The Nagios 2012 World conference starts today and one of the major events of the conference will be the demonstrations of the Nagios 2012 interface by Ethan Galstad. I have been running the beta for several weeks in the Nagios Training classes and the response has been very favorable about the new features. Here is a list of a few to look for.

Nagios 2012: New Features
BPI Version 2 will be implemented on Nagios 2012 which provides easier access to priorities of checks as the priorities are now listed on a tab with hostgroups and services groups. Another feature is that the interface allows for restriction based on user.

Metrics
A Metrics section provides three ways of viewing service checks, either in a summary, a graph or gauges. This feature encourages better understanding of the data for the service check.

Reports Are 3D
The information in the pie charts are now 3 demensional.

Schedule Email Reports
Now you can schedule reports to be sent automatically which you select. This is a great time saving feature that is a powerful way to provide information to those who need it.

CCM
The new Nagios CCM interface has a face lift that replaces the older Config Manager. One feature that has been added is the ability to view 250 service checks or devices at one time. The functionality is basically the same as the old interface just a nicer look and a few new features.

Static Configuration Files
This has been avaiable for some time but now has a GUI access to create static files which will not be altered by the CCM.

Renaming Tool
This tool allows an administrator to modify names of services or hosts in bulk. This is a greate feature for larger installs that have to make corrections and do not want to have to touch each config manually.

Bulk Modifications Tool
This tool will allow you to mofify local settings on hosts and services. So for example, you needed to change max_check_attempts, it could be done through this interface instead of touching each configuration. This is another good option for larger installs that may need to make changes to a number of settings at once.

Proxy Option
There is now a GUI to set the proxy if your system is behind a proxy. The port, address and authentication details can all be entered.

Audit Log
Ever wonder who made that change on Nagios that hosed the system? Now the audit log will help you keep track of changes on the Nagios interface. This will certainly help with problem solving and accountability.

SSH Terminal
Now you do not have to use the command line or putty to access SSH, you can use a SSH terminal with a Java interface.

NRDS
The NRDS Config Manager will help you build and implement the configuration need for checks on your hosts. The configuration is easy to use and builds the config and then gives you commands to implemnt all of the checks created on your hosts. This feature works with Windows and Linux servers.

3 Devices That Make Travel Time Effective

In recent months I have been traveling a great deal more with training/consulting projects. One of the major issues with any travel is time usage in the uncomfortables spaces of an airport or squarshed into the space of an airline seat. The challenge is how to use the time in those spaces effectively. Here are a couple ideas that have worked for me.

1. Go Small (Sony Vaio)
In order to use the necessary tools to get something useful done you need to downsize the equipment that is normally used. One of the required tools for much of my consulting is a laptop that can virtualize several operating systems. Once you get to a company, often times you will need to trobuleshoot issues, which means you have to have a way to recreate the issue and then work on solving the problem, which means a laptop that can run a Linux or Windows server. A lightweight laptop that can run two virtual machines is expensive but worth it in the end. I use a Sony Vaio with 4 GB of RAM. I can make presentations and virtualize several machines at the same time. In reality I would rather have a larger machine, but travel means going small in order to have the resources available.

2. Be Independent (Verizon Hotspot)
There is nothing more frustrating that getting to a Hotel or airport that either the Internet is down or so overloaded it is not useable. As a result, I carry a wireless hotspot with me from Verizon. It provides me access at any time and basically anywhere. Getting work done often requires connections to other networks as well, including using VPNs. The wireless hotspot has saved me many times.

3. Go Digital (Kindle Fire)
As I have written 15 manuals consisting of over 5000 pages, I cannot take a paper copy of that material along. When it comes to training or consulting it really helps to have a paper copy that I can pull out to reference. However, it is no longer feasible, so I purchased a Kindle Fire and put all of the documentation on PDFs. This is a useable situation where I can reference all of the material I need from the Kindle. This is a solution that is required if you are going to travel and have access to documents.

These solutions help me use the uncomfortable times more effectively so that I am not always scrambling so hard when I get back to the office.

Recently we have worked with a small company who was trying to determine the best tool to monitor their network. They had heard of Nagios and wanted to explore that option first. They also were most interested in an Open Source option as they did not want to have renew licenses to lower their ongoing cost. In this type of evaluation, there are a lot of things to consider.

