Download the "Collector.exe" (or "Collector.bin" for Linux)
Execute the '.exe' / 'bin' and proceed further by clicking the 'Next' button
In the Port Selection Panel give the proper Http / Https port and then click the 'Next' button
Usage - Http port - This is the port on which you will connect to the NetFlow Analyzer server from a web browser
Https port(NetFlow port) - This is the port on which NetFlow exports are received from routers(maximum of five ports can be specified separated by commas. Eg. 9995,9996,9997,9998,9999).
SNMP Parameters Panel - SNMP is used to retrieve the interface names and interface speed. Once the proper SNMP parameters are given, NetFlow Analyzer automatically discovers the interface details.
Communication Details
Central Server Host Name - You have to enter the Central Server Host name or the IP address of the Machine where the Central Server is installed so that Collector can contact Central Server. Note - Make sure that the value specified for the above field is reachable from the Collector.
Https Port - This is the port through which the collector communicates with the Central Server Note - Please specify the same Https port that you gave while installing the Central Server so that collector communicates with the Central Server Properly.
Proxy server details - If the collector is behind a proxy please specify the necessary details.
Once the above steps are followed, NetFlow Analyzer Collector gets successfully installed under the folder that you specified. Note - 64 bit users please tune the mysql parameters by commenting the 32-bit mysql parameter and uncommenting the 64-bit mysql parameter present in the startDB.bat/sh file which is present under the
/bin directory of the Central Server installation.
Before starting the collector, please tune the java and mysql parameters according to your machine configuration. For your convenience we have already added various configurations for java and mysql parameters.
run.bat/sh file contains the Java parameters which is present under the /bin directory of the collector installation.
startDB.bat/sh file contains the mysql parameters which is present under the
/bin directory of the collector installation. You can tune them by uncommenting the required and commenting the others. run.bat tuning will not take effect while starting a service.
When installing as a Service in windows, follow the steps below for tuning,
Open the file NetFlow-Home/conf/wrapper.conf in a editor and set the variables "wrapper.java.initmemory" and "wrapper.java.maxmemory" to the appropriate values as in run.bat/sh
Open a command prompt and navigate to NetFlow-Home/bin folder
Type "na_service -r" and press enter. (This uninstalls the service)
And then type "na_service -i" and press enter. (This reinstalls the service with the updated memory settings.).
When installing as daemon in Linux,
Edit the variables in file NetFlow-Home/conf/wrapper.conf as above.
The Collector can be installed as daemon by logging in as root user and executing "NetFlow-Home /bin/startAsDaemon.sh".
After which the Collector can be started using the command, "/etc/init.d/netflowcollector start" and stopped using the command "/etc/init.d/netflowcollector stop".
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ÀýÂ÷ 2 - Collector ¼³Ä¡
FAQ
What are the core components of the Enterprise Edition ?
A typical Enterprise Edition deployment consists of a single Central Server installation on a dedicated machine & multiple collector installations. The Central Server
manages the collectors
does data management
generates scheduled reports
provides a centralized web console
The Collector
is deployed near the routers
collects the NetFlow data from routers
processes NetFlow
compresses the resultant and sends to Central Server
Can I install the Central Server and Collector on the same machine?
There is no technical reason to not install them on the same machine. But, it is recommended to install them in dedicated machines to get better performance in production environment. However, you can install them on the same machine for evaluation purposes. Make sure that the web server port is different for both.
Can I run Central Server and Collector in different OS?
Yes. We have successfully tested NetFlow Analyzer Enterprise Edition in Windows 2000 server, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 2003 server and in popular Linux flavors like Redhat Linux 8, 9 etc. We don't support FreeBSD yet. Also you could run the Central Server on a 64-bit machine and Collector on a 32-bit machine and vice-versa.
Which one should I start first - Central Server or Collector?
For the first time, Central Server must be started before the Collectors are started. However, later on they can be started and shutdown independent of each other/in any order.
What are the default ports that the Enterprise Edition uses ?
The default ports used by Central Server are as follows:
Web server port : 80
Https port used for enabling communication with collectors: 443
MySQL port: 33306
The default ports used by Collectors are as follows:
Web server port : 80
NetFlow Listener port : 9996 (max of five ports can be given. E.g. 9995,9996,9997,9998,9999 )
What are the installation steps for the Central Server and the Collector ?
Central Server and Collector are two separate installations. You need to download Central Server & collector separately. Central Server can be installed on any OS & any machine (32 bit / 64 bit) and collector can be installed on any OS & any machine(32 bit / 64 bit). It is recommended to install Central Server & collector in two different machines to extract better performance.
