observium Linux: Complete Network Management and Monitoring Platform Guide

Observium is a powerful, auto-discovering network monitoring platform designed for Linux systems that provides comprehensive visibility into network infrastructure. This open-source solution offers real-time monitoring capabilities, intuitive web interfaces, and extensive device support, making it an ideal choice for network administrators and IT professionals.

What is Observium?

Observium is a PHP-based network monitoring platform that automatically discovers and monitors network devices using SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol). It provides detailed insights into network performance, device health, and infrastructure status through an elegant web interface.

Key Features of Observium

• Auto-discovery: Automatically detects and adds network devices
• Multi-protocol support: SNMP v1, v2c, and v3 compatibility
• Extensive device support: Routers, switches, servers, and custom devices
• Historical data: Long-term trend analysis and reporting
• Alert system: Customizable notifications and thresholds
• RESTful API: Integration with external systems

System Requirements

Before installing Observium, ensure your Linux system meets the following requirements:

Minimum Hardware Requirements

CPU: Dual-core processor (2.0 GHz or higher)
RAM: 2GB minimum (4GB+ recommended)
Storage: 10GB available space (more for historical data)
Network: Ethernet connectivity to monitored devices

Software Dependencies

• Linux distribution (Ubuntu 20.04+, CentOS 7+, Debian 10+)
• Apache or Nginx web server
• MySQL or MariaDB database
• PHP 7.4+ with required extensions
• SNMP tools and libraries
• RRDtool for data storage

Installing Observium on Ubuntu/Debian

Step 1: Update System Packages

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 2: Install Required Packages

sudo apt install apache2 mysql-server php php-mysql php-gd php-snmp \
php-curl php-mcrypt snmp snmp-mibs-downloader rrdtool subversion \
whois mtr-tiny nmap python3-mysqldb python3-pymysql fping \
imagemagick graphviz php-json php-zip -y

Step 3: Configure MySQL Database

# Secure MySQL installation
sudo mysql_secure_installation

# Create Observium database
sudo mysql -u root -p
mysql> CREATE DATABASE observium DEFAULT CHARACTER SET utf8 COLLATE utf8_general_ci;
mysql> CREATE USER 'observium'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'strong_password';
mysql> GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON observium.* TO 'observium'@'localhost';
mysql> FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
mysql> EXIT;

Step 4: Download and Install Observium

# Create directory and download
cd /opt
sudo wget http://www.observium.org/observium-community-latest.tar.gz
sudo tar zxvf observium-community-latest.tar.gz

# Set permissions
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /opt/observium
sudo chmod 755 /opt/observium

Step 5: Configure Observium

Create the main configuration file:

sudo nano /opt/observium/config.php

Add the following configuration:

<?php
// Database configuration
$config['db_host'] = 'localhost';
$config['db_user'] = 'observium';
$config['db_pass'] = 'strong_password';
$config['db_name'] = 'observium';

// Web interface settings
$config['base_url'] = '/';
$config['web_mouseover'] = TRUE;
$config['auth_mechanism'] = 'mysql';

// SNMP settings
$config['snmp']['timeout'] = 10;
$config['snmp']['retries'] = 3;

// Enable auto-discovery
$config['autodiscovery']['xdp'] = TRUE;
$config['autodiscovery']['ospf'] = TRUE;
$config['autodiscovery']['bgp'] = TRUE;

// Set up directories
$config['install_dir'] = '/opt/observium';
$config['html_dir'] = '/opt/observium/html';
$config['log_dir'] = '/opt/observium/logs';
$config['rrd_dir'] = '/opt/observium/rrd';
?>

Step 6: Initialize Database Schema

cd /opt/observium
sudo php includes/sql-schema/update.php

Step 7: Configure Apache Virtual Host

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/observium.conf

Add the following configuration:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    DocumentRoot /opt/observium/html
    ServerName your-domain.com
    CustomLog /opt/observium/logs/access_log combined
    ErrorLog /opt/observium/logs/error_log
    
    <Directory "/opt/observium/html">
        AllowOverride All
        Options FollowSymLinks MultiViews
        Require all granted
    </Directory>
</VirtualHost>

# Enable the site and required modules
sudo a2ensite observium.conf
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo systemctl reload apache2

Installing Observium on CentOS/RHEL

Step 1: Install EPEL Repository

sudo yum install epel-release -y
sudo yum update -y

Step 2: Install Required Packages

sudo yum install httpd mariadb-server mariadb php php-mysql php-gd \
php-snmp net-snmp net-snmp-utils rrdtool subversion wget \
php-process php-common php-cli cronie fping -y

Step 3: Start and Enable Services

sudo systemctl start httpd mariadb
sudo systemctl enable httpd mariadb

Step 4: Configure Database (Similar to Ubuntu steps)

sudo mysql_secure_installation
# Follow the same database creation steps as Ubuntu

Initial Configuration and Setup

Create Administrative User

cd /opt/observium
sudo php adduser.php admin admin 10

This creates an admin user with level 10 (full administrator privileges).

