I see that there is data in the client data that is not turned into columns? Can I turn this data into columns to report? I'm using xymon 4.3.20 on both the client/server.
On linux, I see that this data is not turned into any columns: [who] [route] [netstat] [ifstat]
Not that I'd use all of them, just wondering what the reasoning is behind it.
Also, I notice that getting the data via xymondboard is not 100% either...
[xymon at ztest bin]$ ./xymon 192.168.1.230 "clientlog yumlist section=who" [who] davieb tty1 May 11 21:01 (:0) davieb pts/1 May 11 21:02 (:0.0) davieb pts/2 May 11 21:40 (:0.0)
As you can see below, requesting a status on all the tests, there is no "who" being reported. But just a moment ago, asking for just that data it works.
[xymon at ztest bin]$ ./xymon 192.168.1.230 "xymondboard host=yumlist" yumlist|trends|green||0|0|0|0|0||| yumlist|info|green||0|0|0|0|0||| yumlist|uptime|green||1436045636|1452380534|1452382334|0|0|192.168.1.9||green Sat Jan 9 18:02:08 EST 2016 Uptime OK yumlist|memory|green||1431806850|1452380534|1452382334|0|0|192.168.1.9||green Sat Jan 9 18:02:08 EST 2016 - Memory OK yumlist|files|clear||1451081789|1452380534|1452382334|0|0|192.168.1.9||clear Sat Jan 9 18:02:08 EST 2016 - Files ok yumlist|msgs|green||1431807151|1452380534|1452382334|0|0|192.168.1.9||green Sat Jan 9 18:02:08 EST 2016 - System logs ok yumlist|ports|clear||1431806850|1452380534|1452382334|0|0|192.168.1.9||clear Sat Jan 9 18:02:08 EST 2016 - Ports ok yumlist|procs|green||1436043229|1452380534|1452382334|0|0|192.168.1.9||green Sat Jan 9 18:02:08 EST 2016 - Processes ok yumlist|inode|green||1431806850|1452380534|1452382334|0|0|192.168.1.9||green Sat Jan 9 18:02:08 EST 2016 - Filesystems ok yumlist|disk|green||1431806850|1452380534|1452382334|0|0|192.168.1.9||green Sat Jan 9 18:02:08 EST 2016 - Filesystems ok yumlist|cpu|green||1431806850|1452380534|1452382334|0|0|192.168.1.9||green Sat Jan 9 18:02:08 EST 2016 up: 289 days, 3 users, 261 procs, load=0.02 yumlist|hostinfo|clear||1432774838|1452380534|1452382334|0|0|192.168.1.9||clear Sat Jan 9 18:02:14 EST 2016 yumlist|cpu2|green||1431806845|1452380529|1452382329|0|0|192.168.1.9||green Sat Jan 9 18:02:09 EST 2016 yumlist|smart|green||1431806845|1452380528|1452382328|0|0|192.168.1.9||green SMART health check yumlist|fyi|green||1431806845|1452380719|1452382519|0|0|192.168.1.9||green Sat Jan 9 18:05:19 EST 2016 yumlist|rpc|green||1431805465|1452380560|1452382360|0|0|192.168.1.230||green Sat Jan 9 18:02:32 2016 rpc ok, yumlist|conn|green|OrdAsTLe|1431805465|1452380560|1452382360|0|0|192.168.1.230||green <!-- [flags:OrdAsTLe] --> Sat Jan 9 18:02:32 2016 conn ok
Hi David,
On Sat, January 9, 2016 3:15 pm, David Boyer wrote:
I see that there is data in the client data that is not turned into columns? Can I turn this data into columns to report? I'm using xymon 4.3.20 on both the client/server.
On linux, I see that this data is not turned into any columns: [who] [route] [netstat] [ifstat]
Not that I'd use all of them, just wondering what the reasoning is behind it.
This is correct. The client data is a full raw text of various bits of information that can be used to create status messages out of, but there isn't a mandated 1:1 correspondence between each section and each test. By keeping them independent (raw data and central processing), you have the flexibility to write up new tests based off of already-existing incoming data, and/or add new "raw" data without having a specific test in mind.
For the 'who' data in particular, there's a sample processor in the source tarball that can demonstrate how easy it is to add simple new tests at https://sourceforge.net/p/xymon/code/HEAD/tree/branches/4.3.24/xymond/xymond...
You can easily add new sections to the client data by adding files to a "/local/" directory on the client machine, or editing the xymonclient-${OS}.sh shell script by hand, and running any command that the unprivileged 'xymon' user can execute.
What's the benefit to all this additional data if it's not used? Primarily forensics and triage. As the xymon(7) man page puts it:
The Xymon user-interface is simple, but engineers will also find lots of relevant information. E.g. the data that clients report to Xymon contain the raw output from a number of system commands. That information is available directly in Xymon, so an administrator no longer needs to login to a server to get an overview of how it is behaving - the very commands they would normally run have already been performed, and the results are on-line in Xymon.
