Patent ID: 7995477
Filing Date: 2011-08-09
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A computer system for collecting network traffic information, comprising: one or more processors; one or more non-transitory devices storing information which, when received by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform: receiving a network traffic element including a plurality of fields, the plurality of fields including one or more key fields having a respective key field value; classifying a received network traffic element into one of a plurality of flows dependent on the key field value of one or more key fields defined by a flow profile; creating a flow record and exporting the flow record to a collecting node; wherein the flow profile identifies one or more non-key fields of the plurality of fields in the network traffic element, wherein the one or more non-key fields are different than the one or more key fields defined by the flow profile used for classifying the received network traffic element, and wherein the one or more non-key fields are not used for classifying received network traffic elements into a flow; storing, in the flow record, the one or more non-key fields identified by the flow profile but not one or more other fields of the plurality of fields in the network traffic element; in response to user input that selects the one or more other fields, varying the flow profile to include the one or more other fields as part of the one or more non-key fields that are stored in the flow record that is exported to the collecting node, wherein fields of network traffic elements that are identified by the flow profile are stored in the flow record that is exported to the collecting node.