1. Nagios Options
Nagios was built to be flexible and that flexibility has created a number of options that can be used for a frontend or an addon. Some of those options are free to use and some will cost a small fee. I say “small fee” because if you compare it to some of the major networking monitoring tools an organization can spend many thousands of dollars monitoring their network. In this consulting situation they wanted to narrow the field down to two options Nagios Core (the Open Source, free option) and Nagios XI which costs a modest fee per year for support and updates. Though there are other options out there, this is a good place to start because Nagios is under the hood in those other options that create a frontend.

2. Comparison: Nagios Core vs. Nagios XI
Nagios Core is the Open Source option for Nagios. It is powerful in that it can be used to monitor many different devices in a diverse setting. I have talked with administrators who are using Nagios Core to perform 5000 checks per second! For a small business that may not initially be the focus, but performance should be an indicator, as success in using this tool will lead to the decision to perform more checks. The next aspect to consider with Nagios Core is flexibility. What kind of devices do you want to monitor? Nagios can monitor switches, routers, wireless devices, Windows servers, Linux servers, applications on those devices, network bandwidth, etc. Nagios Core, like Nagios XI, is only limited by the administrators ability to implement the kind of check required.

One caveat for Nagios Core is that it will require intermediate skills at the Linux command line. If your organization does not have administrators with command line skills you will either need to get them training for the command line or take a close look at the second option, Nagios XI.

Nagios XI is a powerful Nagios option that is configured from a GUI, which make the transition to Nagios easier, I did not say easy. Any network monitoring tool requires a solid understanding of the devices you are monitoring. And though Nagios XI does present the graphical configuration options like wizards, reports, views, etc., it also requires some skill at the command line. Even with Nagios XI you may have to install Perl modules from the command line for instance if you select plugins that do not come with Nagios XI.

For faster implementation of network monitoring Nagios XI is your best choice if you are not skilled in using the command line. Nagios XI can ultimately be cheaper than Nagios Core if you value the time administrators take to set things up from the command line.

Ultimately, the best choice is what works in the long term for a company.

Today we finally finished a large migration project for a small company.  Migration is more than just an upgrade, it is a major shift to more efficient technology, faster resources, better security and ultimately cost savings.

Here is what this project entailed.

1. Migrate 4 mail servers to new hardware, CentOS 6 and faster resources.
Mail servers are very important to organizations so migrating 4 servers takes time as mail must always be available. Part of this project was to create a MX Backup so if local mail servers were down now mail would be lost as it is collected on a remote mail server sitting on a cloud.  Another aspect of this migration was to enhance the Spam checking with special configuration to Spamassassin and rules to help the organization lower Spam rates.

2. Migration of 2 DNS Server
DNS is where a lot of organizations really slack off.  We have seen repeated situations where organizations set up a DNS server and nothing is done to it in years and by that time no one remembers how to fix it or migrate it to a new location.  For this project we rebuilt two DNS servers at different locations across the country so that no matter what happened locally their DNS was functioning correctly.

3. Migration of 10 Web Servers
When we migrate web servers it is not only moving the domains and setting up SSL certificates for shopping carts but is also involves these key features for security:
* PSAD (Port Scan Attack Detector) – a program to stop attackers from scanning ports
* rkhunter – a rootkit hunter that searches for rootkits daily and sends an email to an administrator
* AIDE (Advanced Intrusion Detection Environment) – checks for changes in the operating system
* ModSecurity – prevents zero day exploits, a must if you use PHP and MySQL environments

Security is extremely important these days and any migration needs to include an update of current technologies.

4. Updated Technology
One of the goals of this migration was to include daily images of all servers and weekly images of all servers.  This provides a way for organizations to save big when there are problems.  If a server has a security event or if an administrator makes a mistake, it can easily be fixed by pushing out an image in less than 5 minutes.  In the long run this allows organizations to limit their IT staff as they have something to fall back on.

5. Cost Savings
This entire project with faster hardware, better technology, updated systems, etc. actually was completed with the company savings of 40% each month!  That is the big deal about migration, it ultimately provides a better system at less cost.  We often find companies could make big savings if they ultilized some of the new technology that is available.

Migration, it should lead to more efficient technology, better security and ultimately greater savings for an organization.

