AWStats from a different server

[ProductivePC]

:wavey:

Currently we have a website hosted on an NT server which does not support CGI or Perl Scripts. Changing servers is not an option. (Unfortunately) :bawling: Is there a way to set up AWStats on a server that does support Perl and has a Cgi-Bin and have it give us the stats for that other website that does not?

In other words the server that www.WorldFamousGiftBaskets.net (WFGB) is on does not support it but we want to read the stats from its log files with AWStats. Can I set up AWStats on a different domain www.SpectacularStuff.com & different server and still read WFGB's stats from it? :confused:

Thanks for any help

Wayne

[Gnomercy]

Why is changing servers not an option?

I really don't know any way of making AWStats on one domain process the logs for another domain, much less another domain on a different server.

[ProductivePC]

Why is changing servers not an option?

I really don't know any way of making AWStats on one domain process the logs for another domain, much less another domain on a different server.


It is a long ordeal that I do not want to get into here... just know that we cannot change servers.....

I know that other stat programs such as Deep Metrix are able to look at the logs from their servers..... (Deep metrix basic version has nothing on AWStats)

As well as I can process other stuff from other servers such as form processing and cross serve feedback from one to the other. I just didn't know if there was a configuration script that I could change from within AWStats to allow the configuration to point one server from another.

Wayne

[admin]

While I can't tell you anything from your host that you have that site on, it is possible to manually set up awstats on any box. The issue you will have will be to get the logs moved from one server to another on a regular basis.

FYI, our Windows boxes do support Perl and CGI as well as have Urchin stats installed which, in my opinion, far exceed what awstats offers.

[ProductivePC]

If I could change servers for these people I would in a split second but I cannot. I do not have control over that. I have brought it up MANY times :argue:.
This company that is hosting it uses the basic version of Deep Metrix:chainsaw: which is horrible :bomb: and they do not allow anything else to be installed on their servers hence my problem.

I tried the free trial of Urchin. I didn't find it to my liking but this was a year or two ago. Have they made better improvements?

Well, relying on these people to send over those logs on a regular basis is not an option either because I already know they will not. I am hoping to set it up and point it to where the logs are located and having it read server to server. It should only be a matter of pointing it in the right direction. After all we are only talking IPs and Domains? Has anyone ever heard of anything like this before or I am shooting into the dark? :confused:

[admin]

Are the log files in a location that is accessible via ftp? I believe urchin can do a ftp for the log files and can some other "local" versions. If it is accessible via ftp, http or rsync, you could setup a cron job to download the log on a daily basis, then have awstats act on the "now local" log file.

[ProductivePC]

No they are not. No FTP access. This hosting company is an extreme pain in the (_|_). They are supposed to be unhackable, yada yada yada. I do not have FTP access, I cannot depend on them to send me the log files because as much as they say it will happen I know that it will not.

The best scenario that I can think of is to get the location of the logs on their server and then point a webstat program to those log files.

I am unfamiliar with rsync however; http access may work when I have the location of the log files. I might (slim to none chance) be able to get them to grant me FTP access to just the log files and then that would solve a lot of problems. I will ask them about FTP access to just the log files. It will be a few days to a week before they get back to me. (what a great service, :angry: ) Where is the smiley with his mouth open and the words aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh coming out? lol

Can you post a link to your hosting costs and services? Thanks.

[admin]

Unfortunately without ftp or http access to the log files, I would seriously doubt if you will be able to get a remote installation of awstats to work. Awstats will depend upon the log files being "directly accessible". This means that the files will need to be on a local drive or mount. My hope was that if they were available via ftp or http, you could setup some scheduled "job" to download them where awstats is. Just knowing where the files are on the server isn't much help as there has to be some protocol with access to those files and hopefully some authentication method to secure them.

Information about our plans can be found at http://www.alphaomegahosting.com

[ProductivePC]

Okay, well that is what I will set up. I will tell them that I need FTP access to the log files only. I believe that I can swing that but this company is real funny about any type logging in or out of their servers......

As I understand it then if I put this into steps here is what I would be doing... Is this correct?

1. Convince this company to give me FTP access to the log files only.

2. Set up a regular transfer from one server to another for the log files.
How would I set this up? Is this limited to daily transfers or can it be hourly, semi-hourly? I am guessing the data trandfer rate would add up pretty quick doing this semi-hourly. I am not even sure where to start on this one. What program do I need to set this up? Will the hosting company need to set up the transfers or can I do this from one to another as long as I have ftp access?

3. Install AWStats on the other server.
Now again, we do not host that one however the hosting company is much more flexible. I am guessing that they would have to approve the installation of AWStats onto their server or is it a perl file that I drop into the CGI-Bin and wa-la?

4. Point AWStats to the local log files on that server

5. Review AWStats on that server.

Am I missing anything?

Wayne

BTW - Thank you for all of your time, patience and help with this matter.

[admin]

#2 will need to be setup on a cron job. The only complication you might have here is IIS seems to like to set up a log file for every day. This isn't necessary going to cause it not to work...but may make it more difficult.

[ProductivePC]

Aren't Cron Jobs only available for unix & unix clone servers? The hosting this website is on is an NT server.

WFGB is running on NT however the website where would like to set up AWStats is on a unix clone.

1. Will this cause a problem? I wouldn't think so because a log file is a log file is a log file and AWStats can read them all so I don't foresee there being a problem.

2. I take it the cron job can be set up from the unix clone in order to ftp over and grab the log file from the NT server and place it in a directory on the Unix Clone where AWStats can read it from.

Okay, so I will

a) Check with the company about the FTP
b) Check with the other hosting company to find out whether or not they support cron jobs. They should. They are pretty nice :cool:

Wayne