Patent ID: 7185103

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving packets from a network; associating the packets with a packet flow based on data within the packets; aggregating first traffic flow statistics for the packet flow by generating and storing the first traffic flow statistics in a first data structure; outputting the first traffic flow statistics stored in the first data structure to a packet flow collector for analysis of the network; while outputting the first traffic flow statistics: (i) receiving additional packets from the network; (ii) associating the additional packets with the same packet flow based on data within the additional packets; (iii) aggregating second traffic flow statistics for the packet flow based on the additional packets by generating and storing the second traffic flow statistics in a second data suture over an allotted amount of time; and (iv) controlling a rate of output of the first traffic flow statistics from the first data structure based on the allotted amount of time for the aggregation of the second traffic flow statistics in a second data structure such that the first traffic flow statistics are output substantially over a full amount of the time allotted for aggregation of the second traffic flow statistics in the second data structure.