Today we’re going to explore the Best sFlow Collectors and Analyzers on the market for gathering flow data to analyze and dissect for traffic and bandwidth analysis.
Network monitoring tools are a critical aspect of today’s network-driven world. There are different industry standards to monitor the traffic that passes through networks, and sFlow is one such standard. sFlow is used for monitoring high-speed switched networks and gives complete visibility into the use of networks.
Users can glean rich information using this standard, which in turn, can eventually lead to performance optimization, protection against security threats, understanding bandwidth usage and more. Since sFlow is an important industry standard, many companies have come up with tools that collect and analyze this network information.
Here’s a look into the top sFlow collectors & analyzers for traffic and bandwidth analysis.
The Best sFlow Collectors & Analyzers
Methodology for selecting the Best sFlow Collectors & Analyzers
Choosing the right sFlow collectors and analyzers is a key factor in getting the most out of your network data. Here, we will discuss the methodology for selecting the best sFlow collectors and analyzers to ensure that you get maximum performance from your network.
- Make sure to look at factors such as scalability, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness.
- Check if the selected tool captures, analyzes, and shows all detailed information about the packet data.
- Does it support filters that help in categorizing data into different groups?
- Is the selected sFlow collectors and analyzer tool compatible with different operating systems?
- Does it offer graphical or text-based UI?
- Does the reporting feature allow exporting data in different file formats?
1. ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer – FREE TRIAL
ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer is a network bandwidth monitoring tool that offers real-time visibility into the network performance.
Key Features
- Monitors network bandwidth usage in real time.
- Offers the option to create customized reports with specific details such as IP address, hostname, protocol, and more.
- Enables users to limit the use of bandwidth-intensive applications.
- Helps to identify the problems in network bandwidth
- Detects any internal or external security threats by constantly looking for abnormal patterns in network usage.
- Comes with a rich set of bandwidth analysis reports to get an insight into the usage pattern of applications and users within the network.
- Monitors traffic between two specific sites that were created based on an IP address or IP network.
- Provides capacity planning reports to help organizations assess the future IT requirements.
- Generates alerts and notifications based on pre-defined threshold settings
Why do we recommend it?
We recommend ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer for its comprehensive real-time network bandwidth monitoring and its advanced reporting capabilities. The tool not only helps in identifying network problems but also provides insights into internal or external security threats, making it a well-rounded solution for network management.
Who is it recommended for?
ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer is suitable for IT managers, network administrators, and security professionals who need a multi-faceted tool for monitoring network bandwidth, identifying security threats, and planning for future IT requirements. Its customizable reports make it particularly useful for organizations that require a detailed analysis of network usage patterns.
Pros:
- Tracks network bandwidth usage and offer visibility into the network performance in real time.
- Constantly run scans to discover unusual patterns in network usage and detects internal or external security threats
- Reports on capacity planning are made available to enterprises to aid in determining their future IT needs.
- Generates bandwidth analysis data to help users understand how users and apps use the network.
- Allows creating specialized reports with details like IP address, hostname, protocol, etc. for better analysis.
Cons:
- Not a great solution for small home networks
- The user interface might require some improvement in how it flows.
Contact the sales team to get a quote. A 30-day free trial download is available .
EDITOR'S CHOICE
ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer is our top pick for an sFlow collector and analysis tool because it implements flow data analysis through a range of flow protocols, not just sFlow or NetFlow. This package can also communicate with network devices using J-Flow and IPFIX. The bundle includes a packet sniffer that provides protocol analysis as an alternative approach to the flow protocols. The collected data can be enriched with Network-based Application Recognition (NBAR) classifications and it will also calculate Quality of Service (QoS) statistics for VoIP connections. The package can reach out to VPN servers and edge services off-site to get a complete picture of traffic patterns and bandwidth usage on a wider environment than the physical limits of your private network. The NetFlow Analyzer can operate as a standalone unit but it can also be paired with ManageEngine’s other network monitoring service, which is called OpManager. That tool adds on network discovery and device status monitoring.
Download: Access a 30-day FREE Trial
Official Site: https://www.manageengine.com/products/netflow/download.html
OS: Windows Server, Linux, and AWS
2. Paessler PRTG sFlow Sensor – FREE TRIAL
Paessler PRTG Network Monitor’s sFlow Sensor captures traffic data from any sFlow V5 compatible device, analyzes it and displays the traffic under pre-defined categories. There are many filter option available in this tool to divide the traffic under different categories. This sensor is a part of PRTG’s Network Monitor tool. Besides categorization, below are other features that make the Network Monitor tool a comprehensive one for sFlow monitoring.
Key Features
- No forms of registration required at the time of download.
- Installs in about three minutes and doesn’t require any additional downloads
- Browser-based interface to access data from anywhere
- Comes with an enterprise console and an interface for all mobile devices.
