Overview of NetStream

Definition

NetStream is a Huawei application that collects and analyzes service traffic based on network flows.

Purpose

Faced with ever-increasing Internet services and applications, enterprises require powerful network management and accounting systems. NetStream was developed to meet these requirements. NetStream addresses the limitations (Table 1) of the technologies traditionally used in the industry for traffic statistics collection, such as SNMP and port mirroring.

NetStream collects service traffic statistics and resource usage based on traffic classification and sends the statistics to a dedicated server or a network management system (NMS) with NetStream software installed for further analysis.

**Table 1** Implementation and limitations of traditional traffic statistics collection methods
Method	Implementation	Limitation
Based on IP packets	Saves counter indexes in the routing table to count the number of bytes and packets that pass through the device.	Only collects basic statistical information.
Based on access control lists (ACLs)	Matches flows based on ACLs and then collects statistics.	Requires a large number of ACLs and is only able to collect flow statistics that match ACL rules.
Using SNMP	Uses SNMP to implement simple statistics functions, such as interface statistics, IP packet statistics, and ACL matching statistics.	Wastes CPU and network resources by continuously polling the NMS for statistics collection. Is not robust enough.
Based on port mirroring	Duplicates traffic passing through a port and sends the duplicated traffic to a dedicated server for statistics and analysis.	Requires a dedicated server, occupies an interface, and requires that the interface support port mirroring.
Based on traffic duplication at the physical layer	Duplicates traffic using an optical splitter or other devices at the physical layer and then sends the duplicated traffic to a dedicated server for statistics.	Requires a dedicated server and additional hardware.

Benefits

Accounting
NetStream provides detailed data for accounting based on resource usage (links, bandwidths, and time segments). The data includes, but is not limited to:
- Number of packets
- Number of bytes
- IP addresses
- Time
- Types of Service (ToS)
- Application type
Enterprises can calculate the expenses of each department and distribute operation costs accordingly to use resources effectively.
Network monitoring

When deployed on an interface connected to the Internet, NetStream monitors outgoing traffic in real time and analyzes the bandwidth usage of services. This data helps network administrators determine the network status and discover inappropriate network structures or performance bottlenecks.
User monitoring and analysis

NetStream obtains network resource usage of users, allowing network administrators to efficiently plan and allocate network resources and ensure network security.