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SimpleSight - Network Configuration Guide
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This guide explains how to configure your network so that agent computers can
reliably connect to the SimpleSight server.

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THE PROBLEM
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Agents need to connect to the server using a URL like:
    https://simplesight:8000
    or
    https://192.168.1.100:8000

If agents can't resolve the hostname or reach the IP address, they cannot
check in. This results in "Offline" devices in the web UI.

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SOLUTION OPTIONS
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Choose ONE of the following based on your environment:

1. Static IP Address (Recommended)
2. Windows Hosts File (Good for <50 devices)
3. Router DNS (Good for small business)
4. Active Directory DNS (Enterprise environments)

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OPTION 1: STATIC IP ADDRESS (RECOMMENDED)
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This is the simplest approach: configure the server with a static IP and use
that IP address everywhere.

STEP 1: ASSIGN STATIC IP TO SERVER
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Method A: Configure Static IP on Server
1. Open Control Panel → Network and Sharing Center
2. Click "Change adapter settings"
3. Right-click your network adapter → Properties
4. Select "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)" → Properties
5. Select "Use the following IP address"
6. Enter:
   - IP address: 192.168.1.100 (choose an unused IP in your network)
   - Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0 (typical for home/small office)
   - Default gateway: 192.168.1.1 (your router's IP)
   - Preferred DNS: your preferred DNS server, like 8.8.8.8 or 1.1.1.1
7. Click OK → OK
8. Test: Open Command Prompt, run "ipconfig" - verify new IP

Method B: Configure DHCP Reservation on Router
1. Find the server's MAC address:
   - Open Command Prompt
   - Run "ipconfig /all"
   - Note the "Physical Address" of your network adapter
     Example: 00-1A-2B-3C-4D-5E

2. Login to router admin interface (usually http://192.168.1.1)
3. Find DHCP settings (varies by router model):
   - "LAN Settings" → "DHCP Reservation"
   - "Advanced" → "Address Reservation"
   - "DHCP" → "Static Leases"

4. Add reservation:
   - MAC address: 00-1A-2B-3C-4D-5E
   - IP address: 192.168.1.100
   - Description: SimpleSight Server

5. Save and reboot router if required
6. Reboot server to get new IP assignment
7. Verify with "ipconfig"


STEP 2: USE IP ADDRESS IN AGENT INSTALLER
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When deploying agents, use the IP address as the server URL:
    https://192.168.1.100:8000

Advantages:
* No DNS configuration needed
* Simple to troubleshoot

Disadvantages:
* If server IP changes, all agents must be reconfigured

STEP 3: VERIFY CONNECTIVITY
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From any client computer:
1. Open Command Prompt
2. Run: ping 192.168.1.100 (or whatever your server static IP is)
   - Should reply with "Reply from 192.168.1.100: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128"
   - If "Request timed out" → check firewall

3. Open browser
4. Navigate to: https://192.168.1.100:8000
   - Should show SimpleSight login page
   - May show certificate warning

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OPTION 2: WINDOWS HOSTS FILE
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The hosts file allows you to manually map a hostname to an IP address on each
computer. This is acceptable for small deployments.

STEP 1: CONFIGURE STATIC IP (Same as Option 1)
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Follow Option 1 above to give the server a static IP: 192.168.1.100


STEP 2: EDIT HOSTS FILE ON EACH COMPUTER
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On EVERY computer that needs to connect to the server (including the server
itself if you want to use the hostname locally):

1. Open Notepad as Administrator:
   - Right-click Notepad → Run as administrator

2. Open hosts file:
   File → Open → Navigate to:
   C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
   
   Change file type filter to "All Files (*.*)" to see it

3. Add this line at the end:
   192.168.1.100    simplesight
   
   (Replace 192.168.1.100 with your actual server IP)
   (Replace simplesight with your actual hostname)

4. Save and close Notepad

5. Test from Command Prompt:
   ping simplesight
   
   Should reply from 192.168.1.100


STEP 3: USE HOSTNAME IN AGENT INSTALLER
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When deploying agents, use the hostname:
    https://simplesight:8000

