Explanation of Template Binding

Zenoss applies templates in many different and therefore confusing ways. The following is an explanation of the different ways templates get bound and hopefully a logically explanation of why it is done. It is important to remember that the name of each template is very important and is case sensitive.

Device Templates

Device templates are applied to devices, and only once per device. Device templates get bound to devices according to a single rule, what the zDeviceTemplates property contains. For most device classes within the system this is set to “Device”. For a hypothetical /Server/Linux/MySQL device class the zDeviceTemplates property would likely contain Device and MySQL so that normal CPU & Memory information would be collected using the Device template and MySQL specific metrics using the MySQL template.

Common device templates:

• Device
• MySQL, Apache
• Active Directory, MSExchangeIS, MSSQLServer, IIS

Component Templates

Component templates are a bit more mysterious than device templates. The biggest difference in how they’re applied is that they can be applied many times per device depending on how many components the device contains that match the template. Another big difference is that there are no zProperties that control which template is applied. They follow more rigid rules.

Common component templates:

• FileSystem, HardDisk, IpService, OSProcess, WinService
• Fan, PowerSupply, TemperatureSensor
• LTMVirtualServer, VPNTunnel

These component templates are named EXACTLY according to the name of the underlying class that represents the component. This is the case for all component templates except for what you might expect to be called IpInterface. As you might have already noticed, there is no template called IpInterface.

Interface Templates

Templates get applied to network interfaces using a special kind of binding. Instead of using the name of the underlying class, Zenoss will look for a template that has the same name as the “type” of the interface. You can find this type by clicking into the details for any network interface from the OS tab of its containing device.

If a template matching the name of the interface’s type can’t be found, the “ethernetCsmacd” template will be used as the fallback. Most interfaces you’ll find are this type.

Conclusion

Hopefully this helps you better understand how templates are bound to devices and components.

Tags: Bindings, Templates, Zenoss

• Best Project for the Enterprise - Absolutely I think you would be hard pressed to find a better value in enterprise monitoring that can be integrated with your existing tools.
• Most Likely to Be the Next $1B Acquisition - Thanks for the vote of confidence but we still have some work to do.
• Best Tool or Utility for SysAdmins - This is a big deal since this nomination is a result of being an extremely valuable part of the system administrators tool box.

No other monitoring product was nominated for any category. I think this is a great testament to our product and our community who voted for us. Thank you for your support we are very grateful. For the final stage of the awards SourceForge now requires we vote for the finalists. So please show your support for Zenoss and vote today (SourceForge.net login required):

Tags: Best Project for the Enterprise, Best Tool for Sysadmins, Community Choice Awards, SourceForge

What is the Submit a ZenPack Contest?

Community contributed ZenPacks have typically consisted of new monitoring solutions, but did you know that ZenPacks can do even more than that? We’re looking for as many useful submissions as possible, monitoring something not yet covered, improvements to existing ZenPacks or extending Zenoss to provide new functionality. It doesn’t have to be overly complex, but don’t let that stop you from going wild. You can also submit detailed instructions on using Community ZenPacks if the existing documentation is not up to snuff. There are a lot of ZenPacks that are being tested or have yet to been submitted to Zenoss for hosting, so this contest is your chance to show off your chops and possibly win a great prize.

The Rules:

1. Contributed ZenPacks should be Zenoss 2.2-style .eggs.
2. So that we would be able to potentially include the ZenPack in a future release of Zenoss, please consider filling out our contribution form. If you’ve previously filled it out, you do not need to do so again.
3. Send an email to community@zenoss.com with the title “Submit a ZenPack Contest” with your name, the attached ZenPack and any instructions or descriptions you would like to include.
4. Submissions for the Zenoss Submit a ZenPack Contest are open until August 15th at which time we will draw randomly from all entries.
5. Multiple entries are allowed and encouraged. You will get one entry for each tip submitted.
6. Special Bonus: If you have a blog and you post your Zenoss ZenPack with a link back to the ZenPacks page we will enter your tip in the drawing twice (Please be sure to include the comment in your email submission and include the trackback link for this post in your blog entry).
7. The contest will be open until August 15th at which time we will draw 1 entry randomly from all entries and the judges will select another. We will announce the winners shortly thereafter.
   • ZenPack Project Site
   • ZenPack Documentation
   • ZenPack FAQ
   • ZenPack Discussion Forum/Mailing list
   • Community Provided Custom ZenPack Rough Guide

