Cascade Flow adds Latency to NetFlow

I’m told that Riverbed® Cascade® Flow has introduced latency metrics to their NetFlow exports.  With this new information, we can possibly report on latency between hosts, application latency and even latency involving services in the cloud (i.e. Monitoring Cloud Performance).

sFlow Myths : sFlow is really sPacket

First of all, I’m a fan of sFlow, NetFlow, IPFIX, NetStream, JFlow, etc. I like them all.  In this blog I would like to point something out that a customer made clear to me about sFlow.

IPFIX, NetStream, JFlow are all ‘NetFlow’ like technologies. These NetFlow technologies are truly ‘flow’ based.  On the other hand, sFlow is not.  It is a packet sampling technology. It has BIG benefits;  however, the benefits are very different from a flow-based protocol such as NetFlow and IPFIX. Lets take a look at the definition of a flow.

Cisco Live 2011 in London

The first day of Cisco Live Europe 2011 is going well. If you want to check out the new features in our Flexible NetFlow reporting tool, you’ll find us in booth E9, right next to the Cisco store.

sFlow Billing Vs. NetFlow Billing

Q: Can you perform billing with sFlow samples?

A: Yes, depending on how you need to invoice.

Being a vendor that supports NetFlow and sFlow reporting, we deal with lots of flow questions.  Most recently, I was dealing with a customer that was trying to figure out how to do billing with sFlow.  Depending on how you want to invoice, sFlow may or may not be appropriate.  This document from Inmon sums it up nicely by saying, “sampling does not provide a 100% accurate result.”  The document goes on to state, “but it does provide a result in which the error can be accurately characterized.” Which is really a fancy way of saying that sampling allows you to be ‘fairly’ accurate.

NetFlow Europe: A visit with Plixer's UK Reseller Teneo

While attending CeBit in Germany last March, I was able to meet our German reseller, TCC Gmbh, as well as our Nordic reseller, Plan Two. These types of meetings are important for two reasons. The first is being able to put a face with a name. Knowing who you are talking to and being able to associate that person with a physical meeting can go a long way in helping that relationship grow. The second is market understanding. In the international arena, having strong resellers who understand their client’s needs, as well as their country’s laws and regulations is necessary. It is the only way you can ensure growth in that country.

This month, I had the privilege of meeting with our largest UK reseller, Teneo.

sFlow, Scrutinizer and the search for a Time Lord

It was my last free day in London and I bumped into one of our favorite Time Lord’s worst enemies. Trust me, I would have much rather spent the day having fun, running around London, but this was serious!

With the words “Exterminate, Exterminate” ringing in my ear, I decided that the only way to save the human race was to find The Doctor. London is a big city and a bit foreign to me. I needed to find him and fast. I first stopped at Starbucks. A quick double espresso with an extra shot was what I needed. It could be the end of the world, no time to mess with tea.

NetFlow in the Royal Garden

Sometimes you see a name flash across your screen that draws your attention.  A few months ago I had one that did just that. When I decided to visit London I knew it was an attraction that I needed to see.

I use the term “amateur horticulturist” loosely when describing one of my hobbies. I am still in the beginning steps of building a self-contained, hydroponic garden and fish farm powered by Arduino. By “beginning steps” I mean that I have a lot of bookmarks and interesting YouTube videos.

London is nice this time of year

One of the highlights of my job is being able to work with people from all over the world. Calls from China, GotoMeetings with Norway and video conferencing with the UK are all day to day activities for me. This month is a little different. Yesterday was the first day of my world wind trip to London, Dublin and Paris.

Skype Vs Webex: Monitor Skype with NetFlow NBAR

Move over WebEx, someone is trying to eat your lunch. Skype has entered the desktop sharing market and they are giving it away for free!

Network Anomaly Detection with NetFlow and IPFIX Analysis

I was working with a customer last week who only wanted TCP, UDP, HOPOPT and ICMP on the network.  In addition to that they wanted to be alarmed if any other transport protocol passed through their Cisco ASA .  I introduced them to the Top Network Transports gadget in Flow Analytics.