2. Icinga Configuration
The main Icinga configuration file is /etc/icinga/icinga.cfg , additional configurations are stored in /etc/icinga/commands.cfg and /etc/icinga/resource.cfg . Usually the default configuration is ok, so you don't have to change these files.
The first thing you should change is the contact details in /etc/icinga/objects/contacts_icinga.cfg so that notifications are sent to the correct email address:
vi /etc/icinga/objects/contacts_icinga.cfg
[...] define contact{ contact_name root alias Falko Timme service_notification_period 24x7 host_notification_period 24x7 service_notification_options w,u,c,r host_notification_options d,r service_notification_commands notify-service-by-email host_notification_commands notify-host-by-email email me@myself.com } [...]
The service checks for localhost are defined in /etc/icinga/objects/localhost_icinga.cfg - take a look at that file:
cat /etc/icinga/objects/localhost_icinga.cfg
# A simple configuration file for monitoring the local host # This can serve as an example for configuring other servers; # Custom services specific to this host are added here, but services # defined in icinga-common_services.cfg may also apply. # define host{ use generic-host ; Name of host template to use host_name localhost alias localhost address 127.0.0.1 } # Define a service to check the disk space of the root partition # on the local machine. Warning if <20% free, critical if # <10% free space on partition. define service{ use generic-service ; Name of service template to use host_name localhost service_description Disk Space check_command check_all_disks!20%!10% } # Define a service to check the number of currently logged in # users on the local machine. Warning if> 20 users, critical # if> 50 users. define service{ use generic-service ; Name of service template to use host_name localhost service_description Current Users check_command check_users!20!50 } # Define a service to check the number of currently running procs # on the local machine. Warning if> 250 processes, critical if #> 400 processes. define service{ use generic-service ; Name of service template to use host_name localhost service_description Total Processes check_command check_procs!250!400 } # Define a service to check the load on the local machine. define service{ use generic-service ; Name of service template to use host_name localhost service_description Current Load check_command check_load!5.0!4.0!3.0!10.0!6.0!4.0 }
Let's check out the /etc/nagios-plugins/config/disk.cfg file:
cat /etc/nagios-plugins/config/disk.cfg
# 'check_disk' command definition define command{ command_name check_disk command_line /usr/lib/nagios/plugins/check_disk -w '$ARG1$' -c '$ARG2$' -e -p '$ARG3$' } # 'check_all_disks' command definition define command{ command_name check_all_disks command_line /usr/lib/nagios/plugins/check_disk -w '$ARG1$' -c '$ARG2$' -e } # 'ssh_disk' command definition define command{ command_name ssh_disk command_line /usr/lib/nagios/plugins/check_by_ssh -H '$HOSTADDRESS$' -C __GESHI_QUOT__ /usr/lib/nagios/plugins/check_disk -w '$ARG1$' -c '$ARG2$' -e -p '$ARG3$'__GESHI_QUOT__ } #### # use these c
hecks, if you want to test IPv4 connectivity on IPv6 enabled systems #### # 'ssh_disk_4' command definition define command{ command_name ssh_disk_4 command_line /usr/lib/nagios/plugins/check_by_ssh -H '$HOSTADDRESS$' -C " /usr/lib/nagios/plugins/check_disk -w '$ARG1$' -c '$ARG2$' -e -p '$ARG3$'" -4 }
As you see, the check_all_disks command is defined as /usr/lib/nagios/plugins/check_disk -w '$ARG1$' -c '$ARG2$' -e . If you take a look at the /etc/icinga/objects/localhost_icinga.cfg file again, you see that we have the line check_command check_all_disks!20%!10% in it. Icinga allows us to pass command line arguments to service checks by separating them with an exclamation mark ( ! ), so check_command check_all_disks!20%!10% means we pass 20% as the first command line argument and 10% as the second command line argument to the /usr/lib/nagios/plugins/check_disk -w '$ARG1$' -c '$ARG2$' -e command so that it finally translates to /usr/lib/nagios/plugins/check_disk -w '20%' -c '10%' -e.
If you want to pass a command line argument that contains an exclamation mark, you must escape the exclamation mark with a backslash: \!
To find out what command line arguments a plugin can take, call that plugin with the –help switch. For example, to find out how the check_disk plugin can be used, run
/usr/lib/nagios/plugins/check_disk --help
With this knowledge you can modify the service checks in /etc/icinga/objects/localhost_icinga.cfg to your likings, and you can add/modify plugin configurations in the /etc/nagios-plugins/config directory.
