Internet Draft
    Expiration: February 2004                           Editor B. Claise
    Document: draft-claise-netflow-9-03.txt                Cisco Systems
    Category: Informational                                  August 2003


              Cisco Systems NetFlow Services Export Version 9



Status of this Memo

    This document is an Internet-Draft and is in full conformance with
    all provisions of Section 10 of RFC2026.

    Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering
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Abstract

    This document specifies the implementation details of the latest
    version of the Cisco Systems NetFlow services export format, also
    known as the NetFlow version 9 format. This format provides network
    administrators with access to IP flows information in a flexible
    and extensible way. The distinguishing feature of this new NetFlow
    services export format, compared with previous formats, is that it
    is template based. The template is a collection of fields, with
    corresponding descriptions of their structures and their semantics.

Conventions used in this document

    The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
    "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in
    this document are to be interpreted as described in RFC 2119.

Table of Contents

   1. Introduction..................................................2
      1.1 Overview..................................................2
      1.2 Applications..............................................2
   2. Terminology...................................................4
      2.1 Terminology Summary Table.................................6
   3. NetFlow High-Level Picture on the Exporter....................6
      3.1 The NetFlow Process on the Exporter.......................6
      3.2 Flow Expiration...........................................6
      3.3 Transport Protocol........................................7
   4. Packet Layout.................................................7
   5. Export Packet Format..........................................8
      5.1 Header Format.............................................8
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      5.2 Template FlowSet Format...................................9
      5.3 Data FlowSet Format......................................11
   6. Options......................................................12
      6.1 Options Template FlowSet Format..........................12
      6.2 Options Data Record Format...............................14
   7. Template Management..........................................15
   8. Field Type Definitions.......................................17
   9. The Collector Side...........................................21
   10. Examples....................................................22
      10.1 Packet Header Example...................................22
      10.2 Template FlowSet Example................................22
      10.3 Data FlowSet Example....................................23
      10.4 Options Template FlowSet Example........................24
      10.5 Data FlowSet with Options Data Records Example..........25
   11. References..................................................25
   12. Authors.....................................................26
   13. Acknowledgments.............................................26

1. Introduction

1.1 Overview

    NetFlow services data can be used for a variety of purposes. A
    partial list is provided in the "Application" section. This paper
    specifies the most recent version of the NetFlow services flow
    record format known as version 9. The distinguishing feature of the
    NetFlow version 9 format, compared with previous formats, is that
    it is template based. A template is a collection of fields with
    corresponding descriptions of their structures and their semantics.

    The template-based approach provides the following advantages:

       - New fields can be added to NetFlow flow records without
    changing the structure of the export record format. With previous
    NetFlow versions, adding a new field in the flow record implied a
    new version of the export protocol format and a new version of the
    NetFlow collector that supported the parsing of the new export
    protocol format.

       - Templates that are sent to the collector contain the
    structural information about the exported flow record fields.
    Therefore, if the collector does not understand the semantics of
    new fields, it can still interpret the flow record.

       - Because the template mechanism is flexible, it allows the
    export of only the required fields from the flows to the NetFlow
    collector. This helps to reduce the exported flow data volume and
    provides possible memory savings for the exporter and collector.
    Sending only the required information can also reduce network load.

1.2 Applications

    NetFlow services data enables several critical customer
    applications:




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    Accounting and Billing
    NetFlow services data provides fine-grained metering (for example,
    flow records include details such as IP addresses, packet and byte
    counts, timestamps, Type of Service (ToS), application ports, etc.)
    for highly flexible and detailed resource usage accounting. ISPs
    can use this information to migrate from single fee, flat-rate
    billing to more flexible charging mechanisms based on time of day,
    bandwidth usage, application usage, quality of service, etc.
    Enterprise customers can use this information for departmental
    chargeback or cost allocation for resource usage.

    Network Planning
    NetFlow services data captured over a long period of time can be
    used to track and anticipate network growth and plan upgrades to
    increase the number of routing devices, ports, or higher-bandwidth
    interfaces. NetFlow services data optimizes both strategic network
    planning (peering, backbone upgrade planning, and routing policy
    planning) as well as tactical network engineering decisions
    (upgrading the router or link capacity). This helps to minimize the
    total cost of network operations while maximizing network
    performance, capacity, and reliability.

    Peering Agreements
    NetFlow services data enables ISP peering partners to measure the
    volume and characteristics of traffic exchanged with other ISP
    peers.

    Traffic Engineering
    NetFlow services data provides traffic engineering details for a
    set of prefixes. This data can be used in network optimization for
    load balancing traffic across alternate paths, or for forwarding
    traffic of a certain set of prefixes on a preferred route.

    Network Monitoring
    NetFlow services data enables extensive near real-time network
    monitoring capabilities. NetFlow services data analysis can be used
    to display traffic patterns associated with routing devices and
    switches on an individual or network-wide basis. This can display
    traffic- or application-based views and therefore help with
    proactive problem detection, efficient troubleshooting, and rapid
    problem resolution.

    Application Monitoring and Profiling
    NetFlow services data enables content and service providers to view
    detailed, time-based, and application-based usage of a network.
    This information allows planning and allocation of network and
    application resources such as Web server, gaming, or multimedia.

