PRTG Manual: sFlow Sensor
The sFlow sensor receives traffic data from an sFlow v5-compatible device and shows the traffic by type. This sensor has several filter options to divide traffic into different channels.
Make sure that the target device supports sFlow v5.
This sensor analyzes only header traffic.
For a detailed list and descriptions of the channels that this sensor can show, see section Channel List.
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Consider the following remarks and requirements for this sensor:
Remark |
Description |
---|---|
Performance impact |
This sensor has a very high performance impact. We recommend that you use no more than 50 of this sensor on each probe. |
sFlow |
This sensor requires that the sFlow v5 export is enabled on the target system. The target system must send the flow data stream to the IP address of the probe system. |
Cluster probe |
This sensor does not support cluster probes. You can only set it up on local probes or remote probes. |
IPv4 |
This sensor only supports IPv4. |
RAW data |
This sensor accepts RAW data only. The stream must be sent via IPv4. |
Limitations |
This sensor has several limitations. |
Clone sensor |
If you clone this sensor to the same probe, PRTG keeps the selected IP addresses on which it listens for Flow (NetFlow, jFlow, sFlow, IPFIX) packets. If you clone this sensor to a different probe, PRTG selects all available IP addresses by default. |
Knowledge Base |
|
Hosted probe |
You cannot add this sensor to the hosted probe of a PRTG Hosted Monitor instance. If you want to use this sensor, add it to a remote probe device. |
There are some limitations that you should consider before you use this sensor:
- This sensor only supports sFlow v5 datagrams.
- This sensor only supports IPv4 flows.
- This sensor only supports the "raw packet header" format.
- This sensor only supports the "Flow sample" and "Extended flow" formats. It cannot process "Counter" formats.
- This sensor only processes samples where the source ID matches the ifIndex of the input interface (avoiding double-counted traffic) and ascending sequence numbers.
- This sensor only supports sample packets of the Ethernet type "IP" (with optional VLAN tag)
- This sensor only supports sampled packets of the types TCP and UDP.
We recommend that you use sFlow Tester for debugging.
The sensor has the following default tags that are automatically predefined in the sensor's settings when you add the sensor:
- bandwidthsensor
- sflowsensor
For more information about basic sensor settings, see section Sensor Settings.
Setting |
Description |
---|---|
Receive Packets on UDP Port |
Enter the UDP port number on which the flow packets are received. It must match the UDP port number in the sFlow export options of the hardware router device. The default port is 6343. Enter an integer. |
Sender IP Address |
Enter the IP address of the sending device that you want to receive the sFlow from. Enter an IP address to only receive data from a specific device or leave the field empty to receive data from any device on the specified port. |
Select the IP addresses on which PRTG listens to sFlow packets. The list of IP addresses is specific to your setup. To select an IP address, enable a check box in front of the respective line. The IP address that you select must match the IP address in the sFlow export options of the hardware router device. When you configure the export, make sure that you select the appropriate sFlow v5 for this sensor You can also select all items or cancel the selection by using the check box in the table header. |
|
Stream Data Handling |
Define what PRTG does with the stream and packet data:
Use with caution. It can create huge data files. We recommend that you only use this setting for a short time. |
Setting |
Description |
---|---|
Channel Selection |
Define the categories that the sensor accounts the traffic to:
For each group, you can select how many channels the sensor uses, that is, how detailed the sensor divides the traffic:
You can change the default configuration for groups and channels. For more information, see the Knowledge Base: How can I change the default groups and channels for flow and Packet Sniffer sensors? |
For more information, see section Filter Rules.
Setting |
Description |
---|---|
Include Filter |
Define if you want to filter any traffic. If you leave this field empty, the sensor includes all traffic. To include specific traffic only, define filters using a special syntax. |
Exclude Filter |
First, the sensor considers the filters in Include Filter. From this subset, you can explicitly exclude traffic, using the same syntax. |
Setting |
Description |
---|---|
Primary Channel |
Select a channel from the list to define it as the primary channel. In the device tree, PRTG displays the last value of the primary channel below the sensor's name. The available options depend on what channels are available for this sensor. You can set a different primary channel later by clicking below a channel gauge on the sensor's Overview tab. |
Graph Type |
Define how this sensor shows different channels:
|
Stack Unit |
This setting is only visible if you select Stack channels on top of each other above. Select a unit from the list. PRTG stacks all channels with this unit on top of each other. By default, you cannot exclude single channels from stacking if they use the selected unit. However, there is an advanced procedure to do so. |
Setting |
Description |
---|---|
Primary Toplist |
Define which Toplist is the primary Toplist of the sensor:
PRTG shows the primary Toplist in maps when you add a Toplist object. |
By default, all of these settings are inherited from objects that are higher in the hierarchy. We recommend that you change them centrally in the root group settings if necessary. To change a setting for this object only, click under the corresponding setting name to disable the inheritance and to display its options.
For more information, see section Inheritance of Settings.
For all Flow (NetFlow, jFlow, sFlow, IPFIX) and Packet Sniffer sensors, Toplists are available on the sensor's Overview tab. Using Toplists, you can review traffic data for small time periods in great detail.
For more information, see section Toplists.
For more information, see section Filter Rules for Flow, IPFIX, and Packet Sniffer Sensors.
Which channels the sensor actually shows might depend on the target device, the available components, and the sensor setup.
Channel |
Description |
---|---|
Chat |
The traffic from chat and instant messaging (IRC, AIM) |
Citrix |
The traffic from Citrix applications |
Downtime |
In the channel table on the Overview tab, this channel never shows any values. PRTG uses this channel in graphs and reports to show the amount of time in which the sensor was in the Down status |
FTP/P2P |
The traffic from file transfer (FTP/P2P) |
Infrastructure |
The traffic from network services (DHCP, DNS, Ident, ICMP, SNMP) |
The internet mail traffic (IMAP, POP3, SMTP) |
|
NetBIOS |
The traffic from NetBIOS communication |
Other |
The traffic from various other protocols (UDP, TCP) |
Remote Control |
The traffic from remote control applications (RDP, SSH, Telnet, Virtual Network Computing (VNC)) |
Total |
The total traffic This channel is the primary channel by default. |
Various |
The traffic from various other sources |
WWW |
The traffic from the web (HTTP, HTTPS) |
KNOWLEDGE BASE
How can I change the default groups and channels for flow and Packet Sniffer sensors?
Where is the volume line in graphs?
What security features does PRTG include?
PAESSLER TOOLS
sFlow Tester