Getting Started:

The Prizes:
We figured why just give 1 lucky winner an Asus Eee Ultra-Compact Linux Laptop when we can give away 2? So we will be selecting 1 winner at random and 1 by our judges from the submissions and giving them their choice of Galaxy Black or Pearl White Eee PC 2G Surf Linux Laptops.

Get the power of a full-sized laptop in the ultra-compact ASUS Eee PC 2G Surf, which offers a full QWERTY keyboard, 7-inch screen, and preinstalled Linux operating system. (This laptop is also compatible with the Microsoft Windows XP operating system.) You’ll be able to stay connected to email and the Internet easily thanks to the Wi-Fi LAN (802.11b/g), and communicate via video chat and VoIP with the Webcam integrated into the display’s bezel. Because it uses flash memory instead of a hard drive (with 2 GB of storage), the Eee PC is optimal for weathering rough handling and sharing space in overstuffed bags.

For the professional, the Eee PC comes with a powerful selection of software to maximize personal productivity–over 40 built-in applications. The Open Office suite of software enables the user to open, edit and create documents, presentations, spreadsheets and databases that are compatible with Microsoft Office. For journalists, photographers and other professionals who need to use a computer in the field to create, to communicate and to collaborate with other colleagues, the Eee PC’s combination of power, extreme portability and rugged build makes it the ideal computing solution.It’s also a great choice for young students, with a built-in Dictionary that’s great for homework, and it includes two modes of intuitive graphic user interface design to accommodate both experienced and inexperienced PC users. The Eee PC also handles your digital images, movies, and music as well as Internet radio.

Compact and highly portable at just 32 ounces, the Eee PC 2G Surf has a 7-inch wide color TFT LCD with an 800 x 480-pixel resolution (WXGA). Under the hood is a 800 MHz Intel Mobile CPU with integrated Intel graphics processor, 512 MB of RAM (not expandable), and 2 GB of solid-state flash memory. With the dependable solid-state disk, you get unparalleled shock-protection and reliability. In addition to its wireless LAN, it also offers wired Fast Ethernet connectivity and a 56K modem. The Eee PC includes software for Web browsing (Firefox), email, OpenOffice 2.0 for creating and editing word processing documents and spreadsheets, and a suite of other productivity software to help keep you on track.

You get three USB 2.0 ports, a VGA output for connecting to external monitors, headphone and microphone jacks, and a Secure Digital (SD) memory card slot. The Eee PC measures 8.9 x 6.5 x 1.4 inches, and it weighs 32 ounces. The 4-cell, 5200 mAh battery provides up to 3.5 hours of battery life.

Tags: Asus Eee, contest, network monitoring, Zenpack

Distributed Configuration Manager

• Several enhancements to our tiered architecture to simplify & secure the deployment of distributed collectors
• The Distributed Configuration Manager allows you to provision, configure and monitor distributed collectors directly from the Zenoss management GUI
• Scale to manage tens of thousands of resources through a point and click process

Distributed Collector Package

• Specialized software build, hardware appliance, and software appliance for distributed collectors
• Further simplifies deployment of distributed configurations

High Availability Package

• Standard, certified configuration to achieve high availability and real-time fail over for Zenoss deployment infrastructure
• Essential for mission critical management environments

Enhanced Monitoring of Microsoft Windows

• Several enhancements to agentless monitoring of Microsoft Windows
• In addition to monitoring Windows Performance Counters, users can now automatically populate and maintain a centralized view of their software, hardware and service configurations using WMI

Expanded Library of Certified Monitors

• New monitoring ZenPacks for BigIP, Brocade, Cisco (IPSLA, Load Balancers), Juniper, Netscreen (Firewalls), NetApp, Nortel, SugarCRM, etc.