- 200 sensor types that cover every possible aspect of network monitoring
- Uptime/downtime monitoring and bandwidth monitoring using sFlow, SNMP, NetFlow and WMI
- 10 different notification technologies such as push message, email, SMS, Syslog trap, HTTP request, alarm sound files, event log entry and more.
- Monitors all subsidiaries and separated networks within the organization
- Dashboard displays performance and status information in real-time
- Reports generated in HTML or PDF format as well
- Reporting tasks can be scheduled
- Stores the data of thousands of sensors for many years
- Multi-language interface
Why do we recommend it?
We recommend the PRTG sFlow Sensor for its comprehensive suite of features catering to all network monitoring aspects. The tool offers exceptional flexibility with 200 sensor types and requires no registration for download, making it quick and easy to get started.
Who is it recommended for?
PRTG sFlow Sensor is best suited for network managers and IT professionals who require detailed network traffic categorization and monitoring. Given its ability to provide centralized monitoring across various locations, it’s an excellent choice for organizations with multiple subsidiaries or separated networks.
Pros:
- Ability to collect traffic information from any sFlow V5 compliant device, analyze it, and organize the data into pre-defined categories.
- Filters help categorize traffic into distinct groups.
- For download, no registration is necessary.
- Supports 200 different types of sensors that can be used for network monitoring
- Generates reports in different file formats, including HTML or PDF format
Cons:
- Only the IPv4 protocol is supported by this sensor.
- Difficult to use in the cluster mode.
The license for this product starts at $1,695. A 30-day free trial download is available.
3. Site24x7 – FREE TRIAL
Site24x7 is a SaaS system but does not limit itself to only monitoring cloud resources. All you need to do is install an agent and the tool will help you track all the networks, regardless of your location. Apart from subscribing to network monitoring modules, enterprises can also choose from other modules in the package, such as server or application monitoring.
Key Features
- Runs automated sFlow analysis and bottleneck detection
- Supports different technologies, such as NetFlow, AppFlow, CFlow, etc.
- Full stack monitoring tool with automated mapping and discovery
Why do we recommend it?
Access to a wide range of features, the ability to manage multi-vendor sites, and monitoring on-premises as well as cloud resources at one location make it a great choice. You can even generate time-series traffic graphs that illustrate the period when the network is consistently overloaded and display peaks in network demand.
Site24x7 Network Traffic Monitoring is one of the services from the Site24x7 packages that helps users track all the traffic from network switches in real-time. Another benefit of choosing this tool is more than 200 vendors’ devices can be interfaced with it. Additionally, apart from supporting sFlow technologies, the tool supports communication with AppFlow, CFlow, J-Flow, NetStream, IPFIX, and NetFlow.
Who is it recommended for?
Small businesses might find it a perfect option as it comes with a subscription plan. Also, large companies can use it for good all they need to do is pay extra for advanced features.
Pros:
- Helps organizations track the latency, jitter, and performance throughout a period
- Support integrating and monitoring 200 different vendor devices
- Even mobile users, both iOS and Android, can use the Site24x7 on mobile apps
- Users have full control and access to set performance thresholds
Cons:
- Exploring all features and customization options of the Site24x7 can take a bit longer
Access the 30-day free trial.
4. sFlowTrend
sFlowTrend is a free tool from inMon and is used to generate real-time displays of network bandwidth usage based on the sFlow standard.
Key Features
- Identifies bandwidth hogs to improve performance and reduce costs
- Monitors critical host performance parameters such as CPU and memory utilization.
- Generates reports on current and historical performance of the network.
- Quickly identifies the cause of problems and abnormal traffic patterns
- Accepts sFlow data from a maximum of five switches or hosts
- Stores one hour of data in memory
- sFlowTrend Pro has no restriction on the number of hosts or switches that can be monitored. Also, any amount of data can be stored on the disk.
- Monitors both physical and virtual server performances to provide a complete view of the network usage.
- Simple installation and a user-friendly interface makes it ideal for all users
- Supports Windows 32-bit and 64-bit OS, Mac OS X and Linux.
- Requires Java 7 or later versions, as this tool is written in Java.
- Offers a web-based interface to access data from any device and location.
Why do we recommend it?
We recommend sFlowTrend for its robust, real-time monitoring capabilities that track both current and historical network performance. Its compatibility with multiple operating systems and the option to scale with sFlowTrend Pro make it a versatile choice.
Who is it recommended for?
sFlowTrend is ideal for network administrators and IT teams who need to monitor bandwidth and host performance parameters closely. It’s especially useful for those looking for a solution that offers both real-time and historical data analysis. With support for multiple OS platforms and a web-based interface, it’s also a good fit for remote or distributed teams.
Pros:
- Depending on the sFlow standard displays real-time representations of network bandwidth usage.
