[Nagiosplug-devel] perf data gudelines

[Voon, Ton]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Karl DeBisschop [mailto:karl at debisschop.net] 
> Sent: Friday, September 12, 2003 3:19 AM
> To: Ton Voon
> Cc: NagiosPlug Devel
> Subject: RE: [Nagiosplug-devel] perf data gudelines
> 
> 
> On Thu, 2003-09-11 at 06:32, Voon, Ton wrote:
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Karl DeBisschop [mailto:karl at debisschop.net] 
> > > Sent: Thursday, September 11, 2003 9:11 AM
> > > To: NagiosPlug Devel
> > > Subject: [Nagiosplug-devel] perf data gudelines
> > > 
> > > 
> > > in the perfdata, we have a format like:
> > > 
> > > 'label'=value[UOM];[warn];[crit];[min];[max]
> > > 
> > > There is a parameter in check_http to show an warning status 
> > > if the page
> > > is less than a given size.
> > > 
> > > I assume that normally, if [crit] was less than [warn], 
> it would be
> > > clear to whatever handled the data that the critical raneg 
> > > ran from 0 to
> > > [crit].
> > 
> > I think this is a range issue, rather than a perfdata 
> issue. Maybe we need a
> > clarification on ranges in the dev guidelines.
> 
> So the general case for [warn] and [crit] becomes [num]:[num] - makes
> parsing a little harder, but I guess it's logical.

This was the reason for using ";" as the delimiters - because ":" was
reserved for ranges.

> > I think we should take the general case for ranges from check_procs:
> > 1) alert if metric outside start:end where start < end, 
> start (and ":") not
> > required if 0
> > 2) if end not specified, assume infinity
> > 3) if start > end, then alert if inside this range
> > 
> > (A few thoughts: I don't like the specification for (3) - 
> I'd much prefer
> > some identifier like "*start:end" to mean "inclusive 
> alert"; also how do you
> > specify  negative infinity?)
> 
> When I came up with the rules above, without realizing it, I assumed
> that all number were non-negative.
> 
> Do you have a proposed fix for this that we should try and 
> get in before
> we relase the 1.4.x alpha with its perf data fields?

I think this is starting to be like those obscure regex rules which no one
uses, but makes sense to define for completeness.

I propose changing rule 3 and adding rule 2.5 so that:
3) If range starts with an "@", then alert if inside this range
2.5) to specify negative infinity, use ^

Of course, the next step is for a single plugin to have different metric
checks (eg, check_http --time-warn= --time-crit= --size-warn= --size-crit=).
Sigh.

> 
> > So the perf data ranges will take the same format as the 
> warn and crit
> > ranges with the same meaning.
> > 
> > Shall I document this (with the proviso that not all 
> plugins use this range
> > definition yet)?
> 
> OK with me

I'll add this in the next few days.

> 
> > > In this case, there's no [crit] (I guess I could say that 
> [crit] is 0.
> > > Or could modify check_http so a critical saze can be given also)
> > 
> > I would put crit as undefined to mean there is no critical level.
> 
> since 0 is the lowest limit for page size, I think in this 
> case it sort
> of works. In the general case you are right.
> 
> > > But I'm wondering how we should show something where 2 
> through 10 was
> > > OK, but less than 2 or greater than 10 was a warning 
> state (process
> > > counting often has that sort of threshold structure).
> > 
> > With the ranges specified, I think a clever 
> Nagiosplugins->RRD tool could
> > draw the appropriate alert areas in yellow and red with the 
> line of data in
> > black.
> 
> The definition of 'clever tool' keeps expanding here. Oh 
> well, it won't
> be written in any case until there are rules on the inputs.
> 

I think if we have good standards, it should be relatively easy to write the
tool. I'm just avoiding doing it myself ;o)

Ton


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