Configuring NetFlow Top Talkers using Cisco IOS CLI Commands or SNMP Commands

Last Updated: November 28, 2011

This module contains information about and instructions for configuring NetFlow Top Talkers feature. The NetFlow Top Talkers feature can be configured using the Cisco IOS command-line interface (CLI) or with SNMP commands using the NetFlow MIB. The NetFlow Top Talkers feature uses NetFlow functionality to obtain information regarding heaviest traffic patterns and most-used applications in the network. The NetFlow MIB allows you to configure NetFlow and the NetFlow Top Talkers feature using SNMP commands from a network management workstation.

Finding Feature Information

Your software release may not support all the features documented in this module. For the latest feature information and caveats, see 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 document.

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.

Prerequisites for Configuring NetFlow Top Talkers

Before you enable NetFlow and NetFlow Top Talkers, you must:

  • Configure the router for IP routing
  • Ensure that one of the following is enabled on your router, and on the interfaces that you want to configure NetFlow on: Cisco Express Forwarding (CEF), distributed CEF, or fast switching
  • Understand the resources required on your router because NetFlow consumes additional memory and CPU resources.

Restrictions for Configuring NetFlow Top Talkers

Cisco IOS Releases 12.2(14)S, 12.0(22)S, or 12.2(15)T

If your router is running a version of Cisco IOS prior to releases 12.2(14)S, 12.0(22)S, or 12.2(15)T the ip route-cache flow command is used to enable NetFlow on an interface.

If your router is running Cisco IOS release 12.2(14)S, 12.0(22)S, 12.2(15)T, or later the ip flow ingress command is used to enable NetFlow on an interface.

Cisco IOS Release 12.2(33)SXH

Some of the keywords and arguments for the commands used to configure the NetFlow MIB and Top Talkers feature are not supported in 12.2(33)SXH. See the syntax descriptions for the commands in the command reference (URL for the 12.2SX NF CR to be added later) for details.

Information About Configuring NetFlow Top Talkers

Overview of the NetFlow MIB and Top Talkers Feature

NetFlow collects traffic flow statistics on routing devices. NetFlow has been used for a variety of applications, including traffic engineering, usage-based billing, and monitoring for denial-of-service (DoS) attacks.

The flows that are generating the heaviest system traffic are known as the "top talkers."

The NetFlow Top Talkers feature allows flows to be sorted so that they can be viewed. The top talkers can be sorted by either of the following criteria:

  • By the total number of packets in each top talker
  • By the total number of bytes in each top talker

The usual implementation of NetFlow exports NetFlow data to a collector. The NetFlow MIB and Top Talkers feature performs security monitoring and accounting for top talkers and matches and identifies key users of the network. This feature is also useful for a network location where a traditional NetFlow export operation is not possible. The NetFlow MIB and Top Talkers feature does not require a collector to obtain information regarding flows. Instead, these flows are placed in a special cache where they can be viewed. The NetFlow MIB part of the NetFlow MIB and Top Talkers feature allows you to configure the NetFlow Top Talkers feature using SNMP.

In addition to sorting top talkers, you can further organize your output by specifying criteria that the top talkers must match, such as source or destination IP address or port. The match command is used to specify this criterion. For a full list of the matching criteria that you can select, refer to the matchcommand in the Cisco IOS command reference documentation.

Benefits of the NetFlow MIB and Top Talkers Feature

Top talkers can be useful for analyzing network traffic in any of the following ways:

  • Security--You can view the list of top talkers to see if traffic patterns consistent with DoS attack are present in your network.
  • Load balancing--You can identify the most heavily used parts of the system and move network traffic over to less-used parts of the system.
  • Traffic analysis--Consulting the data retrieved from the NetFlow MIB and Top Talkers feature can assist you in general traffic study and planning for your network.

An additional benefit of the NetFlow MIB and Top Talkers feature is that it can be configured for a router either by entering CLI commands or by entering SNMP commands on a network management system (NMS) workstation. The SNMP commands are sent to the router and processed by a MIB. You do not have to be connected to the router console to extract the list of top talkers information if an NMS workstation is configured to communicate using SNMP to your network device. For more information on configuring your network device to use MIB functionality for the NetFlow MIB and Top Talkers feature, see Configuring SNMP Support on the Networking Device.

Cisco IOS Release 12.2(33)SXH on Cisco 6500 Series Switches

The show ip flow top-talkers command was modified in Cisco IOS Release 12.2(33)SXH for the Cisco 6500 Series switches to support displaying the top talkers for a specific module. The show ip flow top-talkers module number command displays the top talkers for that module. The show ip flow top-talkers command without the module keyword shows the top talkers in the hardware switched path (a merged list of top lists from all modules) and then software switched top talkers. The NetFlow MIB can be used to request the top talker list and to set and/or get the configuration parameters for the NetFlow MIB Top Talkers feature.

How to Configure NetFlow Top Talkers using Cisco IOS CLI Commands or SNMP Commands


Note
Some of the tasks in this section include examples of the SNMP CLI syntax used to set configuration parameters on the router and to read values from MIB objects on the router. These SNMP CLI syntax examples are taken from a Linux workstation using public-domain SNMP tools. The SNMP CLI syntax for your workstation might be different. Refer to the documentation that was provided with your SNMP tools for the correct syntax for your network management workstation.

Configuring SNMP Support on the Networking Device

If you want to configure the NetFlow Top Talkers feature using the Cisco IOS CLI, you do not have to perform this task.

If you want to configure the NetFlow Top Talkers feature using the NetFlow MIB and SNMP, you must perform this task.

Before you can use SNMP commands to configure the Top Talkers feature you must configure SNMP support on your networking device. To enable SNMP support on the networking device perform the steps in this task.


