Obtaining internet flow statistics by volunteer-based system

Abstract

In this paper we demonstrate how the Volunteer Based System for Research on the Internet, developed at Aalborg University, can be used for creating statistics of Internet usage. Since the data is collected on individual machines, the statistics can be made on the basis of both individual users and groups of users, and as such be useful also for segmentation of users intro groups. We present results with data collected from real users over several months; in particular we demonstrate how the system can be used for studying flow characteristics - the amount of TCP and UDP flows, average flow lengths, and average flow durations. The paper is concluded with a discussion on what further statistics can be made, and the further development of the system. © 2013 Springer-Verlag.