Zenoss Core 3: Tips and Tricks

Zenoss Core 3.x Network and System Monitoring

Importing devices and attributes

Tip: If you already have a list of the SNMP capable devices by hostname or IP address, Zenoss Core can import them via the zenbatchload command.
In its simplest form, zebatchload will process a text file that lists one device per line. Here’s a sample list of devices that I will call deviceList.txt:

device01
router02
web03

Since zenbatchload is a Zenoss Core daemon, we need to run it as the zenoss user. Here are the commands:

su – zenoss
<enter zenoss user’s password>
zenbatchload deviceList.txt

The zenbatchload import utility will not update devices that are already in the device inventory.

Editing and moving organizers

Tip: Editing organizers: You can change the name or description of an organizer by selecting the organizer and then clicking on Edit. You can find the Edit option by clicking on the Actions menu button (which looks like a sprocket) at the bottom of the Infrastructure sidebar. See the following screenshot:

Moving organizers: You can nest organizers by dragging and dropping one organizer into another one to create a hierarchy. You can only nest similar organizers, which means that you cannot move a system into a group or a group into a location.

Zeneventlog—unable to connect to Windows

Tip: If you see an event that indicates zeneventlog is unable to connect to Windows, that’s an indication Zenoss Core is not able to authenticate to the Windows server. Check the Configuration Properties (zProperties) of the device to ensure you have the correct username and password set.
The following screenshot shows the WMI specific zProperties:

Remember, the zWinUser and zWinPassword properties must be an administrator on the Windows server you’re monitoring. It’s possible that each of your Windows servers could require a different username and password.
The zWinUser property can be either a local or a domain account. If you use a domain account, specify the domain for the zWinuser value (for example, mojoactiveadministrator).

Zenoss Core does not collect WMI data

Tip: It’s possible that Zenoss Core isn’t collecting any data from the Windows Servers via WMI, but there are no events reported. You can check the following zProperties at the device or class level:

• Make sure the device is using the zenoss.wmi.WinServiceMap collector plugin
• Set the zWmiMonitorIgnore property to False in the Configuration Properties for the device or device class
• If you want to collect event logs, set the zWinEventlog property to True in the Configuration Properties for the device or device class

Acknowledging an event

Tip: Acknowledging an event signals to other team members and to Zenoss Core that you are aware of the event and, presumably, taking action. Acknowledging the event is good communication among your team, but Zenoss Core can also escalate event severities or alerts based on an event status.
A common way to escalate an event or an alert is by the event count. For example, we can instruct Zenoss Core to escalate the event severity from Error to Critical if the event hasn’t been acknowledged after a specified number of monitoring cycles. Or if we’re dealing with alerts, Zenoss Core can be configured to alert the next person on call, in the event you fall asleep on the roof at 3 in the morning and don’t realize the database server has been down for 15 minutes.
To acknowledge an event:

1. Select the event from the Event Console by clicking on it.
2. Click on the on Acknowledge Events button (the icon that looks like a check mark).

A check mark will appear next to the event. See the following screenshot:

In the screenshot all the events are acknowledged, except the first one.