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Microsoft SQL Server

Pack assets​

Templates​

The Monitoring Connector Microsoft SQL Server brings a host template:

  • App-DB-MSSQL-custom

The connector brings the following service templates (sorted by the host template they are attached to):

Service AliasService TemplateService Description
Blocked-ProcessesApp-DB-MSSQL-Blocked-Processes-customCheck blocked processes on the server. Service cannot work because of a SQL request. It depends of your MS SQL Server version
Connected-UsersApp-DB-MSSQL-Connected-Users-customCheck number of connected users on the database
Connection-TimeApp-DB-MSSQL-Connection-Time-customCheck the connection time to the server. This time is given in seconds
Databases-SizeApp-DB-MSSQL-Databases-Size-customCheck database data and logs files
DeadlocksApp-DB-MSSQL-Deadlocks-customCheck deadlocks per second of the server
Failed-JobsApp-DB-MSSQL-Failed-Jobs-customCheck MSSQL failed jobs
TransactionsApp-DB-MSSQL-Transactions-customCheck transactions per second of the server. No alerts by default

The services listed above are created automatically when the App-DB-MSSQL-custom host template is used.

Collected metrics & status​

Here is the list of services for this connector, detailing all metrics linked to each service.

Metric nameUnit
databases~backup.time.last.execution.daysd
databases~backup.time.last.duration.secondss

Prerequisites​

Monitoring user​

To use this probe, the configuration of a monitoring user with specific privileges is required. The serveradmin role can be used for testing purposes but should never be used in production because of the security risk involved.

Birk Bohne, who is a valuable contributor of the check_mssql_health probe, wrote a script to assign a less-privileged user. His script can be found under the Preparation of the database section of the following documentation.

We recommend you use a domain user to better manage its properties and privileges.

Dependencies​

These packages are required: freetds perl-DBD-Sybase unixODBC

Freetds configuration​

The default version used by freetds is 4.2. To guarantee optimal operations and security, edit the freetds.conf file, uncomment this line version = 4.2and replace 4.2 with 8.0. The 8.0 version is the minimal supported version.

The configuration file is located under different paths depending on your operating system:

  • RedHat-like: /etc/freetds.conf
  • Debian 11: /etc/freetds/freetds.conf

Installing the monitoring connector​

Pack​

  1. If the platform uses an online license, you can skip the package installation instruction below as it is not required to have the connector displayed within the Configuration > Monitoring Connector Manager menu. If the platform uses an offline license, install the package on the central server with the command corresponding to the operating system's package manager:
dnf install centreon-pack-applications-databases-mssql
  1. Whatever the license type (online or offline), install the Microsoft SQL Server connector through the Configuration > Monitoring Connector Manager menu.

Plugin​

Since Centreon 22.04, you can benefit from the 'Automatic plugin installation' feature. When this feature is enabled, you can skip the installation part below.

You still have to manually install the plugin on the poller(s) when:

  • Automatic plugin installation is turned off
  • You want to run a discovery job from a poller that doesn't monitor any resource of this kind yet

More information in the Installing the plugin section.

Use the commands below according to your operating system's package manager:

dnf install centreon-plugin-Applications-Databases-Mssql

Using the monitoring connector​

Using a host template provided by the connector​

  1. Log into Centreon and add a new host through Configuration > Hosts.
  2. Fill the Name, Alias & IP Address/DNS fields according to your ressource settings.
  3. Apply the App-DB-MSSQL-custom template to the host. A list of macros appears. Macros allow you to define how the connector will connect to the resource, and to customize the connector's behavior.
  4. Fill in the macros you want. Some macros are mandatory.
MacroDescriptionDefault valueMandatory
MSSQLUSERNAMEUser name used to connect to the databaseUSERNAME
MSSQLPASSWORDPassword for the defined user namePASSWORD
MSSQLPORTDatabase Server Port1433
EXTRAOPTIONSAny extra option you may want to add to every command (E.g. a --verbose flag). All options are listed here
  1. Deploy the configuration. The host appears in the list of hosts, and on the Resources Status page. The command that is sent by the connector is displayed in the details panel of the host: it shows the values of the macros.

Using a service template provided by the connector​

  1. If you have used a host template and checked Create Services linked to the Template too, the services linked to the template have been created automatically, using the corresponding service templates. Otherwise, create manually the services you want and apply a service template to them.
  2. Fill in the macros you want (e.g. to change the thresholds for the alerts). Some macros are mandatory (see the table below).
MacroDescriptionDefault valueMandatory
FILTERNAMEFilter databases by name^(?!(tempdb))
UNITSelect the unit for expires threshold. May be 's' for seconds,'m' for minutes, 'h' for hours, 'd' for days, 'w' for weeks. Default is daysd
FILTERDATABASESTATEFilter databases by state
WARNINGFULLLASTDURATIONThresholds
CRITICALFULLLASTDURATIONThresholds
WARNINGFULLLASTEXECUTIONThresholds
CRITICALFULLLASTEXECUTIONThresholds
WARNINGINCREMENTALLASTDURATIONThresholds
CRITICALINCREMENTALLASTDURATIONThresholds
WARNINGINCREMENTALLASTEXECUTIONThresholds
CRITICALINCREMENTALLASTEXECUTIONThresholds
WARNINGLASTDURATIONThresholds
CRITICALLASTDURATIONThresholds
WARNINGLASTEXECUTIONThresholds
CRITICALLASTEXECUTIONThresholds
WARNINGLOGLASTDURATIONThresholds
CRITICALLOGLASTDURATIONThresholds
WARNINGLOGLASTEXECUTIONThresholds
CRITICALLOGLASTEXECUTIONThresholds
EXTRAOPTIONSAny extra option you may want to add to the command (E.g. a --verbose flag). All options are listed here--verbose
  1. Deploy the configuration. The service appears in the list of services, and on page Resources Status. The command that is sent by the connector is displayed in the details panel of the service: it shows the values of the macros.

