SNMP on Zabbix

[HunterSeeker]

Hi,
I'm new to Zabbix and my business is deploying a small test server to see if it is the right monitoring product for us. Our environment needs to be monitored via SNMP but, perhaps due only to my inexperience with the product, I can find no way to easily SNMPwalk and add SNMP items from the devices I'm attempting to monitor.

I found a PERL script on the wiki which I ran for one of our switches but the XML file that resulted from it did not work correctly. Zabbix claims to have successfully imported it, but instead gives me a host with no items.

The script can be found here:
http://www.zabbix.com/wiki/howto/mon...zload_snmpwalk

I am on Zabbix 1.8.1 on Ubuntu Server. Am I missing something? Or do SNMP items all need to be added manually for devices that don't adhere to Zabbix's default templates?

[HunterSeeker]

Since there have been no responses, perhaps I'll go ahead and describe my situation a little bit more. I have a fairly large environment, those this server is being tested with only 6 devices, including two switches and a BladeCenter.

These devices cannot be monitored with the default templates, and making templates for each one, specially the switches, would take an eternity.

The monitoring product we're running now does have a feature that snmpwalks and auto-populates templates for us. Though Zabbix is looking quite good so far, I need to know if there is a similar feature on available, preferably without the use of any hacks.

Use of the Zabbix agent is not an option.

[welkin]

The monitoring product we're running now does have a feature that snmpwalks and auto-populates templates for us. Though Zabbix is looking quite good so far, I need to know if there is a similar feature on available, preferably without the use of any hacks.

I'm afraid that`s not possible with zabbix. Monitoring SNMP devices with zabbix is just a pain in the ass. See : http://www.zabbix.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18601

...and making templates for each one, specially the switches, would take an eternity.

That`s the only way atm.


regards
welkin

[HunterSeeker]

That's bad news... Seems like a feature that should be a no brainer for software of this kind. Are there any hacks available to do this? Should I go on with the script I was using?

[welkin]

...should be a no brainer for software of this kind

You`ll think that way to often if continue on using zabbix
There`s a gui patch somewhere in this forum which adds a snmpwalk like feature, but i haven`t tried it yet.

http://www.zabbix.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15088

regards
welkin

[Kerrygeek]

I use snmp for pretty much everything. I have a few different models of switches and routers so to work around this problem I set up custom templates for different switches, routers and different types of servers. For example, I set up a template for our Citrix servers to monitor parameters that are most important to those vs other Windows servers.

You still have to set up the device but you can link it to the template so I don't have to set up each port on a switch or router. It helps a lot, not automated but better than nothing.

Kerry

[welkin]

How do you cope with the fact that zabbix is not able to combine i.e. ifDescr and ifInOctets in case of your switches? Do your Templates name the switch ports just port1 port2 etc... ?

regards
welkin

[Kerrygeek]

Yes, I don't even try to name the ports. I can name the graphs when I set those up (when I use them) so I can see the device/port # on the graph but on the "latest data" screen I just see port numbers and data. I don't use the IfDesc fields much, in fact on the branch location switches I sometimes only monitor the port going to the router. If I need to know who is on what port I have to look it up by MAC.

Kerry

[welkin]

This is no option when you have like 2000 different ports

regards
welkin