Network Spike Monitoring System

A Python-based network monitoring tool that tracks network usage, detects high traffic conditions, and alerts administrators via email and database logging.

Features

Real-time Network Monitoring

Continuously monitors sent and received network data rates

Anomaly Detection

• High usage alerts when traffic exceeds a configurable threshold
• Traffic spike detection based on historical average comparison

Multiple Alert Channels:

• Database logging (MySQL)
• Email notifications with rate limiting
• Console output and log file

Requirements

• Python 3.6+
• psutil
• mysql-connector-python

pip install psutil mysql-connector-python

System Requirements

• MySQL database server (Create a MySQL database named 001_network_monitor)
• SMTP email server access (Gmail supported by default)

Database Configuration

Update the DB_CONFIG dictionary with your database credentials:

DB_CONFIG = {

  'host': 'your_database_host',

  'database': '001_network_monitor',

  'user': 'your_username',

  'password': 'your_password'

}

Email Configuration

Update the EMAIL_CONFIG dictionary with your SMTP settings:

python

EMAIL_CONFIG = {

  'smtp_server': 'your_smtp_server',

  'smtp_port': 587,

  'sender_email': 'your_email@gmail.com',

  'sender_password': 'your_app_password', # Use app password for Gmail

  'receiver_email': ['recipient1@example.com', 'recipient2@example.com']

}

Monitoring Parameters

Adjust these constants as needed:

• DATA_RATE_THRESHOLD: High usage threshold (default: 10 KB/s)
• SPIKE_MULTIPLIER: Spike detection multiplier (default: 2.0x average)
• HISTORY_SIZE: Number of historical data points for average calculation
• CHECK_INTERVAL: Monitoring frequency in seconds

The system creates two tables automatically

network_usage Table

• id: Auto-increment primary key
• timestamp: Date and time of measurement
• sent_rate: Data sent rate (bytes/s)
• recv_rate: Data received rate (bytes/s)
• total_rate: Total data rate (bytes/s)
• is_high_usage: Boolean flag for high usage
• is_spike: Boolean flag for traffic spikes

alerts Table

• id: Auto-increment primary key
• timestamp: Date and time of alert
• alert_type: Type of alert (HIGH_USAGE or SPIKE)
• message: Detailed alert message
• sent_rate, recv_rate, total_rate: Network rates at alert time

Usage

• Start Monitoring: Execute the script to begin monitoring
• Real-time Output: View current network rates and alerts in console
• Log Files: Check network_monitor.log for detailed logs
• Database Records: All measurements and alerts are stored in MySQL
• Email Alerts: Receive notifications for high usage and spike events

Alert Types

• High Usage Alert
• Triggered when total network rate exceeds DATA_RATE_THRESHOLD
• Traffic Spike Alert
• Triggered when current network rate exceeds the historical average by SPIKE_MULTIPLIER
• Rate Limiting

Email alerts include rate limiting to prevent notification spam:

Same alert types are limited to one email every 10 minutes

All alerts are still logged to database and console

Stopping the Monitor

Press Ctrl+C to gracefully stop the monitoring process. The system will log the shutdown event.

Troubleshooting

• Database Connection Issues: Verify MySQL is running and credentials are correct
• Email Delivery Problems: Check SMTP settings and authentication
• Permission Errors: Ensure script has necessary permissions for network monitoring
• High CPU Usage: Adjust CHECK_INTERVAL if monitoring is too frequent

Logging

All events are logged to network_monitor.log with timestamps, including:

• Measurement data
• Alert triggers
• System errors
• Database operations
• Email notifications

Customization

Modify the constants and configuration sections to adapt to your specific needs

• Adjust thresholds for your network environment
• Add additional alert types
• Extend database schema for more metrics
• Integrate with other notification systems