The communication between Central Server & collector is one way communication, i.e. only collector can communicate with the Central Server. Collector communicates through the https port of Central Server. Hence you should specify the same https port given for Central Server installation, while installing the collector. If the collectors are spread across geographically, it is advised to install the Central Server in a public IP address machine or NAT the machine & https port. Make sure that no firewall is blocking the collector from communicating with the Central Server and also please check if any firewall is blocking the NetFlow packets from reaching the collector. In case the collector is deployed behind a proxy server, please provide the proxy server details, while installing the collector.
Can Central Server & Collectors be in different time zones?
Yes. But the data can be viewed only at Central Server time zone.
Should the time in Central Server and all Collectors be the same?
No, but ensure that Central Server shows the correct time, since the Collectors adopts the Central Server time.
Can I use a separate external database server for Central Server?
The database bundled with our product is tuned for best performance. Hence we don't recommend external database.
What should I do if Collector/Central Server is behind a proxy?
If the collector is behind a proxy, then enter the proxy settings either in Collector's Installation screen or in the Settings page in web client. If the Central Server is behind the proxy, please NAT the name & https port and provide the NATed values in Collector's Installation screen.
How is the licensing based ?
The licensing is based on the number of interfaces. It is totally independent of the number of Collectors. The licensing cost is independent of the number of NetFlow collectors that are used.
Download "Central Server.exe" (or "Central Server.bin" for Linux)
Execute the '.exe' / 'bin' and proceed further by clicking the 'Next' button.
In the Port Selection Panel give the proper Http / Https port and then click the 'Next' button-
Http port - This is the port on which you will connect to the NetFlow Analyzer server from a web browser
Https port - This is the port through which the collector communicates with the Central Server
By default it is 80 / 443 respectively.
Once the above steps are done, NetFlow Analyzer Central Server gets successfully installed under the folder that you specified
Before starting the Central Server please tune the java and mysql parameters according to your machine configuration. For your convenience we have already added various configurations for java and mysql parameters.
Tuning Steps for JAVA and MYSQL are as follows :
Java Tuning Steps:
"run.bat/sh" file contains the Java parameters which is present under the
/bin directory of the Central Server installation. For your convenience we had already configured the same in the run.bat/.sh files. You just need to comment the not required and uncomment the required parameters.
When installing as a Service in windows, follow the steps below for memory tuning:
Open the file
NetFlow-Home/conf/wrapper.conf in a editor and set the variables "wrapper.java.initmemory" and "wrapper.java.maxmemory" to the appropriate values as in run.bat/sh
Open a command prompt and navigate to
NetFlow-Home/bin folder
Type "na_service -r" and press enter. (This uninstalls the service)
And then type "na_service -i" and press enter. (This reinstalls the service with the updated memory settings).
When installing as daemon in Linux:
Edit the variables in file NetFlow-Home/conf/wrapper.conf as above.
The CentralServer can be installed as daemon by logging in as root user and executing "NetFlow-Home/bin/startAsDaemon.sh".
After which the CentralServer can be started using the command, "/etc/init.d/netflowcentralserver start" and stopped using the command "/etc/init.d/netflowcentralserver stop".
2. Mysql Tuning Steps:Navigate into <NetFlowCentral>/conf directory and rename the file mysqlConf.txt to mysqlConf-old.txt
and rename your requirement file as mysqlConf.txt
Example - If your machine is a 2 GB RAM Machine then
Navigate into <NetFlowCentral>/conf directory and rename the file mysqlConf.txt to mysqlConf-old.txt
and rename the mysqlConf_2GB to mysqlConf.txt and save the file
As a network manager you need to be on top of your network to be in control of the day-to-day happenings in your network. Especially, with more and more businesses being increasingly dependent on the internet, it is very vital that you are in total control of your network.Any network outage has to be quickly attended to and fixed right away. More importantly any network incidents has to be pro-actively attended to. NetFlow Analyzer with its proactive alerting mechanisms ensure that you are informed of any network exceptions as it happens. Also the drill down features let you quickly pin down the cause of any network problems and troubleshoot faster.
It is also very essential that you ensure your business critical applications are not starved off bandwidth while non-critical activities like music downloads hog the available bandwidth. By giving you an indepth visibility in to your network and the bandwidth usage statistics you can appropriately set QoS policies. It is also possible to categorize applications that consume bandwidth by port, protocol and IP address. This way you can be fully empowered to ensure that the business critical applications always have the required bandwidth.
As a network administrator you need to have all the reports to take the right decision. Especially when it comes to bandwidth capacity planning decisions the stakes involved are high and even a small mistake can cost huge money. NetFlow Analyzer with its long range historical reporting lets you take the right decisions. Also as a network administrator you need to have periodic reporting to understand how the network is performing. NetFlow Analyzer's automatic report generation feature at scheduled time periods help you with just that.
Should you need any specific information at any point in time, you could just access the application for a quick snapshot. NetFlow Analyzer's dashboard presnet you with all the vital metrics you need to eb aware on as an administrator. You could drill down on it for any further infromation on any specific element of your network.