation Scheme
- NetFlow Source Prefix Aggregation Scheme
- NetFlow Source Prefix-ToS Aggregation Scheme
NetFlow Cache Aggregation Benefits
Aggregation of export data is typically performed by NetFlow collection tools on management workstations. Router-based aggregation allows limited aggregation of NetFlow export records to occur on the router. Thus, you can summarize NetFlow export data on the router before the data is exported to a NetFlow data collection system, which has the following benefits:
Reduces the bandwidth required between the router and the workstations
Reduces the number of collection workstations required
Improves performance and scalability on high flow-per-second routers
NetFlow Cache Aggregation Schemes
Cisco IOS NetFlow aggregation maintains one or more extra caches with different combinations of fields that determine which flows are grouped together. These extra caches are called aggregation caches. The combinations of fields that make up an aggregation cache are referred to as schemes. As flows expire from the main cache, they are added to each enabled aggregation cache.
You can configure each aggregation cache with its individual cache size, cache ager timeout parameter, export destination IP address, and export destination UDP port. As data flows expire in the main cache (depending on the aggregation scheme configured), relevant information is extracted from the expired flow and the corresponding flow entry in the aggregation cache is updated. The normal flow ager process runs on each active aggregation cache the same way it runs on the main cache. On-demand aging is also supported. Each aggregation cache contains different field combinations that determine which data flows are grouped. The default aggregation cache size is 4096 bytes.
You configure a cache aggregation scheme through the use of arguments to the ip flow-aggregation cache command. NetFlow supports the following five non-ToS based cache aggregation schemes:
Autonomous system (AS) aggregation scheme
Destination prefix aggregation scheme
Prefix aggregation scheme
Protocol port aggregation scheme
Source prefix aggregation scheme
The NetFlow Type of Service (ToS)-Based Router Aggregation feature introduced support for additional cache aggregation schemes, all of which include the ToS byte as one of the fields in the aggregation cache. The following are the six ToS-based aggregation schemes:
AS-ToS aggregation scheme
Destination prefix-ToS aggregation scheme
Prefix-port aggregation scheme
Prefix-ToS aggregation scheme
Protocol-port-ToS aggregation scheme
Source prefix-ToS aggregation scheme
The figure below shows an example of how the main NetFlow cache can be aggregated into multiple aggregation caches based upon user-configured aggregation schemes.
Note | NetFlow Aggregation Scheme Fields through NetFlow Cache Aggregation Schemes illustrate the Version 8 export formats of the aggregation schemes listed above. Additional export formats (for instance, Version 9) are also supported. If you are using Version 9, the formats will be different from those shown in the figures. For more information about Version 9 export formats, see Configuring NetFlow and NetFlow Data Export. |
NetFlow Aggregation Scheme Fields
Each cache aggregation scheme contains field combinations that differ from any other cache aggregation scheme. The combination of fields determines which data flows are grouped and collected when a flow expires from the main cache. A flow is a set of packets that has common fields, such as the source IP address, destination IP address, protocol, source and destination ports, type-of-service, and the same interface on which the flow is monitored. To manage flow aggregation on your router, you need to configure the aggregation cache scheme that groups and collects the fields from which you want to examine data. The tables below show the NetFlow fields that are grouped and collected for non-ToS and ToS based cache aggregation schemes.
The table below shows the NetFlow fields used in the non-TOS based aggregation schemes.
Field |
AS |
Protocol Port |
Source Prefix |
Destination Prefix |
Prefix |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Source prefix |
|
|
X |
|
X |
Source prefix mask |
|
|
X |
|
X |
Destination prefix |
|
|
|
X |
X |
Destination prefix mask |
|
|
|
X |
X |
Source app port |
|
X |
|
|
|
Destination app port |
|
X |
|
|
|
Input interface |
X |
|
X |
|
X |
Output interface |
X |
|
|
X |
X |
IP protocol |
|
X |
|
|
|
Source AS |
X |
|
X |
|
X |
Destination AS |
X |
|
|
X |
X |
First time stamp |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
Last time stamp |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
Number of flows |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
Number of packets |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
Number of bytes |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
The table below shows the NetFlow fields used in the TOS based aggregation schemes.
Field |
AS-ToS |
Protocol Port-ToS |
Source Prefix-ToS |
Destination Prefix-ToS |
Prefix-ToS |
Prefix-Port |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Source prefix |
|
|
X |
|
X |
X |
Source prefix mask |
|
|
X |
|
X |
X |
Destination prefix |
|
|
|
X |
X |
X |
Destination prefix mask |
|
|
|
X |
X |
X |
Source app port |
|
X |
|
|
|
X |
Destination app port |
|
X |
|
|
|
X |
Input interface |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
X |
Output interface |
X |
X |
|
X |
X |
X |
IP protocol |
|
X |
|
|
|
X |
Source AS |
X |
|
X |
|
X |
|
Destination AS |
X |
|
|
X |
X |
|
ToS |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
First time stamp |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
Last time stamp |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
Number of flows |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
Number of packets |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
Number of bytes |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
X |
NetFlow AS Aggregation Scheme
The NetFlow AS aggregation scheme reduces NetFlow export data volume substantially and generates AS-to-AS traffic flow data. The scheme groups data flows that have the same source BGP AS, destination BGP AS, input interface, and output interface.
