Description

Quiet Confidence for Networked Shows

In a show environment, tiny network gremlins can become show-stoppers. PingGuard gives you swift status checks of all your critical hosts (consoles, media servers, QLab sessions, OSC devices, nodes etc), so you can go into next cue with quiet confidence. Be a calmer operator and do a safer show. Verify all hosts before doors, spot problems early, and get notified in time to fix things.

What’s Included

PingGuard Setup
Interactive setup + run. Enter IPv4s, set Timeout (ms) and Interval (ms) for the built-in double-check (two pings; UP if either succeeds). Shows a results popup with per-host status, and average latency. Inputs are saved per user basis (uservar) so different users on same session/network can get feedback from different hosts.

PingGuard Result
Re-runs your saved list/timings. Same results popup plus a concise latency log in the command line—no input dialog. Perfect for a fast startup safety check or a preshow checklist.

PingGuard Alert
Ultra-minimal alert guard with command line only feedback —either “All IPs are responding” or a list of hosts that are down.

PingGuard Alert Popup
Same as Alert, but if anything is down, a popup lists hosts that are down. No popup when all is well.

Setup

• Extract the Zip.
• Copy Plugin and Macro files onto a USB-stick according to MA3 folder structure.
• Open MA3 and import Plugin and Macros by opening an empty Plugin/Macro and press import.
• Start by running plugin PingGuard Setup, enter your settings and press run. Your settings will be saved and used by the other plugins in the PingGuard family.
• IPs: comma-separated IPv4s (e.g., 192.168.0.10, 192.168.0.20).
• Timeout (ms): max wait per attempt. Typical LAN: 1–5 ms.
• Interval (ms): gap between the two attempts per host. Helps ARP warm-up any sleepy radios; typical 250–1000 ms.
• Reading the popup: per host you get UP/DOWN, try1/try2, and average latency (Windows time<1ms normalized to ~0.5 ms).
• Interpreting behavior:
  • DOWN → A host is not responding, it might be down or the network might be to slow or some network equipment is on energy saving mode or blocking ping requests.
  • try1: DOWN, try2: UP → transient wake/ARP; bump Interval for stability.
  • Rising latency (e.g., 2 → 40 ms) → contention or load; investigate before show.

Auto-Run Macros (Alert & Alert Popup)

Each Alert tool ships with a macro that runs it on a recurring interval.

• To change how often it checks, edit the macro’s Wait time.
• Use Alert for a silent heartbeat in the background; use Alert Popup when you want an eyes-up warning if anything drops.

Compatibility & Notes

• V. 1.2 2025.10.30
• Tested on MA3 2.3.1.1. Hardware: Light, MA3 2k Node, Swisson nodes, Showtec nodes, OnPC Windows 11, OnPC OSX 15.7.1.
• Some devices/switches block or deprioritize pings; treat DOWN as a prompt to cross-check, not a verdict.
• The double-check + Interval mitigates false negatives but there can still be false negatives depending on network respond time or sleepy equipment.
• IPv4 only
• This is not a network speed test, Latency ≠ bandwidth; it’s a health pulse, not a load test.
• UI hiccup note: you may see a small temporary stutter in the graphical interface while the plugin runs; DMX output (physical or network) is not affected.
• Win 11 machines often blocks ping request depending on network properties and firewall settings.

Set Alert on a repeating macro, keep Result on your preshow checklist, and run Setup whenever the venue IP map changes. Low drama, high certainty.