How to check in the CLI that the configuration is OK and what are the main options for?​

Once the plugin is installed, log into your Centreon poller's CLI using the centreon-engine user account (su - centreon-engine). Test that the connector is able to monitor a resource using a command like this one (replace the sample values by yours):

/usr/lib/centreon/plugins/centreon_mssql.pl \
    --plugin database::mssql::plugin \
    --hostname 10.0.0.1 \
    --port 1433 \
    --username 'USERNAME' \
    --password 'PASSWORD'  \
    --mode='transactions' \
    --filter-database='' \
    --warning-databases-transactions='' \
    --critical-databases-transactions='' \
    --warning-database-transactions='' \
    --critical-database-transactions='' \
    --verbose

The expected command output is shown below:

OK: total transactions: 43/s All databases are ok | 'databases.transactions.persecond'=43/s;;;0;'*database*#database.transactions.persecond'=/s;;;0;

Troubleshooting​

Please find the troubleshooting documentation for Centreon Plugins typical issues.

Available modes​

In most cases, a mode corresponds to a service template. The mode appears in the execution command for the connector. In the Centreon interface, you don't need to specify a mode explicitly: its use is implied when you apply a service template. However, you will need to specify the correct mode for the template if you want to test the execution command for the connector in your terminal.

All available modes can be displayed by adding the --list-mode parameter to the command:

/usr/lib/centreon/plugins/centreon_mssql.pl \
    --plugin database::mssql::plugin \
    --list-mode

The plugin brings the following modes:

ModeLinked service template
backup-age [code]App-DB-MSSQL-Backup-Age-custom
blocked-processes [code]App-DB-MSSQL-Blocked-Processes-custom
cache-hitratio [code]App-DB-MSSQL-Cache-Hitratio-custom
collection [code]Not used in this Monitoring Connector
connected-users [code]App-DB-MSSQL-Connected-Users-custom
connection-time [code]App-DB-MSSQL-Connection-Time-custom
databases-size [code]App-DB-MSSQL-Databases-Size-custom
dead-locks [code]App-DB-MSSQL-Deadlocks-custom
failed-jobs [code]App-DB-MSSQL-Failed-Jobs-custom
list-databases [code]Not used in this Monitoring Connector
locks-waits [code]App-DB-MSSQL-Locks-Waits-custom
name [code]Not used in this Monitoring Connector
page-life-expectancy [code]App-DB-MSSQL-Page-Life-Expectancy-custom
sql [code]App-DB-MSSQL-Sql-Statement-custom
sql-string [code]App-DB-MSSQL-Sql-Statement-String-custom
tables [code]Not used in this Monitoring Connector
transactions [code]App-DB-MSSQL-Transactions-custom

Available options​

Generic options​

All generic options are listed here:

