Agenda: exercises-nagios.txt

Nagios Installation and Configuration

Notes:
------
* Commands preceded with "$" imply that you should execute the command as
  a general user - not as root.
* Commands preceded with "#" imply that you should be working as root.
* Commands with more specific command lines (e.g. "RTR-GW>" or "mysql>") 
  imply that you are executing commands on remote equipment, or within 
  another program.

Exercises
---------

Exercises Part I
----------------

0. Log in to your PC or open a terminal window as the sysadm user.

1. You may need to install Nagios version 3. You would do this as root or as the sysadmin
   user and use the "sudo" command. As sysadm:

   $ sudo apt-get install nagios3

   Unless you already have an MTA installed, nagios3 will install
   postfix as a dependency. Select "Internet Site" option. (If you had wanted
   to use a different MTA likely you'd install it before nagios3)

   You will be prompted for nagiosadmin password. Give it the normal
   workshop password.

   To get the documentation in /usr/share/doc/nagios3-doc/html/ (which
   can also be read via the nagios web interface), do:

    $ sudo apt-get install nagios3-doc


2. Look at the file which contains the password. It's hashed (encrypted)

    $ cat /etc/nagios3/htpasswd.users


3. You should already have a working Nagios!

    - Open a browser, and go to your machine like this:

    http://pcN.ws.nsrc.org/nagios3/

    - At the login prompt, login as:

        user: nagiosadmin
        pass: <CLASS PASSWORD>

    Browse to the "Host Detail" page to see what's already configured.


4. Let's look at the configuration layout... But, first, let's become the root
   user on your machine:

    $ sudo bash

    # cd /etc/nagios3
    # ls -l 

    -rw-r--r-- 1 root root    1882 2008-12-18 13:42 apache2.conf
    -rw-r--r-- 1 root root   10524 2008-12-18 13:44 cgi.cfg
    -rw-r--r-- 1 root root    2429 2008-12-18 13:44 commands.cfg
    drwxr-xr-x 2 root root    4096 2009-02-14 12:33 conf.d
    -rw-r--r-- 1 root root      26 2009-02-14 12:36 htpasswd.users
    -rw-r--r-- 1 root root   42539 2008-12-18 13:44 nagios.cfg
    -rw-r----- 1 root nagios  1293 2008-12-18 13:42 resource.cfg
    drwxr-xr-x 2 root root    4096 2009-02-14 12:32 stylesheets

    # cd conf.d
    # ls -l    

    -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1695 2008-12-18 13:42 contacts_nagios2.cfg
    -rw-r--r-- 1 root root  418 2008-12-18 13:42 extinfo_nagios2.cfg
    -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1152 2008-12-18 13:42 generic-host_nagios2.cfg
    -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1803 2008-12-18 13:42 generic-service_nagios2.cfg
    -rw-r--r-- 1 root root  210 2009-02-14 12:33 host-gateway_nagios3.cfg
    -rw-r--r-- 1 root root  976 2008-12-18 13:42 hostgroups_nagios2.cfg
    -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 2167 2008-12-18 13:42 localhost_nagios2.cfg
    -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1005 2008-12-18 13:42 services_nagios2.cfg
    -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1609 2008-12-18 13:42 timeperiods_nagios2.cfg

    Notice that the package installs files with "nagios2" in their name.
    This is because they are the same files as were used for the Nagios
    version 2 Debian package. However there was a change made to the
    host-gateway configuration file, so this has a new name.


5. You have a config which is already monitoring your own system
(localhost_nagios2.cfg) and your upstream default gateway
(host-gateway_nagios3.cfg).

Have a look at the config file for the default gateway: it's very simple.
(Note: tab completion is useful here. Type cat host-g then hit tab; the
filename will be filled in for you)

    # cat host-gateway_nagios3.cfg

    # a host definition for the gateway of the default route
    define host {
            host_name   gateway
            alias       Default Gateway
            address     10.10.0.254
            use         generic-host
            }



PART II
Configuring Equipment
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

0. Order of configuration

Conceptually we will build our configuration files from the "nearest" device
then the further away ones.

By going in this order you will have defined the devices that act as parents
for other devices.

Remember to refer to the Network Diagram for our classroom if you get confused.

