The diagram below illustrates one example of the positioning and placement of ReporterAnalyzer, DSA, NetFlow Manager and Harvester on your network. (Note that this illustration applies to a NetFlow Solution only).

Harvester
The Harvester collects and filters the raw NetFlow data from many routers and switches. The Harvester typically resides on the WAN at key aggregation points in the network, so NetFlow data doesn't have to cross the entire network. In a hub and spoke network, Harvesters typically reside at the hub locations. The amount of NetFlow data crossing an interface is relational to the size of the pipe. For example, on a 56k link, NetFlow data is usually in single digit bps, while on an OC3 link, NetFlow data is usually in single digit Mbps. In our experience, NetFlow data does not account for a significant amount of the traffic on any link.

NetFlow Manager
The NetFlow Manager aggregates data from multiple Harvesters, and stores this data for 7 days in a temporary database for redundancy purposes. The NetFlow Manager should be deployed on the LAN (close to the ReporterAnalyzer and DSAs) to avoid sending data over the WAN.

Each NetFlow Manager supports 10 Harvesters.

ReporterAnalyzer
ReporterAnalyzer is where all of the data is viewed in the web interface. ReporterAnalyzer should be deployed on the LAN (close to the NetFlow Manager(s) and DSA(s)) to avoid sending data over the WAN.

Each ReporterAnalyzer supports 10 NetFlow Managers and any number of DSAs.

DSA (Data Storage Appliance)
The DSA is where all of the data for the ReporterAnalyzer solution is stored. Each DSA should be deployed on the same switch as ReporterAnalyzer to ensure good data communication. A standard DSA supports 500 interfaces and a SuperDSA supports 2500 interfaces. As a customer needs more interfaces, another DSA can be added.

There is no limit on the number of DSAs per ReporterAnalyzer. With this architecture, ReporterAnalyzer can and does scale to the largest networks in the world.