In the last few months there has been a lot of consulting work we have done for Postfix.  Postfix is a great mail server …meaning, easy to use, secure, stable and intelligent.  One of the major themes we see with consulting for Postfix is that many organizations are moving to Postfix based on a greater need for performance.  The primary mail server they are moving away from is Sendmail.  Now Sendmail is also a good mail server, but does not seem able to meet the performance that Postfix can provide.  One of the reasons this is true is that Sendmail is monolithic, in other words it is one application that does everything.  While Postfix is a modular system that has a number of applications that work together.  In addition, Postfix is easier to work with.  The config files and the terminology for getting things done is based on information that is just plain easier to understand.  Anyone who has picked up the O’Reilly book on Sendmail knows, Sendmail configuration is anything but easy.

The other theme that we are seeing with Postfix is that organizations are using Postfix as a gateway to their internal mail server.  This is often done to protect an Exchange server that is used by employees.  The security that is inherent to the Linux operating system and the rock solid security that is provided in Postfix are great ways to protect that internal mail server.  When you set up Postfix as a gateway you can lock down all access to the box for users so that it can become a very hardened box.

Postfix provides both excellent performance and security, features specifically needed in today’s mail focused world.

CyberMontana Inc. (spidertools.com) in joint partnership with Nagios Enterprises will provide a 1 hour weekly training session for Nagios. This FREE training session will be provided to help support the Nagios community.

 Class Time and Topic:

Friday November 18 at 3 PM Eastern
The Class session will last one hour and will provide a time for students to ask questions and suggest topics for upcoming sessions.
Using Passive Checks with NSClient++
This class will demonstrate how to set up passive checks with NSClient++.  The advantage of these kinds of checks is that Nagios can be used to monitor a Windows server that is behind a firewall.

Requirements:

The class is open to anyone, however, to listen to the class you will need either speakers on your computer or you can also call in using a phone.  If you want to ask questions you will need to have a headset or microphone.  The best set up is a USB headset (about $10) because the USB does not have the echo in audio sometimes found with other options.
* audio connection
* microphone if you want to ask questions (or you can call on a phone)

 Registration Procedure:

We have decided to make this easy…the code is posted here for the GoToMeeting ID which will get you into the class.  The first 15 to log in will get in class.  Sorry the limit is 15 users.  Here is the code:

http://gotomeeting.com/join/376580802

Format:
The Free Nagios Training  will use GoToMeeting so that people can login and not only view demonstrations but ask questions and discuss options with other students.  Best audio is with a USB headset as other options often echo.  Class size will be restricted to 15.

Previous Topics:
Students can send requests for topics to mweber at spidertools.com and I will review the topic to see if I can set up a demo for what you want to learn.  Topics will be posted on the spidertools.com blog so that you will always know what is in the queue for training.

Monitoring with NRPE
How to Monitor a Windows Machine

When:
The class will be held on Fridays at 3 PM Eastern Time and will last for one hour.

Free Nagios Training Support is offered by us both as a way to give back to the Community at large and as a way to help students who have taken Official Nagios Training Courses.  One of my goals for going to the Nagios Conference in St. Paul was to listen to what Nagios users needed in order to use Nagios more effectively.  The one thing I heard repeatedly was the desire for more hands on learning opportunities.  Well, we have decided to make that happen on a regular basis.  We will provide one hour of Free Nagios Training as a way to help support the Nagios community.

Upcoming Class Schedule:

Nagios XI FailOver How To
Monitoring Logs with Nagios

We need your email information to send you a link the class as the class will be restricted.  If the class goes beyond the 15 limit we may use a different format.

Format:
The Free Nagios Training  will use GoToMeeting so that people can login and not only view demonstrations but ask questions and discuss options with other students.  Best audio is with a USB headset other options often echo badly.  Class size will be restricted to 15 so sign up for the list to make sure you can get in.

Topics:
Topics will be considered based on requests from those that come to the sessions.  We will also try to record the sessions for students who could not come to the class.  We will post the links in this blog entry.

