Development Blog

We're thrilled to announce that the migration from our legacy GUI to the new modern Web UI is now complete! This marks a significant milestone in Network Backup Manager's evolution.

What's New

The new Web UI brings a fresh, contemporary look while preserving all the powerful functionality you depend on:

• Modern Design: Clean, intuitive interface with improved navigation
• Enhanced Dashboards: Beautiful, responsive dashboards for Backup, Syslog, Security, and Reports
• Better Performance: Faster load times and smoother interactions
• Mobile Friendly: Works seamlessly on tablets and mobile devices

Moving Forward

This migration represents our commitment to providing you with cutting-edge tools for network management. The new interface is built on a solid foundation that will enable us to deliver even more innovative features in the future.

Thank you for your patience during this transition. We're excited to continue improving Network Backup Manager with your feedback and support!

We're excited to share an update on our ongoing Web UI migration project. Our team has been working hard to bring you a fresh, modern look for the Network Backup Manager web interface.

Current Progress

We're pleased to announce that the migration is almost complete. The new Web UI features a cleaner design, improved navigation, and enhanced user experience whilst maintaining all the powerful functionality you rely on.

Intensive Testing Phase

We're currently conducting thorough testing of the new interface to ensure everything works seamlessly. Our focus is on:

• Verifying all features function correctly in the new design
• Ensuring responsive layouts across different devices and screen sizes
• Testing browser compatibility and performance
• Validating user workflows and accessibility

What's Next

The new version will be available soon. We're committed to delivering a polished, reliable interface that enhances your network management experience.

Stay tuned for the launch announcement!

We've updated our Screenshots section with fresh visuals that showcase key features and functionalities of Network Backup Manager!

What's Available

The Screenshots page features high-quality images providing a visual overview of our platform:

• Modern Web Dashboard: See our sleek, responsive web interface with its clean design and intuitive navigation
• Dashboard Views: Visual guides to the Backup Dashboard, Syslog Dashboard, Security Dashboard, and Reports Dashboard
• Feature Highlights: Screenshots demonstrating device management, backup operations, syslog monitoring, and security features
• GUI Interface: Comprehensive views of the desktop application's functionality and workflow

We're planning to update our documentation with fresh content to help you get the most out of Network Backup Manager. Due to time constraints, we'll be rolling out these updates gradually.

What's Planned

We're working on updates to our visual guides and documentation:

• Updated Screenshots: New images showcasing our modernized web dashboard with its clean interface and powerful features
• How-To Guides: Tutorials will be added as time allows, covering common scenarios and configurations
• Dashboard Usage: Guides for utilizing the new Backup Dashboard, Syslog Dashboard, and Security Dashboard

Timeline and Expectations

We're working with limited time resources, so documentation updates will be rolled out progressively. Screenshots will be updated first to reflect our new web interface, followed by How-To guides added incrementally as time permits.

We appreciate your understanding as we balance development priorities with documentation improvements. Each guide we add will be thoroughly tested to ensure it provides clear, accurate instructions for your Network Backup Manager deployment.

Check back regularly for new documentation updates!

We're currently testing our new syslog server implementation to ensure it delivers reliable performance. While we're working with limited resources, we're committed to doing thorough testing before full deployment.

Our Testing Approach

We're doing our best to validate the new server with the resources available:

• Test Data Validation: Using simulated syslog messages to verify parsing and storage functionality
• Performance Testing: Testing with various connection scenarios to ensure stable operation
• Message Processing: Validating accurate handling of messages from different network devices
• Security Features: Testing alert triggers for critical events and configuration changes

Looking Forward

While our initial testing with simulated data has shown promising results, we need additional time to validate the system with live syslog messages in real-world conditions. This extended testing period will help us identify any edge cases and ensure reliability across different network environments.

We appreciate your patience as we work to deliver a quality solution. The transition to live message testing will provide valuable insights and help us fine-tune performance for various deployment scenarios.

We'll keep you updated on our progress as we continue refining and validating the new syslog server implementation.

We're excited to announce a significant advancement in Network Backup Manager: the complete replacement of our syslog server with a highly efficient native implementation designed for maximum performance.

Why the Rewrite?

After extensive research and testing, we rebuilt the syslog engine from the ground up to deliver the perfect balance between performance and reliability:

• Exceptional Performance: Optimized native code delivers blazing-fast execution with minimal overhead
• Minimal Memory Footprint: Reduced memory consumption by up to 70% compared to our previous implementation
• Exceptional Concurrency: Advanced multi-threading supports thousands of concurrent connections effortlessly
• Robust Architecture: Built-in error handling eliminates entire categories of runtime errors

Key Features

• Real-time message processing with zero latency spikes
• Efficient SQLite integration for message storage and retrieval
• Advanced security event detection and alerting
• Built-in message rate limiting and buffer management
• Comprehensive syslog protocol support

This migration represents a significant leap forward in reliability and scalability, ensuring Network Backup Manager can handle enterprise-scale deployments with ease.

Alongside our syslog server transformation, we've completely rebuilt our web dashboard using optimized native technology that delivers a responsive, feature-rich experience.

The Technology Stack

Our new web dashboard is powered by:

• Native Web Server: A lightweight, high-performance backend with minimal overhead
• Chart.js: Beautiful, interactive charts for data visualization
• Modern Design: Responsive design that works flawlessly on desktop and mobile devices
• Efficient Code: No heavy frameworks - just fast, optimized code

Benefits of the New Architecture

• Sub-second page load times
• Fully responsive design for any screen size
• Secure session management and authentication
• Simple deployment - no dependencies required
• Minimal resource consumption - runs on even modest hardware

Our optimized architecture allows us to deliver enterprise-grade features without the complexity and resource demands of traditional web frameworks.

