How to poll Windows hosts from Linux

[fangel]

Hi,

I might have to install Cacti in a rather large server-park, and I have to be able to poll Windows hosts from a Linux server. Do I need any special apps on the Windows hosts? (SNMP maybe)

So:
Is it possible to monitor:

• - Mem. avail.
  - CPU Util.
  - Network Util.

From a Linux server, on Windows hosts without installing other apps, or is it nececary to install other apps on the Windows hosts? eg SNMP...

Morten Fangel

[TheWitness]

Fangel,

SNMP is all that is required and depending on your server type there are excellent MIB's available. In addition, Microsoft provides a MIB compiler for you to customize. If you are running Compaq Insight Manager, it provides excellent MIB's out of the box. Dell as well.

You can access WMI counters through Cacti as well. However, only from a Windows poller.

TheWitness

[fangel]

Enlighten me... WMI ??

Morten Fangel

[TheWitness]

Windows Management Instrumentation. Search the forum and you will find several examples. Unfortunately, performance may be an issue. It's not high on my priority for making faster at this point either since SNMP is so effective.

TheWitness

[Stiletto]

If you use Nagios you can graph Memory Usage, Page file usage, or any other data you receive from NRPE or NsClient...

[skaminski]

Both NRPE and NSCLient are clients that you will have to install on each server you want to graph from.

The HP Insight Agents and Dell agents should be able to provide you with most of the counters and their MIB's should be able to find easliy (like The Witness said) I believe that IBM also has their MIB's available for IBM Director agents.

There is also another agent that will work ok. SNMP Informant will allow you to see the metrics you are looking for. it's free as well.

Good luck