Configuring NetFlow Top Talkers using Cisco IOS CLI Commands or SNMP Commands
First Published: May 02, 2005
Last Updated: October 02, 2009
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 for Configuring NetFlow Top Talkers using the Cisco IOS CLI or SNMP Commands" section.
Use Cisco Feature Navigator to find information about platform support and Cisco IOS and Catalyst OS software image support. To access Cisco Feature Navigator, go to http://www.cisco.com/go/cfn. An account on Cisco.com is not required.
Note If you are searching in Feature Navigator, the feature documented in this module is named NetFlow MIB and Top Talkers.
Contents
•Prerequisites for Configuring NetFlow Top Talkers
•Restrictions for Configuring NetFlow Top Talkers
•Information About Configuring NetFlow Top Talkers
•How to Configure NetFlow Top Talkers using Cisco IOS CLI Commands or SNMP Commands
•Configuration Examples for NetFlow Top Talkers
•Additional References
•Feature Information for Configuring NetFlow Top Talkers using the Cisco IOS CLI or SNMP Commands
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
•Benefits of the NetFlow MIB and Top Talkers Feature
•Cisco IOS Release 12.2(33)SXH on Cisco 6500 Series Switches
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 match command 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
•Configuring Parameters for the NetFlow Main Cache
•Identifying the Interface Number to Use for Enabling NetFlow with SNMP
•Configuring NetFlow on a Cisco 6500 Series Switch
•Configuring NetFlow on Cisco Routers
•Configuring NetFlow Top Talkers
•Configuring NetFlow Top Talkers Match Criteria
•Verifying the NetFlow Top Talkers Configuration
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: Router CLI Commands
|
|
|
Step 1 |
enable
Router> enable |
(Required) Enables privileged EXEC mode. •Enter your password if prompted. |
Step 2 |
configure terminal
Router# configure terminal |
(Required) Enters global configuration mode. |
Step 3 |
snmp-server community string ro
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
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
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
Router CLI Commands
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
SNMP Commands
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: Router CLI Commands
|
|
|
Step 1 |
enable
Router> enable |
(Required) Enables privileged EXEC mode. •Enter your password if prompted. |
Step 2 |
configure terminal
Router# configure terminal |
(Required) Enters global configuration mode. |
Step 3 |
ip flow-cache entries number
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
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
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 seconds keyword-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
Router(config)# end |
(Required) Exits the current configuration mode and returns to privileged EXEC mode. |
DETAILED STEPS: SNMP Commands
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|
|
Step 1 |
snmpset -c private -m all -v2c [ip-address | hostname] cnfCICacheEntries.type unsigned number
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
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
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.
Step 2 show snmp mib ifmib ifindex type number
Displays the SNMP interface number for the interface specified.
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
Router CLI Commands
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
SNMP Commands
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: Router CLI Commands
|
|
|
Step 1 |
enable
Router> enable |
(Required) Enables privileged EXEC mode. •Enter your password if prompted. |
Step 2 |
configure terminal
Router# configure terminal |
(Required) Enters global configuration mode. |
Step 3 |
mls flow {ip | ipv6} {destination | destination-source | full | interface-destination-source | interface-full | source}
Router(config)# mls flow ip interface-full |
Specifies the NetFlow flow mask for IPv4 traffic. |
Step 4 |
interface type number
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}
Router(config-if)# ip flow ingress
and/or
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
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
Router(config-if)# end |
(Required) Exits the current configuration mode and returns to privileged EXEC mode. |
DETAILED STEPS: SNMP Commands
|
|
|
Step 1 |
snmpset -c private -m all -v2c [ip-address | hostname] cseFlowIPFlowMask integer [1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6]
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]
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
Router CLI Commands
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
SNMP Commands
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: Router CLI Commands
|
|
|
Step 1 |
enable
Router> enable |
(Required) Enables privileged EXEC mode. •Enter your password if prompted. |
Step 2 |
configure terminal
Router# configure terminal |
(Required) Enters global configuration mode. |
Step 3 |
interface type number
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}
Router(config-if)# ip flow ingress
and/or
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
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
Router(config-if)# end |
(Required) Exits the current configuration mode and returns to privileged EXEC mode. |
DETAILED STEPS: SNMP Commands
|
|
|
Step 1 |
snmpset -c private -m all -v2c [ip-address | hostname] cnfCINetflowEnable.interface-number integer [0 | 1 | 2 | 3]
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
Router CLI Commands
1. enable
2. configure terminal
3. ip flow-top-talkers
4. top number
5. sort by [bytes | packets]
6. cache-timeout milliseconds
7. end
SNMP Commands
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: Router CLI Commands
|
|
|
Step 1 |
enable
Router> enable |
(Required) Enables privileged EXEC mode. •Enter your password if prompted. |
Step 2 |
configure terminal
Router# configure terminal |
(Required) Enters global configuration mode. |
Step 3 |
ip flow-top-talkers
Router(config)# ip flow-top-talkers
|
(Required) Enters NetFlow Top Talkers configuration mode. |
Step 4 |
top number
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]
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
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
Router(config-flow-top-talkers)# end |
(Required) Exits the current configuration mode and returns to privileged EXEC mode. |
DETAILED STEPS: SNMP Commands
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|
|
Step 1 |
snmpset -c private -m all -v2c [ip-address | hostname] cnfTopFlowsTopN.0 unsigned number
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]
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-option in 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
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
•NetFlow Top Talkers Match Criteria Specified by SNMP Commands
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 Table 1 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
|
|
match source address [ip-address] [mask | /nn] |
cnfTopFlowsMatchSrcAddress decimal ip-address cnfTopFlowsMatchSrcAddressType integer type1 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-value2 |
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 |
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.
