SNMP Monitoring of FDS


Introduction

Monitoring a FDS server with SNMP is relatively simple. FDS uses the Agent Extensibility Protocol (AgentX) to extend SNMP. In essence a FDS SNMP Agent collects the data from FDS and passes the information to net-snmp.

FDS is already configured to use SNMP out of the box, the install provides a copy of the FDS mib and the RHDS documentation covers the installation well enough to get you started (even if it is a little light on details).

Here’s a quick run down of the steps involved…

To find out the simple auth binds, use the OID of .1.3.6.1.4.1.2312.6.1.1.3.389 (dsSimpleAuthBinds)

[root@prospero ~]# snmpwalk -v 1 -c xxxxxxxx localhost .1.3.6.1.4.1.2312.6.1.1.3.389`
RHDS-MIB::dsSimpleAuthBinds.389 = Counter32: 405210`

That’s it :)

Please note that I use FDS v1.0.2 at the moment. Versions >=1.0.3 now use the native net-snmp that comes with your distro, rather than its own. I have no idea how or if this will affect the steps above. YMMV.

Integrating with Cacti

Cacti is a deceptively complex yet simple to use web based monitoring application. It uses rrdtool, php and mysql to create some actually pretty decent graphs and stats of all manner of devices that can be monitored. Naturally it can do SNMP. Cacti works by setting up a series of data access, graph and host templates that bind together and produces a clean easy to use pack. It works well, however template creation is in that deceptively complex category. Fortunately I stumbled across a couple of templates for OpenLDAP that I hacked about with to get the desired effect. The original versions and locations are at the bottom of this page. For brevity I have also included my ready FDS-friendly version of the template and the accompanying perl script, tarred-up below.

Download Cacti Template

Click Here To Download the README file

Click Here To Download the Cacti Template

Click Here To Download the perl script helper for the Cacti Template

Acknowledgments

My template is heavily borrowed from the following sources.

Cacti OpenLDAP response time - Linagora.org - http://www.linagora.org/article125.html

Templates for SunONE Directory Server - http://forums.cacti.net/about16638.html

Thats it. Hope its of use to someone :)

Dan

Last modified on 1 March 2024