Contents

Netflow v9 for IPv6

This document contains information about and instructions for configuring NetFlow and NetFlow Data Export (NDE) for capturing and exporting data from IP version 6 (IPv6) traffic flows using the NetFlow version 9 (v9) export format.

Finding Feature Information

Your software release may not support all the features documented in this module. For the latest caveats and feature information, see Bug Search Tool and the release notes for your platform and software release. To find information about the features documented in this module, and to see a list of the releases in which each feature is supported, see the feature information table at the end of this module.

Use Cisco Feature Navigator to find information about platform support and Cisco software image support. To access Cisco Feature Navigator, go to www.cisco.com/​go/​cfn. An account on Cisco.com is not required.

Information About Netflow v9 for IPv6

NetFlow and NDE on the PFC

The NetFlow cache on the PFC captures statistics for flows routed in hardware.

The PFC uses one of these flow masks to create NetFlow entries:

  • source-only --The cache contains one entry for each source IP address. All flows from a given source IP address use this entry.

  • destination --The cache contains one entry for each destination IP address. All flows to a given destination IP address use this entry.

  • destination-source --The cache contains one entry for each source and destination IP address pair. All flows between the same source and destination IP addresses use this entry.

  • destination-source-interface --Adds the source VLAN SNMP ifIndex to the information in the destination-source flow mask.

  • full --A separate cache entry is created for each IP flow. A full entry includes the source IP address, destination IP address, protocol, and protocol interfaces.

  • full-interface --Adds the source VLAN SNMP ifIndex to the information in the full flow mask.

NetFlow Export Format Version 9

For all NetFlow export versions, the NetFlow export datagram consists of a header and a sequence of flow records. The header contains information such as sequence number, record count, and system uptime. The flow record contains flow information, such as IP addresses, ports, and routing information.

NetFlow version 9 export format is the newest NetFlow export format. The distinguishing feature of the NetFlow version 9 export format is that it is template based. Templates make the record format extensible. NetFlow version 9 export format allows future enhancements to NetFlow without requiring concurrent changes to the basic flow-record format.

The NetFlow version 9 export record format is different from the traditional NetFlow fixed format export record. In NetFlow version 9, a template describes the NetFlow data, and the flow set contains the actual data. This arrangement allows for flexible export.

The use of templates with the NetFlow version 9 export format provides several other key benefits:

  • You can export almost any information from a router or switch, including Layer 2 through 7 information, routing information, IP version 6 (IPv6), IP version 4 (IPv4), multicast, and Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) information. This new information allows new applications for export data and new views of network behavior.

  • Third-party business partners who produce applications that provide NetFlow collector or display services for NetFlow are not required to recompile their applications each time a new NetFlow export field is added. Instead, they can use an external data file that documents the known template formats.

  • New features can be added to NetFlow more quickly, without breaking current implementations.

  • NetFlow is "future-proofed" against new or developing protocols, because the version 9 export format can be adapted to provide support for them and for other non-NetFlow-based approaches to data collection.

The NetFlow version 9 export packet header format is shown in the figure below.

Table 1 NetFlow Version 9 Export Packet Header Field Names and Descriptions

Bytes

Field Name

Description

0-1

Version

The version of NetFlow records exported in this packet; for version 9, this value is 0x0009.

2-3

Count

Number of FlowSet records (both template and data) contained within this packet.

4-7

System Uptime

Time in milliseconds since this device was first booted.

8-11

UNIX Seconds

Seconds since 0000 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) 1970.

12-15

Sequence Number

Incremental sequence counter of all export packets sent by this export device; this value is cumulative, and it can be used to find out whether any export packets have been missed.

This is a change from the NetFlow version 5 and version 8 headers, where this number represented "total flows."

16-19

Source ID

The Source ID field is a 32-bit value that is used to guarantee uniqueness for each flow exported from a particular device. (The Source ID field is the equivalent of the engine type and engine ID fields found in the NetFlow version 5 and version 8 headers.) The format of this field is vendor specific. In Cisco’s implementation, the first two bytes are reserved for future expansion and are always zero. Byte 3 provides uniqueness with respect to the routing engine on the exporting device. Byte 4 provides uniqueness with respect to the particular line card or Versatile Interface Processor on the exporting device. Collector devices should use the combination of the source IP address and the Source ID field to associate an incoming NetFlow export packet with a unique instance of NetFlow on a particular device.

The table below shows a typical example of exporting data using the NetFlow version 9 export format.

