Looking for a reliable bandwidth utilization NetFlow billing system?  If you are already using Cisco NetFlow technology for network monitoring and management, then it’s just one more simple step to extending that to bandwidth billing.

Using the Service Provider Module for Scrutinizer NetFlow & sFlow Analyzer and a customized Billing Module, you can monitor the bandwidth usage of your customers and also provide  a data export to your current billing application.

The Service Provider Module allows you to restrict your customers to view specific devices and/or interfaces in Scrutinizer. The “Scrutinizer v7 NetFlow and sFlow Analyzer: Using the Service Provider Module” blog has more information on this module’s features.

The Billing Module is a customized solution using the enhanced features of the Service Provider Module ad importing that data into your billing application.

A custom data file (i.e. saved report filter) is created and exported every hour, giving the most granular data (1 minute intervals) available. The data file can include but is not limited to:

• Time Stamp
• Rate: bytes / second
• Peak: same as above when reporting at 1 minute intervals
• Totals: total bytes per minute

Any NetFlow or sFlow exported field can be included (bits, packets, percent, IP/MAC addresses, VLAN ID, applications, ToS, Autonomous System, etc.) if required.  The billing application or script can then read in the files exported by Scrutinizer at a definable interval.

You should also know that Flexible NetFlow using a Permanent Cache can also be used for importing data into your billing application.

If your billing application is based on 95th percentile measurements, this information is also available in the Traffic Volume report displayed below.

95th percentile billing allows for the top 5% of spikes in a given period to be dropped from the utilization reported.  In the example above, 95th percentile for Inbound is 99.78% and Outbound is 24.81%.  This report is based on a one hour timeframe, providing both Inbound and Outbound traffic for the T1 interface.

Interested in using Scrutinizer to get the data for your bandwidth billing?  Contact Plixer Sales at 207-324-8805 x3 for more information on this custom solution.

- Joanne

Hello everybody! My name is Paul Dube and I have recently graduated from the University of Maine in Orono with a degree in Computer Science and joined the support team here at Plixer International. Over the course of the past few weeks I’ve been trying to learn everything there is to know about Scrutinizer, NetFlow, sFlow and network traffic analysis. During this process I’ve come across a lot of great resources that I would like to consolidate into one place to help you get started.
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Thinking outside of the box can produce some innovative ideas.

While the network maps in Scrutinizer can make the traffic flow on your network easier to visualize and congested links quicker to spot, adding more visual definition to your maps will make them more user friendly and understandable by more members of your organization.

So how do you spice up your NetFlow data and breathe some life into your network utilization maps? Try combining a tool created for home design with a network monitoring tool to create incredible network maps.

Read more »

If you put a price tag on network monitoring for your organization, what would it be? $10,000? $100,000? $1,000,000?

And what needs to be included in that price? Staff to support the network? Network Monitoring hardware and software? Office space to house the staff and equipment?
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Looks like Vyatta has joined the mix of vendors supporting NetFlow and sFlow. According to the Vyatta press release, it requires an upgrade to VC6 of their operating system which is still in alpha development. This will make them the first company I’m familiar with that supports both technologies on the same hardware. Typically vendors implement sFlow in hardware, but Vyatta did it in software as they did NetFlow v5 and v9 support.
Read more »

Just the other day, Brad Reese from Network World wrote a nice blog reflecting on the recent announcement of H.P. acquiring 3Com.

With a huge announcement like this, naturally there are a lot of reactions and opinions. This kind of move may impact a lot of people and their current network strategies.

But coming from a NetFlow, sFlow and Netstream vendor perspective, I think this could be good news.

Read more »

Last week I blogged on Upgrading to Scrutinizer v7.2 NetFlow & sFlow Analyzer.

We have had such an overwhelming response from both existing and potential customers for this version of our network monitoring application that we are now sending the upgrade instructions to customers to allow them to upgrade at their leisure.

It has been very well received, as it now allows customers to schedule their upgrade to non-business hours if necessary. Also, for customers with secure servers without Internet access and unable to allow us to use remote access software (we use GoToMeeting), they can now perform the upgrade on their own and enjoy the new features of Scrutinizer.
Read more »

Late last week, we announced the version 7.2 release of Scrutinizer NetFlow & sFlow Analyzer, which includes data migration from Scrutinizer v6.

If you’re currently running version 7 of Plixer’s NetFlow analysis tool, then moving to v7.2 is a simple incremental upgrade.

However, for those customers who have been waiting anxiously to upgrade from version 6.x to v7, this is a major release and we want to make sure that using this network monitoring tool remains as pleasant an experience as ever.

For that reason, among others, we are assisting with the upgrades from Scrutinizer v6.x to v7.2 in these first few weeks of this release. And so far, it has been a relatively seamless process with delighted customers as a result.

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We’ve noticed that HP is definitely making inroads into the switch market. People are still buying Cisco routers, but consumers are realizing that they can use less expensive switches on the periphery. The list of features on the HP Procurve is impressive, however, their promptness to market a feature doesn’t mean it was implemented well, or even free of bugs. Read more »

Michael Patterson
Scrutinizer Product Manager
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It’s here!

We said it would come, and now it has been delivered.

With the availability of the new migration function, which comes with the latest release of Plixer’s own NetFlow monitoring application, we can now make your conversion from Scrutinizer NetFlow & sFlow Analyzer v6 to v7 smoother than ever.

Now, with the assistance of this new tool, your historical NetFlow data and elaborate Flash maps will be moved right on over to your new install.

Please know that there will be some limitations to this NetFlow data migration process. If you are still using Scrutinizer version 6 for your network traffic analysis and would like to know more about them, please contact Plixer support. Also, if you are interested to know what other new features and fixes are available in the latest release, take a look at the Scrutinizer version 7.2 release notes.

So, if you are eager to start running the most revolutionary Windows NetFlow Collector on the market, give our Support Team a call and we will assist you in getting your migration started!

Plixer Support
(207) 324-8805 ext: 4