Skip to content

Commit cc4dd46

Browse files
committed
docs
1 parent fccb0b6 commit cc4dd46

5 files changed

Lines changed: 172 additions & 11 deletions

File tree

README.md

Lines changed: 17 additions & 4 deletions
Original file line numberDiff line numberDiff line change
@@ -21,13 +21,13 @@
2121
</details>
2222

2323

24-
Centralized network visibility and continuous asset discovery.
24+
Centralized network visibility and continuous asset discovery for homelabs, IT teams, MSPs, and distributed environments.
2525

26-
Monitor devices, detect change, and stay aware across distributed networks.
26+
Monitor devices, detect change, and maintain visibility across remote sites, VLANs, branch offices, and segmented networks from a single interface.
2727

28-
NetAlertX provides a centralized "Source of Truth" (NSoT) for network infrastructure. Maintain a real-time inventory of every connected device, identify Shadow IT and unauthorized hardware to maintain regulatory compliance, and automate compliance workflows across distributed sites.
28+
NetAlertX provides a centralized "Source of Truth" (NSoT) for network infrastructure. Maintain a real-time inventory of connected devices, identify Shadow IT and unauthorized hardware, support compliance initiatives, and automate operational workflows across distributed customer environments.
2929

30-
NetAlertX is designed to bridge the gap between simple network scanning and complex SIEM tools, providing actionable insights without the overhead.
30+
Designed to bridge the gap between simple network scanners and complex SIEM platforms, NetAlertX delivers actionable network intelligence and centralized monitoring without the operational overhead.
3131

3232

3333
## Table of Contents
@@ -98,6 +98,10 @@ build your own scanners with the [Plugin system](https://docs.netalertx.com/PLUG
9898

9999
The [workflows module](https://docs.netalertx.com/WORKFLOWS) automates IT governance by enforcing device categorization and cleanup policies. Whether you need to assign newly discovered devices to a specific Network Node, auto-group devices from a given vendor, unarchive a device if detected online, or automatically delete devices, this module provides the flexibility to tailor the automations to your needs.
100100

101+
### MSP & Multi-Site Monitoring
102+
103+
NetAlertX enables centralized monitoring across remote sites and isolated environments through Sync Nodes for VLANs and branch offices, providing unified visibility of assets across multiple networks. It supports [NOC-style wallboard dashboards](https://docs.netalertx.com/ADVISORY_EYES_ON_GLASS/), [Prometheus metrics export](https://docs.netalertx.com/API_METRICS/), workflow automation for device governance, and distributed discovery with centralized alerting for scalable network operations.
104+
101105

102106
## Documentation
103107
<!--- --------------------------------------------------------------------- --->
@@ -126,6 +130,15 @@ Compliance & Hardening:
126130

127131
See [Security Best Practices](https://github.com/netalertx/NetAlertX/security) for more details.
128132

133+
## Designed for MSPs, NOCs & Distributed Networks
134+
135+
NetAlertX supports centralized monitoring across VLANs, branch offices, customer environments, isolated networks, and remote sites.
136+
137+
Using [Sync Nodes](https://docs.netalertx.com/ADVISORY_MULTI_SITE_MONITORING), distributed collectors securely send device inventory and network visibility data back to a central hub, enabling unified monitoring, alerting, and asset tracking across all locations.
138+
139+
This provides MSPs and NOCs with a single operational view of many independent networks, without requiring direct access or centralized scanning infrastructure.
140+
141+
Common deployments include MSP wallboards, NOC dashboards, multi-site inventory monitoring, and remote office discovery.
129142