Note
The SNMP community read-only (RO) string for the examples is public. The SNMP community read-write (RW) string for the examples is private. You should use more complex strings for these values in your configurations.

Note
For more information on configuring SNMP support on your networking device, refer to the "Configuring SNMP Support" chapter of the Cisco IOS Configuration Fundamentals and Network Management Configuration Guide .
SUMMARY STEPS

1.    enable

2.    configure terminal

3.    snmp-server community string ro

4.    snmp-server community string rw

5.    end


DETAILED STEPS
  Command or Action Purpose
Step 1
enable


Example:

Router> enable

 

(Required) Enables privileged EXEC mode.

  • Enter your password if prompted.
 
Step 2
configure terminal


Example:

Router# configure terminal

 

(Required) Enters global configuration mode.

 
Step 3
snmp-server community string ro


Example:

Router(config)# snmp-server community public ro

 

(Required) Sets up the community access string to permit access to SNMP.

  • The string argument is a community string that consists of from 1 to 32 alphanumeric characters and functions much like a password, permitting access to the SNMP protocol. Blank spaces are not permitted in the community string.
  • The ro keyword specifies read-only access. SNMP management stations using this string can retrieve MIB objects.
 
Step 4
snmp-server community string rw


Example:

Router(config)# snmp-server community private rw

 

(Required) Sets up the community access string to permit access to SNMP.

  • The string argument is a community string that consists of from 1 to 32 alphanumeric characters and functions much like a password, permitting access to the SNMP protocol. Blank spaces are not permitted in the community string.
  • The rw keyword specifies read-write access. SNMP management stations using this string can retrieve and modify MIB objects.
Note    The string argument must be different from the read-only string argument specified in the preceding step (Step 3).
 
Step 5
end


Example:

Router(config)# end

 

(Required) Exits the current configuration mode and returns to privileged EXEC mode.

 

Configuring Parameters for the NetFlow Main Cache

This optional task describes the procedure for modifying the parameters for the NetFlow main cache. Perform the steps in this optional task using either the router CLI commands or the SNMP commands to modify the parameters for the NetFlow main cache.

SUMMARY STEPS

1.    enable

2.    configure terminal

3.    ip flow-cache entries number

4.    ip flow-cache timeout active minutes

5.    ip flow-cache timeout inactive seconds

6.    end


DETAILED STEPS
  Command or Action Purpose
Step 1
enable


Example:

Router> enable

 

(Required) Enables privileged EXEC mode.

  • Enter your password if prompted.
 
Step 2
configure terminal


Example:

Router# configure terminal

 

(Required) Enters global configuration mode.

 
Step 3
ip flow-cache entries number


Example:

Router(config)# ip flow-cache entries 4000

 

(Optional) Specifies the maximum number of entries to be captured for the main flow cache.

  • The range for the number argument is from 1024 to 524288 entries.
 
Step 4
ip flow-cache timeout active minutes


Example:

Router(config)# ip flow-cache timeout active 30

 

(Optional) Configures operational parameters for the main cache.

  • The timeout keyword dissolves the session in the cache.
  • The active minutes keyword-argument pair is the number of minutes that an entry is active. The range is from 1 to 60 minutes. The default is 30 minutes.
 
Step 5
ip flow-cache timeout inactive seconds


Example:

Router(config)# ip flow-cache timeout inactive 100

 

(Optional) Configures operational parameters for the main cache.

  • The timeout keyword dissolves the session in the main cache.
  • The inactive secondskeyword-argument pair is the number of seconds that an inactive entry will stay in the main cache before it times out. The range is from 10 to 600 seconds. The default is 15 seconds.
 
Step 6
end


Example:

Router(config)# end

 

(Required) Exits the current configuration mode and returns to privileged EXEC mode.

 

Configuring Parameters for the NetFlow Main Cache

SUMMARY STEPS

1.    snmpset -c private -m all -v2c [ip-address | hostname] cnfCICacheEntries.type unsigned number

2.    snmpset -c private -m all -v2c [ip-address | hostname] cnfCIActiveTimeOut.type unsigned number

3.    snmpset -c private -m all -v2c [ip-address | hostname] ccnfCIInactiveTimeOut.type unsigned number


DETAILED STEPS
  Command or Action Purpose
Step 1
snmpset -c private -m all -v2c [ip-address | hostname] cnfCICacheEntries.type unsigned number


Example:

workstation% snmpset -c private -m all -v2c 10.4.9.62 cnfCICacheEntries.0 unsigned 4000

 

(Optional) Defines the maximum number of entries to be captured for the main flow cache.

  • The value for the type argument in cnfCICacheEntries.type unsigned number is 0 for the main cache.
  • The value for the number argument in cnfCICacheEntries.type number is the maximum number of cache entries.
  • The range for the number argument is from 1024 to 524288 entries.
 
Step 2
snmpset -c private -m all -v2c [ip-address | hostname] cnfCIActiveTimeOut.type unsigned number


Example:

workstation% snmpset -c private -m all -v2c 10.4.9.62 cnfCIActiveTimeOut.0 unsigned 60

 

(Optional) Specifies the number of seconds that an active flow remains in the main cache before it times out.

  • The value for the type argument in cnfCIActiveTimeout.type unsigned number is 0 for the main cache.
  • The value for the number argument in cnfCIActiveTimeout.type unsigned number is the number of seconds that an active flow remains in the cache before it times out.
  • The range for the number argument is from 1 to 60 minutes. The default is 30 minutes.
 
Step 3
snmpset -c private -m all -v2c [ip-address | hostname] ccnfCIInactiveTimeOut.type unsigned number


Example:

workstation% snmpset -c private -m all -v2c 10.4.9.62 cnfCIInactiveTimeOut.0 unsigned 30

 

(Optional) Specifies the number of seconds that an inactive flow remains in the main cache before it times out.

