Open Light's web-based monitoring service is called Flightdeck-UI Online. It can be used to keep track of servers, networks, industrial processes or any other data. Flightdeck-UI is open source -- feel free to download the source code. Here is a brief list of capabilities offered by the service.

Any command that a system administrator uses manually can be automatically issued by Flightdeck-UI Online, and the results graphically displayed using analog-style instruments.
Flightdeck-UI Online can query multiple — even unrelated — servers, devices or networks simultaneously, and summarize the results in a single control panel.
The service's plugin architecture allows new sources of data to be included for monitoring.
Several distinct instruments can be used to show multiple views of the same query.
Most common network protocols can be readily used by Flightdeck-UI Online.

Flightdeck-UI Online employs many user interface ideas from aircraft control and instrument design. The goal for modeling a monitoring system after an airplane cockpit is to provide the operator with a greater degree of awareness, thus reducing errors. The following list explains this further.

Aircraft operation is a difficult activity, complicated by factors such as fatigue and optical illusions. Thus, user interfaces that work well in aviation could be adapted for less demanding tasks, with an even greater safety margin.
Pilots tend to make few mistakes operating an airplane. Even a poor pilot will fly successfully for many hours before an accident occurs.
Aviation accidents are thoroughly investigated, producing a wealth of data that can be used to guide system design. In contrast, errors made by computer users — even very serious ones — do not receive the same level of attention.

The Flightdeck-UI whitepaper was published as part of the 2003 Python Conference in Washington, DC. You can also view the presentation slides from the conference talk. Although the whitepaper describes an earlier release of Flightdeck-UI, it thoroughly discusses the central ideas on which the current version is also based.

In addition, there is a Flightdeck-UI whitepaper specifically on monitoring. It analyzes the rationale behind the Flightdeck-UI's architecture, particularly its user interface aspects. The paper was originally written to describe an earlier version of Flightdeck-UI. The plug-in module architecture mentioned in the whitepaper has been carried over to Flightdeck-UI Online web-based monitoring service, and further enhanced to support full-screen control panels.

Finally, the Project LongJump whitepaper describes an architecture for secure Internet and wireless services. The concepts covered in this whitepaper were used in the design of the Flightdeck-UI Online monitoring service.

Visualization

LinuxWorld
Speaker Icon Learn how how to graphically show complex data in your web application. This information was orginally presented at LinuxWorld San Francisco 2006.

Success Story

Success
Story Carmanah Lights the Way with Python. The story covers the use of Python in an embedded development environment.

Awards

A series of articles on C++ memory management made the publisher's best of 2003 list.

Invited Talks

Seneca College Free and Open Source Symposium. Note that Seneca is Canada's largest college, with over 100,000 students.

Seneca College Speaker Series (scroll down to the topic Python - Capture the Trend).

Open Light Software Inc.

Visualization

Success Story

Awards

Invited Talks