Configure SNMP Communities

Edit the configuration to add default SNMP communities:

sudo nano /opt/observium/config.php

Add SNMP community strings:

$config['snmp']['community'] = array('public', 'private', 'your_community');

Adding Devices to Observium

Command Line Device Addition

# Add a device with SNMP v2c
sudo php add_device.php hostname community v2c

# Example: Add a router
sudo php add_device.php 192.168.1.1 public v2c

# Add device with SNMP v3
sudo php add_device.php hostname '' v3 username authpass privpass

Web Interface Device Addition

1. Access Observium web interface: http://your-server-ip/
2. Login with admin credentials
3. Navigate to Devices → Add Device
4. Fill in device details:
   • Hostname or IP address
   • SNMP version and credentials
   • Device type (optional)
5. Click Add Device

Bulk Device Discovery

For network-wide discovery, use the discovery script:

# Discover devices in a subnet
sudo php discovery.php -h all -m ports -m sensors -m storage

Configuring SNMP on Target Devices

Linux Server SNMP Configuration

Install and configure SNMP on monitored Linux servers:

# Install SNMP daemon
sudo apt install snmpd snmp-mibs-downloader  # Ubuntu/Debian
sudo yum install net-snmp net-snmp-utils     # CentOS/RHEL

# Configure SNMP daemon
sudo nano /etc/snmp/snmpd.conf

Basic SNMP configuration:

# Community and access configuration
com2sec readonly default public
group readgroup v2c readonly
view all included .1
access readgroup "" any noauth exact all none none

# System information
sysLocation "Data Center, Building A"
sysContact "[email protected]"
sysName "server01.company.com"

# Enable monitoring
master agentx
agentXSocket tcp:localhost:705

# Restart SNMP service
sudo systemctl restart snmpd
sudo systemctl enable snmpd

Cisco Device SNMP Configuration

! Enable SNMP on Cisco devices
configure terminal
snmp-server community public ro
snmp-server location "Network Closet Floor 2"
snmp-server contact "[email protected]"
snmp-server enable traps
exit
write memory

Monitoring and Alerts Configuration

Setting Up Alert Rules

Create custom alert rules in the configuration:

sudo nano /opt/observium/config.php

Add alert configurations:

// CPU utilization alerts
$config['alerts']['rules']['cpu_high'] = array(
    'query' => 'SELECT * FROM processors WHERE processor_usage > 90',
    'delay' => '300',
    'message' => 'High CPU usage detected on %hostname%'
);

// Memory usage alerts
$config['alerts']['rules']['memory_high'] = array(
    'query' => 'SELECT * FROM mempools WHERE mempool_perc > 85',
    'delay' => '300',
    'message' => 'High memory usage on %hostname%'
);

// Interface status alerts
$config['alerts']['rules']['interface_down'] = array(
    'query' => 'SELECT * FROM ports WHERE ifOperStatus = "down" AND ifAdminStatus = "up"',
    'delay' => '60',
    'message' => 'Interface %ifDescr% is down on %hostname%'
);

Email Notification Setup

// Email configuration
$config['email']['default'] = '[email protected]';
$config['email']['from'] = '[email protected]';
$config['email']['sendmail'] = '/usr/sbin/sendmail';

// SMTP configuration (alternative)
$config['email']['backend'] = 'smtp';
$config['email']['smtp']['host'] = 'smtp.company.com';
$config['email']['smtp']['port'] = 587;
$config['email']['smtp']['username'] = '[email protected]';
$config['email']['smtp']['password'] = 'smtp_password';
$config['email']['smtp']['secure'] = 'tls';

Automation and Maintenance

Setting Up Cron Jobs

Configure automated tasks for continuous monitoring:

sudo crontab -e

Add the following cron entries:

# Run discovery every 6 hours
0 */6 * * * /opt/observium/discovery.php -h all >> /dev/null 2>&1

# Run poller every 5 minutes
*/5 * * * * /opt/observium/poller.php -h all >> /dev/null 2>&1

# Daily maintenance tasks
0 0 * * * /opt/observium/housekeeping.php -y >> /dev/null 2>&1

# Alert checking every minute
* * * * * /opt/observium/alerts.php >> /dev/null 2>&1

Database Maintenance

# Run database maintenance weekly
sudo crontab -e

# Add weekly database optimization
0 2 * * 0 /opt/observium/scripts/db_maintenance.php

Advanced Configuration Options

Custom Device Types

Define custom device types for specialized equipment:

