Understanding Server Logs and SmarterLogs
SmarterStats was developed for a wide variety of users, from the webmaster with
one or two sites to large-scale enterprises with 10,000 sites. With this philosophy
in mind, SmarterStats incorporates a data structure that reduces the amount of raw
log files stored on a web server.
In a nutshell, SmarterStats acts like an optimized file-based relational database
by taking traditional web server log files and segregating redundant data. This
step alone can reduce log file sizes up to 80%. Additionally, SmarterStats compresses
the already small SmarterLogs even further, adding another 5-10% reduction in the
size of the log files. This allows system administrators to easily archive, or even
delete, the original log files created by the web server to conserve disk
space on the server. However, if the original logs are ever needed, SmarterLogs
can easily be exported in their original format.
Because the unique architecture results in smaller log files and smaller disk space
requirements, the benefits include:
- Less disk space is required for log file storage
- Less backup space is required for backing up log files
- Shorter download times for clients
- Faster data queries and faster display times
- Faster backup schedules
- Lower overhead for monitoring backups
- Lower initial hardware investment
Supported Log Files
SmarterStats supports these common log file types: W3C, IIS, NCSA, NCSA Extended,
Apache, Apache NCSA, and IPlanet Common Logs. Compressed logs in .GZ or .ZIP format
are also supported. Rotating logs are also supported as of SmarterStats 8.x.
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