  • The value for the type argument in cnfCIInactiveTimeout.type unsigned number is 0 for the main cache.
  • The value for the number argument in cnfCIInactiveTimeout.type unsigned number is the number of seconds that an inactive flow remains in the main cache before it times out.
  • The range for the number argument is from 10 to 600 seconds. The default is 15 seconds.
 

Identifying the Interface Number to Use for Enabling NetFlow with SNMP

If you want to configure the NetFlow Top Talkers feature using the Cisco IOS CLI, you do not have to perform this task.

If you want to configure the NetFlow Top Talkers feature using the NetFlow MIB and SNMP, you must perform this task.

Before you can use SNMP to enable NetFlow on an interface, you must identify the SNMP interface number on the router. To identify the interface number for the interface on which you want to enable NetFlow, perform the steps in this required task.

SUMMARY STEPS

1.    enable

2.    show snmp mib ifmib ifindex type number

3.    Repeat Step 2 to identify the SNMP interface number for any other interfaces on which you plan to enable NetFlow.


DETAILED STEPS
Step 1   enable

Enters privileged EXEC mode. Enter the password if prompted.



Example: 
Router> enable
Step 2   show snmp mib ifmib ifindex type number

Displays the SNMP interface number for the interface specified.



Example: 
Router# show snmp mib ifmib ifindex GigabitEthernet6/2
Ethernet0/0: Ifindex = 60
Step 3   Repeat Step 2 to identify the SNMP interface number for any other interfaces on which you plan to enable NetFlow.

Configuring NetFlow on a Cisco 6500 Series Switch

To enable NetFlow on the switch, perform the steps in this required task using either the CLI commands or the SNMP commands.


Note
This task provides the minimum information required to configure NetFlow on your Cisco 6500 series switch. See the Catalyst 6500 Series Cisco IOS Software Configuration Guide, for more information of configuring NetFlow on your switch.
SUMMARY STEPS

1.    enable

2.    configure terminal

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

4.    interface type number

5.    ip flow {ingress | egress}

6.    exit

7.    Repeat Steps 4 through 6 to enable NetFlow on other interfaces.

8.    end


DETAILED STEPS
  Command or Action Purpose
Step 1
enable


Example:

Router> enable

 

(Required) Enables privileged EXEC mode.

  • Enter your password if prompted.
 
Step 2
configure terminal


Example:

Router# configure terminal

 

(Required) Enters global configuration mode.

 
Step 3
mls flow {ip | ipv6} {destination | destination-source | full | interface-destination-source | interface-full | source}


Example:

Router(config)# mls flow ip interface-full

 

Specifies the NetFlow flow mask for IPv4 traffic.

 
Step 4
interface type number


Example:

Router(config)# interface GigabitEthernet6/2

 

(Required) Specifies the interface on which you want to enable NetFlow and enters interface configuration mode.

 
Step 5
ip flow {ingress | egress}


Example:

Router(config-if)# ip flow ingress



Example:



Example:

and/or



Example:

Router(config-if)# ip flow egress

 

(Required) Enables NetFlow on the interface.

  • ingress --Captures traffic that is being received by the interface
  • egress --Captures traffic that is being transmitted by the interface.
 
Step 6
exit


Example:

Router(config-if)# exit

 

(Optional) Exits interface configuration mode and returns to global configuration mode.

  • Use this command only if you want to enable NetFlow on another interface.
 
Step 7
Repeat Steps 4 through 6 to enable NetFlow on other interfaces. 

(Optional) --

 
Step 8
end


Example:

Router(config-if)# end

 

(Required) Exits the current configuration mode and returns to privileged EXEC mode.

 

Configuring NetFlow on a Cisco 6500 Series Switch

SUMMARY STEPS

1.    snmpset -c private -m all -v2c [ip-address | hostname] cseFlowIPFlowMask integer [1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6]

2.    snmpset -c private -m all -v2c [ip-address | hostname] cnfCINetflowEnable.interface-number integer [0 | 1 | 2 | 3]

3.    Repeat Step 2 to enable NetFlow on other interfaces


DETAILED STEPS
  Command or Action Purpose
Step 1
snmpset -c private -m all -v2c [ip-address | hostname] cseFlowIPFlowMask integer [1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6]


Example:

workstation% snmpset -c private -m all -v2c 10.4.9.62 cnfCINetflowEnable.60 integer 1

 

Specifies the NetFlow flow mask for IPv4 traffic.

  • 1--destination-only
  • 2--source-destination
  • 3--full-flow
  • 4--source-only
  • 5--interface-source-destination
  • 6--interface-full
 
Step 2
snmpset -c private -m all -v2c [ip-address | hostname] cnfCINetflowEnable.interface-number integer [0 | 1 | 2 | 3]


Example:

workstation% snmpset -c private -m all -v2c 10.4.9.62 cnfCINetflowEnable.60 integer 1

 

(Required) Configures NetFlow for an interface.

  • The value for the interface-number argument is found by entering the router CLI command show snmp mib ifmib ifindex on the router in privileged EXEC mode.
  • The values for the direction argument are:
    • 0--Disable NetFlow
    • 1--Enable Ingress NetFlow
    • 2--Enable Egress NetFlow
    • 3--Enable Ingress and Egress NetFlow
 
Step 3
Repeat Step 2 to enable NetFlow on other interfaces 

(Optional) --

 

Configuring NetFlow on Cisco Routers

To enable NetFlow on the router, perform the steps in this required task using either the CLI commands or the SNMP commands .

