bandwidth counter for mobile data connection

uri · 31 Jul 2018, 06:42

Hello,
I have a small bandwidth mobile phone contract so I need to control my usage of bandwith.
I use vnstat (https://humdi.net/vnstat/)
It is not sophisticated but it works.

Example of result:

phablet@ubuntu-phablet:~/Scripts$ ./consum.sh

                  rx      /      tx      /     total    /   estimated

ccmni0:
jul '18 2,08 MiB / 289 KiB / 2,36 MiB / 0 KiB
yesterday 0 KiB / 0 KiB / 0 KiB
today 0 KiB / 0 KiB / 0 KiB / --

I haven't found no ubuntu repo with vnstat compiled for our platform so I get it from debian.

Here I get the version of debian depending on my version of ubuntu:

https://askubuntu.com/questions/445487/what-debian-version-are-the-different-ubuntu-versions-based-on

So I'll download for version 15:
https://packages.debian.org/jessie/vnstat

And for version 16 (Sorry Haven't tried it, still on 15!!!) should be
https://packages.debian.org/stretch/vnstat

Next I need to check my arquitecture so I open a console on my phone and

dpkg --print-architecture
In my case the answer is
armf ( vegeta)
So I download the correct version

http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/pool/main/v/vnstat/vnstat_1.12-2_armhf.deb for ubuntu 15.

In order to dpkg a file the filesystem needs to be on read write mode.

mount /dev/loop0 / -o remount,rw

sudo dpkg <filename>

My root filesystem is on readOnly mode most of the time. Vnstat needs to keep info and It can't be on base filesystem.

I Edit the /etc/vnstat.conf and put the database dir inside the home.

DatabaseDir "/home/phablet/.vnstat"
and reboot the phone (I don't know if this is mandatory ).

create dir /home/phablet/.vnstat

First I need to tell vnstat to control the ccmni0 connection.

vnstat —create -i ccmni0

finally I have a script with this instructions:
sudo vnstat -u
sudo vnstat -i ccmni0 -d -s

The first one updates vnstat internal counters and the next one gives the already shown result.

PS: Feel free to move this post where it should be if it's not in the rigth place.
Feel free to correct, change or update anything.
Thanks to all active people that are making UBPORTS REAL.
Salut!

advocatux · 31 Jul 2018, 07:04

@uri hi, vnstat is compiled for xenial (armhf) already

See all the available archs for that package here https://packages.ubuntu.com/xenial/vnstat

uri · 31 Jul 2018, 08:32

The link you provide does not give any download url ( or I can't see it). This is the main reason I looked out of ubuntu repos.
But, of course, I can be wrong as usual...
Thanks

advocatux · 31 Jul 2018, 09:36

@uri as a general information, if you click on "download vnstat" in that page, you'll find the related info about that [0].

In short, you need to use any mirror [1] you want, and download the package you want directly or use apt with the proper sources.list.

It seems there's a problem in this specific case though, because in spite of the package being named (vnstat_1.14-1ubuntu2_armhf.deb) with its checksums and all, when you go to v.g. http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/universe/v/vnstat/ the armhf package is not there.

I don't know why, sorry.

[0] https://packages.ubuntu.com/xenial/armhf/vnstat/download
[1] https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+archivemirrors

uri · 2 Aug 2018, 10:53

I don't know why neither. But don't feel sorry.
I just looked for a way of getting what I wanted... Thanks for your replies and as I said before (as I'm not an expert nor even an amateur), Feel free to correct, change or update anything that could improve the main goal of the post.
Salut!

hummlbach · 3 Aug 2018, 00:11

Do we have an app for that? We should... Or better: this could be the first useful information for the lock screen stats... Instead of displaying the data for today, it should display the data for the current month in that case...

UKPhil · 3 Aug 2018, 03:49

This I think would be very useful as a section of the "Today" screen. I would love to be able to develop something like this along with a dual display clock that can show two countries time for the screen.

fisch02 · 8 May 2018, 18:23

The corresponding package can be found under: http://ports.ubuntu.com/pool/universe/v/vnstat/vnstat_1.14-1ubuntu2_armhf.deb

stefwe · 6 Aug 2018, 10:19

@hummlbach said in bandwidth counter for mobile data connection:

Do we have an app for that? We should... Or better: this could be the first useful information for the lock screen stats... Instead of displaying the data for today, it should display the data for the current month in that case...

an app can put this information inside the "circle", there is a api

uri · 8 Aug 2018, 13:30

@einstein212 I agree. It sounds really beautiful...

@fisch02 yes for version 16 of ubports. But where is vnstat for ubuntu 15?
Still a mistery.

1 more thing:
By the way that I'm working with vnstat, it resets it's counters on every 1st day of month. I don't know if its customizable or not.

I'm so sorry, I have no time nor knowledge to develop this, but here is the first brick of it.
Thank you all.

fisch02 · 8 Aug 2018, 14:25

@uri Package for vivid: http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/universe/v/vnstat/vnstat_1.12-2_armhf.deb

advocatux · 8 Aug 2018, 14:35

@fisch02 wow you found it!

There are a lot of vnstat packages for armhf in that directory. I think this is the latest http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/universe/v/vnstat/vnstat_1.14-1ubuntu2_armhf.deb

fisch02 · 8 Aug 2018, 14:48

@advocatux According to http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/yakkety/universe/binary-armhf/Packages.gz , vnstat_1.14-1ubuntu2 is for Yakkety Yak (aka. 16.10), while according to http://old-releases.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/vivid/universe/binary-armhf/Packages.gz the Package for Vervid Vivid (aka. 15.04) is vnstat_1.12-2.

advocatux · 8 Aug 2018, 14:53

@fisch02 interesting, because in https://packages.ubuntu.com/xenial/armhf/vnstat/download you can see vnstat_1.14-1ubuntu2_armhf.deb as the version for xenial

fisch02 · 8 Aug 2018, 15:04

@advocatux The old Package link, that I send on your Request is the one for the current stable UBports, which uses an outdated Ubuntu 15.04, while the first one is for the rc and devel UBports, which use the currently supported Ubuntu 16.04. This also the reason, why both Packagelinks have a different subdomain

advocatux · 8 Aug 2018, 15:08

@fisch02 ah, okay, sorry for the misunderstanding!

hummlbach · 8 Aug 2018, 19:07

@einstein212 mhmm... I don't know the api yet, but i guess i have to start the app at least to make the api calls that update the figures...(?) But why should actually start the app if I have the data in the circle indicator...

Ellypsis · 6 Sept 2018, 22:36

I was about to post a reply to this post, but I found this bug on GitHub : Mobile data usage monitoring #66
Just to let other know that's a work in progress

uri · 6 Jun 2019, 22:29

An update on vnstat on Nexus 5:
instead of ccmni0 the network interface is rmnet0.
The easiest way to get it is getting the list of ifconfig network interfaces and start guessing.
Salut!

matteo · 6 Aug 2019, 07:52

@uri even though this is an old revived thread, only to let you know I'm right now working to provide an app bringing such a capability. I'm facing right now some troubles but I'm along the way to solve all those and maybe soon I'll come out with a concept app. Only for your information, the approach in my app is to exploit the API QNetworkConfigurationManager.

Matteo