    User Monitoring and Profiling
    NetFlow services data provides a detailed understanding of customer
    or end-user usage of network and application resources. This
    information can then be used to efficiently plan and allocate



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    access, backbone, and application resources, as well as to detect
    and resolve potential security and policy violations.

    Security Analysis
    NetFlow services data provides details on source and destination
    addresses, along with the start times of flows and application
    ports. This data can be used to analyze network security and
    identify network attacks.

    NetFlow Data Warehousing and Mining
    NetFlow services data (or derived information) can be stored for
    later retrieval and analysis to support proactive marketing and
    customer service programs. An example of this would be to determine
    which applications and services are being used by internal and
    external users and then target them for improved service such as
    advertising. This is especially useful for ISPs because NetFlow
    services data enables them to create better service packaging.

2. Terminology

    Various terms used in this document are described in this section.
    Note that the terminology summary table in Section 2.1 gives a
    quick overview of the relationships between some of the different
    terms defined.

    Observation Point
    An Observation Point is a location in the network where IP packets
    can be observed; for example, one or a set of interfaces on a
    network device like a router. Every Observation Point is associated
    with an Observation Domain.

    Observation Domain
    The set of Observation Points that is the largest aggregatable set
    of flow information at the network device with NetFlow services
    enabled is termed an Observation Domain. For example, a router line
    card composed of several interfaces with each interface being an
    Observation Point.

    IP Flow or Flow
    An IP Flow, also called a Flow, is defined as a set of IP packets
    passing an Observation Point in the network during a certain time
    interval. All packets that belong to a particular Flow have a set
    of common properties derived from the data contained in the packet
    and from the packet treatment at the Observation Point.

    Flow Record
    A Flow Record provides information about an IP Flow observed at an
    Observation Point. In this document, the Flow Data Records are also
    referred to as NetFlow services data and NetFlow data.

    Exporter
    A device (for example, a router) with the NetFlow services enabled,
    the Exporter monitors packets entering an Observation Point and


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    creates Flows from these packets. The information from these Flows
    is exported in the form of Flow Records to the NetFlow Collector.

    NetFlow Collector
    The NetFlow Collector receives Flow Records from one or more
    Exporters. It processes the received Export Packet(s); that is, it
    parses and stores the Flow Record information. Flow Records can be
    optionally aggregated before being stored on the hard disk.
    The NetFlow Collector is also referred to as the Collector in this
    document.

    Export Packet
    An Export Packet is a packet originating at the Exporter that
    carries the Flow Records of this Exporter and whose destination is
    the NetFlow Collector.

    Packet Header
    The Packet Header is the first part of an Export Packet. The Packet
    Header provides basic information about the packet such as the
    NetFlow version, number of records contained within the packet, and
    sequence numbering.

    Template Record
    A Template Record defines the structure and interpretation of
    fields in a Flow Data Record.

    Flow Data Record
    A Flow Data Record is a data record that contains values of the
    Flow parameters corresponding to a Template Record.

    Options Template Record
    An Options Template Record defines the structure and interpretation
    of fields in an Options Data Record, including defining how to
    scope the applicability of the Options Data Record.

    Options Data Record
    The data record that contains values and scope information of the
    Flow measurement parameters, corresponding to an Options Template
    Record.

    FlowSet
    FlowSet is a generic term for a collection of Flow Records that
    have a similar structure. In an Export Packet, one or more FlowSets
    follow the Packet Header. There are three different types of
    FlowSets: Template FlowSet, Options Template FlowSet, and Data
    FlowSet.

    Template FlowSet
    A Template FlowSet is one or more Template Records that have been
    grouped together in an Export Packet.

    Options Template FlowSet



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    An Options Template FlowSet is one or more Options Template Records
    that have been grouped together in an Export Packet.

    Data FlowSet
    A Data FlowSet is one or more records, of the same type, that are
    grouped together in an Export Packet. Each record is either a Flow
    Data Record or an Options Data Record previously defined by a
    Template Record or an Options Template Record.

2.1 Terminology Summary Table

          FlowSet        Template  Record        Data Record
    +----------------------------------------------------------------+
    |                  |                    |  Flow Data Record(s)   |
    | Data FlowSet     |          /         |          or            |
    |                  |                    | Options Data Record(s) |
    +----------------------------------------------------------------+
    | Template FlowSet | Template Record(s) |           /            |
    +----------------------------------------------------------------+
    | Options Template | Options Template   |           /            |
    | FlowSet          | Record(s)          |                        |
    +----------------------------------------------------------------+

    A Data FlowSet is composed of an Options Data Record(s) or Flow
    Data Record(s). No Template Record is included.
    A Template Record defines the Flow Data Record, and an Options
    Template Record defines the Options Data Record.

    A Template FlowSet is composed of Template Record(s). No Flow or
    Options Data Record is included.

    An Options Template FlowSet is composed of Options Template
    Record(s). No Flow or Options Data Record is included.

3. NetFlow High-Level Picture on the Exporter

3.1 The NetFlow Process on the Exporter

    The NetFlow process on the Exporter is responsible for the creation
    of Flows from the observed IP packets. The details of this process
    are beyond the scope of this document.

