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Sharing and Embedding

sharing-embedding

NetCrunch allows for secure sharing of individual graphical views, enabling targeted visibility for specific users, departments, or external audiences. Sharing supports iframe embedding and HTTPS-based access, making it ideal for dashboards, executive summaries, and MSP-customer overviews.

Introduction

Sharing graphical views in NetCrunch enables focused, read-only visibility into parts of your infrastructure without exposing the entire system. Instead of giving users full access to the Web Console, you can share specific dashboards or maps, making them accessible only to the intended audience.

Use Cases for Shared Views

  • Internal teams – grant management, DevOps, or NOC staff a direct link to a tailored dashboard
  • Wall-mounted or kiosk displays – use auto-rotating dashboards to show service health in real time
  • MSPs (Managed Service Providers) – share each customer’s infrastructure status through an isolated dashboard or diagram
  • Customers or partners – provide a summary view of uptime or service metrics without exposing sensitive data

Sharing Methods

A shared view can be published in two ways:

  • Local Web Server Link – accessible within your network using the built-in web server
  • Connection Cloud Link (NetCrunch VPN) – securely shared over the internet using a https://ncconsole.net/rc/connect/... address

These links use secure HTTPS transport. Even for local access, we recommend using HTTPS with a proper or self-signed certificate. HTTP is discouraged and may be deprecated in future versions.

By isolating what's shared and how it’s accessed, NetCrunch ensures data security, performance isolation, and user simplicity—no full console is required.

How Sharing Works

Shared views in NetCrunch use a restricted console-like interface designed solely for viewing. It provides a lightweight, secure way to present dashboards or diagrams without exposing the full system.

Unlike full Web Console access, shared views:

  • Do not allow navigation beyond the assigned views
  • Do not expose management features or node-level controls
  • Are designed to be read-only and safe for public or semi-public access

What the User Sees

When a user opens a shared view link:

  • A pulsing "LIVE" indicator appears in the top-left corner, confirming the view is up-to-date
  • A dropdown selector shows all views currently assigned to that link, allowing instant switching between them
  • Tooltips, charts, and details work normally, but no configuration or actions are available

This interface behaves like a minimal console, focused on visual clarity and simplicity. It's ideal for management, customers, or external stakeholders who need insights, not tools.

Behind the Scenes

NetCrunch handles shared views by automatically creating a dedicated "sharing user". This user:

  • Cannot log in to the standard Web Console or Desktop Console
  • Only sees the views assigned through sharing
  • Reflects changes in real-time (view edits, additions, or removals)

If you assign additional views to an existing link, they become instantly available in the dropdown—there is no need to redistribute URLs. This makes sharing maintainable and scalable.

Link Access

A shared link can be:

  • Local – if using your internal NetCrunch web server
  • Remote (Internet) – via NetCrunch Connection Cloud
  • Password-protected – optional
  • Set to expire – define how long the link remains active

This combination ensures that shared access can be temporary, restricted, or public, depending on your needs.

Unlike the restricted Web Console (which still loads authentication, user profiles, and management modules), the sharing console is ultra-lightweight and contains only the essentials for view rendering.

  • There are no background services, no configuration APIs, and no sensitive UI elements
  • This makes it harder to attack, easier to cache, and far more efficient for remote or large-scale deployments (e.g., MSP dashboards, NOC wall views)

Sharing Options

To share a graphical view in NetCrunch, click the Share button at the view's top-left corner. This opens a guided sharing wizard where you configure who can access the view, under what conditions, and how.

Step 1: Choose or Create a Sharing User

  • You can share the view with an existing sharing user or create a new one.
  • Start typing an email address or click the dropdown arrow to see existing entries (typeahead support).
  • Each sharing user is read-only and restricted to assigned views only.

Step 2: Configure Access Options

When creating a new user, you can decide:

  • Whether a password is required to access the shared view
  • Whether the view can be embedded in an external page using an iframe

These options affect how and where the view can be accessed. We recommend setting a password for sensitive dashboards and avoiding embedding unless required.

Step 3: Set Expiration and Navigation

  • Define an expiration date for the shared link, if needed
  • Decide whether to share linked views

Sharing linked views enables navigation between views, creating a portal-like experience using buttons or clickable widgets.

Step 4: Copy Access Link

NetCrunch generates two links for you:

  • Local Access Link – works within your internal web server (e.g., http://yourserver/view)
  • Internet Access Link – uses the secure Connection Cloud URL (e.g., https://ncconsole.net/rc/connect/...)

You can copy and send the link manually. NetCrunch never sends links automatically to the user.

If using password protection, we recommend sharing the password via a separate channel from the link (e.g., email and text message).

These steps ensure that you maintain complete control over who sees what, for how long, and under what conditions—all while keeping sharing secure and self-managed.

Embedding a View

NetCrunch allows shared views to be embedded into other websites, portals, or dashboards using an HTML <iframe>. This makes it easy to present live dashboards on intranets, customer portals, or wall-mounted displays.

How to Embed

You can copy the generated code snippet after enabling the "Allow embedding" option during sharing.

Server Restriction

When enabling embedding, you can optionally restrict which server or domain can embed the view. By default, the field accepts * to allow embedding from any origin.

You can enter a specific hostname (e.g., intranet.company.com) to restrict where the view is displayed. This helps reduce the risk of unintended exposure.