We have the following instances:

rtr     (the gateway router: 10.10.0.254)
sw      (the gateway switch: 10.10.0.253, parent: rtr)

rtr1    (group 1 router: 10.10.0.201, parent: sw)
rtr2    (group 2 router: 10.10.0.202, parent: sw)
rtr3    (group 3 router: 10.10.0.203, parent: sw)
rtr4    (group 4 router: 10.10.0.204, parent: sw)
rtr5    (group 5 router: 10.10.0.205, parent: sw)
rtr6    (group 6 router: 10.10.0.206, parent: sw)
rtr7    (group 7 router: 10.10.0.207, parent: sw)
rtr8    (group 8 router: 10.10.0.208, parent: sw)
rtr9    (group 9 router: 10.10.0.209, parent: sw)
rtr10   (group 10 router: 10.10.0.210, parent: sw)

pc1     (10.10.0.1, parent: sw)
pc2     (10.10.0.2, parent: sw)
...
pc29 (10.10.0.29, parent: sw)
pc30 (10.10.0.30, parent: sw)
..
pc40 (10.10.0.40, parent: sw)

s1      (10.10.0.241, parent: sw)
s2      (10.10.0.242, parent: sw)
s3      (10.10.0.243, parent: sw)
s4      (10.10.0.244, parent: sw)

noc     (10.10.0.250, parent: sw)

ap1     (10.10.0.251, parent: sw)       
ap2     (10.10.0.252, parent: sw)

We recommend grouping these items in the files:

routers.cfg             (rtr, rtr1...rtr5)
switches.cfg    (sw)
pcs.cfg                 (pc1...pc30, s1, s2, noc, ap1, ap2)


1. First we need to tell Nagios to monitor the gateway router for
   our classroom which is 10.10.0.254:

   # cd /etc/nagios3/conf.d/

Create the routers gateway like this:

   # editor routers.cfg

define host {
    use         generic-host
    host_name   rtr
    alias       Gateway Router
    address     10.10.0.254
}

In the same file create the 5 entries for the group routers:

define host {
    use         generic-host
    host_name   rtrX
    alias       Group 1 Router
    address     10.10.0.20X
    parents     sw
}

... and replace 'X' in the definition above with the router number (1 - 5)

repeat this for rtr2, rtr3, rtr4 ... up to rtr10

Note that the entry for "sw" our gateway switch has not yet been created. That
is next.

Exit and save this file.


2. Create a file called switches.cfg and add an entry for this item:

   # editor switches.cfg

define host {
    use         generic-host
    host_name   sw
    alias       Backbone Switch
    address     10.10.0.253
    parents     rtr
}

At this point Nagios is configured to monitor whether our core hosts (the
parents) are up on our classroom network. Your next steps are to add in the
individual hosts such as the classroom virtual PC images on your table (for
example for group 1, pc1 - 6, for group 2, pc7 - 12, etc.), the Wireless
Access Points (ap1 and ap2), the servers s1, s2 and the noc:

Be sure you add in a proper "parents" entry for each host.

Remember, if you don't understand the parent relations in our network you can
review the logical network diagram on the wiki!

Note the Nagios parent bullet points in the slides!

                "Nagios Parent Relationships"


STEPS 2a - 2c SHOULD BE REPEATED WHENEVER YOU UPDATE THE CONFIGURATION!
 

2a. Verify that your configuration files are OK:

    # nagios3 -v /etc/nagios3/nagios.cfg 

    ... You should get some warnings like :
Warning: Host 'rtr' has no services associated with it!
Warning: Host 'sw' has no services associated with it!
etc....
...
Total Warnings: N
Total Errors:   0

Things look okay - No serious problems were detected during the check.
Nagios is saying that it's unusual to monitor a device just for its
existence on the network, without also monitoring some service.


2b. Reload/Restart Nagios

    # /etc/init.d/nagios3 stop
    # /etc/init.d/nagios3 start

        or

        # service nagios3 restart

2c. Go to the web interface (http://pcN.ws.nsrc.org/nagios3) and check that
   the hosts you just added are now visible in the interface. Click on the
   "Host Detail" item on the left of the Nagios screen to see this. You may
   see it in "PENDING" status until the check is carried out.


HINT: You will be doing this a lot. If you do it all on one line, like this,
then you can hit cursor-up and rerun all in one go:

    nagios3 -v /etc/nagios3/nagios.cfg && service nagios3 restart

The '&&' ensures that the restart only happens if the config is valid.


3. Create entries for the classroom PCs

Now that we have our routers and switches defined it is quite easy to create
entries for all our PCs.  Think about the parent relationships:

Remember, if you do not understand the parent relationship refer back to the
classroom network diagram !

Below are three sample entries. One for the NOC, one for pc1 and one for
pc6.  You should be able to use this example to create entries for all
classroom PCs plus the NOC.

We could put these entries in to separate files, but as our network is small
we'll use a single file called pcs.cfg.

NOTE! You do not add in an entry for your own PC or router. This has already
been defined in the file /etc/nagios3/conf.d/localhost_nagios2.cfg.  This
definition is what defines the Nagios network viewpoint. So, when you come to
the spot where you might add an entry for your PC you should skip this and go
on to the next PC in the list.

        # editor pcs.cfg
        
# Our classroom NOC

define host {
    use         generic-host
    host_name   noc
    alias       Workshop NOC machine
    address     10.10.0.250
    parents     sw
}

# PCs

define host {
    use         generic-host
    host_name   pc1
    alias       pc1
    address     10.10.0.1
    parents     sw
}

define host {
    use         generic-host
    host_name   pc6
    alias       pc6
    address     10.10.0.6
    parents     sw
}

Pay attention to the parent entries and the IP addresses.

