What it does
pmacct is a collection of passive network-monitoring tools supporting flow protocols, packet capture and routing context, with configurable collectors and examples.
Select the daemon for the available input: pmacctd reads packets, nfacctd receives NetFlow/IPFIX and sfacctd receives sFlow. Configure aggregation fields and a plugin for memory, SQL, flat files or a broker; the memory client can emit formatted, CSV or JSON output. The QUICKSTART shows configurable refresh intervals and history bins rather than a finished dashboard. Packet capture requires visibility of the relevant interface and documented superuser access. Database and broker outputs need their corresponding build options and running backends. NetFlow v9/IPFIX decoding depends on templates, which also need distribution when collectors are load-balanced. The README describes an initiative to relicense the code; that announcement alone does not establish completed BSD licensing.
Strengths
- Several traffic and routing inputs
- Official collector images and configuration examples
Watch out for
- Collectors and downstream processing require configuration