How-to: setup a monitoring node using Zenoss on VPS.NET

[Ditlev]

Zenoss enables network administrators to manage the configuration, health, and performance of networks, servers and network applications. Monitor your network availability, inventory, configuration, performance, and more with Zenoss on VPS.NET

Infoworld magazine named Zenoss as the best open source network monitoring solution of 2008. Zenoss' powerful Configuration Management Database (CMDB) allows you to monitor almost any network device and displays this information to you intelligently so that you can take action. While some network monitoring products feel like a patch quilt of software, Zenoss is a tightly integrated toolset with an open source design that gives you flexibility. As your organization grows you can integrate new capabilities so Zenoss grows with it. Protect the backbone of your organization; monitor network devices, availability of services, host resources, and more with Zenoss.

Here is how to install it:

First setup a CentOS LAMP server in either US or UK...

Then login to it via SSH:

SSH root@your.ip.number
Type in your password

Run the Yellowdog Updater, Modified (YUM), which you will use to install Zenoss. To run YUM, enter this command:

# yum -y install mysql-server net-snmp net-snmp-utils gmp libgomp libgcj liberation-fonts

Download the Zenoss installation files.

# wget http://downloads.sourceforge.net/zenoss/zenoss-2.4.5.el5.x86_64.rpm

(check Open Source Network Monitoring and Systems Management - Downloads for newest RPM dl's)

Follow these steps to install Zenoss for CentOS 5.:

# rpm -ivh zenoss-2.4.5.el5.x86_64.rpm

Enter this command to start Zenoss.

# service zenoss start

Download the ZENpack bundle:

# wget http://community.zenoss.org/servlet/JiveServlet/download/3480-6-1606/zenoss-core-zenpacks-2.4.2.el4.x86_64.rpm

Install the ZENpacks

# rpm -ivh zenoss-core-zenpacks-Version.el5.x86_64.rpm

To operate, Zenoss requires that several ports be open.
Open these ports in your firewall: 8080, 514, 162

# iptables -I INPUT -p tcp --dport 8080 -j ACCEPT
# iptables -I INPUT -p tcp --dport 514 -j ACCEPT
# iptables -I INPUT -p tcp --dport 162 -j ACCEPT

Alternatively, you can choose to disable the firewall. Use the following commands:

# service iptables stop
# chkconfig iptables off

Now what?
After installing, access Zenoss from your Web browser
In your browser:

http://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:8080

And follow the steps in this guide


Zenoss is great - give it a go!


D

[Ditlev]

Zenoss is growing on me - anyone of you tried it yet?


D

[jonnyvaughan]

Just setting up a US VPS to give it a try. I knew a spare node would come in handy when I signed up

Will post back when it's up & running. Thanks for the tip.

[DoeDamnit]

Hey mate

wget http://community.zenoss.org/servlet/...zenpacks-2.4.2.el4.x86_64.rpm

That should read..

wget http://community.zenoss.org/servlet/...zenpacks-2.4.2.el5.x86_64.rpm

=)

[Mcdaddy]

Nice script! This will add additional information to my monitoring systems. Thanks for sharing.

[anthonysomerset]

just running through this on a debian node, thought i would point out the firewall rules need correcting, only port 8080 should be tcp the other 2 should be udp

[marty.pearson]

I set this up before xmas just to see how zenos had improved. I remember the gui being nice and having "network maps" - i only looked at it briefly, but is it possible to show status of each VPS, in its respective cloud, in the network maps feature?

Also any tips on making it HA across clouds would be good. Given a problem with the DC the monitoring node is in will likely take down both monitoring and application VPS's

Thanks,

[anthonysomerset]

interesting thoughts

how do you find the performance?

it might have been my issues yesterday but my performance wasnt that great

it would be good to add some info about the best way to monitor different vm's in the cloud this info i have found a bit lacking and i have found it a bit hit and miss trying to find that info

[marty.pearson]

Out of intrest has anyone taken this any further?
Is anyone using Zenoss to monitor there VPS.net VM's?

[anthonysomerset]

i tried it, it felt clunky to get going and i felt like the server side took up too much resources