Managing Agents
An agent is the part of NetIgnite that lives inside your network. It keeps a WebSocket connection to the server and sends Wake-on-LAN packets for the devices assigned to it. You need one agent per network (broadcast domain) that contains devices you want to wake.
Agent types
| Type | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Microcontroller | The ESP32 agent or other embedded agents. |
| Server | An agent running on an always-on computer, such as a custom agent. |
The type is informational. It doesn't change how the server talks to the agent.
Creating an agent
- Open Agents and click Add New Agent.
- Enter a Name, choose the Agent Type and optionally add a Description.
- Click Create Agent. The server generates a random secret, and the agent's page opens.
The agent's page shows its Connection Details:
| Field | Agent setting |
|---|---|
| Connection ID | The agent's numeric ID, for example 3. ESP32: C_CONTROL_SERVER_AUTH_ID. |
| Connection Secret | A random 32-character secret. ESP32: C_CONTROL_SERVER_AUTH_SECRET. |
Configure your agent with the two connection values and the server address. As soon as it connects, its status turns online. To change the name, type or description later, edit the fields and click Update Agent.
Agent status
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
online | The agent is connected to the server. |
offline | The agent is known but not connected. |
unknown | The server has no state for this agent. |
The Agents page refreshes the status every 20 seconds. The Ping button refreshes it right away. An agent that loses its connection reconnects on its own (the ESP32 agent retries every 60 seconds).
Changing the secret
Click Regenerate Secret on the agent's page to replace the secret, for example if you lost it or it may have leaked. The new secret is shown once. The old secret stops working right away and the agent is disconnected; it can only reconnect once it's configured with the new secret. For the ESP32 agent, that means rebuilding and reflashing the firmware.
Secrets are always generated by the server; you can't choose your own.
Deleting an agent
Delete an agent with the trash icon on the Agents page. A connected agent is disconnected immediately. Reassign or delete the devices that use it first: devices keep pointing at the deleted agent and can no longer be woken.