ZenPacks.JanGaraj.ZabbixAgent

About

This ZenPack unlocks Zabbix agent functionality in Zenoss. The best benefit is that Zabbix agent is available for wide range of OS (UNIX, Windows, ...). Default Zabbix templates adapted for Zenoss are included.

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Requirements

Zenoss

You must first have, or install, Zenoss 4. This ZenPack was tested against Zenoss 4.2.5. You can download the free Core version of Zenoss from http://community.zenoss.org/community/download.

Zabbix agent

Visit Zabbix download page and choose the right free pre-compiled Zabbix agent version. Or if package zabbix-agent exists in your distribution repository, you can use it. ZenPack doesn't have any condition for Zabbix agent version. Please check Zabbix documentation if you have a problem with installation.
Please configure also agent (usually zabbix_agentd.conf file). Edit line with Server config:

Server=<IP_OF_ZENOSS_COLLECTOR(S)>

Incoming connections are accepted only from the hosts listed in this settings. Then (re)start agent.

Network

Zenoss collector/master must have access to Zabbix agents (default port 10050) on monitored devices.

Installation

Normal Installation (packaged egg)

Download the egg file. Copy this file to your Zenoss server and run the following commands as the zenoss user.

zenpack --install ZenPacks.JanGaraj.ZabbixAgent-0.7.0.egg
zenoss restart

Developer Installation (link mode)

If you wish to further develop and possibly contribute back to the ZabbixAgent ZenPack you should clone the [git repository] (https://github.com/monitoringartist/ZenPacks.JanGaraj.ZabbixAgent.git), then install the ZenPack in developer mode using the following commands.

git clone git://github.com/monitoringartist/ZenPacks.JanGaraj.ZabbixAgent.git
zenpack --link --install ZenPacks.JanGaraj.ZabbixAgent
zenoss restart

zProperties

ZenPack creates zProperty zZabbixPort with default value 10050 (default Zabbix agent port). If your Zabbix agent is configured with another listen port, change zZabbixPort accordingly.

Usage

Go to the specific device (yes, it needs to already be added) and bind right template(s).

Installing the ZenPack will add the following items to your Zenoss system:

Monitoring Templates

Templates are "imported" from Zabbix and adapted for Zenoss, because Zenoss doesn't support all Zabbix features (especially non numeric metric). Please bear in mind, that CPU is default component template for all Devices. Set it up only for devices, where Zabbix Agent is installed.

• /Devices/rrdTemplates/CPU (Component Template)
• /Devices/rrdTemplates/ZabbixAppFTPService
• /Devices/rrdTemplates/ZabbixAppHTTPService
• /Devices/rrdTemplates/ZabbixAppHTTPSService
• /Devices/rrdTemplates/ZabbixAppIMAPService
• /Devices/rrdTemplates/ZabbixAppLDAPService
• /Devices/rrdTemplates/ZabbixAppMySQL
• /Devices/rrdTemplates/ZabbixAppNNTPService
• /Devices/rrdTemplates/ZabbixAppNTPService
• /Devices/rrdTemplates/ZabbixAppPOPService
• /Devices/rrdTemplates/ZabbixAppSMTPService
• /Devices/rrdTemplates/ZabbixAppSSHService
• /Devices/rrdTemplates/ZabbixAppTelnetService
• /Devices/rrdTemplates/ZabbixAppZabbixAgent
• /Devices/rrdTemplates/ZabbixOSAIX
• /Devices/rrdTemplates/ZabbixOSFreeBSD
• /Devices/rrdTemplates/ZabbixOSHP-UX
• /Devices/rrdTemplates/ZabbixOSLinux
• /Devices/rrdTemplates/ZabbixOSMacOSX
• /Devices/rrdTemplates/ZabbixOSOpenBSD
• /Devices/rrdTemplates/ZabbixOSSolaris
• /Devices/rrdTemplates/ZabbixOSWindows

Event Classes

• /Events/Status/ZabbixAgent

Creatig a custom metric

You can use all metric provided by Zabbix agent in passive mode. For example all file relative metrics (e.g. log, logrt) are available only in active mode. Check Zabbix agent documentation - [available item keys] (https://www.zabbix.com/documentation/2.2/manual/config/items/itemtypes/zabbix_agent#supported_item_keys)

Summary:

• create new Datasource, type COMMAND (e.g. name: 'CPU steal time')
• create new Datapoint for your new datasource, only one datapoint per datasource is supported (e.g. name: 'system.cpu.util.steal')
• edit your new Datasource: Parser must be ZenPacks.JanGaraj.ZabbixAgent.parsers.ZabbixAgentJSON.

