Administrator Guide

Monitoring Switch Traffic 519
16
Monitoring Switch Traffic
Dell Networking N1500, N2000, N3000, and N4000 Series Switches
This chapter describes sFlow features, Remote Monitoring (RMON), and
Port Mirroring features.
The topics covered in this chapter include:
• Traffic Monitoring Overview
• Default Traffic Monitoring Values
• Monitoring Switch Traffic (Web)
• Monitoring Switch Traffic (CLI)
• Traffic Monitoring Examples
Traffic Monitoring Overview
The switch maintains statistics about network traffic that it handles. It also
has embedded technology that collects and sends information about traffic to
other devices. Dell Networking N-Series switches include support for flow-
based monitoring through sFlow and Remote Network Monitoring (RMON)
agents.
What is sFlow Technology?
sFlow is an industry standard technology for monitoring high-speed switched
and routed networks. Dell Networking N1500, N2000, N3000, and N4000
Series switches software has a built-in sFlow agent that can monitor network
traffic on each port and generate sFlow data to an sFlow receiver (also known
as a collector). sFlow helps to provide visibility into network activity, which
enables effective management and control of network resources. sFlow is an
alternative to the NetFlow network protocol, which was developed by Cisco
Systems. The switch supports sFlow version 5.
As illustrated in Figure 16-1, the sFlow monitoring system consists of sFlow
Agents (such as Dell Networking N-Series switches) and a central sFlow
receiver. sFlow Agents use sampling technology to capture traffic statistics