Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the following:

• A running instance of Nagios Log Server (2024R2)
• A Windows 10 system with administrative privileges
• Network connectivity between the Windows 10 machine and the Nagios Log Server

Step 1: Add a New Windows Log Source in Nagios Log Server

1. Log in to Nagios Log Server.
2. Click the green + Add Log Source button or navigate to Configure > + Add Log Source.
3. Click the + Windows button to begin setup for a Windows log source.

Step 2: Install NXLog Community Edition (CE)

1. On the Windows log source setup page, find the Getting Started section.

2. Click the link to download NXLog CE directly from your Nagios Log Server (not an external source).

3. Launch the installer and follow these steps:

• Accept the License Agreement.

• Choose the default or a custom installation path.
• Click Install, then click Finish once completed.

Step 3: Configure NXLog on Windows 10

1. In the Configuration Setup section of the Nagios Log Server, locate the configuration code block.
2. Click the Select All icon and copy the text.
3. On your Windows 10 machine:
   • Open Notepad as Administrator.
   • Navigate to the file: C:\Program Files\nxlog\conf\nxlog.conf or: C:\Program Files (x86)\nxlog\conf\nxlog.conf
   • In Notepad, switch file type to All Files to locate nxlog.conf.
   • Delete all contents (CTRL + A, then DELETE).
   • Paste the copied configuration block.
   • Click File > Save.

Step 4: Start NXLog Service

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
2. Run the following command:

net start nxlog

net start nxlog

The NXLog service is now running and configured to start automatically on boot.

Step 5: Verify Logs in Nagios Log Server

1. Navigate to the Windows source page in Nagios Log Server.
2. In the Verify Incoming Logs section, enter the Windows machine’s IP address.
3. You can also go to the Dashboards section and run this query: host:<Windows 10 IP>
4. Confirm that log entries appear under All Events.

Troubleshooting Tips

• NXLog Service Fails to Start:
  • Ensure you have administrative privileges.
  • Verify the syntax of the nxlog.conf file.
• No Logs in Nagios Log Server:
  • Check the network connectivity between the Windows machine and Nagios Log Server.
  • Double-check the NXLog configuration.
• Firewall Issues:
  • Ensure firewalls on both Windows and Nagios Log Server allow traffic on required ports.

Conclusion

Conclusion

By following this guide, you have successfully configured Windows 10 to forward logs to Nagios Log Server 2024R2 using NXLog CE. This setup ensures you have real-time visibility into Windows system events.

For more resources and help:

• Nagios Support Forum
• Nagios Knowledgebase
• Nagios Library

Prerequisite

• Access to a Windows 10 machine
• An instance of Nagios XI with administrative privileges