Figure 1. NetFlow Version 9 Export Format Packet Example

Additional information about the NetFlow export format version 9 and the export format architecture is available in the NetFlow version 9 Flow-Record Format document.

How to Configure Netflow v9 for IPv6

Configuring Netflow v9 for IPv6

SUMMARY STEPS

    1.    enable

    2.    configure terminal

    3.    ipv6 unicast-routing

    4.    mls flow {ip | ipv6} {destination | destination-source | full | interface-destination-source | interface-full | source}

    5.    mls nde sender

    6.    ip flow-export version 9

    7.    ip flow-export destination {ip-address | hostname} udp-port

    8.    interface type number

    9.    ipv6 address ip-address/mask


DETAILED STEPS
     Command or ActionPurpose
    Step 1 enable


    Example:
    Router> enable
     

    Enables privileged EXEC mode.

    • Enter your password if prompted.

     
    Step 2 configure terminal


    Example:
    Router# configure terminal
     

    Enters global configuration mode.

     
    Step 3 ipv6 unicast-routing


    Example:
    Router(config)# ipv6 unicast-routing
     

    Enables the forwarding of IPv6 unicast datagrams.

     
    Step 4 mls flow {ip | ipv6} {destination | destination-source | full | interface-destination-source | interface-full | source}


    Example:
    Router(config)# mls flow ipv6 interface-full
     

    Specifies the NetFlow flow mask for IPv6 traffic.

     
    Step 5 mls nde sender


    Example:
    Route(config)# mls nde sender
     

    Enables NDE globally on the router.

    Note   

    NDE does not start exporting data until you specify a destination for the exported traffic. The destination for exported traffic is specified in Step 7.

     
    Step 6 ip flow-export version 9


    Example:
    Router(config)# ip flow-export version 9
     

    Configures NDE to use the NetFlow version 9 export format.

     
    Step 7 ip flow-export destination {ip-address | hostname} udp-port


    Example:
    Router(config)# ip flow-export destination 172.16.10.2 88
     

    Specifies the IP address or the hostname of the NetFlow collector and the UDP port on which the NetFlow collector is listening.

     
    Step 8 interface type number


    Example:
    Router(config)# interface fastethernet 1/1
     

    Specifies the interface that you want to enable NetFlow on and enters interface configuration mode.

     
    Step 9 ipv6 address ip-address/mask


    Example:
    Router(config-if)# ipv6 address 2001:0DB8:AB::2/64 
     

    Configure an IPv6 address on the interface.

     

    Examples

    The following output of the show mls nde command verifies that NDE is enabled on the router.

    Router# show mls nde
    
    
     
    		
     NetFlow Data Export enabled 
    
     Exporting flows to 10.30.30.2 (12345)  172.16.10.2 (88)
    
     Exporting flows from 10.4.9.149 (58970)
    
     Version: 9
    
     Layer2 flow creation is disabled
    
     Layer2 flow export is disabled
    
     Include Filter not configured 
    
     Exclude Filter not configured 
    
     Total NetFlow Data Export Packets are:
    
        0 packets, 0 no packets, 0 records
    
     Total NetFlow Data Export Send Errors:
    
            IPWRITE_NO_FIB = 0
    
            IPWRITE_ADJ_FAILED = 0
    
            IPWRITE_PROCESS = 0
    
            IPWRITE_ENQUEUE_FAILED = 0
    
            IPWRITE_IPC_FAILED = 0
    
            IPWRITE_OUTPUT_FAILED = 0
    
            IPWRITE_MTU_FAILED = 0
    
            IPWRITE_ENCAPFIX_FAILED = 0
    
     NetFlow Aggregation Disabled
    

    Configuration Examples for Netflow v9 for IPv6

    Example: Configuring the NetFlow v9 for IPv6 Feature

    ipv6 unicast-routing
    mls flow ipv6 interface-full 
    mls nde sender 
    ip flow-export version 9 
    ip flow-export destination 172.16.10.2 88
    interface FastEthernet1/1 
    ipv6 address 
    2001:0DB8::1/64

