NetFlow is a network protocol that was developed by Cisco Systems to collect IP traffic information and it has become the standard in network traffic monitoring by IT professionals.  For more information on NetFlow, check out this blog on NetFlow basics at Systrax.com.  For those without NetFlow capable routers or switches, fully utilizing NetFlow requires a probe which is generally attached to a PC and a software tool to capture the network information and put it into a usable form.

Many software NetFlow solutions (such as nProbe) users, realized that running a probe on a PC (or any other common hardware) is not always the best choice for several reasons:

1. PCs have moving parts that can break making the probe unavailable.
2. PCs are large, need monitors and keyboards, whereas probes often need to be deployed on places where there is not much space available.
3. Administering PCs is not cheap and they require the purchase of an OS, its installation and maintenance.
4. In large networks divided in several trunks it is necessary to have several probes each analyzing a trunk. This requires that multiple hosts running nProbe are deployed across the network.
5. The cost (for both hardware and maintenance) is not neglectable in particular if several probes need to be deployed.

The nBox provides users with a non-PC, scalable, hardware-based solution.  There are 5 models to choose from, so there is an option for any size network.  Check them out at Ravica.com or give us a call at 207.324.8173, to find out more about how we can help you with your NetFlow Monitoring needs.

Check back for more information on our our NetFlow solutions, the nTap and nProbe.