This becomes even more relevant when you consider snapshoting. When a status goes "red", a snapshot of the client data at that time is kept. So if you went back later to try to figure out why (e.g.) CPU was rising, the output of the '[who]' section tells you who might have been doing something then, even if the data wasn't used for making a test out of at that time.
Also, I notice that getting the data via xymondboard is not 100% either...
[xymon at ztest bin]$ ./xymon 192.168.1.230 "clientlog yumlist section=who"
*snip*
As you can see below, requesting a status on all the tests, there is no "who" being reported. But just a moment ago, asking for just that data it works.
[xymon at ztest bin]$ ./xymon 192.168.1.230 "xymondboard host=yumlist"
*snip*
Correct. The "clientlog" command retrieves the most recent raw client data, while the "xymondboard" command retrieves just the status messages (the tests that you see on the webpages).
The "clientlog" column on the web page, much like the "info" and "trends" columns, isn't a real test... it's just present to provide easy access to the most recent data. You can also access it from the "Client data" link on the bottom of any of that host's status pages.
Hope that helps!
-jc
I just wanted to thank you, JC, for this information. I wanted to know whether it would be possible to check the kernel version back some time even though that is something I did not test. I figured the info might show something, but that isn't kept in history or anything. If I had realized that a client data snapshot is kept when the status changes, I would have had the answer (which I still need, so it's very helpful).
____ *Note: UMDNJ is now Rutgers-Biomedical and Health Sciences* || \\UTGERS |---------------------*O*--------------------- ||_// Biomedical | Ryan Novosielski - Senior Technologist || \\ and Health | novosirj at rutgers.edu<mailto:novosirj at rutgers.edu>- 973/972.0922 (2x0922) || \\ Sciences | OIRT/High Perf & Res Comp - MSB C630, Newark `'
On Jan 10, 2016, at 06:48, J.C. Cleaver <cleaver at terabithia.org<mailto:cleaver at terabithia.org>> wrote:
Hi David,
On Sat, January 9, 2016 3:15 pm, David Boyer wrote: I see that there is data in the client data that is not turned into columns? Can I turn this data into columns to report? I'm using xymon 4.3.20 on both the client/server.
On linux, I see that this data is not turned into any columns: [who] [route] [netstat] [ifstat]
Not that I'd use all of them, just wondering what the reasoning is behind it.
This is correct. The client data is a full raw text of various bits of information that can be used to create status messages out of, but there isn't a mandated 1:1 correspondence between each section and each test. By keeping them independent (raw data and central processing), you have the flexibility to write up new tests based off of already-existing incoming data, and/or add new "raw" data without having a specific test in mind.
For the 'who' data in particular, there's a sample processor in the source tarball that can demonstrate how easy it is to add simple new tests at https://sourceforge.net/p/xymon/code/HEAD/tree/branches/4.3.24/xymond/xymond...
You can easily add new sections to the client data by adding files to a "/local/" directory on the client machine, or editing the xymonclient-${OS}.sh shell script by hand, and running any command that the unprivileged 'xymon' user can execute.
What's the benefit to all this additional data if it's not used? Primarily forensics and triage. As the xymon(7) man page puts it:
The Xymon user-interface is simple, but engineers will also find lots of relevant information. E.g. the data that clients report to Xymon contain the raw output from a number of system commands. That information is available directly in Xymon, so an administrator no longer needs to login to a server to get an overview of how it is behaving - the very commands they would normally run have already been performed, and the results are on-line in Xymon.
https://www.xymon.com/help/manpages/man7/xymon.7.html
This becomes even more relevant when you consider snapshoting. When a status goes "red", a snapshot of the client data at that time is kept. So if you went back later to try to figure out why (e.g.) CPU was rising, the output of the '[who]' section tells you who might have been doing something then, even if the data wasn't used for making a test out of at that time.
Also, I notice that getting the data via xymondboard is not 100% either...
[xymon at ztest bin]$ ./xymon 192.168.1.230 "clientlog yumlist section=who" *snip*
As you can see below, requesting a status on all the tests, there is no "who" being reported. But just a moment ago, asking for just that data it works.
[xymon at ztest bin]$ ./xymon 192.168.1.230 "xymondboard host=yumlist" *snip*
Correct. The "clientlog" command retrieves the most recent raw client data, while the "xymondboard" command retrieves just the status messages (the tests that you see on the webpages).
The "clientlog" column on the web page, much like the "info" and "trends" columns, isn't a real test... it's just present to provide easy access to the most recent data. You can also access it from the "Client data" link on the bottom of any of that host's status pages.
Hope that helps!
-jc
Xymon mailing list Xymon at xymon.com<mailto:Xymon at xymon.com> http://lists.xymon.com/mailman/listinfo/xymon
JC, Yes, it does! Thanks for the background.. I've written/modified several tests for my environment while we were still in the "big brother" era. I'm still learning the ins/outs of xymon. I'm intrigued by the use of the "local" directory on the clientside. Where might I find more information about using this feature.