Prerequisites
You must configure NetFlow Top Talkers before you perform this task.
SUMMARY STEPS
Router CLI Commands
1. enable
2. configure terminal
3. ip flow-top-talkers
4. match source address {ip-address/nn | ip-address mask}
5. end
SNMP Commands
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: Router CLI Commands
|
|
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Step 1 |
enable
Router> enable |
(Required) Enables privileged EXEC mode. •Enter your password if prompted. |
Step 2 |
configure terminal
Router# configure terminal |
(Required) Enters global configuration mode. |
Step 3 |
ip flow-top-talkers
Router(config)# ip flow-top-talkers
|
(Required) Enters NetFlow Top Talkers configuration mode. |
Step 4 |
match source address {ip-address/nn | ip-address mask}
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-address argument 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
Router(config-flow-top-talkers)# end |
(Required) Exits the current configuration mode and returns to privileged EXEC mode. |
DETAILED STEPS: SNMP Commands
|
|
|
Step 1 |
snmpset -c private -m all -v2c [ip-address | hostname] cnfTopFlowsMatchSrcAddressType.0 integer 1 cnfTopFlowsMatchSrcAddress.0 decimal ip-address cnfTopFlowsMatchSrcAddressMask.0 unsigned mask
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 Table 1. |
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
Router CLI Commands
1. show ip flow top-talkers
SNMP Command
1. snmpset -c private -m all -v2c [ip-address | hostname] cnfTopFlowsGenerate.0 integer 1
2. snmpwalk -c public -m all -v2c [ip-address | hostname] cnfTopFlowsReportAvailable
3. snmpwalk -c public -m all -v2c [ip-address | hostname] cnfTopFlowsTable
DETAILED STEPS: Router CLI Commands
Step 1 show ip flow top-talkers
Use this command to verify that the NetFlow MIB and Top Talkers feature is operational. For 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.
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.
DETAILED STEPS: SNMP Commands
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:
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:
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:
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
•Configuring NetFlow Top Talkers Match Criteria Using SNMP Commands: Example
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
Standards
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|
No new or modified standards are supported by this feature, and support for existing standards has not been modified by this feature. |
— |
MIBs
|
|
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
|
|
No new or modified RFCs are supported by this feature, and support for existing RFCs has not been modified by this feature. |
— |
Technical Assistance
|
|
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
Table 2 lists the features in this module and provides links to specific configuration information. Only features that were introduced or modified in Cisco IOS Release 12.2(1) or 12.0(3)S or a later release appear in the table.
Not all commands may be available in your Cisco IOS software release. For details on when support for a specific command was introduced, see the command reference documentation.
For information on a feature in this technology that is not documented here, see the "Cisco IOS NetFlow Features Roadmap" module.
Cisco IOS software images are specific to a Cisco IOS software release, a feature set, and a platform. Use Cisco Feature Navigator to find information about platform support and Cisco IOS software image support. Access Cisco Feature Navigator at http://www.cisco.com/go/fn. You must have an account on Cisco.com. If you do not have an account or have forgotten your username or password, click Cancel at the login dialog box and follow the instructions that appear.
Note Table 2 lists only the Cisco IOS software release that introduced support for a given feature in a given Cisco IOS software release train. Unless noted otherwise, subsequent releases of that Cisco IOS software release train also support that feature.
Table 2 Feature Information for Configuring NetFlow Top Talkers using the Cisco IOS CLI or SNMP Commands
|
|
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 sections provide information about this feature: •Information About Configuring NetFlow Top Talkers •How to Configure NetFlow Top Talkers using Cisco IOS CLI Commands or SNMP Commands The following commands were introduced by this feature: cache-timeout, ip flow-top-talkers, match, show ip flow top-talkers, sort-by, and top. |
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