Flow Collection Considerations The NetProfiler combines all flows that it receives for the same five pieces of information: source IP address, destination IP address, source port, destination port, and protocol. The NetProfiler and NetExpress track every source device that sent the flow, for up to a total of 8 to10 in-path devices (up to 16 to 20 total interfaces) per flow. You should gather flows from as many sources as possible, because the NetProfiler and NetExpress licenses are based on total deduplicated flow volume, versus number of devices or number of network interfaces for which flow is received. Do not forget the 8 to10 device limit. If you exceed the supported-device limit, the NetProfiler and NetExpress prioritize the devices kept per flow in the following order: SteelHeads NetSharks All other flow sources If you exceed the supported-device limit within the same category, the devices with the lowest IP address are included.
