GroundWork Support 8
DOCUMENTATION
Configuration
Current: Nagios Monitoring

Nagios Monitoring

About Nagios Monitoring

In GroundWork Monitor, the Configuration > Nagios Monitoring menu item, is devoted to configuring and managing Nagios monitored elements. For specific component configuration see the page links below.

This configuration application, also referred to as Monarch (Monitor Architect), is a full-featured, easy-to-use web based system for use with Nagios. Monarch consists of a set of tools that allow a user to easily configure and maintain Nagios monitored elements. Monarch provides a user interface versus a command line text editor to configure the monitoring system for each monitored application, service, device, etc. For current Nagios users, Monarch writes and reads Nagios configuration files, enabling it to be easily integrated into an existing installation. You can simply install the package and import your existing configuration. Experienced Nagios users can edit the Nagios configuration files and use Monarch interchangeably.

Configuring Nagios Elements

GroundWork Profiles — Nagios Monitoring configuration uses device-specific profiles that contain both pre-defined and user-definable monitoring parameter settings. Using profiles, administrators can quickly configure GroundWork Monitor to monitor groups of similar devices and benefit from GroundWork deep expertise in monitoring design recommended practices.

Import Export — The Import from Files option allow you to import from nagios.cfg, cgi.cfg, and related files. This tool is for importing Nagios configuration files from standalone Nagios installations, to bring them under the GroundWork Monitor umbrella.

Configuration Backup and Restore — A backup of the configuration database is auto-created after a user performs the Commit process within the user interface. This section focuses on manually backing up and restoring a backup of the PostgreSQL configuration database monarch, via the user interface.

Pre Flight Test and Commit — Any change made within Nagios Monitoring is not effective and does not become part of your monitoring system production environment until the change is committed with the Commit option.

Hosts — The Hosts option is used to define, manage, and delete hosts, a physical server, workstation, device, etc. that resides on your network. Host definitions are used in host groups, and profiles. Add generic services to hosts to create host services; delete host services. Arrange hosts into host groups. Manage other host-related objects.

Services — The Services configuration option is used to define and manage services which run on hosts or some other type of metric associated with a host. Service definitions are used in host and service templates, and profiles.

Dependencies — Dependencies allow you to control the behavior of hosts and services based on the status of one or more other hosts or services. The use of dependencies can help save resources by not running checks on/and sending notifications about hosts and services that are obviously unavailable.

Commands — The Commands option is used to define commands that execute for host and service checks, host and service notifications, and host and service event handlers. Commands are referenced in host and service templates, host and service checks, profiles, contact templates and contact definitions, and the global Nagios™ setup for event handling.

Time Periods — Time Periods are lists of times during various days that are considered to be valid times for Nagios notifications and service checks. They indicate when host and service checks can be performed, when host and service notifications can be sent out to contacts, when notification escalations can be used, and when dependencies are valid. Time Periods are applied within host, service, contact, and escalation template definitions.

Groups — In the simplest form, groups can be used to split hosts into different Nagios configuration files, in their most complex implementation they extend the configuration to multiple instances of Nagios, and in between, groups can determine group macro values applied to service checks.

Externals — External commands enable you to add your own configuration data that is not related to Nagios but can be useful when integrating other tools. When externals are enabled, this data can be added to host and service profiles, which can then be applied to instantiated host and service definitions.

Extended Info — This page reviews the configuration of extended info templates. Extended host and service information entries are basically used to make the output from the status, statusmap, statuswrl, and extinfo CGIs look good.

CGI Configuration — Various Nagios CGIs are used within GroundWork Monitor. An administrator is able to configure user and contact group access control options for CGIs. The idea is to simplify the setup so that the existing user-list does not need to be changed regarding CGI authorization variables as users come and go. Also, this provides a facility for some types of read-only access to Nagios CGIs, which can help with security profiles.s