Step 1: Install SNMP on Windows 10

1. Open Settings on your Windows machine.

2. Navigate to Optional Features.

3. Click “+” icon and search for “snmp”, then select both check boxes.

4. Click Add and wait for the installation to complete.

5. Verify the installation by searching for SNMP under the Added Features section.

Step 2: Configure SNMP

1. Open Services by typing it into the Windows search bar.

2. Scroll down to SNMP Service, right-click, and select Properties.

3. Under the General tab, set the Startup Type to Automatic.

4. Navigate to the Agent tab and select the services you want SNMP to monitor.

5. Go to the Security tab:

6.  Choose whether to accept SNMP packets from any host or specific IP addresses (e.g., your Nagios XI instance).

7. Click Apply to save your configuration.

Step 3: Configure Windows Firewall

1. Open Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security.

2. Select Inbound Rules and click New Rule

3. Choose Port and click Next.

4. Select UDP and enter 161-162 in the Specific local ports textbox.

5. Click Next through the remaining steps, give the rule a name, and click Finish.

Step 4: Set Up SNMP Monitoring in Nagios XI

1. Open Nagios XI in your browser.

2. Hover over the gear icon and select Configuration Wizards.

3. Search for SNMP.

4. Enter the following information:

5. Click Next.

6. Select the services and hardware information to monitor.

7.  Click Finish with Defaults or adjust monitoring settings as required.

8. Go back to the host and confirm that it has been added with your selected services being monitored.

Step 5: Verify Services

1. Navigate to the Host/Service Details in Nagios XI.

2. Confirm that the Windows 11 machine and its selected services are being monitored.

Conclusion

SNMP monitoring with Nagios XI provides real-time insights into Windows 10 performance, enabling proactive issue detection and resolution. With this setup, you can fine-tune alerts, expand monitoring across multiple systems, and leverage Nagios XI’s advanced features for deeper insights. By optimizing your monitoring strategy, you ensure system reliability, security, and efficiency.

For more information please visit the Nagios Support Forum or the Nagios Knowledge Base.

Active vs. Passive

NCPA can be used for both Active and Passive monitoring:

• Active Monitoring: Nagios initiates and schedules checks at regular interval.
• Passive Monitoring: NCPA submits check results to Nagios without requiring direct polling.

The NCPA installer may prompt you for settings for active and passive. Active is the most common method
used. If you are not using passive monitoring, then you do not need to configure those settings.

Prerequisites

Before beginning the installation, ensure the following requirements are met:

• A system running Windows 10
• Administrator privileges
• A stable internet connection
• A working Nagios XI instance to receive and process monitoring data

Step 1: Download the Nagios Cross-Platform Agent (NCPA) Package

To download the latest NCPA package for Windows, visit:

Nagios NCPA Downloads Page

Step 2: Install the NCPA Package

There are two methods for installing the NCPA package:

• Graphical Installation: A user-friendly, step-by-step installation wizard.
• Silent Installation: An unattended installation using command-line options, ideal for automation and scripting.

Graphical Installation

1. Navigate to the folder where the NCPA installer was downloaded.
2. Double-click the installer file to start the installation process.
3. When the welcome screen appears, Click Next on the welcome screen.

An example of the welcome page of NCPA installer.

4. Read and accept the license agreement by clicking I Agree.

5. The configuration screen for API configuration will appear.
   • Token: The only required setting to configure; used by your Nagios server to authenticate with NCPA.
   • Bind IP: 0.0.0.0 (default) – Listens on all IPv4 addresses on the Windows machine.
   • Port: 5693 (default) – Used for communication with the NCPA agent.

6. Click Next and proceed to the configuration screen for Passive checks.
   • To enable passive checks, check the Send passive checks over NRDP box.
   • Provide the following NRDP settings:
     • URL: This is the URL on your Nagios Host that accepts passive check results to be submitted
     • NRDP Token: This is the token you will be using when passing NCPA passive checks to Nagios for NRDP to accept the check. This is separate from the token that was provided for active checks.
     • Hostname: The name of the host that the passive checks will be associated with in Nagios.

• In Nagios XI, the URL and NRDP Token are configured under: Admin > Check Transfers > Inbound Transfers.

7. Click Next and proceed and continue with Passive checks.
   • The Passive Service Checks screen will appear, displaying the default checks that will be executed and sent to your Nagios server.
   • You can modify these checks if needed. The Passive Service Checks screen will appear, displaying the default checks that will be executed and sent to your Nagios server. You can modify these checks if needed.

8. Click Next and proceed and You will be presented with the install location.
   • Change the destination folder if required.

9. Click the Install button to install NCPA and Once the installation is complete, click Finish.

Silent Installation

The installer also supports a silent install, which allows system administrators to easily manage their network
workstations without disrupting the workflow of the office. The following arguments currently supported.

• /S: Initiates a silent installation.
• /D: (Optional) Installation directory; must be the last argument and an absolute path (no quotes).
• /TOKEN: The token that will be used to access the agent’s API and web interface
• /IP: IP address to bind to (0.0.0.0 for all IPv4, :: for IPv6).
• /PORT: Port to bind to (default: 5693).
• /NRDPURL: Nagios server URL for submitting passive check results.
• /NRDPTOKEN: Authentication token for NRDP (separate from active check token).
• /NRDPHOSTNAME: Hostname associated with passive checks in Nagios.

