Project opinions please

[CT]

Hi folks,


I've been thinking lately of creating a python program that does a
number of automated tasks. Currently, I have to do all these manually.

1) Anyalize common logs for irregularties (errors, hack attempts,
etc...)

2) Check  programs on the server that access the network and generate
a log of their activity

3) Monitor ports to see what kind activity is occuring (hack attempts,
probes, etc...)

The user could tell the program what to look for, where to look, and
to how often to look.


I would like the agent/daemon to all the above on a user-defined
scheduled basis, and then email the results to the user.


Now, I realize this has been done before, but I want to do this myself
to help me learn some aspects of the python language and also because
I think it would be fun.

What I need, is some advice on how to approach this project, what type
of issues will I need to consider, where should I start(#1 question
acutally) and what other things I will need to learn...

Thanks for reading,
CT