diff --git a/defaults/main.yaml b/defaults/main.yaml
index 9126ac3..a2aa348 100644
--- a/defaults/main.yaml
+++ b/defaults/main.yaml
@@ -56,4 +56,5 @@ secure_api: false
 push_redis: true
 run_background : true
 log_output: true
+update_frequency: "1"
 ...
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/files/api/Components.py b/files/api/Components.py
index 8783d7b..98c35f4 100644
--- a/files/api/Components.py
+++ b/files/api/Components.py
@@ -1,223 +1,255 @@
 # this class file is for the cosmostat service
 import subprocess
-from LinkedList import *
+import json
+from typing import Dict, Any, List
 
+# Global Class Vars
 global_max_length = 500
+debug_output = False
+
+# import the component descriptor 
+# this outlines how the component class works
+# each type of component has a "type"
+try:
+    with open("component_descriptors.json", encoding="utf-8") as f:
+        component_class_tree: List[Dict] = json.load(f)
+except FileNotFoundError as exc:
+    raise RuntimeError("Descriptor file not found") from exc
+
+component_types = [{"name": entry["name"], "multi_check": entry["multi_check"] == "True"} for entry in component_class_tree]
 
 class Component:
-    ##########################################################################################
-    # Base class for all system components. All instantiated objects need a child class
-    # Class data:
-    ### name - name of the type of component, declared in the parent class
-    ### status
-    ### model_string - string with device info, declared in parent class
-    ### metric_name - name of the value being measured
-    ### current_value
-    ### historical_data - This will be a linked list used to generate a json when calling get_historical_data
-    ### for this to work, the function using these classes needs to update the values periodically
-    ####   historical_data = [
-    ####       {
-    ####           "timestamp": timestamp, # seconds since epoch
-    ####           "value": value
-    ####       },
-    ####       {
-    ####           "timestamp": timestamp,
-    ####           "value": value
-    ####       }
-    ####   ]
 
-    def __init__(self, name: str, model_string: str = None):
-        # fail instantiation if critical data is missing
-        if self.model_string is None:
-            raise TypeError("Error - missing component model_string") 
-        if self.metric_name is None:
-            raise TypeError("Error - missing component metric_name") 
-        if self.metric_value_command is None:
-            raise TypeError("Error - missing component metric_value_command") 
-        if self.type is None:
-            raise TypeError("Error - missing component type") 
-        if self.has_temp is None:
-            raise TypeError("Error - missing temp data check") 
-
-        # set up history list
-        self.history_max_length = global_max_length
-        self.historical_data = ValueHistory(self.history_max_length)
-        self.history_start = self.historical_data.get_first_timestamp()
-        self.update_value()
-        if self.current_value is None:
-            raise TypeError("Error - failed to read value") 
-
-        # if temp data exists, handle it     
-        if self.has_temp:
-            self.temp_history_data = ValueHistory(self.history_max_length)
-            self.temp_history_start = self.temp_history_data.get_first_timestamp()
-            self.current_temp = self.temp_history_data.get_current_value()
-        else:
-            self.temp_history_data = None
-
-        # instantiate other shared class variables
+    def __init__(self, name: str, comp_type: str ):
         self.name = name
-        self.current_value = self.historical_data.get_current_value()   
-        if self.has_temp:
-            self.current_temp = self.temp_history_data.get_current_value()
-        else:
-            self.current_temp = None
-        self.comment = f"This is a {self.type}, so we are measuring {self.metric_name}, currently at {self.current_value}"
-
-        # if nothing failed, the object is ready
-        self.status = "ready"
+        self.type = comp_type
+        for component in component_class_tree:
+            if component["name"] == self.type:
+                COMPONENT_DESCRIPTORS = component
+        # Load component type descriptor from class tree
+        # COMPONENT_DESCRIPTORS = {d['type']: d for d in component_class_tree}
+        descriptor = COMPONENT_DESCRIPTORS
+        self._descriptor = descriptor
+        if descriptor is None:
+            raise ValueError(
+                f"Component type '{comp_type}' is not defined in the "
+                f"component descriptor tree."
+            )
+        # store static properties
+        self.multi_check = self.is_multi()
+        self._properties: Dict[str, str] = {}
+        for key, command in descriptor.get('properties', {}).items():
+            self._properties[key] = run_command(command, True)
+        # build the description string
+        self._description_template: str | None = descriptor.get("description")
+        self.description = self._description_template.format(**self._properties)
+        # initialize metrics
+        self._metrics: Dict[str, str] = {}
+        self.update_metrics()
         
     def __str__(self):
-        return (f"{self.__class__.__name__}: {self.name} "
-                f"{self.model_string}")
-    
-    def __del__(self):
-        print(f"Deleting {self.type} component - {self.model_string}")
+        self_string = (f"Component name: {self.name}, type: {self.type} - "
+                f"{self.description}")
+        return self_string
+        
+    def __repr__(self):
+        self_string = (f"Component name: {self.name}, type {self.type} - "
+                f"{self.description}")
+        return self_string
 
-    def get_info_key(self):
+    def update_metrics(self):
+        for key, command in self._descriptor.get('metrics', {}).items():
+            self._metrics[key] = run_command(command, True)
+
+    # complex data type return
+    def get_metrics(self, type = None):
+        these_metrics = []
+        if type == None:
+            for name, value in self._metrics:
+                these_metrics.append({"name": name, "value": value})
+        else:
+            for name, value in self._metrics:
+                if name == type: 
+                    these_metrics.append({"name": name, "value": value})
         result = {
             "name": self.name,
             "type": self.type,
-            "model_string": self.model_string,
-            "metric_name": self.metric_name
+            "metrics": these_metrics
         }
         return result
     
