Recommended Post-Installation Steps

This section contains a basic set of important configuration steps that should be performed on each Flowmon instance after it has been deployed. It is not an exhaustive list - it is meant to serve as a starting point for new users.

Web Interface

Access to the web interface is secured with password-based authentication. To configure the GUI password, access the newly created instance through SSH:

1. Access the Flowmon instance through SSH. Using the user name flowmon and the IP address of its first management interface.

2. Enter the sysconfig command and set the GUI password (option GUI password settings).

3. Once the password is configured, access the Flowmon instance in the browser through HTTPS and proceed with the Flowmon configuration as described below.

This functionality is also available in the web interface. Open the Configuration Center , go to the System tab, and click User Settings. To change the admin password, click the Edit button (pencil icon) (when logged in as an admin), select the Change password check box, and then type and confirm the new password.

DNS Servers

In the web interface, open the Configuration Center, go to the System tab, and open DNS Servers settings. Configure the IP addresses of the Primary and Secondary DNS servers.

Time and Date

In the web interface, open the Configuration Center , go to the System tab, and open the Time zone settings to set the current time and the time zone. Precise time configuration is crucial for correct flow data analysis. Do not forget to Save the changes.

License

For a properly functioning appliance, you must apply a valid license. Open the Configuration Center, go to the License tab, select the license file, and Upload it to your appliance.

Data Storage

All on-premise Virtual Appliance (VA) templates contain separate 40/100 GB data disks. The cloud appliances deployment guide recommends adding a separate data disk for storing flow data during the deployment. The data disk can be resized up to the licensed collector's capacity. Data partition is resized automatically to the new disk size during appliance reboot.

Data can also be migrated to the new data disk. For further details, refer to the Data Storage section.

Collector Listening Ports

Open the Configuration Center, go to the Monitoring Center tab, and open the Listening Ports settings. Here you can add new sources or configure existing NetFlows/sFlow source parameters, like the source name, receiving port, protocol type, and forwarding.

Quotas

To check the space allocated to the All Sources profile and other plugins, open the Configuration Center and select the Resource Manager tab. It is recommended that approximately 80% of storage capacity is allocated for the All Sources profile, 1 GB for Active devices and Reports, and 10 GB for each additional module. Do not forget to Save the changes.

Monitoring Traffic

The monitoring port is a process running over each monitoring interface. It analyzes every single received packet and computes flow statistics. The statistics are exported to a collector (for example, an external Flowmon Collector or the local collector). The administrator can check the status of monitoring ports, start/stop monitoring ports, or set a new configuration. Each monitoring port is configured using a dedicated management panel or it can be switched to the global mode where some tabs will be configured according to the Global settings.

It is essential to configure the monitoring port's target.

Go to Monitoring Ports and configure Flow export targets. It is possible to configure various numbers of targets (that is, collectors) where the flow exports are to be exported. Custom targets for every single monitoring port can be used too.

Every target is specified by the Target address and Collector port. The address item is an address to a collector. If the built-in probe collector is to be used, use the address localhost. The port item specifies the listener port of the collector. For the built-in collector, use port 3000.

We also recommend checking the MTU size of all monitoring ports (scroll to the settings of an individual port - Interface settings). You might need to raise the value if the monitored environment contains jumbo frames.

For further details, refer to the Monitoring Ports section.

Collecting Data

Send NetFlow v5, NetFlow v9, or IPFIX flow data to Management Interface 1 of your Flowmon Collector. For available listening ports, corresponding supported flow data formats, and flow collection status, refer to Configuration Center > Monitoring Center > Listening Ports.

To start analyzing your data, go to the Monitoring Center.

Remote console connection setup (iDRAC)

All hardware-based models provide a dedicated network interface for remote control, called iDRAC.

iDRAC is a hardware-based remote management solution that allows administrators to monitor, manage, and troubleshoot servers independently of the operating system status. It operates on a separate network connection and has its own IP address.

Key features:

• Remote server management - Access servers from anywhere through a web browser or command line
• Power control - Remotely power on, off, or restart servers
• Hardware monitoring - Track temperature, fan speeds, power consumption, and component health
• Remote console access - View the server screen and control the keyboard/mouse remotely (KVM functionality)
• Firmware updates - Update BIOS and other firmware components remotely
• Virtual media mounting - Mount ISO files or USB drives remotely for OS installation
• Troubleshooting - Diagnose hardware issues even when the server will not boot
• Automated alerts - Receive notifications about hardware failures or threshold breaches

Details on the setup can be found in the Remote Console Setup guide.

Monitoring and Alerting of Flowmon

It is recommended to monitor Flowmon to avoid downtime during any possible software or hardware issue.

There are multiple ways to monitor Flowmon or leverage alerting:

• Syslog (Configuration Center > System > System tab > Syslog Event Logging)
• SNMP (Configuration Center > System > System tab > SNMP)
• SNMP traps (Configuration Center > System > System tab > SNMP Event Logging)
• E-mail alerting (Configuration Center > System > System tab > Email)
• Zabbix

Installation of Modules

To install additional modules, go to the Flowmon Downloads page, download the installation package archive (*.tar.gz - do not unpack it), and install it in Configuration Center > Versions > Import Package.