EndPoint Sentinel - User Guide & Documentation

Getting Started

What is EndPoint Sentinel?

EndPoint Sentinel is a professional web application that helps you monitor the availability and performance of your websites, servers, and online services.

Website Monitoring

Monitor HTTP/HTTPS websites for availability and response times

Server Monitoring

Check TCP ports, ping servers, and monitor SSL certificates

Instant Alerts

Get email notifications when services go down or recover

Performance Analytics

Track uptime statistics and response time trends

System Requirements

Important: Make sure your server meets these requirements before installation.

Server Requirements

PHP 7.4 or newer
MySQL 5.7+ or MariaDB 10.2+
Apache 2.4+ or Nginx 1.16+
50MB disk space minimum
128MB memory minimum

PHP Extensions Required

cURL (for HTTP monitoring)
PDO (database connection)
OpenSSL (SSL certificate checks)
JSON (data processing)
Cron jobs (automated monitoring)

Installation Process

Follow these simple steps to install EndPoint Sentinel on your server:

Upload Files

Extract the ZIP file and upload all contents to your web server directory (e.g., public_html, www, or htdocs).

Tip: Use FTP, SFTP, or your hosting control panel's file manager.

Run Installation

Open your web browser and navigate to:

http://yourdomain.com/install.php

The installer will guide you through the setup process.

Database Configuration

Enter your database details when prompted:

Database Host: Usually "localhost"
Database Name: Your MySQL database name
Username & Password: Database credentials

Create Admin Account

Set up your administrator account with a strong password.

Security: Use a strong password with letters, numbers, and symbols.

Setup Cron Job

Add this cron job to enable automatic monitoring:

* * * * * cd /path/to/your/site && php cron.php

This runs monitoring checks every minute.

User Guide

First Login

After installation, access your EndPoint Sentinel at:

http://yourdomain.com/login.php

Use the administrator credentials you created during installation.

Default Login: Use the username and password you set during installation.

Dashboard Overview

The main dashboard provides a complete overview of your monitoring setup:

Statistics Panel

Total monitors count
Online/Offline status
Overall uptime percentage
Average response time

Monitors List

Service names and URLs
Current status indicators
Last check timestamp
Quick action buttons

Adding New Monitors

To start monitoring a new service, click the "Add New Monitor" button and fill out the form:

Monitor Configuration Fields

Basic Information

Endpoint Name *: A friendly name to identify the monitoring endpoint (e.g., "Main Website", "Server Ping", "SSL Check")

Target URL/IP/Domain *: URL, IP address, or domain name to monitor (e.g., https://example.com, 192.168.1.1, example.com)

Monitor Type *: Choose monitoring method:

🌐 HTTP Website - Monitor web applications
🔒 HTTPS Website - Monitor secure websites
📡 IP Ping - Basic network connectivity
🔌 TCP Port - Check specific service ports

Enable Monitoring: Check to start monitoring immediately, or uncheck to add endpoint without starting monitoring

Common Settings

Check Interval: How often to perform checks:

1 minute - High frequency monitoring
5 minutes - Default balanced interval
10 minutes - Standard monitoring
30 minutes - Low frequency monitoring
1 hour - Minimal monitoring

Timeout (seconds): Maximum time to wait for response (5-120 seconds, default: 30)

HTTP/HTTPS Monitoring Options

HTTP Method: Request method to use:

GET - Full page request (default)
HEAD - Headers only (faster)
POST - Send data to endpoint

Expected HTTP Code: Expected response status code (100-599, default: 200)

SSL Certificate Monitoring: Also monitor SSL certificate expiration and validity

SSL Certificate Monitoring Options

Warning Days Before Expiry: Alert when certificate expires within this many days (1-365, default: 30)

Ping Monitoring Options

Number of Packets: Packets to send per check:

1 packet - Quick check
4 packets - Standard (default)
8 packets - More accurate
10 packets - High precision

TCP Port Monitoring Options

Port Number *: TCP port number to check (1-65535, e.g., 80, 443, 22, 3306)

Best Practice: Start with a 5-minute check interval and adjust based on your needs.

Types of Monitoring

HTTP/HTTPS Monitoring

Best for: Websites, web applications, APIs

What it checks:

Website accessibility
Response time
HTTP status codes
Page content verification
SSL certificate validity

Example: https://www.yoursite.com

TCP Port Monitoring

Best for: Email servers, databases, FTP, SSH

Common ports:

22 - SSH
80 - HTTP
443 - HTTPS
3306 - MySQL
21 - FTP

Example: 192.168.1.100:3306

Ping Monitoring

Best for: Basic connectivity testing

What it checks:

Network connectivity
Response time (latency)
Packet loss

Example: 8.8.8.8 (Google DNS)

SSL Certificate Monitoring

Best for: HTTPS websites and secure services

What it monitors:

Certificate expiration date
Certificate validity
Chain verification

Get alerts before certificates expire!

