Configuring and Monitoring Nagios Plugins

Ubersmith offers a wide variety of device modules that can be used to maintain and monitor your infrastructure. It's even possible to use external monitoring software scripts, such as Nagios plugins, with Ubersmith's advanced monitoring features. This guide will overview how to set up the Command Monitoring module and configure Nagios plugins with your device monitoring and alerts.

First, you'll want to visit the Device Types category of Settings. Click the modules link for your device type group or device type, then click add module.

Select Command Monitor in the select box, and include a list of commands (one per line) on the Config tab. In this example, we're using the check_ircd plugin with its required arguments to check the status of a remote IRC server.

Once you've clicked update on the Command Monitor module, you'll want to jump over to the Device Manager to set it up further on a host. Select the Monitors tab on a specific device, then Add Monitor.

In the new window, you'll want to select 'Module' on the Protocol Menu, then 'Command Monitor' from the Module menu. Once done, click the Config tab on the same window.

In the config tab, you'll be able to select a command that you previously set up when adding the module. If you wish, you can also select edit to fine-tune the command or change it completely for this particular monitor. Next, you'll want to set up the expected output of the command. In this example, we're using regex to validate the output of this particular Nagios plugin.

Once you save the monitor, you can test it directly by clicking the corresponding test link in the list of Device Monitors. In our example, you'll see that the Regex matches the output string, making the result 'Success' and showing the monitor status as Up.

You'll find that the process for setting up other Nagios plugins is largely the same as far as the Ubersmith configuration is concerned ? you'll just want to update the plugin path, arguments, and expected output or regex. The same process can also be used for various other monitoring scripts that might be located on your instance host.