The hosts file will resolve "simplesight" to 192.168.1.100


Advantages:
* Hostname instead of IP address
* No DNS server required
* Certificate matches hostname (if cert was generated with that name)

Disadvantages:
* Must edit hosts file on every computer
* Manual process, not scalable beyond ~50 devices
* Hosts file changes don't propagate automatically


AUTOMATING HOSTS FILE UPDATES (Optional)
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You can add hosts file modification to a deployment script:

Create deploy_hosts.bat:

    @echo off
    REM Check if entry already exists
    findstr /C:"simplesight" %WINDIR%\System32\drivers\etc\hosts >nul
    if %errorlevel% equ 0 goto :end
    
    REM Add entry
    echo 192.168.1.100    simplesight >> %WINDIR%\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
    
    :end
    exit /b 0

Run this script as Administrator before deploying the agent installer.

Note: Modifying hosts file requires administrator privileges.

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OPTION 3: ROUTER DNS CONFIGURATION
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Some routers allow you to configure DNS entries that apply to all devices on
your network. This is ideal for small business environments.

STEP 1: CONFIGURE STATIC IP (Same as Option 1)
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Follow Option 1 above to give the server a static IP: 192.168.1.100


STEP 2: CONFIGURE DNS ON ROUTER
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This varies significantly by router brand/model. Common locations:

1. Login to router admin interface (usually http://192.168.1.1)

2. Look for DNS settings:
   - "LAN" → "DNS Settings"
   - "Advanced" → "Local DNS"
   - "Services" → "DNS Server"

3. Add DNS entry:
   - Hostname: simplesight (or simplesight.local)
   - IP address: 192.168.1.100

4. Save settings

5. Test from any computer:
   - Open Command Prompt
   - Run: nslookup simplesight
   - Should show: Address: 192.168.1.100


ROUTER-SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS
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Common routers that support local DNS:

Ubiquiti EdgeRouter:
- SSH to router
- Edit /etc/hosts
- Add: 192.168.1.100 simplesight
- Run: configure → commit → save

pfSense:
- Services → DNS Resolver → Host Overrides
- Add host: simplesight, Domain: local, IP: 192.168.1.100

DD-WRT:
- Services → Services → DNSMasq
- Enable DNSMasq
- Additional DNSMasq Options:
  address=/simplesight.local/192.168.1.100

Consumer routers (Netgear, Linksys, TP-Link):
- Most consumer routers do NOT support local DNS entries
- Use hosts file or Active Directory DNS instead


Advantages:
* Centralized configuration
* All devices on network can resolve hostname automatically
* No per-device configuration needed

Disadvantages:
* Not all routers support this feature
* May require router reboot
* Limited to local network (no remote access)

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OPTION 4: ACTIVE DIRECTORY DNS (ENTERPRISE)
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If you have Active Directory, you can create a DNS record for the SimpleSight
server. This is the most professional solution for domain environments.

Prerequisites:
- Active Directory Domain Services
- DNS Server role installed on domain controller

STEP 1: CONFIGURE STATIC IP (Same as Option 1)
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Follow Option 1 above to give the server a static IP: 192.168.1.100


STEP 2: CREATE DNS A RECORD
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On your domain controller:

1. Open DNS Manager (Server Manager → Tools → DNS)

2. Expand Forward Lookup Zones

3. Right-click your domain (e.g., company.local) → New Host (A or AAAA)

4. Enter:
   - Name: simplesight
   - FQDN: simplesight.company.local (auto-filled)
   - IP address: 192.168.1.100
   - ☐ Create associated pointer (PTR) record (optional)

5. Click "Add Host" → OK

6. Test from any domain-joined computer:
   nslookup simplesight.company.local
   
   Should show: Address: 192.168.1.100


STEP 3: USE FQDN IN AGENT INSTALLER
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When deploying agents, use the fully qualified domain name:
    https://simplesight.company.local:8000

