Patent ID: 8054744

Claim:
A method, comprising: receiving packets corresponding to a plurality of flows; classifying each of at least some of the received packets as belonging to a corresponding one of the plurality of flows; randomly sampling packets corresponding to a first flow in the plurality of flows according to a first frequency determined based on identifying packets as belonging to the first flow; and deterministically sampling packets corresponding to a second flow in the plurality of flows according to a second frequency determined based on identifying packets as belonging to the second flow; wherein the first frequency is independently configurable from the second frequency; the method further comprising: measuring flow information corresponding to the first flow according to a first set of measurement criteria determined based on identifying packets as belonging to the first flow; measuring flow information corresponding to the second flow according to a second set of measurement criteria determined based on identifying packets as belonging to the second flow; wherein measuring flow information corresponding to the first flow comprises determining one or more of an average flow rate for the first flow, a moving average of the flow rate of the first flow, a peak value of the flow rate of the first flow, a peak value of the average flow rate of the first flow, and a peak value of the moving average of the flow rate of the first flow according to the first set of measurement criteria; wherein measuring flow information corresponding to the second flow comprises determining one or more of an average flow rate for the second flow, a moving average of the flow rate of the second flow, a peak value of the flow rate of the second flow, a peak value of the average flow rate of the second flow, and a peak value of the moving average of the flow rate of the second flow according to the second set of measurement criteria; wherein the first set of measurement criteria are independently configurable from the second set of measurement criteria.