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An important issue of monitoring high speed networks is the necessity to adequatley tune and optimise the computer systems involved with the active network testing.
Also, the role of monitoring to/from a single host is often not of great importance for the network utilisation efficiency for the whole site.
Therefore, SLAC, in conjunction with BNL have recently started an endevour to build a passive monitoring suite to elleviate the necessities of building comodity PCs for network monitoring, whilst leveraging the existing functionalities of numerous routers used for the LHC.
Using the standardised netflow format for export of flow data directly from the routers, SLAC has embraced the open source software realm to bring together quality tools to both process, analyse, store and retrieve netflow network performance information. Utilising our extensive knowledge of network monitoring, we have also endevoured to make the information as accessible and as meaningful as possible to allow network managers and engineers quick methods see the state of their network.
(pic of and rrd graph?)