Individual packets travel from a source address to a destination address and may make hops along the way. These methods work together with SNMP for a complete network traffic analysis solution.īefore we explain the pros and cons of each method, let’s define the terms.ĭefined as a segment of data traveling from the sender’s origin to its destination. Packet capture and flow analysis go beyond if a network device is congested, and answer the question of why. While helpful with capacity planning and monitoring, SNMP is limited in detail because it is an analysis of the devices on the network, rather than the traffic itself. SNMP lets you see what applications are running on your network and if the network is congested or down. SNMP or simple network management protocol came about in the 80s as an application-level network protocol.

Packet and flow were created in response to the shortcomings of one of the first monitoring solutions on the scene, SNMP. flow is considered, it’s important to understand the context these technologies are born out of.

Network traffic analytics