Which statement correctly matches NetFlow, IPFIX, and sFlow with their descriptions?

Which statement correctly matches NetFlow, IPFIX, and sFlow with their descriptions?

• A. NetFlow is the Cisco protocol that collects flow metadata; IPFIX is the IETF standard version of NetFlow; sFlow is a sampling-based protocol that works across manufacturers.
• B. NetFlow is the IETF standard for flow export; IPFIX is Cisco's proprietary protocol; sFlow is not sampling-based.
• C. NetFlow is a vendor-neutral protocol; IPFIX is a Cisco standard; sFlow is a streaming telemetry protocol.
• D. NetFlow, IPFIX, and sFlow all refer to the same standard.

Answer: (B)

Flow-export protocols have distinct origins and purposes. NetFlow began as Cisco’s proprietary way to export per-flow metadata from routers, focusing on capturing flow details from a device it runs on. IPFIX was created as an IETF standard to generalize and standardize flow information export so devices from different vendors can interoperate, building on NetFlow concepts but not tied to one vendor. sFlow uses a sampling-based approach, selecting representative packets (or payloads) to export, which makes it vendor-agnostic and scalable across diverse devices. So the description that fits these facts is: NetFlow is the Cisco protocol that collects flow metadata; IPFIX is the IETF standard version of NetFlow; and sFlow is a sampling-based protocol that works across manufacturers. The other statements mix up which organization owns IPFIX, whether NetFlow is vendor-neutral, or whether sFlow is sampling-based.

Flow-export protocols have distinct origins and purposes. NetFlow began as Cisco’s proprietary way to export per-flow metadata from routers, focusing on capturing flow details from a device it runs on. IPFIX was created as an IETF standard to generalize and standardize flow information export so devices from different vendors can interoperate, building on NetFlow concepts but not tied to one vendor. sFlow uses a sampling-based approach, selecting representative packets (or payloads) to export, which makes it vendor-agnostic and scalable across diverse devices.

So the description that fits these facts is: NetFlow is the Cisco protocol that collects flow metadata; IPFIX is the IETF standard version of NetFlow; and sFlow is a sampling-based protocol that works across manufacturers. The other statements mix up which organization owns IPFIX, whether NetFlow is vendor-neutral, or whether sFlow is sampling-based.