-    def get_summary_key(self):
+    # complex data type return
+    def get_properties(self, type = None):
+        these_properties = []
+        if type == None:
+            for name, value in self._properties.items():
+                these_properties.append({"name": name, "value": value})
+        else:
+            for name, value in self._properties.items():
+                if name == type: 
+                    these_properties.append({"name": name, "value": value})
         result = {
+            "name": self.name,
             "type": self.type,
-            "current_value": self.current_value,
-            "metric_name": self.metric_name,
-            "model_string": self.model_string
+            "properties": these_properties
         }
         return result
     
-    def update_value(self):
-        #try:
-        self.current_value = run_command(self.metric_value_command, True)
-        self.historical_data.add(self.current_value)
-        #except:
-    
-    def update_temp_value(self):
-        if has_temp:
-            #try:
-            self.current_temp = run_command(self.temp_value_command, True)
-            self.temp_history_data.add(self.current_value)
-            #except: 
-        else:
-            return None
+    # this gets the value of a specified property, type required
+    def get_property(self, type):
+        return self._properties[type]
 
-
-    def get_history(self, count: int = global_max_length):
-        if self.has_temp:
-            result = {
-                "value_metric": self.metric_name,
-                "history_count": count,
-                "history_data": self.historical_data.get_history(count),  # reminder this is a LinkedList get_history
-                "history_temp_data": self.temp_history_data.get_history(count)
-            }
-        else:
-            result = {
-                "value_metric": self.metric_name,
-                "history_count": count,
-                "history_data": self.historical_data.get_history(count) # same reminder here
-            }
+    # returns array of dicts for redis
+    def get_metrics_keys(self):
+        result = []
+        for name, value in self._metrics.items():
+            this_metric = {
+                "name": self.name,
+                "type": name,
+                "metric": value
+            }  
+            result.append(this_metric)
         return result
+
+    def get_properties_keys(self):
+        result = []
+        for name, value in self._properties.items():
+            this_property = {
+                "name": self.name,
+                "property": name,
+                "value": value
+            }  
+            result.append(this_property)
+        return result
+
+    # full data return
+    def get_description(self):
+        these_properties = []
+        for name, value in self._metrics.items():
+            these_properties.append({"name": name, "value": value})
+        these_metrics = []
+        for name, value in self._metrics.items():
+            these_metrics.append({"name": name, "value": value})
+        result = {
+            "name": self.name,
+            "type": self.type,
+            "properties": these_properties,
+            "metrics": these_metrics
+        }
+        return result
+
+    def is_multi(self):
+        for component_type in component_types:
+            if self.type == component_type["name"]:
+                return component_type["multi_check"]
+        return False
+
     
-############################################################
-# Component Class Types
-# There needs to be one of these for each monitored thing
-############################################################
-# Need to add:
-### temperatures 
-### network + VPN
-### storage + ZFS
-### video cards
-### virtual machines
-
-# CPU component class.
-class CPU(Component):
-    
-    def __init__(self, name: str, is_virtual: bool = False):
-        # Declare component type
-        self.type = "CPU"
-        # deal with temp later
-        self.has_temp = False
-        # no temp if VM
-        #self.has_temp = not is_virtual
-        #self.temp_value_command = "acpi -V | jc --acpi -p | jq '.[] | select(.type==\"Thermal\") | .temperature '"
-        self.model_string = self.get_model_string()
-        
-        # Initialize value
-        self.metric_name = "1m_load"
-        self.metric_value_command = "cat /proc/loadavg | awk '{print $1}'"
-        self.current_value = run_command(self.metric_value_command, True)
-
-        # Complete instantiation
-        super().__init__(name, self.model_string)
-
-    def get_model_string(self):
-        # Get CPU Info
-        model_string_command = "lscpu --json | jq -r '.lscpu[] | select(.field==\"Model name:\") | .data'"
-        return run_command(model_string_command, True)
-
-# RAM component class.
-class RAM(Component):    
-
-    def __init__(self, name: str):
-        # Declare component type
-        self.type = "RAM"
-        self.has_temp = False
-        self.model_string = self.get_model_string()
-
-        # Initialize Value
-        self.metric_name = "used_capacity_mb"
-        self.metric_value_command = "free -m | grep Mem | awk '{print $3}'"
-        self.current_value = run_command(self.metric_value_command, True)
-
-        # Complete instantiation
-        super().__init__(name, self.model_string)
-
-    def get_model_string(self):
-        # Check total system RAM
-        bytes_total_command = "sudo lshw -json -c memory | jq -r '.[] | select(.description==\"System Memory\").size' "
-        bytes_total = float(run_command(bytes_total_command, True))
-        gb_total = round(bytes_total / 1073741824, 2)
-        return f"Total Capacity: {gb_total}GB"
-
 ############################################################
 # System Class
-# A system is build from components
 ############################################################
+
 class System:
+    # system variable declarations
+    # keys to add: model and serial number
+    static_key_variables = [
+        {"name": "hostname", "command": "hostname"},
+        {"name": "virt_string", "command": "systemd-detect-virt"}
+    ]
+    dynamic_key_variables = [
+        {"name": "uptime", "command": "uptime -p"},
+        {"name": "timestamp", "command": "date '+%D %r'"},
+    ]
+    # add components based on the class tree
+    # component_types = [{"name": entry["name"], "multi_check": entry["multi_check"] == "True"} for entry in component_class_tree]
 
