NetPing devices have built-in IO lines (input-output lines). They can be used both in the «input» mode, and the «output» mode or a «logic output» for controlling external devices. Examples of using IO lines in the mode «output»/«logic output» are as follows:

• remote rebooting of servers, which is an imitation of pushing a «Reset» button;
• remote controlling of an alarm, lighting, a ventilator;
• controlling electric lock, and electric gate at a remote site;
• controlling the elements of a «smart home»: watering plants, opening / closing blinds, water pump, boiler, electric heaters, etc.;
• remote controlling of an energy device (diesel generator, gasoline generator)

NetPing company announces the issue of the updated firmware version DKSF 48.4.7 for the device NetPing 8/PWR-220 v4/SMS. This firmware version contains fixes of errors and a small implementation of the new functionality.

What has been changed in the latest version?

One of the most important issues of a physical security of a server equipment as well as a security of the entire IT-infrastructure is tracking and controlling access to server rooms. A tracking system must notify system administrators and technical specialists about any access to a server room or protected object 24 hours a day 7 days a week with a possibility to browse a history of events in any moment of time. Such way of informing allows system administrators to control an access to the object without using expensive access control systems, which contain different types of electronic locks, components of employee identification via electronic maps, coded key locks and other security elements.

In this article, an example of organising the system of tracking access to server room on the basis of NetPing device and a monitoring system PRTG Network Monitor will be examined. The essence of the system is in monitoring a door opening/closing sensor, which is connected to a NetPing device by means of the PRTG monitoring system, as well as building a graph of opening a door within different time intervals.

To control and monitor a corporate IT environment, it is possible to use the product from the Microsoft company named System Center Operations Manager (SCOM), which is included in the integrated management platform System Center. This product allows combining the information about the operability from different components of IT infrastructure, providing its generalized representation in one console. SCOM allows tracking services, devices and operations for many PCs in the network. Operators can rapidly estimate a state of IT environment and its IT services, run different systems and workloads using multiple representations, which show the information about a status, operability, and performance.

Previously, we examined an example of integrating NetPing devices with a cloud service dweet.io. A distinguishing feature of the service is a lack of the need to sign up or configure anything to work with it – data from your devices can be transmitted at once. You can watch changing data from sensors in the view of graphs via the address:

On the basis of a developed functionality of sensor monitoring devices and remote controlling of NetPing power supply, it is possible to implement collecting information in different systems of monitoring and accounting. First of all, it is necessary to watch important parameters in the field of interest, as well as building various reports and charts for a specified period of time.

Receiving the information from NetPing devices can be flexible when based on the support of an SNMP protocol and specialized HTTP API commands. Everything necessary to do is to have a NetPing device with connected sensors, certain software or a script and a little time for configuring.

NetPing company announces issuing of updated firmware version DKSF 48.4.6 for a NetPing 8/PWR-220 v4/SMS device. This firmware version contains fixes, small implementations of new features and certain design updates of a device web interface.

What have been changed in the last version?

In the previous publications on an integration of NetPing devices, two examples with cloud services of Internet of things concept (IoT) were examined: xively.com and thethings.io. Now it is a turn for the integration of NetPing devices with a similar service dweet.io to be examined.

A distinctive feature of this service is the fact that there is no need to sign up or configure something to work with it – data from your devices can be transferred at once. The service is built on the principle of objects named "things", into which a data is transferred through HTTP requests. In case if there is no object with such name, it is created automatically. A name for a future object must be unique.

The service thethings.io offers a full range of solutions for the market of Internet of Things (hereinafter IoT) (Internet of things concept), as well as a simple and flexible API for the developers of IoT applications. This service is not related to any certain hardware platform and can be integrated with almost any device if it supports one of the next protocols: HTTP, Websockets, MQTT or CoAP. More detailed information on the issue can be learnt at this page of the project.

As a majority of projects of the Internet of things concept (Internet of Things, IoT) or cloud services, the service xively.com:

• Provides a platform (backend) for integration with other devices: a service is not connected to any certain hardware platform, instead it uses a standard HTTP API mechanism – this allows easy integrating of any device;
• Can serve a platform for developing own applications: in the section for developers there are ready libraries for writing applications, including mobile ones, on different programming languages for different hardware platforms;
• Offers a possibility for automation – triggers: a service allows interacting between different devices through the mechanism of HTTP POST requests

Devices for remote monitoring of sensors via Ethernet network and remote controlling of power supply sockets with a built-in GSM modem have a feature of sending periodic SMS reports about a status of sensors and relays to service staff. These SMS reports allow to be constantly informed even of those monitoring objects that do not have a local data transfer network. Receiving the information on conditions of equipment operation, attempts to access the object or any other unplanned actions in time allows to avoid accidents at the object, thus eliminating equipment downtime and financial loss of business.

Certain NetPing devices have got a possibility to work with 1-Wire sensors, such as 1-Wire temperature sensor, (THS), 1-Wire humidity sensor, (HS) and others. In turn, this allows to plug and configure sensors quickly and easily. After all, it is only to insert a cable with an RJ-11 plug into 1W (RJ-12) jack of the NetPing device to plug a 1-Wire sensor in.

In this article, we will examine plugging 1-Wire sensors to NetPing devices directly as well as using splitters and 1-Wire extenders.

TRASSIR software, which is developed by the Russian company Digital Security Systems Lab (DSSL), is a leader in the area of developing professional software for digital video surveillance systems. A possibility to integrate monitoring devices of a server room and NetPing remote power supply monitoring devices is implemented in TRASSIR software. In this case NetPing devices serve as executing devices and allow to increase a functionality of the system TRASSIR, as well as expand the applicability of the devices NetPing in different automated systems and video surveillance complexes.

In this article, connecting NetPing devices to TRASSIR software will be examined.

The company NetPing announces issuing an updated version of firmware DKSF 48.4.5 for a device NetPing 8/PWR-220 v4/SMS. This firmware version contains significant error fixes, new functionality introduced and an updated design of a device web interface.

What has been changed in the latest version?

Devices with enhanced features and a built-in modem, such as a gateway for sending and receiving SMS commands NetPing SMS, a device for remote monitoring of sensors via a network UniPing server solution v4/SMS and a device for remote controlling power supply sockets NetPing 8/PWR-220 v4/SMS have got a feature of sending random SMS notifications using HTTP API. This innovation can be used in the monitoring system PRTG Network Monitor to send SMS notifications about certain events in monitoring objects. As a result of organizing such system of SMS notifications PRTG Network Monitor, it is possible to save some funds using alternate services for sending SMS notifications, available on the Internet.

The most typical issue of monitoring server rooms is controlling climate and environment while a computer equipment works. Tracking temperature parameters and making a decision on results may be automated.

Let us consider an example of automation for controlling a climate in a server room based on Microsoft PowerShell script.

A remote sensor monitoring device UniPing server solution v4/SMS allows to organise an access monitoring system to a server room remotely on the basis of a motion sensor and a door opening sensor. What happens when the sensors are triggered: when a door is opened or a motion is indicated in a server room, a device UniPing server solution v4/SMS can instantly send SMS notifications to a technical staff. Thus, UniPing server solution v4/SMS provides additional security functions to server rooms and other rooms to prevent unauthorized access.