3.2 Flow Expiration

    A Flow is considered to be inactive if no packets belonging to the
    Flow have been observed at the Observation Point for a given
    timeout. If any packet is seen within the timeout, the flow is
    considered an active flow.
    A Flow can be exported under the following conditions:

      1. If the Exporter can detect the end of a Flow. For example, if
      the FIN or RST bit is detected in a TCP [3] connection, the Flow
      Record is exported.



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      2. If the Flow has been inactive for a certain period of time.
      This inactivity timeout SHOULD be configurable, with a minimum
      value of 0 for an immediate expiration.

      3. For long-lasting Flows, the Exporter SHOULD export the Flow
      Records on a regular basis. This timeout SHOULD be configurable.

      4. If the Exporter experiences internal constraints, a Flow MAY
      be forced to expire prematurely; for example, counters wrapping
      or low memory.

3.3 Transport Protocol

    To achieve efficiency in terms of processing at the Exporter while
    handling high volumes of Export Packets, the NetFlow Export Packets
    are encapsulated into UDP [2] datagrams for export to the NetFlow
    Collector. However, NetFlow version 9 has been designed to be
    transport protocol independent. Hence, it can also operate over
    congestion-aware protocols such as TCP [3] or SCTP [4].

    Note that the Exporter can export to multiple Collectors, using
    independent transport protocols.

4. Packet Layout

    An Export Packet consists of a Packet Header followed by one or
    more FlowSets. The FlowSets can be any of the possible three types:
    Template, Data, or Options Template.

    Export Packet:
    +--------+-------------------------------------------+
    |        | +----------+ +---------+ +----------+     |
    | Packet | | Template | | Data    | | Options  |     |
    | Header | | FlowSet  | | FlowSet | | Template | ... |
    |        | |          | |         | | FlowSet  |     |
    |        | +----------+ +---------+ +----------+     |
    +--------+-------------------------------------------+

    A FlowSet ID is used to distinguish the different types of
    FlowSets. FlowSet IDs lower than 256 are reserved for special
    FlowSets, such as the Template FlowSet (ID 0) and the Options
    Template FlowSet (ID 1). The Data FlowSets will have a FlowSet ID
    greater than 255.

    The format of the Template, Data, and Options Template FlowSets
    will be discussed later in this document. All fields of the
    different FlowSets MUST be coded in network byte order (big-
    endian).

    Following are some examples of export packets:




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    1. An Export Packet consisting of interleaved Template, Data, and
    Options Template FlowSets-A newly created Template is exported as
    soon as possible. So if there is already an Export Packet with a
    Data FlowSet that is being prepared for export, the Template and
    Option FlowSets are also interleaved with this information, subject
    to availability of space.

    Export Packet:
    +--------+--------------------------------------------------------+
    |        | +----------+ +---------+     +-----------+ +---------+ |
    | Packet | | Template | | Data    |     | Options   | | Data    | |
    | Header | | FlowSet  | | FlowSet | ... | Template  | | FlowSet | |
    |        | |          | |         |     | FlowSet   | |         | |
    |        | +----------+ +---------+     +-----------+ +---------+ |
    +--------+--------------------------------------------------------+

    2. An Export Packet consisting entirely of Data FlowSetsùAfter the
    appropriate Template Records have been defined and transmitted to
    the NetFlow Collector device, the majority of Export Packets will
    consist solely of Data FlowSets.

    Export Packet:
    +--------+----------------------------------------------+
    |        | +---------+     +---------+      +---------+ |
    | Packet | | Data    | ... | Data    | ...  | Data    | |
    | Header | | FlowSet | ... | FlowSet | ...  | FlowSet | |
    |        | +---------+     +---------+      +---------+ |
    +--------+----------------------------------------------+

    3. An Export Packet consisting entirely of Template and Options
    Template FlowSetsùThe Exporter MAY transmit a packet containing
    Template and Options Template FlowSets periodically to help ensure
    that the NetFlow Collector has the correct Template Records and
    Options Template Records when the corresponding Flow Data records
    are received.

    Export Packet:
    +--------+-------------------------------------------------+
    |        | +----------+     +----------+      +----------+ |
    | Packet | | Template |     | Template |      | Options  | |
    | Header | | FlowSet  | ... | FlowSet  | ...  | Template | |
    |        | |          |     |          |      | FlowSet  | |
    |        | +----------+     +----------+      +----------+ |
    +--------+-------------------------------------------------+

5. Export Packet Format

5.1 Header Format

    The Packet Header format in this version is the same as that
    defined in the previous versions.




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     0                   1                   2                   3
     0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |       Version Number          |            Count              |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |                           sysUpTime                           |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |                           UNIX Secs                           |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |                       Sequence Number                         |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |                        Source ID                              |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

    Packet Header Field Descriptions

    Version
           Version of Flow Record format exported in this packet. The
           value of this field is 9 for the current version.

    Count
           The total number of records in the Export Packet, which is
           the sum of Options FlowSet records, Template FlowSet
           records, and Data FlowSet records.

    SysUpTime
           Time in milliseconds since this device was first booted.
           Refer to [1].

