Nagios Support Forum

Hi,

How can we add check to the system for processes running on them after the monitoring wizard has added checks to it it.

Monitoring wizards only allows to add certain limited no. of checks. I want to add a lot more checks than in there eg. Checking for processing are running or not. checking port, deploying log scrubbers etc. Does Nagios xi have them.

Also, Is there a tool that can be used to deploy web check / synthetic transactions?

Sorry, if these are basic questions.

Thanks

How can we add check to the system for processes running on them after the monitoring wizard has added checks to it it.

You should be able to run through the wizard again and only check the additional fields. Alternatively, you can use the Core Config Manager and match up the templates.

Also, Is there a tool that can be used to deploy web check / synthetic transactions?

Yes. See the second half of the document on http://library.nagios.com/library/produ ... -nagios-xi.

"Alternatively, you can use the Core Config Manager and match up the templates."

Do you have any document I can refer to on how to do this?

Honestly, no. What kind of background do you have in the underlying Nagios configuration logic? I can try to explain it for you, but it'd be good to know where we're starting from.

I would say not much.

I just know that there is a config file which has all the logic.

I'll appreciate your help.

This can be a pretty large topic to cover, but understanding the nagios configuration files is a good place to start.

This is from the Nagios Core documentation, but it probably gives the best explanations.
http://nagios.sourceforge.net/docs/3_0/ ... bject.html


A simple way to manually add a new configuration in the Core Config Manager would be to access the Core Config Manager->Hosts page. Select "Add New", then enter a Host Name, address, and set the check command to "check-host-alive." Insert the "xiwizard_generic_host" template, then "save", and click "Apply Configuration" to see the changes take effect.

Manually managing the nagios config files (via the Core Config Manager) takes some practice. Read the Core documentation listed above, as it will be extremely useful in understanding how configurations work.

All right, I'll try to take a stab at this:

A "template" is an object definition that does not represent a real host or service, but rather is intended to be a set of values that are shared by a number of other objects. The purpose is to save you typing when creating those other objects by only having to define the common settings once, and then also being able to change them globally for all of them without having to edit each of them again. So, when defining an object, you can say to "use" a template, which will use the template settings for anything that is not specified in the object itself. Note that their is an order of precedence here - if a setting is specified in both the template and the object definition, the one in the object itself will be used. Additionally, templates can reference other templates, with similar logic - the template being "used" has a lower priority than the one calling it. So, you might have a service "Memory Free" that uses the "memory-check" template, the memory-check template could use the "physical-resources" template, and the physical resources template could use the "generic-service" template. In that sort of case, you would need to look in *all* 4 places to figure out what the settings being used for that service are. As you work your way up the line from the service itself, any setting that hasn't been declared before gets added, and any that are shared are ignored (since the one encountered closer to the bottom object takes precedence).

When looking in the CCM, there is a field on the "Common Settings" tab for an object labeled "Additional Templates". This is where you define what templates to apply to the object, and where you can look on a service created by the wizards to figure out what other settings they use. If multiple templates are defined here, I believe the higher one in the list takes precedence over the lower one. Similarly, when you pull up the template itself in the CCM, it will have an "Additional Templates" field as well. When this field reads "No data", you have reached the top of the template chain.

In order to match up settings when creating your own services, you will want to create one with the wizard, and then go into the CCM and find that service, and look at both the settings it has and what templates it uses. Then, use those same settings and insert those same templates on any new ones you create. If you want to save some typing & clicking, you can also make a template with any extra settings that also references the template it had, and then you'll only need to fill in the name, host, and any arguments you want.

While not specifically on this topic, there is also some background that may be useful to you in the document found on http://library.nagios.com/library/produ ... management .

I am really new to this. I will reach out if I have any further questions. Thanks for taking time and helping me out.

We are glad to help with any questions about Nagios xi you may have