Management Console
The management console (nxmc) is your primary interface for interacting with NetXMS. It is available in two forms:
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Desktop client — a cross-platform Java-based application
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Web console — a browser-based interface accessible via HTTPS
Both are builds of the same client and provide the same core functionality.
Connecting to NetXMS
Web Console
Open your browser and navigate to the URL provided by your administrator (typically https://<server>/nxmc).
Enter your username and password on the login page. After authentication, the console opens with the default view configured by your administrator.
Console Layout
The management console uses a layout with several key areas:
- Perspective Switcher
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A column of buttons along the left edge of the window. Each button opens a perspective — a set of views tailored to a specific task (see Perspectives).
- Object Browser
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Next to the perspective switcher. Displays the object tree — the hierarchical view of monitored infrastructure. Click on objects to select them and view their details. Note that "Object Browser" is a descriptive term used in this guide; in the console the panel is titled with the name of the current perspective (Infrastructure, Network, and so on).
- Working Area
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The central area where views and editors are displayed. This is where you see object details, alarm lists, graphs, dashboards, and maps.
- Header
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At the top of the console. Shows the NetXMS logo and title, an indicator when the console is out of sync with the server, the server name and clock, and buttons for the AI chat, user properties, preferences, help, and product information.
Object Browser
There is no single combined object tree — each object-based perspective has its own object tree showing the objects relevant to that perspective:
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Infrastructure — your main workspace, containing containers, nodes, and other infrastructure objects organized by your administrator
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Network — all discovered subnets and their nodes, organized by zone and IP topology
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Maps — network maps
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Dashboards — available dashboard objects
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Business Services — service availability definitions (if configured)
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Assets — asset inventory with attributes defined by your administrator
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Templates — data collection templates (primarily used by administrators)
Navigation and filtering work the same way in every object tree.
Navigating the Tree
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Click the triangle (or +) next to an object to expand it and see children
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Click an object to select it; its details appear in the working area
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Double-click a node to open its detailed view
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Right-click an object to see the context menu with available actions
Filtering Objects
Use the filter field at the top of the Object Browser to search for objects by name. Type part of a name and the tree filters to show only matching objects and their parents.
The filter supports prefix characters that change the search behavior:
| Prefix | Searches By | Example |
|---|---|---|
(none) |
Object name, including alias (default). Supports |
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IP address (prefix match) |
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Object comments |
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Exact IP address match |
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Object ID |
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Zone (UIN prefix or zone name) |
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Views
Views are panels in the working area that display different types of information. Key views include:
Alarms
Displays active alarms across the system (or for a selected object and its children). From this view you can acknowledge, resolve, and terminate alarms, open alarm details, jump to the source object, and filter by severity, state, or source.
See Working with Alarms for the complete alarm workflow.
| The Alarms view can show alarms globally (all alarms in the system) or scoped to a specific object subtree. Select a container or node in the object tree and open its Alarms tab to see only alarms related to that branch. |
Object View Tabs
When you select a node in the object tree, information about it is shown as view tabs in the working area:
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Overview — summary of the object: general information, state, communications, topology, inventory, location, last values, external resources, and comments
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Interfaces — network interfaces of the node with their status and configuration
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Alarms — alarms for this node and its children
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Data Collection — collected DCI values (see below)
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Performance — quick access to predefined performance graphs (CPU, memory, disk, network)
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Software Inventory — list of installed software packages (if agent is installed)
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Hardware Inventory — hardware component details (if available)
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File Manager — browse files on the remote system through the agent (if agent is installed)
Data Collection
The Data Collection view shows all DCIs configured on a node. By default it displays the last collected values; the Edit mode toggle switches the view to data collection configuration (used by administrators).
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
Owner |
Object the DCI belongs to. |
ID |
Internal identifier of the DCI. |
Display name |
Name of the metric being collected. |
Value |
Most recently collected value. |
Timestamp |
When the value was last collected. |
Tag |
User-defined tag assigned to the DCI. |
Threshold |
Current threshold state — indicates if the value has crossed a defined boundary. |
Event |
Event generated by the currently active threshold. |
Message |
Message of the threshold event. |
Comments |
Comments configured on the DCI. |
Double-click a DCI row to open a historical graph for that metric; for a table DCI, double-click opens the table last values view.
Right-click a DCI to access additional options:
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History (Ctrl+H / Cmd+H) — view a table of all collected values over time
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Line chart, Bar chart, Pie chart — open the collected data as a chart; Real-time line chart and Raw data line chart variants are also available. For table DCIs, use Table last value instead.
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Actions submenu — Force poll, Clear collected data (requires appropriate permissions), and Start data recalculation
Graphs
Graphs display historical DCI data as line, area, or bar charts. You can:
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Adjust the time range using the toolbar or by dragging on the time axis
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Zoom in on specific time periods
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Add multiple DCIs to a single graph for comparison
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Save graph configurations as predefined graphs for quick access
Dashboards
Dashboards are accessed from the Dashboards perspective or from links provided by your administrator. Click on a dashboard to open it in the working area.
Dashboards display a combination of elements configured by the administrator:
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Status indicators and alarm summaries
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Performance graphs and gauges
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Tables of collected values
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Network maps
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Custom HTML/web content
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Geographical maps
Network Maps
Network maps visualize the monitored infrastructure and its interconnections. Maps are accessed from the Maps perspective.
Objects on maps are color-coded by their current status. Links between objects show connection type and can display utilization metrics.
For more details on topology visualization, see Topology.
Context Menu Actions
Right-clicking on objects provides access to common operator actions. The exact set of menu items depends on the object type and your access rights.
