[WEB4LIB] Web / Network monitoring software

[Christopher Stewart]

We use Elron's "Internet Manager." It meters network use by MAC address or
IP address, which comes in handy in case you use a DHCP server and cannot
tie any one machine to an IP address for very long.

We monitor network use primarily for statistical purposes, although it is
there in the event that we need it to enforce our acceptable use policy,
which really only applies to staff. We do not use the program for filtering,
although the feature is available.

A typical monthly report will contain complete traffic information, top ten
sites from our public areas, composite departmental usage; protocol usage;
total network Internet usage, etc.

We have found this to be a very useful tool in order to justify expenditure
changes to university administration. Our LAN typically generates a quarter
of a million "hits" during a thirty day period. By "hits," I mean
information downloaded from the Internet. Of course, a media rich page can
cause several hits. This number has gone up steadily for the past few years,
while the number of PCs and workstations has remained the same.

For our Web and Proxy servers, we use Analog and the occasional UNIX or NT
log file.

-Christopher Stewart

Associate Director for Network Services
Paul V. Galvin Library
Illinois Institute of Technology
www.gl.iit.edu

"O-Tech International, Ltd." wrote:

> Hi
> I have a network/Internet monitoring question, perhaps you can help.
> Do you currently track the
> 'Traffic' on your library LAN / Internet connection
> - to check for security threats / limit legal liability
> - to view statistics on URLs, clients hosts, etc.
> My question is, what software/hardware do you use?  Or how do you do it?
> Is this a product you would be interested in?
> I appreciate your comments.
> Eva Holtsmark
> Information Specialist
> O-Tech International, Ltd.