Evaluation of Candidate Protocols for IP Flow Information Export (IPFIX)

This document contains an evaluation of the five candidate protocols for an IP Flow Information Export (IPFIX) protocol, based on the requirements document produced by the IPFIX Working Group. The protocols are characterized and grouped in broad categories, and evaluated against specific requirements. Finally, a recommendation is made to select the NetFlow v9 protocol as the basis for the IPFIX specification. This memo provides information for the Internet community.