NetFlow is a network protocol that was developed by Cisco Systems to collect IP traffic information and it has become the standard in network traffic monitoring by IT professionals.  For more information on NetFlow, check out this blog on NetFlow basics at Systrax.com.  For those without NetFlow capable routers or switches, fully utilizing NetFlow requires a probe which is generally attached to a PC and a software tool to capture the network information and put it into a usable form.

Many software NetFlow solutions (such as nProbe) users, realized that running a probe on a PC (or any other common hardware) is not always the best choice for several reasons:

1. PCs have moving parts that can break making the probe unavailable.
2. PCs are large, need monitors and keyboards, whereas probes often need to be deployed on places where there is not much space available.
3. Administering PCs is not cheap and they require the purchase of an OS, its installation and maintenance.
4. In large networks divided in several trunks it is necessary to have several probes each analyzing a trunk. This requires that multiple hosts running nProbe are deployed across the network.
5. The cost (for both hardware and maintenance) is not neglectable in particular if several probes need to be deployed.

The nBox provides users with a non-PC, scalable, hardware-based solution.  There are 5 models to choose from, so there is an option for any size network.  Check them out at Ravica.com or give us a call at 207.324.8173, to find out more about how we can help you with your NetFlow Monitoring needs.

Check back for more information on our our NetFlow solutions, the nTap and nProbe.

I’ve wrote a lot lately about the expandability of the SecurityProbe line of products and getting the most out of your environmental monitoring system, but with the  idea of virtually unlimited expandability comes the problem of keeping track of the hundreds of dry contacts and sensors that are integrated into your monitoring system.  When you get a critical alert on temperature sensor 018, do you know where that is located?  This can be a be an especially big problem for larger facilities, like college campuses, where the sensors are gathering information from multiple buildings spread out over a large area.  Wouldn’t it be great to be able to see at a quick glance where individual sensors are located and if there is a problem.  That is exactly what the mapping feature on the SecurityProbe is designed to do.

The Maps Tab allows you to upload site plans, building floor plans, or diagrams and then locate your sensors on the map.  That way, you can instantly see that the critical problem being reported on Temp 018 is in the Math Lab and not in the cafeteria.  Below is a screen shot of what this looks like to the user.  Note that the sensor statuses are color coded, green=good, red=problem so you can pinpoint issues and their location at a glance.

The map feature is helpful if you are using sensors in more localized applications as well.  For example, if you are monitoring a data center you could upload a diagram of your server cabinet  layout and then locate the  sensors graphically.  This would be helpful especially if the responsibility for addressing certain issues falls to maintenance staff that might not be as familiar with IT equipment.   Below is a screen shot of the diagram we use for the sensors in the Ravica server room.

There is no limit to the number of maps that you can load into you web interface, so you can use whatever formats work best for your application.

The number one tip is raising the acceptable temperature in your server room.   Old school IT wisdom says to keep server rooms between 55°-60°F, however more recent research has stated that equipment can operate without any risk of damage at much higher temperature thresholds, more in the 70°-79°F range.   Given that a conservative estimate of energy savings due to lower cooling costs is 4% savings in energy cost per degree Fahrenheit that the thermostat is raised, dollars saved can add up fast.

If you are currently using a Ravica Sensor Probe to monitor and control the temperature in your server room or data center, you can easily adjust the warning thresholds in your web-interface. Within your online Ravica control panel, click on the Sensors Tab and adjust the High and Low thresholds to reflect the new temperature norms.

So go ahead, raise the temperature bar in your server rooms, and then keep track of the energy bills to find out how much money is staying in your pocket.  You never know, it may be enough to reinvest in some new equipment, update your network monitoring software, or hire a new employee to get those business development ideas off the shelf and making some profits.

