BETA version - 0.96test2 available

[Howie]

If you don't mind living with the odd bug (I haven't found any new ones recently), then there is a new test release of Weathermap available here.

Please only try it if you are able to help yourself to some extent with any problems.

That said, there are some nice new features in this one, including angled VIAs and working poller_output support on Windows (thanks mcutting, for an extended bug hunt).

There are gaps in the docs for this, but nothing too huge. I'm working on filling those in, at which point this will be 0.96 released, unless you find anything horrible.

[mduling]

Is there anything in this version that would make it easier to link smokeping graphs into the weathermap? I've not tried to do that yet, but I'd like to soon. I think I'd need separate links to do that at present.

If memory serves, I think you said at one time to use the "Smokeping template". But the scripts I've seen with the template needs some serious hacking, so I suppose using the real Smokeping is the way to go. Is that your understanding, or am I missing something?

[Howie]

Is there anything in this version that would make it easier to link smokeping graphs into the weathermap? I've not tried to do that yet, but I'd like to soon. I think I'd need separate links to do that at present.

If memory serves, I think you said at one time to use the "Smokeping template". But the scripts I've seen with the template needs some serious hacking, so I suppose using the real Smokeping is the way to go. Is that your understanding, or am I missing something?

There's nothing special about smokeping for Weathermap... the only difference would be the editor won't help you pick targets. That hasn't changed in 0.96 (but I do intend to make more 'picker' options in another version).

I would do it using 'real' smokeping, personally. So the things you need to know are:

1) where smokeping stores it's rrd files
2) what the DS names are in those files (rrdtool info will tell you)

then decide which of those (avg, max, loss etc) you want to use for the values in weathermap, and make sure you specify two DS names on the end of each target (e.g. TARGET /var/lib/smokeping/blah.rrd:avg:loss )

Not sure what you mean by separate links...

[mduling]

In my current weathermap, I already have links that I picked using the 'pick from Cacti', so the arrows for my links between nodes reflect in/out data. I assume I'll need to create other links between the same nodes to display smokeping rrdinfo (or anything in addition to in/out) for the same nodes.

[Howie]

In my current weathermap, I already have links that I picked using the 'pick from Cacti', so the arrows for my links between nodes reflect in/out data. I assume I'll need to create other links between the same nodes to display smokeping rrdinfo (or anything in addition to in/out) for the same nodes.

Yes, if you want to do it on the same map.

An alternative way is to make a series of 'off-screen' nodes (one for each link), with the new targets, then you can add a comment to each link with the latency for example:

Code: Select all

# Link as now.
LINK link234234
   NODES rtr1 rtr2
   TARGET /var/www/cacti/rra/blah.rrd
   INCOMMENT avg: {node: link234234_latency:bandwidth_in}ms max: {node: link234234_latency:bandwidth_out}ms


# Node to collect smokeping data
# note that position pushes it off the map
NODE link234234_latency
   TARGET /var/lib/smokeping/blahhhhh.rrd:avg:max
   POSITION 100000 100000

so you can refer to another node or link in the comment text. You need to use a freetype font for the comment font. This will show up as text running up the side of the link arrow.

This isn't so easy to manage in the editor, obviously.

[mduling]

I see. Using incomment sounds like an interesting option. Here's a question that reveals my weathermap newbness, but here goes. My nodes have no targets, only the links. So I could use my current nodes for the target and incomment on the links. Is using the nodes only as places to attach links (no targets) the normal way to do a basic weathermap showing only rrd in/out traffic?

[Howie]

I see. Using incomment sounds like an interesting option. Here's a question that reveals my weathermap newbness, but here goes. My nodes have no targets, only the links. So I could use my current nodes for the target and incomment on the links. Is using the nodes only as places to attach links (no targets) the normal way to do a basic weathermap showing only rrd in/out traffic?

You are right on both - you normally would have nodes with no targets and links with targets, but it depends what you want. I have maps where the links just show the location of cable runs, and the nodes are temperature sensors, so they have a target, and show the value of it, for example.

You could use your existing nodes to hold the extra information. You would need to make sure they didn't change colours in strange ways. You do that by adding:

Code: Select all

NODE DEFAULT
   USESCALE none in

at the top of the config file, so that the nodes don't change colour based on the values taken from the TARGET...

make sense?

[mduling]

It makes sense. I'll try it as soon as I can. Thanks!