vnstat - Network Traffic Monitor / http://goo.gl/68H3t

gistfile1.txt

Configuration

Edit /etc/sysconfig/vnstat, enter:
# vi /etc/sysconfig/vnstat

Sample outputs:

VNSTAT_OPTIONS="-u -i eth0"
Edit /etc/vnstat.conf, enter:
# vi /etc/vnstat.conf

Set default interface to eth1:

Interface "eth1"
The file is self documented so set the options as per your local setup. 
Save and close the file.

Create the database

You need to run the following command to create the database. 
But, first set vnstat shell to /bin/bash using the chsh commad
# chsh -s /bin/bash vnstat
# grep --color vnstat /etc/passwd
# id vnstat

This is usually the first command used after a fresh install. 
Use the runuser command to create the database for eth0 interface:
# runuser -l vnstat -g vnstat -c '/usr/bin/vnstat -u -i eth0'

To create the database for eth1 interface, run:
# runuser -l vnstat -g vnstat -c '/usr/bin/vnstat -u -i eth1'

Make sure vnstat user can not login i.e. refuse a login for vnstat user:
# chsh -s /sbin/nologin vnstat
# grep --color vnstat /etc/passwd
# id vnstat

Start vnstat service

Type the following chkconfig command to turn on vnstat service at boot time:
# chkconfig vnstat on

To start / stop / restart and control vnstart service, run:
# service vnstat start
# service vnstat stop
# service vnstat restart
# service vnstat status

How do I view stats?

The syntax is:

 
vnstat
vnstat -i {interface}
vnstat -i {interface} -option
vnstat -i {interface} -option1 -option2
 
$ vnstat

Sample outputs:

                      rx      /      tx      /     total    /   estimated
 eth1:
       Oct '12     76.68 GiB  /  635.07 GiB  /  711.74 GiB
       Nov '12     31.14 GiB  /  186.98 GiB  /  218.12 GiB  /  352.45 GiB
     yesterday      1.35 GiB  /   11.32 GiB  /   12.67 GiB
         today      1.34 GiB  /    8.82 GiB  /   10.16 GiB  /   19.37 GiB
 
 eth0:
       Oct '12    629.87 GiB  /   91.10 GiB  /  720.97 GiB
       Nov '12    181.99 GiB  /   35.38 GiB  /  217.37 GiB  /  351.24 GiB
     yesterday     11.25 GiB  /    1.70 GiB  /   12.95 GiB
         today      8.76 GiB  /    1.60 GiB  /   10.36 GiB  /   19.76 GiB
 
 
To see eth0 stats, enter:
$ vnstat -i eth0

To see daily stats for eth0, enter:
$ vnstat -i eth0 -d

Sample outputs:

 
 eth0  /  daily
 
         day         rx      |     tx      |    total    |   avg. rate
     ------------------------+-------------+-------------+---------------
      10/21/12     13.48 GiB |    1.80 GiB |   15.28 GiB |    1.48 Mbit/s
      10/22/12     24.06 GiB |    3.44 GiB |   27.51 GiB |    2.67 Mbit/s
      10/23/12     23.95 GiB |    3.45 GiB |   27.40 GiB |    2.66 Mbit/s
      10/24/12     22.81 GiB |    3.30 GiB |   26.11 GiB |    2.53 Mbit/s
      10/25/12     25.11 GiB |    3.48 GiB |   28.59 GiB |    2.78 Mbit/s
      10/26/12     22.24 GiB |    3.01 GiB |   25.25 GiB |    2.45 Mbit/s
      10/27/12     12.13 GiB |    1.67 GiB |   13.80 GiB |    1.34 Mbit/s
      10/28/12      9.65 GiB |    1.67 GiB |   11.33 GiB |    1.10 Mbit/s
      10/29/12     17.04 GiB |    3.13 GiB |   20.17 GiB |    1.96 Mbit/s
      10/30/12     18.14 GiB |    3.18 GiB |   21.32 GiB |    2.07 Mbit/s
      10/31/12     17.45 GiB |    3.05 GiB |   20.51 GiB |    1.99 Mbit/s
      11/01/12     14.64 GiB |    2.74 GiB |   17.38 GiB |    1.69 Mbit/s
      11/02/12     13.66 GiB |    2.51 GiB |   16.17 GiB |    1.57 Mbit/s
      11/03/12      7.62 GiB |    1.34 GiB |    8.96 GiB |  870.25 kbit/s
      11/04/12      5.63 GiB |    1.14 GiB |    6.77 GiB |  656.98 kbit/s
      11/05/12      9.34 GiB |    2.08 GiB |   11.42 GiB |    1.11 Mbit/s
      11/06/12      9.85 GiB |    2.13 GiB |   11.98 GiB |    1.16 Mbit/s
      11/07/12      9.91 GiB |    2.14 GiB |   12.05 GiB |    1.17 Mbit/s
      11/08/12      9.76 GiB |    2.12 GiB |   11.88 GiB |    1.15 Mbit/s
      11/09/12      8.47 GiB |    1.81 GiB |   10.28 GiB |  998.23 kbit/s
      11/10/12      5.54 GiB |    1.05 GiB |    6.58 GiB |  639.28 kbit/s
      11/11/12      5.92 GiB |    1.12 GiB |    7.03 GiB |  682.98 kbit/s
      11/12/12      8.74 GiB |    1.93 GiB |   10.67 GiB |    1.04 Mbit/s
      11/13/12      8.77 GiB |    1.95 GiB |   10.72 GiB |    1.04 Mbit/s
      11/14/12      8.93 GiB |    2.00 GiB |   10.93 GiB |    1.06 Mbit/s
      11/15/12     10.53 GiB |    2.13 GiB |   12.65 GiB |    1.23 Mbit/s
      11/16/12     13.58 GiB |    2.31 GiB |   15.89 GiB |    1.54 Mbit/s
      11/17/12     11.09 GiB |    1.60 GiB |   12.70 GiB |    1.23 Mbit/s
      11/18/12     11.25 GiB |    1.70 GiB |   12.95 GiB |    1.26 Mbit/s
      11/19/12      8.81 GiB |    1.61 GiB |   10.42 GiB |    1.92 Mbit/s
     ------------------------+-------------+-------------+---------------
     estimated     16.69 GiB |    3.06 GiB |   19.74 GiB |
 
To see hourly network stats, enter:
$ vnstat -i eth0 -h

To see monthly network stats, enter:
$ vnstat -i eth0 -m

To see weekly network stats, enter:
$ vnstat -i eth0 -w

To see top 10 network, stats:
$ vnstat -t
$ vnstat -i eth0 -t

To see short output:
$ vnstat -i eth0 -s

To calculate traffic, enter:
$ vnstat -i eth0 -tr

Sample outputs:

 
2038 packets sampled in 5 seconds
Traffic average for eth0
 
      rx         1.08 Mbit/s           202 packets/s
      tx       273.60 kbit/s           204 packets/s
 
 
To see transfer rate in real time for eth0, enter:
$ vnstat -i eth0 -l