CLI Reference Guide-R04

Table Of Contents

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7 Flow Sampling Commands

Flow sampling (sFlow) can be used with a remote sFlow Collector to provide an

accurate, detailed and real-time overview of the types and levels of traffic present

on the network. The sFlow Agent samples 1 out of n packets from all data

traversing the switch, re-encapsulates the samples as sFlow datagrams and

transmits them to the sFlow Collector. This sampling occurs at the internal

hardware level where all traffic is seen, whereas traditional probes only have a

partial view of traffic as it is sampled at the monitored interface. Moreover, the

processor and memory load imposed by the sFlow agent is minimal since local

analysis does not take place.

Note:

The terms “collector”, “receiver” and “owner”, in the context of this chapter, all

refer to a remote server capable of receiving the sFlow datagrams generated by the

sFlow agent of the switch.

Table 35: sFlow Commands

Command Function Mode

sflow owner Creates an sFlow collector which the switch uses to send

samples to.

sflow polling instance Configures an sFlow polling data source that takes samples

periodically based on time.

sflow sampling instance Configures an sFlow sampling data source that samples

periodically based on a packet count.

show sflow Shows the global and interface settings for the sFlow

process