[ILUG-BOM] Checking MTNL broadband usage using ifconfig or logs

Dear List,

I am using the MTNL Triband broadband service with Debian Sarge. I connect to the modem using DHCP, and get on and off by using

/etc/init.d/networking (start|stop)

Now, I am looking for an unobtrusive way of measuring how many bytes I use up every session, especially as I find the MTNL account check very unreliable. I heard that the TX bytes and RX bytes are the correct indicators in the output of /sbin/ifconfig eth0. I wanted to know whether noting these down is a measure of how much I have used in that session. Also, I wanted to know whether these details are logged elsewhere on my PC, in some file, so that I can extract the details from that file.

(It can be assumed that I connect to the internet only from Sarge).

Thank you.

Aparna