Here is an example command:

ncpa-2.1.6.exe /S /TOKEN='Str0ngT0k3n' /NRDPURL='http://10.25.5.12/nrdp/'
/NRDPTOKEN='NRDP_T0k3n' /NRDPHOSTNAME='S1601'

Step 3: Configure Firewall (if enabled)

A firewall rule needs to be created on your Windows machine to allow incoming traffic to NCPA on TCP Port
5693

To change the firewall settings, select Start and type firewall in the search dialog box and open Windows
Firewall with Advanced Security.

Then click Inbound Rules in the left-hand panel.

In the right panel, click New Rule.

Afterwards Select Port and click Next.

Then Select TCP and select Specified local ports and type 5693 in the field. Afterwards, click Next.

Afterwards, Select Allow the connection and click Next.

Make any changes to where the rule should apply and click Next.

Give the rule a Name and click Finish to create the rule.

Step 4: Test NCPA

To ensure that the installation was successful and NCPA is now listening, try accessing the web interface of
the agent. In order to do this you will need to know:

• The IP Address of the machine you installed NCPA on
• The token / community_string you configured NCPA to use

Open a web browser and connect to the NCPA web interface using the following URL:

https://<NCPA IP Address>:5693/

You’ll see a security warning—this is normal. NCPA uses self-signed certificates to encrypt communication. Your browser flags it because it doesn’t recognize the certificate. Click Advanced and Add Exception (or proceed to xxx) to continue to the NCPA page.

More information on certificates is explained in the Understanding Certificate Warnings KB article.

You will then be shown the NCPA login page.

Type the token in the field and then click the Log In button.

Once you log in you will be placed on the Dashboard page with a summary of the NCPA version and machine it is running on.

Now that NCPA is ready to be monitored by Nagios, proceed to the Configuring Nagios section.

Configuring Nagios XI

To monitor your Windows system with Nagios XI and the NCPA agent:

1. Go to the Nagios XI dashboard.
2. Open the NCPA Wizard: Configure > Run a Monitoring Wizard > NCPA.
3. Enter the Windows server’s IP address and API token.
4. Complete the wizard and apply the configuration changes.

Verify Monitoring Setup

After completing the wizard, Nagios XI should display the monitored host and its services:

1. Navigate to the Service Status page to confirm that the system is being monitored, and Nagios XI is receiving data.

Troubleshooting Tips

• Issue: NCPA agent not starting.
  • Solution: Verify that the token and port configurations are correct.
• Issue: Passive checks not received by Nagios.
  • Solution: Ensure the NRDP URL and token match the Nagios server settings.
• Issue: Firewall blocking NCPA communication.
  • Solution: Allow traffic on port 5693.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve successfully installed and configured the Nagios Cross Platform Agent on Windows. For further assistance, visit the Nagios Support Forum or the Nagios Knowledge Base.

Active vs. Passive Monitoring

NCPA supports two types of monitoring methods:

• Active Monitoring: Nagios actively performs checks on a schedule.
• Passive Monitoring: NCPA submits check results to Nagios.

Recommendation: Active monitoring is typically preferred for most use cases, as it allows Nagios to schedule and control checks.

Prerequisites

Before beginning the installation, ensure the following requirements are met:

• A system running Windows 11
• Administrator privileges
• Stable internet connection

Verify your Windows version by running the following command in PowerShell:

systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"

systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"

Example Output:

OS Name:                   Microsoft Windows 11 Pro
OS Version:                10.0.22631 N/A Build 22631

OS Name:                   Microsoft Windows 11 Pro
OS Version:                10.0.22631 N/A Build 22631

Step 1: Download the NCPA Package

To download the latest NCPA package for Windows, visit:

Nagios NCPA Downloads Page

Download the appropriate installer package for your system.