    UNIX Secs
           Seconds since 0000 UTC 1970.

    Sequence Number
           Incremental sequence counter of all Export Packets sent from
           the current Observation Domain by the Exporter. This value
           will be cumulative, and can be used to identify whether any
           Export Packets have been missed.

    Source ID
           A 32-bit value that identifies the Exporter Observation
           Domain. NetFlow Collectors SHOULD use the combination of the
           source IP address and the Source ID field to separate
           different export streams originating from the same Exporter.

5.2 Template FlowSet Format

    One of the essential elements in the NetFlow format is the Template
    FlowSet. Templates greatly enhance the flexibility of the Flow
    Record format because they allow the NetFlow Collector to process
    Flow Records without necessarily knowing the interpretation of all
    the data in the Flow Record.

    The format of the Template FlowSet is as follows:


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     0                   1                   2                   3
     0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |       FlowSet ID = 0          |          Length               |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |       Template ID 1           |         Field Count           |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |        Field Type 1           |         Field Length 1        |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |        Field Type 2           |         Field Length 2        |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |             ...               |              ...              |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |        Field Type N           |         Field Length N        |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |       Template ID 2           |         Field Count           |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |        Field Type 1           |         Field Length 1        |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |        Field Type 2           |         Field Length 2        |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |             ...               |              ...              |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |        Field Type M           |         Field Length M        |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |             ...               |              ...              |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |        Template ID K          |         Field Count           |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |             ...               |              ...              |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

    Template FlowSet Field Descriptions

    FlowSet ID
           FlowSet ID value of 0 is reserved for the Template FlowSet.

    Length
           Total length of this FlowSet. Because an individual Template
           FlowSet MAY contain multiple Template Records, the Length
           value MUST be used to determine the position of the next
           FlowSet record, which could be any type of FlowSet. Length
           is the sum of the lengths of the FlowSet ID, the Length
           itself, and all Template Records within this FlowSet.

    Template ID
           Each of the newly generated Template Records is given a
           unique Template ID. This uniqueness is local to the
           Observation Domain that generated the Template ID.





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           Template IDs 0-255 are reserved for Template FlowSets,
           Options FlowSets, and other reserved FlowSets yet to be
           created. Template IDs of Data FlowSets are numbered from 256
           to 65535.

    Field Count
           Number of fields in this Template Record. Because a Template
           FlowSet usually contains multiple Template Records, this
           field allows the Collector to determine the end of the
           current Template Record and the start of the next.

    Field Type
           A numeric value that represents the type of the field. Refer
           to the "Field Type Definitions" section.

    Field Length
           The length of the corresponding Field Type, in bytes. Refer
           to the "Field Type Definitions" section.

5.3 Data FlowSet Format

    The format of the Data FlowSet is as follows:

     0                   1                   2                   3
     0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |    FlowSet ID = Template ID   |          Length               |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |   Record 1 - Field Value 1    |   Record 1 - Field Value 2    |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |   Record 1 - Field Value 3    |             ...               |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |   Record 2 - Field Value 1    |   Record 2 - Field Value 2    |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |   Record 2 - Field Value 3    |             ...               |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |   Record 3 - Field Value 1    |             ...               |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |              ...              |            Padding            |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

    Data FlowSet Field Descriptions

    FlowSet ID = Template ID
           Each Data FlowSet is associated with a FlowSet ID. The
           FlowSet ID maps to a (previously generated) Template ID. The
           Collector MUST use the FlowSet ID to find the corresponding
           Template Record and decode the Flow Records from the
           FlowSet.

    Length




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           The length of this FlowSet. Length is the sum of the lengths
           of the FlowSet ID, Length itself, all Flow Records within
           this FlowSet, and the padding bytes, if any.

    Record N - Field Value M
           The remainder of the Data FlowSet is a collection of Flow
           Data Record(s), each containing a set of field values. The
           Type and Length of the fields have been previously defined
           in the Template Record referenced by the FlowSet ID or
           Template ID.

    Padding
           Padding SHOULD be inserted so that the subsequent FlowSet
           starts at a 4-byte aligned boundary. It is important to note
           that the Length field includes the padding bits.

    Interpretation of the Data FlowSet format can be done only if the
    Template FlowSet corresponding to the Template ID is available at
    the Collector.

6. Options

6.1 Options Template FlowSet Format

    The Options Template Record (and its corresponding Options Data
    Record) is used to supply information about the NetFlow process
    configuration or NetFlow process specific data, rather than
    supplying information about IP Flows.
    For example, the Options Template FlowSet can report the sample
    rate of a specific interface, if sampling is supported, along with
    the sampling method used.

    The format of the Options Template FlowSet follows.






















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     0                   1                   2                   3
     0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |       FlowSet ID = 1          |          Length               |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |         Template ID           |      Option Scope Length      |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |        Option Length          |       Scope 1 Field Type      |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |     Scope 1 Field Length      |               ...             |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |     Scope N Field Length      |      Option 1 Field Type      |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |     Option 1 Field Length     |             ...               |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |     Option M Field Length     |           Padding             |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

    Options Template FlowSet Field Definitions

    FlowSet ID = 1
           A FlowSet ID value of 1 is reserved for the Options
           Template.