1) No more annoying low-battery beeping. When the smoke detector is connected to the SecurityProbe or BitSight via one of the (8) RJ-45 port, the main power source is the probe and not the 9v battery. Like a typical smoke detector, the Ravica smoke detector still takes a 9v, but it is a back-up and is only used in the case of a major power outage that takes the probe offline.

2) Ravica smoke detectors can be programmed to automatically make the emergency call for you. The smoke detector can be connected to dry contact inputs and be programmed to call 911 automatically when an alarm goes off. This cuts down on response time and can potentially save thousands of dollars in property damage.

3) View the situation from an easy-to-use web interface. With a Ravica SecurityProbe, you can view and control up to 4 cameras from the web. If a smoke detector alarm goes off, you can instantly see exactly what is causing the alarm and be better equipped to resolve the situation quickly.

If a web-based smoke detector sounds like a good addition to the fire/safety plan for your facility, check out the Ravica website or give us a call at 207.324.8173.

In the past, some of the SecurityProbe advantages included; advanced notification options, great video capabilities and the ability to connect up to 8 sensor probes per unit. The newest SecurityProbe retains all of these great features and adds four RJ-45 expansion ports to the front of the box which allows the connection of up to four expansion units. There are two expansion units options available: the E-opto16 and the E-sensor8.

With the E-opto16, you get 16 isolated dry contact inputs. A typical application for this expansion module would be to connect the dry contact to alarm panels and create custom alerts for each of the alarms. For example, one could have a dry contact connected to the fire alarm, another to the security alarm, and another to the AED cabinet. Each dry contact could then be set up to automatically call the respective emergency operator, in these cases the fire department, police, or paramedics. An unlimited number of E-opto16’s can be daisy-chained to accommodate up to 600 different dry contact inputs.

If you are more interested in increasing the number of intelligent sensors that can be monitored, there is the E-sensor8 that adds 8 sensor ports. Like the E-opto16, the E-sensor8 can be daisy-chained to allow the monitoring of up to 600 sensors through a single SecurityProbe. The two expansion units are also compatible with each other , giving the user complete control in designing the combination of dry contacts and sensors that works for their unique needs.

If you’d like more information on these new expansion modules, give us a call at 207.324.8173. We’d love to help you design an environmental monitoring system that does just what you need it to do.

From these two examples, it’s clear that there are options out there for designing sustainable HVAC systems that can meet the massive demand for cooling in data centers and server rooms. There is still a long way to go for data centers to be completely environmentally sustainable, but the industry is moving in leaps and bounds in that direction.

Ravica has always supported voice notifications, but in the past you would be required to purchase an external USB modem in order to utilize this notification method. Using Skype as a call-out device is an inexpensive alternative to purchasing additional hardware like the USB modem or an auto-dialer. Skype is currently available only on the SecurityProbe and the one other requirement for using this feature is a PC on the network that has a Skype account.

To set up Skype notifications, simply log on to your unique SecurityProbe URL and click on the Notification tab. Next, click on Begin Notification Wizard and select Skype Call/SMS as the action type.

On the next few pages, you will be able to enter the IP address or URL of the Skype account holding PC, select the sensors and statuses that you want to be notified about, customize the voice or text message, and enter in the phone numbers that are to be called. It is so easy; you’ll be set up with voice/SMS notifications in less than five minutes!

From greenhouses growing hydroponic tomatoes and lettuce in January to cold storage units that allow the local grocery store to sell Washington apples in the dead of winter; monitoring the temperature and humidity for optimum conditions is crucial for a profitable agribusiness. If it is too cold plant growth is hampered, temperatures that are too hot can wither plants and cause livestock to suffer. Likewise, too little or too much relative humidity can, respectively, increase watering demands and cause disease and fungus issues in both plants and animals. For a small operation, a simple thermometer and humidistat will do the job, however, larger operations producing multiple crops and livestock would benefit from a centralized, web-based environmental monitoring system. According to a 2000 USDA survey, the average commercial farm operates 2,180 acres and has multiple facilities that require specific temperature and humidity thresholds.