SUMMARY STEPS

1.    enable

2.    configure terminal

3.    interface type number

4.    ip flow {ingress | egress}

5.    exit

6.    Repeat Steps 3 through 5 to enable NetFlow on other interfaces.

7.    end


DETAILED STEPS
  Command or Action Purpose
Step 1
enable


Example:

Router> enable

 

(Required) Enables privileged EXEC mode.

  • Enter your password if prompted.
 
Step 2
configure terminal


Example:

Router# configure terminal

 

(Required) Enters global configuration mode.

 
Step 3
interface type number


Example:

Router(config)# interface GigabitEthernet6/2

 

(Required) Specifies the interface on which you want to enable NetFlow and enters interface configuration mode.

 
Step 4
ip flow {ingress | egress}


Example:

Router(config-if)# ip flow ingress



Example:



Example:

and/or



Example:

Router(config-if)# ip flow egress

 

(Required) Enables NetFlow on the interface.

  • ingress --Captures traffic that is being received by the interface
  • egress --Captures traffic that is being transmitted by the interface.
 
Step 5
exit


Example:

Router(config-if)# exit

 

(Optional) Exits interface configuration mode and returns to global configuration mode.

  • Use this command only if you want to enable NetFlow on another interface.
 
Step 6
Repeat Steps 3 through 5 to enable NetFlow on other interfaces. 

(Optional) --

 
Step 7
end


Example:

Router(config-if)# end

 

(Required) Exits the current configuration mode and returns to privileged EXEC mode.

 

Configuring NetFlow on Cisco Routers

SUMMARY STEPS

1.    snmpset -c private -m all -v2c [ip-address | hostname] cnfCINetflowEnable.interface-number integer [0 | 1 | 2 | 3]

2.    Repeat Step 1 to enable NetFlow on other interfaces


DETAILED STEPS
  Command or Action Purpose
Step 1
snmpset -c private -m all -v2c [ip-address | hostname] cnfCINetflowEnable.interface-number integer [0 | 1 | 2 | 3]


Example:

workstation% snmpset -c private -m all -v2c 10.4.9.62 cnfCINetflowEnable.60 integer 1

 

(Required) Configures NetFlow for an interface.

  • The value for the interface-number argument is found by entering the router CLI command show snmp mib ifmib ifindex on the router in privileged EXEC mode.
  • The values for the direction argument are:
    • 0--Disable NetFlow
    • 1--Enable Ingress NetFlow
    • 2--Enable Egress NetFlow
    • 3--Enable Ingress and Egress NetFlow
 
Step 2
Repeat Step 1 to enable NetFlow on other interfaces 

(Optional) --

 

Configuring NetFlow Top Talkers

This task describes the procedure for configuring the NetFlow Top Talkers feature. Perform the steps in this required task using either the router CLI commands or the SNMP commands to configure the NetFlow Top Talkers feature on the router.

SUMMARY STEPS

1.    enable

2.    configure terminal

3.    ip flow-top-talkers

4.    top number

5.    sort-by [bytes | packets

6.    cache-timeout milliseconds

7.    end


DETAILED STEPS
  Command or Action Purpose
Step 1
enable


Example:

Router> enable

 

(Required) Enables privileged EXEC mode.

  • Enter your password if prompted.
 
Step 2
configure terminal


Example:

Router# configure terminal

 

(Required) Enters global configuration mode.

 
Step 3
ip flow-top-talkers


Example:

Router(config)# ip flow-top-talkers

 

(Required) Enters NetFlow Top Talkers configuration mode.

 
Step 4
top number


Example:

Router(config-flow-top-talkers)# top 50

 

(Required) Specifies the maximum number of top talkers that will be retrieved by a NetFlow top talkers query.

  • The range for the number argument is from 1 to 200 entries.
 
Step 5
sort-by [bytes | packets


Example:

Router(config-flow-top-talkers)# sort-by packets

 

(Required) Specifies the sort criterion for the top talkers.

  • The top talkers can be sorted either by the total number of packets of each top talker or the total number of bytes of each top talker.
 
Step 6
cache-timeout milliseconds


Example:

Router(config-flow-top-talkers)# cache-timeout 30000

 

(Optional) Specifies the amount of time that the list of top talkers is retained.

  • Reentering the top, sort-by, or cache-timeout command resets the timeout period, and the list of top talkers is recalculated the next time they are requested.
  • The list of top talkers is lost when the timeout period expires. You should configure a timeout period for at least as long as it takes the network management system (NMS) to retrieve all the required NetFlow top talkers.
  • If this timeout value is too large, the list of top talkers might not be updated quickly enough to display the latest top talkers. If a request to display the top talkers is made more than once during the timeout period, the same results will be displayed for each request. To ensure that the latest information is displayed while conserving CPU time, configure a large value for the timeout period and change the parameters of the cache-timeout, top, or sort-by command when a new list of top talkers is required.
  • The range for the number argument is from 1 to 3,600,000 milliseconds. The default is 5000 (5 seconds).
 
Step 7
end


Example:

Router(config-flow-top-talkers)# end

 

(Required) Exits the current configuration mode and returns to privileged EXEC mode.

 

Configuring NetFlow Top Talkers

SUMMARY STEPS

1.    snmpset -c private -m all -v2c [ip-address | hostname] cnfTopFlowsTopN.0 unsigned number

2.    snmpset -c private -m all -v2c [ip-address | hostname] cnfTopFlowsSortBy.0 integer [1 | 2 | 3]

3.    snmpset -c private -m all -v2c [ip-address | hostname] cnfTopFlowsCacheTimeout.0 unsigned milliseconds


DETAILED STEPS
  Command or Action Purpose
Step 1
snmpset -c private -m all -v2c [ip-address | hostname] cnfTopFlowsTopN.0 unsigned number


Example:

workstation% snmpset -c private -m all -v2c 10.4.9.62 cnfTopFlowsTopN.0 unsigned 50

 

(Required) Specifies the maximum number of top talkers that will be retrieved by a NetFlow top talkers query.