The aggregated NetFlow data export records report the following:
Source and destination BGP AS
Number of packets summarized by the aggregated record
Number of flows summarized by the aggregated record
Number of bytes summarized by the aggregated record
Source interface
Destination interface
Time stamp when the first packet was switched and time stamp when the last packet was switched
The figure below shows the data export format for the AS aggregation scheme. For a definition of the data export terms used in the aggregation scheme, see the table below.
The table below lists definitions for the data export record fields used in the AS aggregation scheme.
Field |
Definition |
---|---|
Flows |
Number of main cache flows that were aggregated |
Packets |
Number of packets in the aggregated flows |
Bytes |
Number of bytes in the aggregated flows |
First time stamp |
System uptime when the first packet was switched |
Last time stamp |
System uptime when the last packet was switched |
Source AS |
Autonomous system of the source IP address (peer or origin) |
Destination AS |
Autonomous system of the destination IP address (peer or origin) |
Source interface |
SNMP index of the input interface |
Destination interface |
SNMP index of the output interface |
NetFlow AS-ToS Aggregation Scheme
The NetFlow AS-ToS aggregation scheme groups flows that have the same source BGP AS, destination BGP AS, source and destination interfaces, and ToS byte. The aggregated NetFlow export record based on the AS-ToS aggregation scheme reports the following:
Source BGP AS
Destination BGP AS
ToS byte
Number of flows summarized by the aggregated record
Number of bytes summarized by this aggregated record
Number of packets summarized by this aggregation record
Source and destination interface
Time stamp when the first packet was switched and time stamp when the last packet was switched
This aggregation scheme is particularly useful for generating AS-to-AS traffic flow data, and for reducing NetFlow export data volume substantially. The figure below shows the data export format for the AS-ToS aggregation scheme. For a definition of the data export terms used in the aggregation scheme, see the table below.
The table below lists definitions for the data export record terms used in the AS-ToS aggregation scheme.
Term |
Definition |
---|---|
Flows |
Number of main cache flows that were aggregated |
Packets |
Number of packets in the aggregated flows |
Bytes |
Number of bytes in the aggregated flows |
First time stamp |
System uptime when the first packet was switched |
Last time stamp |
System uptime when the last packet was switched |
Source AS |
Autonomous system of the source IP address (peer or origin) |
Destination AS |
Autonomous system of the destination IP address (peer or origin) |
Source interface |
SNMP index of the input interface |
Destination interface |
SNMP index of the output interface |
ToS |
Type of service byte |
PAD |
Zero field |
Reserved |
Zero field |
NetFlow Destination Prefix Aggregation Scheme
The destination prefix aggregation scheme generates data so that you can examine the destinations of network traffic passing through a NetFlow-enabled device. The scheme groups data flows that have the same destination prefix, destination prefix mask, destination BGP AS, and output interface.
The aggregated NetFlow data export records report the following:
Destination prefix
Destination prefix mask
Destination BGP AS
Number of flows summarized by the aggregated record
Number of bytes summarized by the aggregated record
Number of packets summarized by the aggregated record
Output interface
Time stamp when the first packet was switched and time stamp when the last packet was switched
The figure below shows the data export format for the destination prefix aggregation scheme. For a definition of the data export terms used in the aggregation scheme, see the table below.
The table below lists definitions for the data export record terms used in the destination prefix aggregation scheme.
Term |
Definition |
---|---|
Flows |
Number of main cache flows that were aggregated |
Packets |
Number of packets in the aggregated flows |
Bytes |
Number of bytes in the aggregated flows |
First time stamp |
System uptime when the first packet was switched |
Last time stamp |
System uptime when the last packet was switched |
Destination prefix |
Destination IP address ANDed with the destination prefix mask |
Destination mask bits |
Number of bits in the destination prefix |
PAD |
Zero field |
Destination AS |
Autonomous system of the destination IP address (peer or origin) |
Destination interface |
SNMP index of the output interface |
Reserved |
Zero field |
NetFlow Destination Prefix-ToS Aggregation Scheme
The NetFlow destination prefix-ToS aggregation scheme groups flows that have the same destination prefix, destination prefix mask, destination BGP AS, ToS byte, and output interface. The aggregated NetFlow export record reports the following:
Destination IP address
Destination prefix mask
Destination AS
ToS byte
Number of flows summarized by the aggregated record
Number of bytes summarized by the aggregated record
Number of packets summarized by the aggregated record
Output interface
Time stamp when the first packet was switched and time stamp when the last packet was switched
This aggregation scheme is particularly useful for capturing data with which you can examine the destinations of network traffic passing through a NetFlow-enabled device. The figure below shows the data export format for the Destination prefix-ToS aggregation scheme. For a definition of the data export terms used in the aggregation scheme, see the table below.
The table below lists definitions for the data export record terms used in the destination prefix-ToS aggregation scheme.
