1.3 Structure of MultiProbe
System Overview
A MultiProbe monitoring system consists of the following elements:
- Location — the physical placement of equipment: country, city, room, rack, and position within the rack. Locations are organized in a hierarchy.
- Central Server (CS) — the primary server running the MultiProbe server-side software. Only one CS is permitted per system.
- Database Server — the server hosting the database. Can be combined with the CS or deployed separately.
- Monitoring Node (MN) — a server responsible for receiving and processing signals and streams. Can be combined with the CS.
- Automated Workstation (AWS) — a standard PC used to access MultiProbe remotely via a web browser.
Figure 3. Example of a MultiProbe monitoring system structure
Organizational Structure
To align MultiProbe with an organization's structure, the following tools are available:
- Location types and hierarchy — define a tree of locations where monitored objects are placed (e.g. countries, cities, districts)
- Departments — represent the company's organizational divisions
- User groups and users — implement role-based access control. Groups can be linked to locations and departments for granular permission management
- Features — assign GUI access permissions to specific user groups
By default, MultiProbe supports the following roles: Administrator, Engineer, Operator, Viewer, and User.
Central Server
The Central Server is responsible for:
- Executing core monitoring functions
- Serving the web-based user interface
- Acting as the primary database for configurations and monitoring data
- Managing user access rights
- Configuring and managing MultiProbe components
- Receiving and processing data from Monitoring Nodes
- Managing hardware resources
Monitoring Nodes
A Monitoring Node receives and processes data from monitoring objects. Data can be acquired from external devices (e.g. analyzers or measurement equipment), or directly through the server's own interfaces (Ethernet, HDMI) or installed interface cards (e.g. for MPEG TS via ASI).
MultiProbe supports flexible deployment — from a single all-in-one server to a large network of geographically distributed nodes.
Info
Components can be deployed on virtual machines. However, hardware interface cards and video encoder cards installed on physical servers will not be available in virtualized environments.
Adjacent Systems
MultiProbe integrates with external systems referred to as adjacent systems.
Figure 4. MultiProbe and adjacent systems
| Adjacent System | Description |
|---|---|
| Precise time server | Provides accurate time synchronization via NTP, managed at the OS level |
| Telegram messenger | Sends alarm notifications via Telegram bots using the Telegram API |
| Mail server | Sends alarm notifications via email using the SMTP protocol |
| Monitoring systems | Receives SNMP TRAP messages from MultiProbe, or queries MultiProbe via SNMP |
| Signal playback systems | Receives streams or visualizations exported from MultiProbe |
Software Architecture
MultiProbe has a modular architecture. Each software component runs as an operating system service and implements one or more MultiProbe services. Nodes can be specialized for specific tasks — for example, dedicated nodes for MPEG TS, OTT, or SDI monitoring — by selectively enabling the appropriate components.
Central Server Components
| Component (OS Service) | MultiProbe Service | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Stream Labs MP Backend Service | Stream Labs MP Backend Service | Core Central Server functions |
| Stream Labs MP Frontend Service | Stream Labs MP Frontend Service | Graphical user interface (GUI) |
| Stream Labs MP Database SQL Server ENU | Stream Labs MP Database SQL Server ENU | Database engine — install only one of the three database options |
| Stream Labs MP Database Standard | Stream Labs MP Database Standard | |
| Stream Labs MP Database Express | Stream Labs MP Database Express | |
| Stream Labs MP Database Agent Service | Stream Labs MP Database Agent Service | Data exchange between node and database |
| Stream Labs License Server | Stream Labs License Server | License monitoring and control |
Warning
During initial installation, Stream Labs MP Database SQL Server ENU must be installed. Only one database component should be active at a time.
Node Components
| Component (OS Service) | MultiProbe Service | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Stream Labs MP App Manager Service | Stream Labs MP App Manager Service | Manages all services within this component |
| Stream Labs MP Video Display | Controls visualization devices | |
| Stream Labs MP Audio Player | Manages audio playback | |
| Stream Labs MP DVBTuner | Controls compatible DVB tuners | |
| Stream Labs MP Remuxer | Transport Stream multiplexing | |
| Stream Labs MP Encoder | Video and audio compression for streaming | |
| Stream Labs MP Exporter | Data export functions | |
| Stream Labs MP Recorder | Signal recording functions | |
| Stream Labs MP Emailer Service | Stream Labs MP Emailer Service | Sends reports via email |
| Stream Labs MP Guard Service | Stream Labs MP Guard Service | Monitors system services and component versions |
| Stream Labs MP Media Signal Service | Stream Labs MP Media Signal Service | Decodes signals and collects measurements |
| Stream Labs MP OTT Probe Service | Stream Labs MP OTT Probe Service | Processes and analyzes HLS and MPEG-DASH streams |
| Stream Labs MP Probe Manager Service | Stream Labs MP Probe Manager Service | Manages and updates MultiProbe services on the node |
| Stream Labs MP Reporter Service | Stream Labs MP Reporter Service | Generates and exports alarm event reports |
| Stream Labs MP Script Probe Service | Stream Labs MP Script Probe Service | Executes custom monitoring scripts |
| Stream Labs MP Telegram Bot Service | Stream Labs MP Telegram Bot Service | Sends alarm notifications to Telegram |
| Stream Labs License Server | Stream Labs License Server | License monitoring and control |