Take the three entries above and now expand this to create the remaining
entries for the PCs in your group. That is, if you are in group 1, fill in
for PCs 2 through 5 (rememember to SKIP your own PC!).


Exit and save the file pcs.cfg

As before, repeat steps 2a-2c to verify your configuration, correct any
errors, and activate it.

5. Look at your Nagios instance on the web. Note that "Status Map" gives
you a graphical view of the parent-child relationships you have defined.


PART III
Configure Service check for the classroom NOC
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

0. Configuring

Now that we have our hardware configured we can start telling Nagios what services to monitor
on the configured hardware, how to group the hardware in interesting ways, how to group
services, etc.

1. Associate a service check for our classroom NOC

    # editor hostgroups_nagios2.cfg

    - Find the hostgroup named "ssh-servers". In the members section of the defintion 
      change the line:

members                 localhost

    to

members                 localhost,noc

Exit and save the file. 

Verify that your changes are OK:

        # nagios3 -v /etc/nagios3/nagios.cfg
        
Restart Nagios to see the new service assocation with your host:

        # /etc/init.d/nagios3 restart

Click on the "Service Detail" link in the Nagios web interface to see your new entry.


PART IV
Defining Services for all PCs
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

0. For services, the default normal_check_interval is 5 (minutes) in
   generic-service_nagios2.cfg. You may wish to change this to 1 to speed up
   how quickly service issues are detected, at least in the workshop.

1. Determine what services to define for what devices

   - This is core to how you use Nagios and network monitoring tools in 
     general. So far we are simply using ping to verify that physical hosts
     are up on our network and we have started monitoring a single service on
     a single host (your PC). The next step is to decide what services you wish
     to monitor for each host in the classroom.

   - In this particular class we have:

     routers:  running ssh and snmp 
     switches: running telnet and possibly ssh as well as snmp
     pcs:      All PCs are running ssh and http and should be running snmp
               The NOC is currently running an snmp daemon
              
     So, let's configure Nagios to check for these services for these 
     devices.

2.) Verify that SSH is running on the routers and workshop PCs images

   - In the file services_nagios2.cfg there is already an entry for the SSH 
     service check, so you do not need to create this step. Instead, you 
     simply need to re-define the "ssh-servers" entry in the file
     /etc/nagios3/conf.d/hostgroups_nagios2.cfg. The initial entry in the file
     looked like:

# A list of your ssh-accessible servers
define hostgroup {
        hostgroup_name  ssh-servers
                alias           SSH servers
                members         localhost,noc
        }

     What do you think you should change?
         
         Correct, the "members" line.
         
         You should add in entries for all the classroom pcs, routers and the
         switches that run ssh.  With this information and the network diagram
         you should be able complete this entry.
     
     The entry will look something like this:

define hostgroup {
        hostgroup_name  ssh-servers
                alias           SSH servers
                members         localhost,pc1,pc2,pc3,...,pc6,ap1,ap2,s1,s2,noc
        }

         Note: leave in "localhost" - This is your PC and represents Nagios'
         network point of
         view. So, for instance, if you are on "pc3" you would not include
         "pc3" in the list
         of all the classroom pcs as it is represented by the "localhost"
         entry.
         
         The "members" entry will be a long line and will likely wrap on the screen.

         Remember to include all the PCs on your table and the routers that
                 you have defined. Do not include any entries if they are not
                 already defined in pcs.cfg, switches.cfg or routers.cfg.

    - Once you are done, run the pre-flight check:

    # nagios3 -v /etc/nagios3/nagios.cfg

    If everything looks good, then restart Nagios 

    # /etc/init.d/nagios3 stop
    # /etc/init.d/nagios3 start

    and view your changes in the Nagios web interface.

To continue with hostgroups you can add additional groups for later use,
such as all our virtual servers.

Go ahead and edit the file hostgroups_nagios2.cfg again:

     # editor hostgroups_nagios2.cfg

and add the following to the end of the file:

# A list of our virtual routers
define hostgroup {
        hostgroup_name  cisco7200
                alias        Cisco 7200 Routers
                members      rtr1,rtr2,rtr3,rtr4,rtr5,rtr6,rtr7,rtr8,rtr9,rtr10
        }

Save and exit from the file. Verify that everything is OK:

    # nagios3 -v /etc/nagios3/nagios.cfg

    If everything looks good, then restart Nagios 

    # /etc/init.d/nagios3 stop
    # /etc/init.d/nagios3 start

3.) Check that http is running on all the classroom PCs. 

    - This is almost identical to the previous exercise. Just make the change
          to the HTTP service adding in each PC (no routers or switches).
          Remember, you don't need to add your machine as it is already defined
          as "localhost".      

          Find the definition in hostgroups_nagios2.cfg:

                define hostgroup {
                hostgroup_name  http-servers
                alias           HTTP servers
                members         localhost
                }

          and after localhost, add all the PCs in your group.