Past Topics:

Integrating Cisco Netflow with Nagios XI (notes and video)

Object Inheritance (notes and video)

 Monitoring Microsoft Exchange 2010 (notes and video)

Monitoring Linux Servers/OSX Servers with SNMP  (notes and video)

Installing Nagios Core from a Script
How to install Nagios Core into a CentOS 6 machine using a script.
Monitoring Routers and Switches
Using SNMP for monitoring routers and switches.
 How to Monitor a Windows Machine
This session will demonstrate how to use Nagios Core and Nagios XI to montitor a Windows machine using NSClient++.
 How to Monitor a Linux Server with NRPE
This session will demonstrate how to monitor a Linux server with NRPE, both Nagios Core and Nagios XI will be used  in the demonstration.
How to Set Up a Cisco Router
This session will demonstrate using Nagios Core and Nagios XI how to begin monitoring a Cisco router.

Who Can Attend:
We are going to give priority to previous students of the Official Nagios Training and then open the class to anyone in the Nagios community once those students have had an opportunity.

When:
The class will be held on Fridays (not every Friday) at 3 PM Eastern Time and will last for one hour.

The Nagios Conference just ended with a question and answer session and a promise for a larger conference next year.  Everyone I talked to was extremely pleased with the Conference.  One thing that everyone emphasizd was the time people had to network and get tips from other administrators deploying Nagios.  There certainly was a wide range of experience at the conference.  I talked with admins who had deployed Nagios 2 days before the conference as well as admins who had used the first version of Nagios way back at NetSaint.

Here are the biggest highlights that I experienced at the conference:

The most informative session I went to was from an admin at a large insurance company who detailed, page after page, all of the small things that they did to enhance performance in a large environment.  This kind of information could not be gathered on the Interent or in any other way because of the detail and the scale that it required to attain.  I will certainly put this in place even in small settings just to prepare for the option of scaling.

The time I was able to talk with other admins working on Nagios was really beneficial as I had a programmer give me a tip on perl that I would have not figured out on my own.  I had admins confirm things that I had taught in classes but in a training situation you cannot always try things on the same scale as some of these people.  I have worked with Nagios Enterprises directly in the training area for over a year now which gave me a great foundation to help people with specific problems that they were facing in their environment.  And it was great to see students who had been in classes for Nagios training that were now at the conference.

It was interesting to be able to talk face to face with the Nagios staff who I send email back and forth with daily.  I had beneficial conversations with Ethan Galstad about some of the specifics we are facing with training and some of the things happening to Nagios XI development.

This Nagios Conference was certainly worth the time and effort to attend.

One of the highlights of the conference was to listen to some of the new features and get a review of current features with Nagios Core and Nagios XI.  Ethan Galstad presented an interesting session that demonstrated some of the upgrades that will occur with both Core and XI.  Most of the people that I have talked with here are using Nagios Core, which is interesting.   So most of these people have good skills at the command line and have been working with Core for a long time.  It was encouraging to see that Nagios is putting new emphasis on developing a number of issues with Core, mostly under the hood stuff, that will increase speed and reduce resource usage.  This is something everyone wants when they begin to scale Nagios.

The Nagios XI feature that I hear most people request is automated reporting.  This is where you can set up who, when and what people will get automated PDFs sent to them to review.  It is great news to hear this is in the testing phase and will soon be rolled out.

I also talked with Ethan about updates on a bug issue or two that have been resolved and will be fixed in the next release so that is also good news on the XI front.

Understanding better the Nagios XI reporting and alerting features will be a project for me in the near future as the presentation clearly demonstrated aspects that I did not know existed.   So I will document these and pass them on to students.

Again, it is great to be able to talk shop about Nagios to everyone at the conference.

I did two sessions this morning which provided some interesting feedback and I learned a few things from people as well.  I did a session on monitoring Linux mail servers and a session on criteria for choosing Nagios plugins.  One thing I learned from a programmer was the difference in impact on a Nagios server whether you are using the standard perl of embedded perl.  Really stuff I should know but didn’t.

One of the great things about the conference has been the ability to walk into any small group and immediately start up a conversation about Nagios and how it is implemented.  There are so many eager people here talking about Nagios it is really a unique situation. I guess I was just surprised at the level of interest.  Having taught Nagios for years, it has given me a foundation for discussions about a lot of aspects about Nagios.  No doubt about it, I am learning a lot as well.

During lunch I had the opportunity to talk with the staff at Nagios.  I just sat down at a table and started talking not realizing who they were.  Of course I exchange email and communicate with them on a regular basis but never had seen them face to face.  Interesting to talk with the staff about Nagios growth and the processes they go through to support Nagios.