Web-Based config

[Dan Rich]

Rasmus Plewe said:
> On Thu, Mar 20, 2003 at 03:30:30PM -0600, jason at cannonfodder.org wrote:
>> just my .02 worth.
>>
>> I am going to have to agree. We have ~300 hosts and ~1500 services and
>> the initial setup of nagios was a major project.
> You call writing a ~20 line shell script plus some manual tuning a
> "major project"?

You must have an awfully simple network to do that with a 20 line perl script.
 My script to generate the config files for our farm systems is just under 250
lines of perl (for 579 hosts and 1122 services).  The configs for the rest of
our systems (87 systems, 187 services, and still growing) is all hand written
due to the variety of services and hosts we run.  The above took me a little
over a week to do, and the only reason it was that fast is because this is the
third time I have implemented Nagios.

Oh, I should mention, the config files are somwhere in the neighborhood of
13000 lines at this point (nearly half of that for the farm systems).

>> Add to that the fact
>> that I would have to "dumb down" the documentation even more and give
>> our support staff access I dont want them to have in order for them to
>> be able to setup new hosts and services.
>
> [ ] You know what you can do with Unix file/directory permissions and
>     nagios' ability to use more than one config file.

I've got 20 files now.  And adding a new host means editing at least three of
those files.  It's complicated -- no matter how you look at it.

> I admit that, if you have two or three hosts/services, a web based
> point-and-click based config option is much easier. But with a certain
> level of depth and experience, you should be much faster using an
> editor modifying config files (or scripting them, for larger changes)
> than filling in any number of web forms with combinations of clicking
> and typing.

Sure, given a choice I will almost always edit a config file.  However, that's
not true of everyone.  I'd like to be able to deligate adding new
hosts/services to the junior guys who build and install the machines.  I don't
want to have to spend several days with them first making sure they know all
the ins and outs of how the config files work and interrelate.  I would much
rather point them to the current Nagios system and let them add things from
there.

> I'm arrogant enough to add that if you're not experienced enough to
> see the point and agree, I wouldn't think you're experienced enough to
> be trusted to monitor my precious equipment.

That's fine - I don't want to monitor your equipment, I want to monitor mine. :)

Remember, the users of the system are not always the same people who have that
experience.  I installed and configured the system we run here.  I have lots
of other things to do and don't want to be the only one who I trust to touch
the config files.  We also plan on handing of the day-to-day operations of
Nagios to a help desk soon.  Those folks have even less technical experience
than our juniors.

> Don't take this personal, but attitudes like "give me something to
> click and I don't care what the config file looks like" are worrying
> me. Greater power is rarely found than the one you get by
> understanding and being able to manipulate config files directly.

I didn't see anyone saying that.  What I heard was "give me the option to
point-n-click".  That doesn't mean the config files won't look exactly like
they do today.  In fact, I'd prefer it if they did so I don't have to rewrite
all of my current tools.

> I don't really care if there is a (usable) web interface. I agree that
> it should be tied to Nagios at least as closely as the plugins. But the
> minute I discover that the config files are messed up because of them,
> you will hear me scream. Wherever on this earth you may happen to be.

I've managed to screw them up without a tool a few times, I would hope a tool
would do enough sanity checking that this wouldn't be an issue.

-- 
Dan Rich <drich at employees.org> |   http://www.employees.org/~drich/
                               |  "Step up to red alert!"  "Are you sure, sir?
                               |   It means changing the bulb in the sign..."
                               |          - Red Dwarf (BBC)



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