BAC Lab Monitor

Botswana School of Business Sciences — ICT Department Real-time health monitoring for computer labs and projectors.

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Project Structure

bac-lab-monitor/
├── agent/
│   ├── BACLabAgent.ps1       # Runs on each lab PC (PowerShell)
│   └── InstallAgent.ps1      # Deploys the agent as a Windows service
├── backend/
│   ├── server.py             # Flask API + SQLite database
│   ├── projector_poller.py   # Polls projectors via PJLink protocol
│   └── requirements.txt
└── dashboard/
    └── index.html            # Live monitoring dashboard (served by Flask)

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Quick Start

1. Set up the server (Windows or Linux machine with Python)

# Install Python dependencies
pip install flask flask-cors requests

# Start the monitoring server
cd backend
python server.py
# Server runs at http://0.0.0.0:5000

2. Deploy agents to lab PCs (run as Administrator on each PC)

# Edit BACLabAgent.ps1: set SERVER_URL to your server's IP
# Then on each PC, open PowerShell as Administrator:

cd \\server\ICTShare\BACAgent     # or copy files locally
.\InstallAgent.ps1 -LabName "Lab1" -ServerUrl "http://192.168.1.100:5000"

# Change -LabName for each lab: "Lab18", "Lab19", "Lab20", "Lab21"

3. Start projector polling (on the server)

# Edit projector_poller.py: set IPs for each projector
python projector_poller.py

4. Open the dashboard

Navigate to http://192.168.1.100:5000 from any browser on the network.

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Device Status Thresholds

Metric	Warning	Critical
CPU	> 70%	> 90%
RAM	> 75%	> 90%
Disk	> 80%	> 95%
Offline	> 2 min	—

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Projector Monitoring

Projectors are polled using the PJLink protocol (industry standard, TCP port 4352).

• Supported brands: Epson, BenQ, Sony, NEC, Hitachi, Panasonic
• Queries: power state, lamp hours, input signal, error codes
• Fallback: ICMP ping if PJLink is unavailable

To enable PJLink on your projectors: see the projector's network settings menu and enable "PJLink" (no password for simplicity on a private LAN, or set a password and update projector_poller.py).

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Extending the System

Add more labs

Edit PROJECTORS dict in both server.py and projector_poller.py. Run InstallAgent.ps1 on each PC with the correct -LabName.

Connect to Power BI

The SQLite database (bac_monitor.db) can be queried directly by Power BI Desktop:

• Data Source: ODBC → SQLite ODBC Driver
• Tables: device_reports, projector_reports, alerts
• Refresh on a schedule to build utilization reports for management.

Enable AI recommendations (Claude API)

Set your API key as an environment variable before starting the server:

set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...   # Windows
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...  # Linux
python server.py

Deploy on IIS (Windows Server)

Install wfastcgi and configure IIS to serve the Flask app, or use a reverse proxy (nginx/Caddy) in front of python server.py.

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Author

Jason Lungisani Seretse — BAC ICT Department Work Placement, 2025/2026 Student ID: Bida23-141 | Mentor: Tshepho Kgopana