130143
## FAQ
131144

docs/ADVISORY_MULTI_NETWORK.md

Lines changed: 1 addition & 1 deletion
Original file line numberDiff line numberDiff line change
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ Effective multi-network monitoring starts with understanding how NetAlertX "sees
88
* **B. Plan Subnet & Scan Interfaces:** Explicitly configure each accessible segment in `SCAN_SUBNETS` with the corresponding interfaces.
99
* **C. Remote & Inaccessible Networks:** For networks unreachable via ARP, use these strategies:
1010
* **Alternate Plugins:** Supplement discovery with [SNMPDSC](SNMPDSC) or [DHCP lease imports](https://docs.netalertx.com/PLUGINS/?h=DHCPLSS#available-plugins).
11-
* **Centralized Multi-Tenant Management using Sync Nodes:** Run secondary NetAlertX instances on isolated networks and aggregate data using the **SYNC plugin**. Use the [`SYNC_BEHAVIOR`](https://github.com/netalertx/NetAlertX/tree/main/front/plugins/sync/README.md#hub-device-write-behavior-sync_behavior) setting on the hub to control whether the hub inherits device config from nodes or manages it independently.
11+
* **Sync Hub for MSP & Multi-Site Deployments:** Run secondary NetAlertX instances on isolated networks and aggregate data using the **SYNC plugin**. Use the [`SYNC_BEHAVIOR`](https://github.com/netalertx/NetAlertX/tree/main/front/plugins/sync/README.md#hub-device-write-behavior-sync_behavior) setting on the hub to control whether the hub inherits device config from nodes or manages it independently.
1212
* **Manual Entry:** For static assets where only ICMP (ping) status is needed.
1313

1414
> [!TIP]
Lines changed: 147 additions & 0 deletions
Original file line numberDiff line numberDiff line change
@@ -0,0 +1,147 @@
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+
![Sync Hub Setup Diagram](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/netalertx/NetAlertX/refs/heads/main/front/plugins/sync/sync_hub.png)
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

front/plugins/sync/README.md

Lines changed: 3 additions & 3 deletions
Original file line numberDiff line numberDiff line change
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
1-
## Overview
1+
## Overview: Sync Hub for MSP & Multi-Site Deployments
22

33
The synchronization plugin is designed to synchronize data across multiple instances of the app. It supports the following data synchronization modes:
44

@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ The plugin operates in three different modes based on the configuration settings
5353
- **Schedule** `[n,h]`: `SYNC_RUN_SCHD`
5454
- **Encryption Key** `[n,h]`: `SYNC_encryption_key`
5555
- **Nodes to Pull From** `[h]`: `SYNC_nodes` + `GRAPHQL_PORT` of the source nodes
56-
- **Hub Behavior** `[h]`: `SYNC_BEHAVIOR` controls how the hub writes devices received from nodes (see [below](#hub-device-write-behavior-sync_behavior))
56+
- **Hub Behavior** `[h]`: `SYNC_BEHAVIOR` - controls how the hub writes devices received from nodes (see [below](#hub-device-write-behavior-sync_behavior))
5757

5858
### Usage
5959

@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ The plugin operates in three different modes based on the configuration settings
7373

7474
### Hub Device-Write Behavior (`SYNC_BEHAVIOR`)
7575

76-
The `SYNC_BEHAVIOR` setting configured on the **hub only** controls how the hub writes devices received from nodes.
76+
The `SYNC_BEHAVIOR` setting - configured on the **hub only** - controls how the hub writes devices received from nodes.
7777

7878
| Value | Default? | Devices written | Source of truth | Recommended when |
7979
|---|---|---|---|---|

mkdocs.yml

Lines changed: 4 additions & 3 deletions
Original file line numberDiff line numberDiff line change
@@ -64,9 +64,10 @@ nav:
6464
- Workflows: WORKFLOWS.md
6565
- Workflow Examples: WORKFLOW_EXAMPLES.md
6666
- Docker Swarm: DOCKER_SWARM.md
67-
- Best practice advisories:
68-
- Eyes on glass: ADVISORY_EYES_ON_GLASS.md
69-
- Multi-network monitoring: ADVISORY_MULTI_NETWORK.md
67+
- Best practice guides:
68+
- NOC / Eyes-on-glass dashboard: ADVISORY_EYES_ON_GLASSS.md
69+
- Multi-network (VLAN / routing) monitoring: ADVISORY_MULTI_NETWORK.md
70+
- Multi-site (MSP / customer / branch) monitoring: ADVISORY_MULTI_SITE_MONITORING.md
7071
- Help:
7172
- Common issues: COMMON_ISSUES.md
7273
- Random MAC: RANDOM_MAC.md

0 commit comments

Comments
 (0)