Obtaining number of unsupported items

[kehall]

ref. monitoring unsupported items (http://www.zabbix.com/forum/showpost...50&postcount=6)

since I'm not interested in a trigger for this and just want to know the number, I've created a calculated item for host Zabbix Server:

type: Calculated
key: items_unsupported
formula: last("ZABBIX Server:zabbix[items_unsupported]")
type: numeric (unsigned)
data type: decimal

Shows as active status

but nothing is showing in latest data ???

[untergeek]

The Zabbix Internal items (e.g., zabbix[*]) need to be used with type Zabbix Internal, not type calculated.

[kehall]

Right you are, thanks ! Don't know how I missed that one!

Could have sworn there was an example somewhere using this for zabbix internal items too - otherwise how can one define a calculated item using such data?

I think this was the page: http://www.zabbix.com/documentation/...lculated_items

But it's a little ambiguous.

I presume you'd have to create an item first, then create a second calculated item referring to the first?

Keith.

[richlv]

given that internal item already gives you amount of unsupported items, what purpose would the calculated item serve ?

[kehall]

Agreed - nothing for the purpose of reporting just those items (since I hadn't realised the actual data source was available like that), but how can you perform a calculated item on zabbix internal properties if it doesn't seem to work?

You may want to perform a calculated item based on some internal value at some point, even if I can't think of one just now

Keith.

[richlv]

calculated items are supposed to work on all other items - which version of zabbix server do you have (just in case) ? do you see any errors in server log ? what was the item refresh interval set to ?

[kehall]

zabbix 1.8.3 and yes, we see an error:

32597:20101209:085551.004 Item [ZABBIX Server:unsupported_items] error: Can not evaluate function [last()]: item [ZABBIX Server:zabbix[items_unsupported]] not found

(I have also tried the actual server hostname too)

update interval 30 seconds

Keith

[richlv]

mm. but do you have such an item actually set up then ?

[kehall]

No, as its an internal value?

ok so if what you're suggesting is that you have to create an item to then be used by a calculated item, I guess that makes sense, if calculated items can ONLY refer to user-created items (I don't think that much is clear in the documentation)?

one example:

100*last("vfs.fs.size[/,free]")/last("vfs.fs.size[/,total]")

That suggests that it is directly using keys rather than items (unless you still need items collecting data even if you're not interested in storing data for free and total individually?)

and then later, another example

avg("Zabbix Server:zabbix[wcache,values]",600)

which could be ambiguous as wcache isn't a key listed in 'zabbix internal' standard items but the key layout is the same i.e "zabbix[xyz]"

So I'm still a bit perplexed as to what exactly you'd specify for various data sources in the formula, depending on if it is from agent, zabbix internal etc

Hence why shouldn't zabbix[items_unsupported] be valid in the formula?

[untergeek]

You have to actually create the item in the Host in order to graph/monitor the values.

Zabbix can generate the values but will not store them for you if you don't tell it to do so. You must create an item with type Zabbix Internal and whichever zabbix[*] as the key before you can graph or see the values in "Latest Data."

[richlv]

I guess that makes sense, if calculated items can ONLY refer to user-created items (I don't think that much is clear in the documentation)?

mm, that might indeed not have been clear enough - should be better now

avg("Zabbix Server:zabbix[wcache,values]",600)

which could be ambiguous as wcache isn't a key listed in 'zabbix internal' standard items but the key layout is the same i.e "zabbix[xyz]"

that one is listed in the internal item section, though