> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex-xdr-3.x/cortex-xdr-3.x-documentation/data-management/broker-vm/set-up-and-configure-broker-vm/broker-vm-data-collector-applets/activate-netflow-collector.md).
# Activate NetFlow Collector
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### Notice
Ingesting records from external sources requires a Cortex XDR Pro per GB license.
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### Note
This data source is only available in your tenant if the tenant was activated before October 1, 2025 with an active Cortex XDR Pro per GB license.
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To receive NetFlow flow records from an external source, you must first set up the NetFlow Collector applet on a Broker VM within your network. NetFlow versions 5, 9, and IPFIX are supported.
To increase the log ingestion rate, you can add additional CPUs to the Broker VM. The NetFlow Collector listens for flow records on specific ports either from any, or from specific IP addresses.
After the NetFlow Collector is activated, the NetFlow Exporter sends flow records to the NetFlow Collector, which receives, stores, and pre-processes that data for later analysis.
Performance Requirements
The following setups are required to meet your performance needs:
* 4 CPUs for up to 50K flows per second (FPS).
* 8 CPUs for up to 100K FPS.
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### Note
Since multiple network devices can send data to a single NetFlow Collector, we recommend that you configure a maximum of 50 NetFlow Collectors per Broker VM applet, with a maximum aggregated rate of approximately 50K flows per second (FPS) to maintain system performance.
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### Prerequisite
[Set up and configure Broker VM](/cortex-xdr-3.x/cortex-xdr-3.x-documentation/data-management/broker-vm/set-up-and-configure-broker-vm.md)
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### How to activate the NetFlow Collector
1. Select Settings → Configurations → Data Broker → **Broker VMs**.
2. Do one of the following:
* On the **Brokers** tab, find the Broker VM, and in the **APPS** column, left-click **Add** → **NetFlow Collector**.
* On the **Clusters** tab, find the Broker VM, and in the **APPS** column, left-click **Add** → **NetFlow Collector**.
3. Click **+Add New**.
4. Configure your NetFlow Collector.
General Settings
Specify the number of the **UDP Port** on which the NetFlow Collector listens for flow records (default **2055**).
This port number must match the UDP port number in the NetFlow exporter device. The rules for each port are evaluated, line by line, on a first match basis. Cortex XDR discards logs for non-configured flow records without an “Any” rule.
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### Note
Since Cortex XDR reserves some port numbers, it is best to select a port number that is not in the range of 0-1024 (except for 514), in the range of 63000-65000 or has one of the following values: 4369, 5671, 5672, 5986, 6379, 8000, 8888, 9100, 15672, or 28672.
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Custom Settings
| Field | Description |
| ------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Source Network | Specify the IP address or a Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR) of the source network device that sends the flow records to Cortex XDR . Leave the field empty to receive data from any device on the specified port (default). If you do not specify an IP address or a CIDR, Cortex XDR can receive data from any source IP address or CIDR that transmits via the specified port. If IP addresses overlap in multiple rows in the **Source Network** field, such as 10.0.0.10 in the first row and 10.0.0.0/24 in the second row, the NetFlow Collector captures the IP address in the first row. |
| Vendor and Product | Specify a particular vendor and product to be associated with each dataset entry or leave the default IP Flow setting.
The Vendor and Product values are used to define the name of your Cortex Query Language (XQL) dataset \\_\\_raw. If you do not define a vendor or product, Cortex XDR uses the default values with the resulting dataset name ip\_flow\_ip\_flow\_raw. Consider changing the default values in order to uniquely identify the source network device.
After each configuration, select 
to save your changes and then select Done to update the NetFlow Collector with your settings.
|
5. (Optional) Make additional changes to the NetFlow Collector data sources.
* You can make additional changes to the **Port** by right-clicking the applicable UDP port and selecting the following:
* **Edit**: To change the **UDP Port**, **Source Network**, **Vendor**, or **Product** defined.
* **Remove**: To delete a **Port**.
* You can make additional changes to the **Source Network** by right-clicking on the **Source Network** value.
Note
The options available change, according to the set Source Network value.