Difference between revisions of "Logfile Analysis"

Revision as of 00:47, 11 August 2012

Log files are used to maintain a record of activities, e.g. activities of the operating system, certain applications, etc.

Log files come in various formats, in general these formats can be divided in the following categories:

• Binary formats
• Text-based formats
• in-database

Binary formats

• Windows Event Log (EVT)
• Windows XML Event Log (EVTX)

Text-based formats

• Apache HTTP Server access log format

Tools

Windows

Log Parser 2.2

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=890cd06b-abf8-4c25-91b2-f8d975cf8c07&displaylang=en

From Microsoft, claims to parse a variety of log files, including XML and CSV, as well as Windows Event Log, Registry, and Active Directory

Also see: Microsoft Log Parser Toolkit, byr Gabriele Giuseppini, Mark Burnett, ISBN: 1-93226-652-6

Web Logfile Analytics

Web logfile analytics software can process a log file and print a report. Normally this software is used by organizations that host the website. It can also be used for analysis of webserver logfiles.

Analog

http://www.analog.cx/

Claims to be "the most popular logfile analyser in the world"

Webalizer

http://www.mrunix.net/webalizer/

"A fast, free web server log file analysis program"

phpMyVisites

http://www.phpmyvisites.us/

New "clicks heatmap" shows where people are clicking on your website; depends on JavaScript. (on the other hand, doesn't need access to your logfiles)

AWStats

http://awstats.sourceforge.net/

"Free powerful and featureful tool that generates advanced web, streaming, ftp or mail server statistics, graphically."

JasperReports

http://jasperforge.org/sf/projects/jasperreports

Java reporting tool.

Open Web Analytics

http://wiki.openwebanalytics.com/index.php?title=Main_Page

"An open source web analytics framework written in PHP."

Breadboard BI Web Analytics

http://sourceforge.net/projects/web-analytics/

"Uses open source tools to collect and distribute web analytics data."