adagios Linux: Complete Guide to Web-Based Nagios Configuration Management

Managing Nagios configurations can be complex and time-consuming, especially when dealing with multiple hosts and services. adagios revolutionizes this process by providing a modern, web-based interface for Nagios configuration management, making it accessible even to administrators who prefer graphical interfaces over command-line tools.

What is adagios?

adagios is an open-source web-based configuration tool designed specifically for Nagios monitoring systems. Developed to simplify the traditionally complex process of managing Nagios configurations, adagios provides an intuitive interface that allows administrators to:

• Create and modify host and service definitions
• Manage contact groups and notifications
• Configure check commands and time periods
• Visualize network topology
• Perform configuration validation

Key Features and Benefits

User-Friendly Web Interface

Unlike traditional Nagios configuration methods that require manual editing of text files, adagios offers a clean, modern web interface that streamlines the entire configuration process.

Real-time Configuration Validation

adagios validates your Nagios configuration in real-time, preventing syntax errors and misconfigurations before they affect your monitoring system.

Template Management

Create and manage reusable templates for hosts, services, and contacts, significantly reducing configuration time and ensuring consistency across your monitoring environment.

Installation Prerequisites

Before installing adagios, ensure your system meets these requirements:

• Linux distribution (CentOS, RHEL, Ubuntu, or Debian)
• Nagios Core or Nagios XI installed and configured
• Python 2.7 or higher
• Apache or Nginx web server
• Git version control system

Installing adagios on CentOS/RHEL

Step 1: Install Required Packages

sudo yum update -y
sudo yum install -y epel-release
sudo yum install -y git python-pip httpd python-devel gcc

Step 2: Install Python Dependencies

sudo pip install django==1.6
sudo pip install paramiko
sudo pip install pynag
sudo pip install simplejson

Step 3: Download and Install adagios

cd /opt
sudo git clone https://github.com/opinkerfi/adagios.git
cd adagios
sudo python setup.py install

Step 4: Configure Apache

Create an Apache configuration file for adagios:

sudo nano /etc/httpd/conf.d/adagios.conf

Add the following configuration:

# Adagios Configuration
WSGIScriptAlias /adagios /opt/adagios/adagios/wsgi.py
Alias /adagios/media /opt/adagios/adagios/media

<Directory /opt/adagios>
    WSGIApplicationGroup %{GLOBAL}
    Order allow,deny
    Allow from all
</Directory>

<Directory /opt/adagios/adagios/media>
    Order allow,deny
    Allow from all
</Directory>

Installing adagios on Ubuntu/Debian

Step 1: Update System and Install Dependencies

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y git python-pip apache2 libapache2-mod-wsgi
sudo apt-get install -y python-dev build-essential

Step 2: Install Python Packages

sudo pip install django==1.6
sudo pip install paramiko
sudo pip install pynag
sudo pip install simplejson

Step 3: Clone and Install adagios

cd /opt
sudo git clone https://github.com/opinkerfi/adagios.git
cd adagios
sudo python setup.py install

Initial Configuration

Configure adagios Settings

Edit the adagios configuration file:

sudo nano /opt/adagios/adagios/settings.py

Key configuration parameters to modify:

# Nagios configuration directory
nagios_config = '/etc/nagios/nagios.cfg'

# Nagios command file
nagios_command_file = '/var/nagios/rw/nagios.cmd'

# Enable live status
enable_livestatus = True
livestatus_path = '/var/nagios/rw/livestatus'

# Debug mode (disable in production)
DEBUG = False

# Allowed hosts
ALLOWED_HOSTS = ['localhost', '127.0.0.1', 'your-server-ip']

Set Proper Permissions

sudo chown -R apache:apache /opt/adagios
sudo chmod -R 755 /opt/adagios
sudo chown apache:apache /etc/nagios
sudo chmod -R 775 /etc/nagios

Starting and Testing adagios

Enable and Start Apache

# For CentOS/RHEL
sudo systemctl enable httpd
sudo systemctl start httpd

# For Ubuntu/Debian
sudo systemctl enable apache2
sudo systemctl start apache2

Access the Web Interface

Open your web browser and navigate to:

http://your-server-ip/adagios

You should see the adagios login screen. Use your Nagios credentials to log in.

Using adagios Web Interface

Dashboard Overview

The adagios dashboard provides several key sections:

• Status Overview: Real-time status of all monitored hosts and services
• Configuration: Access to host, service, and contact configuration
• Network Scan: Discover new hosts on your network
• Templates: Manage reusable configuration templates

Adding a New Host

Method 1: Using the Web Interface

1. Navigate to Configuration → Hosts
2. Click Add New Host
3. Fill in the required fields:

Host Name: webserver01
Alias: Web Server 01
Address: 192.168.1.100
Host Template: linux-server
Contact Groups: admins

Method 2: Network Discovery

1. Go to Network Scan
2. Enter your network range (e.g., 192.168.1.0/24)
3. Click Start Scan
4. Select discovered hosts and click Add to Monitoring

Creating Service Checks

To add a service check to your newly created host:

1. Navigate to Configuration → Services
2. Click Add New Service
3. Configure the service parameters:

Service Description: HTTP Check
Host Name: webserver01
Check Command: check_http
Check Interval: 5
Retry Interval: 1
Max Check Attempts: 3

Advanced Configuration Examples

Creating Host Templates

Host templates reduce configuration redundancy. Here’s how to create a custom Linux server template:

