* Crannog manages NetFlow, advanced services
Considering the predominance of Cisco equipment in enterprise IT networks, you’d think NetFlow monitoring and management would have been a popular feature in network management products for years. But it hasn’t – until the last 18 months or so, as monitoring traffic for security, end-to-end application service management and IT chargeback came into vogue in IT shops.
NetFlow is Cisco’s proprietary IP data collection feature. It can be switched on or off, but when used, Cisco routers generate records, which are exported from the router in packets and collected using a separate hardware or software collection product. Companies such as NetQoS, NetScout and AdventNet added collection capabilities to their network performance and bandwidth management products over the past year or so.
Crannog Software recently announced it has created the second generation of its NetFlow Tracker software that analyzes traffic and NetFlow data exported from Cisco routers. NetFlow Tracker Version 2 works with Crannog’s NetFlow Monitor software, which installs on a server and gathers NetFlow data from enabled Cisco routers without the use of hardware probes.
Version 2 of NetFlow Tracker includes more storage features to help network managers record and save more conversations traversing the network. Now data can be stored for up to four years, the company says, because it re-engineered the product to reduce the detail in stored data over time. Crannog says the data can still be analyzed for trending, performance and forensic information during that time. NetFlow Tracker 2 comes with six storage options now, depending on the customer preference.
Also with this version, Crannog made available an Advanced Services Module that will help network managers get more specific application detail and reports. For instance, the software can now generate reports based on the names of applications involved in cross-network traffic, the company says.
NetFlow Tracker Version 2 costs about $16,500, and with the Advanced Services Module pricing starts at $22,500 on a per-server basis.