Now let's assume we want to add a service check for MySQL, we first take a look at the appropriate plugin configuration:
cat /etc/nagios-plugins/config/mysql.cfg
# 'check_mysql' command definition define command{ command_name check_mysql command_line /usr/lib/nagios/plugins/check_mysql -H '$HOSTADDRESS$' } # 'check_mysql_cmdlinecred' command definition define command{ command_name check_mysql_cmdlinecred command_line /usr/lib/nagios/plugins/check_mysql -H '$HOSTADDRESS$' -u '$ARG1$' -p '$ARG2$' } # 'check_mysql_database' command definition define command{ command_name check_mysql_database command_line /usr/lib/nagios/plugins/check_mysql -d '$ARG3$' -H '$HOSTADDRESS$' -u '$ARG1$' -p '$ARG2$' }
The command I want to use is check_mysql_cmdlinecred - this takes a MySQL username and a password as arguments (besides the host address which is taken from the host_name parameter of the service check definition. I want to use the MySQL user nagios with the password howtoforge here, so I add the following section to /etc/icinga/objects/localhost_icinga.cfg :
vi /etc/icinga/objects/localhost_icinga.cfg
[...] define service{ use generic-service host_name localhost service_description MySQL check_command check_mysql_cmdlinecred!nagios!howtoforge }
Before we restart Icinga, we must create the MySQL user nagios with the password howtoforge :
mysql -u root -p GRANT USAGE ON *.* TO nagios@localhost IDENTIFIED BY 'howtoforge'; GRANT USAGE ON *.* TO nagios@localhost.localdomain IDENTIFIED BY 'howtoforge'; FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
quit;
(The USAGE privilege is a synonym for 'no privileges', i.e., the nagios user can connect to MySQL, but not alter or read any data.)
Now we restart Icinga so that our changes take effect:
/etc/init.d/icinga restart
If you check localhost 's services in the Icinga web interface now, you should see that a check for MySQL has been added:
http://static.howtoforge.com/images/icinga_monitoring_ubuntu_11.10/big/4.pngLikewise, we can add checks for SMTP, POP3, and IMAP - these are just connection checks, so we don't need any arguments:
vi /etc/icinga/objects/localhost_icinga.cfg
[...] define service{ use generic-service host_name localhost service_description SMTP check_command check_smtp } define service{ use generic-service host_name localhost service_description POP3 check_command check_pop } define service{ use generic-service host_name localhost service_description IMAP check_command check_imap }
Restart Icinga…
/etc/init.d/icinga restart
… and a few moments later you should see the new checks in the Icinga web interface:
http://static.howtoforge.com/images/icinga_monitoring_ubuntu_11.10/big/5.pngYou might have noticed the SSH and HTTP checks for localhost which are not defined in /etc/icinga/objects/localhost_icinga.cfg . These are defined in hostgroup s in the /etc/icinga/objects/hostgroups_icinga.cfg file. A hostgroup allows us to run a service check for multiple servers and define it only once. Take a look at that file:
cat /etc/icinga/objects/hostgroups_icinga.cfg
# Some generic hostgroup definitions # A simple wildcard hostgroup define hostgroup { hostgroup_name all alias All Servers members * } # A list of your Debian GNU/Linux servers define hostgroup { hostgroup_name debian-servers alias Debian GNU/Linux Servers members localhost } # A list of your web servers define hostgroup { hostgroup_name http-servers alias HTTP servers members localhost } # A list of your ssh-accessible servers define hostgroup { hostgroup_name ssh-servers alias SSH servers members localhost }
As you see, we have a hostgroup called http-servers and a hostgroup called ssh-servers , and localhost is a member of each of these groups. The service checks for the hostgroup s are defined in /etc/icinga/objects/services_icinga.cfg . This file contains service checks and refers to the hostgroup s to which these checks should be applied by using the hostgroup_name parameter:
cat /etc/icinga/objects/services_icinga.cfg
# check that web services are running define service { hostgroup_name http-servers service_description HTTP check_command check_http use generic-service notification_interval 0 ; set> 0 if you want to be renotified } # check that ssh services are running define service { hostgroup_name ssh-servers service_description SSH check_command check_ssh use generic-service notification_interval 0 ; set> 0 if you want to be renotified }
As you see, the SSH and HTTP service checks are defined here.