Testing items from webgui?

[rdg]

Hi,

I've spent quite some time trying to figure out how to set up basic monitoring with items, triggers and actions in beta6. I noticed that a lot of people have had simliar problems as I had due to many factors. For instance.
1. The key format was recently changed.
2. There is no step by step instruction available, in order to setup a working example.
3. In-transparence (What you want to see is not visible)

The procedure to setup something that works is pretty easy if you do it right, the problem is to know if you do it right. I need two thinkgs.
1. A step by step instruction.
2. I suggest that a "test button" is implemented on the item page to make it easier to test your configuration and to display the value returned from an agent. (The idea was actually stolen from another thread)

What do you think? Is it possible?

Thanks

Robert

[Nate Bell]

I like the Test button idea. You could define an item, click the Test button, and Zabbix will tell you if it collected proper data or not. Zabbix could also show you what it collected so you can verify the data make sense.

A test button would also be useful for triggers. With triggers, you can't really test if your settings will work until something fails. It would be nice to be able to create a trigger and then go into a testing mode for that trigger, where you can enter values for each of the items in the trigger, click Test, and Zabbix will show what state the trigger will be in. That way you can make sure the Trigger is reacting the way you think it should.

Nate

[elkor]

I think this would be a great idea.

unfortunately I don't see a really easy way to do it. and alexei correct me if I'm wrong.

because of the way zabbix functions are decoupled from the front end (which basically acts as a window to the database) there is no real way to tell zabbix server to go and execute this check right now.. it strictly goes by the schedule set in the database.

perhaps you could use zabbix_get to check this? the test button could call zabbix_get with the proper parameters? just thinking out loud

[Alexei]

One may run ZABBIX frontend and server on different boxes. It makes implementation of such great feature more difficult. I like the idea anyway!

[rdg]

It would have been so much easier with an Oracle database. Does anyone know if mysql supports something similar to Oracle's DBMS_ALERT?

/R

From metalink.oracle.com

DBMS_ALERT is a function that provides automatic notification based on
events that take place in the database. Applications are notified (alerted)
when values of interest in the database are changed.

Several applications can register in a particular alert (notification) so that
if any user changes a value of interest in the database, the other applications are alerted to take appropriate actions.

For example, you may want a Pro*C program to print out a report whenever a change (insert, update, or delete) occurs on a table which the Pro*C program is monitoring.

[elkor]

I'm not sure that would be "easier"
it would be noisy as all hell, and the code required to squelch it wouldn't be any more extensive than calling zabbix_get with parameters.. probably far more lengthy in fact

[rdg]

Im sorry "easier" was just the wrong word to describe it. In fact zabbix_get is probably the easiest way to solve it but it will have some limitations as described in by Alexi.

The problem is to trigger the zabbix server whenever something is changed in the webgui and/or database. There is no direct connection from the webgui to the zabbix_server and the idea was therefore to have a trigger in the database to trigger the zabbix server like below.

1. Click button in web frontend to update a value in the database
2. Define a trigger (that would trigger on the change above) in the database that could call the zabbix server (something similar to DBMS_ALERT in Oracle)
3. Zabbix server executes the check immediately instead of waiting for the schedule

This solution would only work if something similar to DBMS_ALERT exists in mysql and I don't think it does.

Zabbix_get would work with the limitations described by Alexi but it would anyway solve the problem for most people. Another limitation is that you don't really test the zabbix server just the key.

I still think it would be usefull though.

/R