FlowMonitor Technical Information
Cisco® Netflow
FlowMonitor utilizes a Cisco® function called Netflow to acquire information about network traffic and write it to a log file.
Netflow sends out data on every single packet (on every port and every protocol) that flows through a Cisco® router. Netflow can be enabled on most Cisco® routers, depending on the type of router, and the version of IOS that is installed.
FlowMonitor can be configured to capture all data on every port and every protocol that crosses the Cisco® router. This enables you to see exactly how much traffic your organization has been generating.
Minimum Requirements
The FlowMonitor service can only be installed on Windows NT, 2000 or XP operating systems. The console can be installed on Windows 98 and above. A special build of FlowMonitor is available for Windows® Server 2003. Contact support@webspy.com for more information.
Your Cisco® Router must support Netflow. View the list of Cisco® platforms that support Netflow.
Installing WebSpy FlowMonitor
For information on installing WebSpy FlowMonitor, please consult the FlowMonitor Installation and User Guide.
Configuring your Cisco® Router
Before attempting to configure your router, please check that it supports Netflow. View supported routers and IOS versions. To configure Netflow on the Cisco® router you need to perform the following steps: (the commands may vary depending on Cisco® IOS and Netflow version).
On each interface you want to receive incoming Netflow packets for you need the following command:
(config-if)#ip route-cache flow
You also need to enter the following global commands:
(config)#ip flow-export source interface number
(config)#ip flow-export version 5 peer-as
(config)#ip flow-export destination ip address port number
Note: The "ip flow-export destination" needs to have the IP address and port number of the machine running the FlowMonitor Service. By default, the service listens on port 8777 for any incoming Netflow packets. This port number can be changed, by editing FlowMonitor's Listening Port.
Up to two destinations can be specified by using two 'ip flow-export destination' commands.
For more information on configuring Netflow on Cisco® routers, please consult the relevant Cisco® documentation.