    Example: Verifying NDE on the Router

    Router# show mls nde
    
     NetFlow Data Export enabled 
     Exporting flows to 10.30.30.2 (12345)  172.16.10.2 (88)
     Exporting flows from 10.4.9.149 (58970)
     Version: 9
     Layer2 flow creation is disabled
     Layer2 flow export is disabled
     Include Filter not configured 
     Exclude Filter not configured 
     Total NetFlow Data Export Packets are:
        0 packets, 0 no packets, 0 records
     Total NetFlow Data Export Send Errors:
            IPWRITE_NO_FIB = 0
            IPWRITE_ADJ_FAILED = 0
            IPWRITE_PROCESS = 0
            IPWRITE_ENQUEUE_FAILED = 0
            IPWRITE_IPC_FAILED = 0
            IPWRITE_OUTPUT_FAILED = 0
            IPWRITE_MTU_FAILED = 0
            IPWRITE_ENCAPFIX_FAILED = 0
     NetFlow Aggregation Disabled

    Additional References

    Related Documents

    Related Topic

    Document Title

    IPv6 addressing and connectivity

    IPv6 Configuration Guide

    Cisco IOS commands

    Master Commands List, All Releases

    IPv6 commands

    IPv6 Command Reference

    Cisco IOS IPv6 features

    IPv6 Feature Mapping

    Standards and RFCs

    Standard/RFC

    Title

    RFCs for IPv6

    IPv6 RFCs

    Technical Assistance

    Description

    Link

    The Cisco Support and Documentation website provides online resources to download documentation, software, and tools. Use these resources to install and configure the software and to troubleshoot and resolve technical issues with Cisco products and technologies. Access to most tools on the Cisco Support and Documentation website requires a Cisco.com user ID and password.

    http:/​/​www.cisco.com/​cisco/​web/​support/​index.html

    Feature Information for Netflow v9 for IPv6

    The following table provides release information about the feature or features described in this module. This table lists only the software release that introduced support for a given feature in a given software release train. Unless noted otherwise, subsequent releases of that software release train also support that feature.

    Use Cisco Feature Navigator to find information about platform support and Cisco software image support. To access Cisco Feature Navigator, go to www.cisco.com/​go/​cfn. An account on Cisco.com is not required.

    Table 2 Feature Information for Netflow v9 for IPv6

    Feature Name

    Releases

    Feature Information

    Netflow v9 for IPv6

    12.2(33)SRB

    The Netflow v9 for IPv6 feature enables the export of NetFlow flow information for IPv6 traffic.


    Netflow v9 for IPv6

    Netflow v9 for IPv6

    This document contains information about and instructions for configuring NetFlow and NetFlow Data Export (NDE) for capturing and exporting data from IP version 6 (IPv6) traffic flows using the NetFlow version 9 (v9) export format.

    Finding Feature Information

    Your software release may not support all the features documented in this module. For the latest caveats and feature information, see Bug Search Tool and the release notes for your platform and software release. To find information about the features documented in this module, and to see a list of the releases in which each feature is supported, see the feature information table at the end of this module.

    Use Cisco Feature Navigator to find information about platform support and Cisco software image support. To access Cisco Feature Navigator, go to www.cisco.com/​go/​cfn. An account on Cisco.com is not required.

    Information About Netflow v9 for IPv6

    NetFlow and NDE on the PFC

    The NetFlow cache on the PFC captures statistics for flows routed in hardware.

    The PFC uses one of these flow masks to create NetFlow entries:

    • source-only --The cache contains one entry for each source IP address. All flows from a given source IP address use this entry.

    • destination --The cache contains one entry for each destination IP address. All flows to a given destination IP address use this entry.

    • destination-source --The cache contains one entry for each source and destination IP address pair. All flows between the same source and destination IP addresses use this entry.

    • destination-source-interface --Adds the source VLAN SNMP ifIndex to the information in the destination-source flow mask.

    • full --A separate cache entry is created for each IP flow. A full entry includes the source IP address, destination IP address, protocol, and protocol interfaces.

    • full-interface --Adds the source VLAN SNMP ifIndex to the information in the full flow mask.

    NetFlow Export Format Version 9

    For all NetFlow export versions, the NetFlow export datagram consists of a header and a sequence of flow records. The header contains information such as sequence number, record count, and system uptime. The flow record contains flow information, such as IP addresses, ports, and routing information.

    NetFlow version 9 export format is the newest NetFlow export format. The distinguishing feature of the NetFlow version 9 export format is that it is template based. Templates make the record format extensible. NetFlow version 9 export format allows future enhancements to NetFlow without requiring concurrent changes to the basic flow-record format.

    The NetFlow version 9 export record format is different from the traditional NetFlow fixed format export record. In NetFlow version 9, a template describes the NetFlow data, and the flow set contains the actual data. This arrangement allows for flexible export.