     # instantiate new system
     def __init__(self, name: str):
         # the system needs a name
         self.name = name
-        # system is built of other component objects
+        if debug_output:
+            print(f"System initializing, name {self.name}")
+        # system contains an array of component objects
         self.components = []
-        # other system properties
-        self.sysvars = {}
-        # either i do it here or i do it twice
-        self.sysvars["is_virtual"] = self.check_for_virtual()
-        # Let's build a system
-        self.add_component(CPU("CPU", self.sysvars["is_virtual"]))
-        self.add_component(RAM("RAM"))
+        # initialize system properties and metrics dicts
+        self._properties: Dict[str, str] = {}
+        self._metrics: Dict[str, str] = {}
+        # load static keys
+        for static_key in self.static_key_variables:
+            command = static_key["command"]
+            result = run_command(command, True)
+            if debug_output:
+                print(f"Static key [{static_key["name"]}] - command [{command}] - output [{result}]")
+            self._properties[static_key["name"]] = result
+        # initialize live keys
+        self.update_live_keys()
+        # initialze components
+        self.load_components()
 
-        # let's build system values
-        self.check_values()
+    # update only system dynamic keys
+    def update_live_keys(self):
+        for live_key in self.dynamic_key_variables:
+            if live_key['command'] is not None:
+                command = live_key['command']
+                result = run_command(command, True)
+                self._metrics[live_key['name']] = result
+                if debug_output:
+                    print(f"Command {live_key["name"]} - [{command}]  Result - [{result}]")
+    
+    # update all dynamic keys, including components
+    def update_system_state(self):
+        self.update_live_keys()
+        for component in self.components:
+            component.update_metrics()
+
+    # check for components  
+    def load_components(self):
+        for component in component_types:
+            component_name = component["name"]
+            multi_check = component["multi_check"]
+            if multi_check:
+                print("placeholder...")
+            else:
+                if debug_output:
+                    print(f"Creating component {component["name"]}")
+                self.add_components(Component(component_name, component_name))
 
     # Add a component to the system
-    def add_component(self, component: Component):
+    def add_components(self, component: Component):
+        if debug_output:
+            print(f"Component description: {component.description}")
         self.components.append(component)
     
     # Get all components, optionally filtered by type
     def get_components(self, component_type: type = None):
         if component_type is None:
             return self.components
-        return [c for c in self.components if isinstance(c, component_type)]
-    
+        else:
+            result = []
+            for component in self.components:
+                if component.type == component_type:
+                    result.append(component)
+            if component.is_multi():
+                return result
+            else:
+                return result[0]
+
+    def get_component_strings(self, component_type: type = None):
+        if component_type is None:
+            result = []
+            for component in self.components:
+                result.append(component.description)
+            return result
+        else:
+            result = []
+            for component in self.components:
+                if component.type == component_type:
+                    result.append(component.description)
+            if component.is_multi():
+                return result
+            else:
+                return result[0]
+
     # get component count
     def get_component_count(self):
         result = int(len(self.components))
@@ -225,64 +257,93 @@ class System:
 
     def __str__(self):
         components_str = "\n".join(f"  - {c}" for c in self.components)
-        return f"System: {self.name}\n{components_str}"
-
-    # update metrics for all components
-    def update_values(self):
-        self.check_values()
-        for component in self.components:
-            component.update_value()
-    
-    def check_for_virtual(self):
-        check_if_vm_command = "systemd-detect-virt"
-        check_if_vm = run_command(check_if_vm_command, True)
-        if check_if_vm != "none":
-            return True
-        else:
-            return False
-
-    def check_uptime(self):
-        check_uptime_command = "uptime -p"
-        system_uptime = run_command(check_uptime_command, True)
-        return system_uptime
-
-    def check_timestamp(self):
-        check_timestamp_command = "date '+%D %r'"
-        system_timestamp = run_command(check_timestamp_command, True)
-        return system_timestamp
-    
-    def check_values(self):
-        self.sysvars["uptime"] = self.check_uptime()
-        self.sysvars["name"] = self.name
-        self.sysvars["component_count"] = self.get_component_count()
-        self.sysvars["timestamp"] = self.check_timestamp()
-
-    def get_sysvars(self):
-        result = {}
-        for sysvar in self.sysvars:
-            result[f"{sysvar}"] = self.sysvars[f"{sysvar}"]
-        return result  
+        return f"System hostname: {self.name}\nComponent Count: {self.get_component_count()}\n{components_str}"
     
+    # return both static and dynamic data
     def get_sysvars_summary_keys(self):
         result = []
-        for sysvar in self.sysvars:
-            system_type_string = f"sysvar['{sysvar}']"
+        for name, value in self._properties.items():
             thisvar = {
-                "type": "System Class Variable",
-                "current_value": sysvar,
-                "metric_name": system_type_string,
-                "model_string": self.sysvars[sysvar]
+                "name": "System Class Property",
+                "type": name,
+                "value": value
+            }
+            result.append(thisvar)
+        for name, value in self._metrics.items():
+            thisvar = {
+                "name": "System Class Metric",
+                "type": name,
+                "value": value
             }
             result.append(thisvar)
         return result
+    
+    # return list of all live metrics from system and properties
+    def get_live_metrics(self):
+        result = []
+        for component_metric in self.get_component_metrics():
+            result.append(component_metric)
+        for system_metric in self.get_system_metrics():
+            result.append(system_metric)
+        return result
 
+    # return array of all component metrics
+    def get_component_metrics(self):
+        result = []
+        for component in self.components:
+            for metric in component.get_metrics_keys():
+                result.append(metric)
+        return result
 
