NetAlertX/front/plugins/sync

Overview

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

1. 💻 Devices: Sends an encrypted table_devices.json file to synchronize the entire Devices database table.
2. 🔌 Plugin Data: Sends encrypted last_result.log files for individual plugins.

Note: [n] indicates a setting specified for the node instance, and [n,h] indicates a setting used on both the node and the hub instances.

Synchronization Modes

The plugin operates in three different modes based on the configuration settings:

1. Mode 1: PUSH (NODE) - Sends data from the node to the hub.

   • This mode is activated if SYNC_hub_url is set and either SYNC_devices or SYNC_plugins is enabled.
   • Actions:
     • Sends table_devices.json to the hub if SYNC_devices is enabled.
     • Sends individual plugin last_result.log files to the hub if SYNC_plugins is enabled.

2. Mode 2: PULL (HUB) - Retrieves data from nodes to the hub.

   • This mode is activated if SYNC_nodes is set.
   • Actions:
     • Retrieves data from configured nodes using the API and saves it locally for further processing.

3. Mode 3: RECEIVE (HUB) - Processes received data on the hub.

   • Activated when data is received in Mode 2 and is ready to be processed.
   • Actions:
     • Decodes received data files, processes them, and updates the Devices table accordingly.

Settings

Node (Source) Settings [n]

• API Token [n,h]: API_TOKEN (has to be same across all nodes)

• When to Run [n,h]: SYNC_RUN

• Schedule [n,h]: SYNC_RUN_SCHD

• Encryption Key [n,h]: SYNC_encryption_key

• Node Name [n]: SYNC_node_name

• Hub URL [n]: SYNC_hub_url

• Sync Devices [n]: SYNC_devices

• Sync Plugins [n]: SYNC_plugins

Hub (Target) Settings [h]

• API Token [n,h]: API_TOKEN (has to be same across all nodes)

• When to Run [n,h]: SYNC_RUN

• Schedule [n,h]: SYNC_RUN_SCHD

• Encryption Key [n,h]: SYNC_encryption_key

• Nodes to Pull From [h]: SYNC_nodes

Usage

1. Adjust Settings:
   • Navigate to Settings > Sync Hub to modify default settings.
2. Data Flow:
   • Nodes send or receive data based on the specified modes, either pushing data to the hub or pulling from nodes.

Notes

• Existing devices on the hub will not be updated by the data received from this SYNC plugin if their MAC addresses are already present.
• It is recommended to use Device synchronization primarily. Plugin data synchronization is more suitable for specific use cases.

Example use case: Network Setup with Multiple VLANs and VM Scanning

Thank you to @richtj999 for the use case 🙏

I have 6 VLANs, all isolated by a firewall, except for one VLAN that has access to all the others.

Initially, I had one virtual machine (VM) with 6 network cards, one for each VLAN. While this setup worked, it introduced delays due to other concurrent scans. To optimize this, I switched to a multi-VM setup:

• I created 6 VMs, each attached to a single VLAN.
• One VM acts as the "server," and the other 5 as "clients."
• The server has access to all VLANs (via firewall rules) and collects data from the client VMs, which each scan their own VLAN.

Summary

• Single VM on six VLANs: Slower because one VM scans all networks.
• Six VMs on six VLANs: Faster because each VM scans its own network, sending the results to the server.

Example Setup

• VM1 ("Server"): Network 1 (can access all networks) - IP: 10.10.10.106
  Receives data from all NetAlertX clients and scans network 1.

• VM2 ("Client"): Network 2 (can access only network 2) - IP: 192.168.x.x
  Scans network 2; VM1 retrieves this data.

• VM3 ("Client"): Network 3 (can access only network 3) - IP: 192.168.x.x
  Scans network 3; VM1 retrieves this data.

• VM4 ("Client"): Network 4 (can access only network 4) - IP: 192.168.x.x
  Scans network 4; VM1 retrieves this data.

• VM5 ("Client"): Network 5 (can access only network 5) - IP: 192.168.x.x
  Scans network 5; VM1 retrieves this data.

• VM6 ("Client"): Network 6 (can access only network 6) - IP: 192.168.x.x
  Scans network 6; VM1 retrieves this data.

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How to Set It Up

Server (VM1)

1. Go to Settings > System > Sync Hub.
2. Set the schedule (5 minutes works for me).
3. API Token: Use any string, but it must match the clients (e.g., abc123).
4. Encryption Key: Use any string, but it must match the clients (e.g., abc123).
5. Under Nodes, add the full URL for each client, e.g., http://192.168.1.20.20211/.
6. Node Name: Leave blank.
7. Check Sync Devices.

Clients (VM2, VM3, VM4, VM5, VM6)

1. Go to Settings > System > Sync Hub.
2. Set When to run to "Always after scan."
3. API Token: Use the same token as the server (e.g., abc123).
4. Encryption Key: Use the same key as the server (e.g., abc123).
5. Leave Nodes blank.
6. Set Node Name to a unique, memorable name for each client.
7. Check Sync Devices.