genDevConfig on github
The most astute will have noticed genDevConfig moving to github.
This means, you can easily add more devices, submit corrections and improve this old school tool reborn for use with the up and coming Shinken monitoring system.
Yup. genDevConfig 3.x, dedicated to creating Shinken configuration files is ready to rock. What does this mean?
- genDevConfig creates a configuration file formatted for Shinken with Host and Services
- Automatically creates a dependency to the chassis Service
- Can be assigned user defined variables
- Can be assigned user assigned templates
- Supports all the same devices that it used to do with the addition of more comprehensive Nortel/Avaya ES and ERS switches
First question on your mind… Can I migrate my Cricket installation to Shinken?!
Short Answer: Yes, but as a proof of concept. Not for production.
Shinken’s various web interfaces differ a little bit. The closest to Cricket are WebUI with native Graphite support, Pencil, Multisite+Graphite Dashboard and Multisite+PNP4Nagios. Cricket’s web interface is an automatic hierarchical dashboard, designed with a single purpose in mind. While Shinken processes state and performance data so it arranges data with different priorities.
Second, Shinken has a discovery management console to provide an interface for discovery scripts like genDevConfig. It has not been tested and integrated to be used with Shinken’s discovery console.
Third, Shinken’s SNMP poller module that is meant to be used with genDevConfig configurations only presently supports SNMPv2c getBulk. While great, will not collect data from older devices, UPSs or anything that requires SNMP v2c get/get-next or SNMP v1.
Fourth, Shinken’s SNMP poller module is in public beta and has not been officially released.
Question: Okay, but can I try it?
Answer: By all means. genDevConfig is ready. Shinken’s SNMP poller module (SnmpBooster) is also ready.
Learn more about it here:
- Shinken SNMP module presentation and installation links
- Shinken SNMP module design specification and development status
- Shinken 10 minute installation guide
- genDevConfig on github
Hope to see you around and contributing to the project.