Surfnet logo

A Multi-Touch Collaborative Server Log Browser

This is a completed project.

Internet servers provide all kinds services across the Internet, but by inviting access, they also allow abuse and attacks of various kinds, many of which can go unnoticed. All servers can produce logs which allow inspection and potential detection, but system administrators seldom look at these logs except after attacks when they can aid forensic study. This project was to create a multi-touch collaborative log browser to encourage anticipatory exploration of logs, and well as to aid forensic study. In particular, the design could provide epistemtic actions that encourage exploration and ground both situation awareness and reflective communication between system administrators.

This project was done using table surfaces created by our group, and software developed using the Python PyMT framework.