1. Go to Configuration → Templates → Host Templates
2. Click Add New Template
3. Configure the template:

Template Name: custom-linux-server
Alias: Custom Linux Server Template
Check Command: check-host-alive
Max Check Attempts: 3
Check Interval: 5
Retry Interval: 1
Active Checks: Enabled
Passive Checks: Enabled
Notifications: Enabled

Setting Up Contact Groups

Create a contact group for escalating critical alerts:

1. Navigate to Configuration → Contacts → Contact Groups
2. Click Add New Contact Group
3. Fill in the details:

Contact Group Name: critical-alerts
Alias: Critical Alerts Team
Members: admin1, admin2, oncall-engineer

Configuring Notification Periods

Set up custom time periods for notifications:

Time Period Name: business-hours
Alias: Business Hours Only
Monday: 09:00-17:00
Tuesday: 09:00-17:00
Wednesday: 09:00-17:00
Thursday: 09:00-17:00
Friday: 09:00-17:00

Configuration Validation and Deployment

Validating Configuration

adagios provides built-in configuration validation:

1. Navigate to Configuration → Validate
2. Click Run Validation
3. Review any errors or warnings
4. Fix issues before deployment

Deploying Configuration Changes

After validation, deploy your changes:

1. Go to Configuration → Deploy
2. Review pending changes
3. Click Deploy Configuration
4. Monitor the deployment status

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Permission Errors

If you encounter permission errors:

sudo chown -R apache:nagios /etc/nagios
sudo chmod -R 664 /etc/nagios/objects/*.cfg
sudo chmod 775 /etc/nagios/objects

Django Database Issues

Initialize the Django database if needed:

cd /opt/adagios
sudo python manage.py syncdb
sudo python manage.py migrate

Apache/WSGI Configuration Problems

Check Apache error logs:

sudo tail -f /var/log/httpd/error_log
# or for Ubuntu/Debian
sudo tail -f /var/log/apache2/error.log

Performance Optimization

Caching Configuration

Enable caching in Django settings:

CACHES = {
    'default': {
        'BACKEND': 'django.core.cache.backends.memcached.MemcachedCache',
        'LOCATION': '127.0.0.1:11211',
    }
}

Database Optimization

For large environments, consider using PostgreSQL:

DATABASES = {
    'default': {
        'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.postgresql_psycopg2',
        'NAME': 'adagios',
        'USER': 'adagios_user',
        'PASSWORD': 'secure_password',
        'HOST': 'localhost',
        'PORT': '5432',
    }
}

Security Best Practices

Enable HTTPS

Configure SSL/TLS for secure access:

<VirtualHost *:443>
    ServerName your-nagios-server.com
    DocumentRoot /opt/adagios
    
    SSLEngine on
    SSLCertificateFile /path/to/certificate.crt
    SSLCertificateKeyFile /path/to/private.key
    
    WSGIScriptAlias / /opt/adagios/adagios/wsgi.py
</VirtualHost>

User Authentication

Configure Apache authentication:

<Directory /opt/adagios>
    AuthType Basic
    AuthName "Adagios Access"
    AuthUserFile /etc/nagios/.htpasswd
    Require valid-user
</Directory>

Integration with External Tools

Git Version Control

Enable automatic Git commits for configuration changes:

cd /etc/nagios
sudo git init
sudo git add .
sudo git commit -m "Initial Nagios configuration"

# Configure adagios to use Git
echo "enable_gitdata = True" >> /opt/adagios/adagios/settings.py

REST API Usage

adagios provides REST API endpoints for automation:

# Get all hosts
curl -u username:password http://your-server/adagios/rest/status/hosts

# Add a new host via API
curl -X POST -u username:password \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"host_name":"newserver","address":"192.168.1.200"}' \
  http://your-server/adagios/rest/config/hosts

Monitoring adagios Performance

Log Analysis

Monitor adagios logs for performance issues:

sudo tail -f /var/log/httpd/access_log | grep adagios
sudo journalctl -u httpd -f | grep adagios

Resource Usage

Monitor system resources:

htop
iostat -x 1
free -h
df -h

Backup and Recovery

Configuration Backup

Create automated backups of your Nagios configuration:

#!/bin/bash
# nagios-backup.sh
BACKUP_DIR="/backup/nagios-$(date +%Y%m%d)"
mkdir -p $BACKUP_DIR

cp -r /etc/nagios $BACKUP_DIR/
cp -r /opt/adagios $BACKUP_DIR/

tar -czf $BACKUP_DIR.tar.gz $BACKUP_DIR
rm -rf $BACKUP_DIR

# Keep only last 7 days of backups
find /backup -name "nagios-*.tar.gz" -mtime +7 -delete

Database Backup

Backup the adagios database:

cd /opt/adagios
sudo python manage.py dumpdata > adagios-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).json

Conclusion

adagios transforms the traditionally complex task of Nagios configuration management into an intuitive, web-based experience. By providing a modern interface, real-time validation, and powerful automation features, adagios significantly reduces the time and expertise required to maintain a robust monitoring infrastructure.

The tool’s integration capabilities with version control systems, REST APIs, and external monitoring tools make it an excellent choice for organizations looking to streamline their monitoring operations while maintaining the powerful monitoring capabilities that Nagios provides.

Whether you’re managing a small network or a large enterprise infrastructure, adagios offers the scalability and user-friendliness needed to maintain effective monitoring without the traditional complexity associated with Nagios configuration management.