Ashesi Network Traffic Analysis

ABSTRACT The web has evolved from an information exchange system to a data mining, knowledge creation or Knowledge dissemination platform where the internet is viewed as a critical and vital component of success by students, lecturers and researchers in higher institutions particularly within universities and colleges. There is thus pressure on network directors managing network services within these institutions to provide regular and correct utilization of the available bandwidth. Network directors are being pressured to ensure that there is sufficient bandwidth available for every network user and also ensure the bandwidth is used productively. With the expansion of digitally made contents and Internet computing demands in the last couple of years, network users often complain of insufficient bandwidth available to completely satisfy their wants. In an attempt to attend to users complains, network directors ought to determine the main objective or purpose of the offered bandwidth and identify unproductive applications eating the bandwidth. In this paper, an attempt is made to investigate network traffic on the Ashesi University network system and to prioritize applications on the network based on user needs and based on what the bandwidth is purchased for. A policy framework is additionally outlined for best utilization and management of the university`s network system. The findings of the study indicate that there is the need to prioritize applications on the network because it was made clear that users access certain types of applications during school hours and some other type of applications after school hours. There is also the need to install certain servers locally in alternative to scaling back the traffic caused during peak days and also during peak hours of the Ashesi network system.