  • The value for the number argument in cnfTopFlowsTopN.0 number is the maximum number of top talkers that will be retrieved by a NetFlow top talkers query.
  • The range for the number argument is from 1 to 200 entries.
 
Step 2
snmpset -c private -m all -v2c [ip-address | hostname] cnfTopFlowsSortBy.0 integer [1 | 2 | 3]


Example:

workstation% snmpset -c private -m all -v2c 10.4.9.62 cnfTopFlowsSortBy.0 integer 2

 

(Required) Specifies the sort criteria for the top talkers.

  • Values for sort-optionin cnfTopFlowsSortBy.0 [1 | 2 | 3] are
    • 1--No sorting will be performed and that the NetFlow MIB and Top Talkers feature will be disabled.
    • 2--Sorting will be performed by the total number of packets of each top talker.
    • 3--Sorting will be performed by the total number of bytes of each top talker.
 
Step 3
snmpset -c private -m all -v2c [ip-address | hostname] cnfTopFlowsCacheTimeout.0 unsigned milliseconds


Example:

workstation% snmpset -c private -m all -v2c 10.4.9.62 cnfTopFlowsCacheTimeout.0 unsigned 30000

 

(Optional) Specifies the amount of time that the list of top talkers is retained.

  • Reentering the top, sort-by, or cache-timeout command resets the timeout period, and the list of top talkers is recalculated the next time they are requested.
  • The list of top talkers will be lost when the timeout period expires. You should configure a timeout period for at least as long as it takes the network management system (NMS) to retrieve all the required NetFlow top talkers.
  • If this timeout value is too large, the list of top talkers might not be updated quickly enough to display the latest top talkers. If a request to display the top talkers is made more than once during the timeout period, the same results will be displayed for each request. To ensure that the latest information is displayed while conserving CPU time, configure a large value for the timeout period and change the parameters of the cache-timeout, top, or sort-by command when a new list of top talkers is required.
  • The range for the number argument is from 1 to 3,600,000 milliseconds. The default is 5000 (5 seconds).
 

Configuring NetFlow Top Talkers Match Criteria

You can limit the traffic that is displayed by the NetFlow Top Talkers feature by configuring match criteria. The match criteria are applied to data in the main cache. The data in the main cache that meets the match criteria is displayed when you enter the show ip flow top-talkers command. To limit the traffic that is displayed by the NetFlow MIB and Top Talkers feature, perform the steps in this optional task.

Before configuring NetFlow MIB and Top Talkers match criteria, you should understand the following:

NetFlow Top Talkers Match Criteria Specified by CLI Commands

You can use the match CLI command to specify match criteria to restrict the display of top talkers for the NetFlow MIB and Top Talkers feature. If you do not provide matching criteria, all top talkers are displayed.


Note
When configuring a matching source, destination or nexthop address, both the address and a mask must be configured. The configuration will remain unchanged until both have been specified.

Note
cnfTopFlowsMatchSampler matches flows from a named flow sampler. cnfTopFlowsMatchClass matches flows from a named class map.

Note
When you are configuring the Top Talkers feature to match bytes and packets, the values that are matched are the total number of bytes and packets in the flow so far. For example, it is possible to match flows containing a specific number of packets, or flows with more or less than a set number of bytes.

For more information on using the match command, see the Cisco IOS NetFlow Command Reference.

NetFlow Top Talkers Match Criteria Specified by SNMP Commands

If you are using SNMP commands to configure NetFlow Top Talkers, see the table below for router CLI commands and equivalent SNMP commands.


Note
Some of the SNMP match criteria options, such as the cnfTopFlowsMatchSrcAddress option, require that you enter more than one SNMP commands on the same line. For example, snmpset -c private -m all -v2c 10.4.9.62 cnfTopFlowsMatchSrcAddressType.0 integer 1 cnfTopFlowsMatchSrcAddress.0 decimal 172.16.10.0 cnfTopFlowsMatchSrcAddressMask.0 unsigned 24.
Table 1 Router CLI Commands and Equivalent SNMP Commands

Router CLI Command

SNMP Command

match source address [ip-address] [mask | /nn]

cnfTopFlowsMatchSrcAddress decimal ip-address

cnfTopFlowsMatchSrcAddressType integer type 1

cnfTopFlowsMatchSrcAddressMask unsigned mask

match destination address [ip-address][mask | /nn]

cnfTopFlowsMatchDstAddress decimal ip-address

cnfTopFlowsMatchDstAddressType integer type1

cnfTopFlowsMatchDstAddressMask unsigned mask

match nexthop address [ip-address][mask | /nn]

cnfTopFlowsMatchNhAddress decimal ip-address

cnfTopFlowsMatchNhAddressType integer type1

cnfTopFlowsMatchNhAddressMask unsigned mask

match source port min port

cnfTopFlowsMatchSrcPortLo integer port

match source port max port

cnfTopFlowsMatchSrcPortHi integer port

match destination port min port

cnfTopFlowsMatchDstPortLo integer port

match destination port max port

cnfTopFlowsMatchDstPortHi integer port

match source as as-number

cnfTopFlowsMatchSrcAS integer as-number

match destination as as-number

cnfTopFlowsMatchDstAS integer as-number

match input-interface interface

cnfTopFlowsMatchInputIf integer interface

match output-interface interface

cnfTopFlowsMatchOutputIf integer interface

match tos [tos-value | dscp dscp-value | precedence precedence-value]

cnfTopFlowsMatchTOSByte integer tos-value 2

match protocol [protocol-number | tcp | udp]

cnfTopFlowsMatchProtocol integer protocol-number

match flow-sampler flow-sampler-name

cnfTopFlowsMatchSampler string flow-sampler-name

match class-map class

cnfTopFlowsMatchClass string class

match packet-range min minimum-range

cnfTopFlowsMatchMinPackets unsigned minimum-range

match packet-range max maximum-range

cnfTopFlowsMatchMaxPackets unsigned maximum-range

match byte-range min minimum-range

cnfTopFlowsMatchMinBytes unsigned minimum-range

match byte-range max maximum-range

cnfTopFlowsMatchMaxPackets unsigned maximum-range

1 The only IP version type that is currently supported is IPv4 (type 1).
2 tos-value is 6 bits for DSCP, 3 bits for precedence, and 8 bits (one byte) for ToS.