Term |
Definition |
---|---|
Flows |
Number of main cache flows that were aggregated |
Packets |
Number of packets in the aggregated flows |
Bytes |
Number of bytes in the aggregated flows |
First time stamp |
System uptime when the first packet was switched |
Last time stamp |
System uptime when the last packet was switched |
Destination prefix |
Destination IP address ANDed with the destination prefix mask |
Dest mask bits |
Number of bits in the destination prefix |
ToS |
Type of service byte |
Destination AS |
Autonomous system of the destination IP address (peer or origin) |
Destination interface |
SNMP index of the output interface |
Reserved |
Zero field |
NetFlow Prefix Aggregation Scheme
The NetFlow prefix aggregation scheme generates data so that you can examine the sources and destinations of network traffic passing through a NetFlow-enabled device. The scheme groups data flows that have the same source prefix, destination prefix, source prefix mask, destination prefix mask, source BGP AS, destination BGP AS, input interface, and output interface.
The aggregated NetFlow data export records report the following:
Source and destination prefix
Source and destination prefix mask
Source and destination BGP AS
Number of flows summarized by the aggregated record
Number of bytes summarized by the aggregated record
Number of packets summarized by the aggregated record
Input and output interfaces
Time stamp when the first packet is switched and time stamp when the last packet is switched
The figure below shows the data export format for the prefix aggregation scheme. For a definition of the data export terms used in the aggregation scheme, see the table below.
The table below lists definitions for the data export record terms used in the prefix aggregation scheme.
Term |
Definition |
---|---|
Flows |
Number of main cache flows that were aggregated |
Packets |
Number of packets in the aggregated flows |
Bytes |
Number of bytes in the aggregated flows |
First time stamp |
System uptime when the first packet was switched |
Last time stamp |
System uptime when the last packet was switched |
Source prefix |
Source IP address ANDed with the source prefix mask, or the prefix to which the source IP address of the aggregated flows belongs |
Destination prefix |
Destination IP address ANDed with the destination prefix mask |
Destination mask bits |
Number of bits in the destination prefix |
Source mask bits |
Number of bits in the source prefix |
Reserved |
Zero field |
Source AS |
Autonomous system of the source IP address (peer or origin) |
Destination AS |
Autonomous system of the destination IP address (peer or origin) |
Source interface |
SNMP index of the input interface |
Destination interface |
SNMP index of the output interface |
NetFlow Prefix-Port Aggregation Scheme
The NetFlow prefix-port aggregation scheme groups flows that have a common source prefix, source mask, destination prefix, destination mask, source port and destination port when applicable, input interface, output interface, protocol, and ToS byte. The aggregated NetFlow export record reports the following:
Source prefix
Source prefix mask
Destination prefix
Destination prefix mask
Source port
Destination port
Source interface
Destination interface
Protocol
ToS byte
Number of flows summarized by the aggregated record
Number of bytes summarized by the aggregated record
Number of packets summarized by the aggregation record
Time stamp when the first packet was switched and time stamp when the last packet was switched
This aggregation scheme is particularly useful for capturing data with which you can examine the sources and destinations of network traffic passing through a NetFlow-enabled device. The figure below shows the data export record for the prefix-port aggregation scheme. For a definition of the data export terms used in the aggregation scheme, see the table below.
The table below lists definitions for the data export record terms used in the prefix-port aggregation scheme.
Term |
Definition |
---|---|
Flows |
Number of main cache flows that were aggregated |
Packets |
Number of packets in the aggregated flows |
Bytes |
Number of bytes in the aggregated flows |
First time stamp |
System uptime when the first packet was switched |
Last time stamp |
System uptime when the last packet was switched |
Source prefix |
Source IP address ANDed with the source prefix mask, or the prefix to which the source IP address of the aggregated flows belongs |
Destination prefix |
Destination IP address ANDed with the destination prefix mask |
Destination mask bits |
Number of bits in the destination prefix |
Source mask bits |
Number of bits in the source prefix |
ToS |
Type of service byte |
Protocol |
IP protocol byte |
Source port |
Source UDP or TCP port number if applicable |
Destination port |
Destination User Datagram Protocol (UDP) or TCP port number |
Source interface |
SNMP index of the input interface |
Destination interface |
SNMP index of the output interface |
NetFlow Prefix-ToS Aggregation Scheme
The NetFlow prefix-tos aggregation scheme groups together flows that have a common source prefix, source mask, destination prefix, destination mask, source BGP AS, destination BGP AS, input interface, output interface, and ToS byte. The aggregated NetFlow export record reports the following:
Source prefix
Source prefix mask
Destination prefix
Destination prefix mask
Source AS
Destination AS
Source interface
Destination interface
ToS byte
Number of flows summarized by the aggregated record
Number of bytes summarized by the aggregated record
Number of packets summarized by the aggregated record
Time stamp when the first packet was switched and time stamp when the last packet was switched
This aggregation scheme is particularly useful for capturing data so that you can examine the sources and destinations of network traffic passing through a NetFlow-enabled device. The figure below displays the data export format for the prefix-tos aggregation scheme. For a definition of the data export terms used in the aggregation scheme, see the table below.
The table below lists definitions for the data export record terms used in the prefix-ToS aggregation scheme.
