Tomte mentioned in the lcd4linux thread an interesting remote monitoring/management solution called Mobile PC Monitor.
I do want to have remote management access to my OMV, but without exposing the management interface to the Internet through the router. Also, the OMV Web UI doesn't like very much the constraints of my mobile phone's small screen. Nothing fancy, just to be able to restart or power off the system remotely, and check some "vital signs". Mobile PC Monitor seems a good solution for my requirements, so I decided to give it a try. Here's how I did it.
INSTALLATION
#1 - You need to install Java. Easy peasy, fire up the console as root and:
apt-get install default-jreWhen this ends, you can check the version with the command:
java -versionMine says:
java version "1.6.0_18"
OpenJDK Runtime Environment (IcedTea6 1.8.13) (6b18-1.8.13-0+squeeze2)
OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM (build 14.0-b16, mixed mode)#2 - You need to download the Mobile PC Monitor "agent", extract it and run the installer. Here's what I did in the console:
cd /usr
wget http://www.mobilepcmonitor.com/download/pcmonitor.tar.gz
tar zxvf pcmonitor.tar.gz
cd pcmonitor
./installThe installer will take you through a text-mode wizard, asking you to answer the following questions:
- installation path: Enter to accept the default (/opt/pcmonitor)
- user for PC Monitor: Enter to accept the default (root)
- group for PC Monitor: Enter to accept the default (root)
- confirm the installation with above parameters: Y and Enter (default is N)
- start the PC Monitor Manager (requires GUI): N and enter (default is Y)
- do you want to connect to an Enterprise PC Monitor Server: Enter to accept the default (No)
- do you have a PC Monitor account: y or n, depending whether you have an account or not; I chose N and proceeded with account registration
- username: select an account name for you
- e-mail address: enter a valid e-mail for your account
- password: choose a password for your PC Monitor remote access account, must be between 10 and 25 characters long
- full name: self-explanatory
- organisation
- activation code: get it from the confirmation e-mail
After this, PC Monitor agent is starting. The installer didn't do anything afterwards, but didn't return to a prompt either; I waited for a while, then ended it with a Ctrl-C.
USAGE
Here's how you can manage the daemon (agent) from a console:
- to start:
/opt/pcmonitor/bin/pcmonitor start-to stop:
/opt/pcmonitor/bin/pcmonitor stop- to restart:
/opt/pcmonitor/bin/pcmonitor restart-to check status:
/opt/pcmonitor/bin/pcmonitor statusThe installation configuration file is saved in /opt/pcmonitor/conf/config.xml - in case you want to back it up for future reinstalls.
To manage the systems remotely, access https://my.mobilepcmonitor.com/ or get the applications from Apple App Store, Google Play, Microsoft Windows Store, or the PC Monitor Dashboard for Windows (x86 or x64). Complete list is here: http://www.mobilepcmonitor.com/downloads
Note: PC Monitor service is free for up to 5 monitored systems. If you want to remove one, you have to turn off the daemon first, wait for it to show up as offline, then you'll have the Delete option. My account says that I have a trial account for 2 weeks, let's see what I need to do afterwards.
Hope this helps.
