I use vnstat to keep track of my data transfer usage. I recently started to use a usb 3G dongle (which ubuntu likes to call "eth1"), and vnstat refuses to play with it.

Code:
t0p@mars:~$ vnstat -d -i eth1
Error: Unable to read database "/var/lib/vnstat/eth1".
I thought maybe the /var/lib/vnstat/eth1 directory is missing because I started using the dongle after installing vnstat. So I went through this palaver:

Code:
t0p@mars:~$ sudo mkdir /var/lib/vnstat/eth1
t0p@mars:~$ vnstat -d -i eth1
Error: Unable to open backup database "/var/lib/vnstat/.eth1".
t0p@mars:~$ sudo mkdir /var/lib/vnstat/.eth1
t0p@mars:~$ vnstat -d -i eth1
Error: Database load failed even when using backup. Aborting.
Anyone know where I'm going wrong? Cheers.