If you want remote access even when the network is down, you can use plain-old POTS, cellular or satellite modem to access a very robust embedded server which boots up other servers, routers and APs.
However, you can also design the monitoring system in such a way that you can deduce what went wrong just before it went down.
Whats the benefits of doing an remote access when the network is down may I ask? Also what are you talking about an embedded server boots up other servers, routers, ap?
I would not do it because it seems to attract users with obsessive compulsive disorder. Some how they think that it turns them into a NOC tech and they think it's their duty to alert you every time something turns yellow.
I've tried doing this a few times over the years and for the most part people don't use it. The few that do tend to be obsessed with it and will drive you nuts.
I would not do it because it seems to attract users with obsessive compulsive disorder. Some how they think that it turns them into a NOC tech and they think it's their duty to alert you every time something turns yellow.
A lot of utilities use such a scheme to display outages and take reports of outages, but to successfully implement one requires a real drop dead customer front end.
In other words no way to get a human involved, an outage can be seen or reported and a status can be posted, but no interaction beyond that.
As such I dont see it working well with a WISP, where the operator is not a PSC in the pocket monopoly who can tell the subscriber take or stick it.
If you want remote access even when the network is down, you can use plain-old POTS, cellular or satellite modem to access a very robust embedded server which boots up other servers, routers and APs.
The access to the outage system is for the WISP subscribers, as such the OP doesn't need any of the above.
You missed one of the most popular graphing packages around:
MRTG
Theres also one called Cacti
The tools I listed are a bit more comprehensive for network management. Of course there are many more. Here are the links for Cacti and MRTG.
»www.cacti.net/what_is_cacti.php Cacti is a complete frontend to RRDTool, it stores all of the necessary information to create graphs and populate them with data in a MySQL database. The frontend is completely PHP driven. Along with being able to maintain Graphs, Data Sources, and Round Robin Archives in a database, cacti handles the data gathering. There is also SNMP support for those used to creating traffic graphs with MRTG.
»oss.oetiker.ch/mrtg/ You have a router, you want to know what it does all day long? Then MRTG is for you. It will monitor SNMP network devices and draw pretty pictures showing how much traffic has passed through each interface.
Both use RRDtool in the background: »oss.oetiker.ch/rrdtool/ RRDtool is the OpenSource industry standard, high performance data logging and graphing system for time series data
Ive use it a few times to graph my own custom data points, like number of subs on an AP, and also per-sub statistics like data tx/rx rates and signal stats.
Anyone who doesnt know scripting should really give it a go. Its amazing what you can create to help make your life easier!
EPB is well known for doing this. I know that they were going around telling the customers of one of the smaller ISPs in town that they were were going out of business because they had discontinued one of their product lines.
Never give your competition's sales people any ammo.
The ISP I used to work for lists all of their planned and unplanned outages on their site in full public view. If I was running an ISP I would be doing the same.
Most people actually appreciate openness from their providers.
The ISP I used to work for lists all of their planned and unplanned outages on their site in full public view. If I was running an ISP I would be doing the same.
Most people actually appreciate openness from their providers.
Yes they do appreciate it. If it's a huge deal for any one to let their competitors see outages, just set your web host to allow only your IP addresses and maybe a few management ones. Pretty simple fix
If it's a huge deal for any one to let their competitors see outages, just set your web host to allow only your IP addresses and maybe a few management ones. Pretty simple fix
If only visible from inside your network, then when the network is down, they would not be able to access. I would assume your subs would be using an alternate (cellphone) provider to check.
I agree with notifying for planned outages and unplanned only if they are for extended times.
Very True. Or sometimes we have neighbors help neighbors and such. One could also password protect the directory with a very simple/basic username and password for their customers use.