This document provides instructions for installing GeoIP plugins to improve location data in AWStats web analytics reports. It describes downloading and configuring free databases from MaxMind to match IP addresses to countries and cities. For Linux, it explains installing the GeoIP C library and Perl module. For Windows, it details using ActivePerl's ppm to install the Geo::IP module and update GeoLite databases. Overall accuracy of free databases is around 60-97% depending on the database, and commercial versions from MaxMind provide even better accuracy.

1. » GeoIP Information for AWStats: improve country and city location in... http://antezeta.com/awstats/geoip.html
Wed Sep 28 2011
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Overview → GeoIP Information for AWStats
GeoIP Information for AWStats
Improve country and city location
information in your web analytics reports
AWStats offers three different ways to provide Country level information about
visitors ("hosts") connecting to your site. By default, the host domain extension
is used if you have performed reverse DNS look-up. While this results in human
readable host names as well, reverse DNS lookup is time consuming.
Alternatively, GeoIP plugins can be used. They match the host IP with a
database of IP allocations which is already installed locally on your computer,
significantly reducing the time needed to match a host to a location. There are
two country level GeoIP databases available. A Geo::IPFree Perl module is
available, but it does not appear that the database is being maintained. The better
solution is MaxMind's Geo::IP GeoLite Country open source version, said to be
97% accurate. An even more accurate commercial version is also available.
Recently, MaxMind made a free version of its GeoLite City database available.
The free version <http://www.maxmind.com/app/geolitecity> is about 60%
accurate; the commercial version improves that to about 75%.
MaxMind's Autonomous System Numbers <http://en.wikipedia.org
/wiki/Autonomous_system_%28Internet%29> database works well for
organization identification, although the display of AS numbers in AWStats may
be incentive enough to license the commercial organization database.
The GeoIP installation can be a bit tedious. The instructions below, for Linux
<#geolin> and for MS Windows <#geowin> , should help you get up and
running. We conclude with some general observations <#geoobs> .
Last updated: 2008-12-18.
GeoIP installation for Linux
Download the current GeoLite Country, GeoLite City and
Organization (AS Numbers) databases
http://geolite.maxmind.com/download/geoip/database/GeoLiteCountry/GeoIP.dat
http://geolite.maxmind.com/download/geoip/database/GeoLiteCity.dat.gz
http://geolite.maxmind.com/download/geoip/database/asnum/GeoIPASNum.dat.gz
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2. » GeoIP Information for AWStats: improve country and city location in... http://antezeta.com/awstats/geoip.html
Create GeoIP data directory if it doesn't already exist
Move data files to directory and unzip.
Install the GeoIP program.
There are two options:
a. Install a C program and a Perl program
b. Install just a Perl program.
Option a) will provide the fastest performance.
The instructions for a) are known to work using Fedora Core 6 - FC6.
i. Install GeoIP C API http://www.maxmind.com/app/c
Download the GeoIP-*.tar.gz file, uncompress it and compile.
wget http://geolite.maxmind.com/download/geoip/api/c/GeoIP-1.4.5.tar.gz
2007-10-10: Thanks to James Rice who notified us of version 1.4.3. 2007-02-21: Thanks to Daniel
Wallace who notified us of version 1.4.2. 2007-01-13: Thanks to Daniel Wallace who notified us of
version 1.4.1. 2006-09-25: Thanks to Oleg Nerus who notified us of version 1.4.0. 2006-05-21:
Thanks to Florian Burka who notified us of the availability of version 1.3.17.
With a text editor, add the directory libGeoIP.so was installed in, i.e.
/usr/local/lib, to /etc/ld.so.conf, and execute ldconfig
ii. Install Geo::IP Perl Module
Download the Geo-IP-*.tar.gz file, uncompress it and compile.
wget http://geolite.maxmind.com/download/geoip/api/perl/Geo-IP-1.35.tar.gz
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tar -xvzf Geo-IP-1.35.tar.gz
cd Geo-IP-1.35
perl Makefile.PL LIBS='-L/usr/local/lib'
make
make test
sudo make install
Option b) (in lieu of option a!)
PurePerl Module (is slower, but does not require C library). Download latest
Geo-IP-PurePerl-*.tar.gz file, uncompress and compile. Replace the version below
with the current version.
wget http://www.maxmind.com/download/geoip/api/pureperl/Geo-IP-PurePerl-1.17.tar.gz
Update your awstats.mysite.conf configuration file
Look for the following geoip LoadPlugin options in your AWStats configuration
file. Update them with the full path to each of the two database files.
