SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer

What SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer is

SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer monitors traffic patterns and bandwidth use across hybrid and distributed networks. It lets network teams inspect traffic by application, protocol, endpoint, conversation, and IP address group, and identify top talkers, bandwidth-heavy applications, and endpoints. Color-coded graphs, charts, and filters help narrow those views. Drill-down analysis and historical flow data can help isolate high-bandwidth use and investigate unexpected traffic. The analyzer collects Cisco NetFlow v5 and v9, NBAR2, Juniper J-Flow, sFlow, IPFIX, and Huawei NetStream. Flow Navigator supports personalized traffic views and reports, including automatic weekly report delivery. For collection, network devices need to export compatible flow data to the NTA collector. Those devices and their exporting interfaces must also be monitored through SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor. NTA listens for flow data on UDP port 2055 by default, with additional ports configurable. It is described as a key feature of SolarWinds Observability Self-Hosted, which runs behind the firewall. SolarWinds offers a fully functional 30-day free trial. The product is paid, with a custom quote available from Sales; its features are also available as part of SolarWinds Observability Self-Hosted. SolarWinds is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and lists technical support, documentation, training, and a user community of over 200,000 registered members.

Who it suits

It suits network teams that need visibility into bandwidth use, traffic sources, and flow-level detail across hybrid or distributed networks. It is most relevant where devices export supported flow data and are monitored through SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor.

Limits

There is no free plan. The listed trial lasts 30 days; pricing for the NetFlow Traffic Analyzer plan is available through a custom quote from Sales.

Getting started

1. Open the NetFlow Traffic Analyzer website and request pricing from Sales if needed.
2. Start the fully functional 30-day free trial.
3. Ensure network devices export compatible flow data to the NTA collector.
4. Monitor those devices and exporting interfaces through SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor.
5. Send flow data to UDP port 2055 by default, or configure additional collection ports.

Verdict

Consider NetFlow Traffic Analyzer if your network team needs detailed flow analysis, bandwidth monitoring, and scheduled traffic reporting. Look elsewhere if you need a free plan or cannot meet its flow-export and Network Performance Monitor prerequisites.