A web-based temperature and humidity monitoring system such as the one available with Ravica’s sensor probes are an excellent solution for these large-scale agricultural businesses. In a networked system, a farm manager can install a BitSight2 with two remote single port temperature and humidity sensors in each greenhouse, barn, or storage facility and set the unique thresholds for the optimum conditions. Each of the sensors can be networked to the main computer on the farm and the conditions in each of the facilities can be accessed from a single location. This cuts back on the time needed to manually monitor and log the temperature and humidity in each location. Instead, a warning alert can be sent to an email or cell phone when any condition surpasses a safe threshold and the problem can be rectified before the condition causes problems with plant growth or disease. In addition, the easy-to-use web interface makes it possible for a farm manager to access information on the environmental conditions at the farm from anywhere.

If you need help setting up an environmental monitoring system at your farm or greenhouse, give us a call at (207) 324-8173.  We’d love to help you get started.

Most car dealerships have the unique problem of needing to store very expensive inventory in outdoor lots, therefore theft and vandalism are major security concerns.  Some larger dealerships can contract outside security firms to remotely monitor their lots, but what about small, local dealerships?  With new car dealerships all over the country being hit hard by the financial problems of the major car makers, an affordable security option that can be monitored successfully by existing dealership staff is in order.

With a Ravica SecurityProbe, several motion detectors set up at key locations, and 4 Pan-Tilt cameras the dealership owner or manager can be notified via phone, email, or text message when activity occurs on the lot.  Because all Ravica products are linked into an easy-to-use web-interface, the camera can be controlled and viewed from any computer with internet access; whether that is the desktop in your manager’s office, laptop at your home, or smart phone in your car.  You can be informed instantly of any potentially malicious activity on your lot—day or night—giving you the opportunity to assess the situation and call law enforcement before your valuable inventory drives into the sunset.

There should also be a number of sensors in place that can detect when anyone, authorized or unauthorized, accesses the data center.  The following 5 tips show how Ravica can offer effective solutions for that final line of defense.

• Install the Right SensorProbe. For optimum security monitoring, choose a SecurityProbe model.  The SecurityProbe has the same easy-to-use web interface as the BitSight with a Linux operating system that offers 128 MB of Flash and 64 MB of SDRAM.  With 8 ports for sensors and connections for 4 external cameras on each SecurityProbe, you can monitor all of your security conditions from a single interface.
• Monitor All Potential Entry Points. In order for a security breach to occur, an unauthorized person must be able to physically gain access to the data center and do so unnoticed.  Make sure that doesn’t happen by installing a security sensor on every door, window, or emergency exit that could provide access to the data center.  The security sensor has a magnetic open/close switch that will trigger an automatic alert when any entry point is accessed.
• Install Motion Detectors. As another line of defense, install a motion detector at key locations that will alert security personnel that a potential security issue is occurring.  The Ravica motion sensor has a RJ45 jack to plug directly into a port on the SecurityProbe.
• Integrate High Quality Security Cameras. Install a variety of security cameras including fixed and Pan/Tilt cameras that can proactively capture crucial images as the events occur.  With the Ravica web-interface, you can set up notifications that will automatically trigger a time-stamped, picture log when an event occurs with the security sensor, motion detector or any other sensor.  The pictures are captured in a standard JPEG format at up to 640 x 480 pixels, so you get a clear image of the event.
• Send a LOUD and Clear Message Regarding Security. Not only can notifications be set up to send email, voice, or text alerts to security personnel when a potential security breach is occurring; you can also include a siren/strobe light that can be triggered automatically by an alarm status on any other sensor.  The siren/strobe can also be triggered manually from the web-interface, deterring nefarious activity and giving a call-to-action signal to other personnel in the vicinity of the breach.

Whether your data center is large or small, Ravica can be part of the solution to help you protect your physical and intellectual assets from theft or sabotage.