Analyzing Streaming Media Server Log Files

AWStats doesn’t process many of the fields contained in log files, so for example you won’t be able to find out how much of a file people watched, or what the average buffering time or quality was. However, it does have filtering capability, so with a little effort you can analyze the performance of a particular file or directory.

Unfortunately, AWStats does not offer an export function. There is a third-party application that converts AWStats data files to Excel spreadsheets, but it is Windows-only, and costs 15 Euros (about $20). The third-party application is available here.

If you want to change the look and feel of your reports, you can manipulate the style sheets that AWStats uses. You can also specify an icon file to use to display at the top of the reports, allowing a further degree of customization.

Since AWStats is an open source project, don’t expect a lot of support. There’s a FAQ and a forum, but many of the posts on the forum go unanswered. Also, the documentation can leave a little to be desired, because AWStats was written by a) a single programmer and b) someone for whom English is a second language. If you’re looking for answers, everything you need to know is on the AWStats website. However, because of the issues mentioned above, it might take a while to figure out.

Sawmill
www.sawmill.net
Price: From $99 for one profile in Sawmill Lite to $30,000 for one unlimited profiles in Sawmill Enterprise

The other option for log file-processing is Sawmill, which is at the complete other end of the spectrum from AWStats. Sawmill is a fully featured log-processing solution available in three different versions: Lite, Professional, and Enterprise. The Lite version is limited both by the number of profiles you can have (more on this below) and the amount of customization you can do. The Professional and Enterprise versions are the flagship products, with nearly identical functionality, except the Enterprise version includes external database support and multi-processor support.

Sawmill pricing depends on the number of profiles you need. Each streaming format requires a separate profile. Additionally, if you want to supply separate reports to clients, each client will require their own profile. So if you support Windows Media, RealMedia, Flash, and QuickTime, and have 10 customers, you’ll need 40 profiles to provide individual reports to each client on each format. Sawmill Lite is available for $99 for a single profile or $249 for five profiles. Sawmill Professional starts at $399 for five profiles and is available at multiple price points up to $8,500 for unlimited profiles. Sawmill Enterprise starts at $1,700 for five profiles and tops out at $30,000 for unlimited profiles. Premium support will add 25% to your purchase price.