    The use of templates with the NetFlow version 9 export format provides several other key benefits:

    • You can export almost any information from a router or switch, including Layer 2 through 7 information, routing information, IP version 6 (IPv6), IP version 4 (IPv4), multicast, and Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) information. This new information allows new applications for export data and new views of network behavior.

    • Third-party business partners who produce applications that provide NetFlow collector or display services for NetFlow are not required to recompile their applications each time a new NetFlow export field is added. Instead, they can use an external data file that documents the known template formats.

    • New features can be added to NetFlow more quickly, without breaking current implementations.

    • NetFlow is "future-proofed" against new or developing protocols, because the version 9 export format can be adapted to provide support for them and for other non-NetFlow-based approaches to data collection.

    The NetFlow version 9 export packet header format is shown in the figure below.

    Table 1 NetFlow Version 9 Export Packet Header Field Names and Descriptions

    Bytes

    Field Name

    Description

    0-1

    Version

    The version of NetFlow records exported in this packet; for version 9, this value is 0x0009.

    2-3

    Count

    Number of FlowSet records (both template and data) contained within this packet.

    4-7

    System Uptime

    Time in milliseconds since this device was first booted.

    8-11

    UNIX Seconds

    Seconds since 0000 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) 1970.

    12-15

    Sequence Number

    Incremental sequence counter of all export packets sent by this export device; this value is cumulative, and it can be used to find out whether any export packets have been missed.

    This is a change from the NetFlow version 5 and version 8 headers, where this number represented "total flows."

    16-19

    Source ID

    The Source ID field is a 32-bit value that is used to guarantee uniqueness for each flow exported from a particular device. (The Source ID field is the equivalent of the engine type and engine ID fields found in the NetFlow version 5 and version 8 headers.) The format of this field is vendor specific. In Cisco’s implementation, the first two bytes are reserved for future expansion and are always zero. Byte 3 provides uniqueness with respect to the routing engine on the exporting device. Byte 4 provides uniqueness with respect to the particular line card or Versatile Interface Processor on the exporting device. Collector devices should use the combination of the source IP address and the Source ID field to associate an incoming NetFlow export packet with a unique instance of NetFlow on a particular device.

    The table below shows a typical example of exporting data using the NetFlow version 9 export format.

    Figure 1. NetFlow Version 9 Export Format Packet Example

    Additional information about the NetFlow export format version 9 and the export format architecture is available in the NetFlow version 9 Flow-Record Format document.

    How to Configure Netflow v9 for IPv6

    Configuring Netflow v9 for IPv6

    SUMMARY STEPS

      1.    enable

      2.    configure terminal

      3.    ipv6 unicast-routing

      4.    mls flow {ip | ipv6} {destination | destination-source | full | interface-destination-source | interface-full | source}

      5.    mls nde sender

      6.    ip flow-export version 9

      7.    ip flow-export destination {ip-address | hostname} udp-port

      8.    interface type number

      9.    ipv6 address ip-address/mask


    DETAILED STEPS
       Command or ActionPurpose
      Step 1 enable


      Example:
      Router> enable
       

      Enables privileged EXEC mode.

      • Enter your password if prompted.

       
      Step 2 configure terminal


      Example:
      Router# configure terminal
       

      Enters global configuration mode.

       
      Step 3 ipv6 unicast-routing


      Example:
      Router(config)# ipv6 unicast-routing
       

      Enables the forwarding of IPv6 unicast datagrams.

       
      Step 4 mls flow {ip | ipv6} {destination | destination-source | full | interface-destination-source | interface-full | source}


      Example:
      Router(config)# mls flow ipv6 interface-full
       

      Specifies the NetFlow flow mask for IPv6 traffic.

       
      Step 5 mls nde sender


      Example:
      Route(config)# mls nde sender
       

      Enables NDE globally on the router.

      Note   

      NDE does not start exporting data until you specify a destination for the exported traffic. The destination for exported traffic is specified in Step 7.

       
      Step 6 ip flow-export version 9


      Example:
      Router(config)# ip flow-export version 9
       

      Configures NDE to use the NetFlow version 9 export format.

       
      Step 7 ip flow-export destination {ip-address | hostname} udp-port


      Example:
      Router(config)# ip flow-export destination 172.16.10.2 88
       

      Specifies the IP address or the hostname of the NetFlow collector and the UDP port on which the NetFlow collector is listening.