+    # return array of all component metrics
+    def get_component_properties(self):
+        result = []
+        for component in self.components:
+            for metric in component.get_properties_keys():
+                result.append(metric)
+        return result
+
+    # return array of all system metrics
+    def get_system_metrics(self):
+        result = []
+        for name, value in self._metrics.items():
+            thisvar = {
+                "name": "System",
+                "type": name,
+                "metric": value
+            }
+            result.append(thisvar)
+        # add component count
+        result.append({
+            "name": "System",
+            "type": "component_count",
+            "metric": self.get_component_count()
+        })
+        return result
+    
+    def get_system_properties(self):
+        result = []
+        for name, value in self._properties.items():
+            if name == "virt_string":
+                thisvar = {
+                    "name": "System",
+                    "property": name,
+                    "value": value == "none"
+                }
+            else:
+                thisvar = {
+                    "name": "System",
+                    "property": name,
+                    "value": value
+                }
+            result.append(thisvar)
+        return result
+    
 
 ############################################################
 # Helper Functions
 ############################################################
 
-
 # subroutine to run a command, return stdout as array unless zero_only then return [0]
 def run_command(cmd, zero_only=False):
     # Run the command and capture the output
diff --git a/files/api/LinkedList.py b/files/api/LinkedList.py
deleted file mode 100644
index 1345bb9..0000000
--- a/files/api/LinkedList.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,98 +0,0 @@
-
-##############################
-# linked list classes
-# written by the intern
-##############################
-
-import time
-
-# single node in a singly linked list
-class Node:
-    __slots__ = ("value", "next", "timestamp")
-
-    def __init__(self, value):
-        self.value = value
-        self.timestamp = time.time()
-        self.next = None
-
-# small, bounded history implemented with a singly linked list
-class ValueHistory:
-    def __init__(self, maxlen: int):
-        if maxlen <= 0:
-            raise ValueError("maxlen must be a positive integer")
-        self.maxlen = maxlen
-        self.head: Node | None = None   # oldest entry
-        self.tail: Node | None = None   # newest entry
-        self.size = 0
-
-    # Append a new value to the history, dropping the oldest if needed
-    def add(self, value):
-        new_node = Node(value)
-
-        # link it after the current tail
-        if self.tail is None:          # empty list
-            self.head = self.tail = new_node
-        else:
-            self.tail.next = new_node
-            self.tail = new_node
-
-        self.size += 1
-
-        # 2. enforce the size bound
-        if self.size > self.maxlen:
-            # drop the head (oldest item)
-            assert self.head is not None   # for the type checker
-            self.head = self.head.next
-            self.size -= 1
-
-            # If the list became empty, also reset tail
-            if self.head is None:
-                self.tail = None
-
-    # Return the history as a Python dict list (oldest → newest)
-    def get_history(self, count: int | None = None):
-        if count is None:
-            count = self.maxlen        
-        out = []
-        cur = self.head
-        counter = 0
-        while cur is not None and counter < count:
-            counter += 1
-            out.append(
-                {
-                    "timestamp": cur.timestamp,
-                    "value": cur.value
-                }
-            )
-            cur = cur.next
-        return out
-    
-    # Return oldest timestamp
-    def get_first_timestamp(self):
-        if self.head is not None:
-            return self.head.timestamp
-        else:
-            return time.time()
-    
-    # Return current data
-    def get_current_value(self):
-        if self.tail is not None:
-            return self.tail.value
-        else:
-            return 0
-
-    # ------------------------------------------------------------------
-    #  Convenience methods
-    # ------------------------------------------------------------------
-    def __len__(self):
-        return self.size
-
-    def __iter__(self):
-        """Iterate over values from oldest to newest."""
-        cur = self.head
-        while cur is not None:
-            yield cur.value
-            cur = cur.next
-
-    def __repr__(self):
-        return f"BoundedHistory(maxlen={self.maxlen}, data={self.get()!r})"
diff --git a/files/api/app.py b/files/api/app.py
index 99639e1..a8570ee 100644
--- a/files/api/app.py
+++ b/files/api/app.py
@@ -16,11 +16,12 @@ scheduler = APScheduler()
 # default application setting variables
 app_settings = {
     "noisy_test" : False,
-    "debug_output" : False,
-    "log_output" : False,
+    "debug_output" : True,
+    "log_output" : True,
     "secure_api" : True,
     "push_redis" : False,
-    "run_background" : True
+    "run_background" : True,
+    "update_frequency": 1
     }
 
 with open('cosmostat_settings.yaml', 'r') as f:
@@ -75,93 +76,29 @@ def update_redis_channel(redis_channel, data):
 
 def update_redis_server():
     # Update Stats Redis Channel
-    update_redis_channel("host_stats", get_full_summary())
+    update_redis_channel("host_metrics", get_redis_data())
     # Update history_stats Redis Channel
-    update_redis_channel("history_stats", get_component_list())
-
-#######################################################################
-### Other Functions
-#######################################################################
-
-def get_component_summary():
-    result = []
-    for component in cosmostat_system.components:
-        result.append(component.get_summary_key())
-    return result
-
-def get_full_summary():
-    result = []
-
-    for component in cosmostat_system.components:
-        result.append(component.get_summary_key())
-
-    for sysvar in cosmostat_system.get_sysvars_summary_keys():
-        result.append(sysvar)
-
-    return result
-
-# This will instantiate a System object
-def new_cosmos_system():
-    new_system = System(f"{jenkins_hostname_settings()}")
-    if app_settings["log_output"]:
-        print(f"New system object name: {new_system.name}")
-        for component in new_system.components:
-            print(component)
-    return new_system
-
-def get_component_list(history_count = None):
-    result = []
-    for component in cosmostat_system.components:
-        if history_count is not None:
-            history = component.get_history(history_count)
-        else:
-            history = component.get_history()        
-        result.append(
-            {
-                "info": component.get_info_key(),
-                "history": history
-            }
-        )
-    return result
-
-def get_info():
-    device_summary = []
-    for component in cosmostat_system.components:
-        device_summary.append(
-            {
-                "info": component.get_info_key(),
-            }
-        )
-    result = {   
-        "system_info": 
-        {
-            "user": jenkins_user_settings(), 
-            "hostname": jenkins_hostname_settings(), 
-            "timestamp": jenkins_inventory_generation_timestamp_settings(),
-            "component_count:": len(cosmostat_system.components),
-            "object_name": cosmostat_system.name,
-            "docker_gateway": docker_gateway_settings()
-        },
-        "device_summary": device_summary
-    }
-    return result
-
-#def get_history_summary():
+    # update_redis_channel("history_stats", get_component_list())
 