Configuring Source IP Address Top Talkers Match Criteria

Perform the steps in this optional task using either the router CLI commands or the SNMP commands to add source IP address match criteria to the Top Talkers configuration.

For information on configuring other Top Talkers match criteria see the following resources:

  • Cisco IOS NetFlow Command Reference.
  • CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB at the following URL: http://www.cisco.com/go/mibs/ . Select SNMP Object Locator. Then select View & Download MIBs.
Before You Begin

You must configure NetFlow Top Talkers before you perform this task.


SUMMARY STEPS

1.    enable

2.    configure terminal

3.    ip flow-top-talkers

4.    match source address {ip-address/nn | ip-address mask}

5.    end


DETAILED STEPS
  Command or Action Purpose
Step 1
enable


Example:

Router> enable

 

(Required) Enables privileged EXEC mode.

  • Enter your password if prompted.
 
Step 2
configure terminal


Example:

Router# configure terminal

 

(Required) Enters global configuration mode.

 
Step 3
ip flow-top-talkers


Example:

Router(config)# ip flow-top-talkers

 

(Required) Enters NetFlow Top Talkers configuration mode.

 
Step 4
match source address {ip-address/nn | ip-address mask}


Example:

Router(config-flow-top-talkers)# match source address 172.16.10.0 /24

 

(Required) Specifies a match criterion.

  • The source address keyword specifies that the match criterion is based on the source IP address.
  • The ip-addressargument is the IP address of the source, destination, or next-hop address to be matched.
  • The mask argument is the address mask, in dotted decimal format.
  • The /nn argument is the address mask as entered in CIDR format. The match source address 172.16.10.0/24 is equivalent to the match source address 172.16.10.0 255.255.255.0 command.
Note    You must configure at least one of the possible match criteria before matching can be used to limit the traffic that is displayed by the NetFlow Top Talkers feature. Additional match criteria are optional.
Note    For a full list of the matching criteria that you can select, refer to NetFlow Top Talkers Match Criteria Specified by CLI Commands.
 
Step 5
end


Example:

Router(config-flow-top-talkers)# end

 

(Required) Exits the current configuration mode and returns to privileged EXEC mode.

 

Configuring Source IP Address Top Talkers Match Criteria

SUMMARY STEPS

1.    snmpset -c private -m all -v2c [ip-address | hostname] cnfTopFlowsMatchSrcAddressType.0 integer 1 cnfTopFlowsMatchSrcAddress.0 decimal ip-address cnfTopFlowsMatchSrcAddressMask.0 unsigned mask


DETAILED STEPS
  Command or Action Purpose
Step 1
snmpset -c private -m all -v2c [ip-address | hostname] cnfTopFlowsMatchSrcAddressType.0 integer 1 cnfTopFlowsMatchSrcAddress.0 decimal ip-address cnfTopFlowsMatchSrcAddressMask.0 unsigned mask


Example:

workstation% snmpset -c private -m all -v2c 10.4.9.62 cnfTopFlowsMatchSrcAddressType.0 integer 1 cnfTopFlowsMatchSrcAddress.0 decimal 172.16.10.0 cnfTopFlowsMatchSrcAddressMask.0 unsigned 24

 

(Required) Specifies a match criterion.

  • The IP address type of 1 in the cnfTopFlowsMatchSrcAddressType.0 integer 1 command specifies an IP version 4 (IPv4) address for the IP address type. IPv4 is currently the only IP version that is supported.
  • The ip-address argument in cnfTopFlowsMatchSrcAddress.0 decimal ip-address is the IPv4 source IP address to match in the traffic that is being analyzed.
  • The mask argument in cnfTopFlowsMatchSrcAddressMask.0 unsigned mask is the number of bits in the mask for the IPv4 source IP address to match in the traffic that is being analyzed.
Note    You must configure at least one of the possible match criteria before matching can be used to limit the traffic that is displayed by the Top talkers feature. Additional match criteria are optional.
Note    To remove the cnfTopFlowsMatchSrcAddress match criterion from the configuration, specify an IP address type of 0 (unknown) with the cnfTopFlowsMatchSrcAddressType.0 integer 0 command.
Note    For a list of router CLI commands and their corresponding SNMP commands, see Configuring Source IP Address Top Talkers Match Criteria.
 

Verifying the NetFlow Top Talkers Configuration

To verify the NetFlow Top Talkers configuration, perform the steps in this optional task using either the router CLI command or the SNMP commands.

SUMMARY STEPS

1.    show ip flow top-talkers


DETAILED STEPS
show ip flow top-talkers

Use this command to verify that the NetFlow MIB and Top Talkers feature is operational. For example:



Example: 
Router# show ip flow top-talkers
SrcIf         SrcIPaddress    DstIf         DstIPaddress    Pr SrcP DstP Bytes
Et3/0         10.1.1.3        Local         10.1.1.2        01 0000 0000  4800 
Et3/0         10.1.1.4        Local         10.1.1.2        01 0000 0000  4800 
Et3/0         10.1.1.5        Local         10.1.1.2        01 0000 0000   800 
3 of 10 top talkers shown. 3 flows processed.

