Using ntop, iftop and apachetop to Monitor Traffic on Ubuntu

Not monitoring your server's network traffic is the equivalent of driving a car with your eyes closed. You must at all times be aware of your server's traffic. Just checking the logs is simply not enough. The tools that I will show you today generate traffic statistics, and show traffic usage in realtime. Statistics that would be hard for you to obtain otherwise. For a secure server, using such tools is mandatory.

Ntop

Ntop is a top-like application with a web frontend, designed to monitor network activity and generate reports on the console or via your web browser.

Installing Ntop on Ubuntu 8.04.1 Server

Accept the dependency list and be patient while you wait for the packages to download.

Now start the ntop daemon with these commands:

Now you will be asked for an admin password, choose a password and write it to ntop.

After the process completes and ntop starts, open your browser and point it to the address:

A nicely formatted web page will appear. Go ahead and browse it. See all the features it has to offer.

Note: don't bother looking for the console version of ntop. A long time ago it used to be available but not anymore. If you need a console network statistics tool Try to use "iftop".

Iftop

To install iftop use the following command:

Wait while it is installed, then run it with the following command:

Now create some traffic between you and your server. Observe how both utilities react.

Apachetop

If you run apache webserver on your Ubuntu 8.04.1 try the apachetop software.

To install apachetop use the following command:

To run apachetop use the following command:

Now create some traffic to the web server. See apachetop react.

In this tutorial I have shown you three excelent programs for monitoring traffic to your Ubuntu server. Make good use of them and you can stay on top of any traffic related security risks.

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