       
      Step 8 interface type number


      Example:
      Router(config)# interface fastethernet 1/1
       

      Specifies the interface that you want to enable NetFlow on and enters interface configuration mode.

       
      Step 9 ipv6 address ip-address/mask


      Example:
      Router(config-if)# ipv6 address 2001:0DB8:AB::2/64 
       

      Configure an IPv6 address on the interface.

       

      Examples

      The following output of the show mls nde command verifies that NDE is enabled on the router.

      Router# show mls nde
      
      
       
      		
       NetFlow Data Export enabled 
      
       Exporting flows to 10.30.30.2 (12345)  172.16.10.2 (88)
      
       Exporting flows from 10.4.9.149 (58970)
      
       Version: 9
      
       Layer2 flow creation is disabled
      
       Layer2 flow export is disabled
      
       Include Filter not configured 
      
       Exclude Filter not configured 
      
       Total NetFlow Data Export Packets are:
      
          0 packets, 0 no packets, 0 records
      
       Total NetFlow Data Export Send Errors:
      
              IPWRITE_NO_FIB = 0
      
              IPWRITE_ADJ_FAILED = 0
      
              IPWRITE_PROCESS = 0
      
              IPWRITE_ENQUEUE_FAILED = 0
      
              IPWRITE_IPC_FAILED = 0
      
              IPWRITE_OUTPUT_FAILED = 0
      
              IPWRITE_MTU_FAILED = 0
      
              IPWRITE_ENCAPFIX_FAILED = 0
      
       NetFlow Aggregation Disabled
      

      Configuration Examples for Netflow v9 for IPv6

      Example: Configuring the NetFlow v9 for IPv6 Feature

      ipv6 unicast-routing
      mls flow ipv6 interface-full 
      mls nde sender 
      ip flow-export version 9 
      ip flow-export destination 172.16.10.2 88
      interface FastEthernet1/1 
      ipv6 address 
      2001:0DB8::1/64

      Example: Verifying NDE on the Router

      Router# show mls nde
      
       NetFlow Data Export enabled 
       Exporting flows to 10.30.30.2 (12345)  172.16.10.2 (88)
       Exporting flows from 10.4.9.149 (58970)
       Version: 9
       Layer2 flow creation is disabled
       Layer2 flow export is disabled
       Include Filter not configured 
       Exclude Filter not configured 
       Total NetFlow Data Export Packets are:
          0 packets, 0 no packets, 0 records
       Total NetFlow Data Export Send Errors:
              IPWRITE_NO_FIB = 0
              IPWRITE_ADJ_FAILED = 0
              IPWRITE_PROCESS = 0
              IPWRITE_ENQUEUE_FAILED = 0
              IPWRITE_IPC_FAILED = 0
              IPWRITE_OUTPUT_FAILED = 0
              IPWRITE_MTU_FAILED = 0
              IPWRITE_ENCAPFIX_FAILED = 0
       NetFlow Aggregation Disabled

      Additional References

      Related Documents

      Related Topic

      Document Title

      IPv6 addressing and connectivity

      IPv6 Configuration Guide

      Cisco IOS commands

      Master Commands List, All Releases

      IPv6 commands

      IPv6 Command Reference

      Cisco IOS IPv6 features

      IPv6 Feature Mapping

      Standards and RFCs

      Standard/RFC

      Title

      RFCs for IPv6

      IPv6 RFCs

      Technical Assistance

      Description

      Link

      The Cisco Support and Documentation website provides online resources to download documentation, software, and tools. Use these resources to install and configure the software and to troubleshoot and resolve technical issues with Cisco products and technologies. Access to most tools on the Cisco Support and Documentation website requires a Cisco.com user ID and password.

      http:/​/​www.cisco.com/​cisco/​web/​support/​index.html

      Feature Information for Netflow v9 for IPv6

      The following table provides release information about the feature or features described in this module. This table lists only the software release that introduced support for a given feature in a given software release train. Unless noted otherwise, subsequent releases of that software release train also support that feature.

      Use Cisco Feature Navigator to find information about platform support and Cisco software image support. To access Cisco Feature Navigator, go to www.cisco.com/​go/​cfn. An account on Cisco.com is not required.

      Table 2 Feature Information for Netflow v9 for IPv6

      Feature Name

      Releases

      Feature Information

      Netflow v9 for IPv6

      12.2(33)SRB

      The Netflow v9 for IPv6 feature enables the export of NetFlow flow information for IPv6 traffic.