How to Configure and Enable IPFIX Flow Export on Nutanix AHV (OVS & Prism Central API Guide)

This definitive, step-by-step guide walks you through enabling **IPFIX network flow export on Nutanix AHV** using both the manual, host-level **Open vSwitch (OVS)** configuration and the centralized, persistent **Prism Central Networking v4 API** method. We provide full command examples, API requests, and essential tuning best practices for flow sampling, caching, and performance optimization.

**Tags/Related Keywords:** Nutanix IPFIX, AHV flow export, configure IPFIX on Nutanix, Prism Central IPFIX API, OVS IPFIX setup, Nutanix traffic monitoring, Open vSwitch IPFIX.

Overview: Why Use IPFIX on Nutanix AHV?

**IPFIX** (Internet Protocol Flow Information Export) enables the collection of critical network traffic metadata — such as conversations between virtual machines, bandwidth usage, and **east-west traffic** patterns — directly from the **Nutanix AHV hypervisor**. This is essential for comprehensive **Nutanix traffic monitoring**.

There are two supported methods to **enable IPFIX on Nutanix**:

1. Manual host-level configuration via Open vSwitch (OVS)
2. Centralized configuration using the Prism Central Networking v4 API (recommended for production)

The official **Nutanix API reference for IPFIX exporters** is available at:
 Official Nutanix Networking v4 API Reference (IPFIX) 

Prerequisites for AHV IPFIX Setup

• Nutanix AHV cluster with Prism Central
• Administrator SSH credentials or API credentials
• **IP address and UDP port** of your IPFIX collector (example: 192.168.1.250:2055)
• Prism Central networking API reachable on TCP 9440

Method 1 — Configure IPFIX on Nutanix AHV Using OVS (For Testing)

This method configures **IPFIX directly on each AHV host** using Open vSwitch. It is suitable for lab environments, temporary testing, or troubleshooting. **Important:** Configurations applied this way may be overwritten during AHV upgrades or host redeployments, making it unsuitable for production.

Step 1 — SSH into an AHV Host

ssh nutanix@<AHV_HOST_IP>

Step 2 — Create the IPFIX Exporter

Generic command template:

ovs-vsctl -- --id=@ipfix create IPFIX \
    targets="collector-ip:port" \
    sampling=512 \
    obs_domain_id=1 \
    obs_point_id=1 \
    cache_active_timeout=60 \
    cache_max_flows=10000 \
    -- set Bridge br0 ipfix=@ipfix

Example using collector 192.168.1.250:2055:

ovs-vsctl -- --id=@ipfix create IPFIX \
    targets="192.168.1.250:2055" \
    sampling=512 \
    obs_domain_id=1 \
    obs_point_id=1 \
    cache_active_timeout=60 \
    cache_max_flows=10000 \
    -- set Bridge br0 ipfix=@ipfix

Step 3 — Validate Configuration

ovs-vsctl list IPFIX

This confirms the **OVS exporter** is configured and that the sampling and cache parameters are active.

Method 2 — Configure IPFIX Using Prism Central v4 API (Recommended for Production)

Using the **Prism Central Networking API** ensures centralized, persistent IPFIX configuration across all AHV hosts.   This method is the safest and preferred approach for production clusters.

API Endpoint

https://<PRISM-CENTRAL-IP>:9440/api/networking/v4.0/config/ipfix-exporters

The exporter object is defined in the Nutanix API as the **IPFIXExporter** model.

Create IPFIX Exporter — PowerShell Example

$headers = New-Object "System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary[[String],[String]]"
$headers.Add("Ntnx-Request-Id", "8038d8df-b7bf-478d-aee2-ae77bc235206")
$headers.Add("Content-Type", "application/json")
$headers.Add("Authorization", "Basic <BASE64-ENCODED-CREDENTIALS>")

$body = @"
{
  `"name`": `"stats-exporter-PC`",
  `"collectorIp`": `"192.168.1.250`",
  `"protocol`": `"UDP`",
  `"collectorPort`": 2055,
  `"exportRateLimitPerNodeBps`": 56,
  `"exportScopes`": [
    {
      `"uuid`": `"8a0a027b-8769-4063-bfbe-ba1b48867a81`",
      `"scopeType`": `"PC"`
    }
  ],
  `"description`": `"Nutanix IPFIX exporter`"
}
"@

$response = Invoke-RestMethod `
  "https://<PRISM-CENTRAL-IP>:9440/api/networking/v4.0/config/ipfix-exporters" `
  -Method POST `
  -Headers $headers `
  -Body $body

$response | ConvertTo-Json

Retrieve Existing Exporters

Invoke-RestMethod `
"https://<PRISM-CENTRAL-IP>:9440/api/networking/v4.0/config/ipfix-exporters" `
-Method GET `
-Headers @{ Authorization = "Basic <BASE64-ENCODED-CREDENTIALS>" }

Delete an IPFIX Exporter

Invoke-RestMethod `
"https://<PRISM-CENTRAL-IP>:9440/api/networking/v4.0/config/ipfix-exporters/<EXPORTER-UUID>" `
-Method DELETE `
-Headers @{ Authorization = "Basic <BASE64-ENCODED-CREDENTIALS>" }

Detailed Explanation of IPFIX OVS Parameters

sampling=512
obs_domain_id=1
cache_active_timeout=60
cache_max_flows=10000

Recommended Best-Practice Values for AHV IPFIX

• **Sampling:** 512–1024 in most production deployments
• **Active timeout:** 60 seconds
• **Max cached flows:** 1,000 – 10,000 depending on scale
• Use unique obs_domain_id or obs_point_id values if exporting from many hosts or multiple bridges

Operational Best Practices

• Use the **Prism Central API** for persistent configuration.
• Validate exports after each change using the ovs-vsctl list IPFIX command or via API GET.
• Monitor collector CPU and disk IO — adjust **sampling rate** if collector load increases.
• Use a dedicated flow collector for large AHV clusters.

Official References

• **Nutanix Networking v4 API (IPFIX Exporters):**
   https://developers.nutanix.com/api-reference?namespace=networking&version=v4.1 
• Nutanix Community Articles on exporting Prism Central flow data:
   https://next.nutanix.com/ 
• Open vSwitch IPFIX documentation — underlying implementation reference