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Yes, NetTracker can analyze log files that are clustered for a single site or for multiple sites. The log files can be from load-balanced servers or from servers that each deliver different content. It is even possible to analyze Web servers clustered for multiple sites when each site in the cluster also has multiple load-balanced servers.

However, if you want to analyze clustered log files, the servers must all rotate log files at the same time and the log files must use the same naming scheme. This means that all the log files for any given day will have the same exact name.

For example, suppose you have three load-balanced servers and you rotate the log files daily at midnight. If, for January 1, 2004, the log file for each server is named 20040101.log, NetTracker can analyze the log files. If the log files are named Server1.20040101.log, Server2.20040101.log, and Server3.20040101.log, NetTracker will not be able to analyze the log files correctly. (You may find it helpful to store the log files for each server in a separate directory with the same name as the server.)

To specify that you are using clustered log files

1. View the profile in which you want to specify that you are using clustered log files.
2. Click the Options tab.
3. In the left-hand panel, click Log Files under Main.

4. In the Log files are list, select the configuration that matches the log files that you want to analyze. In Web server profiles, there are two possible configurations for clustered log files. (In proxy, FTP, and streaming media server profiles, there is only one clustered configuration.)

   • Clustered for a single site--Multiple servers, all of which are serving the same content. Hits to the servers are load balanced among the different servers so that a request to the site can go to any one of the servers. For example, if a user requested your home page, any one of the servers could serve the page.
   • Clustered for multiple sites--Multiple servers which are a part of the same domain. Each site serves different content. For example, in the yoursite.com domain, the server home.yoursite.com serves the home page and general content, and the server catalog.yoursite.com serves the catalog pages. (Within each site in the cluster, you can also have multiple load-balanced servers. For example, the catalog pages could be served by any of three servers clustered as catalog.yoursite.com.)
     Note: The servers should usually be part of the same domain. If you need to cluster servers from different domains, contact Sane Solutions technical support.
5. Click Save Options and then click Continue.
6. Click Server 1 and then click Edit.
7. Enter a unique name and a URL for the server.
   If the servers are clustered for multiple sites, you must enter a different URL for each site. In the example earlier, you would use http://home.yoursite.com for the first server and http://catalog.yoursite.com for the second. (Load-balanced servers within a site should all use the same URL. For example, all three servers clustered as catalog.yoursite.com would use http://catalog.yoursite.com.)
   Note: If you are analyzing log files from servers that are clustered for multiple sites, the URL you enter here will override the URL in the URL of the site being analyzed box in the General options.
8. Click Save Options and then click Continue.
   You must create a server entry for each server in the cluster.
9. Add each additional server by clicking Add.
   When you are through adding all of the servers, you need to specify the location of each of the servers' log files.
10. To specify the location of a server's log files, click the server, and click Add/Edit Log Files.
11. Click Add.

12. In the Location of log file(s) list, select an option.

    • If your logs are located on the computer that is running NetTracker or are available on the local network, select Local/network file system.
    • If your logs are available via FTP and you want NetTracker to retrieve them for you, select FTP server.
13. In the Format of log file(s) list, select the format of the log file. Select Auto Detect to have NetTracker determine your log format automatically. If your log files are in a nonstandard format, you will need to first manually specify the log file format.
    Note: The clustered servers do not need to all use the same log file format.
    Note: NetTracker can process log files that have been compressed using gzip.

14. Specify the path and filename of the log file.

    • If you selected Local/network file system, enter the log file path and filename in the Full path to log file(s) box. You may use wildcards. You may also click Browse to find the file. (The Browse button will not appear if it has been disabled in the administrative options.)
    • If you selected FTP server, click Browse and enter the following information about the FTP server from which you will be downloading log files. (The Browse button will not appear if it has been disabled in the administrative options.)
      
      1. Host name: The name of the server (yourdomain.com, not ftp://yourdomain.com).
      2. User name: Your user name for the FTP server. If you access the server anonymously, leave this blank.
      3. Password: Your password for the FTP server. If you access the server anonymously, leave this blank.
      4. Password (again): The same password you entered above.
      5. Initial path: The directory in which the log file can be found on the server. In some cases on a UNIX-based FTP server, this should be the complete system path to that directory. If you are accessing a Windows-based FTP server, usually the path is relative to the FTP root directory.

      When you have entered the information about the FTP server, click Browse and select the log file.

15. Click Add and then click Continue.
16. Repeat step 11 through step 15 until you have specified all of the log files for this server.
17. When you have finished adding log files for one server, click Back to Servers and repeat step 10 through step 16 for the remaining servers.