Introduction

NNMonitor is a ping monitoring program for use with Network Notepad Professional Edition. Open a Network Notepad .ndg file with NNMonitor and click the Run button to start pinging all of the nodes in the document. NNMonitor displays the status of each node and can send email alerts and play sound effects when nodes change state. It can also display the status of each node in Network Notepad and can be launched as a tool within Network Notepad.

 

Installation

Download and run the Setup.exe file. Click through the onscreen instructions to install.

PC Requirements:

• Network Notepad Professional Edition version 1.3.44 or later.
• Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10.

 

Operation

Use File > Open to browse for and open a .ndg file. NNMonitor is populated with the nodes from the document:

The Run/Pause button starts and stops pinging the nodes.
When running, the status of each node is displayed in the table:

The Network Notepad button launches Network Notepad Professional Edition and displays the status of each node in the diagram. 

The Log button on the toolbar opens the log file when it is configured (See Setup below).

The Log Tab displays the most recent log entries in memory.

 

Launching NNMonitor From Network Notepad

NNMonitor can also be launched as a tool from Network Notepad to "pingall" nodes and display their statuses.

Configure the tool as shown below keeping the (toolset, toolnumber) in sequence:

Command(0,15)="c:\Program Files (x86)\NNMonitor\NNMonitor.exe" nnhwnd:$hwnd "file:$filename" run min
Display(0,15)=NNMonitor
AutoMin(0,15)=False
Multiple(0,15)=False

The run parameter instructs NNMonitor to run automatically on launch.
The min parameter instructs NNMonitor to run minimized.

 

Configuration

Click File > Setup to gain access to the Setup Form. Use the tabs to access the different setup sections:

Ping Interval: Sets the normal interval between polling nodes. Fast Interval: When retrying to ping a node, the interval between pings is reduced to the Fast Interval. For accurate timing the fast interval value should be a factor of the normal interval value. Down Retries: How many times a failed ping is retried before a change of state is logged. Up Retries: How many times a ping is retried to confirm a node is up. Timeout: How long each ping waits before deciding no reply was received. Flash Time: When a node status change is confirmed, the corresponding table cell and the indicator in Network Notead flash for the number of seconds set here.
Network Notepad Lauch Command: This specifies the executable file which is launched when the Network Notepad button on the toolbar is clicked. For Network Notepad Professional Edition it is usually set to: C:/Program Files (x86)/Network Notepad Professional/dotnetpad.exe For Network Notepad Enterprise Edition it is usually set to: C:/Program Files (x86)/Network Notepad Enterprise/NNEnterprise.exe The test button can be used to test launching Network Notepad from this form.
Email Alerts These settings enable email alerts to be sent when nodes change state. To Email Address: Recipient(s) for email alerts. Use "," to separate multiple email addresses. From Email Address: Specify an email address which emails will appear to be from. Server Address: The DNS name or IP address for the SMTP email server used to send the email. Port: Usually 25, 465 or 587 Username and Password: Required if the server requires authentication. Enable SSL: Tick if the server supports encryption. Set a per node limit of N email alerts in a T minute period: This sets a limit for the number of emails sent for each node. There is the potential to generate a lot of email messages if a node starts flapping. These settings set a cap on the number of emails which will be sent. The Test button will try to send a test email using the settings provided on this form.
Sound Effects This form sets the sounds played when a node changes state. Blanking the entries disables the sound. Alternative .wav files can be installed in the NNMonitor installation folder.
Log File Node status changes are written to the log file if configured.