External Check problem

[gazzerh]

I don't know if i'm doing anything wrong but I have a script that is called that uses a hostname as a parameter. The script then adds builds the URL. It then uses lynx to call this URL, then dump to stdout, grepped, awked which returns a integer.

I am creating the item with this: script.sh(www.somehost.com)

It doesn't work though. I look at the server log file on my zabbix server and it's using the hostname the item is assigned to as the parameter so my script is calling: http://zabbixhostname/something/somepage.aspx instead of:

http://www.somehost.com/something/somepage.aspx

If I just add the hostname into the script and call it within zabbix without a parameter: script.sh() it works fine. It just doesn't work when I use a parameter.

Garry

[Alexei]

It does work! I created a small script which prints second command line parameter (first is a host name) and it works perfectly. I cannot confirm your report.

[gazzerh]

What is the hostname you're using? When I do mine the hostname the trigger is associated to is:
"machine1"

The actual external check i'm doing is:
script.sh(www.somewebsite.com)

However - in /tmp/zabbix_server.log i'm seeing this:
Looking up machine1
Making HTTP connection to machine1
Sending HTTP request.
HTTP request sent; waiting for response.
Alert!: Access without authorization denied -- retrying

lynx: Can't access startfile http://machine1/TestPages/page.aspx

It's trying to connect to machine1 and not www.somewebsite.com so it's passing the wrong parameter to my script.

[Alexei]

It's trying to connect to machine1 and not www.somewebsite.com so it's passing the wrong parameter to my script.

This is because the first parameter is ALWAYS item hostname. The www.somewebsite.com will be passed as a second parameter.

[gazzerh]

OK. I've looked more at your reply and I noted that said the first parameter is the hostname so I thought this may be the way external checks work and hostname is always sent in $1 regardless of the parameters you put in the check. So i then modified my script to read in the second parameter sent to it.

It now works - yay.

The documentation (which is where I looked to configure this external check) doesn't mention that zabbix sends the hostname as the first parameter regardless of the list of parameters you place within the parenthesis.

Garry

[Alexei]

The documentation (which is where I looked to configure this external check) doesn't mention that zabbix sends the hostname as the first parameter regardless of the list of parameters you place within the parenthesis.

I amended the documentation when I saw you post. It will be in the manual released with 1.4.1

[gazzerh]

Thanks Alexei. I look forward to the new release.