Because this feature is not clearly explained in the manual nor does it follow the normal way of cloning things in Zabbix and because I now even receive Private messages from people desperate to get this working, I decided to write this little howto.
First of all, note that it is NOT possible to actually clone screens. However, another mechanism is provided to allow "make once, use infinite".
I will explain this mechanism using the following example. Imaging you have multiple switches of the same brand and model (eg: D-link DGS3100-48). We perform the following steps (all under "configuration"):
- create a new template for this specific model, give it a descriptive name (eg: "D-link DGS 3100-48")
- within this template, add items if needed
- within this template, create your graphs
- under 'hosts', add the switches (eg S15,S16,S17) and link these with the created Template (!)
- next, go to screens and create a new screen and click the "edit" link next to it
-You will see a table a n by m columns, each containing a "change"-link. Click one of them.
- You will see a new form where you will be able to select a graph. When selecting a graph, you cannot select graphs from the templates. You are required to select a graph from an actual host (in this example: a switch, eg S15). The selected switch will be the 'default' graph used when viewing the screen.
- Change the options according to your needs and SELECT the "Dynamic Link" option. (!)
- Add some more graphs according to your needs (but do NOT forget the "dynamic link" option!)
Congratz, you're done!
To verify, go to the monitoring->screens section.
To actually notice the difference between 'fixed' screens and our new dynamic screens, select a "normal" screen first (eg: the default "zabbix server" screen). Notice that this screen has 2 options in the top-right corner: "show" ("screen"|"slide show") and "screens" (list of existing screens).
Now, select our newly created dynamic screen. As you can see, it shows the graphs of the "default" hosts we choose.
Notice 2 extra options in the top-right corner: "group" and "host". In the host section, select 1 of the switches (preferably those linked with the same template) (eg: S17). Witness how the graphs are updated to this host.
The choice for "dynamic items" (instead of actual cloning) is actually interesting: it is easy to create screens containing both fixed and dynamic graphs. The combinations are limitless.
Hope this guide was helpful to some.
If there are any questions or remarks about this guide, feel free to put them in this thread.
First of all, note that it is NOT possible to actually clone screens. However, another mechanism is provided to allow "make once, use infinite".
I will explain this mechanism using the following example. Imaging you have multiple switches of the same brand and model (eg: D-link DGS3100-48). We perform the following steps (all under "configuration"):
- create a new template for this specific model, give it a descriptive name (eg: "D-link DGS 3100-48")
- within this template, add items if needed
- within this template, create your graphs
- under 'hosts', add the switches (eg S15,S16,S17) and link these with the created Template (!)
- next, go to screens and create a new screen and click the "edit" link next to it
-You will see a table a n by m columns, each containing a "change"-link. Click one of them.
- You will see a new form where you will be able to select a graph. When selecting a graph, you cannot select graphs from the templates. You are required to select a graph from an actual host (in this example: a switch, eg S15). The selected switch will be the 'default' graph used when viewing the screen.
- Change the options according to your needs and SELECT the "Dynamic Link" option. (!)
- Add some more graphs according to your needs (but do NOT forget the "dynamic link" option!)
Congratz, you're done!
To verify, go to the monitoring->screens section.
To actually notice the difference between 'fixed' screens and our new dynamic screens, select a "normal" screen first (eg: the default "zabbix server" screen). Notice that this screen has 2 options in the top-right corner: "show" ("screen"|"slide show") and "screens" (list of existing screens).
Now, select our newly created dynamic screen. As you can see, it shows the graphs of the "default" hosts we choose.
Notice 2 extra options in the top-right corner: "group" and "host". In the host section, select 1 of the switches (preferably those linked with the same template) (eg: S17). Witness how the graphs are updated to this host.
The choice for "dynamic items" (instead of actual cloning) is actually interesting: it is easy to create screens containing both fixed and dynamic graphs. The combinations are limitless.
Hope this guide was helpful to some.
If there are any questions or remarks about this guide, feel free to put them in this thread.
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