Nagios is badly documented :(

David Rippel RippelD at hillsboroughcounty.org
Tue Oct 15 18:46:27 CEST 2002


I have to agree with Jason & John on this one. The documentation is excellent for a piece of software as dynamic as Nagios. Nagios has been easier to implement and customize imho than expensive commercial products such as NetCool.

It also doesn't hurt to have an excellent user list ;)

- David.

>>> Jason Marshall <jasonm at kelman.com> 10/15/02 12:23PM >>>
I'm with you, John.  I found no shortage of detailed documentation.  WAY
more than I'd ever expected to find for an open-source project like this
one.

For those of you who might have missed this, look at
http://www.nagios.org/docs/.  You have your choice of HTML docs online, or
reading/printing a 199-page PDF document.

Some products are too powerful to do what YOU want out of the box, so a
small investment of your time is required to set it up.  It's not hard --
the combination of the documentation, examples in the config files, and
this list, make it a real snap, actually.


> Interesting comment...I found the docuementation to be VERY complete...maybe
> too complete is the problem?  Of course, I read it ALL before I started.....
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: doug.moore at ibill.com [mailto:doug.moore at ibill.com] 
> Sent: Tuesday, October 15, 2002 10:49 AM
> To: nagios-users at lists.sourceforge.net 
> Subject: [Nagios-users] Nagios is badly documented :(
> 
> 
> yes, Nagios is poorly documented the common user. There needs to be a
> "paint-by-numbers" section on how to add services to nagios for one. How
> about a 1-2-3 to getting users proper authentication via the cgi.cfg file?
> How about a 1-2-3 on how to setup nagios for Service Check Scheduling, state
> types and time periods. 
> 
> As it stands now, a newbie has to "sift" through pages and pages of
> documentation and config files to learn this. Trial and error... mostly
> error and trial.  
> 
> There is still no documentation of the relationship of the various cfg
> files. I for one still don't 100% understand how all these thing tie
> together. 
> 
> Nagios does have adequate install documentation but  after that if falls
> very short.  I realize that docs are the last thing anyone wants to do, but
> for a product as complicated as this, it really is going to have to produce
> them to survive in the long term.  People learn by example, nagios is
> lacking severely in the example area for configuring major areas of the
> program.  
> 
> No, sorry the examples in the .cfg files don't count. Why? again, you don't
> know the dependencies between the cfg files. Yep, having a contact-group of
> novell-admins doesn't do much when it isn't documented where it appears and
> what it all effects. 
> 
> Not bashing the product, but just pointing out what every review of nagios
> states, Nagios has terrible documentation.   
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Anoop Atre [mailto:anoopa at hotmail.com] 
> Sent: Tuesday, October 15, 2002 11:25 AM
> To: nagios-users at lists.sourceforge.net 
> Subject: Re: [Nagios-users] config file
> 
> 
> Ok I have to object to this, I don't think nagios is that badly
> documented.
> Atleast for the initial setup and then there is -h for the plugins.
> 
> I installed it and had it up in at pretty much the speed with which I've
> setup
> other software (didn't even use rpms and I hear they work (mostly)
> pretty
> much out of the box)
> 
> It just needs a little rtfm and stfw, not that I still need some help
> with certain things
> but on the whole nagios is not as bad as quite a few people make it out
> to be.
> No I am not an 'expert' of sorts, hells I don't even code as much : )
> 
> Ethan maybe you could setup the information on the origins of the damned
> word nagios on the main nagios page (maybe a click on the word it self
> brings
> up the info..what it means, where it's from, how do you pronounce it,
> etc)
> it's just funny how every week there is that same question again : )
> 
> I would highly recomend newbies (including moi) should read the
> following text
> put together by 'da man' (have to scroll down a bit.
> http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html 
> 
> ~
> ps. doesn't mean I haven't asked 'dumb' questions on this list or on
> others : )
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <doug.moore at ibill.com>
> To: <andrewm659 at hotmail.com>; <nagios-users at lists.sourceforge.net>
> Sent: Monday, October 14, 2002 4:22 PM
> Subject: RE: [Nagios-users] config file
> 
> 
> > The final part of the install process creates samples for all the .cfg
> files
> > located in /usr/local/nagios/etc
> >
> > did you run
> > make all
> > make install
> > make install-init
> > make install-config
> >
> > The "install-config" will make sample config files for all the .cfg
> files
> > you need. Now, understanding how each are inter-related is another
> story!!!
> > :)
> >
> > you need more than just the nagios.cfg file to get nagios to work.
> Almost
> > every flipping .cfg file in the nagios etc directory is dependent on
> each
> > other.
> >
> > Welcome to nagios, the *worst* documented network management program
> out
> > there! :)
> >
> >
> > Once you get past the install docs (which are ok), you have to rely on
> this
> > list for the rest. There is no "here is how you add a device, follow
> the
> > these steps... 1, 2, 3, 4 docs.
> >
> > Forget about finding a document on how each file in etc is dependent
> on each
> > other and what step-by-step changes to make when adding
> > devices/commands/services/hosts, etc.. It doesn't exist as far as I
> know.
> >
> > The guys on this list are great for support and answering questions!
> >
> > My advice, get nagios working with ONE device and service (ping is
> easy) and
> > expand out from there.  That only took me around 20 hrs!!
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Andrew Meyer [mailto:andrewm659 at hotmail.com] 
> > Sent: Monday, October 14, 2002 4:56 PM
> > To: nagios-users at lists.sourceforge.net 
> > Subject: [Nagios-users] config file
> >
> >
> > could anyone send me there config file please.  I am confused as of
> how to
> > set one up.
> >
> > Andrew Meyer
> >
> >
> >
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---
Jason Marshall, Unix Geek, Kelman Technologies, Inc., Calgary, AB, Canada.

  From a Sun Microsystems bug report (#4102680):
    "Workaround: don't pound on the mouse like a wild monkey."

  "I have great faith in fools: 
     Self confidence my friends call it."  -Edgar Allan Poe




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