IIoT Monitoring via Modbus and MQTT, Viewing CCTV Camera Images, and MySQL Metrics in the Big Update v7.0 of 10-Strike Network Monitor Pro

The new version 7.0 of 10-Strike Network Monitor Pro – the server and network equipment monitoring program has so many new features that we don’t even know what exactly to focus on in this post. Speaking about the release as a whole, we focused it on the Internet of Things by adding two new Modbus and MQTT checks for the industrial monitoring. And we significantly improved the monitoring of video surveillance systems by adding the ability to view images from cameras, check the frame rate, and image resolution. We also made it so that you can set up monitoring of a large number of video cameras in just 3-4 clicks.

We also worked on the MySQL database monitoring. We added several templates with which you can quickly set up for monitoring key performance metrics.

We added a new type of notification – sending an SNMP trap. We made it possible to execute arbitrary scripts in VB and JS in monitoring the traps themselves (and for syslog as well).

Let’s review the new features in details: CCTV image displaying, IIoT (Modbus and MQTT) monitoring, user access to maps, and MySQL monitoring.

Video Surveillance System Monitoring and Displaying Images

The program has got a very useful function – displaying images from video surveillance cameras. It does not matter what manufacturer the cameras are, whether they are analog or digital, whether they are connected to a video recorder or directly connected to the network – you will see the image from them on a single panel. The main thing is that the camera or its channel in the video recorder (DVR or NVR) is available via the RTSP protocol. It is impossible to underestimate the importance of background CCTV camera monitoring, but sometimes it is not superfluous to look at the image from the camera with your own eyes and understand whether it is working or not. To do this, you only need to select the video cameras item in the monitoring list (tree) and open the new Cameras tab. And images from the cameras will all be displayed in front of you!

In order for the camera image to be displayed on the panel, you need to enable receiving of images in the RTSP check settings. If you have already created such checks, then simply open them and enable the Get freeze frames option. You can check whether the program will receive the image by clicking the button next to it.

The RTSP check now has the ability to obtain and monitor current frame rate and image resolution received from the camera.

High-resolution IP cameras occupy a key place in video surveillance systems. They can provide higher-quality video with greater image detail and wider coverage than cameras with low resolution. But high-resolution cameras can automatically switch to a lower resolution mode as a result of failures. Such moments must be monitored and the camera must be switched to the desired resolution in time, eliminating the failure. The program can monitor this parameter receiving the current image resolution and comparing it with the specified one.

Frame rate is the number of pictures that a video camera takes per second. It is measured in fps (frames per second). For regular video, 24 frames per second is considered the norm. Until the video frame rate is below 24 frames per second, the frame change will be perceived smoothly. Otherwise, a delay or jerking effect appears. For a number of reasons, the frame rate of a video surveillance camera can decrease. The program allows you to react to this in time to eliminate the failure. You only need to set the acceptable range in which the frame rate can change (from 20 to 30 fps, for example).

And now it is possible to import and add cameras to the program as a list. In any text editor, create a list of RTSP links to cameras and save it. You can add the name and description of the cameras to the links. To do this, add this data separated by a semicolon (;):

Create a separate folder in the monitoring list and select it. Then open the Hosts item in the main menu and click Add cameras. Open the text file created earlier. The cameras will automatically be placed in the selected folder, and the availability (ICMP ping) and bitrate (RTSP) checks will be created for them. In addition, the Receive still frames option will be automatically enabled in the RTSP checks, so after a while you will be able to see images from these cameras in the program.

Monitoring Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) Devices

In addition to the existing industrial monitoring check OPC DA, two new checks have been added that allow monitoring a wide range of IoT devices:

Modbus Monitoring
The Modbus protocol appeared in the late 70s and is still relevant in the field of machine-to-machine interaction (M2M). This is a network protocol that is widely used in industry for monitoring and integrating various equipment. In fact, Modbus is a de facto standard and is supported by almost all manufacturers of industrial devices and instruments. Using the Modbus protocol, you can read data from sensors and control controllers. Despite its age and shortcomings, the protocol is easy to use. This is what ensures its high speed of industrial implementation. The absence of unnecessary functionality is its main advantage. Modbus is actively developing and is supported by many industrial devices from different manufacturers. It is also used by providers when creating cloud IoT platforms.