// Custom device definitions
$config['os']['custom_device']['text'] = 'Custom Network Device';
$config['os']['custom_device']['type'] = 'network';
$config['os']['custom_device']['icon'] = 'device';
$config['os']['custom_device']['over'][0]['graph'] = 'device_bits';
$config['os']['custom_device']['over'][1]['graph'] = 'device_processor';

Performance Tuning

Optimize Observium for large environments:

// Performance optimizations
$config['rrd']['step'] = 300;  // 5-minute intervals
$config['rrd']['heartbeat'] = 600;
$config['poller']['threads'] = 8;  // Adjust based on CPU cores
$config['discovery']['threads'] = 4;

// Memory limits
ini_set('memory_limit', '512M');
$config['php']['memory_limit'] = '512M';

Web Interface Features

Dashboard Overview

The Observium web interface provides several key sections:

• Overview Dashboard: System-wide status and statistics
• Device List: All monitored devices with status indicators
• Maps: Network topology visualization
• Alerts: Current and historical alert information
• Reports: Availability and performance reports
• Settings: Configuration and user management

Customizing the Interface

Modify the web interface appearance:

// Custom CSS and branding
$config['web_theme'] = 'light';  // or 'dark'
$config['page_title_prefix'] = 'Company Network - ';
$config['favicon'] = 'images/custom-favicon.ico';

// Custom logo
$config['web']['logo'] = 'images/company-logo.png';

Troubleshooting Common Issues

SNMP Connection Problems

Test SNMP connectivity manually:

# Test SNMP v2c
snmpwalk -v2c -c public 192.168.1.1 system

# Test SNMP v3
snmpwalk -v3 -u username -a SHA -A authpass -x DES -X privpass 192.168.1.1 system

# Check SNMP daemon status on target device
sudo systemctl status snmpd

Database Connection Issues

# Test database connection
mysql -u observium -p observium

# Check MySQL service status
sudo systemctl status mysql

# Review MySQL error logs
sudo tail -f /var/log/mysql/error.log

Web Interface Problems

# Check Apache error logs
sudo tail -f /var/log/apache2/error.log

# Verify PHP modules
php -m | grep -E 'snmp|mysql|gd'

# Check file permissions
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /opt/observium
sudo chmod -R 755 /opt/observium

Security Best Practices

SNMP Security

• Use SNMP v3 with encryption whenever possible
• Change default community strings
• Restrict SNMP access by IP address
• Use strong authentication passwords
• Disable SNMP write access unless required

Web Interface Security

# Enable HTTPS
sudo a2enmod ssl
sudo systemctl restart apache2

# Configure SSL certificate
<VirtualHost *:443>
    DocumentRoot /opt/observium/html
    ServerName your-domain.com
    
    SSLEngine on
    SSLCertificateFile /path/to/certificate.crt
    SSLCertificateKeyFile /path/to/private.key
    
    # Security headers
    Header always set X-Content-Type-Options nosniff
    Header always set X-Frame-Options DENY
    Header always set X-XSS-Protection "1; mode=block"
</VirtualHost>

Database Security

# Secure MySQL configuration
sudo nano /etc/mysql/mysql.conf.d/mysqld.cnf

# Add security settings
bind-address = 127.0.0.1
skip-networking = 1

# Regular database backups
sudo crontab -e
0 2 * * * mysqldump -u observium -p'password' observium > /backup/observium_$(date +%Y%m%d).sql

Integration and API Usage

RESTful API Examples

Observium provides a REST API for external integrations:

# Get device list
curl -u admin:password "http://your-server/api/v0/devices"

# Get device details
curl -u admin:password "http://your-server/api/v0/devices/1"

# Get port information
curl -u admin:password "http://your-server/api/v0/devices/1/ports"

Custom Scripts Integration

Create custom monitoring scripts:

#!/bin/bash
# Custom monitoring script example

# Check Observium API for critical alerts
ALERTS=$(curl -s -u admin:password "http://localhost/api/v0/alerts" | jq '.alerts[] | select(.severity=="critical")')

if [ ! -z "$ALERTS" ]; then
    echo "Critical alerts detected:"
    echo "$ALERTS" | jq -r '.message'
    # Send notification or take action
fi

Conclusion

Observium provides a comprehensive network monitoring solution for Linux environments, offering powerful auto-discovery capabilities, extensive device support, and an intuitive web interface. By following this guide, you can successfully deploy and configure Observium to monitor your network infrastructure effectively.

The platform’s strength lies in its simplicity of deployment combined with enterprise-grade monitoring capabilities. Whether you’re managing a small office network or a large enterprise infrastructure, Observium scales to meet your monitoring needs while providing valuable insights into network performance and device health.

Regular maintenance, proper security configuration, and strategic use of automation ensure that your Observium installation continues to provide reliable network monitoring for years to come. The investment in proper setup and configuration pays dividends in improved network visibility, faster problem resolution, and enhanced infrastructure management capabilities.