There is often a necessity to attach a certain action to “one button”. This function is very successful among various smart home systems, Wi-Fi sockets and other cloud IoT gadgets. But the cloud is not always convenient and acceptable. For example, you do not want to expand the perimeter of the network or simply do not trust the clouds of manufacturers of such equipment. In this case, the scheme for sending the command directly to the device is suitable, but it is often not very convenient, especially for the devices whose main application cases differ from current needs, for example, our monitoring devices and IPPDU. Let`s analyze in two brief examples how you can implement a relay switching or other actions with one or two “buttons” from a mobile phone via HTTP API and SMS commands.

«... A template is a set of objects that can be applied to several network nodes.

Objects may be as follows:

• data elements;
• triggers;
• graphs;
• groups of data elements;
• complex screens (starting from Zabbix 2.0);
• rules of a low-level detection (starting with Zabbix 2.0);
• web scenarios (starting from Zabbix 2.2)

As soon as many network nodes are similar or alike in a real-life, the sets of objects (data elements, triggers, and graphs...), created by you for a certain network node, can be useful for many nodes. Certainly, you can copy them for each new network node, but this would require a lot of manual work. Instead, you can use templates and copy these objects into one template and then apply it to any number of required network nodes.

Icinga is a monitoring system with the open source code. It was originally created as a branch of the Nagios monitoring system and resembles it very much. In this article, we will examine the example of configuring Icinga for working with the server room microclimate monitoring device UniPing server solution v4/SMS and install add-ons for building graphs and a map.

To implement a regarded solution, we will need:

1. A server with the installed Debian 9 (in the article, the IP address is 192.168.0.45);
2. UniPing server solution v4/SMS (in the article, the IP address is 192.168.0.100);
3. 1-Wire temperature sensor;
4. 1-Wire humidity sensor;
5. Door sensor;
6. Liquid sensor;
7. Airflow sensor;
8. Supply voltage sensor

Microclimate monitoring of a server room, conditioner rotation system and other beautiful words set neither us nor you from maintaining a basic order in a server room. There is a chance to be a perfectionist and put each cable close to another one, or it is possible to scatter totally unnecessary stuff all over the server room and forget what labeling is and let it be. In this article, it will be discussed what a server room should never look like. Here, you will not see any horror pictures in a server room, when braided wires come down from the walls and wrap crooked racks with an ugly net. The article will discuss a pretty regular server room in a pretty usual company.

When choosing a monitoring system for the IT infrastructure of a business, there is a need to take into consideration a range of factors. First, there is a need to evaluate if the functionality of a monitoring system matches your technical and business requirements. Then, there is a need to examine peculiarities of deployment and support to choose a tool that corresponds to your infrastructure and a competence level of IT specialists.

In this article, we will examine peculiarities, differences, and similarities of two popular monitoring systems Zabbix vs Nagios.

On this page, you will find the standards recommended by ASHRAE for monitoring the environment in your data center or server room. The settings below apply to A1-A4 class data centers and server rooms. Environmental standards are provided for rack-level monitoring, ambient monitoring and water leak detection.

Nagios is one of the service monitoring systems that is provided on the software market. One of the biggest advantages of this system is its flexibility. In this article, a basic Nagios configuration will be regarded for working with devices for server room monitoring NetPing on the example of UniPing server solution v3 and a set of sensors.

To implement a regarded solution, we will need:

• A server with Ubuntu 18.04 operating system, or a similar one (IP address 192.168.0.150);
• Working installation of Nagios Core 4.4.1 (hereinafter Nagios) on a server (installing and configuring will be described in the article);
• UniPing server solution v3 - 1 pc. (IP address 192.168.0.100);
• 1-wire temperature sensor - 1 pc.;
• 1-wire humidity sensor - 1 pc.;
• door sensor - 1 pc.;
• supply voltage sensor - 1 pc.;
• liquid sensor - 1 pc.;
• airflow sensor - 1 pc.

