Learning Nagios 3.0 (Packt 2008).pdf

Learning Nagios 3.0 (Packt 2008).pdfLearning nagios 3.0Copyright C 2008 Packt PublishingAll rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrievalsystem, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior writtenpermission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded incritical articles or reviewsEvery effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy ofthe information presented. However, the information contained in this book is soldwithout warranty, either express or implied. The author, Packt Publishing, and itsdealers or distributors will not be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to becaused directly or indirectly by this bookPackt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all thecompanies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitalsHowever, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this informationFirst published: October 2008Production reference: 1101008Published by Packt Publishing Ltd32 Lincoln roadOltonBirmingham, B27 6PA, UKISBN978-1-84719518-0www.packtpub.comCover Image by Vinayak Chittar(vinayak. chittarogmail comPACKPUBLISHINGCreditsAuthorProject ManagerWojciech KocjanAbhijeet DeobhaktaReviewerProject CoordinatorManish SapariyaRajashree HamineAcquisition EditorIndexerAdil ahmedMonica AjmeraDevelopment EditorProofreaderSwapna verlekarDirk manureTechnical editorProduction CoordinatorAanchal KumarRajni ThoratEditorial Team LeaderCover DesignerAkshara AwareRaini ThoratPACKPUBLISHINGAbout the authorWojciech Kocjan is an experienced system administrator, It professional, andsoftware engineer. He has ten years of experience in the IT industry, and his resumeincludes international corporations such as IBM and Motorola. He also has severalyears of experience in a variety of open source projects. Ilis expertise includesmanaging Linux, Sun, and IBM systemsI'd like to thank my wife joanna and my son Kacper for all of thehelp and support during the writing of this book. I would also like tothank people at Packt as they have given me a lot of help and plentyof practical advicePACKPUBLISHINGAbout the reviewerManish sapariya has nine years of experience in software development andtesting. He has worked on various technologies such as C++/ATL-COM, Windowand Linux device drivers, and os platforms such as Windows, FreeBSD, and linuxIIe started his career with Zensar Technologies, Pune, working for the Fujitsu ltddivision While working for Fujitsu Ltd, Manish worked on various test simulationtools for the testing of hardware devices, including high-end servers, switches androuters. For the last four years, he has been working with Great Software LaboratoryPvt. Ltd, Pune, where he is currently responsible for testing products developedat SlabI would like to thank my wife Dharmishtha, and my family for alltheir support while i have been reviewing this bookPACKPUBLISHINGPACKPUBLISHINGTable of contentPrefaceChapter 1: IntroductionIntroduction to NagiosBenefits of Monitoring Resources89Main Features11Soft and hard states13What's new in nagios 3.0?14Summary16Chapter 2: Installation and ConfigurationInstallationUpgrading from Previous versions18Prerequisites18Obtaining Nagios20Setting up Users and Groups21Nagios Compilation22Registering Nagios as a System Service27Nagios Configuration28Main Configuration File28Macro Definitions31Configuring hosts34Configuring services40Configuring Commands44Configuring Time Periods46Configuring Contacts48Templates and object Inheritance52Introduction to notifications56Summary58PACKPUBLISHINGTable of contentsChapter 3: Using the Nagios Web Interface59Setting up the Web Interface60Configuring the Web Server60Accessing the Web Interface62Troubleshooting63Using the Web Interface66Tactical overview66atus map68Managing Hosts69Status70Host InformationManaging ServicesStatus73Service Information75Managing DowntimesDowntimes status77Scheduling Downtimes78Managing Comments79Nagios Information80Process Information81Performance Information82Reports83Summary86Chapter 4: Overview of Nagios Plugins87Standard Network Plugins89Checking If a Host is Alive90Testing Connectivity over TCP and UDP91Monitoring email servers92POP3 and IMAP Checks92SMTP Daemon Testing94Monitoring Network Services95FTP Server95DHCP Tests96Verifying the Nagios Daemon98Testing Web Sites99Monitoring Database Systems100MySQL101PostgreSQL102Oracle103Other databases105PACKPUBLISHINGTable of ContentsStorage Space105Virtual Memory Monitoring105Monitoring IDE/SCSI SMART106Checking Disk Space107Testing free space for remote shares108Resource Monitoring109System Load110Checking Processes10Monitoring Logged-in UsersMiscellaneous Plugins112APT Updates Checking112UPS Status Checking113LM Sensors114Dummy check Plugin114Manipulating Other Plugins Output115Summary116Chapter 5: Advanced Configuration117Maintainable Configurations118Configuration File Structure120Defining Dependencies121Using Templates126Custom variables131Flapping133Summary135Chapter 6: Notifications and Events137Effective notifications138Escalations143External commands149Event handlers152Modifying notifications157Adaptive Monitoring158Summary161Chapter 7: Passive Checks and NSCA163What are Passive checks?163Configuring passive checks166Passive checks-Hosts168Passive checks-Services170Troubleshooting Passive Checks172What is nsca?175Obtaining NSCA176PACKPUBLISHING