- Creates reports on the network’s performance for both current and historical events.
- Compatible with Mac OS X, Windows 32-bit and 64-bit OS versions, as well as Linux.
- The total number of hosts or switches that can be tracked by sFlowTrend Pro is not limited.
- Provides a web-based interface that enables users to access data from anywhere, regardless of their device type or location.
Cons:
- Reporting is not very extensive.
- sFlowTrend requires more alert integration options.
sFlowTrend is available for free. sFlowTrend Pro is a fully featured network monitoring tool that comes with advanced features. Contact the support team for its pricing. sFlowTrend can be downloaded here. A free trial for sFlowTrend Pro is available here.
5. Wireshark
Wireshark is a free and popular network analyzer that helps users to get a microscopic view of the network. It’s many handy features make it the de-facto tool in many commercial and non-commercial applications world over.
Key Features
- Captures, analyzes and displays detailed information for packet data
- Comes with filters to categorize data into different groups for easy analysis
- Captures data from any number of wired, wireless and virtual devices
- Comes with a graphical as well as a text-based UI for easy understanding of network issues
- Supports Windows XP and higher versions, Mac OS X, FreeBSD, NetBSD and Linux
- Provides real-time analysis of data
- Allows users to apply coloring rules for different categories
- Gives the option to export the output to a CSV, XML or plain script file.
- Reads live data from the Ethernet, IEEE 802.11, Bluetooth, USB, FDDI and more.
- Offers VoIP analysis
- Provides decryption support for many protocols.
Why do we recommend it?
We recommend Wireshark for its robust packet capturing and filtering capabilities, as well as its support for a wide range of protocols and operating systems. Its dual text-based and graphical UI options offer a flexible and deep dive into network issues.
Who is it recommended for?
Wireshark is ideal for network engineers, cybersecurity analysts, and IT professionals who require intricate insight into network behavior. Its advanced filtering and decryption features also make it useful for specialized roles in network troubleshooting and security analysis.
Pros:
- Uses filters to group data into various groups for simple analysis
- Supports VoIP analysis and decryption for most protocols.
- Both text-based and graphical user interface is available for a simple understanding of network issues
- Compatible with Linux, Mac OS X, FreeBSD, NetBSD, and higher versions of Windows XP
- Allows exporting output in different file formats, including CSV, XML, or plain script files.
Cons:
- Since humans only view things at microscopic levels, it can be a little difficult for new users to understand.
- The User Interface requires attention and must be made more attractive.
6. SolarWinds sFlow Collector Tool
SolarWinds sFlow Collector Tool is one of the most popular tools used for gathering and analyzing information using the sFlow standard. It’s a part of the larger network traffic analyzer suite, so users can get a truly comprehensive software that analyzes every aspect of the network, not just the sFlow standard.
Key Features
- Monitors bandwidth by application, protocol or IP address group.
- Drills down into any network element to provide a detailed report on it. Such detailing makes it easy to identify the root cause of a problem and to fix it quickly.
- Analyzes network traffic for any number of minutes, days, or even months.
- Comes with PerfStack cross-stack network data correlation
- Has a well-designed dashboard to monitor network traffic in real-time.
- Helps to identify the IP addresses and applications that consume a lot of network bandwidth.
- Comes with an installation and configuration wizard that makes setup a breeze.
- Makes it easy to identify bandwidth spikes
Why do we recommend it?
We recommend SolarWinds sFlow Collector Tool for its comprehensive network analysis capabilities that go beyond just monitoring the sFlow standard. Its easy-to-use installation wizard and well-designed dashboard make it user-friendly, while its ability to generate detailed reports helps in quick problem identification and resolution.
Who is it recommended for?
SolarWinds sFlow Collector Tool is ideal for network administrators and IT professionals looking for an all-encompassing solution for network monitoring and analysis. If you need to keep an eye on bandwidth usage, identify problematic IP addresses, or perform in-depth network analysis, this tool is a solid choice.
Pros:
- Provides assistance in discovering the IP addresses and apps that use a lot of network bandwidth.
- Helps analyze every aspect of the network rather than just the sFlow standard
- Comes with an easy-to-use installation and configuration wizard.
- Quick to discover bandwidth spikes
- Generates detailed reports and discovers the root cause of every problem.
Cons:
- Some users find difficulty in backup installation and running operations.
Start 30-day FREE trial.
Conclusion
Overall, sFlow Collector & Analyzer tool is essential to analyze packet data using sFlow standards. It’s almost impossible to manually collect and analyze packets, considering that the network size is growing every second. This makes sFlow collectors & analyzers a handy tool for managing today’s complex networks.
The above list gives a glimpse into the top sFlow collectors & analyzers available today and what they can do for any business. Let us know your favorite.
