Software simplifies web-based systems control

Edited by the Electronicstalk editorial team Feb 7, 2005

WNMP (Web Network Management Protocol) is a product that enables the simple and flexible administration and monitoring of embedded systems using ordinary web browsers.

WNMP (Web Network Management Protocol) is a product that enables the simple and flexible administration and monitoring of embedded systems using ordinary web browsers.

WNMP includes development tools that make it easy to build custom solutions.

A WNMP-client is a program that administers or monitors a system.

In contrast to SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol), no special program running on the client system is needed.

Instead, ordinary web browsers are used.

This makes it possible to easily make modifications from any kind of computer, or even from a modern cellphone.

It is also possible to monitor a number of systems simultaneously using a single web browser or, using a script language, to administer them automatically.

WNMP operates by installing a special web server in each system to be monitored, that includes support for displaying and modifiying the available parameters.

The web server used is Barracuda, under which WNMP runs as a web application.

It is possible for Barracuda to run a number of applications concurrently with WNMP.

The parameters to be monitored and/or modified via WNMP are defined in separate modules, making it possible to combine arbitrary modules for each server.

WNMP parameters can have many different data types, such as 32 or 64bit integers, strings, IP-addresses etc.

A parameter can even be read-only or allow both reading and writing.

Using the graphical WNMP-editor, the creation of a model containing all relevant parameters is both simple and quick.

It is also possible to import existing MIB files from SNMP into the model in order to get started quickly.

The program is interactive, which makes it possible to modify structures and data types as the model is being developed.

When the model is ready for testing, the program can easily generate WNMP-adapted C code.

This creates all code that is necessary for administering the tree-structure and also generates stubs for the get and set operations that the model permits.