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Windows NSClient API

NSClient++ provides its own REST API using the webserver module. This REST API give the possibility to exploit monitoring data from Windows servers through HTTPS connections.

The connector allows you to monitor:

  • Windows Server OS from 2003 SP2 version
  • Windows Workstation from XP version

Pack assets​

Templates​

The Monitoring Connector Windows NSClient API brings a host template:

  • OS-Windows-NSClient-05-Restapi-custom

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

Service AliasService TemplateService Description
CpuOS-Windows-NSClient05-Cpu-Restapi-customCheck the rate of utilization of CPU for the machine. This check can give the average CPU utilization rate and the rate per CPU for multi-core CPUs
DisksOS-Windows-NSClient05-Disks-Restapi-customCheck Windows disk usage
MemoryOS-Windows-NSClient05-Memory-Restapi-customCheck the rate of the utilization of memory
Services-AutoOS-Windows-NSClient05-Services-Auto-Restapi-customCheck that all auto-start services are running
SwapOS-Windows-NSClient05-Swap-Restapi-customCheck the rate of the utilization of virtual memory

The services listed above are created automatically when the OS-Windows-NSClient-05-Restapi-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
Sessions_valuecount

Prerequisites​

Centreon NSClient++​

To monitor a resource through NSClient++ API, install the Centreon packaged version of the NSClient++ agent on the resource you want to monitor. Follow our official documentation and make sure that the Webserver / RESTApi configuration is correct.

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 Connectors 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-operatingsystems-windows-nsclient-05-restapi
  1. Whatever the license type (online or offline), install the Windows NSClient API connector through the Configuration > Monitoring Connectors Manager menu.

Plugin​

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

dnf install centreon-plugin-Operatingsystems-Windows-Restapi

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 OS-Windows-NSClient-05-Restapi-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
NSCPRESTAPILEGACYPASSWORDSpecify password for old authentification system
NSCPRESTAPIPROTOSpecify https if needed (Default: 'https')https
NSCPRESTAPIPORTPort used (Default: 8443)8443
NSCPRESTAPIEXTRAOPTIONSAny 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
EXTRAOPTIONSAny extra option you may want to add to the command (E.g. a --verbose flag). All options are listed here--arg=show-all
  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_nsclient_restapi.pl \
    --plugin=apps::nsclient::restapi::plugin \
    --mode=query \
    --hostname='10.0.0.1' \
    --port='8443' \
    --proto='https' \
    --legacy-password=''  \
    --command=check_centreon_plugins \
    --arg='os::windows::local::plugin' \
    --arg='updates' \
    --arg='\
    --filter-title="" \
    --exclude-title="" \
    --filter-mandatory="" \
    --warning-pending-updates="" \
    --critical-pending-updates="" \
    --verbose \
    --display-updates '

The expected command output is shown below:

OK: windows pending updates: 32 | 'windows.pending.updates.count'=32;;;0;

Troubleshooting​

Please find the troubleshooting documentation for the API-based plugins in this chapter if you cannot find the solution to your issue below.

UNKNOWN: Cannot decode json response: malformed UTF-8 character in JSON string​

If you receive this message, enable debug messages by adding --debug:

/usr/lib/centreon/plugins//centreon_nsclient_restapi.pl \
  --plugin=apps::nsclient::restapi::plugin \
  --mode=query \
  --hostname='192.168.1.24' \
  --port='8443' \
  --proto='https' \
  --legacy-password='centreon' \
  --http-backend=curl  \
  --curl-opt="CURLOPT_SSL_VERIFYPEER => 0" \
  --timeout=30 \
  --command=check_centreon_plugins \
  --arg='os::windows::local::plugin' \
  --arg='sessions' \
  --arg='--filter-sessionname="" \
  --config="scripts/centreon/conf/qwinsta.xml" \
  --language="fr" \
  --debug

UNKNOWN: Cannot decode json response: malformed UTF-8 character in JSON string, at character offset 724 (before "\x{fffd}u0090RIPH\x{fffd}...") at /usr/lib/centreon/plugins//centreon_nsclient_restapi.pl line 133.
== Info: About to connect() to 192.168.1.24 port 8443 (#0)
== Info:   Trying 192.168.1.24...
== Info: Connected to 192.168.1.24 (192.168.1.24) port 8443 (#0)
.......
Cannot write statefile '/var/lib/centreon/centplugins/windows_sessions_a181a603769c1f98ad927e7367c7aa51_a181a603769c1f98ad927e7367c7aa51'. 
Need write/exec permissions on directory.
  • The folder /var/lib/centreon/centplugins doesn't exist on your Windows Server, change the cache directory by using the options --statefile-dir

"UNKNOWN: 500 Can't connect to x.x.x.x:8443"​

To fix this issue, add the option --http-backend=curl to the host macro NSCPRESTAPIEXTRAOPTIONS.

