Dell PowerEdge M420 Configuration Manual page 400

Dell powerconnect m8024-k user's configuration guide

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sampled traffic statistics to the sFlow Collector for analysis. You can specify

up to eight different sFlow receivers to which the switch sends sFlow

Figure 15-1. sFlow Architecture

sFlow Receiver

sFlow Datagrams

The advantages of using sFlow are:

It is possible to monitor all ports of the switch continuously, with no

impact on the distributed switching performance.

Minimal memory/CPU is required. Samples are not aggregated into a flow-

table on the switch; they are forwarded immediately over the network to

the sFlow receiver.

The sFlow system is tolerant to packet loss in the network because

statistical modeling means the loss is equivalent to a slight change in the

sampling rate.

sFlow receiver can receive data from multiple switches, providing a real-

time synchronized view of the whole network.

The receiver can analyze traffic patterns based on protocols found in the

headers (e.g., TCP/IP, IPX, Ethernet, AppleTalk...). This alleviates the

need for a layer 2 switch to decode and understand all protocols.

Monitoring Switch Traffic

PowerConnect Switches

(sFlow Agents)