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Version: 22.10

Commands

Definition​

A command is the definition of a line of command which uses a script or an application to perform an action. It is possible to execute this command by specifying arguments.

There are four types of command:

  • Verification commands are used by the schedulers to verify the status of a host or of a service.
  • Notification commands are used by the schedulers to alert the contacts (via mail, SMS, etc.).
  • Discovery commands are used by the schedulers to discover.
  • Miscellaneous commands are used by the additional modules (to perform certain actions), by the scheduler for data processing, etc.

All the commands can be configured in the menu: Configuration > Commands.

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By default, locked commands are hidden. Check the "Locked elements" box to list all commands.

Adding a command​

  1. Go to the Configuration > Commands menu
  2. Click on Add

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The configuration fields of a command are the same regardless of the type of command chosen.

Configuration fields​

  • The command Name field defined the name of the command.
  • The Command Type field allows us to choose the type of command.
  • The Command Line field indicates the application or the script use with the command.
  • The Enable shell box allows us to enable functions that are specific to a shell such as the pipe, etc.
  • The Argument Example field define examples of arguments (each argument starts with a ”!”)
  • The Describe arguments button serves to add a description to arguments of the “$ARGn$” type. This description will be visible when using the command in a host or service form.
  • The Clear arguments button deletes the description of arguments defined
  • The Describe macros button serves to add a description to all macros. This description will be visible when using the command in a host or service form.
  • The Connectors selectlist serves to link a Connector to the command. For more information on Connectors refer to the chapter entitled Perl Connector and SSH Connector.
  • The Graph template field serves to link the command to a graphic model.
  • The Comment field can be used to make a comment on the command.

Arguments and macros​

In the Command Line field it is possible to use macros and arguments.

The macros are used to be able to pass various settings to the scripts called up by the commands. During execution of the command by the scheduler, each of the arguments and macros are replaced by their respective values. Each macro appears in the form $value$:

$CENTREONPLUGINS$/centreon_linux_snmp.pl --plugin=os::linux::snmp::plugin --mode=cpu \
--hostname=$HOSTADDRESS$ --snmp-version='$_HOSTSNMPVERSION$' \
--snmp-community='$_HOSTSNMPCOMMUNITY$' $_HOSTSNMPEXTRAOPTIONS$ \
--warning-average='$_SERVICEWARNING$' \
--critical-average='$_SERVICECRITICAL$' $_SERVICEEXTRAOPTIONS$

Good practice requires replacing the arguments by custom macros.

Connectors​

SSH connector​

Centreon SSH Connector is a free software from Centreon available under the Apache Software License version 2 (ASL 2.0). It speeds up execution checks over SSH when used along Centreon Engine.

Installation​

Centreon recommends using its official packages. Most of Centreon’ endorsed software are available as RPM packages.

Run the following commands as privileged user:

yum install centreon-connector-ssh

Or you can build the Centreon SSH Connector. You will need the following external dependencies:

  • a C++ compilation environment.
  • CMake (>= 2.8), a cross-platform build system.
  • Centreon Clib, The centreon Core library.
  • ssh2 library to use ssh functions.
  • gcrypt library to secure connections.

This program is compatible only with Unix-like platforms (Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris, ...).

Prerequisites​

In CentOS you need to add manually cmake. After that you can install binary packages. Either use the Package Manager or the yum tool to install them. You should check packages version when necessary.

Package required to build:

SoftwarePackage NameDescription
C++ compilation environmentgcc gcc-c++ makeMandatory tools to compile.
CMake (>= 2.8)cmakeRead the build script and prepare sources for compilation.
Centreon Clib (>= 1.0)centreon-clib-develCore library used by Centreon Connector.
ssh2 librarylibssh2-develSSH library.
gcrypt librarylibgcrypt-develGcrypt library.
  1. Install basic compilation tools
yum install gcc gcc-c++ make libssh2-devel libgcrypt-devel
  1. Install cmake
yum install cmake
  1. Install Centreon Clib

See the Centreon Clib @TODO@:ref:documentation <centreon-clib:centreon_clib_install>.