In this article, the example of the simplest configuration of a Nagios IT infrastructure monitoring is shown that is necessary for working with NetPing devices for server room monitoring, on the example of UniPing v3. The largest advantage of this monitoring system is its flexibility (simplicity of writing user plugins for monitoring of virtually anything that can belong to a system engineer's job), and its disadvantage is a relative complexity of its configuration (configuration is performed through editing a configurational file).

To configure temperature monitoring in a server room using Nagios and UniPing v3, you will need:

• a monitoring server running under Ubuntu 9.04 Server, with an IP address 192.168.2.230;
• a device for environment monitoring of server rooms UniPing v3, with an IP address 192.168.2.10, and SNMP-Community «SWITCH», access to which is allowed at least from a monitoring server.

It is difficult to imagine a modern world without accurate timing. In many spheres of life, there is a need to have a very accurate clock, and often the accuracy must be significantly higher than the one of clocks used by people in everyday life. For example, requirements for the clock accuracy in flight control systems, spacecraft control systems, or military systems are the highest. Also, clocks of high accuracy are necessary for systems with simpler functions, such as billing systems and charging systems of cell phone operators and Internet providers, as well as the systems of bank transactions, in trading systems, manufacturing, and scientific complexes. In local networks, user authentication protocol Kerberos also utilizes comparing the clock of a controller domain with the clock of users' workstations. In computer networks, a synchronization is usually performed with time servers using an NTP protocol or its simplified variety called SNTP. In this article, we will examine peculiarities, differences, and examples of using these protocols.

In this article, we will examine the configuring of a Monit monitoring system for the operation with NetPing devices for monitoring server rooms. Monit is a light system for server monitoring that is installed in a server and provides a possibility to send notifications if the issues are discovered. Besides, Monit can autonomously execute the action determined by you as a reaction to specified events. It is an independent daemon that works from the user root. The simplicity of the system is its main advantage. In a minimal configuration, having the executable and the configuration file is enough. A functionality of the system can be extended by using scripts.

To implement the operation of the example of server room monitoring on the basis of Monit and NetPing server room environmental monitoring units, we will need:

• a server with a preinstalled monitoring system Monit;
• a server room monitoring device UniPing server solution v4/SMS - 1 pc.;
• 1-Wire temperature sensor - 1 pc.;
• 1-Wire humidity sensor - 1 pc.;
• door sensor - 1 pc.;
• supply voltage sensor - 1 pc.;
• leakage sensor - 1 pc.;
• airflow sensor - 1 pc.

We continue publishing a series of articles on implementing the integration of NetPing server room environmental monitoring solutions and power distribution units with «Telegram» messenger. Earlier in our blog, we have specifically examined the process of a bot creation for «Telegram» messenger, controlling IP PDU NetPing sockets using Telegram and controlling an air conditioner in a server room using Telegram. In this article, we will regard a process of a bot configuration for controlling discrete input-output lines of a NetPing IO v2 server room monitoring unit. A similar integration can be practically used when:

• Service staff can send a command to open and close a barrier using «Telegram» messenger. In this case, the use of a bot allows to refuse using a regular mechanic fixed button in favor of a variant of a remote control using a mobile phone and/or a tablet. A barrier is connected to BM8070D power relay 16A/250V for DIN rack, that is in turn connected to an IO line of a NetPing IO v2 server room monitoring unit;
• Technical staff can control load using «Telegram» messenger, including a server, a switch, a router, light, ventilation, etc. that is connected to a controlled socket NetPing AC/DIN, regardless a geographical location;
• Technical stuff can open or close electric lock on the entrance door to a server room using «Telegram» messenger, which also provides additional protection from unauthorized access of the third parties on the object.

