Patent ID: 8156233

Claim:
A method, comprising: determining a first template defining a first data format including a first type and a first length for one or more first data records that carry first values for the first type and the first length, and a second template defining a second data format including a second type and a second length for one or more second data records that carry second values for the second type and the second length; sending the first template on a first stream of a plurality of streams using a multi-streaming protocol that supports transmission of a plurality of independent messages in parallel on the plurality of streams, wherein the one or more first data records are sent on the first stream after the first template is sent, and include first flow information for data sent through a network device; and sending the second template on a second stream of the plurality of streams using the multi-streaming protocol, wherein the one or more second data records are sent on the second stream after the second template is sent, and include second flow information for data sent through the network device, wherein the first template is needed by a collector to process the one or more first data records or the second template is needed by the collector to process the one or more second data records.