Which protocol is a sampling-based network traffic monitoring protocol, vendor-neutral alternative to NetFlow?

Which protocol is a sampling-based network traffic monitoring protocol, vendor-neutral alternative to NetFlow?

• A. sFlow
• B. IPFIX
• C. NetFlow
• D. Latency

Answer: (A)

Sampling-based traffic monitoring works by collecting data from a subset of packets to keep overhead low on fast networks. sFlow was designed as a vendor-neutral protocol for exporting this sampled data. It samples packets at a configured rate, attaches metadata (like interface and basic header info), and sends compact sFlow datagrams to a central collector. Because it’s standardized and broadly supported across many vendors, it serves as a true vendor-neutral option to NetFlow. NetFlow originated with Cisco and is not inherently vendor-agnostic, while IPFIX is a standards-based framework that can export flow data but isn’t defined specifically as a sampling protocol. Latency, on the other hand, isn’t a protocol. So the best match for a sampling-based, vendor-neutral alternative is sFlow.

Sampling-based traffic monitoring works by collecting data from a subset of packets to keep overhead low on fast networks. sFlow was designed as a vendor-neutral protocol for exporting this sampled data. It samples packets at a configured rate, attaches metadata (like interface and basic header info), and sends compact sFlow datagrams to a central collector. Because it’s standardized and broadly supported across many vendors, it serves as a true vendor-neutral option to NetFlow. NetFlow originated with Cisco and is not inherently vendor-agnostic, while IPFIX is a standards-based framework that can export flow data but isn’t defined specifically as a sampling protocol. Latency, on the other hand, isn’t a protocol. So the best match for a sampling-based, vendor-neutral alternative is sFlow.