«Telegram» is a cross platform messenger that allows to exchange messages and media files of many formats. Besides a standard message exchange in dialogues and groups, it is possible to store the unlimited amount of files, to channel (to microblog), create and use bots in a messenger. Bots are third-party utilities that are launched inside the application «Telegram». In fact, these are accounts controlled by software, not people. It is possible to use programmed buttons of a virtual keyboard for work, using which a bot is turned into a mini-application with intuitively clear interface. Using a bot allows receiving actual information from sensors connected to NetPing server room environmental monitoring units and power distribution units for monitoring and remote control of a power supply in any time and any location.  

In this article, we will examine the process of configuration of receiving notifications from sensors in Telegram.

«... A template is a set of objects that may be applied to several nodes of the network.

These objects may be:

• data elements;
• triggers;
• graphs;
• groups of data elements;
• complex screens (starting from Zabbix 2.0);
• low-level detection rules (starting from Zabbix 2.0);
• web scenarios (starting from Zabbix 2.2)

As soon as many nodes are identical in a real life or more or less similar, the sets of objects (data elements, triggers, graphs,…), created by you for a network node, may be useful for many nodes. Certainly, you may copy them to each new network node, but it would require many manual work. Instead, you may copy these objects to one template by using templates and then apply this template to any number of required network nodes.

To start with, let me tell you a few words about what is MikroTik. It is a Latvian manufacturer of network equipment that is distinguished by affordable price and vast functionality. Router OS is a basis for MikroTik products – it is a network operating system based on Linux. This OS also exists as an x86-distributive, so that any individual who wants to assemble a powerful router on the basis of a regular PC for an affordable price can do that. The same OS in a variety of versions is installed to RouterBOARD that is a line of hardware solutions of MikroTik that includes both operator's equipment and SOHO solutions.

MikroTik routers may be equipped with backup WAN channels that can be a GSM modem in addition to the wired Internet network. In this case, there is a possibility to launch scripts on MikroTik via SMS. This feature enables controlling NetPing devices that do not have a built-in GSM modem. Also, this feature may be urgent when a web interface of NetPing devices is unavailable via a common Ethernet network, or if a modem of a NetPing device got frozen.

In the latest firmware versions, the functionality of saving and restoring a device configuration from a binary file was implemented for NetPing devices with the aim to simplify configuration cloning for a group of devices in the network. On default, this functionality is available on the page «SETUP» of a device web interface.

«... SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol ) – is a standard Internet protocol for managing devices in IP networks on the basis of TCP/UDP architectures. Devices that support SNMP are routers, switches, servers, workstations, printers, modem racks and others. A protocol is usually used in network management systems for controlling devices, which are connected to the network for conditions that warrant an administrator's attention. SNMP is determined by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) as a TCP/IP component. It consists of a set of standards for network management, including an application layer protocol, a database schema and a set of data objects (the article «SNMP» from Wikipedia) …»

Besides local notifications, which were represented in the article «Integrating NetPing into the Monitoring System The Dude by Microtik», The Dude can perform almost any actions upon events through external applications. Let us show this on the example of configuring e-mail notifications.

The Dude – is a powerful and flexible network monitoring system (NMS), which supports different types of testing availability of services and can request devices via SNMP protocol. There is a possibility to send notifications on events via e-mail, Syslog, as well as configure SMS notification. Unlike a majority of other monitoring systems, The Dude is totally not demanding to hardware resources, simply installed, has an intuitive interface and can be installed at almost any OS.

Let us examine an example of integrating a monitoring system The Dude with a device UniPing server solution v4/SMS.

Observium is a monitoring and surveillance system for network devices and servers (NMS) just as Zabbix, Nagios, PRTG Network Monitor and others. At the same time, the list of supported devices is huge and is not limited to network devices only. An important requirement is that a device must support an operation of an SNMP protocol.

A main aim of the Observium project is to create a monitoring system with the simplest management and surveillance of devices, the same it remains today. The system is distributed in two ways: Community Edition (CE is free) and Subscription (and a paid subscription). The last one has agents for active notifications on events. Details can be found at the official website of the project: http://www.observium.org/.

Let us consider the example of integrating Observium CE with the device UniPing server solution v4/SMS.