ifstat

Ifstat is a super handy tool for checking out network interface bandwidth. It works a lot like vmstat and iostat do for other system counters. You can use it to keep an eye on local interfaces by polling kernel counters or check out remote hosts' interfaces using SNMP. It's pretty versatile!

Supported Systems

So, what systems can you use ifstat with? Here’s the list:

• Linux: Version 2.2.0 and above (it reads from the /proc/net/dev file).


• FreeBSD: Version 2.2 and newer (utilizing the ifmib(4) interface).


• Solaris: Version 5.6 and up (via the kstat(3K) interface).


• IRIX and OpenBSD: Using the SIOCGIFDATA ioctl.


• NetBSD and Darwin: Through the route(4) sysctl interface.


• Other BSDs: Relying on the kvm(3) interface.


• Digital Unix (OSF/1), Tru64, and Aix: Utilizing the legacy kmem interface.


• HP-UX: Using DPLI streams interface.


• Win32: Natively or through Cygwin using GetIfTable call.

Gathering Statistics Remotely

If you have the net-snmp (or ucd-snmp) library handy, ifstat can collect stats from remote equipment—think hosts, routers, switches—and even your local host if there’s an SNMP daemon running. How cool is that?

Using ifstat as a Static Application

You can also run ifstat as a static application! Just pass --enable-library while configuring it, and you're all set.

What's New in This Release?

• - Support for Digital Unix (OSF/1) and Tru64 has been added!


• - AIX support is here too (tested on AIX v4.3).


• - HP-UX now works with DLPI streams interface thanks to sample code from Jean-Marc Saffroy.


• - Win32 support is included too! Whether you're using it natively or with Cygwin via GetIfTable interface, we've got you covered thanks to Alexandre Raclot's sample code.


• - If net-snmp-config is available, it will help find out your SNMP flags!

If you want to check out more details about downloading ifstat, just follow this link: Ifstat Download Page!