Generally speaking, gateways represent links between systems that are not necessarily compatible, and thus enable communication between them. In this context, the term "system" can refer to networks, individual computers, networked devices, or even various applications. So, for example, a fax machine that receives an incoming fax and forwards it as an e-mail could be considered a gateway.
This article is part 2/2 about the protocols, gateways, and data transmission methods relevant in building state monitoring. In part 1/2 we went into details about the philosophy of building state monitoring and the various popular protocols, already telling some details about data transmission. Now let's have a look at gateways and, more importantly, the large field of data transmission methods.
In an industrial environment, several components of industrial automation are connected, and these components need to communicate with one another. Historically, this communication was done using Fieldbus, and the components were connected using serial-based communications. Data transfer was done through protocols like Modbus, PROFIBUS, CAN bus, and others.
Imagine you plan to add several network switches to your PRTG environment. But you only want to add sensors for interfaces that are connected. Until now, this required some manual effort. Since PRTG 21.1.65, you can now customize the PRTG auto-discovery with filter criteria. This allows you to precisely define in advance which sensors auto-discovery should add, and which it should not.
One of the questions we often hear is: How much bandwidth do the PRTG core server and remote probe consume in a specific time frame, and how can we visualize it on a dashboard? Well, there is no single answer here. It depends on a few factors, such as the number of remote probes, the number of sensors and channels, as well as the scanning interval. For example, 100 SNMP sensors, each with 2 channels (in & out) generate roughly 1 kbit/s plus 20 bytes/minute (due to the core "keep-alive" message). This reflects a daily load of about 11 MB a day. If you´d like to see the math behind this number, please check this page.
As you’ll have seen in our first article, IP Fabric provides administrators with a thorough, end-to-end view of their network. Relationships and interactions between devices are correlated, intent verification rules are confirmed, and regulatory compliance validated. In this article, we’re going to take a deeper, more technical look at how PRTG can utilize information from IP Fabric, and combine it with its own data to help give network admins a detailed look at not just how their environment is performing, but how it’s actually behaving – is it handling traffic efficiently, securely and in the way it’s supposed to?
It's been about 5 years since we moved into our new headquarters in Nuremberg, and, starting in 2017, we've not only implemented facility-wide monitoring of room air quality (involving various sorts of sensors), but also a respectable PV system. Check out how we came to be where we are now – a completely monitored office building – and how exactly we generate the data that shows a lot about how we work and what our company purposes are.
Telchemy & Paessler – Keeping Everyone Talking Since my great-great-great-grandfather, Alexander Graham Bell*, patented the first telephone in 1875, the technology has become a key part of business communications (*OK, so we’re not actually related). The technology may have evolved enormously over the intervening 144 years, but the basic idea remains the same – keep everyone talking.
As networks become ever more critical to the operation of your business, complexity continues to increase. So you need to be sure that PRTG is genuinely giving you full visibility of all network devices. IP Fabric can help you answer the question, "Am I really monitoring all of my network"? Walk with me and I'll explain how.
The attack on a water company in Oldsmar, Florida, is an almost textbook illustration of the security flaws that still prevail in many critical infrastructures. The lack of damage from the attack was a lucky coincidence rather than due to a thorough security concept. The incident underscores the need for intelligent, real-time monitoring in critical infrastructure.
VQM (voice/video quality monitoring) is an advanced monitoring methodology used to mitigate and resolve performance-affecting issues before they become catastrophic. VQM works by leveraging both active (synthetic) and passive (live call/session) testing and analysis. With typical premise-based Unified Communications (UC) implementations, voice and video conferencing application traffic travels over the organizations existing LAN/WAN infrastructure.
This article is part 1/2 about the protocols, gateways, and data transmission methods (as well as wireless protocols) relevant in building state monitoring. But let's first start with the philosophy behind it all, which is mainly based on manufacturer independence and open systems.
It doesn't matter whether it's in the cloud, a hybrid solution or on-premises: Ultimately, IT takes place on physical computers in a building - the data center. In order to ensure excellent performance and trouble-free operation of a data center, it is essential to keep a constant eye on a whole range of different components, both in IT and in facilities, in order to detect flaws as early as possible and thus avoid problems, damage and breakdowns:
Time for another new release of PRTG Network Monitor. Our latest PRTG version, 21.1.66, is ready for installation and is packed with several new features. That said, have you tried all the new sensors we introduced you to with the previous PRTG versions? For example, the new Veeam Backup Job Status Advanced sensor or the Microsoft Azure Subscription Cost sensor? No? Then be sure to check them out, just in case there are no new sensors for your environment in this release. Because the new sensor types I'll introduce today are all about Industrial IT. With our two new OPC UA sensor types we deliver two real heavyweights when it comes to communicating with machines on your shop floor.
Whether you call it Industry 4.0, IIoT or Smart Manufacturing, the objective behind these trendy buzzwords is the same - to “connect all the things”. Whether you're responsible for a segment of critical national infrastructure, production lines in a thingamabob factory or a small family run farm; instrumenting and collecting data from your production environment can transform your business in terms of efficiency, cost savings and profitability. As Sir Francis Bacon (among others) observed “scientia potential est” or “knowledge is power”.