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    ePacketron - Network Intelligence

    ePacketron NetFlow/IPFIX Meta Data Generation

    Turn Packets into Flow Intelligence at 390 Gbps

    Generate NetFlow v9 and IPFIX records from selected packet traffic in the visibility layer, helping reduce flow-generation load on production switches and routers.
    Powered by ePacketron, Niagara Networks converts selected packet traffic into scalable flow intelligence. In internal lab testing, ePacketron 5520 processed up to 390 Gbps of aggregate RFC 6985 IMIX input traffic per appliance while generating NetFlow/IPFIX records. 

    Talk To A Visibility Expert Learn more about ePacketron

    What Does ePacketron NetFlow/IPFIX Generation Do?

    ePacketron converts selected raw packet traffic into NetFlow v9 or IPFIX flow records and sends them to compatible collectors and analytics systems. This lets teams create flow telemetry from traffic already available to the Niagara Networks visibility layer while preserving parallel packet feeds for tools that need full packet detail.

    High-Performance Flow Intelligence for Modern Networks

    Flow telemetry provides valuable insight into who is communicating, where traffic is going, and how network resources are being used.

    But generating NetFlow/IPFIX directly from routers, switches, or other production infrastructure can consume valuable resources and create operational complexity.

    ePacketron moves NetFlow/IPFIX generation into the Network Intelligence layer—transforming packet traffic into flow telemetry before it reaches downstream tools.

    NETFLOW generation

    Niagara Networks turns network visibility into a managed traffic intelligence layer - capturing the right traffic, optimizing it for each tool, and protecting mission-critical networks from blind spots and downtime. 

    Read more about ePacketron network intelligence in our latest blog >>>

    390 Gbps NetFlow/IPFIX Performance

    ePacketron 5520 delivers 390 Gbps aggregate NetFlow/IPFIX throughput per appliance using IMIX traffic, providing scalable flow generation for high-speed environments.

    Offload Production Infrastructure

    Generate NetFlow/IPFIX independently from routers, switches, and other production systems.

    Expand Flow Visibility

    Create flow intelligence from traffic collected across physical, virtual, cloud, and hybrid environments.

    NetFlow/IPFIX Performance - 390 Gbps Aggregate Throughput per Appliance

    Packets In. Flow Intelligence Out.

    ePacketron 5520 has been lab tested to deliver:

    390 Gbps

     

     

    NetFlow/IPFIX Meta Data Generation

    Aggregate throughput per appliance 

     

     

    By generating flow records within the visibility layer, ePacketron separates telemetry generation from production networking infrastructure and delivers scalable flow intelligence to downstream platforms.

    Feed the Tools That Need It

     

    Deliver flow telemetry to monitoring, analytics, security, and performance-management platforms without requiring each system to process raw packets.

     

    Performance note: 390 Gbps is aggregate throughput measured by Niagara Networks in testing of an ePacketron 5520 using IMIX traffic  operating independently. Production performance varies with traffic mix, packet size, policy, configuration, and combined functions. No chained-function throughput claim is made.

    How ePacketron NetFlow/IPFIX Generation Works

    •  Niagara Networks TAPs, SPAN inputs, vTAPs, and packet brokers collect and aggregate packet copies from the required traffic sources.


    •  The packet broker directs selected traffic to the ePacketron NetFlow/IPFIX processing profile.

     

    •  ePacketron converts the observed traffic into NetFlow v9 or IPFIX records according to the approved deployment configuration.

     

    • The records are exported to compatible collectors or analytics platforms while packet copies can continue to tools that require full packet detail.

     

    The result is a more scalable visibility architecture:  Packets In. Flow Intelligence Out.

     

    Why Generate NetFlow/IPFIX in the Visibility Layer?

    Traditional flow monitoring frequently depends on routers and switches to generate telemetry.

    As network speeds increase and visibility requirements expand, this approach can place additional processing demands on production infrastructure while limiting where flow intelligence can be created.

     

    ePacketron moves NetFlow/IPFIX generation into a dedicated Network Intelligence layer.
    Traffic is collected once, processed independently of the production network, and transformed into flow records for downstream monitoring and security tools. The result is a more scalable visibility architecture:
    Collect packet traffic. Generate flow intelligence. Deliver it where it is needed.

    From Packet Visibility to Flow Intelligence

    ePacketron enables high-performance NetFlow/IPFIX generation as part of Niagara Networks' advanced Layer 4–7 Network Intelligence architecture.

     

    High-Speed Flow Generation

    Process up to 390 Gbps of aggregate RFC 6985 IMIX input traffic per ePacketron 5520 appliance while generating NetFlow/IPFIX records in internal lab testing.

    Production-Network Offload

    Move flow-generation workloads away from routers, switches, and production infrastructure.

    Centralized Flow Intelligence

    Generate telemetry from traffic collected through the Niagara Networks visibility architecture rather than configuring flow generation independently across multiple network devices.

    Flexible Tool Delivery

    Provide NetFlow v9 or IPFIX records to compatible analytics, monitoring, security, and network-performance platforms.

    Integrated Network Intelligence

    Use NetFlow/IPFIX generation alongside currently released ePacketron processing profiles such as packet slicing, deduplication, Data Masking, application filtering, regular-expression filtering, and tunnel handling. Availability and performance for combined workflows depend on the software release, traffic mix, policy, and configuration.