Dave
On Sun, Jan 10, 2016 at 3:35 PM, Novosielski, Ryan <novosirj at ca.rutgers.edu> wrote:
I just wanted to thank you, JC, for this information. I wanted to know whether it would be possible to check the kernel version back some time even though that is something I did not test. I figured the info might show something, but that isn't kept in history or anything. If I had realized that a client data snapshot is kept when the status changes, I would have had the answer (which I still need, so it's very helpful).
____ *Note: UMDNJ is now Rutgers-Biomedical and Health Sciences* || \\UTGERS |---------------------*O*--------------------- ||_// Biomedical | Ryan Novosielski - Senior Technologist || \\ and Health | novosirj at rutgers.edu- 973/972.0922 (2x0922) || \\ Sciences | OIRT/High Perf & Res Comp - MSB C630, Newark `'
On Jan 10, 2016, at 06:48, J.C. Cleaver <cleaver at terabithia.org> wrote:
Hi David,
On Sat, January 9, 2016 3:15 pm, David Boyer wrote:
I see that there is data in the client data that is not turned into
columns? Can I turn this data into columns to report? I'm using xymon
4.3.20 on both the client/server.
On linux, I see that this data is not turned into any columns:
[who]
[route]
[netstat]
[ifstat]
Not that I'd use all of them, just wondering what the reasoning is behind
it.
This is correct. The client data is a full raw text of various bits of information that can be used to create status messages out of, but there isn't a mandated 1:1 correspondence between each section and each test. By keeping them independent (raw data and central processing), you have the flexibility to write up new tests based off of already-existing incoming data, and/or add new "raw" data without having a specific test in mind.
For the 'who' data in particular, there's a sample processor in the source tarball that can demonstrate how easy it is to add simple new tests at
https://sourceforge.net/p/xymon/code/HEAD/tree/branches/4.3.24/xymond/xymond...
You can easily add new sections to the client data by adding files to a "/local/" directory on the client machine, or editing the xymonclient-${OS}.sh shell script by hand, and running any command that the unprivileged 'xymon' user can execute.
What's the benefit to all this additional data if it's not used? Primarily forensics and triage. As the xymon(7) man page puts it:
The Xymon user-interface is simple, but engineers will also find lots of
relevant information. E.g. the data that clients report to Xymon contain the raw output from a number of system commands. That information is available directly in Xymon, so an administrator no longer needs to login to a server to get an overview of how it is behaving - the very commands they would normally run have already been performed, and the results are on-line in Xymon.
https://www.xymon.com/help/manpages/man7/xymon.7.html
This becomes even more relevant when you consider snapshoting. When a status goes "red", a snapshot of the client data at that time is kept. So if you went back later to try to figure out why (e.g.) CPU was rising, the output of the '[who]' section tells you who might have been doing something then, even if the data wasn't used for making a test out of at that time.
Also, I notice that getting the data via xymondboard is not 100% either...
[xymon at ztest bin]$ ./xymon 192.168.1.230 "clientlog yumlist section=who"
*snip*
As you can see below, requesting a status on all the tests, there is no
"who" being reported.
But just a moment ago, asking for just that data it works.
[xymon at ztest bin]$ ./xymon 192.168.1.230 "xymondboard host=yumlist"
*snip*
Correct. The "clientlog" command retrieves the most recent raw client data, while the "xymondboard" command retrieves just the status messages (the tests that you see on the webpages).
The "clientlog" column on the web page, much like the "info" and "trends" columns, isn't a real test... it's just present to provide easy access to the most recent data. You can also access it from the "Client data" link on the bottom of any of that host's status pages.
Hope that helps!
-jc
Xymon mailing list Xymon at xymon.com http://lists.xymon.com/mailman/listinfo/xymon
Actually: how do you get at this? I can't see a way after hunting around a bit. I thought maybe in a client data link at the bottom of a historical page, but none is present.
____ *Note: UMDNJ is now Rutgers-Biomedical and Health Sciences* || \\UTGERS |---------------------*O*--------------------- ||_// Biomedical | Ryan Novosielski - Senior Technologist || \\ and Health | novosirj at rutgers.edu<mailto:novosirj at rutgers.edu>- 973/972.0922 (2x0922) || \\ Sciences | OIRT/High Perf & Res Comp - MSB C630, Newark `'
On Jan 10, 2016, at 06:48, J.C. Cleaver <cleaver at terabithia.org<mailto:cleaver at terabithia.org>> wrote:
This becomes even more relevant when you consider snapshoting. When a status goes "red", a snapshot of the client data at that time is kept. So if you went back later to try to figure out why (e.g.) CPU was rising, the output of the '[who]' section tells you who might have been doing something then, even if the data wasn't used for making a test out of at that time.
participants (3)
-
cleaver＠terabithia.org
-
davieb＠gmail.com
-
novosirj＠ca.rutgers.edu