[Xymon] Custom graphs, non-standard config

[Haertig, David F (Dave)]

Thanks for the response.  I already have an object oriented PERL module I designed and use with Hobbit that is specifically for collecting data from servers and interfacing with my custom scripts.  Both "standard" data that a normal Hobbit client would retrieve, and also custom data.  What I have sounds a lot like that RCLIENT that you mention.  I read the documentation on RCLIENT by following your link, and it is eerie how similar the implementation is to what I have done in my PERL module.  I wrote this module years ago, if is used all over in my Hobbit installation, so changing it now would not be worthwhile.  I didn't find anything that RCLIENT can do that my existing module can't.  I guess others saw the same need I identified for this type of operation, and we developed similar solutions independently.

Thanks for your response!


-----Original Message-----
From: Andy Smith [mailto:abs at shadymint.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, April 03, 2013 12:07 AM
To: Haertig, David F (Dave)
Cc: xymon at xymon.com
Subject: Re: [Xymon] Custom graphs, non-standard config

Haertig, David F (Dave) wrote:
> My installation is an old Hobbit 4.2.0 one, but in case the graphing is 
> still similar to the way Xymon does things nowadays, I thought I'd ask here.
> 
>  
> 
> I am familiar with custom graphs, using NCV, and have implemented many.  
> I am looking to try something a little different from that.
> 
>  
> 
> I have a network appliance (not a "server") that cannot have the Hobbit 
> client installed on it, but I can gather CPU load info from it like this 
> "ssh user at appliance status cpu".  This generates a response like this 
> example:
> 
>  
> 
> 0.18 0.14 0.10 3/74 29150
> 
> Command Result : 0 (Success)
> 
>  
> 
> I currently use the above collected data to create a "status" message 
> that I then use the "bb" command to send to Hobbit.  Works as expected, 
> with the data showing up in the "cpu" column for this appliance I am 
> monitoring:
> 
>  
> 
> /usr/local/bin/bb
> 
> 192.168.0.1
> 
> status qcosvhsm1.cpu green Tue Apr  2 15:55:16 2013
> 
> CPU load
> 
> ========
> 
>  
> 
> &green 5 minute average CPU load is 0.10, which is <= warning level of 3
> 
>  
> 
> load average: 0.10, 0.10, 0.09
> 
>  
> 
> Raw data (command = 'status cpu'):
> 
>    0.10 0.10 0.09 3/74 7177
> 
>    Command Result : 0 (Success)
> 
>  
> 
> (I have other custom stuff that turns text like "&green" into a link to 
> the green light icon Hobbit normally uses, but that's irrelevant to my 
> questions here.)
> 
>  
> 
> *What I would like to do is use the built-in RRD and "CPU Load" graph 
> definitions to display a graph on the Hobbit webpage.*  I realize I can 
> make my own custom ones, and I know how to do that already (but not 
> showing up on the default "cpu" column, I'd have to make a different 
> "cpu_load" column using a different name than just "cpu"), but I wanted 
> to try sending my data into Hobbit to force it to use the built-in 
> definitions rather than my own custom defs.  You can see in the above bb 
> message I formatted a part of the text as "load average: 0.10, 0.10, 
> 0.09" so that would mimic what Hobbit normally sees in the data 
> typically collected with "top" (which I believe is how it collects data 
> on CPU load - but I'm not sure of Hobbits internals in this case - 
> possibly it uses some other command, maybe "uptime").
> 
>  
> 
> Do I need to send an additional "data" message along with the "status" 
> message above to trigger the graphing?  What format would that data 
> message require?  Typically for a custom graph you add onto the TEST2RRD 
> line with "column_name=ncv" but I can see as part of the original 
> TEST2RRD line that there already is a part that says "cpu=la".  As I 
> understand TEST2RRD (and I don't understand it all that well), I think 
> this means that incoming "status" and "data" messages for "cpu" are 
> directed to some internal "la" module.  I am working on the assumption 
> that all's I need to do to invoke the built-in graphing defs for "CPU 
> Load" is to format my custom status message so that the "la" module can 
> parse out the load data it needs for graphing.  Am I even close to being 
> correct in this assumption?
> 
>  
> 
> Any tips on how I should proceed?  This is as much a mental gymnastics 
> exercise as anything.  It is going into a production system and I know 
> how to skin this cat another way.  I was just hoping to learn how to 
> skin this cat using the already built-in "CPU Load" graphing definitions.
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks in advance!
> 
>  
> 
> 
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Hi,

We have had a lot of success with appliances using xymon-rclient which 
is documented and available from here :-

http://tools.rebel-it.com.au/xymon-rclient/

-- 
Andy