    Preserve Operational Visibility

    Maintain the packet and network context required by SOC and NOC tools while masking information that is not needed for analysis.

    Give Monitoring Tools the Intelligence They Need

    Not every monitoring or analytics platform requires complete packet payloads.
    NetFlow/IPFIX summarizes network communications into flow records that can help teams understand traffic behavior while reducing the need to process full packet streams.

    Generating those records within the visibility layer can help organizations:

    •    Offload flow generation from production infrastructure
    •    Expand telemetry across high-speed networks
    •    Centralize NetFlow/IPFIX generation
    •    Feed multiple monitoring and analytics platforms
    •    Improve network and traffic visibility
    •    Reduce dependency on device-specific flow configuration
    •    Transform packet traffic into actionable flow intelligence

    Where ePacketron NetFlow/IPFIX Delivers Value

    ePacketron NetFlow/IPFIX generation supports environments that require scalable traffic intelligence across large or complex networks.

    SOC Operations

    Provide flow telemetry for security analytics, traffic investigation, and behavioral analysis.

    NOC & Network Operations

    Gain insight into traffic patterns, utilization, communications, and network behavior.

    Network Performance Monitoring

    Supply flow data to platforms used for capacity planning, performance analysis, and troubleshooting.

    Data Center Visibility

    Generate flow intelligence from traffic collected across high-speed data center infrastructure.

    Hybrid & Cloud Visibility

    Extend a consistent flow-telemetry strategy across distributed visibility environments.

    Service Provider Networks

    Generate scalable flow intelligence from high-volume traffic without placing the processing workload directly on production infrastructure.

    One Traffic Source. Multiple Forms of Intelligence.

    ePacketron transforms network traffic before it reaches downstream tools.

    Collect the traffic.

    Capture network traffic across physical, virtual, cloud, and hybrid environments.

    Generate flow intelligence.

    Transform selected packets into NetFlow/IPFIX records while processing up to 390 Gbps of aggregate RFC 6985 IMIX input traffic per appliance in internal testing.

    Optimize intelligently. 

    Use flow generation alongside approved filtering, slicing, deduplication, Data Masking, and other released Network Intelligence functions; validate combined-workflow performance for the intended configuration.

    Deliver what each tool needs.

    Provide packet traffic, optimized traffic, or flow telemetry according to the requirements of downstream security and monitoring platforms.

    NetFlow/IPFIX and Full Packet Visibility Are Complementary

    NetFlow v9 and IPFIX records summarize network conversations, making them efficient for broad visibility, trend analysis, capacity planning, traffic profiling, and many anomaly-detection workflows.
    Full packet delivery preserves packet headers and payloads for detailed inspection, transaction reconstruction, and packet-level forensics. It requires more bandwidth, processing, and storage.
    Use both when teams need scalable flow context for discovery and full packets for deeper investigation. ePacketron can generate metadata from selected traffic while the Niagara Networks packet broker continues steering packet copies to tools that require them.

    Niagara Networks End-to-End Visibility Solution

     

    Visibility Layer

     

    Niagara Networks visibility portfolio helps IT teams move from fragmented monitoring feeds to a managed visibility layer. From data centers, cloud, branch, mobile, and virtual workloads, Niagara captures, optimizes, protects, and delivers traffic to SOC and NOC tools through one scalable visibility architecture. Visit Niagara Networks Appliance Comparison Matrix

     

     

    Use Niagara TAPs

    Capture traffic from critical physical links across copper, fiber, optical, passive, active, and bypass deployments. Explore Niagara Network TAPs

    Use Niagara Packet Brokers

    Aggregate, filter, deduplicate, replicate, and load balance traffic for multiple security and monitoring tools. Explore Niagara Network Packet Brokers

    Use Niagara Hybrid TAPs and Bypass Solutions

    Protect inline security tools with failover architectures that maintain continuous traffic flow and high availability. Explore Niagara Hybrid TAPs and Bypass Solutions

    Use Niagara ePacketron Network Intelligence

    Restore encrypted traffic visibility with SSL/TLS decryption and offload advanced packet processing, including application filtering, packet slicing, deduplication, NetFlow/IPFIX, data masking, and traffic optimization. Explore ePacketron Network Intelligence

    Use Niagara Virtual TAPs & Virtual Packet Broker

    Extend visibility into virtualized and cloud environments, capturing east-west traffic and optimizing virtual traffic delivery where physical TAP deployment is not possible. Explore Niagara Virtual TAPs and Virtual Packet Broker

    Use Niagara Visibility Orchestration

    Simplify provisioning and centralized policy management across the entire visibility layer. Explore Niagara Visibility Orchestration
    Packets In. Flow Intelligence Out.

    Explore how ePacketron can optimize your SOC/NOC visibility architecture.

    Discover how ePacketron can add high-performance Data Masking and advanced Network Intelligence to your SOC and NOC visibility architecture.

    Talk to a Visibility Expert

    FAQ

    What is NetFlow/IPFIX generation?

    What is the performance of ePacketron’s NetFlow/IPFIX generation?

    Why generate NetFlow/IPFIX in the visibility layer?

    Does ePacketron replace packet-level visibility with NetFlow/IPFIX?

    What tools can use NetFlow/IPFIX data?

    Does ePacketron support both NetFlow v9 and IPFIX?

    Is ePacketron a NetFlow/IPFIX collector or analytics platform?

    Can NetFlow/IPFIX generation be combined with other Network Intelligence functions?