Build​
Get sources​

Centreon SSH Connector can be checked out from GitHub. The SSH connector sources reside in the ssh subdirectory. On a Linux box with git installed this is just a matter of:

git clone https://github.com/centreon/centreon-connectors
Configuration​

At the root of the project directory you'll find a ssh/build directory which holds build scripts. Generate the Makefile by running the following command:

cd /path_to_centreon_connector/ssh/build

Your Centreon SSH Connector can be tweaked to your particular needs using CMake's variable system. Variables can be set like this:

cmake -D<variable1>=<value1> [-D<variable2>=<value2>] .

Here's the list of variables available and their description:

VariableDescriptionDefault value
WITH_CENTREON_CLIB_INCLUDE_DIRSet the directory path of centreon-clib include.auto detection
WITH_CENTREON_CLIB_LIBRARIESSet the centreon-clib library to use.auto detection
WITH_CENTREON_CLIB_LIBRARY_DIRSet the centreon-clib library directory (don't use it if you use WITH_CENTREON_CLIB_LIBRARIES)auto detection
WITH_KNOWN_HOSTS_CHECKEnable or disable Check hosts against user's known_hosts file.OFF
WITH_LIBGCRYPT_INCLUDE_DIRSet the directory path of libgcrypt include.auto detection
WITH_LIBGCRYPT_LIBRARIESSet the libgcrypt library to use.auto detection
WITH_LIBGCRYPT_LIBRARY_DIRSet the libgcrypt library directory (don't use it if you use WITH_LIBGCRYPT_LIBRARIES)auto detection
WITH_LIBSSH2_INCLUDE_DIRSet the directory path of libssh2 include.auto detection
WITH_LIBSSH2_LIBRARIESSet the libssh2 library to use.auto detection
WITH_LIBSSH2_LIBRARY_DIRSet the libssh2 library directory (don't use it if you use WITH_LIBSSH2_LIBRARIES)auto detection
WITH_PREFIXBase directory for Centreon SSH Connector installation. If other prefixes are expressed as relative paths, they are relative to this path./usr/local
WITH_PREFIX_BINARYDefine specific directory for Centreon Connector SSH binary.${WITH_PREFIX}/bin
WITH_TESTINGEnable generation of unit tests. They can later be run by typing make test. OFF

Example

cmake \
    -DWITH_PREFIX=/usr \
    -DWITH_PREFIX_BINARY=/usr/lib/centreon-connector \
    -DWITH_TESTING=0 .

At this step, the software will check for existence and usability of the rerequisites. If one cannot be found, an appropriate error message will be printed. Otherwise an installation summary will be printed.

If you need to change the options you used to compile your software, you might want to remove the CMakeCache.txt file that is in the build directory. This will remove cache entries that might have been computed during the last configuration step.

Compilation​

Once properly configured, the compilation process is really simple:

make

And wait until compilation completes.

Install​

Once compiled, the following command must be run as privileged user to finish installation:

make install

And wait for its completion.

Configuration​

Centreon SSH Connector itself does not require any configuration. It should only be configured as a connector of Centreon Engine.

To execute SSH check over SSH with Centreon SSH Connector from Centreon Engine, one might configure commands that relates to SSH check (like check_by_ssh).

Binary arguments​

Here are the supported arguments for centreon_connector_ssh:

Short nameLong nameDescription
-d--debugIf this flag is specified, print all logs messages.
-h--helpPrint help and exit.
-v--versionPrint software version and exit.
-l--log-fileSpecifies the log file (default: stderr).
-2--proto2Tell ssh to use Protocol 2.
-4--use-ipv4Enable IPv4 connection.
-6--use-ipv6Enable IPv6 connection.
-a--authenticationAuthentication password.
-C--commandCommand to execute on the remote machine.
-E--skip-stderrIgnore all or first n lines on STDERR.
-H--hostnameHost name, IP Address.
-i--identityIdentity of an authorized key.
-l--lognameSSH user name on remote host.
-p--portPort number (default: 22)
-S--skip-stdoutIgnore all or first n lines on STDOUT.
-t--timeoutSeconds before connection times out (default: 10).
Check arguments​

These arguments are checks options (like check_by_ssh options).

