Need help

[Andreas Ericsson]

Zion Ahead wrote:
> I finally got Nagios working and into the web panel.
> 
> Now, how on earth do I ADD new services to monitor???
> 

By editing your services.cfg file. You should have done something along
the lines of "make install-config" after having installed the nagios core
and cgi binaries. If you use a distro that ships nagios pre-packaged you
should be able to find your nagios config in /etc/nagios.

> The docs are so disgustingly confusing
> http://nagios.sourceforge.net/docs/3...cservices.html
> <http://nagios.sourceforge.net/docs/3_0/monitoring-publicservices.html> 
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> Before you can monitor a service, you first need to define a host
> <http://nagios.sourceforge.net/docs/3_0/objectdefinitions.html#host>  that
> is associated with the service. You can place host definitions in any object
> configuration file specified by a cfg_file
> <http://nagios.sourceforge.net/docs/3_0/configmain.html#cfg_file>  directive
> or placed in a directory specified by a cfg_dir
> <http://nagios.sourceforge.net/docs/3_0/configmain.html#cfg_dir>  directive.
> If you have already created a host definition, you can skip this step. 
> 

It's actually the services that are associated with hosts, but that's a minor
nitpick.

Each service in Nagios "belongs" to one or more hosts, in much the same way
that only one web-server / connection is actually serving content to a client.

Both services and hosts use command objects as definitions on how to run a
particular check. Each check is performed by a very small and simple program,
commonly known as a plugin. The command objects simply define where to find
the plugin and what argument to pass to it. Usually, multiple command objects
refer to the same plugin.

So.. in order for you to create a service-check, you'll need a command object
definition, a host object and a service object. You'll also need at least one
timeperiod object (make install-config provides several that will work nicely).

Examples of such objects can be found in the documentation, which I notice
you've already located.

>  
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> The host definition can be placed in its own file or added to an already
> exiting object configuration file. 
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> What? Where does the file go? What name? This is crazy.
> 

"make install-config" or "rpm -ql nagios" should provide some hints.

If you've already done the "make install-config" thing, your example config
files should be in $prefix/etc, or $sysconfdir if you specified that.

> 
> 
> Nagios doesn't even have a forum except that lame international one that is
> inactive/dead.
> 

True. It has this list (and a few others) instead. Some projects use web-forums,
most use mailing lists. Webforums generally require more work to manage, so a
properly archived mailing list is what most OSS projects use as it's basically
maintenance-free once the list-server is set up.

Personally I detest webforums with a passion as I need to actively check it to
keep up with what's going on in <insert-project-of-choice>.


I can't help but make the observation that you don't seem to like Nagios but
still seem quite determined to install it. Usually such emotions and actions
only occur when The Suits have shoved some decision down some poor technicians
throat against their will.

To ease your pain, I suggest you stick to using the latest stable nagios (2.9)
or contact a support-company that help you get up and running. It's normally
not very expensive and you will be able to show management a quick return of
investment.

The market-leading Nagios company in the US is IT Groundworks, which you'll
find at http://www.groundworkopensource.com/

In Europe it's op5, which you'll find at http://www.op5.com (yes, it's where
I work).

For Australia, Asia and Africa I have no idea where to turn, but you should
be able to find something close to home if you browse through the providers
listed at http://www.nagios.org/support/commercial/

-- 
Andreas Ericsson                   andreas.ericsson at op5.se
OP5 AB                             www.op5.se
Tel: +46 8-230225                  Fax: +46 8-230231

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