A Monitoring System for Laboratory Workstations

Sammanfattning

University computer laboratories rely on a large number of shared workstationsthat must remain operational and available to students. However, hardware-relatedincidents, such as component theft, unexpected shutdowns, and network disconnections, can be difficult to detect using IT monitoring solutions. The proposedmonitoring system was implemented as a centralised client-server architecture consisting of lightweight monitoring clients, a central server, a persistent database, and a graphical user interface for administrative oversight. The system combines heartbeatmonitoring, hardware validation, chassis intrusion detection, and automated recovery mechanisms to provide centralised situational awareness and alarm handling.The system was evaluated through passive testing and active threat simulationsperformed on laboratory computers at Chalmers University of Technology. Theevaluation demonstrated successful detection of simulated tampering events, stableheartbeat communication, low resource utilization, and reliable alarm handling withminimal interference with normal laboratory usage. Although the system remainsa proof of concept prototype, the project demonstrates that event-driven hardwaremonitoring can provide an effective foundation for improving hardware security andoperational awareness in shared university computer laboratory environments.