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How to add a custom graph (cacti fundamentals)

Question & Answer


Question

How to add a custom graph (cacti fundamentals) I want to graph the number of users logged on to each LSF host. How to do that in RTM?

Answer

This can be achieved in RTM. The major steps are:

1) Write a script (which will collect data from the LSF hosts)

2) Write a Data Input Method (to execute the script and return data to cacti)

3) Write a Data Template (To define RRDfile data sources and RRA settings and link to the Data Input Method)

4) Write a Graph Template (to define your Graphs, graph items, look and feel etc)

5) Associate Graph Template with a Host Template (For future automation for any new hosts, add it to Grid Host template)

6) Create a graph to check if it works

Step 1) Create a script:

# ownership - root:root  permissions - 644
# cat /opt/IBM/cacti/scripts/loggedinusers.sh    

#!/bin/sh
count=`rsh $1 who | wc -l`
echo $count

Step 2) Create a Data Input Method:

From Console -> Collection Methods -> Data Input Method -> Click Add (on upper right)

Choose a Name, "Script/Command" and Input String


Press Save.

Now define the Input field by pressing Add and later saving it:


Also, define your output field, which is the variable to store the output of the script (by pressing add and later saving it):


Step 3: Create a Data Template 

From Console -> Templates -> Data Templates -> Add

Choose the Data Input Method you created in the previous step. Also, for the Data Source Name, use the format |host_description| which will be automatically populated by cacti to create multiple data sources, one per host. Press Save to


Step 4) Create a Graph Template

From Console -> Templates -> Graph Template -> Add

Define the construction of the graph as below.


Step 5) Associate Graph Template to a Host Template

From Console -> Templates -> Host Templates -> Click Grid Host -> Associated Graph Templates

From the drop down menu, choose the Graph Template created in previous step. Press Add to add it. Press Save


Now any new host that is added to the cluster will automatically have this graph.

Step 6) To create graphs for existing hosts

From Console -> Devices -> Click Any Grid Host Device -> Associated Graph Templates -> Add the graphs template created before and press Save.

On the top, click "Create Graphs for this Host" and Check the box for this graph and press "Create" button.


You see a message that Graph has been created.


Now wait for 10 mins (2 polling cycles) and you start to see data in the graphs

Note: Since poller is running as Apache (nologin user) which sometimes does not have rsh permissions to run commands on other hosts, if root is needed, the following can be done:

# cat /opt/IBM/cacti/scripts/runasroot.c    # create this file
#include <stdio.h>

main(int argc, const char *argv[])
{
        setuid(0);
        if(argc == 2)
                execl("/usr/bin/rsh", argv[1], "/usr/bin/who | wc -l", (char *) 0);
        else
                printf("This script requires 1 argument <hostname>");
}

# gcc runasroot.c -o runasroot
# chown root:root runasroot
# chmod +s runasroot

In Console -> Collection Methods -> Data Input Methods -> Click the data input method created previously, in the input string section, put the executable name as below. Poller cache is modified automatically on Save.



[{"Product":{"code":"SSVMSD","label":"Platform RTM"},"Business Unit":{"code":"BU054","label":"Systems w\/TPS"},"Component":"Graphs","Platform":[{"code":"PF025","label":"Platform Independent"}],"Version":"9.1.0;9.1.2;9.1.3;9.1.4","Edition":"","Line of Business":{"code":"","label":""}},{"Product":{"code":"SSZT2D","label":"IBM Spectrum LSF RTM"},"Business Unit":{"code":"BU059","label":"IBM Software w\/o TPS"},"Component":" ","Platform":[{"code":"","label":""}],"Version":"","Edition":"","Line of Business":{"code":"LOB10","label":"Data and AI"}},{"Product":{"code":"SSZT2D","label":"IBM Spectrum LSF RTM"},"Business Unit":{"code":"BU059","label":"IBM Software w\/o TPS"},"Component":" ","Platform":[{"code":"","label":""}],"Version":"","Edition":"","Line of Business":{"code":"LOB10","label":"Data and AI"}}]

Document Information

More support for:
Platform RTM

Software version:
9.1.0, 9.1.2, 9.1.3, 9.1.4

Document number:
628557

Modified date:
12 April 2021

UID

isg3T1023544

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