flow

Run a flow check

$ flow

$ flow ls

$ flow batch-coverage --show-all --strip-root [path/to/directory]

$ flow coverage --color [path/to/file.jsx]

flow [options] [capture_file]

-h
    Display help message and exit.

-v
    Be verbose. Prints information about the input file.

-n
    Process only number of packets/records.

-c
    Count records.

-x
    Print records in hexadecimal format.

-p
    Print decoded packet data.

-r
    Print a specific record number.

-f
    Apply a BPF-style filter expression.

The flow command is a tool used to analyze and display network flow data captured from network devices such as routers and switches. It allows users to examine the details of network traffic, including source and destination IP addresses, ports, protocols, and the amount of data transferred.

It reads flow records from a capture file or standard input. This data is typically collected using flow monitoring tools like NetFlow, sFlow, or IPFIX.

The command offers various options for filtering and formatting the output to focus on specific types of traffic or display relevant information. Analyzing network flow data can help identify network bottlenecks, security threats, and usage patterns.

The flow command is heavily reliant on the input file format being correctly formatted flow data (NetFlow, sFlow, IPFIX). The accuracy of the analysis is limited by the quality of the captured data.

The flow command supports various network flow data formats, including NetFlow v5/v9, sFlow, and IPFIX. The specific formats supported may vary depending on the implementation of the command.

The history of flow command isn't well documented as a standalone general purpose command in the typical linux distributions. It's often part of larger network analysis suites and varies depending on the implementation. It likely evolved alongside the development and adoption of network flow monitoring technologies like NetFlow and sFlow to provide a way to analyze collected data.

tcpdump(1), wireshark(1), nfdump(1)