    Length
           Total length of this FlowSet. Each Options Template FlowSet
           MAY contain multiple Options Template Records. Thus, the
           Length value MUST be used to determine the position of the
           next FlowSet record, which could be either a Template
           FlowSet or Data FlowSet.
           Length is the sum of the lengths of the FlowSet ID, the
           Length itself, and all Options Template Records within this
           FlowSet Template ID.

    Template ID
           Template ID of this Options Template. This value is greater
           than 255.

    Option Scope Length
           The length in bytes of any Scope field definition contained
           in the Options Template Record (The use of "Scope" is
           described below).

    Option Length
           The length (in bytes) of any options field definitions
           contained in this Options Template Record.

    Scope 1 Field Type
           The relevant portion of the Exporter/NetFlow process to
           which the Options Template Record refers.
           Currently defined values are:
               1 System



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               2 Interface
               3 Line Card
               4 Cache
               5 Template
           For example, the NetFlow process can be implemented on a
           per-interface basis, so if the Options Template Record were
           reporting on how the NetFlow process is configured, the
           Scope for the report would be 2 (interface). The associated
           interface ID would then be carried in the associated Options
           Data FlowSet. The Scope can be limited further by listing
           multiple scopes that all must match at the same time. Note
           that the Scope fields always precede the Option fields.

    Scope 1 Field Length
           The length (in bytes) of the Scope field, as it would appear
           in an Options Data Record.

    Option 1 Field Type
           A numeric value that represents the type of field that would
           appear in the Options Template Record. Refer to the Field
           Type Definitions section.

    Option 1 Field Length
           The length (in bytes) of the Option field.

    Padding
           Padding SHOULD be inserted so that the subsequent FlowSet
           starts at a 4-byte aligned boundary. It is important to note
           that
           the Length field includes the padding bits.

6.2 Options Data Record Format

    The Options Data Records are sent in Data FlowSets, on a regular
    basis, but not with every Flow Data Record. How frequently these
    Options Data Records are exported is configurable. See the
    "Templates Management" section for more details.

    The format of the Data FlowSet containing Options Data Records
    follows.















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     0                   1                   2                   3
     0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |    FlowSet ID = Template ID   |          Length               |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |   Record 1 - Scope 1 Value    |Record 1 - Option Field 1 Value|
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |Record 1 - Option Field 2 Value|             ...               |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |   Record 2 - Scope 1 Value    |Record 2 - Option Field 1 Value|
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |Record 2 - Option Field 2 Value|             ...               |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |   Record 3 - Scope 1 Value    |Record 3 - Option Field 1 Value|
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |Record 3 - Option Field 2 Value|             ...               |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |              ...              |            Padding            |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

    Options Data Records of the Data FlowSet Field Descriptions

    FlowSet ID = Template ID
           A FlowSet ID precedes each group of Options Data Records
           within a Data FlowSet. The FlowSet ID maps to a previously
           generated Template ID corresponding to this Options Template
           Record. The Collector MUST use the FlowSet ID to map the
           appropriate type and length to any field values that follow.

    Length
           The length of this FlowSet.
           Length is the sum of the lengths of the FlowSet ID, Length
           itself, all the Options Data Records within this FlowSet,
           and the padding bytes, if any.

    Record N - Option Field M Value
           The remainder of the Data FlowSet is a collection of Flow
           Records, each containing a set of scope and field values.
           The type and length of the fields were previously defined in
           the Options Template Record referenced by the FlowSet ID or
           Template ID.

    Padding
           Padding SHOULD be inserted so that the subsequent FlowSet
           starts at a 4-byte aligned boundary. It is important to note
           that the Length field includes the padding bits.

    The Data FlowSet format can be interpreted only if the Options
    Template FlowSet corresponding to the Template ID is available at
    the Collector.

7. Template Management



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    Flow Data records that correspond to a Template Record MAY appear
    in the same and/or subsequent Export Packets. The Template Record
    is not necessarily carried in every Export Packet. As such, the
    NetFlow Collector MUST store the Template Record to interpret the
    corresponding Flow Data Records that are received in subsequent
    data packets.

    A NetFlow Collector that receives Export Packets from several
    Observation Domains from the same Exporter MUST be aware that the
    uniqueness of the Template ID is not guaranteed across Observation
    Domains.

    The Template IDs must remain constant for the life of the NetFlow
    process on the Exporter. If the Exporter or the NetFlow process
    restarts for any reason, all information about Templates will be
    lost and new Template IDs will be created. Template IDs are thus
    not guaranteed to be consistent across an Exporter or NetFlow
    process restart.

    A newly created Template record is assigned an unused Template ID
    from the Exporter. If the template configuration is changed, the
    current Template ID is abandoned and SHOULD NOT be reused until the
    NetFlow process or Exporter restarts. If a Collector should receive
    a new definition for an already existing Template ID, it MUST
    discard the previous template definition and use the new one.

    If a configured Template Record on the Exporter is deleted, and re-
    configured with exactly the same parameters, the same Template ID
    COULD be reused.

