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Requirements

What the collector machine, your network and your devices need.

The collector machine
Windows 64-bit Windows 10, Windows 11, or Windows Server 2016 and later
Linux 64-bit Linux on x86-64 or ARM64; the install script uses systemd
Resources Small. With the 13-device simulated network, the collector used about 35 MB of memory on our test machine. Plan generously for larger networks while the preview gathers real-world numbers.
Disk The program is about 18 MB. Data grows with monitoring history (90 days of hourly values by default).
Always on Lantern only sees what it polls, so run it on a machine that stays on: a small VM, a server, or a dedicated mini PC.

There is nothing else to install: the collector is one self-contained program with the web UI built in.

Network access

  • The collector must reach every device's management address on UDP 161 (SNMP).
  • For syslog, devices send to the collector on UDP 514. Allow it in the collector's firewall.
  • People reach the web UI on the port you choose. For anything beyond the collector machine itself, serve it over HTTPS (see Serve Lantern over HTTPS).
  • Cloud sign-in needs outbound HTTPS from the collector to your identity provider.

Your devices

  • SNMP v3 with authentication and privacy is recommended (SHA or SHA-2 authentication, AES privacy); SNMP v2c works too. Use a read-only view, and an ACL that allows only the collector.
  • LLDP (or CDP on Cisco) enabled on switches, so Lantern can draw links between them.
  • Syslog to the collector. Lantern runs without it, but MAC flaps and links coming up arrive only by syslog, and they are what confirm a loop and find where it started. Without syslog, Lantern can only show possible loops.

Lantern reads standard MIBs, so most managed switches, routers and firewalls work. It understands vendor details for Cisco, HPE Aruba (ProCurve/AOS-S, CX and Comware), Juniper, Fortinet and Ubiquiti UniFi. Validation against real equipment is ongoing during the preview; tell us about devices that do not map well.

See Configure the collector for credentials and a Cisco example.

Browsers

Any current version of Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari. The UI works down to laptop screens and at 200% zoom, in dark and light themes.