Posted on April 19th, 2010There are thousands of pieces of software, applications and programs that web hosting providers use to measure numerous statistics for their customers. As these companies continue to expand and add users, their software needs must be met to ensure quality, accuracy and keep proper records.
One piece of software that assists with bandwidth monitoring is SQL Bandwidth Meter created by Hosts Tools. This tool allows web hosting providers to monitor, count and report bandwidth used by each customer. Although there are many of these programs available, this software differentiates itself by providing bandwidth control on a per user basis.
This means that the web hosting provider has the ability to see the amount of data used (both uploaded and downloaded) by every single SQL user. This is beneficial for the provider to be able to bill customers for bandwidth usage. Another benefit is the ability to observe which customers are using the SQL level intensively.
Hosts Tools offers a free trial with no time limit to monitor traffic from many server clients (between one and eight IP addresses). To unlock the full version and be able to monitor more clients, simply upgrade the copy and they’ll create a license key bound to that specific IP address.
Once the software is functional, SQL bandwidth meter offers the ability to create a log file measuring several pieces of data including:
- Hour – The software collects and saves the data once per day so it will be outputted between 0 and 23
- SQL Login – This provides an SQL user name of the monitored server connection
- Total packets out – Measures the total data (in packets) sent by a specific SQL connection within the hour
- Total packets in – Measures the total data (in packets) received by a specific SQL connection within the hour timeframe
To analyze this data or generate a report, there are two options available: using Microsoft LogParser software or Microsoft Excel and Access. The LogParser software is a better choice since it’s a little more automated than the other options.
These are the types of available tools that help create efficient hosting services as well as streamline potential errors. Although most web hosting providers utilize some type of bandwidth measuring software, this differentiates due to the ability to monitor bandwidth on a per user basis. Also, the reporting statistics are simple but detailed which makes them easy to read for non-techies.