<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> <HTML> <HEAD> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META NAME="Generator" CONTENT="MS Exchange Server version 5.5.2653.12"> <TITLE>RE: [Nagios-users] Re: Request For Comments: NWPE - Nagios Web Plugin Executor</TITLE> </HEAD> <BODY> No reason to run apache - it could be any webserver that supports CGI and whatever scripting language your service checks are written in. -- "Computer science is as much about computers as astronomy is about telescopes" -- Edsger Dijkstra --------------------------------------------------------- Anthony Tonns, UNIX Administrator - atonns@mail.ivillage.com > -----Original Message----- > From: Tedman Eng [<A HREF="mailto:teng@dataway.com">mailto:teng@dataway.com</A>] > Sent: Thursday, July 10, 2003 1:10 AM > To: nagios-users@lists.sourceforge.net > Subject: [Nagios-users] Re: Request For Comments: NWPE - Nagios Web > Plugin Executor > > > Would someone have to run apache on each server they want to > use it with? > > <atonns@mail.ivillage.com> wrote in message > <A HREF="news:F63694D14D538A4CB8DA5DAB5215A11C053D83CA@cookiemonster.iv" TARGET="_blank">news:F63694D14D538A4CB8DA5DAB5215A11C053D83CA@cookiemonster.iv</A> > illage.net... > > Dear Nagios Community, > > > > I'm considering making a project that I'm working on for my > employer open > > source. They are o.k. with the concept of open source > licensing (otherwise > I > > wouldn't be writing this email). However, before putting > the extra effort > in > > to "clean it up for public consumption", I want to poll the > community to > see > > if there's any interest. > > > > Project: > > NWPE: Nagios Web Plugin Executor > > Execute service checks remotely, using HTTP[S] as a > transport protocol, > and > > a thin wrapper around CGI as a service check API. > > It functions similar to nrpe with the benefit of possibly > improving the > > performance of perl scripts for service checks (when using > apache/mod_perl). > > > > History: > > For a home-grown monitoring system, I decided I wanted to > go with SNMPv3 > > agents. The main reason were the authentication and > encryption aspects. > So, > > I created a nice Solaris package of net-snmpd 5.0.7 and was > very happy > with > > it. I am using Nagios to poll all of my servers w/agents. > At the time, > > SNMPv3 support had not been integrated into check_snmp, so > I ventured into > > coding my own plugins. Using perl with Net::SNMP was the > right solution. > One > > major advantage my scripts have over check_snmp/snmpget is > that I can > > retrieve an entire MIB table and reference objects by their > description > > field (ie: from the hrStorageTable use htStorageDescr to > determine the > index > > into hrStorageUsed/hrStorageSize) and have the script be > automatically > > flexible when new items are added (ie: additional > partitions are mounted, > > etc.). So far, I've had miserable success with embedded > Perl Nagios (ePN). > > It leaks memory like mad (I have to restart at LEAST once a > day) and the > > number of service checks (1400+) is totally overwhelming my > poor UltraII. > So > > I cooked up an alternative... > > > > Functionality: > > A small C program 'nwpe' is called from a Nagios command > > (checkcommands.cfg). It is small, and strongly leverages libcurl > > (<A HREF="http://curl.sourceforge.net/libcurl/" TARGET="_blank">http://curl.sourceforge.net/libcurl/</A>) to connect (via HTTP > or HTTPS) and > > optionally authenticate to a webserver. An example usage would be: > > > > ./nwpe -U <A HREF="https://servicechecker.nagios.org/svc/check_remote_disk" TARGET="_blank">https://servicechecker.nagios.org/svc/check_remote_disk</A> -a > > "args=--hostname=webserver1 --path=/usr --warning=20% > --critical=10%" -u > > nagios -p checkITout > > > > "check_remote_disk" is a CGI script written in perl. In my case the > > webserver is running mod_perl. It uses Net::SNMP and other > perl modules to > > perform it's service check. It also invokes a custom perl > module I have > > written, NWPE (which will hopefully become Nagios::NWPE) > that does the > > following: > > > > a) parses the POST/GET "args" field with a CGI object into @ARGV for > parsing > > by Getopt::Long > > b) redirects STDOUT to an IO::String to capture all output > from the plugin > > c) sets the appropriate return value for the state of the > service check > > (OK/WARNING/CRITICAL/UNKNOWN) in the HTTP Header field > "Return-state:" > > d) prints the 'cached' output of the plugin on the real STDOUT with > > mime-type "text/plain" > > > > Essentially, the NWPE module makes it relatively painless to convert > command > > line service checks written in perl to CGI/mod_perl service checks. > > > > Finally, after the service check has return the data, the > 'nwpe' C program > > prints the output of the request on STDOUT and returns the > appropriate > value > > (Return-state:) to Nagios. > > > > Reasoning: > > The 'nwpe' system creates: > > 1) Additional flexibility - any scripting language that can > be run from a > > webserver (perl/mod_perl/asp/jsp) can be used as a service check > > 2) Additional scalability - allows you to deploy multiple > service check > > webservers just about anywhere on any network and leverage HTTP > load-balance > > technology (Cisco LocalDirector, BigIP, etc.) to distribute > the load of > > running service checks. > > 3) Additional performance - using mod_perl to speed up > normally slow perl > > service check execution > > 4) Additional security - access to service checks can be > authenticated & > > encrypted, and use any other access control mechanisms your favorite > > webserver provides. > > > > When using nwpe with apache/mod_perl, I see it as combining > the best of > nrpe > > and ePN. > > > > Downsides: > > 1) I have not integrated performance data into NWPE. > However, I suspect it > > could easily be added as an additional HTTP Header or > something similar > > (I've not done any performance data work with Nagios whatsoever). > > 2) the NWPE perl module is currently rough around the > edges. Very rough. > > It's the first serious perl module I've written (and bares > a striking > > resemblance to the stuff in perlboot, perltoot and perlobj). > > 3) While SSL has been integrated into libcurl for sometime, HTTP > > authentication is only part of the 7.10.6 pre-release and I > couldn't get > > pre3 to work (but pre2 works like a champ). This might make > compiling nwpe > a > > little hairy. > > 4) nwpe has not been setup with autoconf yet. It's features > are slim. > > > > If there's a decent amount of positive response, I will try > to see if I > > carve out some time to setup a site for NWPE development. > > > > Thanks, > > --Tony > > > > -- > > "Computer science is as much about computers as > > astronomy is about telescopes" -- Edsger Dijkstra > > --------------------------------------------------------- > > Anthony Tonns, UNIX Administrator - atonns@mail.ivillage.com > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------- > > This SF.Net email sponsored by: Parasoft > > Error proof Web apps, automate testing & more. > > Download & eval WebKing and get a free book. > > www.parasoft.com/bulletproofapps > > _______________________________________________ > > Nagios-users mailing list > > Nagios-users@lists.sourceforge.net > > <A HREF="https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/nagios-users" TARGET="_blank">https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/nagios-users</A> > > ::: Please include Nagios version, plugin version (-v) and OS when > reporting any issue. > > ::: Messages without supporting info will risk being sent > to /dev/null > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------- > This SF.Net email sponsored by: Parasoft > Error proof Web apps, automate testing & more. > Download & eval WebKing and get a free book. > www.parasoft.com/bulletproofapps > _______________________________________________ > Nagios-users mailing list > Nagios-users@lists.sourceforge.net > <A HREF="https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/nagios-users" TARGET="_blank">https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/nagios-users</A> > ::: Please include Nagios version, plugin version (-v) and OS > when reporting any issue. > ::: Messages without supporting info will risk being sent to /dev/null > </BODY> </HTML>