PRESENCE OS
PRESENCE OS connects ZKTeco biometric terminals to a modern web dashboard, turning raw punches into attendance, shifts, payroll-ready reports and access control. Your data stays on your own server.
The Operational Challenge
Organizations operating physical facilities face recurring workforce friction when managing physical biometric hardware. Attendance logs remain trapped on terminal flash memory or require manual USB thumb-drive exports; proprietary desktop tools are limited to single offline machines; and complex rotational and overnight shifts are compiled manually in spreadsheets, leading to calculation discrepancies and overtime disputes.
Facilities needed a real-time, on-premise bridge between physical ZKTeco biometric terminals and an accessible operational web dashboard without transferring biometric records to multi-tenant cloud servers.
Manual extraction bottleneck: Attendance records remained on terminal storage until physically pulled via USB flash drives, delaying daily shift tracking.
Shift calculation errors: Rotational, overnight, and split shifts generated recurring formula mistakes around grace periods and overtime multipliers.
Zero frontline visibility: Employees had no self-service mechanism to verify recorded punches, check timesheet hours, or submit leave requests.
Strict data sovereignty mandates: Security policies required 100% on-premise data residency on company-owned PostgreSQL servers behind local firewalls.
CORE REQUIREMENTS & CONSTRAINTS
Autonomous on-premise operation over local network infrastructure, seamless compatibility with existing ZKTeco hardware, and uninterrupted punch capture during internet outages.
System Architecture
A multi-tier architecture separating high-throughput asynchronous hardware ingestion from transactional relational storage and responsive web clients.
Hardware Ingestion Gateway (ADMS Gateway & Port 4370)
Asynchronous FastAPI service daemon listening for real-time HTTP biometric push packets and socket events from ZKTeco devices.
On-Premise Relational Core
Normalized PostgreSQL 14+ database with automatic migrations, maintaining immutable punch records, employee rosters, and shift schedules.
Deterministic Rules Engine
Automated evaluation service that pairs IN/OUT punches, evaluates grace periods, and calculates standard and overtime hours.
Web Management Console
Browser dashboard providing live punch monitoring, department analytics, shift configuration, and scheduled CSV/PDF reporting.
Employee Self-Service (ESS)
Mobile-friendly browser portal allowing staff to inspect personal timesheets, punch timestamps, and submit digital leave requests.
What We Engineered
ADMS Biometric Push Protocol Ingestion
CAPABILITYReal-time hardware punch capture from ZKTeco biometric terminals over the ADMS (ICLOCK) protocol.
Replaces manual physical flash-drive extractions and batch polling delays.
Asynchronous Python 3.11 / FastAPI daemon handling continuous terminal connections via ADMS push endpoints and socket listener with an offline punch reconnect buffer.
On-Premise Relational PostgreSQL Database
CAPABILITYLocal storage and indexing of workforce attendance and access logs within customer server infrastructure.
Supports organizational data governance and privacy policies by keeping attendance records within company server custody.
Local PostgreSQL 14+ database with automatic schema migrations and encrypted credential storage via Windows DPAPI.
Rotational & Overnight Shift Calculation Engine
CAPABILITYConfigurable shift evaluation supporting rotational, overnight, split, and flex shifts with grace rules.
Reduces manual spreadsheet calculation errors, disputed grace minutes, and manual overtime adjustments through automated evaluation.
Deterministic calculation processor pairing punch sequences against shift definitions, computing early/late departures and overtime.
Role-Based Governance & Administrative Audit Trail
CAPABILITYGranular role permissions (Super Admin, Admin, HR, Finance, Employee) with an immutable audit log.
Prevents unauthorized punch alterations and provides accountability for administrative actions.
Session authentication coupled with database-level audit logs tracking every manual punch adjustment, shift override, and export.
Web-Based Employee Self-Service (ESS) Portal
CAPABILITYMobile-responsive browser portal for individual attendance inspection and leave requests.
Reduces administrative HR burden regarding timesheet inquiries.
Clean, responsive browser interface accessible from smartphones and desktop computers.
Cloud Licensing with Offline Grace Protection
CAPABILITYHybrid licensing model that validates subscription status while preserving local server autonomy.
Prevents operational stoppages during network and internet outages.
Cloud licensing heartbeat validation with an integrated local offline grace buffer.
Deployment Model & Design Goals & Outcomes
Single-server on-premise installation via a guided Windows installer package.
The installer deploys PostgreSQL, configures the FastAPI service daemon, binds the gateway listening ports, applies DPAPI encryption, and seeds initial system tables.
Validated across multi-terminal concurrent push loads, network disconnection simulations (offline terminal buffering and automatic sync on reconnect), and cross-midnight shift test suites.
Ongoing engineering of native PRESENCE Connect mobile companion application (iOS & Android) and optional, opt-in multi-branch cloud aggregation.
Ready to Build Your Project?
Tell us about your requirements and let's build something high-performance together.
ZKTeco is a registered trademark of its respective owner. PRESENCE OS is an independent software product and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by ZKTeco.