Command template must call provided zabbix_get_zenoss utility with the right parameters:

${here/ZenPackManager/packs/ZenPacks.JanGaraj.ZabbixAgent/path}/libexec/zabbix_get_zenoss -s ${device/id} -p ${here/zZabbixPort} -k "system.cpu.util[,nice]" -d "system.cpu.util.steal" -c ""

Parameters:

-s ${device/id} - host name or IP of monitored device, I recommend to use ${device/id} as default value

-p ${here/zZabbixPort} - Zabbix agent port on monitored device, zProperty zZabbixPort (with default value 10050) is used here

-k "system.cpu.util[,steal]" - Zabbix item key, see Zabbix manual for parameters and available keys

-d "system.cpu.util.steal" - Zenoss datapoint name

-c "" - Zenoss component id, use it in component template, otherwise you can omit this parameter (default value is "" - no component)

Extending Zabbix agent metric

You can define your own metric, if some metric, which you need is not provided by Zabbix agent by default. Please refer to Zabbix manual:

• userparameters

https://www.zabbix.com/documentation/2.2/manual/config/items/userparameters

• loadable modules (Unix only)

https://www.zabbix.com/documentation/2.2/manual/config/items/loadablemodules

Screenshots

A few graph screenshots from device with ZabbixOSLinux template for example:

Performance notes

ZenPacks.JanGaraj.ZabbixAgent 0.7.0 use one TCP call/connection per metric. It's not very efficient, so this call should be very quick. ZenPacks.JanGaraj.ZabbixAgent libexec folders contains also C version of zabbix_get_zenoss utility for better perfomance. Default used version is python:

[root@device libexec]# time ./zabbix_get_zenoss.py -s zabbix -d system.cpu.load.all.avg1 -k "system.cpu.load[all,avg1]"
{"values":{"":{"system.cpu.load.all.avg1":0.000000}},"events":[{"severity":0,"summary":"Clearing previous problems","message":"Clearing previous problems","eventClass":"/Status/ZabbixAgent","eventKey":"system.cpu.load[all,avg1]"},{"severity":0,"summary":"Clearing previous problems","message":"Clearing previous problems","eventClass":"/Status/ZabbixAgent","eventKey":"connection"}]}

real    0m0.079s
user    0m0.043s
sys     0m0.033s

For performance testing purpose, also C version has been created. You will need to compile it, what can be challenge, so some precompiled version (Ubuntu, CentOS, ...) are provided.

Performance test with compiled version:

[root@device libexec]# time ./zabbix_get_zenoss_centos5 -s zabbix -d system.cpu.load.all.avg1 -k "system.cpu.load[all,avg1]"
{"values":{"":{"system.cpu.load.all.avg1":0.000000}},"events":[{"severity":0,"summary":"Clearing previous problems","message":"Clearing previous problems","eventClass":"/Status/ZabbixAgent","eventKey":"system.cpu.load[all,avg1]"},{"severity":0,"summary":"Clearing previous problems","message":"Clearing previous problems","eventClass":"/Status/ZabbixAgent","eventKey":"connection"}]}
real    0m0.007s
user    0m0.000s
sys     0m0.007s

Generally compiled version is 10x more faster than python version in this synthetic performance test. So let's go to check performance with zencommand (zencommand run -d zabbix -v 10). Tested device is zabbix VM with binded ZabbixOSLinux template and with 33 datapoints.

0.6 second takes RUNNING->IDLE for compiled C version of zabbix_get_zenoss version:

2014-08-09 14:01:27,832 DEBUG zen.collector.scheduler: Task zabbix 60 Local changing state from RUNNING to FETCH_DATA
2014-08-09 14:01:28,426 DEBUG zen.collector.scheduler: Task zabbix 60 Local changing state from STORE_PERF_DATA to IDLE

3.2 seconds takes RUNNING->IDLE for python version of zabbix_get_zenoss version:

2014-08-09 14:06:50,461 DEBUG zen.collector.scheduler: Task zabbix 60 Local changing state from RUNNING to FETCH_DATA
2014-08-09 14:06:53,702 DEBUG zen.collector.scheduler: Task zabbix 60 Local changing state from STORE_PERF_DATA to IDLE

I've made also test with one second CPU utilization pooling for one device and it was 10% CPU utilization for python version vs 1% CPU utilization for compiled C version. Graph of CPU utilization, when one second pooling was active: ![One second CPU utilization pooling] (https://raw.githubusercontent.com/monitoringartist/ZenPacks.JanGaraj.ZabbixAgent/master/image_CPU_utilization_one_second_pooling.png)

Conclusion:

Python is amazing option for developers. I love "import pdb; pdb.set_trace();" feature for python debugging also in Zenoss. But if speed is critical for you, then consider binaries (compiled C code).

TODO list

• implement Zabbix agent datasource
• implement daemon zenzabbixserver for active/passive agent mode and better performance
• implement Zabbix modeller Filesystem/Interface plugin (low level discovery functionality of Zabbix agent)
• improve speed/perfomance (cython, pypy, ...)

Author

Devops Monitoring zExpert, who loves monitoring systems, which start with letter Z. Those are Zabbix and Zenoss.

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