 #######################################################################
 ### Flask Routes
 #######################################################################
 
-# full component list
-@app.route('/component_list', methods=['GET'])
-def component_list():
-    count = request.args.get('count', type=int)
-    return jsonify(get_component_list(count))
+# dynamic data
+# this will go to the redis server
+@app.route('/dynamic_data', methods=['GET'])
+def dynamic_data():
+    return jsonify(get_dynamic_data())
 
-# component summary
-@app.route('/component_summary', methods=['GET'])
-def component_summary():
-    return jsonify(get_component_summary())
+# static data
+@app.route('/static_data', methods=['GET'])
+def static_data():
+    return jsonify(get_static_data())
+
+# redis data
+@app.route('/redis_data', methods=['GET'])
+def redis_data():
+    return jsonify(get_redis_data())
 
 # full summary
 @app.route('/full_summary', methods=['GET'])
@@ -180,27 +117,103 @@ def test():
         {
             "component_count:": len(cosmostat_system.components),
             "user": jenkins_user_settings(), 
-            "hostname": jenkins_hostname_settings()
+            "hostname": jenkins_hostname_settings(),
+            "cpu_model": cosmostat_system.get_components(component_type="CPU").description
         }
     )
+
+#######################################################################
+### Flask Helpers
+#######################################################################
+
+# needs to return array of {name: name, type: type, metrics: metrics} 
+# for redis table generation, includes system and component metrics
+def get_dynamic_data():
+    return cosmostat_system.get_live_metrics()
+
+def get_static_data():
+    result = []
+    for metric in cosmostat_system.get_system_properties():
+        result.append(metric)
+    for metric in cosmostat_system.get_component_properties():
+        result.append(metric)
+    return result
+
+def get_redis_data():
+    result = []
+    for metric in get_dynamic_data():
+        result.append(metric)
+    for metric in get_static_data():
+        result.append(metric)
+    return result
+
+def get_full_summary():
+    live_metrics = cosmostat_system.get_live_metrics()
+    system_components = cosmostat_system.get_component_strings()
+    system_info = get_info()
+    result = {   
+        "system_settings": 
+        {
+            "user": jenkins_user_settings(), 
+            "hostname": jenkins_hostname_settings(), 
+            "timestamp": jenkins_inventory_generation_timestamp_settings(),
+            "component_count:": len(cosmostat_system.components),
+            "object_name": cosmostat_system.name,
+            "docker_gateway": docker_gateway_settings()
+        },
+        "live_metrics": live_metrics,
+        "system_components": system_components,
+        "system_info": system_info
+    }
+    return result
+
+def get_info():
+    component_strings = []
+    for component in cosmostat_system.get_components():
+        component_strings.append({"name": component.name, "description": component.description})
+    system_strings = []
     
+    result = {
+        "hostname": jenkins_hostname_settings(), 
+        "component_strings": component_strings
+    }
+    #for component_string in component_strings:
+    #    for name, description in component_string.items():
+    #        result[name] = description
+    return result
+
+#######################################################################
+### Other Functions
+#######################################################################
+
+# instantiate and return the System object
+def new_cosmos_system():
+    new_system = System(f"{jenkins_hostname_settings()}")
+    if app_settings["log_output"]:
+        print(f"New system object name: {new_system.name} - {new_system.get_component_count()} components:")
+        for component in new_system.components:
+            print(component.description)
+    return new_system
+
+
+# Background Loop Function
+def background_loop():
+    # Update all data on the System object
+    cosmostat_system.update_system_state()
+
+    if app_settings["push_redis"]:
+        update_redis_server()
+
+    if app_settings["noisy_test"]:
+        print("Sorry about the mess...")
+        print(f"Blame {jenkins_user_settings()}")
+
 #######################################################################
 ### Main Subroutine
 #######################################################################
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
 
-    # Background Loop Function
-    def background_loop():
-        # Update all data on the System object
-        cosmostat_system.update_values()
-
-        if app_settings["push_redis"]:
-            update_redis_server()
-
-        if app_settings["noisy_test"]:
-            print("Sorry about the mess...")
-            print(f"Blame {jenkins_user_settings()}")
 
     # instantiate system
     cosmostat_system = new_cosmos_system()
@@ -217,7 +230,7 @@ if __name__ == '__main__':
         scheduler.add_job(id='background_loop',
                         func=background_loop,
                         trigger='interval',
-                        seconds=1)
+                        seconds=app_settings["update_frequency"])
         scheduler.init_app(app)
         scheduler.start()   
 
