Prerequisites
Before proceeding please check that the machine hosting the Domotz Collector is plugged in on to a trunk port of your switch which is able to see all your VLANs.
Configuration
With recent changes on how Windows manage network, with components from Hyper-V that is now installed by default, it is now possible to configure VLANs without third-party software.
It is a 3-step process, create a virtual switch, create a virtual network interface and set this vNIC in access mode to the VLAN you want to monitor.
1. Create Virtual Switch
If you have Hyper-V installed you can use GUI to create a Virtual Switch connected to the host physical NIC attached to a switch port that is allowed into the VLANs you want to monitor.
When creating a virtual switch, make sure you are physically on-site or have someone available locally who can intervene if needed. Attaching a NIC to the vSwitch will temporarily interrupt network connectivity.
Additionally, any custom network configurations, such as multiple IP addresses assigned to the NIC used by the vSwitch, may be lost and may need to be reconfigured afterward.
Open the Hyper-V Manager and select the Virtual Switch Manager:
Virtual Switch Configuration in Network Manager
1. In the Virtual Switch Manager window, select "New virtual network switch" from the Virtual Switches list on the left.
2. Enter the name "vSwitchWired" in the Name field under the Virtual Switch Properties section.
3. Under Connection type, choose "External network" and select "Realtek Gaming 2.5GbE Family Controller" from the dropdown menu.
4. Optionally, check the box to "Allow management operating system to share this network adapter."
5. To set a VLAN ID, check the box "Enable virtual LAN identification for management operating system" and enter the VLAN number in the provided field.
6. Note that some settings may be unchangeable due to multiple network adapters being used by the management operating system.
7. Click "OK" to apply the changes, or "Cancel" to discard them. Use "Apply" to save changes without closing the window.
You can also create the Virtual Switch manually using PowerShell in administrator mode if you don’t have the Hyper-V Manager installed:
a) List the NICs you have attached to the host:
Get-NetAdapter
Output of the Get-NetAdapter Command in PowerShell
1. The command `Get-NetAdapter` is executed in PowerShell.
2. A list of network adapters is displayed with several columns of information:
- **Name**: Identifies the adapter (e.g., Local Area Connection, Ethernet, Wi-Fi).
- **InterfaceDescription**: Provides a detailed description, such as "Intel(R) Wi-Fi 6E AX211 160MHz".
- **ifIndex**: Shows the interface index number.
- **Status**: Indicates the current status (e.g., Up, Disconnected).
- **MacAddress**: Displays the MAC address in hexadecimal format.
- **LinkSpeed**: Shows the link speed, such as "1 Gbps" or "100 Mbps".
3. This output helps to identify and troubleshoot network adapters on the system.
b) Create the Virtual Switch attached to the interface:
New-VMSwitch -Name "vSwitchWired" -NetAdapterName "Ethernet 5" -AllowManagementOS: $true
Creating a New Virtual Switch in PowerShell
1. Open PowerShell and input the command: `New-VMSwitch -Name "vSwitchWired" -NetAdapterName "Ethernet 5" -AllowManagementOS: $true`.
2. The command creates a new virtual switch named "vSwitchWired" using the network adapter "Ethernet 5" and allows the management operating system to share the network adapter.
3. After running the command, the output lists the switch details:
- Name: vSwitchWired
- SwitchType: External
- NetAdapterInterfaceDescription: ASIX AX88179A USB 3.2 Gen1 to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter.
2. Create Virtual NIC (vNIC)
Add-VMNetworkAdapter -ManagementOS -Name "VLAN66" -SwitchName vSwitchWired3. Set the vNIC to access mode on the VLAN you want to monitor
Set-VMNetworkAdapterVlan -ManagementOS -VMNetworkAdapterName VLAN66 -Access -VlanId 666
Network Connection Status and Details
1. The image shows the status of the "vEthernet (VLAN66)" connection. It includes IPv4 connectivity status as "Internet" and IPv6 connectivity status as "No Internet access." The media state is "Enabled" with a connection duration of 6 minutes and 5 seconds, and a speed of 1.0 Gbps.
2. The activity section displays the number of packets sent and received: 236,824 sent and 94,844 received. There are options to view further properties, disable the connection, or diagnose issues using respective buttons.
3. A separate window titled "Network Connection Details" provides in-depth information about the connection. It lists properties such as the connection-specific DNS suffix "lan," the adapter's description, and physical address "00-15-5D-56-C2-09."
4. DHCP is enabled with an IPv4 address "192.168.66.209" and subnet mask "255.255.255.0." Lease information is provided, including when obtained and when it expires.
5. The image also lists the IPv4 default gateway, DHCP server, and DNS server as "192.168.66.1," and confirms that NetBIOS over Tcpip is enabled. IPv6 details and servers are also included.
