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16. Distributed monitoring

Overview

Zabbix provides an effective and reliable way of monitoring a distributed IT infrastructure using Zabbix proxies.

Proxies can be used to collect data locally on behalf of a centralized Zabbix server and then report the data to the server.

Proxy features

When making a choice of using/not using a proxy, several considerations must be taken into account.

Proxy
Lightweight Yes
GUI No
Works independently Yes
Easy maintenance Yes
Automatic DB creation1 Yes
Local administration No
Ready for embedded hardware Yes
One way TCP connections Yes
Centralised configuration Yes
Generates notifications No

[1] Automatic DB creation feature only works with SQLite. Other databases require a manual setup.