Set Up Host Accounting

Your PacketShaper offers a host accounting feature that you can use to track the top users of network bandwidth on your local LAN , on the Wide Area Network, or on both interfaces — as identified by their IP addresses.

The host accounting feature, once configured and enabled, lets you see which individual hosts connected to the Inside interface, Outside interface, - or both interfaces of a PacketShaper - are using the most WAN bandwidth. ReportCenter offers Host Accounting Reports that use the host accounting information gathered from your network of PacketShapers.

Warning: Use of the Host Accounting feature can have a dramatic impact on the total number of components listed in your ReportCenter database. Each individual IP address reported by a PacketShaper configured for Host Accounting creates a new component record and consumes one of your license-limited total components. With the combination of ReportCenter 3.1, version 7.0.0 or higher of PacketWise software in your PacketShapers, and the additional license (software key) required for the Flow Detail Records feature — you can use FDR reporting instead of, or in addition to, Host Accounting and get more finely detailed information as a result. If you are using Host Accounting it is recommended that you enable the feature only on the inside port of your PacketShapers. If you enable Host Accounting on the outside port (or on both ports) of an Internet-connected PacketShaper a very large number of hosts will usually be reported.

To use host accounting you must:

Procedures

You can get complete information on the Host Accounting feature on the Host Accounting page in PacketGuide for PacketWise by clicking the PacketGuide tab in the web interface of a PacketShaper. Search for Host Accounting. By using the PacketGuide tab in the web interface of a PacketShaper you will always get the version of documentation that applies to your software version.

The pages linked below provide step by step instructions for configuring ReportCenter and your PacketShapers to support host accounting reports.

• Set Up PacketShapers for Host Accounting
• Set Up ReportCenter for Host Accounting
• Troubleshoot Host Accounting

View Reports

1. Connect to ReportCenter with a web browser.
2. Click Reports in the navigation bar.
3. Use the left-most drop-down to select Network.
4. Use the next drop-down to select Device.
5. Use the third drop-down to select Host Accounting reports.