    The Exporter sends the Template FlowSet and Options Template
    FlowSet under the following conditions:

    1. After a NetFlow process restarts, the Exporter MUST NOT send any
       Data FlowSet without sending the corresponding Template FlowSet
       and the required Options Template FlowSet in a previous packet
       or including it in the same Export Packet. It MAY transmit the
       Template FlowSet and Options Template FlowSet, without any Data
       FlowSets, in advance to help ensure that the Collector will have
       the correct Template Record before receiving the first Flow or
       Options Data Record.

    2. In the event of configuration changes, the Exporter SHOULD send
       the new template definitions at an accelerated rate. In such a
       case, it MAY transmit the changed Template Record(s) and Options
       Template Record(s), without any data, in advance to help ensure
       that the Collector will have the correct template information
       before receiving the first data.

    3. On a regular basis, the Exporter MUST send all the Template
       Records and Options Template Records to refresh the Collector.




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       Template IDs have a limited lifetime at the Collector and MUST
       be periodically refreshed.
       Two approaches are taken to make sure that Templates get
       refreshed at the Collector:
          * Every N number of Export Packets.
          * On a time basis, so every N number of minutes.
       Both options MUST be configurable by the user.
       When one of these expiry conditions is met, the Exporter MUST
       send the Template FlowSet and Options Template.

8. Field Type Definitions

    The following table describes all the field type definitions that
    an Exporter MAY support. The fields are a selection of Packet
    Header fields, lookup results (for example, the autonomous system
    numbers or the subnet masks), and properties of the packet such as
    length.

    Field Type             Value   Length  Description
                                   (bytes)

                                           Incoming counter with length
    IN_BYTES                 1       N     N x 8 bits for bytes
                                           associated with an IP Flow

                                           Incoming counter with length
    IN_PKTS                  2       N     N x 8 bits for packets
                                           associated with an IP Flow

    FLOWS                    3       N     Number of Flows
                                           that were aggregated;
                                           by default N is 4

    PROTOCOL                 4       1     IP protocol byte

    TOS                      5       1     Type of service byte

    TCP_FLAGS                6       1     TCP flags; cumulative of all
                                           the TCP flags seen in this
                                           Flow

                                           TCP/UDP source port number
    L4_SRC_PORT              7       2     (for example, FTP, Telnet,
                                           or equivalent)

    IPV4_SRC_ADDR            8       4     IPv4 source address

    SRC_MASK                 9       1     Source route mask bits

                                           Input interface index.
    INPUT_SNMP               10      N     By default N is 2, but
                                           higher values can be used



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                                           TCP/UDP destination port
    L4_DST_PORT              11      2     number (for example, FTP,
                                           Telnet, or equivalent)

    IPV4_DST_ADDR            12      4     IPv4 destination address

    DST_MASK                 13      1     Destination route mask bits

                                           Output interface index.
    OUTPUT_SNMP              14      N     By default N is 2, but
                                           higher values can be used

    IPV4_NEXT_HOP            15      4     IPv4 address of the next-hop
                                           router

                                           Source BGP autonomous
    SRC_AS                   16      N     system number where N could
                                           be 2 or 4

                                           Destination BGP autonomous
    DST_AS                   17      N     system number where N could
                                           be 2 or 4

    BGP_IPV4_NEXT_HOP        18      4     Next-hop router's IP address
                                           in the BGP domain

                                           IP multicast outgoing
    MUL_DST_PKTS             19      N     packet counter with length
                                           N x 8 bits for packets
                                           associated with the IP Flow


                                           IP multicast outgoing
    MUL_DST_BYTES            20      N     Octet (byte) counter with
                                           length N x 8 bits for bytes
                                           associated with the IP Flow

                                           SysUptime at which the
    LAST_SWITCHED            21      4     last packet of this Flow
                                           was switched

                                           SysUptime at which the
    FIRST_SWITCHED           22      4     first packet of this Flow
                                           was switched

    IPV6_SRC_ADDR            27      16    IPv6 source address

    IPV6_DST_ADDR            28      16    IPv6 destination address

    IPV6_SRC_MASK            29      1     Length of the IPv6 source
                                           mask in contiguous bits




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    IPV6_DST_MASK            30      1     Length of the IPv6
                                           destination mask in
                                           contiguous bits

                                           Flow identifier for a given
    FLOW_LABEL               31      3     source/destination pair of
                                           IPv6 traffic

                                           Internet Control Message
    ICMP_TYPE                32      2     Protocol (ICMP) packet type;
                                           reported as ICMP Type *
                                           256 + ICMP code

    IGMP_TYPE                33      1     Internet Group Management
                                           Protocol (IGMP) packet type

                                           When using sampled NetFlow,
                                           the rate at which packets
    SAMPLING_INTERVAL        34      4     are sampled; for example, a
                                           value of 100 indicates that
                                           one of every hundred packets
                                           is sampled

                                           The type of algorithm used
                                           for sampled NetFlow:
    SAMPLING_ALGO            35      1     1 interval packet
                                                sampling
                                           2 pseudorandom sampling

                                           Timeout value (in seconds)
    FLOW_ACTIVE_TIMEOUT      36      2     for active Flow entries in
                                           the NetFlow cache

                                           Timeout value (in seconds)
    FLOW_INACTIVE_TIMEOUT    37      2     for inactive Flow entries in
                                           the NetFlow cache