Verifying the NetFlow Top Talkers Configuration

In this example, even though a maximum of ten top talkers is configured by the top command, only three top talkers were transmitting data in the network. Therefore, three top talkers are shown, and the "3 flows processed" message is displayed in the output. If you expect more top talkers to be displayed than are being shown, this condition may possibly be the result of matching criteria, specified by the match command, that are overly restrictive.

SUMMARY STEPS

1.    snmpset -c private -m all -v2c [ip-address | hostname] cnfTopFlowsGenerate.0 integer 1

2.    snmpget -c public -m all -v2c [ip-address | hostname] cnfTopFlowsReportAvailable

3.    snmpwalk -c public -m all -v2c [ip-address | hostname] cnfTopFlowsTable


DETAILED STEPS
Step 1   snmpset -c private -m all -v2c [ip-address | hostname] cnfTopFlowsGenerate.0 integer 1

Use this command to initiate a generation of the top talkers statistics:



Example: 
workstation% snmpset -c private -m all -v2c 10.4.9.62 cnfTopFlowsGenerate.0 integer 1
CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB::cnfTopFlowsGenerate.0 = INTEGER: true(1)
Step 2   snmpget -c public -m all -v2c [ip-address | hostname] cnfTopFlowsReportAvailable

Use this command to verify that the top talkers statistics are available:



Example: 
workstation% snmpwalk -c public -m all -v2c 10.4.9.62 cnfTopFlowsReportAvailable
CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB::cnfTopFlowsReportAvailable.0 = INTEGER: true(1)
Step 3   snmpwalk -c public -m all -v2c [ip-address | hostname] cnfTopFlowsTable

Use this command to display the NetFlow top talkers:



Example: 
workstation% snmpwalk -c public -m all -v2c 10.4.9.62 cnfTopFlowsTable
CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB::cnfTopFlowsSrcAddressType.1 = INTEGER: ipv4(1)
CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB::cnfTopFlowsSrcAddress.1 = Hex-STRING: 0A 04 09 08 
CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB::cnfTopFlowsSrcAddressMask.1 = Gauge32: 0
CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB::cnfTopFlowsDstAddressType.1 = INTEGER: ipv4(1)
CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB::cnfTopFlowsDstAddress.1 = Hex-STRING: 0A 04 09 A7 
CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB::cnfTopFlowsDstAddressMask.1 = Gauge32: 0
CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB::cnfTopFlowsNhAddressType.1 = INTEGER: ipv4(1)
CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB::cnfTopFlowsNhAddress.1 = Hex-STRING: 00 00 00 00 
CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB::cnfTopFlowsSrcPort.1 = Gauge32: 32773
CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB::cnfTopFlowsDstPort.1 = Gauge32: 161
CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB::cnfTopFlowsSrcAS.1 = Gauge32: 0
CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB::cnfTopFlowsDstAS.1 = Gauge32: 0
CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB::cnfTopFlowsInputIfIndex.1 = INTEGER: 1
CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB::cnfTopFlowsOutputIfIndex.1 = INTEGER: 0
CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB::cnfTopFlowsFirstSwitched.1 = Timeticks: (12073160) 1 day, 9:32:11.60
CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB::cnfTopFlowsLastSwitched.1 = Timeticks: (12073160) 1 day, 9:32:11.60
CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB::cnfTopFlowsTOS.1 = Gauge32: 0
CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB::cnfTopFlowsProtocol.1 = Gauge32: 17
CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB::cnfTopFlowsTCPFlags.1 = Gauge32: 16
CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB::cnfTopFlowsSamplerID.1 = Gauge32: 0
CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB::cnfTopFlowsClassID.1 = Gauge32: 0
CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB::cnfTopFlowsFlags.1 = Gauge32: 0
CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB::cnfTopFlowsBytes.1 = Gauge32: 75
CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB::cnfTopFlowsPackets.1 = Gauge32: 1
Tip   

You must convert the source and destination IP addresses from hexadecimal to dotted decimal format used in the display output before you can correlate them to source and destination hosts on your network. For example, in the display output above: 0A 04 09 02 = 10.4.9.2 and 0A 04 09 AF = 10.4.9.175.

Configuration Examples for NetFlow Top Talkers

Configuring NetFlow Top Talkers Using SNMP Commands Example

The following output from the network management workstation shows the command and the response for enabling NetFlow on interface GigabitEthernet6/2 (ifindex number 60):

workstation% snmpset -c private -m all -v2c 10.4.9.62 cnfCINetflowEnable.60 integer 1
CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB::cnfCINetflowEnable.60 = INTEGER: interfaceDirIngress(1)

The following output from the network management workstation shows the command and the response for specifying 5 as the maximum number of top talkers that will be retrieved by a NetFlow top talkers query:

workstation% snmpset -c private -m all -v2c 10.4.9.62 cnfTopFlowsTopN.0 unsigned 5
CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB::cnfTopFlowsTopN.0 = Gauge32: 5

The following output from the network management workstation shows the command and the response for specifying the sort criteria for the top talkers:

workstation% snmpset -c private -m all -v2c 10.4.9.62 cnfTopFlowsSortBy.0 integer 2
CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB::cnfTopFlowsSortBy.0 = INTEGER: byPackets(2)

The following output from the network management workstation shows the command and the response for specifying the amount of time that the list of top talkers is retained:

workstation% snmpset -c private -m all -v2c 10.4.9.62 cnfTopFlowsCacheTimeout.0 unsigned 2000
CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB::cnfTopFlowsCacheTimeout.0 = Gauge32: 2000 milliseconds