OptionDescription
--hostnameHostname to query.
--portDatabase Server Port.
--serverAn alternative to hostname+port. \<server> will be looked up in the file freetds.conf.
--databaseSelect database .
--modeDefine the mode in which you want the plugin to be executed (see--list-mode).
--dyn-modeSpecify a mode with the module's path (advanced).
--list-modeList all available modes.
--mode-versionCheck minimal version of mode. If not, unknown error.
--versionReturn the version of the plugin.
--sqlmodeThis plugin offers several ways to query the database (default: dbi). See --list-sqlmode.
--list-sqlmodeList all available sql modes.
--multipleEnable connecting to multiple databases (required by some specific modes such as replication).
--pass-managerDefine the password manager you want to use. Supported managers are: environment, file, keepass, hashicorpvault and teampass.
--verboseDisplay extended status information (long output).
--debugDisplay debug messages.
--filter-perfdataFilter perfdata that match the regexp. Eg: adding --filter-perfdata='avg' will remove all metrics that do not contain 'avg' from performance data.
--filter-perfdata-advFilter perfdata based on a "if" condition using the following variables: label, value, unit, warning, critical, min, max. Variables must be written either %{variable} or %(variable). Eg: adding --filter-perfdata-adv='not (%(value) == 0 and %(max) eq "")' will remove all metrics whose value equals 0 and that don't have a maximum value.
--explode-perfdata-maxCreate a new metric for each metric that comes with a maximum limit. The new metric will be named identically with a '_max' suffix). Eg: it will split 'used_prct'=26.93%;0:80;0:90;0;100 into 'used_prct'=26.93%;0:80;0:90;0;100 'used_prct_max'=100%;;;;
--change-perfdata --extend-perfdataChange or extend perfdata. Syntax: --extend-perfdata=searchlabel,newlabel,target[,[newuom],[min],[m ax]] Common examples: Convert storage free perfdata into used: --change-perfdata=free,used,invert() Convert storage free perfdata into used: --change-perfdata=used,free,invert() Scale traffic values automatically: --change-perfdata=traffic,,scale(auto) Scale traffic values in Mbps: --change-perfdata=traffic_in,,scale(Mbps),mbps Change traffic values in percent: --change-perfdata=traffic_in,,percent()
--extend-perfdata-groupAdd new aggregated metrics (min, max, average or sum) for groups of metrics defined by a regex match on the metrics' names. Syntax: --extend-perfdata-group=regex,namesofnewmetrics,calculation[,[ne wuom],[min],[max]] regex: regular expression namesofnewmetrics: how the new metrics' names are composed (can use $1, $2... for groups defined by () in regex). calculation: how the values of the new metrics should be calculated newuom (optional): unit of measure for the new metrics min (optional): lowest value the metrics can reach max (optional): highest value the metrics can reach Common examples: Sum wrong packets from all interfaces (with interface need --units-errors=absolute): --extend-perfdata-group=',packets_wrong,sum(packets_(discard |error)_(in|out))' Sum traffic by interface: --extend-perfdata-group='traffic_in_(.*),traffic_$1,sum(traf fic_(in|out)_$1)'
--change-short-output --change-long-outputModify the short/long output that is returned by the plugin. Syntax: --change-short-output=pattern~replacement~modifier Most commonly used modifiers are i (case insensitive) and g (replace all occurrences). Eg: adding --change-short-output='OK~Up~gi' will replace all occurrences of 'OK', 'ok', 'Ok' or 'oK' with 'Up'
--change-exitReplace an exit code with one of your choice. Eg: adding --change-exit=unknown=critical will result in a CRITICAL state instead of an UNKNOWN state.
--range-perfdataRewrite the ranges displayed in the perfdata. Accepted values: 0: nothing is changed. 1: if the lower value of the range is equal to 0, it is removed. 2: remove the thresholds from the perfdata.
--filter-uomMask the units when they don't match the given regular expression.
--opt-exitReplace the exit code in case of an execution error (i.e. wrong option provided, SSH connection refused, timeout, etc). Default: unknown.
--output-ignore-perfdataRemove all the metrics from the service. The service will still have a status and an output.
--output-ignore-labelRemove the status label ("OK:", "WARNING:", "UNKNOWN:", CRITICAL:") from the beginning of the output. Eg: 'OK: Ram Total:...' will become 'Ram Total:...'
--output-xmlReturn the output in XML format (to send to an XML API).
--output-jsonReturn the output in JSON format (to send to a JSON API).
--output-openmetricsReturn the output in OpenMetrics format (to send to a tool expecting this format).
--output-fileWrite output in file (can be combined with json, xml and openmetrics options). E.g.: --output-file=/tmp/output.txt will write the output in /tmp/output.txt.
--disco-formatApplies only to modes beginning with 'list-'. Returns the list of available macros to configure a service discovery rule (formatted in XML).
--disco-showApplies only to modes beginning with 'list-'. Returns the list of discovered objects (formatted in XML) for service discovery.
--float-precisionDefine the float precision for thresholds (default: 8).
--source-encodingDefine the character encoding of the response sent by the monitored resource Default: 'UTF-8'.
--datasourceDatabase server information, mandatory if the server's address and port are not defined in the corresponding options. The syntax depends on the database type.
--usernameUser name used to connect to the database.
--passwordPassword for the defined user name.
--connect-optionsAdd connection options for the DBI connect method. Format: name=value,name2=value2,...
--connect-queryExecute a query just after the connection.
--sql-errors-exitExpected status in case of DB error or timeout. Possible values are warning, critical and unknown (default).
--timeoutTimeout in seconds for connection.
--exec-timeoutTimeout in seconds for query execution

Modes options​

All available options for each service template are listed below:

OptionDescription
--filter-nameFilter databases by name.
--filter-database-stateFilter databases by state.
--full-as-incrementalLast incremental backup time uses last full backup time only if full is newer than incremental.
--unitSelect the unit for expires threshold. May be 's' for seconds,'m' for minutes, 'h' for hours, 'd' for days, 'w' for weeks. Default is days.
--warning- --critical-Thresholds. Can be: 'last-execution', 'last-duration', 'incremental-last-execution', 'incremental-last-duration', 'full-last-execution', 'full-last-duration', 'log-last-execution', 'log-last-duration'.

All available options for a given mode can be displayed by adding the --help parameter to the command:

/usr/lib/centreon/plugins/centreon_mssql.pl \
    --plugin database::mssql::plugin \
    --hostname 10.0.0.1 \
    --help