MQTT Monitoring
With the development of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), more and more devices are appearing that interact with each other, need control and monitoring. The Internet of Things is a large network of heterogeneous sensors, detectors, machines, devices that communicate with each other through various interfaces and data transfer protocols. One of the most popular interaction protocols in such networks is MQTT or Message Queue Telemetry Transport. This is an open, lightweight and compact protocol created for exchanging data between devices located at a great distance from each other. MQTT was created for networks with limited bandwidth. This feature allowed it to find wide application in M2M systems.

Smart sensors connected to the IIoT network monitor the operation of machines, transformers, wind turbines, cranes and equipment racks. They transmit data to a central monitoring system, where the data is analyzed. Thanks to this, companies can monitor the operation of equipment in real time, predict its wear and tear and evaluate the efficiency of the enterprise.

User Access Rights for Network Maps

The Pro version of the program already implemented access rights differentiation to hosts in the monitoring database by roles and monitoring servers. In the new version, we have added access differentiation to network maps. Different users can be allowed to open and view only those maps that they can work with. If there is no access to a map, the user simply will not see it in the menu of maps available for opening. At the same time, hosts located on the map will not be displayed in the monitoring list (tree).

MySQL Monitoring

Database status monitoring ensures support for its high performance and availability. The database monitoring includes monitoring of many parameters and metrics provided by the DBMS, as well as identifying errors in its operation. We have added several ready-made templates to the program that will help you quickly set up the MySQL database monitoring:

• Availability
• Query execution time
• Connection errors
• Slow queries
• JOIN queries
• Cache hit rate

The Query execution time metric has been output as a separate parameter. Set an arbitrary SQL query and monitor its execution time in our program.

All changes in version 7.0 in a list:

• Added the ability to view images from CCTV cameras (in the RTSP check).
• Added the ability to monitor frame rate in CCTV camera check (using RTSP).
• Added the ability to monitor the image resolution in the CCTV camera check (RTSP).
• Added the ability to quickly add surveillance cameras to the monitoring list with the creation of ping (ICMP) and bitrate (RTSP) checks. Create a text file with a list of RTSP URLs and open it in the program.
• Pro: Added the new Modbus monitoring check.
• Pro: Added the new MQTT monitoring check.
• Pro: Added the user access control for maps and hosts.
• Added ability to monitor the query execution time to the MySQL check.
• Added query templates to the MySQL check for monitoring the DBMS metrics.
• Added processing and displaying of the generic, specific, and uptime parameters to SNMP trap.
• The dashboard pane can now be quickly generated for selected hosts using the context menu.
• Pro: Host check indicators on the map can now be quickly created using the context menu item “Create check indicators”.
• Added a new type of the event notification (for checks and receiving syslog and traps). In case of an alert, you can now send an SNMP trap.
• Added execution of the Java and VB scripts in response to incoming SNMP traps and Syslog.
• Added the ability to quickly select all hosts in a folder (group).
• Added a setting that disables the redirect processing to the HTTP(S) check.
• The alert window now pops up on top of all windows.
• Pro: Fixed a bug when adding hosts with a big number of MAC addresses from the Network Scanning Wizard.
• Pro: Fixed applying the format template to areas on the network map. It did not change the color of the area border.
• Fixed the authorization error in the SSH check in some Linux distributions.
• Fixed the “hangup” of the traffic speed check when the host is unavailable.
• Fixed the response time graph that did not switch to “for period” mode.
• Fixed a bug when sending messages to Syslog, leading to the replacement of some characters with “:”.

Download the new version and update!