Internet activity analysis through proxy log

Abstract

The availability of the Internet at the click of a mouse brings with it a host of new problems. Although the World Wide Web was first started by physicists at CERN to enable collation and exchange of data, today, it is used for a wide range of applications. The requirements on bandwidth for each of the applications is also varied. An Internet Service Provider must ensure satisfaction across the entire spectrum of users. To ensure this, analysis of Internet usage becomes essential. Further, an administrator can keep a record of user's Internet activity and prevent unethical activities, since the Internet is also an excellent resource for providing anonymity. This analysis can also help in resource provisioning and monitoring. In this work, a web-based tool is first proposed to analyse the Internet activity. Next, data is collected from a proxy server at a campus-wide network. Traffic patterns of different types of users are studied. Finally, the paper concludes with strategies for monitoring and control of traffic.