Term |
Definition |
---|---|
Flows |
Number of main cache flows that were aggregated |
Packets |
Number of packets in the aggregated flows |
Bytes |
Number of bytes in the aggregated flows |
First time stamp |
System uptime when the first packet was switched |
Last time stamp |
System uptime when the last packet was switched |
Source prefix |
Source IP address ANDed with the source prefix mask, or the prefix to which the source IP address of the aggregated flows belongs |
Destination prefix |
Destination IP address ANDed with the destination prefix mask |
Destination mask bits |
Number of bits in the destination prefix |
Source mask bits |
Number of bits in the source prefix |
ToS |
Type of service byte |
Pad |
Zero field |
Source AS |
Autonomous system of the source IP address (peer or origin) |
Destination AS |
Autonomous system of the destination IP address (peer or origin) |
Source interface |
SNMP index of the input interface |
Destination interface |
SNMP index of the output interface |
NetFlow Protocol Port Aggregation Scheme
The NetFlow protocol port aggregation scheme captures data so that you can examine network usage by traffic type. The scheme groups data flows with the same IP protocol, source port number, and (when applicable) destination port number.
The aggregated NetFlow data export records report the following:
Source and destination port numbers
IP protocol (where 6 = TCP, 17 = UDP, and so on)
Number of flows summarized by the aggregated record
Number of bytes summarized by the aggregated record
Number of packets summarized by the aggregated record
Time stamp when the first packet was switched and time stamp when the last packet was switched
The figure below shows the data export format for the protocol port aggregation scheme. For a definition of the data export terms used in the aggregation scheme, see the table below.
The table below lists definitions for the data export record terms used in the protocol port aggregation scheme.
Term |
Definition |
---|---|
Flows |
Number of main cache flows that were aggregated |
Packets |
Number of packets in the aggregated flows |
Bytes |
Number of bytes in the aggregated flows |
First time stamp |
System uptime when the first packet was switched |
Last time stamp |
System uptime when the last packet was switched |
Protocol |
IP protocol byte |
PAD |
Zero field |
Reserved |
Zero field |
Source port |
Source UDP or TCP port number if applicable |
Destination port |
Destination User Datagram Protocol (UDP) or TCP port number |
NetFlow Protocol-Port-ToS Aggregation Scheme
The NetFlow protocol-port-tos aggregation scheme groups flows that have a common IP protocol, ToS byte, source and (when applicable) destination port numbers, and source and destination interfaces. The aggregated NetFlow Export record reports the following:
Source application port number
Destination port number
Source and destination interface
IP protocol
ToS byte
Number of flows summarized by the aggregated record
Number of bytes summarized by the aggregated record
Number of packets summarized by the aggregation record
Time stamp when the first packet was switched and time stamp when the last packet was switched
This aggregation scheme is particularly useful for capturing data so that you can examine network usage by type of traffic. The figure below shows the data export format for the protocol-port-tos aggregation scheme. For a definition of the data export terms used in the aggregation scheme, see the table below.
The table below lists definitions for the data export record terms used in the protocol-port-ToS aggregation scheme.
Term |
Definition |
---|---|
Flows |
Number of main cache flows that were aggregated |
Packets |
Number of packets in the aggregated flows |
Bytes |
Number of bytes in the aggregated flows |
First time stamp |
System uptime when the first packet was switched |
Last time stamp |
System uptime when the last packet was switched |
Protocol |
IP protocol byte |
ToS |
Type of service byte |
Reserved |
Zero field |
Source port |
Source UDP or TCP port number if applicable |
Destination port |
Destination User Datagram Protocol (UDP) or TCP port number |
Source interface |
SNMP index of the input interface |
Destination interface |
SNMP index of the output interface |
NetFlow Source Prefix Aggregation Scheme
The NetFlow source prefix aggregation scheme captures data so that you can examine the sources of network traffic passing through a NetFlow-enabled device. The scheme groups data flows that have the same source prefix, source prefix mask, source BGP AS, and input interface.
The aggregated NetFlow data export records report the following:
Source prefix
Source prefix mask
Source BGP AS
Number of bytes summarized by the aggregated record
Number of packets summarized by the aggregated record
Input interface
Time stamp when the first packet was switched and time stamp when the last packet was switched
The figure below show the data export format for the source prefix aggregation scheme. For a definition of the data export terms used in the aggregation scheme, see the table below.
The table below lists definitions for the data export record terms used in the source prefix aggregation scheme.
Term |
Definition |
---|---|
Flows |
Number of main cache flows that were aggregated |
Packets |
Number of packets in the aggregated flows |
Bytes |
Number of bytes in the aggregated flows |
First time stamp |
System uptime when the first packet was switched |
Last time stamp |
System uptime when the last packet was switched |
Source prefix |
Source IP address ANDed with the source prefix mask, or the prefix to which the source IP address of the aggregated flows belongs |
Source mask bits |
Number of bits in the source prefix |
PAD |
Zero field |
Source AS |
Autonomous system of the source IP address (peer or origin) |
Source interface |
SNMP index of the input interface |
Reserved |
Zero field |
NetFlow Source Prefix-ToS Aggregation Scheme
The NetFlow source prefix-ToS aggregation scheme groups flows that have a common source prefix, source prefix mask, source BGP AS, ToS byte, and input interface. The aggregated NetFlow export record reports the following:
Source prefix
Source prefix mask
Source AS
ToS byte
Number of bytes summarized by the aggregated record
Number of packets summarized by the aggregation record
Input interface
Time stamp when the first packet was switched and time stamp when the last packet was switched
This aggregation scheme is particularly useful for capturing data so that you can examine the sources of network traffic passing through a NetFlow-enabled device. The figure below show the data export format for the source prefix-ToS aggregation scheme. For a definition of the data export terms used in the aggregation scheme, see the table below.