diff --git a/files/api/component_descriptors.json b/files/api/component_descriptors.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..028f969
--- /dev/null
+++ b/files/api/component_descriptors.json
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+[
+  {
+    "name": "CPU",
+    "description": "{model_name} with {core_count} cores.",
+    "multi_check": "False",
+    "properties": {
+      "core_count": "lscpu --json | jq -r '.lscpu[] | select(.field==\"CPU(s):\") | .data'",
+      "model_name": "lscpu --json | jq -r '.lscpu[] | select(.field==\"Model name:\") | .data'"
+    },
+    "metrics": {
+      "1m_load": "cat /proc/loadavg | awk '{print $1}'",
+      "5m_load": "cat /proc/loadavg | awk '{print $2}'",
+      "15m_load": "cat /proc/loadavg | awk '{print $3}'"
+    }
+  },
+  {
+    "name": "RAM",
+    "description": "Total {bytes_total}GB in {module_count} modules.",
+    "multi_check": "False",
+    "properties": {
+      "bytes_total": "sudo lshw -json -c memory | jq -r '.[] | select(.description==\"System Memory\").size' | awk '{printf \"%.2f\\n\", $1/1073741824}'",
+      "module_count": "sudo lshw -json -c memory | jq -r '.[] | select(.id | contains(\"bank\")) | .id ' | wc -l"
+    },
+    "metrics": {
+      "used_capacity_mb": "free -m | grep Mem | awk '{print $3}'",
+      "free_capacity_mb": "free -m | grep Mem | awk '{print $4}'"
+    }
+  }
+]
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/files/web/html/index.html b/files/web/html/index.html
index 36f6dc6..010ed9a 100644
--- a/files/web/html/index.html
+++ b/files/web/html/index.html
@@ -13,8 +13,8 @@
     This dashboard shows the local Matt-Cloud system stats.<p>
   </div>
   <div class="container">
-    <h2>System Stats</h2>
-    <div id="host_stats" class="column">Connecting…</div>
+    <h2>Live System Metrics</h2>
+    <div id="host_metrics" class="column">Connecting…</div>
   </div>
 
   <!--
diff --git a/files/web/html/src/redis.js b/files/web/html/src/redis.js
index 0dd7881..82f11c9 100644
--- a/files/web/html/src/redis.js
+++ b/files/web/html/src/redis.js
@@ -1,126 +1,126 @@
-  /* -------------------------------------------------------------
-     1.  Socket‑IO connection & helper functions (unchanged)
-     ------------------------------------------------------------- */
-  const socket = io();
+/* ------------------------------------------------------------
+   1.  Socket-IO connection & helper functions (unchanged)
+   ------------------------------------------------------------ */
+const socket = io();
 
-  socket.on('host_stats', renderStatsTable);
-  socket.on('connect_error', err => {
-    safeSetText('host_stats', `Could not connect to server - ${err.message}`);
-  });
-  socket.on('reconnect', attempt => {
-    safeSetText('host_stats', `Re‑connected (attempt ${attempt})`);
-  });
+socket.on('host_metrics', renderStatsTable);
+socket.on('connect_error', err => {
+  safeSetText('host_metrics', `Could not connect to server - ${err.message}`);
+});
+socket.on('reconnect', attempt => {
+  safeSetText('host_metrics', `Re-connected (attempt ${attempt})`);
+});
 
-  function safeSetText(id, txt) {
-    const el = document.getElementById(id);
-    if (el) el.textContent = txt;
+function safeSetText(id, txt) {
+  const el = document.getElementById(id);
+  if (el) el.textContent = txt;
+}
+
+/* ------------------------------------------------------------
+   2.  Table rendering - the table remains a <table>
+   ------------------------------------------------------------ */
+function renderStatsTable(data) {
+  renderGenericTable('host_metrics', data, 'No Stats available');
+}
+
+function renderGenericTable(containerId, data, emptyMsg) {
+  const container = document.getElementById(containerId);
+  if (!Array.isArray(data) || !data.length) {
+    container.textContent = emptyMsg;
+    return;
   }
 
-  /* -------------------------------------------------------------
-     2.  Table rendering – the table remains a <table>
-     ------------------------------------------------------------- */
-  function renderStatsTable(data) {
-    renderGenericTable('host_stats', data, 'No Stats available');
-  }
+  /* Merge rows by name (new logic) */
+  const mergedData = mergeRowsByName(data);
 
-  function renderGenericTable(containerId, data, emptyMsg) {
-    const container = document.getElementById(containerId);
-    if (!Array.isArray(data) || !data.length) {
-      container.textContent = emptyMsg;
-      return;
+  /* Build the table from the merged data */
+  const table = buildTable(mergedData);
+  table.id = 'host_metrics_table'; 
+  container.innerHTML = '';
+  container.appendChild(table);
+}
+
+/* ------------------------------------------------------------
+   3.  Merge rows by name (new logic)
+   ------------------------------------------------------------ */
+function mergeRowsByName(data) {
+  const groups = {};                     // { name: { types: [], metrics: [], props: [], values: [] } }
+
+  data.forEach(row => {
+    const name = row.name;
+    if (!name) return;                   // ignore rows without a name
+
+    if (!groups[name]) {
+      groups[name] = { types: [], metrics: [], props: [], values: [] };
     }
 
-    /* 2️⃣  Merge “System Class Variable” rows first */
-    const mergedData = mergeSystemClassVariableRows(data);
-
-    /* 3️⃣  Build the table from the merged data */
-    const table = buildTable(mergedData);
-
-    container.innerHTML = '';
-    container.appendChild(table);
-  }
-
-  /* -------------------------------------------------------------
-     3.  Merge consecutive rows whose type === "System Class Variable"
-     ------------------------------------------------------------- */
-  function mergeSystemClassVariableRows(data) {
-    const result = [];
-    let i = 0;
-
-    while (i < data.length) {
-      const cur = data[i];
-
-      if (cur.type && cur.type.trim() === 'System Class Variable') {
-        const group = [];
-        while (
-          i < data.length &&
-          data[i].type &&
-          data[i].type.trim() === 'System Class Variable'
-        ) {
-          group.push(data[i]);
-          i++;
-        }
-
-        /* Build one merged object – keep each column as an array */
-        const merged = { type: 'System Class Variable' };
-        const cols = Object.keys(group[0]).filter(k => k !== 'type');
-
-        cols.forEach(col => {
-          const vals = group
-            .map(row => row[col])
-            .filter(v => v !== undefined && v !== null);
-          merged[col] = vals;   // ← array, not joined string
-        });
-
-        result.push(merged);
-      } else {
-        /* Normal row – just copy it */
-        result.push(cur);
-        i++;
-      }
+    // Metric rows - contain type + metric
+    if ('type' in row && 'metric' in row) {
+      groups[name].types.push(row.type);
+      groups[name].metrics.push(row.metric);
     }
+    // Property rows - contain property + value
+    else if ('property' in row && 'value' in row) {
+      groups[name].props.push(row.property);
+      groups[name].values.push(row.value);
+    }
+  });
 