Security is paramount in network management tools. We've implemented a robust authentication system that protects your infrastructure while maintaining usability.

Security Features

• Advanced Password Protection: Industry-standard password hashing with strong encryption
• Database-Backed User Management: Secure storage of user credentials with encryption
• Secure Session Tokens: Protected session cookies prevent unauthorized access
• Automatic Session Expiry: Configurable timeout periods for enhanced security
• Multi-User Support: Role-based access control for team environments

The authentication system seamlessly integrates with both the Python GUI and the web dashboard, ensuring consistent security across all access methods.

Understanding your backup status at a glance is crucial for network administrators. Our new Backup Dashboard provides instant insights into your network configuration management.

Six Powerful Widgets

• Device Type Distribution: Visualize your network composition with interactive pie charts
• Success vs Failure Rate: Monitor backup reliability across your infrastructure
• Configuration Changes: Track when devices are modified
• Backups per Device: Identify devices with backup gaps
• Backup Failures: Quickly spot problematic devices
• Configuration Timeline: Historical view of backup activities

The dashboard's compact, professional design fits all six widgets on a single screen without scrolling, providing a complete overview of your backup operations.

Our Syslog Dashboard transforms raw log data into actionable intelligence with nine comprehensive widgets designed for network operations teams.

Dashboard Components

Row 1 - Status Cards:

• Server Status - Live syslog server health indicator
• Total Messages - Aggregate message count for selected timeframe
• Messages/sec - Real-time throughput monitoring
• Active Devices - Count of devices sending logs

Row 2 - Distribution Charts:

• Messages by Severity - Color-coded severity distribution (Emergency: Red, Warning: Yellow, Info: Green)
• Messages Over Time - Trend analysis with hourly/daily buckets
• Top Facilities - Identify most active subsystems

Row 3 - Device Analytics:

• Top Devices by Message Count - Spot chatty devices
• Severity Trends - Multi-line chart showing severity patterns over time

All charts are interactive, responsive, and update in real-time based on your selected time range.

Network security requires constant vigilance. Our Security Dashboard provides a comprehensive view of security events, access attempts, and device health metrics.

Security Intelligence Widgets

Critical Metrics (Row 1):

• Critical Security Events - Emergency, Alert, and Critical severity count
• Configuration Changes - Track unauthorized modifications
• Device Availability - Real-time ping status monitoring
• Access Events - Login attempt tracking

Threat Analysis (Row 2):

• Security Events Over Time - Trend identification
• Failed Login Attempts - Top 10 devices with failed authentication
• Security Events by Hour - Identify attack patterns

Device Health (Row 3):

• Device Health Status - Comprehensive availability metrics
• Subsystem Activity - Facility distribution analysis
• Top Critical Devices - Devices generating most critical alerts

The Security Dashboard maintains perfect symmetry with three widgets per row, ensuring a clean, professional appearance while delivering maximum insight.

Generate executive-ready reports with our new Reports Dashboard, featuring six essential widgets that translate raw data into business intelligence.

Report Categories

• Backup Summary: Overview of backup operations, success rates, and device coverage
• Backup Status by Device: Per-device backup health indicators
• Last Backup per Device: Identify devices with stale configurations
• Backup Success Rate Trend: Historical success rate analysis
• Successful Backups per Day: Daily backup activity tracking
• Backup History: Complete audit trail of all backup operations

All report data can be exported for compliance documentation, executive presentations, or integration with third-party systems.

User experience is at the heart of effective network management tools. We've invested significant effort in creating a cohesive, professional interface across all dashboards.

Design Principles

• Consistent Theme: Dark blue sidebar with green highlights across all pages
• Unified Iconography: Filled icons with consistent spacing and styling
• Symmetrical Layouts: All dashboards use balanced grid layouts with uniform widget sizing
• Perfect Circles: Pie charts maintain aspect ratio for professional appearance
• Responsive Design: Adaptive layouts work seamlessly on all screen sizes

User-Centric Features

• State persistence - Your time range selection is remembered across pages
• Quick refresh - Update all widgets with a single click
• Compact design - All widgets visible without scrolling
• Interactive charts - Hover for detailed tooltips
• Mobile-friendly - Touch-optimized for tablet access

Beyond the headline features, we've implemented numerous performance optimizations that make Network Backup Manager faster and more efficient than ever.

Backend Optimizations

• Database Optimization: Efficient queries deliver fast response times
• Smart Filtering: Server-side filtering reduces data transfer for faster performance
• Time Range Optimization: Intelligent data grouping for large datasets
• Data Validation: Robust validation prevents errors
• Optimized Data Transfer: Responses optimized for minimal size

Frontend Enhancements

• Lightweight Code: No framework overhead - pure, efficient code
• Optimized Charts: Smooth animations and transitions
• Smart Caching: Reduce server requests for faster experience
• Minimal Styling: Clean, efficient design without bloat
• Lazy Loading: Charts render only when visible

Real-World Impact

These optimizations can translate to significant performance benefits, though actual results will vary based on your specific hardware configuration and network environment:

• Fast dashboard loading times on appropriate hardware
• Capable of managing large device inventories depending on server resources
• Efficient resource utilization suitable for various server configurations
• Scalable syslog processing capacity based on hardware specifications

Note: Performance characteristics depend on server specifications, network conditions, and workload. Results may vary based on your specific deployment environment.