Security Requirements

Embedding requires proper configuration of the embedding site’s Content Security Policy (CSP). The CSP must include the NetCrunch sharing domain under frame-src or child-src.

For example:

Content-Security-Policy: frame-src https://ncconsole.net;

Additional notes:

  • Avoid using http://—browsers may block insecure content from being embedded in secure (https://) pages
  • Even a self-signed HTTPS certificate is acceptable for internal use
  • NetCrunch plans to deprecate HTTP-based sharing entirely

Embedding Use Cases

  • Displaying internal dashboards in intranet portals
  • Creating customer-facing panels for service visibility
  • Rotating wallboard displays for NOC rooms or operation centers
  • Embedding multi-view dashboards using links between views

Behavior of Embedded Views

  • Views are fully live, read-only, and theme-sensitive
  • No navigation or toolbar is displayed unless linked views are enabled
  • The view auto-scales to the iframe size and supports a responsive layout
  • Additional views assigned to the same sharing user appear in the dropdown

Embedding is a secure and efficient way to deliver targeted insight from NetCrunch without exposing system internals or requiring user authentication.

Managing Shared Views

NetCrunch provides users and administrators with tools to manage access to shared resources effectively while keeping control centralized and secure.

Removing Shared Views

To revoke access to a shared view:

  • Open the view in the Web Console
  • Click the Share button
  • In the "Shared by me" tab, open the context menu next to the shared user
  • Select Unshare

This will immediately remove the view from the user's dropdown menu and deactivate the link. The view is no longer accessible without deleting the sharing user entirely.

Note: NetCrunch does not allow editing shared user settings after creation. To change access (e.g., password, expiration, or embedding), you must remove the user and recreate it with the new settings.

Administrator View of Shared Users

Administrators can view the full list of shared users via:

Users & Access Rights Manager → Sharing

This panel shows:

  • The list of shared view users
  • Creator identity (Admin or named user)
  • Sharing method (with or without password)
  • Number of views shared

However, this view does not allow editing—it’s for visibility and audit only. Modifications still need to be made directly from individual views.

Auditing Shared Activity

NetCrunch logs all sharing-related operations in the Activity Log tile ApplicationsServer

You can track:

  • When a shared view was added
  • Who added it
  • Login/logout events of shared view users
  • IP addresses accessing shared links

This provides administrators and security teams full visibility into the shared access lifecycle, including configuration changes and usage.

NetCrunch balances ease of sharing with clear boundaries: complete administrative control stays with the owner, while shared views remain lightweight and safe for external use.

Linking Between Views

One of the most powerful ways to enhance shared views is by linking them. NetCrunch allows you to create navigation between graphical views, turning individual dashboards into a complete, self-contained monitoring portal.

Why Link Views?

Shared links are great for single dashboards—but sometimes you want more:

  • A home view that leads to detailed service dashboards
  • A network map that links to per-site or per-customer views
  • A high-level summary that drills into component-level diagnostics

By linking views, you allow users to move freely between views, without ever seeing the full NetCrunch interface.

How It Works

When sharing a view, you can enable the option “Include linked views.” This means:

  • The user can also access any linked graphical view
  • The links behave like navigation buttons or portals inside the shared interface
  • Linked views appear automatically in the top dropdown menu

All transitions between views happen within the shared viewer. The user does not need a new link or reauthentication.

Linking is not just a design convenience—it’s a way to deliver structured navigation to users who shouldn’t see the entire system.

Creating Navigation

To create links between views:

  • Add a shape, icon, or label to the graphical view
  • Use the action menu to assign a navigation action (e.g., Go to View)
  • Select the target graphical view from the list

This allows you to design clickable dashboards, just like a web application.

Example Use Cases

  • A managed service provider (MSP) creates a shared home view with tiles linking to each customer's service dashboard
  • An enterprise displays a wallboard with the option to zoom into specific departments
  • An admin team builds a diagnostic dashboard with links to alert zones, charts, and node detail views

By combining links and embedding, you can deliver full navigable monitoring experiences to users without requiring logins or console access.

Viewer Experience

When someone opens a shared view—whether directly through a link or embedded on a webpage—they are presented with a simplified, focused interface that loads instantly and updates in real time.

What the Viewer Sees

  • A pulsing “LIVE” indicator in the top-left corner confirms real-time updates are active
  • A dropdown menu displays all available shared views assigned to that user
  • The selected view is shown exactly as designed, including themes, scaling, and widget behavior
  • Tooltips show detailed information (e.g., sensor values, trend previews), just like in the full console

If linked views are enabled, users can navigate between them using view links or from the dropdown selector—no reloads, re-logins, or new URLs required.

Theme & Responsiveness

  • Shared views automatically respect the viewer’s light or dark theme (or apply the view’s fixed theme if configured)
  • Dashboards scale to fit the container, whether opened standalone or in an iframe
  • Panels can auto-zoom to content, ensuring optimal visibility on large displays or mobile screens

What’s Not Available

Shared view users cannot: - Access the full console - Perform any configuration or actions - View node lists or edit views - Access login-based features (sessions, roles, settings)

This ensures the view remains secure, read-only, and safe to expose to public or limited-audience environments.

Designed for Clarity

Whether embedding a live KPI display in a customer portal or rotating dashboards on a wall monitor, the shared view interface provides a focused, elegant way to share NetCrunch insight without complexity.