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_nsclient_restapi.pl \
    --plugin=apps::nsclient::restapi::plugin \
    --list-mode

The plugin brings the following modes:

ModeLinked service template
certificates [code]Not used in this Monitoring Connector
cmd-return [code]Not used in this Monitoring Connector
list-certificates [code]Not used in this Monitoring Connector
list-storages [code]Not used in this Monitoring Connector
pending-reboot [code]OS-Windows-NSClient05-Pending-Reboot-Restapi-custom
query [code]OS-Windows-NSClient05-Counter-Active-Sessions-Restapi-custom
OS-Windows-NSClient05-Counter-Generic-Restapi-custom
OS-Windows-NSClient05-Cpu-Restapi-custom
OS-Windows-NSClient05-Disks-Restapi-custom
OS-Windows-NSClient05-Eventlog-Generic-restapi-custom
OS-Windows-NSClient05-Files-Generic-Restapi-custom
OS-Windows-NSClient05-Logfiles-Generic-Restapi-custom
OS-Windows-NSClient05-Memory-Restapi-custom
OS-Windows-NSClient05-Process-Generic-Restapi-custom
OS-Windows-NSClient05-Services-Auto-Restapi-custom
OS-Windows-NSClient05-Services-Generic-Name-Restapi-custom
OS-Windows-NSClient05-Swap-Restapi-custom
OS-Windows-NSClient05-Task-Generic-Restapi-custom
OS-Windows-NSClient05-Uptime-Restapi-custom
sessions [code]OS-Windows-NSClient05-Sessions-Restapi-custom
time [code]OS-Windows-NSClient05-Ntp-Restapi-custom
updates [code]OS-Windows-NSClient05-Updates-Restapi-custom

Available options​

Generic options​

All generic options are listed here:

OptionDescription
--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.
--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'.

Modes options​

All available options for each service template are listed below:

OptionDescription
--http-peer-addrSet the address you want to connect to. Useful if hostname is only a vhost, to avoid IP resolution.
--proxyurlProxy URL. Eg: http://my.proxy:3128
--proxypacProxy pac file (can be a URL or a local file).
--insecureAccept insecure SSL connections.
--http-backendPerl library to use for HTTP transactions. Possible values are: lwp (default) and curl.
--ssl-optSet SSL Options (--ssl-opt="SSL_version => TLSv1" --ssl-opt="SSL_verify_mode => SSL_VERIFY_NONE").
--curl-optSet CURL Options (--curl-opt="CURLOPT_SSL_VERIFYPEER => 0" --curl-opt="CURLOPT_SSLVERSION => CURL_SSLVERSION_TLSv1_1" ).
--hostnameIP Addr/FQDN of the host
--portPort used (Default: 8443)
--protoSpecify https if needed (Default: 'https')
--credentialsSpecify this option if you access webpage with authentication
--usernameSpecify username for authentication (Mandatory if --credentials is specified)
--passwordSpecify password for authentication (Mandatory if --credentials is specified)
--basicSpecify this option if you access a webpage over basic authentication and don't want a '401 UNAUTHORIZED' error to be logged on your webserver. Specify this option if you access the webpage over hidden basic authentication or you'll get a '404 NOT FOUND' error. (Use with --credentials)
--legacy-passwordSpecify password for old authentification system.
--timeoutThreshold for HTTP timeout (Default: 5)
--commandSet command.
--unknown-statusWarning threshold for http response code. (Default: '%{http_code} \< 200 or %{http_code} >= 300')
--warning-statusWarning threshold for http response code.
--critical-statusCritical threshold for http response code.

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

/usr/lib/centreon/plugins/centreon_nsclient_restapi.pl \
    --plugin=apps::nsclient::restapi::plugin \
    --mode=query \
    --help