sFlow solutions consist of:
- Network equipment with sFlow Agents, which monitor network traffic and generate sFlow data.
- sFlow collectors (software or appliances) which receive and analyze sFlow data.
sFlow has been implemented on a wide range of network switches and routers, from affordable L2 workgroup switches to high-end core routers providing probe-like functionality for every interface. sFlow enabled switches and routers future-proof the network infrastructure making many applications possible that otherwise would not be practical because of the prohibitive expense of external probes
A number of sFlow collectors advantage of the sFlow network traffic monitoring capability in these switches. These collectors provide a variety of solutions including congestion control and troubleshooting, route profiling, audit trail security analysis, and accounting for billing.