Short nameLong nameDescription
-1--proto1This option is not supported.
-2--proto2Tell ssh to use Protocol 2.
-4--use-ipv4Enable IPv4 connection.
-6--use-ipv6Enable IPv6 connection.
-a--authenticationAuthentication password.
-C--commandCommand to execute on the remote machine.
-E--skip-stderrIgnore all or first n lines on STDERR.
-f--forkThis option is not supported.
-h--helpNot used.
-H--hostnameHost name, IP Address.
-i--identityIdentity of an authorized key.
-l--lognameSSH user name on remote host.
-n--nameThis option is not supported.
-o--ssh-optionThis option is not supported.
-O--outputThis option is not supported.
-p--portPort number (default 22).
-q--quietNot used.
-s--servicesThis option is not supported.
-S--skip-stdoutIgnore all or first n lines on STDOUT.
-t--timeoutSeconds before connection times out (default 10).
-v--verboseNot used.
-V--versionNot used.

Example:

define connector{
    connector_name centreon_connector_ssh
    connector_line /usr/lib64/centreon-connector/centreon_connector_ssh --log-file=/var/log/centreon-engine/centreon-connector-ssh.log
}

define command{
    command_name ssh_check_cpu
    command_line $USER1$/check_by_ssh -H $HOSTADDRESS$ -l $_HOSTUSER$ -a $_HOSTPASSWORD$ -C "$USER1$/check_cpu -w $ARG1$ -c $ARG2$"
    connector centreon_connector_ssh
}

define command{
    command_name ssh_check_disk
    command_line $USER1$/check_by_ssh -H $HOSTADDRESS$ -l $_HOSTUSER$ -a $_HOSTPASSWORD$ -C "$USER1$/check_disk -D $ARG1$ -w $ARG2$ -c $ARG3$"
    connector centreon_connector_ssh
}
Technical details​

This article describes how Centreon SSH Connector allow much gain on SSH check execution.

One major CPU-intensive and long operation in a SSH environment is the key exchange and verification mechanism. This operation occurs when a SSH session is started between two hosts. After this step all exchange operations are using far less resources.

Centreon SSH Connector take advantage of this fact and maintain semi-permanent connection with hosts to which it had to connect to. This way if multiple checks are performed on the same host, where "check_by_ssh" opens one session for each check, Centreon Connector SSH only opens one session. However this does not limit the number of concurrent checks on a host, as the SSH protocol allows multiple channels to be opened on the same session. Therefore if multiple checks are run on the same host simultaneously, they are executed concurrently but with separate execution environment.

Perl connector​

Centreon Perl Connector is a free software from Centreon available under the Apache Software License version 2 (ASL 2.0). It speeds up execution of Perl scripts when used along Centreon Engine.

Installation​

Centreon recommends using its official packages. Most of Centreon’ endorsed software are available as RPM packages.

Run the following commands as privileged user:

yum install centreon-connector-perl

Or you can build the Centreon SSH Connector. You will need the following external dependencies:

  • a C++ compilation environment.
  • CMake (>= 2.8), a cross-platform build system.
  • Centreon Clib, The centreon Core library.
  • ssh2 library to use ssh functions.
  • gcrypt library to secure connections.

This program is compatible only with Unix-like platforms (Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris, ...).

Prerequisites​

In CentOS you need to add manually cmake. After that you can install binary packages. Either use the Package Manager or the yum tool to install them. You should check packages version when necessary.

Package required to build:

SoftwarePackage NameDescription
C++ compilation environmentgcc gcc-c++ makeMandatory tools to compile.
CMake (>= 2.8)cmakeRead the build script and prepare sources for compilation.
Centreon Clib (>= 1.0)centreon-clib-develCore library used by Centreon Connector.
PerlperlScripting language.
  1. Install basic compilation tools
yum install gcc gcc-c++ make perl
  1. Install cmake
yum install cmake
  1. Install Centreon Clib

See the Centreon Clib @TODO@:ref:documentation <centreon-clib:centreon_clib_install>.

Build​
Get sources​

Centreon Perl Connector can be checked out from GitHub. The Perl connector sources reside in the perl subdirectory. On a Linux box with git installed this is just a matter of:

git clone https://github.com/centreon/centreon-connectors
Configuration​

At the root of the project directory you'll find a perl/build directory which holds build scripts. Generate the Makefile by running the following command:

cd /path_to_centreon_connector/perl/build

Your Centreon Perl Connector can be tweaked to your particular needs using CMake's variable system. Variables can be set like this:

cmake -D<variable1>=<value1> [-D<variable2>=<value2>] .

