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| 1 | +# MSP & Multi-Site Monitoring with NetAlertX |
| 2 | + |
| 3 | +NetAlertX supports centralized monitoring across remote sites, customer environments, branch offices, VLANs, and isolated networks using distributed Sync Nodes. |
| 4 | + |
| 5 | +Deploy lightweight NetAlertX instances inside remote or segmented networks, then securely aggregate device inventory and network visibility data into a central hub for unified monitoring, alerting, and asset management. |
| 6 | + |
| 7 | + |
| 8 | + |
| 9 | +--- |
| 10 | + |
| 11 | +## Common MSP & Multi-Site Use Cases |
| 12 | + |
| 13 | +### Managed Service Providers (MSPs) |
| 14 | + |
| 15 | +Monitor multiple customer environments from a centralized dashboard while keeping scanning local to each customer site. |
| 16 | + |
| 17 | +Typical deployments include: |
| 18 | + |
| 19 | +* Customer branch offices |
| 20 | +* Retail stores |
| 21 | +* Warehouses |
| 22 | +* Small business environments |
| 23 | +* Segmented enterprise VLANs |
| 24 | + |
| 25 | +### Network Operations Centers (NOCs) |
| 26 | + |
| 27 | +Create centralized "Eyes on Glass" monitoring dashboards using synchronized remote collectors. |
| 28 | + |
| 29 | +Common NOC setups include: |
| 30 | + |
| 31 | +* [Wallboard dashboards](./ADVISORY_EYES_ON_GLASS.md) |
| 32 | +* Dedicated "Down Devices" views |
| 33 | +* Site-(node)specific monitoring filters |
| 34 | +* [Prometheus/Grafana integrations](./API_METRICS.md) |
| 35 | + |
| 36 | +### Isolated or Restricted Networks |
| 37 | + |
| 38 | +Some environments cannot be scanned directly due to: |
| 39 | + |
| 40 | +* VLAN isolation |
| 41 | +* Firewalls |
| 42 | +* VPN segmentation |
| 43 | +* Layer 2 limitations |
| 44 | +* Remote WAN locations |
| 45 | + |
| 46 | +[Sync Nodes](./REMOTE_NETWORKS.md) solve this by running discovery locally and forwarding only inventory and monitoring data to the hub. |
| 47 | + |
| 48 | +--- |
| 49 | + |
| 50 | +# Architecture Overview |
| 51 | + |
| 52 | +NetAlertX supports distributed monitoring using two primary roles: |
| 53 | + |
| 54 | +| Role | Purpose | |
| 55 | +| -------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- | |
| 56 | +| **Hub** | Centralized monitoring, alerting, dashboards, and inventory | |
| 57 | +| **Node** | Remote collector performing local network discovery | |
| 58 | + |
| 59 | +Each node scans its local network and synchronizes device data back to the hub. |
| 60 | + |
| 61 | +--- |
| 62 | + |
| 63 | +# Sync Modes |
| 64 | + |
| 65 | +NetAlertX supports both PUSH and PULL synchronization models. |
| 66 | + |
| 67 | +| Mode | Description | |
| 68 | +| -------- | -------------------------------------------------- | |
| 69 | +| **PUSH** | Nodes send inventory data directly to the hub | |
| 70 | +| **PULL** | The hub retrieves inventory data from remote nodes | |
| 71 | + |
| 72 | +PUSH mode is typically recommended for MSP deployments because remote customer environments often block inbound access. |
| 73 | + |
| 74 | +--- |
| 75 | + |
| 76 | +# Device Ownership Models (`SYNC_BEHAVIOR`) in PULL mode |
| 77 | + |
| 78 | +The hub can operate in different synchronization ownership modes depending on your operational requirements. |
| 79 | + |
| 80 | +| Mode | Best For | |
| 81 | +| -------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- | |
| 82 | +| `copy-new` | MSP environments where the hub becomes the long-term source of truth | |
| 83 | +| `carbon-copy` | Fully managed remote appliances where nodes remain authoritative | |
| 84 | +| `hub-defaults` | Centralized inventory management with hub-defined policies | |
| 85 | + |
| 86 | +This flexibility allows NetAlertX to support both: |
| 87 | + |
| 88 | +* centrally managed environments |
| 89 | +* distributed autonomous sites |
| 90 | + |
| 91 | +--- |
| 92 | + |
| 93 | +# Example Deployment |
| 94 | + |
| 95 | +## Multi-Site MSP Deployment |
| 96 | + |
| 97 | +```text |
| 98 | +Customer Site A ─┐ |
| 99 | +Customer Site B ─┼──► Central NetAlertX Hub |
| 100 | +Customer Site C ─┘ |
| 101 | +``` |
| 102 | + |
| 103 | +Each customer site runs a lightweight NetAlertX node locally. |
| 104 | + |
| 105 | +The central hub: |
| 106 | + |
| 107 | +* aggregates inventory |
| 108 | +* handles alerting |
| 109 | +* provides dashboards |
| 110 | +* exports metrics |
| 111 | +* integrates with Grafana or external systems |
| 112 | + |
| 113 | +--- |
| 114 | + |
| 115 | +# Recommended MSP Features |
| 116 | + |
| 117 | +For best results in multi-site environments: |
| 118 | + |
| 119 | +* Configure descriptive `SYNC_node_name` values |
| 120 | +* Use Workflows to auto-tag devices by location/site |
| 121 | +* Use predefined "Down Devices" dashboards |
| 122 | +* Enable Prometheus metrics export |
| 123 | +* Use UI Filters to create site-specific views |
| 124 | +* Configure notification throttling to reduce alert fatigue |
| 125 | + |
| 126 | +--- |
| 127 | + |
| 128 | +# Related Documentation |
| 129 | + |
| 130 | +* [Remote Networks](./REMOTE_NETWORKS.md) |
| 131 | +* [Sync Hub Plugin](../front/plugins/sync/README.md) |
| 132 | +* [Workflows](./WORKFLOWS.md) |
| 133 | +* [Metrics API](./API_METRICS.md) |
| 134 | +* [Eyes on Glass / NOC Dashboard](./ADVISORY_EYES_ON_GLASS.md) |
| 135 | + |
| 136 | +--- |
| 137 | + |
| 138 | +# Summary |
| 139 | + |
| 140 | +NetAlertX enables lightweight, centralized monitoring across distributed networks without the operational overhead of traditional enterprise monitoring platforms. |
| 141 | + |
| 142 | +By combining distributed Sync Nodes with centralized dashboards, alerting, and workflows, NetAlertX can function as: |
| 143 | + |
| 144 | +* a multi-site monitoring platform |
| 145 | +* an MSP inventory dashboard |
| 146 | +* a lightweight NOC monitoring solution |
| 147 | +* a centralized network visibility platform for segmented environments |
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