-    return result;
-  }
+  // Convert each group into a single row object
+  const merged = [];
+  Object.entries(groups).forEach(([name, grp]) => {
+    merged.push({
+      name,
+      type: grp.types,      // array of types
+      metric: grp.metrics,  // array of metrics
+      property: grp.props,  // array of property names
+      value: grp.values,    // array of property values
+    });
+  });
 
-  /* -------------------------------------------------------------
-     4.  Build an HTML table from an array of objects
-     ------------------------------------------------------------- */
-  function buildTable(data) {
-    const cols = Object.keys(data[0]);          // column order
-    const table = document.createElement('table');
+  return merged;
+}
 
-    /* Header */
-    const thead = table.createTHead();
-    const headerRow = thead.insertRow();
+/* ------------------------------------------------------------
+   4.  Build an HTML table from an array of objects
+   ------------------------------------------------------------ */
+function buildTable(data) {
+  const cols = ['name', 'type', 'metric', 'property', 'value']; // explicit order
+  const table = document.createElement('table');
+
+  // Header
+  const thead = table.createTHead();
+  const headerRow = thead.insertRow();
+  cols.forEach(col => {
+    const th = document.createElement('th');
+    th.textContent = col;
+    headerRow.appendChild(th);
+  });
+
+  // Body
+  const tbody = table.createTBody();
+  data.forEach(item => {
+    const tr = tbody.insertRow();
     cols.forEach(col => {
-      const th = document.createElement('th');
-      th.textContent = col;
-      headerRow.appendChild(th);
+      const td = tr.insertCell();
+       
+      const val = item[col];
+      if (Array.isArray(val)) {
+        // Create a <span> for each item
+        val.forEach((v, idx) => {
+          td.id = 'host_metrics_column';
+          const span = document.createElement('span');
+          span.textContent = v;
+          td.appendChild(span);
+
+          // Insert a line break after every item except the last
+          if (idx < val.length - 1) td.appendChild(document.createElement('br'));
+        });
+      } else {
+        td.textContent = val !== undefined ? val : '';
+      }
     });
+  });
 
-    /* Body */
-    const tbody = table.createTBody();
-    data.forEach(item => {
-      const tr = tbody.insertRow();
-      cols.forEach(col => {
-        const td = tr.insertCell();
-        const val = item[col];
-
-        /* If the value is an array → render as <ol> */
-        if (Array.isArray(val)) {
-          const ol = document.createElement('ol');
-          val.forEach(v => {
-            const li = document.createElement('li');
-            li.textContent = v;
-            ol.appendChild(li);
-          });
-          td.appendChild(ol);
-        } else {
-          td.textContent = val;  // normal text
-        }
-      });
-    });
-
-    return table;
-  }
\ No newline at end of file
+  return table;
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/files/web/html/src/styles.css b/files/web/html/src/styles.css
index 626aa53..1c4ad27 100644
--- a/files/web/html/src/styles.css
+++ b/files/web/html/src/styles.css
@@ -109,12 +109,13 @@ li {
     background-color: #2c3e50; /* Dark background for meter */
 }
 
-#host_stats td ol {
+#host_metrics_column td {
   list-style: none;          /* removes the numeric markers */
   padding-left: 0;           /* remove the default left indent */
   margin-left: 0;            /* remove the default left margin */
 }
  
 
-#host_stats td ol li:nth-child(odd)  { background: #34495e; }
-#host_stats td ol li:nth-child(even) { background: #3e5c78; }
+#host_metrics_table tbody tr td :nth-of-type(even) {
+     background-color: #23384e;  
+}
diff --git a/files/web/node_server/server.js b/files/web/node_server/server.js
index 05b3c9a..e0ec3d4 100644
--- a/files/web/node_server/server.js
+++ b/files/web/node_server/server.js
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ app.use(express.static('public'));
 
 // ---------- Redis subscriber ----------
 const redisClient = createClient({
-  url: 'redis://172.17.0.1:6379'
+  url: 'redis://192.168.37.1:6379'
 });
 redisClient.on('error', err => console.error('Redis error', err));
 
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ redisClient.on('error', err => console.error('Redis error', err));
   await sub.connect();
 // Subscribe to the channel that sends host stats
   await sub.subscribe(
-    ['host_stats'],
+    ['host_metrics'],
     (message, channel) => {            // <-- single handler
       let payload;
       try {
@@ -38,21 +38,6 @@ redisClient.on('error', err => console.error('Redis error', err));
       io.emit(channel, payload);
     }
   );
-// Subscribe to the channel that sends history stats
-  await sub.subscribe(
-    ['history_stats'],
-    (message, channel) => {
-      let payload;
-      try {
-        payload = JSON.parse(message); // message is a JSON string
-      } catch (e) {
-        console.error(`Failed to parse ${channel}`, e);
-        return;
-      }
-      io.emit(channel, payload);
-    }
-  );
-
 
   sub.on('error', err => console.error('Subscriber error', err));  
 })();
diff --git a/tasks/api.yaml b/tasks/api.yaml
index ce82a18..65ef8a0 100644
--- a/tasks/api.yaml
+++ b/tasks/api.yaml
@@ -1,8 +1,13 @@
 ---
 
