Net Ctrl PC

Remote control of computers via MQTT Client + Server | Python 3 | Systemd | i18n

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Description

Net Ctrl PC is a system for centralized management of computers in a local network using an MQTT broker.

The system consists of two components:

• Server — receives commands from the administrator, sends them to clients, and waits for confirmations.
• Client — runs on workstations, accepts commands, and performs corresponding actions (poweroff, reboot, custom scripts, etc.).

Full localization support is implemented using gettext.

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Features

Server

• Sends commands to clients
• Receives status updates (received, executing, done, error)
• Logging with rotation
• Runs as a systemd service

Client

• Connects to MQTT broker
• Listens to its command topic
• Executes actions based on configuration:
  • poweroff
  • reboot
  • running bash scripts
  • custom commands
• Sends status back to the server
• Fully localized (uk/en)

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Installation

1. Clone the repository

    git clone https://github.com/yourname/net-ctrl-pc.git
    cd net-ctrl-pc

2. Install the Python package

    sudo python3 setup.py install

3. Create service user and directories

   sudo useradd -r -s /usr/bin/nologin -d /var/lib/netctrl -c "net-ctrl-pc user" netctrl

   sudo install -d -m 750 -o netctrl -g netctrl /var/log/net-ctrl-pc
   sudo install -d -m 750 -o netctrl -g netctrl /var/lib/net-ctrl-pc

4. Create configuration directory and copy config files

    sudo mkdir -p /etc/net-ctrl-pc  
    sudo cp configs/*.yaml /etc/net-ctrl-pc/

5. Install systemd service files and reload daemon

    sudo cp systemd/*.service /usr/lib/systemd/system/
    sudo systemctl daemon-reload

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Configuration

Examples of configuration files actions.yaml, client.yml, server.yaml, they need to be adjusted to your needs

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Localization

To create or update translation templates (.pot) and translation files (.po), use the localization scripts located in:

net_ctrl_pc/data/scripts/

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Running

Server

Run manually:

    python3 -m net_ctrl_pc.server

Or enable and start via systemd:

    sudo systemctl enable --now net-ctrl-pc-server

Client

Run manually:

    python3 -m net_ctrl_pc.client

Or enable and start via systemd:

    sudo systemctl enable --now net-ctrl-pc-client

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MQTT Command Testing

Send a command:

    mosquitto_pub -t "net-ctrl-pc/pc001/commands" -m '{"cmd": "poweroff"}'

Expected responses:

• received
• executing
• done

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License

MIT License