Note | When a router does not have a prefix for the source IP address in the flow, NetFlow uses 0.0.0.0 with 0 mask bits rather than making /32 entries. This prevents DOS attacks that use random source addresses from thrashing the aggregation caches. This is also done for the destination in the destination prefix-ToS, the prefix-ToS, and prefix-port aggregation schemes. |
The table below lists definitions for the data export record terms used in the source prefix-ToS aggregation scheme.
Term |
Definition |
---|---|
Flows |
Number of main cache flows that were aggregated |
Packets |
Number of packets in the aggregated flows |
Bytes |
Number of bytes in the aggregated flows |
First time stamp |
System uptime when the first packet was switched |
Last time stamp |
System uptime when the last packet was switched |
Source prefix |
Source IP address ANDed with the source prefix mask, or the prefix to which the source IP address of the aggregated flows belongs |
Source mask bits |
Number of bits in the source prefix |
ToS |
Type of service byte |
Source AS |
Autonomous system of the source IP address (peer or origin) |
Source interface |
SNMP index of the input interface |
Reserved |
Zero field |
NetFlow Data Export Format Versions 9 and 8 for NetFlow Aggregation Caches Overview
Export formats available for NetFlow aggregation caches are the Version 9 export format and the Version 8 export format.
Version 9--A flexible and extensible format, which provides the versatility needed for support of new fields and record types. This format accommodates new NetFlow-supported technologies such as Multicast, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), and Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) next hop. Version 9 export format enables you to use the same version for main and aggregation caches, and the format is extendable, so you can use the same export format with future features.
Version 8--A format added to support data export from aggregation caches. Export datagrams contain a subset of the usual Version 5 export data, which is valid for the particular aggregation cache scheme. Version 8 is the default export version for aggregation caches when data export is configured.
The Version 9 export format is flexible and extensible, which provides the versatility needed for the support of new fields and record types. You can use the Version 9 export format for both main and aggregation caches.
The Version 8 export format was added to support data export from aggregation caches. This format allows export datagrams to contain a subset of the Version 5 export data that is valid for the cache aggregation scheme.
Refer to the NetFlow Data Export section for more details.
How to Configure NetFlow Aggregation Caches
Configuring NetFlow Aggregation Caches
Perform the steps in this required to enable NetFlow and configure a NetFlow aggregation cache.
1.
enable
2.
configure
terminal
3.
ip
flow-aggregation
cache
{as |
as-tos |
bgp-nexthop-tos |
destination-prefix |
destination-prefix-tos |
prefix |
prefix-port |
prefix-tos |
protocol-port |
protocol-port-tos |
source-prefix |
source-prefix-tos}
4.
cache
entries
number
5.
cache
timeout
active
minutes
6.
cache
timeout
inactive
seconds
7.
export
destination
{{ip-address |
hostname}
udp-port}
8. Repeat Step 7 once to configure a second export destination.
9.
export
version
[9 |
8]
10.
enabled
11.
exit
12.
interface
interface-type
interface-number
13. ip flow {ingress | egress}
14.
exit
15. Repeat Steps 12 through 14 to enable NetFlow on other interfaces
16.
end
DETAILED STEPS
Verifying the Aggregation Cache Configuration
Perform the steps in this optional task to verify that:
The NetFlow aggregation cache is operational
NetFlow Data Export for the aggregation cache is operational
To view the aggregation cache statistics.
1.
show
ip
cache
flow
aggregation
{as | as-tos | bgp-nexthop-tos | destination-prefix | destination-prefix-tos | prefix | prefix-port | prefix-tos | protocol-port | protocol-port-tos | source-prefix | source-prefix-tos}
2.