Step 2: Install the NCPA Package (Graphical Method)

1. Navigate to the location where the installer was downloaded.
2. Double-click the installer to launch the installation wizard.
3. Follow these steps:
   • Click Next on the Welcome screen.

4. Accept the license agreement by clicking I Agree.

5. Configure passive checks (optional) by providing a token for authentication. Keep the default Bind IP (0.0.0.0) and port (5693) settings.

6. Click Next and proceed through the installation steps, selecting the installation directory if needed.

7. Click Install to begin the installation.

8. Once the installation is complete, click Finish.

Step 2 (Alternative): Silent Installation Method

Silent installation is useful for deploying NCPA on multiple machines.

Command Syntax

ncpa-<version>.exe /S /TOKEN='mytoken' /<variable>='<value>' /D=<base directory>

ncpa-<version>.exe /S /TOKEN='mytoken' /<variable>='<value>' /D=<base directory>

Key Configuration Variables

• TOKEN: (Required) Token for the web GUI and API access.
• IP: IP address to bind to (default: 0.0.0.0).
• PORT: Port to bind to (default: 5693).
• NRDPURL: URL for passive check submissions.
• NRDPTOKEN: Authentication token for NRDP.
• NRDPHOSTNAME: Hostname for NRDP passive checks.

Example Command:

ncpa-2.1.6.exe /S /TOKEN='Str0ngT0k3n' /NRDPURL='http://10.25.5.12/nrdp/'
/NRDPTOKEN='NRDP_T0k3n' /NRDPHOSTNAME='S1601'

ncpa-2.1.6.exe /S /TOKEN='Str0ngT0k3n' /NRDPURL='http://10.25.5.12/nrdp/'
/NRDPTOKEN='NRDP_T0k3n' /NRDPHOSTNAME='S1601'

Step 3: Configure NCPA

After installation, configure NCPA by editing the configuration file:

1. Open ncpa.cfg located in the NCPA installation directory.
2. Set your token by updating the following line: community_string = mytoken
3. Save and close the file.

Step 4: Restart NCPA Service

To apply the changes, restart the NCPA service:

Restart-Service ncpa_listener
Restart-Service ncpa_passive

Restart-Service ncpa_listener
Restart-Service ncpa_passive

Step 5: Configure Firewall (if enabled)

If your firewall is enabled, allow traffic on port 5693:

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator.
2. Run the following command:

New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Allow NCPA" -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 5693 -Action Allow

New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Allow NCPA" -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 5693 -Action Allow

Step 6: Test NCPA Installation

1. Open the Windows search bar and type Services.

2. Scroll down and locate Nagios Cross-Platform Agent.

3. Verify that the service is running.

4. Additionally, open a web browser and navigate to:

https://<NCPA_IP_Address>:5693/

https://<NCPA_IP_Address>:5693/

5. Bypass the security warning for the self-signed certificate by clicking Advanced and selecting Proceed.

6. On the NCPA login page, enter the API token you configured earlier and click Log In.

Configuring Nagios XI

To monitor the Windows system using Nagios XI and the NCPA agent:

1. Navigate to the Nagios XI dashboard.
2. Open the NCPA wizard by selecting Configure > Run a Monitoring Wizard > NCPA.
3. Enter the required details, including the IP address of the Windows server and the API token.
4. Complete the wizard setup and apply configuration changes.

Verifying Monitoring Setup

After completing the wizard, Nagios XI should display the monitored host and its services:

1. Navigate to the Service Status page to confirm that the system is being monitored.

Troubleshooting Tips

• Issue: NCPA agent not starting.
  • Solution: Verify that the token and port configurations are correct.
• Issue: Passive checks are not received by Nagios.
  • Solution: Ensure the NRDP URL and token match the Nagios server settings.
• Issue: Firewall blocking NCPA communication.
  • Solution: Allow traffic on port 5693.

Conclusion

By following this guide, you have successfully installed and configured the Nagios Cross Platform Agent on your Windows system. For additional support, refer to the Nagios Support Forum or the Nagios Knowledge Base.