LoadPlugin="geoip GEOIP_STANDARD /usr/local/share/GeoIP/GeoIP.dat"
LoadPlugin="geoip_city_maxmind GEOIP_STANDARD /usr/local/share/GeoIP/GeoLiteCity.dat"
LoadPlugin="geoip_org_maxmind GEOIP_STANDARD /usr/local/share/GeoIP/GeoIPASNum.dat"
MS Windows
Install Geo::IP Perl Module
open a windows terminal window
For ActivePerl 6xx builds, use:
For 8xx builds, use:
ppm [Perl Module (pm) Management] is an ActiveState Perl Module
Management system. Follow the prompts to install the Perl modules. Optionally
install the GeoIP database. Your output should look like this:
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4. » GeoIP Information for AWStats: improve country and city location in... http://antezeta.com/awstats/geoip.html
C:>ppm install http://theoryx5.uwinnipeg.ca/ppms/Geo-IP.ppd
Files found in blibarch: installing files in bliblib into architecture depende
The database GeoIP.dat is needed to complete the installation,
and should be placed in the C:Program Files/GeoIP directory. I will
Fetching http://theoryx5.uwinnipeg.ca/ppms/scripts/GeoIP.dat ... done!
GeoIP.dat has been successfully installed to C:/Program Files/GeoIP
Successfully installed Geo-IP version 1.27 in ActivePerl 5.8.7.815.
Update the GeoIP GeoLite Country database. Add the
GeoIP GeoLite City and Organization (AS Numbers)
databases.
a. Download the current Country, City and Organization (AS Numbers) databases
http://geolite.maxmind.com/download/geoip/database/GeoLiteCountry/GeoIP.dat.gz
http://geolite.maxmind.com/download/geoip/database/GeoLiteCity.dat.gz
http://geolite.maxmind.com/download/geoip/database/asnum/GeoIPASNum.dat.gz
b. Unzip the files and place them in your GeoIP data directory, i.e. C:Program
FilesGeoIP
Update your awstats.mysite.conf configuration file
Look for the following geoip LoadPlugin options in your AWStats configuration
file. Update them with the full path to each of the two database files.
LoadPlugin="geoip GEOIP_STANDARD C:Program FilesGeoIPGeoIP.dat"
LoadPlugin="geoip_city_maxmind GEOIP_STANDARD C:Program FilesGeoIPGeoLiteCity.dat"
LoadPlugin="geoip_org_maxmind GEOIP_STANDARD C:Program FilesGeoIPGeoIPASNum.dat"
Various people have reported problems using the
geoip_org_maxmind plugin with the PurePerl GeoIP
module and MS Windows. This appears to have been
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5. » GeoIP Information for AWStats: improve country and city location in... http://antezeta.com/awstats/geoip.html
addressed in the AWStats 6.6 release
<http://awstats.sourceforge.net/files/awstats-6.6.tar.gz> .
Alternatively, you could compile the GeoIP C library (dll).
See the note below on this topic. (Added 2006-05-12)
Windows Notes
General Observations
The following tips are valid for all environments.
We suggest you create and schedule a script to download and update the
database files monthly.
For even better accuracy, approximately 75% vs. 60% for GeoLiteCity,
consider licensing MaxMind's commercial version.
The GeoIP plugins will slow AWStats statistics file generation if your AWStats
server is connected to the Internet, at least if reverse DNS Lookup has already
been performed on the host IPs. This is probably a bug, either in the GeoIP Perl
module or in AWStats. If your server is not connected to the internet, resolved
addresses will display Unknown (or the local language translation of Unknown)
for GeoIP data.
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contact.html> .
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Additional AWStats Resources
We have other AWStats resources in this site, including ExtraSection
</awstats.html#extrasection> s and Robots updates </awstats/robots.html> .
See our AWStats resource </awstats/> overview for a full listing.
Contents
GeoIP Information for AWStats
GeoIP installation for Linux
Download the current GeoLite Country, GeoLite City and Organization (AS
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6. » GeoIP Information for AWStats: improve country and city location in... http://antezeta.com/awstats/geoip.html
Numbers) databases
Install the GeoIP program.
Update your awstats.mysite.conf configuration file
MS Windows
Install Geo::IP Perl Module
Update the GeoIP GeoLite Country database. Add the GeoIP GeoLite City
and Organization (AS Numbers) databases.
Update your awstats.mysite.conf configuration file
Windows Notes
General Observations
Call for translations
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