show
ip
flow
export
DETAILED STEPS
Step 1 |
show
ip
cache
flow
aggregation
{as | as-tos | bgp-nexthop-tos | destination-prefix | destination-prefix-tos | prefix | prefix-port | prefix-tos | protocol-port | protocol-port-tos | source-prefix | source-prefix-tos} Use the show ip cache flow aggregation destination-prefix command to verify the configuration of an destination-prefix aggregation cache. For example: Example: Router# show ip cache flow aggregation destination-prefix IP Flow Switching Cache, 139272 bytes 5 active, 2043 inactive, 9 added 841 ager polls, 0 flow alloc failures Active flows timeout in 15 minutes Inactive flows timeout in 300 seconds IP Sub Flow Cache, 11144 bytes 5 active, 507 inactive, 9 added, 9 added to flow 0 alloc failures, 0 force free 1 chunk, 2 chunks added Dst If Dst Prefix Msk AS Flows Pkts B/Pk Active Null 0.0.0.0 /0 0 5 13 52 138.9 Et0/0.1 172.16.6.0 /24 0 1 1 56 0.0 Et1/0.1 172.16.7.0 /24 0 3 31K 1314 187.3 Et0/0.1 172.16.1.0 /24 0 16 104K 1398 188.4 Et1/0.1 172.16.10.0 /24 0 9 99K 1412 183.3 Router# Use the show ip cache verbose flow aggregation source-prefixcommand to verify the configuration of a source-prefix aggregation cache. For example: Example: Router# show ip cache verbose flow aggregation source-prefix IP Flow Switching Cache, 278544 bytes 4 active, 4092 inactive, 4 added 51 ager polls, 0 flow alloc failures Active flows timeout in 30 minutes Inactive flows timeout in 15 seconds IP Sub Flow Cache, 21640 bytes 4 active, 1020 inactive, 4 added, 4 added to flow 0 alloc failures, 0 force free 1 chunk, 1 chunk added Src If Src Prefix Msk AS Flows Pkts B/Pk Active Et1/0.1 172.16.10.0 /24 0 4 35K 1391 67.9 Et0/0.1 172.16.6.0 /24 0 2 5 88 60.6 Et1/0.1 172.16.7.0 /24 0 2 3515 1423 58.6 Et0/0.1 172.16.1.0 /24 0 2 20K 1416 71.9 Router# Use the show ip cache verbose flow aggregation protocol-port command to verify the configuration of a protocol-port aggregation cache. For example: Example: Router# show ip cache verbose flow aggregation protocol-port IP Flow Switching Cache, 278544 bytes 4 active, 4092 inactive, 4 added 158 ager polls, 0 flow alloc failures Active flows timeout in 30 minutes Inactive flows timeout in 15 seconds IP Sub Flow Cache, 21640 bytes 0 active, 1024 inactive, 0 added, 0 added to flow 0 alloc failures, 0 force free 1 chunk, 1 chunk added Protocol Source Port Dest Port Flows Packets Bytes/Packet Active 0x01 0x0000 0x0000 6 52K 1405 104.3 0x11 0x0208 0x0208 1 3 52 56.9 0x01 0x0000 0x0800 2 846 1500 59.8 0x01 0x0000 0x0B01 2 10 56 63.0 Router# |
Step 2 |
show
ip
flow
export
Use the show ip flow export command to verify that NetFlow Data Export is operational for the aggregation cache. For example: Example: Router# show ip flow export Flow export v1 is disabled for main cache Version 1 flow records Cache for protocol-port aggregation: Exporting flows to 172.16.20.4 (991) 172.30.0.1 (991) Exporting using source IP address 172.16.6.2 Cache for source-prefix aggregation: Exporting flows to 172.16.20.4 (991) 172.30.0.1 (991) Exporting using source IP address 172.16.6.2 Cache for destination-prefix aggregation: Exporting flows to 172.16.20.4 (991) 172.30.0.1 (991) Exporting using source IP address 172.16.6.2 40 flows exported in 20 udp datagrams 0 flows failed due to lack of export packet 20 export packets were sent up to process level 0 export packets were dropped due to no fib 0 export packets were dropped due to adjacency issues 0 export packets were dropped due to fragmentation failures 0 export packets were dropped due to encapsulation fixup failures Router# |
Configuration Examples for Configuring NetFlow Aggregation Caches
- Configuring an AS Aggregation Cache Example
- Configuring a Destination Prefix Aggregation Cache Example
- Configuring a Prefix Aggregation Cache Example
- Configuring a Protocol Port Aggregation Cache Example
- Configuring a Source Prefix Aggregation Cache Example
- Configuring an AS-ToS Aggregation Cache Example
- Configuring a Prefix-ToS Aggregation Cache Example
- Configuring the Minimum Mask of a Prefix Aggregation Scheme Example
- Configuring the Minimum Mask of a Destination Prefix Aggregation Scheme Example
- Configuring the Minimum Mask of a Source Prefix Aggregation Scheme Example
- Configuring NetFlow Version 9 Data Export for Aggregation Caches Example
- Configuring NetFlow Version 8 Data Export for Aggregation Caches Example
Configuring an AS Aggregation Cache Example
The following example shows how to configure an AS aggregation cache with a cache size of 2046, an inactive timeout of 200 seconds, a cache active timeout of 45 minutes, an export destination IP address of 10.42.42.1, and a destination port of 9992:
configure terminal ! ip flow-aggregation cache as cache entries 2046 cache timeout inactive 200 cache timeout active 45 export destination 10.42.42.1 9992 enabled ! interface Ethernet0/0 ip flow ingress ! end
Configuring a Destination Prefix Aggregation Cache Example
The following example shows how to configure a destination prefix aggregation cache with a cache size of 2046, an inactive timeout of 200 seconds, a cache active timeout of 45 minutes, an export destination IP address of 10.42.42.1, and a destination port of 9992:
configure terminal
!
ip flow-aggregation cache destination-prefix cache entries 2046 cache timeout inactive 200 cache timeout active 45 export destination 10.42.42.1 9992 enabled ! interface Ethernet0/0 ip flow ingress ! end
Configuring a Prefix Aggregation Cache Example
The following example shows how to configure a prefix aggregation cache with a cache size of 2046, an inactive timeout of 200 seconds, a cache active timeout of 45 minutes, an export destination IP address of 10.42.42.1, and a destination port of 9992:
configure terminal
!
