Passive Checks via NSCA -- Excedrin Headache Vat Numero Uno

[Marc Powell]

Is there anything interesting in your Nagios.log? If you have
log_passive_service_checks=1, you should see lines like the following:

[1022790567] EXTERNAL COMMAND:
PROCESS_SERVICE_CHECK_RESULT;nateng-utl-atl-1;Raintree-rwhois;0;TCP OK -
0 second response time on port 4321
[1022790567] EXTERNAL COMMAND:
PROCESS_SERVICE_CHECK_RESULT;nateng-gwlite01-core-davidson-tn;AO-ADMIN;0
;HTTP ok: HTTP/1.0 200 OK - 0 second response time
[1022790573] Warning:  Message queue contained results for service
'DISKsdb1' on host 'nateng-noctools'.  The service could not be found!

The last message would relate directly to what you are experiencing. If
your central Nagios host does not have an identically named host and
service for which you are trying to send a passive service result, it
will effectively ignore the submission. You might want to also enclose
your submission in "'s like so:

/bin/echo "foo.bar.baz\tdisk-/\t1\t57% utilization\n" |
/usr/local/nagios/bin/send_nsca Nagios.bar.baz -c
/usr/local/nagios/etc/send_nsca.cfg

--
Marc

> -----Original Message-----
> From: John Fox [mailto:jjf at mind.net]
> Sent: Tuesday, October 01, 2002 1:50 PM
> To: nagios-users at lists.sourceforge.net
> Subject: [Nagios-users] Passive Checks via NSCA -- Excedrin Headache
Vat
> Numero Uno
> 
> Before launching into my problem: Giant thanks to all of you on
> this list who've helped me thus far.  Your efforts are very much
> appreciated!
> 
> I am experimenting with passive services and NSCA, and it is driving
me
> nuts!
> 
> I'm not sure what details are important to anyone trying to figure
this
> out, so I'm including a lot of text in this message.
> 
> First of all, here are the template and definition for the host I'm
doing
> this on:
> 
> define host{
>         name                            generic-host    ; Template
name -
> used in other host definitions
>         notifications_enabled           1       ; Host notifications
are
> enabled
>         event_handler_enabled           1       ; Host event handler
is
> enabled
>         flap_detection_enabled          1       ; Flap detection is
> enabled
>         process_perf_data               1       ; Process performance
data
>         retain_status_information       1       ; Retain status
> information across program restarts
>         retain_nonstatus_information    1       ; Retain non-status
> information across program restarts
>         register                        0       ; DONT REGISTER THIS
> DEFINITION - ITS NOT A REAL HOST, JUST A TEMPLATE!
> }
> 
> 
> 
> ##
> ## Testing with morpheus
> ##
> 
> define host{
>         use                     generic-host
>         host_name               foo.bar.baz
>         alias                   foo.bar.baz
>         address                 206.101.72.12
>         max_check_attempts      3
>         notification_interval   5
>         notification_period     24x7
>         notification_options    d,u,r
> }
> 
> ------------------
> 
> And here is the template and definition for the service:
> 
> define service{
>         name                            disk-template   ; Template
'name'
> - referenced in other service definitions
>         active_checks_enabled           0       ; Active service
checks
> are disabled
>         passive_checks_enabled          1       ; Passive service
checks
> are enabled
>         parallelize_check               1       ; Active service
checks
> should be parallelized (recommeneded)
>         obsess_over_service             1       ; We should obsess
over
> this service (if necessary)
>         check_freshness                 0       ; Default is to NOT
check
> service 'freshness'
>         freshness_threshold             180     ; Status should be
updated
> every three minutes
>         notifications_enabled           1       ; Service
notifications
> are enabled
>         event_handler_enabled           0       ; Service event
handler is
> enabled
>         flap_detection_enabled          1       ; Flap detection is
> enabled
>         process_perf_data               1       ; Process performance
data
>         retain_status_information       1       ; Retain status
> information across program restarts
>         retain_nonstatus_information    1       ; Retain non-status
> information across program restarts
>         max_check_attempts              3
>         normal_check_interval           3
>         retry_check_interval            3
>         check_period                    24x7
>         notification_interval           3
>         notification_period             24x7
>         notification_options            w,c,r,u
>         contact_groups                  systems
>         register                        0       ; Don't register --
it's a
> template, dummy!
> }
> 
> # Disk usage
> define service{
>         use                     disk-template
>         host_name               foo.bar.baz
>         service_description     disk-/
>         check_command           stale-service-alert
>         }
> 
> ------------------
> 
> Because I am using send_nsca on foo.bar.baz, I have wrapped 'df' and
> parsed its
> output.  I take these results and pipe them to send_nsca.  My fields
are
> tab-separated,
> and each record looks like this:
> 
>          foo.bar.baz       disk-/  1       57% utilization
> 
> According to send_nsca, the fields stand for:
> 
>          <hostname>\t<svc. description>\t<return code>\t<plugin
output>\n
> 
> where '\t' is a TAB and '\n' is a newline character.
> 
> And it seems to me that I've conformed to this requirement.
> 
> I then open a pipe to send nsca using the following command line
> 
> '/usr/local/sbin/send_nsca nagios.bar.baz -c
> /usr/local/etc/nagios/send_nsca.cfg'
> 
> and then write the status record to the pipe on STDOUT.
> 
> Again, this seems to be the prescribed method.
> 
> When I run my wrapper script, it tells me "1 data packet(s) sent to
host
> successfully."
> which certainly sound positive.
> 
> The problem is that the service never gets out of "PENDING" status.
In
> the Service Detail
> screen, the 'Last Checked' column is marked "N/A", the 'Attempt'
column is
> perpetually
> '0/3', and the 'Duration' and 'Status Information' columns are both
> regularly updated.
> (By this I mean that the Duration numbers are increasing and that the
> Status column
> regularly updates the time when the next Service Check is scheduled.
> 
> ----------------
> 
> 
> I don't know if it's important, but I'll mention also that I'm using
inetd
> on nagios
> server to activate NSCA.
> 
> 
> 
> This is driving me batty and totally ruining my day, so any input is
> greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thanks a heap,
> 
> John
> --
>
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------
--
> --+
> | John Fox <jjf at mind.net> | System Administrator | Internet Ventures
> Oregon |
>
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------
--
> --+
> | "You can't talk about George W. without addressing the strange
> |
> | Bilbo-Baginnian language that spurts out from between his lips like
> |
> | melted marshmallows coming out of a squirt gun." -- Dennis Miller
> |
>
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------
--
> --+
> 
> 
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