Aux interface configuration

The Configuration > General Settings page Aux interface configuration section allows the Flow Gateway to use both the Management and Aux interfaces for processing traffic flow information (NetFlow, sFlow, Packeteer FDR, etc.) and control information (user sessions, network services and communication with other Alluvio devices).

The processing of traffic flow information on these two interfaces can be limited by the Data Sources section of the page. The Data Sources section can be set to allow or not allow flow data protocols on the Aux interface or the Management interface or both interfaces. The option to block flow data from being processed on the management interface enables the Flow Gateway appliance to support configurations that require network data and network management functions to be handled by separate subnets for security purposes.

When the Aux interface is enabled, it uses the same incoming connection security requirements as the management interface, except for protocols used for flow information (NetFlow, sFlow, Packeteer FDR, etc.).

If the flow data forwarding feature is used when the Aux interface and Management interface are configured on separate subnets, the default behavior is to forward flow data using the interface that is on the same subnet as the destination address. If the destination address is not on either subnet, the flow data packets are sent to the default gateway. This default configuration can be overridden by specifying static routes. more

Configuring interfaces for separate data and control networks

The procedure for setting up separate network data and network control interfaces on the Flow Gateway assumes that:

  • There are two separate networks with non-overlapping IP addresses.

  • The Flow Gateway management interface is already connected and the web GUI is accessible.

The general procedure is to:

  1. Connect the network for the flow information (NetFlow, sFlow, Packeteer FDR, etc.) to the Aux port of the Flow Gateway chassis.

  2. Go to the Configuration > General Settings page Aux interface configuration section. Enable the Configure AUX Interface option and set the IP address, netmask, and interface speed, as required.

  3. In the Data Sources section of the page, allow receiving flow protocol traffic on the Aux interface and not on the Management interface, and enable the flow protocols you want the Flow Gateway to receive.

  4. If you need to override the default configuration, go to the Static Routes section of the page and configure any necessary static routes. more

  5. Configure the flow exporting devices to send flow data to the Aux interface address instead of the Management interface address.

Configuring a single interface for data and control

If the Management and Aux interfaces are already set up and working for split operation and you want to switch to having both network data and network control traffic on the same subnet, the general procedure is as follows:

  1. Go to the Configuration > General Settings page Aux interface configuration section and deselect the Configure AUX Interface option. This disables the Aux interface.

  2. In the Data Sources section of the page, set the Allow on interface selection to allow receiving flow protocols on the Management interface.

  3. If any static routes were added for the configuration that used separate networks for data and control, remove them in the Static Routes section of the page.

  4. Configure flow exporting devices to send flow data to the Management interface address instead of the Aux interface address.

Flow Gateway configuration