Node Context Menu
Information about a node (alarms, collected values, performance graphs, inventory) is shown in view tabs when the node is selected — see Object View Tabs. The context menu provides actions. Many of these items are also available on other object types (sensors, collectors, racks, access points).
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
Upload file |
Upload a file from server to the node. Can be applied to multiple nodes simultaneously. |
Remote control |
Access the remote node via VNC. Shown only for nodes with VNC capability. |
Take screenshot |
Capture a screenshot from the remote machine (requires agent; currently Windows only). |
Execute script |
Open the NXSL script execution view to run scripts against this node. |
Poll |
Manually trigger a poll. See Poll Types for the available types. |
Topology maps |
Build ad-hoc topology maps: Layer 2, IP, or Internal Communication topology. |
Trace path |
Submenu for building a network map with the route between this node and another: , , and , plus Layer 2 path variants. |
Logs |
Access available logs for this node. |
MIB Explorer |
Browse SNMP MIB data (available only on SNMP-capable nodes). |
Change zone |
Change the zone assignment of the node. |
Manage / Unmanage |
Toggle managed state. When unmanaged, all child objects (interfaces, network services) are also unmanaged — metrics are not collected and no polls are scheduled. |
Tools |
Access object tools defined by the administrator (e.g., ping, traceroute, SSH terminal, custom commands). |
Poll Types
When selecting Poll from the node context menu, the following poll types are available:
| Poll Type | Description |
|---|---|
Status |
Determine the current status of the object (reachability check). |
Configuration |
Discover current configuration — interfaces, supported protocols, capabilities. By default also executes auto-bind scripts for templates and containers. |
Configuration (with reset) |
Same as Configuration poll but resets previously detected capabilities and detects them again. Can only be executed manually. Requires modify access rights on the object, while other poll types require only read access. |
Instance discovery |
Discover or update dynamic DCI instances (e.g., disk volumes, database instances). |
Interface |
Update interface names and related interface information. |
Network discovery |
Examine this node’s ARP and routing tables to discover new nodes. |
Topology |
Gather information about network link layer topology connections. |
Container and Subnet Context Menu
Some actions performed on containers or subnets are executed on all child nodes:
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Manage / Unmanage — applied to all nodes under the container or subnet
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Upload file… — uploads a file to all nodes that have an agent installed
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Tools — object tools are executed on each child node
The Alarms tab of a container or subnet shows alarms from all child nodes.
| If a container or subnet is deleted and is the only parent of a node, the node is also deleted. |
Perspectives
On the left side of the management console there are perspective selection buttons. Each perspective provides a different view of the system, tailored to a specific task.
A perspective contains one or multiple views. If there are multiple views, they are organized as a view stack with tab navigation. Some perspectives have a button in the upper right corner that opens a view with additional object information.
The switcher groups the perspective buttons into sections: Objects (Infrastructure, Network, Assets, Templates), Monitoring (Dashboards, Graphs, Maps, Alarms, Incidents), Business (Business Services, Reporting), Analysis (Logs, Monitor), and Administration (AI, Tools, Configuration), with the Pinboard at the bottom.
There are 17 perspectives in total, including the Pinboard described below (some may be hidden depending on your access rights and server configuration):
- Infrastructure
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Organize objects in a logical way, based on location, type, or function. This is your primary workspace.
- Network
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Objects organized by zone and network subnet (IP topology view).
- Assets
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Hierarchical structure of inventory assets; asset attributes are defined by your administrator.
- Templates
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Data collection and policy templates (primarily used by administrators).
- Dashboards
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High-level visual displays combining data from multiple sources to show network health at a glance.
- Graphs
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Saved graphs that display collected data from multiple objects.
- Maps
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Layer 2 topology, IP topology, OSPF, or custom network maps.
- Alarms
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System-wide alarm view for all objects.
- Incidents
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Trouble tickets (incidents) associated with objects, used to track investigation and resolution of problems.
- Business Services
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Availability monitoring of logical services (email, web site, server farm, call center, etc.).
- Reporting
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Report execution and rendering (communicates with a separate reporting process, e.g., Jasper).
- Logs
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Collective view of different logs (event log, audit log, syslog, SNMP trap log).
- Monitor
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Real-time display of events, traps, and log entries as they arrive.
- AI
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Views related to the server’s AI assistant, such as the log of AI observations.
- Tools
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Search and server management utilities (MAC address search, IP address search, etc.).
- Configuration
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Access to system configuration (primarily used by administrators).
Pinboard
The Pinboard perspective provides quick access to your favorite views. You can pin any view using the pin button in the view’s toolbar (F7); its drop-down lets you choose where the view is pinned — the Pinboard, or the left, right, or bottom edge of the window. Open the Pinboard perspective with F12. This allows you to build a personalized set of frequently accessed views for rapid navigation.
Searching for Objects
To search for objects across the whole system, open the Find Object view in the Tools perspective.
Three matching modes are available: plain text, pattern (with * and ? wildcards), and regular expression.
Search results show matching objects; right-click a result and select Go to object to navigate to it.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Common keyboard shortcuts in the management console:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl+F / Cmd+F |
Focus the filter field in the current view |
Ctrl+F2 / Cmd+F2 |
Show or hide the filter in the current view |
F5 |
Refresh current view |
F7 |
Pin current view |
F8 |
Pop out current view into a separate window |
Ctrl+W / Cmd+W |
Close current view |
F12 |
Open the Pinboard perspective |
Tips for Daily Use
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Start your day by checking the Alarms perspective for outstanding alarms
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Use the Object Browser filter to quickly find specific nodes
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Pin frequently accessed dashboards for quick access
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Use predefined graphs on the Performance Tab for quick node health checks
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Acknowledge alarms as you begin investigating them so other operators know the issue is being handled