Monitoring Unconfigured Objects with Nagios XI: A Comprehensive Guide
Nagios XI provides a robust monitoring solution that can track the health of various IT infrastructures. One key feature is its ability to process passive check results from external agents via the NSCA (Nagios Service Check Acceptor) or NRDP (Nagios Remote Data Processor) APIs. However, passive check results for hosts and services are not automatically processed unless they are pre-configured in Nagios XI. This article outlines the steps to monitor unconfigured objects in Nagios XI effectively.
Understanding Passive Check Processing
Passive check results can be submitted by external applications and agents to Nagios XI. However, when a passive result is received for a host or service that has not been configured, it is ignored by the monitoring engine. Instead, such hosts and services appear in the Unconfigured Objects interface of Nagios XI, allowing administrators to take action.
Managing Unconfigured Objects in Nagios XI
Navigating to Unconfigured Objects
To review unconfigured objects:
- Go to Admin > Monitoring Config > Unconfigured Objects.
- The list will display hosts or services that have received passive results but are not yet monitored.
Adding Unconfigured Objects to Monitoring
To integrate unconfigured objects into Nagios XI monitoring:
Adding a Single Host with Services
- Click the play button next to the unconfigured host to run the Unconfigured Passive Object wizard.
Adding Multiple Hosts with Services
- Select multiple hosts from the list by checking their boxes.
- Click the gear icon at the bottom of the list.
- Follow the wizard steps, configure settings (notifications, groups, parents), and apply the configuration.
- Once applied, these objects will disappear from the Unconfigured Objects section and appear in the monitoring dashboard.
Automating the Configuration of Unconfigured Objects
Nagios XI version 5.5 introduced Auto Configure Settings, which allows automatic creation of monitoring objects from passive check results. To enable this feature:
- Go to the Auto Configure Settings tab.
- Check Enable Auto Import to allow Nagios XI to import objects into the Core Config Manager (CCM).
- (Optional) Enable Apply Configuration to automatically add newly imported objects to Nagios XI’s running configuration.
Customizing Auto Configuration
- Notifications: Define notification settings for new objects.
- Groups: Assign objects to specific host or service groups.
- Advanced Settings: Configure stalking, volatility, and use templates such as
xiwizard_passive_hostorxiwizard_snmptrap_hostfor SNMP Traps.
Note: Automatic imports occur every 60 seconds as part of Nagios XI’s background processes.
Removing Unwanted Unconfigured Objects
Unwanted unconfigured objects can be removed using:
- Remove All: Click Clear Unconfigured Objects List to delete all.
- Remove One Host with Services: Click Delete next to the host.
- Remove Multiple Hosts with Services: Select hosts and click the X icon.
Important: Deleted objects will reappear if more passive results are received. To prevent this, stop unwanted passive checks to conserve system resources.
Conclusion
Monitoring unconfigured objects in Nagios XI ensures that all relevant hosts and services are properly integrated into the system. By leveraging the Unconfigured Objects interface, administrators can manually or automatically import necessary hosts and services into monitoring. Proper configuration management helps maintain an efficient and reliable monitoring environment.
For further guidance, visit the Nagios Support Forums or check the Nagios Knowledgebase.