Configuring NetFlow Top Talkers Match Criteria Using SNMP Commands Example

The following output from the network management workstation shows the snmpset command and the response for specifying the following NetFlow Top Talkers match criteria:

  • Source IP address-172.16.23.0
  • Source IP address mask-255.255.255.0 (/24)
  • IP address type-IPv4
workstation% snmpset -c private -m all -v2c 10.4.9.62 cnfTopFlowsMatchSrcAddress.0 decimal 172.16.23.0 cnfTopFlowsMatchSrcAddressMask.0 unsigned 24 cnfTopFlowsMatchSrcAddressType.0 integer 1
CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB::cnfTopFlowsMatchSrcAddress.0 = Hex-STRING: AC 10 17 00 
CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB::cnfTopFlowsMatchSrcAddressMask.0 = Gauge32: 24
CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB::cnfTopFlowsMatchSrcAddressType.0 = INTEGER: ipv4(1)

The following output from the network management workstation shows the snmpset command and the response for specifying the class-map my-class-map as aNetFlow Top Talkers match criterion:

workstation% snmpset -c private -m all -v2c 10.4.9.62 cnfTopFlowsMatchClass.0 s my-class-map
CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB::cnfTopFlowsMatchClass.0 = STRING: my-class-map.

Additional References

Related Documents

Related Topic

Document Title

Overview of Cisco IOS NetFlow

Cisco IOS NetFlow Overview

The minimum information about and tasks required for configuring NetFlow and NetFlow Data Export

Getting Started with Configuring NetFlow and NetFlow Data Export

Tasks for configuring NetFlow to capture and export network traffic data

Configuring NetFlow and NetFlow Data Export

Tasks for configuring Configuring MPLS Aware NetFlow

Configuring MPLS Aware NetFlow

Tasks for configuring MPLS egress NetFlow accounting

Configuring MPLS Egress NetFlow Accounting and Analysis

Tasks for configuring NetFlow input filters

Using NetFlow Filtering or Sampling to Select the Network Traffic to Track

Tasks for configuring Random Sampled NetFlow

Using NetFlow Filtering or Sampling to Select the Network Traffic to Track

Tasks for configuring NetFlow aggregation caches

Configuring NetFlow Aggregation Caches

Tasks for configuring NetFlow BGP next hop support

Configuring NetFlow BGP Next Hop Support for Accounting and Analysis

Tasks for configuring NetFlow multicast support

Configuring NetFlow Multicast Accounting

Tasks for detecting and analyzing network threats with NetFlow

Detecting and Analyzing Network Threats With NetFlow

Tasks for configuring NetFlow Reliable Export With SCTP

NetFlow Reliable Export With SCTP

Tasks for configuring NetFlow Layer 2 and Security Monitoring Exports

NetFlow Layer 2 and Security Monitoring Exports

Tasks for configuring the SNMP NetFlow MIB

Configuring SNMP and using the NetFlow MIB to Monitor NetFlow Data

Information for installing, starting, and configuring the CNS NetFlow Collection Engine

Cisco CNS NetFlow Collection Engine Documentation

Standards

Standards

Title

No new or modified standards are supported by this feature, and support for existing standards has not been modified by this feature.

--

MIBs

MIBs

MIBs Link

CISCO-NETFLOW-MIB

To locate and download MIBs for selected platforms, Cisco IOS releases, and feature sets, use Cisco MIB Locator found at the following URL (requires CCO login account):

http://www.cisco.com/go/mibs

RFCs

RFCs

Title

No new or modified RFCs are supported by this feature, and support for existing RFCs has not been modified by this feature.

--

Technical Assistance

Description

Link

The Cisco Technical Support website contains thousands of pages of searchable technical content, including links to products, technologies, solutions, technical tips, and tools. Registered Cisco.com users can log in from this page to access even more content.

http://www.cisco.com/techsupport

Feature Information for Configuring NetFlow Top Talkers using the Cisco IOS CLI or SNMP Commands

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 Configuring NetFlow Top Talkers using the Cisco IOS CLI or SNMP Commands

Feature Name

Releases

Feature Configuration Information

NetFlow MIB

12.3(7)T, 12.2(25)S 12.2(27)SBC

The NetFlow MIB feature provides MIB objects to allow users to monitor NetFlow cache information, the current NetFlow configuration, and statistics.

The following command was introduced by this feature: ip flow-cache timeout.

NetFlow MIB and Top Talkers

12.3(11)T, 12.2(25)S 12.2(27)SBC 12.2(33)SXH

The NetFlow MIB feature that was originally released in Cisco IOS Release12.3(7)T was modified in Cisco IOS Release 12.3(11)T to support the new NetFlow Top Talkers feature. The modifications to the NetFlow MIB and the new Top Talkers feature were released under the feature name NetFlow MIB and Top Talkers.

The NetFlow MIB and Top Talkers feature uses NetFlow functionality to obtain information regarding heaviest traffic patterns and most-used applications (top talkers) in the network. The NetFlow MIB component of the NetFlow MIB and Top Talkers feature enables you to configure top talkers and view the top talker statistics using SNMP.

The following commands were introduced by this feature: cache-timeout, ip flow-top-talkers, match, show ip flow top-talkers, sort-by, and top.

Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. To view a list of Cisco trademarks, go to this URL: www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. (1110R)

Any Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and phone numbers used in this document are not intended to be actual addresses and phone numbers. Any examples, command display output, network topology diagrams, and other figures included in the document are shown for illustrative purposes only. Any use of actual IP addresses or phone numbers in illustrative content is unintentional and coincidental.

1 The only IP version type that is currently supported is IPv4 (type 1).
2 tos-value is 6 bits for DSCP, 3 bits for precedence, and 8 bits (one byte) for ToS.
© 2011 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.