ip flow-aggregation cache prefix cache entries 2046 cache timeout inactive 200 cache timeout active 45 export destination 10.42.42.1 9992 enabled ! interface Ethernet0/0 ip flow ingress ! end
Configuring a Protocol Port Aggregation Cache Example
The following example shows how to configure a protocol port aggregation cache with a cache size of 2046, an inactive timeout of 200 seconds, a cache active timeout of 45 minutes, an export destination IP address of 10.42.42.1, and a destination port of 9992:
configure terminal
!
ip flow-aggregation cache protocol-port cache entries 2046 cache timeout inactive 200 cache timeout active 45 export destination 10.42.42.1 9992 enabled ! interface Ethernet0/0 ip flow ingress ! end
Configuring a Source Prefix Aggregation Cache Example
The following example shows how to configure a source prefix aggregation cache with a cache size of 2046, an inactive timeout of 200 seconds, a cache active timeout of 45 minutes, an export destination IP address of 10.42.42.1, and a destination port of 9992:
configure terminal
!
ip flow-aggregation cache source-prefix cache entries 2046 cache timeout inactive 200 cache timeout active 45 export destination 10.42.42.1 9992 enabled ! interface Ethernet0/0 ip flow ingress ! end
Configuring an AS-ToS Aggregation Cache Example
The following example shows how to configure an AS-ToS aggregation cache with a cache active timeout of 20 minutes, an export destination IP address of 10.2.2.2, and a destination port of 9991:
configure terminal
!
ip flow-aggregation cache as-tos cache timeout active 20 export destination 10.2.2.2 9991 enabled ! interface Ethernet0/0 ip flow ingress ! end
Configuring a Prefix-ToS Aggregation Cache Example
The following example shows how to configure a prefix-ToS aggregation cache with an export destination IP address of 10.4.4.4 and a destination port of 9995:
configure terminal
!
ip flow-aggregation cache prefix-tos export destination 10.4.4.4 9995 enabled ! interface Ethernet0/0 ip flow ingress ! end
Configuring the Minimum Mask of a Prefix Aggregation Scheme Example
The following example shows how to configure the minimum mask for a prefix aggregation scheme:
configure terminal
!
ip flow-aggregation cache prefix mask source minimum 24 mask destination minimum 28 enabled ! interface Ethernet0/0 ip flow ingress ! end
Configuring the Minimum Mask of a Destination Prefix Aggregation Scheme Example
The following example shows how to configure the minimum mask for a destination prefix aggregation scheme:
configure terminal
!
ip flow-aggregation cache destination-prefix mask destination minimum 32 enabled ! interface Ethernet0/0 ip flow ingress ! end
Configuring the Minimum Mask of a Source Prefix Aggregation Scheme Example
The following example shows how to configure the minimum mask for a source prefix aggregation scheme:
configure terminal
!
ip flow-aggregation cache source-prefix mask source minimum 30 enabled ! interface Ethernet0/0 ip flow ingress ! end
Configuring NetFlow Version 9 Data Export for Aggregation Caches Example
The following example shows how to configure NetFlow Version 9 data export for an AS aggregation cache scheme:
configure terminal ! ip flow-aggregation cache as export destination 10.42.42.2 9991 export template refresh-rate 10 export version 9 export template timeout-rate 60 enabled ! interface Ethernet0/0 ip flow ingress ! end
Configuring NetFlow Version 8 Data Export for Aggregation Caches Example
The following example shows how to configure NetFlow Version 8 data export for an AS aggregation cache scheme:
configure terminal ! ip flow-aggregation cache as export destination 10.42.42.2 9991 export destination 10.42.41.1 9991 export version 8 enabled ! interface Ethernet0/0 ip flow ingress ! end
Additional References
Related Documents
Related Topic |
Document Title |
---|---|
Overview of Cisco IOS NetFlow |
Cisco IOS NetFlow Overview |
The minimum information about and tasks required for configuring NetFlow and NetFlow Data Export |
Getting Started with Configuring NetFlow and NetFlow Data Export |
Tasks for configuring NetFlow to capture and export network traffic data |
Configuring NetFlow and NetFlow Data Export |
Tasks for configuring Configuring MPLS Aware NetFlow |
Configuring MPLS Aware NetFlow |
Tasks for configuring MPLS egress NetFlow accounting |
Configuring MPLS Egress NetFlow Accounting and Analysis |
Tasks for configuring NetFlow input filters |
Using NetFlow Filtering or Sampling to Select the Network Traffic to Track |
Tasks for configuring Random Sampled NetFlow |
Using NetFlow Filtering or Sampling to Select the Network Traffic to Track |
Tasks for configuring NetFlow BGP next hop support |
Configuring NetFlow BGP Next Hop Support for Accounting and Analysis |
Tasks for configuring NetFlow multicast support |
Configuring NetFlow Multicast Accounting |
Tasks for detecting and analyzing network threats with NetFlow |
Detecting and Analyzing Network Threats With NetFlow |
Tasks for configuring NetFlow Reliable Export With SCTP |
NetFlow Reliable Export With SCTP |
Tasks for configuring NetFlow Layer 2 and Security Monitoring Exports |
NetFlow Layer 2 and Security Monitoring Exports |
Tasks for configuring the SNMP NetFlow MIB |
Configuring SNMP and using the NetFlow MIB to Monitor NetFlow Data |
Tasks for configuring the NetFlow MIB and Top Talkers feature |
Configuring NetFlow Top Talkers using Cisco IOS CLI Commands or SNMP Commands |
Information for installing, starting, and configuring the CNS NetFlow Collection Engine |
Standards
Standards |
Title |
---|---|
No new or modified standards are supported by this feature, and support for existing standards has not been modified by this feature. |
-- |
MIBs
MIBs |
MIBs Link |
---|---|
No new or modified MIBS are supported by this feature, and support for existing MIBs has not been modified by this feature. |
To locate and download MIBs for selected platforms, Cisco IOS releases, and feature sets, use Cisco MIB Locator found at the following URL: |
RFCs
RFCs |
Title |
---|---|
No new or modified RFCs are supported by this feature, and support for existing RFCs has not been modified by this feature. |
-- |
Technical Assistance
Description |
Link |
---|---|
The Cisco Technical Support website contains thousands of pages of searchable technical content, including links to products, technologies, solutions, technical tips, and tools. Registered Cisco.com users can log in from this page to access even more content. |
Feature Information for Configuring NetFlow Aggregation Caches
The following table provides release information about the feature or features described in this module. This table lists only the software release that introduced support for a given feature in a given software release train. Unless noted otherwise, subsequent releases of that software release train also support that feature.
