[Web4lib] Fwd: About Computer Networking:How MySpace May BeHurting Your Network

[Robin]

Hi Jon,
Thanks for the feedback. Your points are well taken. Can you suggest a
tool for doing exactly such an audit? I have been discussing this with
several people lately and none of us have any experience such utilities,
nor do personally (collectively) know even the names of any good ones.
Any recommendations pro or con from and the list at large would be
welcome.

Thanks
Robin 

-----Original Message-----
From: web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org
[mailto:web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Jonathan Gorman
Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2007 4:44 PM
To: web4lib at webjunction.org
Subject: RE: [Web4lib] Fwd: About Computer Networking:How MySpace May
BeHurting Your Network


Hi Robin, 

I have a hard time believing this is your problem.

First, the only person who seems to be saying the DNS is a problem being
"president of architecture at InfoBlox, which sells DNS appliances to
carriers and corporations".  Granted, I think the article is probably
right in the sentence where it states MySpace and similar pages are
gaining in popularity and probably increasing bandwidth loads.  But this
would most likely be seen as in increase in both your down and up stream
usage.  

Even if there was increased DNS traffic, it should show up both incoming
and outcoming loads.  

In addition, MySpace has been popular for quite a while now.  You would
have seen this increase much earlier.

More likely are these scenarios:

1) Your user base has changed within the last month or two (students on
break) and for some reason these users are uploading far more then they
are downloading.

2) Your computers have been compromised by a virus/script kiddy/patron
who's messed with them/etc.  They are either spewing spam out into the
network or being used as illegal file servers.  


Or, as I think now, if you're talking percentage-wise, i suppose it is
possible that a group of  prolific posters or computer user could drive
the amount of outgoing internet traffic.  But this affect isn't likely
to be limited to MySpace.  Given the historical disparity in
incoming/outgoing traffic, it could appear to be a minor increase for
incoming traffic but large one for outgoing.

A network audit to see exactly what ip addresses all that traffic is
going to and what exactly is the nature of the traffic would be a good
place to start.

Jon Gorman
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