Some devices cannot connect to Hermetry: an SNMP agent in a UPS, a camera, a recorder. Hermetry connects to them instead. You describe the box once as an endpoint, and bind one or more devices to it. The platform’s poller then reads the devices on a schedule and stores each result as an ordinary device message.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Protocol | The language Hermetry speaks to the box: SNMP, RTSP camera, or the HTTP protocol of supported cameras and recorders |
| Endpoint | One box: its host, port, settings and write-only secrets (passwords, communities) |
| Device | A device bound to an endpoint, with an address on it when the box serves several devices (a recorder’s channel) |
Cameras and recorders are added with their own choice, Camera or recorder; see Add a camera or recorder. This page covers the general rules and the Network device choice.
Before you start
- Create a device profile for the protocol. Under Device profiles, select New profile and choose the protocol as the Transport. Polled profiles use the Last seen only online rule. Without such a profile you see: “No device profile uses “…” yet. Create one with this transport under Device profiles; the new devices use it.”
- Make the box reachable at a public address. The poller runs in the cloud. Every save and every test resolves the host and refuses private, loopback and link-local addresses (“The host is a private address. Only public addresses can be reached from the cloud; use a site router for a private network.”) and ports that belong to platform services (“That port belongs to a service and cannot be used.”).
- Open your firewall to the poller. The endpoint form shows the fixed addresses the platform connects from: “The platform polls from …. Allow these addresses in the firewall of the site.” Allow only these addresses to the device’s port.
Add a network device
You need the permissions to create devices and to manage protocol endpoints.
- Open Devices and select New device. Choose Network device (“An SNMP agent or another box the platform polls, by its address and credentials; the connection is tested first.”).
- Connect step: choose the Protocol, then under Connection either an existing endpoint of that protocol (shown as name, host and device count) or A new endpoint.
- For a new endpoint, enter a Name and fill in the protocol’s fields. Select Save and test the connection.
- If the test passes, continue.
- If the test fails, the endpoint is saved switched off: “The endpoint is saved switched off because its test failed. Fix it and save again, or add the devices now and switch it on later on their Connection tab.” Fix the settings and select Save and test again, or continue with Add the devices anyway.
- Devices step: choose the Device profile. Then either tick the entries Hermetry discovered behind the endpoint, or, for a protocol without discovery (SNMP), enter a Device name (and the address fields, if the protocol has any). Select Add device.
- Done step: “{count} devices were added.” Select Add another to add more.
Endpoint names are unique in your organisation (“An endpoint with this name already exists. Choose another name.”).
Secrets are write-only
Passwords, communities and other secret fields are stored encrypted and are never shown again, in the UI or the API. The form shows “Stored. Leave empty to keep it; it is never shown again.” To change a secret, type a new one.
If you change the host, a port or the user, you must enter the password again (“You changed the host, a port or the user: enter the password again.”). This stops anyone from sending a stored password to a new address.
The connection test
The test runs the protocol’s own check (for SNMP, a read of the system group). The result is OK or Failed with a reason, plus warnings that do not fail the test.
| Failure | Meaning |
|---|---|
| “The user name or password was refused.” | Wrong credentials |
| “The device refused the connection. Check the port.” | Nothing listens on that port |
| “The device did not answer in time.” | Firewall, wrong host or the device is off |
| “The host name does not resolve.” | DNS name unknown |
| “The secure connection could not be set up (certificate).” | Certificate problem on an HTTPS device |
| “The stored credentials cannot be read. Enter them again.” | Re-enter the secrets |
| “The protocol module is not active for this workspace.” | The protocol is not part of your plan |
Testing is limited: “This endpoint was just tested. Wait a few seconds.” Every test and every probe of a new host is recorded in the audit log.
Discover devices
A protocol that can list what is behind it (a recorder’s channels) offers Discover devices / Discover more devices. The list shows Name, Address and State (Online, Offline, Already connected). Tick what you want and select Add {count} devices. Each becomes a device on this endpoint, polled on its profile’s interval.
Your device limit is checked for the whole batch before any device is created: “{current} of {limit} devices used; {adding} more do not fit in your plan.”
The Connection tab
A polled device’s page has a Connection tab. It shows:
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Endpoint, Protocol, Address | Where the device is polled |
| Credentials | “Set: … (never shown; Edit replaces them)” |
| Last poll, Last success, Next poll | The schedule; Never polled before the first poll |
| Failed polls in a row, Last error | Why the device is not answering |
| Device events | For endpoints that receive device events, see Camera events |
Actions on the tab:
- Edit endpoint opens the endpoint form. If several devices share the endpoint, a note says so: “Shared by {n} devices. A change to the endpoint applies to all of them”.
- Switch off / Switch on stops or resumes polling. A switched-off endpoint polls none of its devices. Switching on tests it again.
- Disconnect stops polling the device and keeps its data. For the last device of an endpoint you choose Only disconnect or Disconnect and delete the endpoint.
- Connect through an endpoint binds a device that has none. The device’s profile must use the endpoint’s protocol (“The device’s profile uses a different transport than this endpoint’s protocol. Change the profile first.”).
The devices list’s IP address column shows the public address of the box a polled device is read from.
Unused endpoints
An endpoint that serves no device still holds its stored credentials. In the Network device choice, Unused endpoints ({n}) lists them; select Delete this unused endpoint to remove one. An endpoint that still serves devices cannot be deleted (“The endpoint still serves devices. Disconnect them first.”).
Errors
| Message | Fix |
|---|---|
| “A device is already connected at this address of the endpoint.” | Choose another address (channel). |
| “This endpoint can hold only one device, and it already has one.” | Add a new endpoint for the next device. |
| “The device is already connected through an endpoint.” | Disconnect it first. |
| “Devices are being added right now. Try again in a moment.” | Another add is running in your organisation. |
| “Protocol not installed” | The protocol’s module is not available; the device is not polled. |