Or use the short name (if DNS suffix is configured):
    https://simplesight:8000


Advantages:
* Centralized, enterprise-grade DNS management
* Automatic propagation to all domain-joined computers
* Supports remote access via VPN
* Professional FQDN instead of IP or simple hostname

Disadvantages:
* Requires Active Directory (not available in home/small office)
* Only works for domain-joined computers

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CERTIFICATE CONSIDERATIONS
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The SimpleSight server uses a self-signed TLS certificate. The certificate is
generated with these Subject Alternative Names (SANs):

- The hostname you entered during installation
- "localhost"
- 127.0.0.1
- ::1

IMPORTANT:
- If you use an IP address that wasn't included during installation, browsers
  will show certificate warnings
  
- If you use a hostname that wasn't included during installation, browsers
  will show certificate warnings

To regenerate certificate with different names:
1. Uninstall server (keep existing database)
3. Run server installer again (choose "Restore existing database")
4. Enter new hostname during installation
5. Certificate will be regenerated with new name


AGENT CERTIFICATE VERIFICATION:
By default, agents have "verify_ssl: false" in their config. This means they
accept the self-signed certificate without verification.

For production environments, you can:
1. Distribute the server.crt file to all agents
2. Install it to Windows Trusted Root store on each computer
3. Change agent config to "verify_ssl: true"

This is more secure but significantly more complex to manage.

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FIREWALL CONFIGURATION
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WINDOWS FIREWALL (Server)
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The server installer does NOT create firewall rules automatically. (We don't know your firewall setup) 
You must allow inbound connections manually:

1. Open Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security
2. Click "Inbound Rules" → "New Rule..."
3. Rule Type: Port
4. Protocol: TCP, Specific local port: 8000 (or your configured port)
5. Action: Allow the connection
6. Profile: Domain, Private (Public if needed for remote access)
7. Name: SimpleSight Server
8. Click Finish

This is merely an example for if you are using the default Windows Defender Firewall, your configurations may vary.

ROUTER FIREWALL (Port Forwarding - Only if remote access needed)
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WARNING: Only do this if you need remote access AND you understand the
security implications.

1. Login to router admin interface
2. Find Port Forwarding settings
3. Create rule:
   - External port: 8000
   - Internal IP: 192.168.1.100
   - Internal port: 8000
   - Protocol: TCP
4. Save and test from external network

Again: VPN is MUCH more secure than port forwarding.

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TESTING CONNECTIVITY
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BASIC CONNECTIVITY TEST
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From agent computer, test each layer:

1. Ping test:
   ping 192.168.1.100
   ping simplesight
   
   Should reply without timeout

2. Port test (using PowerShell):
   Test-NetConnection -ComputerName simplesight -Port 8000
   
   Should show: TcpTestSucceeded : True

3. HTTP test (using browser):
   Navigate to: https://simplesight:8000
   
   Should show login page (may have certificate warning)


TROUBLESHOOTING CONNECTIVITY ISSUES
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Problem: "Ping request could not find host simplesight"
Solution: DNS not configured properly
- Check hosts file
- Check router DNS
- Check Active Directory DNS
- Use IP address instead

Problem: "Request timed out" when pinging IP
Solution: Network connectivity issue
- Check server is on same subnet
- Check network cable
- Check router is routing traffic

Problem: Ping works but browser can't connect
Solution: Firewall blocking port 8000
- Check Windows Firewall on server
- Check router firewall rules
- Verify server is running (check Task Scheduler)

Problem: Certificate warning in browser
Solution: Expected with self-signed certificate
- Click "Advanced" → "Proceed to site" (browser dependent)
- Or install certificate to Trusted Root store
- Or configure agents to not verify SSL

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For more information, see:
- README.txt - Quick start guide
- DEPLOYMENT_GUIDE.txt - Complete deployment instructions
- TROUBLESHOOTING.txt - Common issues and solutions

SimpleSight - Lightweight IT Asset Management

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