Use Cisco Feature Navigator to find information about platform support and Cisco software image support. To access Cisco Feature Navigator, go to . An account on Cisco.com is not required.
Feature Name |
Releases |
Feature Configuration Information |
---|---|---|
NetFlow ToS-Based Router Aggregation |
12.0(15)S 12.2(4)T 12.2(14)S 15.0(1)S |
The NetFlow ToS-Based Router Aggregation feature enables you to limit router-based type of service (ToS) aggregation of NetFlow export data. The aggregation of export data provides a summarized NetFlow export data that can be exported to a collection device. The result is lower bandwidth requirements for NetFlow export data and reduced platform requirements for NetFlow data collection devices. The following commands were modified by this feature: ip flow-aggregation cache, show ip cache verbose flow aggregation, and show ip flow export. |
NetFlow Minimum Prefix Mask for Router-Based Aggregation |
12.0(11)S 12.1(2)T |
The NetFlow Minimum Prefix Mask for Router-Based Aggregation feature allows you to set a minimum mask size for prefix aggregation, destination prefix aggregation, and source prefix aggregation schemes. The following commands were modified by this feature: ip flow-aggregation cache, mask destination, mask source, and show ip cache flow aggregation. |
Glossary
AS --autonomous system. A collection of networks under a common administration sharing a common routing strategy. Autonomous systems are subdivided by areas. An autonomous system must be assigned a unique 16-bit number by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA).
CEF --Cisco Express Forwarding. A Layer 3 IP switching technology that optimizes network performance and scalability for networks with large and dynamic traffic patterns.
dCEF --Distributed Cisco Express Forwarding. Type of CEF switching in which line cards maintain an identical copy of the forwarding information base (FIB) and adjacency tables. The line cards perform the express forwarding between port adapters; this relieves the Route Switch Processor of involvement in the switching operation.
export packet --Type of packet built by a device (for example, a router) with NetFlow services enabled. The packet contains NetFlow statistics and is addressed to another device (for example, the NetFlow Collection Engine). The other device processes the packet (parses, aggregates, and stores information on IP flows).
flow --A set of packets with the same source IP address, destination IP address, protocol, source/destination ports, and type-of-service, and the same interface on which flow is monitored. Ingress flows are associated with the input interface, and egress flows are associated with the output interface.
flowset --Collection of flow records that follow the packet header in an export packet. A flowset contains information that must be parsed and interpreted by the NetFlow Collection Engine. There are two different types of flowsets: template flowsets and data flowsets. An export packet contains one or more flowsets, and both template and data flowsets can be mixed in the same export packet.
NetFlow --Cisco IOS accounting feature that maintains per-flow information.
NetFlow Aggregation --A NetFlow feature that lets you summarize NetFlow export data on an IOS router before the data is exported to a NetFlow data collection system such as the NetFlow Collection Engine. This feature lowers bandwidth requirements for NetFlow export data and reduces platform requirements for NetFlow data collection devices.
NetFlow Collection Engine (formerly NetFlow FlowCollector)--Cisco application that is used with NetFlow on Cisco routers and Catalyst series switches. The NetFlow Collection Engine collects packets from the router that is running NetFlow and decodes, aggregates, and stores them. You can generate reports on various aggregations that can be set up on the NetFlow Collection Engine.
NetFlow v9 --NetFlow export format Version 9. A flexible and extensible means for carrying NetFlow records from a network node to a collector. NetFlow Version 9 has definable record types and is self-describing for easier NetFlow Collection Engine configuration.
QoS --quality of service. A measure of performance for a transmission system that reflects its transmission quality and service availability.
template flowset --One or more template records that are grouped in an export packet.
ToS --type of service. The second byte in the IP header. It indicates the desired quality of service (QoS) for a particular datagram.