V9 comes with the Flexible NetFlow packets (FNF), which gives a broader view of what is happening in the network, thereby making it useful for: It is the foundation of a new IETF standard. The most used flow-record format is version 9, which is a flexible way to record network performance data. This technology has matured over the years and created numerous formats of flow records. The primary output of all these protocol versions is a flow record.

It’s an industry-regulated version of the Cisco flow protocol. Nine versions later, NetFlow still gains popularity not only due to its performance in network management, but also as a significant component of security operations. Meanwhile, version 9 is simplified since this version has FNF capabilities enabled and incorporates a dynamic packet format. Versions 7 and 8 had a few improvements and they are no longer in practice. v5 is the most commonly used version because it has a fixed packet format and is still supported by various routers. Versions 2, 3, and 4 were only usable as internal releases. The first NetFlow version 1 was supported in all the initial flow monitoring releases. Simplify NetFlow Traffic Analysis and Bandwidth Monitoring » History of NetFlow and Versions Released Over Time These data points can be used for anomaly detection, monitoring bandwidth usage, capacity planning, and to validate the effectiveness of QoS policy.

we will have an understanding of where network traffic data is coming from and going to, how much traffic is being generated, who is consuming most bandwidth, and more. If we collect flow records from all flow-enabled network devices - routers, switches, etc. This protocol’s datagram carries information like the source and destination ports, source IP addresses, destination IP addresses, IP protocol, and the IP service type. NetFlow is widely used for collecting and analyzing network flow data statistics. Net Flow soon found its place within network management by providing valuable data of network performance and traffic analytics. Cisco created the network protocol “NetFlow” many years ago, which became the primary norm for collecting IP traffic information. For those who have been working in networking for a while, NetFlow is not a new technology. The increasing complexity of IT Infrastructure demands extensive network visibility and security.

Netflow monitor