Smokeping Exercises

Network Monitoring and Management

Smokeping
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Notes:
------
* Commands preceded with "$" imply that you should execute the command as
  a general user - not as root.
* Commands preceded with "#" imply that you should be working as root.
* Commands with more specific command lines (e.g. "RTR-GW>" or "mysql>") 
  imply that you are executing commands on remote equipment, or within 
  another program.

Exercises
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0. Log in to your PC or open a terminal window as the sysadmn user.

Once you are logged in you can continue with these exercises.

1. Install Smokeping

    $ sudo apt-get install smokeping

2. Initial Configuration

    $ cd /etc/smokeping/config.d
    $ ls -l

    -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root  578 2010-02-26 01:55 Alerts
    -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root  237 2010-02-26 01:55 Database
    -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root  413 2010-02-26 05:40 General
    -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root  271 2010-02-26 01:55 pathnames
    -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root  859 2010-02-26 01:55 Presentation
    -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root  116 2010-02-26 01:55 Probes
    -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root  155 2010-02-26 01:55 Slaves
    -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 8990 2010-02-26 06:30 Targets
 
    $ sudo vi General

        Change the following lines:

        owner    = NOC
        contact  = sysadm@localhost
        cgiurl   = http://localhost/cgi-bin/smokeping.cgi
        mailhost = localhost

        Save the file and exit. Now let's restart the
        Smokeping service to verify that no mistakes have been made
        before going any further:

        $ sudo service smokeping restart

2. Configure monitoring of devices

        The majority of your time and work configuring Smokeping
        will be done in the file /etc/smokeping/config.d/Targets.
        
        For this class please do the following:

        Use the default FPing probe to check:

      - all the PCs in your group
      - classroom NOC
      - switches
      - routers
      
    You can use the classroom Network Diagram on the classroom wiki to 
    figure out addresses for each item, etc.

    Create some hierarchy to the Smokeping menu for your
    checks. Such as:

	+Local

	menu = Network Monitoring and Management 
	title = NOC Server for Network Monitoring Class

	++LocalMachine

	menu = The NOC@NetManage
	title = The NOC@NetManage
	host = localhost

    #
    # Classroom PCs
    #

	++PCs

    +++pc1
    menu = pc1
    title = pc1
    host = pc1

    +++pc2
    menu = pc2
    title = pc2
    host = pc2
        
    Save the file and restart Smokeping:

        $ sudo service smokeping restart

    Go to your browser and check the Smokeping page:

	http://pcN.ws.nsrc.org/cgi-bin/smokeping.cgi

    If everything is looking OK, continue adding:

	++Routers

	+++rtr
	menu = rtr
	title = Gateway Router
	host = rtr

	+++rtr1
	menu = rtr1
	title = Router 1, Group 1
	host = rtr1

    ++Switch

    ++sw
    menu = sw
    title = Backbone Switch
    host = sw
    
        ...

    Save the file, restart smokeping, and check
    your browser again.

3. Add new probes

    The current entry in Probes is fine, but if you wish to
    use additional Smokeping checks you can add them in here
    and you can specify their default behavior. You can do
    this, as well, in the Targets file if you wish.

    Here is an example of a Probes file that would specify
    what to use to check for HTTP and DNS latency as well as
    the FPing probe that is used for ping latency:

       $ sudo vi Probes

        *** Probes ***

        + FPing

        binary = /usr/bin/fping

        + EchoPingHttp

        + DNS
        binary = /usr/bin/dig
        pings = 5
        step = 180
        lookup = www.nsrc.org

	Save the file.

4. Add HTTP latency checks

    Now edit your Targets again:

	$ sudo vi Targets
	
    Add a check for HTTP latency for all the classroom PCs. 
    This will mean adding another category, such as:

    ++HTTP Servers
	probe = EchoPingHttp
	menu = HTTP Response
    title = HTTP Response Student PCs

	+++pc1
	menu = pc1
	title = PC1 HTTP Response Time
	host = pc1

	+++pc1
	host = pc2
	title = PC2 HTTP Response Time
	host = pc2
	
	...

    If you have time, consider checking some machines that are
    external to our classroom and the conference (your organization's
    website, a popular web page, etc...)

5. Add DNS Latency Checks

    You can check either or both internal or external names using
    the DNS latency probe.

    Add a menu hierarchy for DNS Latency. Check an external address
    (nsrc.org) and an internal address (noc). This will look something
    like this (in Targets):

        +DNS 
        probe = DNS
        menu = External DNS Check
        title = DNS Latency

        ++nsrc
        host = nsrc.org

        ++noc
        host = noc.mgmt

    Exit and save your changes to the file Targets.

    Restart Smokeping to see the changes:

    $ sudo service smokeping restart

    Look at additional Smokeping probes and consider implementing
    some of them:

        http://oss.oetiker.ch/smokeping/probe/index.en.html

    As trying to explain all syntactical details of how the file
    /etc/smokeping/config.d/Targets is used would require several
    pages we will go through some examples in class, and you can
    refer to the Smokeping configuration files that are in use on 
    the classroom NOC box by going to:

        http://noc/configs/etc/smokeping
        http://noc/configs/etc/smokeping/config.d