Monitoring can be set up in Linux using NCPA which is a cross-platform monitoring agent for Nagios Core and Nagios XI that runs on Windows, Linux/Unix and Mac OS/X machines.
Here at Ibmi Media, as part of our Server Management Services, we regularly help our Customers to perform related Nagios queries.
In this context, we shall look into how to configure NCPA to monitor Linux.
Before configuring NCPA, we must install NCPA on the target Windows/Linux/Mac OS X machine we wish to monitor.
To Install NCPA On Linux, you need to understand that there are several methods for installing NCPA on Linux depending on our OS distribution. First, establish a terminal session as a root user.
1. Using Nagios Repository
The Nagios Repository can be used to install NCPA on RHEL/CentOS. The first step is to install the repository depending on the version of Linux.
* 7.x:
# rpm -Uvh http://repo.nagios.com/nagios/7/nagios-repo-7-4.el7.noarch.rpm
* 8.x:
# rpm -Uvh http://repo.nagios.com/nagios/8/nagios-repo-8-1.el8.noarch.rpm
After the repository install, we have to execute the following command to install NCPA:
# yum install ncpa -y
2. Using RPM Package
An RPM package can be used to install NCPA on RHEL/CentOS. The step below depends on the version and architecture of Linux we are running.
RHEL/CentOS/Oracle Linux 7.x
# rpm -Uvh https://assets.nagios.com/downloads/ncpa/ncpa-latest.el7.x86_64.rpm
RHEL/CentOS/Oracle Linux 8.x
# rpm -Uvh https://assets.nagios.com/downloads/ncpa/ncpa-latest.el8.x86_64.rpm
3. Using DEB Package
A DEB package can be used to install NCPA on Ubuntu/Debian. Furthermore, the steps below depending on the version and architecture of Linux we are running.
* Debian 8.x i386
# wget https://assets.nagios.com/downloads/ncpa/ncpa-latest.i386.deb
dpkg -i ./ncpa-latest.i386.deb
* Debian 8.x amd64
# wget https://assets.nagios.com/downloads/ncpa/ncpa-latest.amd64.deb
dpkg -i ./ncpa-latest.amd64.deb
* Debian 9.x i386
# wget https://assets.nagios.com/downloads/ncpa/ncpa-latest.d9.i386.deb
dpkg -i ./ncpa-latest.d9.i386.deb
* Debian 9.x amd64
# wget https://assets.nagios.com/downloads/ncpa/ncpa-latest.d9.amd64.deb
dpkg -i ./ncpa-latest.d9.amd64.deb
* Debian 10.x amd64
# wget https://assets.nagios.com/downloads/ncpa/ncpa-latest.d10.amd64.deb
dpkg -i ./ncpa-latest.d10.amd64.deb
* Ubuntu i386
# wget https://assets.nagios.com/downloads/ncpa/ncpa-latest.i386.deb
# sudo dpkg -i ./ncpa-latest.i386.deb
* Ubuntu amd64
# wget https://assets.nagios.com/downloads/ncpa/ncpa-latest.amd64.deb
# sudo dpkg -i ./ncpa-latest.amd64.deb
In Nagios XI, wizards perform the configuration of hosts and services through the Web UI. Wizards take the complicated matter of creating hosts and services, defining configuration parameters, assigning contacts, contact groups, hostgroups, servicegroups, etc, into an easy form in the Nagios XI UI.
Moreover, wizards can also be easily added to Nagios XI through the Admin -> Manage Wizards menu to expand the capabilities of Nagios XI.
To begin using the NCPA Agent wizard, navigate via the top menu bar to Configure > Configuration Wizards and select the Linux Server wizard.
In the first field, type the address or FQDNS name of the host we want to monitor. Next, we can specify the port number if we have changed it from the default of 5693. Then, type the Token we are using on the NCPA agent. Finally, choose the system type of the host we want to monitor and click Next.
Next step, we will configure all of the options for monitoring. Here, we will need to enter the following details:
To finish up, click on Finish in the final step of the wizard. This will create the new host and services and begin monitoring.
Once the wizard applies the configuration, click the View status details for <NCPA HOST> link to see the newly created service.
This article covers how to go about setting up monitoring in Linux using NCPA. You will learn how to configure NCPA to monitor Linux.
NCPA is a cross-platform monitoring agent for Nagios Core and Nagios XI that runs on Windows, Linux/Unix, and Mac OS/X machines. Its features include both active and passive checks, remote management, and a local monitoring interface.
In Nagios XI wizards can be used to to perform configuration of hosts and services through the Web UI. Wizards take the complicated matter of creating hosts and services, defining configuration parameters, assigning contacts, contact groups, hostgroups, servicegroups, etc, into a easy steps form in the Nagios XI UI.
Wizards can also be easily added to Nagios XI through the Admin -> Manage Wizards menu to expand the capabilities of Nagios XI.