    ENGINE_TYPE              38      1     Type of Flow switching
                                           engine

    ENGINE_ID                39      1     ID number of the Flow
                                           switching engine

                                           Counter with length
                                           N x 8 bits for bytes
    TOTAL_BYTES_EXPORTED     40      N     for the number of bytes
                                           exported by the Observation
                                           Domain

                                           Counter with length
                                           N x 8 bits for bytes



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    TOTAL_EXP_PKTS_SENT      41      N     for the number of packets
                                           exported by the Observation
                                           Domain

                                           Counter with length
                                           N x 8 bits for bytes
    TOTAL_FLOWS_EXP          42      N     for the number of Flows
                                           exported by the Observation
                                           Domain

                                           Internet Protocol Version
                                           Set to 4 for IPv4, set to 6
    IP_PROTOCOL_VERSION      60      1     for IPv6. If not present in
                                           the template, then version 4
                                           is assumed

                                           Flow direction:
    DIRECTION                61      1     0 - ingress flow
                                           1 û egress flow

    IPV6_NEXT_HOP            62      16    IPv6 address of the next-hop
                                           router

    BPG_IPV6_NEXT_HOP        63      16    Next-hop router in the BGP
                                           domain

                                           Bit-encoded field
    IPV6_OPTION_HEADERS      64      4     identifying IPv6 option
                                           headers found in the flow

    MPLS_LABEL_1             70      3     MPLS label at position 1 in
                                           the stack

    MPLS_LABEL_2             71      3     MPLS label at position 2 in
                                           the stack

    MPLS_LABEL_3             72      3     MPLS label at position 3 in
                                           the stack

    MPLS_LABEL_4             73      3     MPLS label at position 4 in
                                           the stack

    MPLS_LABEL_5             74      3     MPLS label at position 5 in
                                           the stack

    MPLS_LABEL_6             75      3     MPLS label at position 6 in
                                           the stack

    MPLS_LABEL_7             76      3     MPLS label at position 7 in
                                           the stack

    MPLS_LABEL_8             77      3     MPLS label at position 8 in



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                                           the stack

    MPLS_LABEL_9             78      3     MPLS label at position 9 in
                                           the stack

    MPLS_LABEL_10            79      3     MPLS label at position 10
                                           in the stack

    The value field is a numeric identifier for the field type.
    The following value fields are reserved for Cisco proprietary field
    types: 23 to 26, 43 to 59, and 65 to 69.

    When extensibility is required, the new field types will be added
    to the list. The new field types have to be updated on the Exporter
    and Collector but the NetFlow export format would remain unchanged.
    Refer to the latest documentation at http://www.cisco.com for the
    newly updated list.

    All counters and counter-like objects are unsigned integers. In
    some cases the optimum size of the counter is implementation
    dependent. In these cases the field types are specified as objects
    of size N bytes, which should be interpreted as unsigned integers
    of size N.

9. The Collector Side

    The Collector will receive Template Records from the Exporter,
    normally before receiving Flow Data Records (or Options Data
    Records). The Flow Data Records (or Options Data Records) can then
    be decoded and stored locally on the devices. If the Template
    Records have not been received at the time Flow Data Records (or
    Options Data Records) are received, the Collector SHOULD store the
    Flow Data Records (or Options Data Records) and decode them after
    the Template Records are received. A Collector device MUST NOT
    assume that the Data FlowSet and the associated Template FlowSet
    (or Options Template FlowSet) are exported in the same Export
    Packet.

    The Collector MUST NOT assume that one and only one Template
    FlowSet is present in an Export Packet.

    The life of a template at the Collector is limited to a fixed
    refresh timeout. Templates not refreshed from the Exporter within
    the timeout are expired at the Collector. The Collector MUST NOT
    attempt to decode the Flow or Options Data Records with an expired
    Template. At any given time the Collector SHOULD maintain the
    following for all the current Template Records and Options Template
    Records: Exporter, Observation Domain, Template ID, Template
    Definition, Last Received.
    Note that the Observation Domain is identified by the Source ID
    field from the Export Packet.

    Template IDs are unique per Exporter and per Observation Domain.


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    If the Collector receives a new Template Record (for example, in
    the case of an Exporter restart) it MUST immediately override the
    existing Template Record.

10. Examples

    Let us consider the example of an Export Packet composed of a
    Template FlowSet, a Data FlowSet (which contains three Flow Data
    Records), an Options Template FlowSet, and a Data FlowSet (which
    contains two Options Data Records).

    Export Packet:
    +--------+---------------------------------------------. . .
    |        | +--------------+ +-----------------------+
    | Packet | | Template     | | Data                  |
    | Header | | FlowSet      | | FlowSet               |   . . .
    |        | | (1 Template) | | (3 Flow Data Records) |
    |        | +--------------+ +-----------------------+
    +--------+---------------------------------------------. . .