 - name: Cosmostat - API - Stop Service
+  become: true
+  become_user: "{{ service_user }}"
   ignore_errors: yes
-  shell: "systemctl --user -M {{ service_user }}@ stop {{ api_service_name }}"
+  systemd:
+    name: "{{ api_service_name }}.service"
+    state: stopped
+    scope: user
 
 - name: Cosmostat - API - copy api files
   copy:
@@ -35,12 +40,14 @@
     group: "{{ service_user }}"
     mode: 0644
 
-- name: Cosmostat - API - Daemon Reload
-  shell: "systemctl --user -M {{ service_user }}@ daemon-reload"
-
-- name: Cosmostat - API - Start Service
-  shell: "systemctl --user -M {{ service_user }}@ start {{ api_service_name }}"
-
-
+- name: Cosmostat - API - Daemon Reload, Start, Enable
+  become: true
+  become_user: "{{ service_user }}"
+  systemd:
+    daemon_reload: yes
+    name: "{{ api_service_name }}.service"
+    state: started
+    enabled: yes
+    scope: user
 
 ...
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tasks/init.yaml b/tasks/init.yaml
index 8d2e4c7..ae3f2fe 100644
--- a/tasks/init.yaml
+++ b/tasks/init.yaml
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@
     driver: bridge
     ipam_config:
       - subnet: "{{ docker_subnet }}"
-#      - gateway: "{{ docker_gateway }}"
 
 # allow service_user to sudo lshw without a password
 - name: Cosmostat - Init - cosmos user sudoers file creation
@@ -31,8 +30,12 @@
     content: "{{ cosmostat_sudoers_content }}"
     owner: root
     group: root
-    mode: 0600
+    mode: "0600"
 
+# allow user services to "linger"
+- name: Cosmostat - Init - cosmos user enable linger
+  shell:  "loginctl enable-linger {{ service_user }}"
+  
 # create service working folder
 - name: Cosmostat - Init - create cosmostat service folder
   file:
@@ -102,11 +105,4 @@
       labels:
         ws_node: "true"
 
-  - name: Cosmostat - Init - node.js - Prune old containers
-    community.docker.docker_prune:    
-      containers: true
-      containers_filters:
-        label:
-          ws_node: "true" 
-
 ...
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tasks/web.yaml b/tasks/web.yaml
index 807b9c0..3fc52bd 100644
--- a/tasks/web.yaml
+++ b/tasks/web.yaml
@@ -40,17 +40,25 @@
 - name: docker container handler
   block:
 
-  - name: service_control_website - template docker-compose.yaml
+  - name: Cosmostat - Web - template docker-compose.yaml
     template:
       src: docker-compose.yaml
       dest: "{{ service_control_web_folder }}/docker-compose.yaml"
       mode: 0644
 
-  - name: "service_control_website - Start containers"
+  - name: Cosmostat - Web - Start containers
     shell: "docker-compose -f {{ service_control_web_folder }}/docker-compose.yaml up -d"
     register: docker_output
   - debug: |
             msg="{{ docker_output.stdout_lines }}"
             msg="{{ docker_output.stderr_lines }}"
 
+  - name: Cosmostat - Web - Prune old containers
+    community.docker.docker_prune:    
+      containers: true
+      containers_filters:
+        label:
+          ws_node: "true" 
+
+
 ...           
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/templates/cosmostat_api.service b/templates/cosmostat_api.service
deleted file mode 100644
index e69de29..0000000
diff --git a/templates/cosmostat_settings.yaml b/templates/cosmostat_settings.yaml
index b92d5a2..35fb26e 100644
--- a/templates/cosmostat_settings.yaml
+++ b/templates/cosmostat_settings.yaml
@@ -28,4 +28,5 @@ debug_output: {{ debug_output }}
 push_redis: {{ push_redis }}
 run_background : {{ run_background }}
 log_output: {{ log_output }}
+update_frequency: {{ update_frequency }}
 ...
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/templates/docker-compose.yaml b/templates/docker-compose.yaml
index dd8d0d6..77fd7e3 100644
--- a/templates/docker-compose.yaml
+++ b/templates/docker-compose.yaml
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ services:
     container_name: redis
     image: redis:7-alpine
     ports:
-      - {{ (docker_gateway + ':') if not secure_api else '' }}6379:6379
+      - {{ docker_gateway }}:6379:6379
     networks:
       - cosmostat_net
     restart: always
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ services:
       - {{ service_control_web_folder }}/html:/usr/src/app/public
     ports:
       # put back to 3000 if the stack is needed
-      - {{ (docker_gateway + ':') if not secure_api else '' }}80:3000
+      - {{ (docker_gateway + ':') if secure_api else '' }}80:3000
     networks:
       - cosmostat_net
     restart: always
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ services:
 #    container_name: web_dash
 #    image: php:8.0-apache
 #    ports:
-#      - {{ (docker_gateway + ':') if not secure_api else '' }}8080:80
+#      - {{ (docker_gateway + ':') if secure_api else '' }}8080:80
 #    volumes:
 #      - ./html:/var/www/html/
 #    networks:
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ services:
 #    container_name: nginx_proxy
 #    image: nginx:latest
 #    ports:
-#      - "{{ (docker_gateway + ':') if not secure_api else '' }}80:80"
+#      - "{{ (docker_gateway + ':') if secure_api else '' }}80:80"
 #    volumes:
 #      - ./proxy/nginx.conf:/etc/nginx/conf.d/default.conf
 #    networks:
@@ -60,10 +60,5 @@ services:
 networks:
   cosmostat_net:
     external: true
-#     driver: bridge
-#     ipam:
-#       driver: default
-#       config:
-#         -
-#           subnet: {{ docker_subnet }}
+