Flow: Top Conversations
This dashboard report displays the conversations between devices generating the most traffic traveling in the selected direction (Inbound, Outbound, Inbound and Outbound, or Bounce) on the selected interface. A conversation is essentially a connection between two devices that are transmitting information to one another. Conversation data is useful in determining which pair of devices is conducting the most connection traffic.
By default, devices are listed by hostname, however you can configure this report to list the devices by IP address by selecting on the report configuration dialog.
You can choose to display and sort sender traffic by bytes, packets, or flows using the option on the report configuration dialog. Providing alternate sorting methods allows you to monitor and identify hosts that are the largest consumers of interface resources other than bandwidth.
- . Displays the source and destination host names for the two devices with the highest number of connections.
- . Displays the application protocol being used by the two devices with the highest number of connections.
- You can select one of the following units to display and sort the specific items in the report using the option on the report configuration dialog. The selected option appears as the first column header in the report and is used to sort the top "n" items.
- . Displays the total number of bytes transmitted for the specific item in the report category for the selected date range.
- . Displays the total number of packets for the specific item in the report category for the selected date range.
- . Displays the total number of flows for the specific item in the report category for the selected date range.
- . Displays the average bit rate, packet rate or flow rate, in multiples of the selected unit (e.g. Kbps, Mbps, or Gbps) for the specific item in the report category for the selected date range.
- . Displays the percentage of the total available bandwidth used by the specific item in the report category for the selected date range.
: Utilization is displayed as N/A if a speed is not specified for the interface, or if you have selected to display packets or flows in the report. If you are displaying bytes, you can set the interface speed on the Flow Interface dialog. To navigate to the Flow Interface dialog, click the link in the message appearing above the dashboard reports.
- . Displays the percentage of the total traffic for the specific item in the report category for the selected date range.
. Displays the total of all of the items in the report category, specified and unspecified (). This row shows the interface totals for each column in the report.
For more information
About interface traffic directions
: For illustration purposes, the descriptions and diagrams in the table below assume that traffic is passing from an internal interface to an external interface or vice versa. In reality, traffic may pass from an internal interface to another internal interface, an external interface to another external interface, or traffic may be routed out the same interface it enters.
Interface
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Traffic Direction
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Report displays...
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Internal interface
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Inbound
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The top conversations conducted by devices on the LAN segment connected to the selected internal interface with outside devices.
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Outbound
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The top conversations conducted by outside devices with devices on the LAN segment connected to the selected internal interface.
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Inbound/
Outbound
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The top conversations conducted by all devices transmitting traffic across the selected internal interface.
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External interface
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Inbound
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The top conversations conducted by devices connected to the selected external interface with devices on an internal LAN segment.
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Outbound
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The top conversations conducted by devices on internal LAN segments with devices connected to the selected external interface.
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Inbound/
Outbound
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The top conversations conducted by all devices transmitting traffic across the selected external interface.
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Linking to Flow Monitor reports from WhatsUp Gold
There are several ways to connect to the Flow Monitor Interface Details report from this WhatsUp Gold dashboard report.
- Click the interface name at the top of the dashboard report to view the Flow Monitor Interface Details report for the selected interface.
- Click an entry in the far left column of the dashboard report to view the Interface Details report for the selected interface. The entry that you click will be applied to the report as a keyword filter.
Configuring this dashboard report
To configure this dashboard report in Flow Monitor:
- In the title bar of the dashboard report pane, click the configure icon
. The Configure Flow Report dialog appears. - Enter or select the appropriate information:
- . Enter a title for the dashboard report. This name appears in the title bar of the dashboard report's pane.
- . Enter the number of individual items within the category you want to display in the dashboard report. The report displays the top values based on the sort option selected in Bytes, Packets, or Flows. All other items in the category are included in the 'Others' category, and are displayed when is selected.
- . Select the data unit by which you want to sort and display the data. Choose Bytes, Packets and Flows.
- . Select this option to include all of the items in the category that are not in the items being displayed individually. When the report is filtered, selecting this option may cause the 'Others' category to mask the items you are displaying individually in the chart.
- . Select the display type you want to use in the dashboard report. Choose Chart and data, Data only, or Chart only.
- . Select the type of chart you would like the report to display. Choose Pie chart, Pie chart (3D), Pie chart (transparent 3D), Bar chart, Bar chart (horizontal), Bar chart (transparent 3D), or Stacked Time graph.
- . Specify how wide, in pixels, the graph or chart should appear.
- . Specify how tall, in pixels, the graph or chart should appear.
- . Select the transfer speed format for which you want to view data. Choose Auto scale, bps, Kbps, Mbps, or Gbps.
- . Enter a minimum value for the graph.
- . Enter a maximum value for the graph.
- Click to save changes.