IPFIX - IP Flow Information Export

What is IPFIX?

IPFIX (IP Flow Information Export) is a protocol for exporting flow information from routers, switches, and other network devices to a collector for analysis, monitoring, and billing. It is standardized by the IETF as an evolution of Cisco’s NetFlow v9.

Why is IPFIX useful?

IPFIX is useful for network monitoring, traffic analysis, intrusion detection, usage-based billing, and capacity planning. It provides detailed information about traffic flows in a standardized format.

How it works?

IPFIX-enabled devices generate flow records based on observed network traffic. These records are exported to a collector using a predefined or custom template. The collector then processes and analyzes the flow data for visibility or action.

Where is IPFIX used?

IPFIX is widely used by ISPs, data centers, and enterprises in network operations centers (NOCs) for monitoring, analytics, performance management, and security.

Which OSI layer does this protocol belong to?

IPFIX operates at the Application Layer (Layer 7), as it defines how flow data is exported and formatted for external use.

Is IPFIX Windows specific?

No, IPFIX is not Windows specific. While collectors or exporters may run on Windows, the protocol itself is platform-independent and used on a wide range of network devices.

Is IPFIX Linux specific?

No, IPFIX is not Linux specific. Many open-source and commercial IPFIX collectors run on Linux, but the protocol is also supported across other platforms and network hardware.

Which Transport Protocol is used by IPFIX?

IPFIX can use UDP, TCP, or SCTP as its transport protocol. UDP is the most common due to its lower overhead, but TCP/SCTP may be used where reliability is needed.

Which Port is used by IPFIX?

IPFIX commonly uses UDP port 4739, though other ports can be configured depending on the implementation.

Is IPFIX using client-server model?

Yes, IPFIX follows a client-server-like model where the exporter (client) sends flow data to the collector (server) for storage and analysis.

Topics in this section,

  • In this section, you are going to learn

  • Terminology

  • Version Info

  • rfc details

  • setup

  • setup

  • packet details

  • usecases

  • features

  • Reference links