How to copy from Development Zabbix system to Production Zabbix system?

[RandySpinaGE]

Good news: The implementation of Zabbix , here, is so well liked it has gone from monitor system with alerts to also add Salesroom Real-time business indictors on giant flatpanel screens. It drives both as a NOC and a Showcase.
It has become another production system.

Bad NEWS: My boss is DRASTICALLY on my case to NOT Develop on the PRODUCTION Version of the Zabbix platform anymore. I just don't see how I can do this. As I see it, (since our Zabbix is in a VMWare) I have made a VMWare clone from PROD and copied to a new system. This system would be a Production "backup".

But that is NOT WHAT HE WANTS. He wants true "Dev - Stage - Prod" type of deployment strategy. (well....minus the stage) The GUI is so very nice to set things up, but then it is precisely that, that makes it difficult to fit into the Dev/Prod migration architecture.

I've read in this forum of successful Platform re-deployment, but that goes back to the clone comment above.

Maybe I have to become an SQL expert to "see what tables are created" and "what items to export for re-import". Maybe the new XML export functions in the future will help.

BUT I CERTAINLY do not see any documentation that descibes strategic and tactical plans for creating such a dev-to-prod set up.

How do you "guys" think I should proceed?

Any comments would sure be of help....

Oh and here is an example of comments I received when I spoke of the backup clone versus dev-to-prod migration tactic. ("Well you HAVE to strive for that type of environment") ("I'm sure the re-issuing of GUI screens and fields will FORCE you to figure it out")

ouch!

P.S. I may WELL commision direct support from the Zabbix team, but forum comments are surely helpful for my strategizing and architecting.

Thanks so much, again, for ANY comments.

(running zabbix 1.1.3)

[Alexei]

A small note, ZABBIX 1.4 will support a "system cleanup" feature, i.e. a single-click way of cleaning up history, trends, everything except configuration data. It can be used in your case for conversion from test to production environment.

Also, with a help of XML data import/export facility (which is already implemented in pre 1.3.1 code), moving of host related data will be extremely easy.

[dsipe]

very great!
that's what i'm waiting for.
when do you expect to release 1.3.1 ?

[RandySpinaGE]

Ok,
Thats great news (but begs a question)

.... so in order to start creating a dev-to-prod architecture we need to deploy zabbix 1.3.1 pre-code.

And because 1.1.4 (1.1.3) will not be UPGRADABLE to 1.4, creating a new dev environment will be to "DEV" toward the new 1.4 environment. That will provide the environment to learn the dev-to-prod proceedures AND a place to study the new "look-and-feel" of 1.4.

THE QUESTION IS: Will 1.3.1 pre-code be upgradable to 1.4? or should we wait for 1.4 to build the new "zabbix development" environment?

[Alexei]

ZABBIX 1.1.x will be upgradable to 1.4! Depending on your timeframe, you may eaither continue with 1.1.x or move straight to 1.3.x betas.