astlinux-users

Re: [Astlinux-users] Idea for new AstLinux package: Hobbit MonitorClient

[Sebastian A. <sp...@sy...>]

ast...@li... <> wrote:
> On 3/22/07, Sebastian Auriol <sp...@sy...> wrote:
>> Hi,
>> 
>> It would be useful to have a system for monitoring AstLinux servers.
>> In particular I'd like the client part of Hobbit Monitor:
>> http://hobbitmon.sourceforge.net/
>> 
>> Also useful would probably be SNMP (but that wouldn't have to be
>> implemented at the same time): 
>> 
>> Handling SNMP Traps with Hobbit
>> http://cerebro.victoriacollege.edu/hobbit-trap.html
>> Or
>> Devmon: an SNMP device monitor.
>> http://devmon.sourceforge.net/
>> 
>> Of course I understand if this is too much to support.
>> 
>> Kind regards,
>> 
>> Sebastian
>> 
> 
> Sebastian,
> 
>   What can this do that SNMP (running on AstLinux machine) and
> Cacti/MRTG/Nagios/OpenNMG can't?
> 
>   net-snmp is already available in AstLinux.

Kristian,

I am not very familiar with Cacti/MRTG/Nagios/OpenNMG, but let me see what
what I can find quickly (and from what I know):

* Cacti does not seem to have any alerting / alarming functionality
built-in.
* MRTG can work with hobbit and also does not seem to have any alerting /
alarming functionality built-in. You can use MRTG to collect the data and
feed it into a hobbit server for deciding what constitues an alarm and
alerting the appropriate person accordingly. However, given this, it _may_
be possible to use MRTG as a kind of substitute for hobbit client, while
still using hobbit server.
* Nagios does have similar functionality to Hobbit although there are no
nofication methods incorporated directly. I believe that it is much easier
to wrote custom tests scripts for hobbit (as any executable can work). I am
much more familiar with Big Brother (Hobbit's inspiration) and Hobbit then
Nagios though. I have been considering writing a notification system for
hobbit that uses Asterisk servers.
* OpenNMD returns just a few pages on Google - did you make a typo?
* Hobbit client returns information about various aspects of the system as
you can see on this live demo here (I have chosen a page which has
information from hobbit client - the conn and ssh columns are network tests
and not performed by the client):
http://www.hswn.dk/hobbit/servers/servers.html

net-snmp already being in AstLinux is nice.

Kind regards,

Sebastian

Re: [Astlinux-users] Idea for new AstLinux package: Hobbit MonitorClient

[Darrick H. <dha...@dj...>]

I'll reply inline below

Sebastian Auriol wrote:
> ast...@li... <> wrote:
>   
>> On 3/22/07, Sebastian Auriol <sp...@sy...> wrote:
>>     
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> It would be useful to have a system for monitoring AstLinux servers.
>>> In particular I'd like the client part of Hobbit Monitor:
>>> http://hobbitmon.sourceforge.net/
>>>
>>> Also useful would probably be SNMP (but that wouldn't have to be
>>> implemented at the same time): 
>>>       
>>   What can this do that SNMP (running on AstLinux machine) and
>> Cacti/MRTG/Nagios/OpenNMG can't?
>>
>>   net-snmp is already available in AstLinux.
>>     
>
> Kristian,
>
> I am not very familiar with Cacti/MRTG/Nagios/OpenNMG, but let me see what
> what I can find quickly (and from what I know):
>
>
> * Nagios does have similar functionality to Hobbit although there are no
> nofication methods incorporated directly. I believe that it is much easier
> to wrote custom tests scripts for hobbit (as any executable can work). I am
> much more familiar with Big Brother (Hobbit's inspiration) and Hobbit then
> Nagios though. I have been considering writing a notification system for
> hobbit that uses Asterisk servers.
>   
Nagios is a pita to setup, but it can do alerting.
> * OpenNMD returns just a few pages on Google - did you make a typo?
>
>   
OpenNMS is what Kristian meant.
http://www.opennms.org/

Another one not mentions, but still powerful is Zabbix.  That's the one 
that I will be setting up in the next few weeks.

With all of these options that work with standard snmp, I see no reason 
to add a separate client app  to support Hobbit.  Are you sure that 
Hobbit can't work with snmp data? 

Darrick

-- 
Darrick Hartman
DJH Solutions, LLC
http://www.djhsolutions.com

Re: [Astlinux-users] Idea for new AstLinux package: Hobbit MonitorClient

[Kristian K. <kri...@gm...>]

On 3/22/07, Sebastian Auriol <sp...@sy...> wrote:

> Kristian,
>
> I am not very familiar with Cacti/MRTG/Nagios/OpenNMG, but let me see what
> what I can find quickly (and from what I know):
>
> * Cacti does not seem to have any alerting / alarming functionality
> built-in.
> * MRTG can work with hobbit and also does not seem to have any alerting /
> alarming functionality built-in. You can use MRTG to collect the data and
> feed it into a hobbit server for deciding what constitues an alarm and
> alerting the appropriate person accordingly. However, given this, it _may_
> be possible to use MRTG as a kind of substitute for hobbit client, while
> still using hobbit server.
> * Nagios does have similar functionality to Hobbit although there are no
> nofication methods incorporated directly. I believe that it is much easier
> to wrote custom tests scripts for hobbit (as any executable can work). I am
> much more familiar with Big Brother (Hobbit's inspiration) and Hobbit then
> Nagios though. I have been considering writing a notification system for
> hobbit that uses Asterisk servers.
> * OpenNMD returns just a few pages on Google - did you make a typo?
> * Hobbit client returns information about various aspects of the system as
> you can see on this live demo here (I have chosen a page which has
> information from hobbit client - the conn and ssh columns are network tests
> and not performed by the client):
> http://www.hswn.dk/hobbit/servers/servers.html
>
> net-snmp already being in AstLinux is nice.
>
> Kind regards,
>
> Sebastian
>

Sebastian,

  The point was that SNMP is a widely accepted network standard that
is supported everywhere - both on the monitoring/polling/trap host and
the client.  Asterisk 1.4 even has an SNMP agent built in.

  The intelligence should be on the monitoring host - not on the
monitored client.  All the client should have to do is report vital
data to the monitoring host (where it can be recorded, graphed, etc).

  What is the data collection mechanism for Hobit on the monitored client?


-- 
Kristian Kielhofner