Automatic Host Creation - Discovery

[Logicwrath]

So here is my situation. When installing the agents on the hosts we need specify a hostname in the zabbix_agentd.conf file.

If i specify the actual hostname bailiwick or bailiwick.domain.net the host will be named after the reverse lookup or 10.10.0.5

If i specify the IP address as the hostname 10.10.0.5 the host will be named by the reverse lookup as bailiwick.domain.net. This is what I want the host to be named in Zabbix so this is what I will be using in the .conf file.

The problem is that when the hostname in the .conf file does not match the hostname zabbix is using then the following error occurs:

"Sending list of active checks to [10.10.0.5] failed: host [bailiwick] not found"

How is the host ever going to match if it is always a reverse lookup of what you name it in the .conf file?

Going forward how does one fix it? Do I need to create some kind of VBscript to rename the hostname to the reverse lookup?

As I see it one of the benefits of using discovery is because of the hands off approach. This situation requires hands on unless I can come up with some type of automatic script to fix it.

[tchjts1]

How is the host ever going to match if it is always a reverse lookup of what you name it in the .conf file?

The Hostname= value in zabbix_agentd.conf is going to be compared to whatever name you defined in the Zabbix frontend. If you have bailiwick in both places (must also be a case match), then it is going to find that host.

Note that this is really only needed if you are in fact using Zabbix agent (active) and not Zabbix agent.

Also if you are using active agents, and you have more than one Zabbix server listed on the "Server=" line of the agent conf, the server listed in the first position is the one that will be doing active checks.

Since I use 13 proxy servers in my environment, I have done away with active checks, and my Server= line consists of 14 DNS entries - 13 for my proxies and 1 for my App server. I can then switch any of my hosts to any of my proxies (or app server) with a few mouse clicks.

And even though I no longer use active checks, my logs will still show "Sending list of active checks to [xxxxxxxx] failed: host [xxxxxxx] not found"
And it is something that Zabbix should fix, IMO. If a host has no active checks assigned, then it shouldn't be sending any, and filling the log with those (non) errors

[zabbix_zen]

my logs will still show "Sending list of active checks to [xxxxxxxx] failed: host [xxxxxxx] not found"
And it is something that Zabbix should fix, IMO

Agreed.
Have you already opened a Request for this?

[tchjts1]

Agreed.
Have you already opened a Request for this?

I have not formally opened a request for this.

(EDIT) - support ticket now opened.

[Logicwrath]

The Hostname= value in zabbix_agentd.conf is going to be compared to whatever name you defined in the Zabbix frontend. If you have bailiwick in both places (must also be a case match), then it is going to find that host.

The issue I have with this behavior is that my hosts are getting created automatically via a discovery rule. I was hoping to have all my hosts always created via discovery. The hostname Zabbix uses to create the host is the "reverse lookup" of what is entered into the agentd.conf.

So if I have hosts automatically created via discovery they always be the REVERSE of what I entered into the agentd.conf file and if I wanted to do active checks I would be required to fix each host by hand.

[tchjts1]

Ok - I understand what you are saying now. I don't use discovery so it took me a minute.

Why not just create your own spreadsheet of servers where you deploy to, and then import the list (bulk load) into Zabbix?

I understand it is a bit more work than discovery... but since you are having issues with it...

I can give you a script and instruction for bulk loading hosts.