        . . .+-------------------------------------------------+
             +------------------+ +--------------------------+ |
             | Options          | | Data                     | |
        . . .| Template FlowSet | | FlowSet                  | |
             | (1 Template)     | | (2 Options Data Records) | |
             +------------------+ +--------------------------+ |
        . . .--------------------------------------------------+

10.1 Packet Header Example

    The Packet Header is composed of:

     0                   1                   2                   3
     0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |     Version = 9               |          Count = 7            |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |                           sysUpTime                           |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |                           UNIX Secs                           |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |                       Sequence Number                         |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |                           Source ID                           |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

10.2 Template FlowSet Example

    We want to report the following Field Types:
    - The source IP address (IPv4), so the length is 4
    - The destination IP address (IPv4), so the length is 4
    - The next-hop IP address (IPv4), so the length is 4



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    - The number of bytes of the Flow
    - The number of packets of the Flow

    Therefore, the Template FlowSet will be composed of the following:

     0                   1                   2                   3
     0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |       FlowSet ID = 0          |      Length = 28 bytes        |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |       Template ID 256         |       Field Count = 5         |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |     IP_SRC_ADDR = 8           |       Field Length = 4        |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |     IP_DST_ADDR = 12          |       Field Length = 4        |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |     IP_NEXT_HOP = 15          |       Field Length = 4        |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |       IN_PKTS = 2             |       Field Length = 4        |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |       IN_BYTES = 1            |       Field Length = 4        |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

10.3 Data FlowSet Example

    In this example, we report the following three Flow Records:

    Src IP addr. | Dst IP addr. | Next Hop addr. | Packet | Bytes
                 |              |                | Number | Number
    ---------------------------------------------------------------
    198.168.1.12 | 10.5.12.254  | 192.168.1.1    | 5009   | 5344385
    192.168.1.27 | 10.5.12.23   | 192.168.1.1    | 748    | 388934
    192.168.1.56 | 10.5.12.65   | 192.168.1.1    | 5      | 6534






















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     0                   1                   2                   3
     0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |       FlowSet ID = 256        |          Length = 64          |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |                          198.168.1.12                         |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |                          10.5.12.254                          |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |                          192.168.1.1                          |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |                             5009                              |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |                            5344385                            |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |                          192.168.1.27                         |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |                           10.5.12.23                          |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |                          192.168.1.1                          |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |                              748                              |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |                             388934                            |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |                          192.168.1.56                         |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |                           10.5.12.65                          |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |                           192.168.1.1                         |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |                               5                               |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |                              6534                             |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

    Note that padding was not necessary in this example.

10.4 Options Template FlowSet Example

    Per line card (the Exporter is composed of two line cards), we want
    to report the following Field Types:
    - Total number of Export Packets
    - Total number of exported Flows

    The format of the Options Template FlowSet is as follows:









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     0                   1                   2                   3
     0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |       FlowSet ID = 1          |          Length = 24          |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |       Template ID 257         |    Option Scope Length = 4    |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |       Option Length = 8       |  Scope 1 Field Type = 3       |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |   Scope 1 Field Length = 2    |   TOTAL_EXP_PKTS_SENT = 41    |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |       Field Length = 4        |     TOTAL_FLOWS_EXP = 42      |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |       Field Length = 4        |           Padding             |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

10.5 Data FlowSet with Options Data Records Example

    In this example, we report the following two records:

    Line Card ID | Export Packet| Export Flow
    ------------------------------------------
    Line Card 1  | 345          | 10201
    Line Card 2  | 690          | 20402

     0                   1                   2                   3
     0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |    FlowSet ID = 257           |         Length = 14           |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |             1                 |             345               |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |           10201               |              2                |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |             2                 |             690               |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
    |           20402               |           Padding             |
    +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

11. References

    [1]  R. Presuhn et al, "Management Information Base (MIB) for the
    Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)" RFC 3418, December 2002

    [2]  J. Postel, "User Datagram Protocol" RFC 768, August 1980

    [3]  "TRANSMISSION CONTROL PROTOCOL DARPA INTERNET PROGRAM PROTOCOL
    SPECIFICATION" RFC 793, September 1981

    [4]  R. Stewart et al, "Stream Control Transmission Protocol" RFC
    2960, October 2000





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12. Authors

    This document was jointly written by Vamsidhar Valluri, Martin
    Djernaes, Ganesh Sadasivan, and Benoit Claise.

13. Acknowledgments

   I would like to thank Pritam Shah, Paul Kohler and Stewart Bryant
   for their valuable technical feedback.

Authors Addresses

    Benoit Claise
    Cisco Systems
    De Kleetlaan 6a b1
    1831 Diegem
    Belgium
    Phone: +32 2 704 5622
    E-mail: bclaise@cisco.com

    Ganesh Sadasivan
    Cisco Systems, Inc.
    3750 Cisco Way
    San Jose, CA 95134
    USA
    Phone:  +1 408 527-0251
    E-mail:  gsadasiv@cisco.com

    Vamsi Valluri
    Cisco Systems, Inc.
    510 McCarthy Blvd.
    San Jose, CA 95035
    USA
    Phone:  +1 408 525-1835
    E-mail:  vvalluri@cisco.com

    Martin Djernaes
    Cisco Systems, Inc.
    510 McCarthy Blvd.
    San Jose, CA 95035
    USA
    Phone:  +1 408 853-1676
    E-mail:  djernaes@cisco.com















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