Real-time Traffic Graphs

NetFlow Analyzer generates traffic graphs as soon as Netflow data is received. The Traffic tab shows real-time traffic graphs for incoming and outgoing traffic. Depending on which link was clicked, you can see traffic graphs for an interface or IP group.

Tabs above the traffic graph, let you view the graph in terms of volume of traffic, speed, link utilization, and number of packets received.

The Packets tab shows the number of actual packets of traffic data received. This information is included in exported Netflow data.

You can see traffic graphs for different time periods by choosing the appropriate values from the Time Period box. Use the From and To boxes to choose custom time periods for the graphs. Use the icon to select the date and time easily. The time period for these graphs is based on the current system time. Once you select the desired date and time, click the Show Report button to display the appropriate traffic report.

The table below the graph shows the legend, along with total, maximum, minimum, and average traffic values for this interface or IP group, for the selected time period.

The Traffic IN Details and the Traffic OUT Details show sampled values of traffic generated over the selected time period.

Time Filters

The default graph is for the "Last Day". You can choose to see hour-based data in the traffic graphs for daily and weekly reports. To do this, first select the Last Day Report or Last Week Report option in the top time selection bar. When the respective traffic graph is displayed, the table below the graph includes the icon next to the Category label.

Click the icon to specify the hourly time interval for which you want to see traffic graphs. Click the Show button to set the filter and see hour-based values in the traffic graph as well as the table below. Click the Reset button to turn the filter off and switch to the regular traffic graphs.

95-th Percentile

The 95th percentile is the number that is greater than 95% of the numbers in a given set. The reason this statistic is so useful in measuring data throughput is that it gives a very accurate picture of the maximum traffic generated on an interface. This is a standard measure that is used for interpreting the performance data.

The 95th Percentile is the highest value left when the top 5% of a numerically sorted set of collected data is discarded. It is used as a measure of the peak value used when one discounts a fair amount for transitory spikes. This makes it markedly different from the average. The following example would help you understand it better.

Consider if the data collected for CPU Utilization is 60,45,43,21,56,89,76,32,22,10,12,14,23,35,45,43,23,23,43,23 (20 points). This list is sorted in descending order and a single top value, 89, is discarded. Since 1 consitutes 5% of 20, we discarded 1 value in this case. The highest value in the remaining list, 76, is the 95th percentile.

Selectable Graph

NetFlow Analyzer brings you the added advantage of drill-down to the traffic graphs presented. As you hover the mouse over the plot-area you can see a "+ " - cross-hair icon. Click on an area of the graph and holding the mouse down, drag it to the point(time period), you wish to further drill down to. For example : Having chosen a Last week report you could choose to study two specific days by selecting them. You could further drill down on until the time period you have chosen is more than 1 minute. The button take you to a time period depending on the time difference between the From time and the system time.

Illustration
If you choose Last Hour Report at 18:15 hours, then a graph with a plot of data from 17:15 to 18:15 is shown. If you choose the time period 17: 25 to 17:50 then a corresponding graph with 1 Minute Average is shown. When you click on the button the screen changes to the Last Hour report. ( as the time difference between the From Time 17:25 and system time 18:20 is less than 1 hour)

Thus depending on the time difference you are either taken to the Last Hour or Last Day or Last Week or Last Month or Last Quarter graph.