for UNIX and Windows 2003 Web Hosting Platforms

For more details and sample reports, please see our Hosting Statistics Software page.

Why should I use a statistics program?

Statistic programs can provide you with valuable information about your web site. They can also help you determine what type of traffic your site is receiving and they can show where you can make improvements to the overall design of your site.

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What type of data can I capture by using a statistical report program?

Statistic programs can produce detailed reports containing extensive analysis about your web site and about the visitors who access your site. Some of the main features include, but are not limited to, the following categories:

  • Visitor Information
  • Access Times and Dates
  • Individual Page Statistics
  • Referred Sites
  • Browsers Used
  • Errors

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How do I select one of the built-in statistics programs for my account?

1. Open your web site’s Control Panel. Your Control Panel is located at www.yourdomain.com/stats/ .  

In the above-mentioned Internet address, be sure to replace “yourdomain.com” with your actual domain.

2. Go to the Manage My Web Site Stats section of your Control Panel and click Select a Stats Package.

3. Select one of the following options for your Preferred Stats Program:

  • Urchin v.3.x - As it provides you with the most detailed statistical summaries and because it is the most adept at handling large amounts of data, we recommend that you use Urchin as your statistics package.
  • MKStats v.1.0 - This version is offered only for backward compatibility with older text based web browsers.
  • MKStats v.2.3 - Both versions of the MKStats package monitor all data from the initial selection of your preferred stats program.
  • Analog v.2.11 - This package analyzes only the past three months of stats. Click here for more information.

Urchin is available for UNIX® and Windows® NT systems. MKStats and Analog are available for only UNIX systems. If you prefer not to use a statistics package, select the No Stats Package option.

Note: These programs are system-wide programs and cannot be custom configured for one customer.

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How frequently are my statistics updated?

Statistics are updated approximately every 24 hours. For example, if your statistics were last updated at 3:00 a. m. Eastern Standard Time (EST), the next update would take place at 3:00 a. m. on the following day.

If you are running statistics for the first time or if you are switching from one statistics package to another, you will need to wait about 24 hours to see the results of your first statistics run.

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How do I view my statistics on my account?

  1. Open your web site Control Panel. Your Control Panel is located at www.yourdomain.com/stats/ .
  2. Click View Stats. A new window opens containing information about your statistics.

Note: If you have not selected a statistics package and you click View Statistics from within your Control Panel, statistics totals will not display. Instead, you will see only a blank web page.

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How does Analog v.2.11 compile statistics?

Analog v.2.11 captures usage statistics for only the last three months. This means that, as time progresses, the data early in that span begins to drop off as new data for the current month is added. This can cause the first month to appear to "lose" traffic when viewed over time.

Example: You begin reporting statistics in the beginning of January. On the 95th day you request a report and Analog compiles statistics for days 5 through 95 (a span of 90 days). Day 5 is still January, but as you can see, the data for January's days 1 through 4 have dropped off. If you chose to run a report on the 96th day, you would receive statistics for days 6 through 96 and so on. Thus, gathering statistics is similar to using a sliding scale or a "window" of time.

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Where can I find help on how to use Urchin?

For comprehensive help on how to use Urchin, you can visit Urchin's Online Urchin 3.x User Guide.

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How do I view my current disk space, data transfer usage or log files?

  1. Open your web site’s Control Panel. Your Control Panel is located at www.yourdomain.com/stats/ .
  2. The left side of your Control Panel contains a summary of your data transfer rate and your available disk space limit.
  3. If you require additional statistical information about your account, click Log Files. There, you will find information related to CPU usage, overages, and log files as well as other additional information.

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Do my web site's statistics log files count toward my disk quota?

No. Statistics log files do not count against your site's disk quota. There is no need to delete these files in order to attempt to gain disk space.

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How do I configure my account to notify me when I reach the maximum data transfer?

  1. Open the Edit Account Information web page. To access that page, go to http://www.yourdomain/cgi-bin/secure/customer .
  2. Locate the following section on that page:
    Screenshot of data transfer limit options
  3. Type the data transfer amount in megabytes (MB) into the provided text box. The default setting in this text box is zero megabytes.
  4. Click one of the following options: Don't bug me!, Send me an E-mail or Suspend my Account. By default, the Don't bug me! option will be selected if you choose not to be notified.

Important: Data transfer is calculated once per day. Therefore, any action that you specify will not be performed at the exact moment that your data transfer exceeds the specified amount. Instead, the action will be performed at the end of the day during which the data transfer was exceeded.  Note that you will be responsible for any overages accrued by your account.

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Can I use a third party statistics program for my UNIX or Windows NT account?

You have access to the log files. Therefore, you can use a third party program to run an in-depth analysis of your site usage. You can choose to run the built-in statistics program in addition to a third party program. You have access to the log files whether or not you selected one of our built-in statistical analysis programs.

You can also download the log files to your local computer for analysis. Then, you can use gzip to decompress them if you need to run custom queries against the data. We use the standard GNU "gzip" format without any special options.

Note: Macintosh users who experience difficulty unzipping the logs with Stuffit Expander should try using MacGzip.

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How long will my log files be kept on the server?

We keep the gzipped access logs on our servers for three months. However, there are some exceptions that are specific to each Preferred Stats Program. Those exceptions are as follows:

URCHIN v.3.x - There are four gzipped log files. One file contains statistical data for the current month and the other three files contain statistical data for the three prior months. Additionally, in its UDB files, Urchin contains up to twelve months of processed log files.

Note: On Windows systems, Urchin's log file data is located in the directory called /stats/urchin_data. On UNIX systems, the log file data is located in the directory called /stats/urchin. Do not delete any files or subdirectories located within those directories. Doing so may cause Urchin either to function incorrectly or to cease functioning entirely.

Also, if an Urchin log file becomes corrupt, Urchin reports will not update. Upon fixing the corrupt file, the reports will be updated with the information from the current access log. Any data that is not in the access log would not be added to the Urchin reports. 

MKSTATS v.1.0/v.2.3 - MKStats compiles statistical reports based on an ongoing file that stores all data from the beginning of the initial Preferred Stats Program setup. Therefore, if you choose MKStats as your Preferred Stats Program, you can capture data from the time you selected your program.

Note: If an MKStats file becomes corrupt, MKStats reports will not update. Upon fixing the corrupt file, the reports will be updated with the information from the current access log. Any data that is not in the access log would not be added to the MKStats reports.

ANALOG v.2.11 - Analog compiles site statistics for a 90-day sliding "window" of time. Further, Analog compiles reports based on .gz files. The last three months of data will be accessible for your statistics.

Note: For statistics packages using gzip, if a gzipped log file is corrupt, we can unzip and then re-zip the file, ridding it of the corruption. However, any data that was added to the file after the corruption took place will be lost.

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Please note: the information on this page applies to ITS web hosting plans. It may or may not apply to other environments. If you are looking for a feature described here, or better support from your hosting provider, please consider hosting your site with ITS!

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