thinking about making a network traffic monitor

**jimjamjahaa** · 10-12-2005

i am thinking about making a network traffic monitor for windows for my A2 computing project, with broadband isp transfer limit's etc. being the main use. Could anyone shed some light on how difficult it would be to create such a thing? Is it a feasable project for 1 computing student?

I was thinking of making a dll in c++ that handles the actual traffic monitoring, and then doing the front end in visual basic. Is this an appropriate way of doing this? i am quite new to c++. Any help/ advice anyone can give would be appriciated.

well i just noticed suse 10.0 has been released, so i might do it in linux

.... what one would you think it would be easier to develop it in?

**cboard_member** · 10-12-2005

Hey you're taking A2 Computing too? Which College?
We have to use Pascal and don't get the choice to do anything that inventive (basically we have to write a customer / sales system for a video / music store).

**jimjamjahaa** · 10-12-2005

we are taught in visual basic and we are supposed to have free choice in what project we do, but pretty much everyone does a boring old database customer order type thing. im in richard huish college (taunton, somerset)

**Jaqui** · 10-12-2005

this might be a good answer. etherman is a network traffic monitor for *x.

gives you the option of porting it to windows or using as a guide to writing your own for windows.

**jimjamjahaa** · 10-12-2005

sounds good, but the link is broken (maybe its just because im using college computers, but it says it cant even find the site)

**DougDbug** · 10-12-2005

...but pretty much everyone does a boring old database customer order type thing.

I like the way you think, jimjamjahaa!

However, one caution - Depending on how much you already know about network programming, you could easily spend five times as much time researching & learning, as programming. While your classmates are busy banging-out code and debugging, you might still be studying network protocols & stuff.

This might be a good project for someone with a light course load, or a good project if you could get a jump-start before the semester starts.

And, check with your Professor too... Your program may end-up with less code than your classmates', and it might look as if you've done less work even though you've done (and learned) much more!

What is A2 computing? 2nd semester programming??? What does it cover?

**jimjamjahaa** · 10-12-2005

yeah i have done that before, spending so long learning how to make a program and ending up with something that isnt actually very good. thats why i thought it would be a good idea to do some research in to how much i would have to do before i comit to anything.

A2 is the second year of an "A-level" course. im not sure if america has an equivilent, but it is between highschool and university

**Orrill** · 10-12-2005

From my own passed experiences I'd advice on only writing programs that do everything the syllabus expects you to do and nothing more, you only end up putting more time in than you actually need to and when it's graded the extra work is usually overlooked anyway.

Do the creative stuff in your own leisure time.

**jimjamjahaa** · 10-13-2005

that is probably some good advice. ill go away and think up a less abbitious project

thx guys

**Jaqui** · 10-13-2005

ahh, etherman has died.
instead ethereal is being used, cloned graphic version of it.

http://sourceforge.net/projects/ethereal

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I like the way you think!

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