6. Both windows provide "Close" buttons to exit the dialog.
Repeat the steps 2 and 3 for all VLANs you want to monitor.
Since these vNICs are newly created, please restart the Domotz Agent service to accelerate their detection. This will restart the Collector and trigger an immediate NIC scan.
You can do this from the Services (services.msc) applet. Locate Domotz Agent, right-click it, and select Restart”:
Managing Services in Windows Service Manager
1. Locate and select the "Domotz Agent" in the list of services. This service is currently "Running".
2. The service startup type is set to "Automatic" and the log on is using the "Local System" account.
3. Right-click the "Domotz Agent" to open a context menu with options to Start, Stop, Pause, Resume, or Restart the service.
4. Select the appropriate action based on your requirement; for instance, choose "Restart" to restart the service if needed.
Within some minutes , the Collector will report devices from the additional VLANs as online:
Viewing and Managing Devices in Windows Agent Test
1. The page is titled "Windows Agent Test," with the status "online" and associated IP address shown at the top.
2. Below the title, there is a search bar to filter devices by IP, with an option to filter by "All Devices," "Online," or "Offline."
3. The device list includes four entries:
- "OpenWRT" is online with a fast response time (<1 ms) and an IP address of 192.168.66.1.
- "82:CD:D6:C2:4A:86" is online and categorized as "Unknown" with an IP address of 192.168.66.157.
- "Virtual Machine" is online under "VMware" with an IP address of 192.168.66.181.
- "Oceans" is online as a "Microsoft" device with an IP address of 192.168.66.209, showing a last response timestamp of 26 minutes ago.
4. Each device features an option to set a location or zone and has a checkbox for selection.
5. Additional filtering options are available by "IP Address" or "No Group." Each device also indicates its current activity status with labels like "just now."
If new devices are not being discovered, the issue might be related to NPCAP. Managing Services in Windows Service Manager 1. Locate and select the "Domotz Agent" in the list of services. This service is currently "Running".
To verify this, check the collector logs at:
http://127.0.0.1:3000/api/v1/log/flush
Search for: "Cannot find MAC address for device with IP"
If you find messages similar to the following:"2024-03-11T23:57:50.389Z (897) [W] Cannot find MAC address for device with IP <10.100.71.7>",
"2024-03-11T23:57:50.394Z (897) [W] Cannot find MAC address for device with IP <10.100.71.6>",
"2024-03-11T23:57:50.409Z (897) [W] Cannot find MAC address for device with IP <10.100.71.9>",
"2024-03-11T23:57:50.413Z (897) [W] Cannot find MAC address for device with IP <10.100.71.8>",
"2024-03-11T23:57:50.425Z (897) [W] Cannot find MAC address for device with IP <10.100.55.222>",
"2024-03-11T23:57:50.464Z (897) [W] Cannot find MAC address for device with IP <10.100.71.10>",
…it confirms that NPCAP is likely malfunctioning.
To resolve this:
1. Uninstall NPCAP from your system.
2. Reinstall it using the version available here:
https://npcap.com/dist/npcap-1.79.exe
3. Restart the Domotz Collector Service once the installation is complete:
2. The service startup type is set to "Automatic" and the log on is using the "Local System" account.
3. Right-click the "Domotz Agent" to open a context menu with options to Start, Stop, Pause, Resume, or Restart the service.
4. Select the appropriate action based on your requirement; for instance, choose "Restart" to restart the service if needed.
Note that depending on the NIC you have installed on your host, you may be able to manage these virtual interfaces connected to VLANs using their proprietary tool, see below two examples.
Realtek NICs
If you are using a Realtek NIC, you have to install the Realtek Ethernet Diagnostic Utility and with that Tool configure the additional VLANs:
A new Virtual Interface will be created for each VLAN you add for both Intel or Realtek.
Intel NICs
If you use Intel NICs, here they have more details about the models and how to do it: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005677/network-and-i-o/ethernet-products.html\
Other NICs manifacturers
Other brands may have a similar tools, you might check their website.
If the configuration of VLANs on Windows seems to be too complicated or it raises issues, you might think on moving the Domotz Collector on a Linux Virtual Machine.
Remember that we also ship pre-configured virtual machines with the Domotz Collector already installed for the following hypervisors:
– Oracle Virtual Box: https://help.domotz.com/user-guide/domotz-installation-virtual-box/
– Vmware Esxi: https://help.domotz.com/user-guide/domotz-installation-vmware-esxi/
– Hyper-V: https://help.domotz.com/user-guide/domotz-installation-hyper-v/
– Proxmox: https://help.domotz.com/user-guide/domotz-installation-proxmox/