Point-and-Click Installation

• New installers are available for certified platforms including Redhat Enterprise Linux, Novell Suse Enterprise Linux

Platinum Service Plan

• New service plan offers dedicated account management and 24×7 access to Zenoss Engineers for business critical issues

We hope that whether you use Zenoss Core or Enterprise you find each version an improvement on the last as we continue to strive to be the best open source systems management tool. Thank you for your support.

and on that same note, here’s my redundant home installations:

So there you have it. Email us your entries, post them in the comments or tag them with “zenossinstall” in Flickr and we’ll put up the best ones in next month’s newsletter!

Vote for Zenoss!

Show your support for Zenoss Core in the SourceForge.net Community Choice Awards (login required). We think Zenoss is an excellent candidate for the Best Project for the Enterprise and Best Tool or Utility for Sysadmins we hope you do too.

Tip of the Month: Getting XML Formatted Device Details

Zenoss provides a variety of tools to help you integrate it into other tools. Commonly used are the REST, XML-RPC and Python APIs. Another less-used option is XML. This can be very useful as a read-only integration point because you can get all of the data you need in a single simple transaction and good XML parsing libraries exist for all languages.
Learn How to Get XML Formatted Device Details

Survey: Evaluating Zenoss

We want your experience evaluating Zenoss to be easy and informative. Please tell us how we make your first experience with Zenoss a great one.
Take the Survey for a chance to win an Apple iTouch

Introducing our Zenoss Masters

We couldn’t make our software without the help of our community members. We want to recognize those of you who have given an exceptional effort in supporting Zenoss.

Find out who’s contributing to Zenoss.

In The News

See what people are saying about Zenoss this month.

• Announcement: Zenoss Announces Sponsorship of Twisted
• IT Management: Open-Source Network-Management Tools: Reading Between the Lines
• bMighty: Network Tools that Break Price Points, Not the Bank

Upcoming Events

• Zenoss Administrator Training: June 17-18, Annapolis, MD
• Red Hat Summit: June 18-20, Boston, MA

Help Wanted!

Are you an exceptional team-oriented individual ready for a challenge? Do you love open source software? We are staffing for technical, sales, and marketing positions. Visit the Zenoss Career Center for more information.

Web UI Developer
Zenoss is looking for a interface programmer for our development team to help improve the face of Zenoss projects. If you have mad AJAX chops and want to help us with the next generation Zenoss UI please apply. Visit the Zenoss Career Center for more information.

Risk-Free Trial

Want an easy, risk-free way to evaluate Zenoss Enterprise?
Sign up now and get a free appliance and free support for 30 days!

Best Regards,

Mark R. Hinkle
Vice President, Community
Zenoss Inc.

Open Source Systems Management: Zenoss expands platform support, an interview with Mark Hinkle | Commercial Open Source Software

Roberto’s an Italian blogger who has very good commentary on open source, a good addition to any open source blogroll.  Thanks Roberto!

• Mike ‘MikeA’ Albon
• Martin ‘massimo’ Buerger
• Zach ‘daviz00′ Davis
• Wouter ‘Netdata’ D’Haeseleer
• James ‘jdastrup’ Dastrup
• Kells ‘kpg123′ Kearney
• Dan ‘MagnaChef’ Magnuszewski
• Roberto Parra
• Arthur Penn
• James ‘jmp242′ Pulver
• Allen ‘LinuxDynasty’ Sanabria
• Tijmen ‘gentux31′ van den Brink

We’ll be publishing a permanent Zenoss Masters page in the future but Matt and I would like to personally thank everyone who has helped make Zenoss better through their efforts.

• Alvarion WiFi monitor (www.zenoss.com/community/projects/zenpacks/alvarion) For monitoring connections, signal strength and dropped frames for Alvarion WiFi access points.
• Routing and Remote Access monitor (www.zenoss.com/community/projects/zenpacks/routingandremoteaccess) For monitoring connections and throughput for VPN connections with Microsoft’s Routing and Remote Access.

Andrea has also updated his Funkwerks and Netasq ZenPacks with additional modeling.

For this and other ZenPacks, check out the ZenPacks site (www.zenoss.com/community/projects/zenpacks/).

Thanks Andrea and Patrick!