Request for 'Events' Feature

[jkukis]

I recently setup flowscan and noticed it has an ability to add 'Events' to it's RRD graphs. I was thinking this would be a great addition to Cacti, perhaps as a plugin. All the 'events' feature does is add a vertical rule to the RRD graph at a specified date and time, and then adds a comment for that VRULE at the bottom of the graph.

Examples of when this could be used are:
A)I just upgraded the IOS on our router and want to mark that point in time so we can look out for/explain changes in cpu utilization or memory
B)A huge event just happened(DOS, software release, Air Conditioning died), let's mark that point in time so we know what happened when looking back at the graph.

I'm attaching a picture from a flowscan power point that Dave Plonka created for reference.

Any thoughts?

[TheWitness]

So, this is your own modification to the code. Do you wish to share?

TheWitness

[aleu]

So, this is your own modification to the code. Do you wish to share?

TheWitness

This indeed would be a very nice addon.

[TheWitness]

This is a simple VRULE plugin hook used by THold as well. However, I like the whole idea of adding artibrary notes to a graph after major change events to mark the re-baselining events.

I would write it myself, if I had the time. Time is fleeting these days however.

TheWitness

[Howie]

This is a simple VRULE plugin hook used by THold as well.

What is?

[TheWitness]

If you use THold 0.41, you can record your THold Breaches and Restoral Events on the Graph using VRULE's. It's pretty cool. The graph above is simply a table that contains the local_graph_id's, a message and a timestamp. When you view a graph, you simply look at the start and end times for the graph Range and add VRULES and GPRINTS to the RRDtool Graph Syntax that align on the graph.

TheWitness

[Howie]

Ahhh. I can't use Thold 0.4.1 until I find a couple of days to repeat some work I did on 0.3.9. Sounds interesting though.

[TheWitness]

I recently modified THold 0.41/0.42 to allow arbitrary RPN's using Tobi's syntax. There are a few RPN functions that I don't support but for a project that is coming up, I will have to use DSSTATS to extend the support using the hourly cache.

I called the feature RPN Expression. You simply key in the expression free form, like a CDEF and THold on that. I plan to use if for the project I emailed you about last night.

TheWitness