Here's the list of variables available and their description:

VariableDescriptionDefault value
WITH_CENTREON_CLIB_INCLUDE_DIRSet the directory path of centreon-clib include.auto detection
WITH_CENTREON_CLIB_LIBRARIESSet the centreon-clib library to use.auto detection
WITH_CENTREON_CLIB_LIBRARY_DIRSet the centreon-clib library directory (don't use it if you use WITH_CENTREON_CLIB_LIBRARIES)auto detection
WITH_PREFIXBase directory for Centreon PErl Connector installation. If other prefixes are expressed as relative paths, they are relative to this path./usr/local
WITH_PREFIX_BINARYDefine specific directory for Centreon Connector Perl binary.${WITH_PREFIX}/bin
WITH_TESTINGEnable generation of unit tests. They can later be run by typing make test.OFF

Example

cmake \
    -DWITH_PREFIX=/usr \
    -DWITH_PREFIX_BINARY=/usr/lib/centreon-connector \
    -DWITH_TESTING=0 .

At this step, the software will check for existence and usability of the rerequisites. If one cannot be found, an appropriate error message will be printed. Otherwise an installation summary will be printed.

If you need to change the options you used to compile your software, you might want to remove the CMakeCache.txt file that is in the build directory. This will remove cache entries that might have been computed during the last configuration step.

Compilation​

Once properly configured, the compilation process is really simple:

make

And wait until compilation completes.

Install​

Once compiled, the following command must be run as privileged user to finish installation:

make install

And wait for its completion.

Configuration​

Centreon Perl Connector itself does not require any configuration. It should only be configured as a connector of Centreon Engine.

To execute Perl scripts with Centreon Perl Connector from Centreon Engine, one might configure commands that relates to Perl scripts. Such commands must only contain the path to the Perl script to execute followed by its arguments, just like one would on the command line. To make it simple, you just have to add a connector property to your command definition.

Binary arguments​

Here are the supported arguments for centreon_connector_perl:

Short nameLong nameDescription
-d--debugIf this flag is specified, print all logs messages.
-h--helpPrint help and exit.
-v--versionPrint software version and exit.
-c--codeArgument is some Perl code that will be executed by the embedded interpreter.
-l--log-fileSpecifies the log file (default: stderr).

Example:

define connector{
    connector_name centreon_connector_perl
    connector_line /usr/lib64/centreon-connector/centreon_connector_perl --log-file=/var/log/centreon-engine/centreon-connector-perl.log
}

define command{
    command_name check_ping
    command_line $USER1$/check_ping.pl -H $HOSTADDRESS$
    connector centreon_connector_perl
}

define command{
    command_name check_disk
    command_line $USER1$/check_disk.pl -H $HOSTADDRESS$ -D $ARG1$
    connector centreon_connector_perl
}
Technical details​

This article describes how Centreon Perl Connector allow much gain on Perl script execution.

First of all let's examine how a Perl script is executed traditionnally by Centreon Engine.

  • Centreon Engine forks, creating a new separate process.
  • This new process executes the execve syscall to run the Perl interpreter. This step does not create a new process.
  • The Perl interpreter parse the Perl script.
  • Perl script get executed.

With Centreon Engine, the same script get executed multiple times but with different arguments. Therefore we took advantage of this fact to efficiently parse all the scripts once and get them executed. This was only possible because of the fork()ing system of Unix-like platform. If you read the reference page on Wikipedia you indeed remarked that once fork()ed the old and the new process are identical. Centreon Connector Perl's steps to execute scripts are as follow.

  • Centreon Engine creates a resident process of Centreon Connector Perl once
  • For all Perl scripts execution requests are forwarded to this process when requested to execute a script, Centreon Perl Connector checks if this script has already been parsed if not it parses it using the Embedded Perl interpreter.
  • Centreon Perl Connector forks itself.
  • The precompiled script gets executed

This way Perl scripts are only parsed once during the lifetime of the monitoring engine. This heavily relates to prepared statements in SQL.