Configuring sFlow

sFlow Configuration

This feature allows you to configure sFlow. The configuration is divided into two parts: Configuration of the sFlow receiver (also called sFlow collector) and configuration of per-port flow and counter samplers. sFlow configuration is not persisted to non-volatile memory, which means that a reboot will disable sFlow sampling.



Agent Configuration

  • IP Address: The IP address used as Agent IP address in sFlow datagrams. It serves as a unique key that will identify this agent over extended periods of time. Both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses are supported.

Receiver Configuration
  • Owner: Basically, sFlow can be configured in two ways: Through local management using the Web or CLI interface or through SNMP. This read-only field shows the owner of the current sFlow configuration and assumes values as follows:

    • If sFlow is currently unconfigured/unclaimed, Owner contains <none>.

    • If sFlow is currently configured through Web or CLI, Owner contains <Configured through local management>.

    • If sFlow is currently configured through SNMP, Owner contains a string identifying the sFlow receiver.

    If sFlow is configured through SNMP, all controls - except for the Release-button - are disabled to avoid inadvertent reconfiguration. The Release button allows for releasing the current owner and disable sFlow sampling. The button is disabled if sFlow is currently unclaimed.

    If configured through SNMP, the release must be confirmed (a confirmation request will appear).

  • IP Address/Hostname: The IP address or hostname of the sFlow receiver. Both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses are supported.

  • UDP Port: The UDP port on which the sFlow receiver listens to sFlow datagrams. If set to 0 (zero), the default port (6343) is used.

  • Timeout: The number of seconds remaining before sampling stops and the current sFlow owner is released. While active, the current time left can be updated with a click on the Refresh-button. If locally managed, the timeout can be changed on the fly without affecting any other settings. Valid range is 0 to 2147483647 seconds.

  • Max. Datagram Size: The maximum number of data bytes that can be sent in a single sample datagram. This should be set to a value that avoids fragmentation of the sFlow datagrams. Valid range is 200 to 1468 bytes with default being 1400 bytes.

Port Configuration

  • Port: The port number for which the configuration below applies.

  • Flow Sampler Enabled: Enables or disables flow sampling on this port.

  • Flow Sampler Sampling Rate: The statistical sampling rate for packet sampling. Set to N to sample on average 1/Nth of the packets transmitted or received on the port.

    Not all sampling rates are achievable. If an unsupported sampling rate is requested, the switch will automatically adjust it to the closest achievable. This will be reported back in this field. Valid range is 1 to 4294967295

  • Flow Sampler Max. Header: The maximum number of bytes that should be copied from a sampled packet to the sFlow datagram. Valid range is 14 to 200 bytes with default being 128 bytes.

    If the maximum datagram size does not take into account the maximum header size, samples may be dropped.

  • Counter Poller Enabled: Enables or disables counter polling on this port.

  • Counter Poller Interval: With counter polling enabled, this specifies the interval - in seconds - between counter poller samples. Valid range is 1 to 3600 seconds.

Related Concepts
sFlow Statistics
Related Information
Monitoring sFlow