Email Notifications Setup

Configure email alerts to stay informed about your services status:

Email Settings (in Settings > Email Configuration)

SMTP Host: Your email server address (e.g., smtp.gmail.com)

SMTP Port: Email server port (587 for TLS, 465 for SSL, 25 for standard)

Username: Your email account username

Password: Your email account password (or app password)

From Email: The sender email address for notifications

From Name: The sender name (e.g., "EndPoint Sentinel")

To Email: Your email address to receive notifications

Encryption: Choose TLS, SSL, or None

When You'll Get Notifications

Service goes offline
Service comes back online
SSL certificate expires soon
Response time threshold exceeded

Popular SMTP Settings

Gmail: smtp.gmail.com:587 (TLS)

Outlook: smtp.live.com:587 (TLS)

Yahoo: smtp.mail.yahoo.com:587 (TLS)

System Settings

Access the Settings panel to configure your EndPoint Sentinel:

General Settings

Site Title: Name displayed in the interface

Timezone: Your local timezone for accurate timestamps

Date Format: How dates are displayed

Records per Page: Number of items shown in lists

Monitoring Settings

Default Check Interval: Standard monitoring frequency

Default Timeout: Maximum wait time for responses

Log Retention: How long to keep monitoring logs

SSL Warning Days: Days before certificate expiry to alert

Advanced Features

API Usage

EndPoint Sentinel includes a REST API for integration with other systems:

API Key Setup

Go to Settings > API Settings
Click "Generate API Key"
Copy and save your API key securely
Use the key in the X-API-Key header

Common API Endpoints

                                    GET /api.php?action=list_monitors
                                    GET /api.php?action=monitor_status&id=1
                                    POST /api.php?action=add_monitor
                                    PUT /api.php?action=update_monitor&id=1
                                    DELETE /api.php?action=delete_monitor&id=1
                                

Example Usage

                                    curl -H "X-API-Key: your-api-key" \
                                         -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
                                         http://yoursite.com/api.php?action=list_monitors
                                

System Maintenance

Keep your EndPoint Sentinel running smoothly with regular maintenance:

Daily Tasks

Check dashboard for alerts
Review failed monitors
Verify cron job is running

Weekly Tasks

Clean old logs (via Settings)
Update monitor configurations
Test email notifications

Monthly Tasks

Database optimization
Backup configuration
Review monitoring strategy

Troubleshooting & Help

Common Issues & Solutions

Cause: Cron job not set up or not running properly.

Solution:

Check if cron job is configured: crontab -l
Add the cron job: * * * * * cd /path/to/uptime && php cron.php
Check cron logs: tail -f /var/log/cron
Test manually: php cron.php

Common causes and solutions:

Wrong SMTP settings: Verify host, port, and credentials
Gmail/Google: Use App Passwords instead of regular password
Firewall: Ensure SMTP ports (587, 465) are open
Test email: Use Settings > Test Email to verify configuration

Tip: Check your server's error logs for detailed email failure reasons.

Solutions:

Increase timeout: Set timeout to 15-30 seconds for slow sites
Check expected HTTP code: Some sites return 301/302 instead of 200
Remove keyword check: If using keyword monitoring, ensure the text exists
Check server resources: Low memory/CPU can cause timeouts
Test manually: Use the "Test Now" button on individual monitors

Check these settings:

Database credentials in config/database.php
Database server is running: service mysql status
Database exists and user has permissions
Host is correct (usually 'localhost')

                                            # Test database connection
                                            mysql -h localhost -u username -p database_name
                                        

Requirements for SSL monitoring:

OpenSSL PHP extension must be enabled
Server must have internet access to the target site
Port 443 must be accessible
Enable "SSL Certificate Check" in monitor settings

                                            # Test SSL manually
                                            openssl s_client -connect example.com:443 -servername example.com
                                        

Getting Additional Help

Documentation Files

Check the /docs/ folder for detailed guides:

installation-guide.md
troubleshooting-guide.md
api-documentation.md
admin-guide.md

Contact & Support

Need Help? Contact the Developer

Developer

Paweł Kłopotowski

Full-Stack Developer & System Administrator

Email Support

webmaster@pklopotowski.pl

Response time: 24-48 hours

What to Include in Your Support Request

Detailed description of the issue
Steps to reproduce the problem
Your server environment (PHP, MySQL versions)

Screenshots if applicable
Error messages from logs
Your license/purchase information

Support Includes

Installation assistance
Configuration help
Bug fixes
Feature explanations
Troubleshooting guidance

Quick Links

Back to Application

EndPoint Sentinel User Guide

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