[Discuss] Network Traffic Visualization

[tmetro-blu at vl.com (Tom Metro)]

Derek Atkins wrote:
> I have mrtg set up to show me aggregate network usage at my choke-point
> (router).  Sometimes it would be nice if there were a way for me to
> pinpoint usage based on host and port or based on session threads. 
> 
> My router is running dd-wrt...

Tomato has built in logging and charting of aggregate bandwidth:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tomato_Firmware_-_Bandwidth_Real_Time.PNG

that is probably comparable to what you get from mrtg, and if you are
using QoS, it provides some handy pie charts to show what chunk of your
bandwidth is being used up by each classification:
http://www.polarcloud.com/img/ssqosg108.png

(What protocols are included in each classifications depends on the QoS
rules you have created.)

Some of the less official Tomato builds also support per-machine
bandwidth monitoring. On one of my routers that runs one of these
builds, I noticed an "enable bandwidth monitoring" checkbox on the form
where you create a static DHCP mapping for a machine. I haven't yet seen
how or if you can view that data. And it seems like a significant
limitation if the data is only captured for statically mapped hosts (the
thread indicates they've remedied this limitation). See:

http://www.linksysinfo.org/index.php?threads/per-ip-bandwidth-monitoring-how-to.35533/

 -Tom

-- 
Tom Metro
Venture Logic, Newton, MA, USA
"Enterprise solutions through open source."
Professional Profile: http://tmetro.venturelogic.com/