[Nagiosplug-help] Running local checks on windows systems?

[Dan Stromberg]

I don't supposed you took notes and/or saved references when you did it?

Thanks for the reply.

On Fri, Jan 8, 2010 at 11:00 AM, gmartin <gmartin at gmartin.org> wrote:
>
> \\Greg
>
>
>
> On Fri, Jan 8, 2010 at 1:10 PM, Dan Stromberg <dstromberglists at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>>
>> There appears to be multiple ways of doing the local checks on Windows
>> systems, and while there is commentary on the strengths and weaknesses
>> of them in google, I've found the contrasts somewhat vague.
>>
>> So please allow me to describe my understanding of the strengths and
>> weaknesses here, and hopefully People In the Know(tm) will jump in and
>> correct me where I'm off.
>>
>> Here goes:
>>
>>
>> nsclient:
>> * Both a windows service and a protocol,
>> * I've not looked at this one that much, as it appears to be superseded
>> by nsclient++.
>> * Connected to using Nagios plugin check_nt.
>>
>>
>> nsclient++
>> * A windows service that can serve up either or both of the nsclient and
>> NRPE protocols.
>> * Has an assortment of DLL's implementing the various checks, whether
>> you connect using the nsclient protocol (check_nt) or the NRPE protocol
>> (check_nrpe).
>> * Allows you to continue using check_nt, which is nice if you already
>> have some nagios checks based on that.
>> * Allows you to start using check_nrpe for some things, but those things
>> appear to require a dll?  As such, it seems to paint you into a corner;
>> if you get a bunch of NRPE checks going based on nsclient++, it appears
>> that a future move to NRPE_NT is made more complicated.
>> * Granted, you could probably write a dll that just accepts arguments
>> and treats them as a bash/powershell command.  Or is there something
>> that already does this in nsclient++?
>>
> I'm running batch-file based checks using nsclient++ & check_nrpe witout
> using a dll.  nsclient++ does this just fine.  The config take a little
> investigation, but once you understand it, its easy.
>
>>
>> nrpe_nt
>> * A windows service that serves up the NRPE protocol, just like on *ix.
>> * Allows you to use the same sort of plugin architecture for local
>> checks that is used on *ix - enabling one to use the many plugins for
>> Windows at
>>
>> http://exchange.nagios.org/directory/Plugins/Uncategorized/Operating-Systems/Windows-NRPE
>> * Is this the reason why people are saying that NRPE is the way forward,
>> not NSClient?
>>
>>
>> sshd
>> * Available as a cygwin sshd or via freesshd.  Speaks the ssh protocol(s)
>> * Allows you to use the same sort of plugin architecture for local
>> checks that is used on *ix - again enabling one to use the many plugins
>> for Windows at
>>
>> http://exchange.nagios.org/directory/Plugins/Uncategorized/Operating-Systems/Windows-NRPE
>> * Perhaps a little slower than NRPE, especially if you use NRPE without
>> SSL
>> * Much better authenticated than NRPE_NT, because NRPE_NT just uses
>> IP-based authentication, while ssh is RSA public key with mutual auth
>> * Probably harder to lock down to a list of specific commands than NRPE_NT
>>
>>
>> SNMP
>> * Another possibility I've not looked into much, at least not in a
>> Nagios context.
>> * Decent authentication in version 3, not so good in versions 1 and 2c.
>> * Allows access to a LOT of stuff
>>
>
> We use SNMP for hardware monitoring of WIndows servers in addition to
> nsclient++
>
>>
>> I'll add that one could probably run nsclient++ with the nsclient
>> protocol enabled and nsclient++'s NRPE protocol support disabled, and
>> also run NRPE_NT - on the same machine.  It seems like this would allow
>> compatibility with existing check definitions, and give a nicer path
>> forward - because where new plugins are needed, they could just be
>> scripts in your favorite scripting language; they wouldn't need to be
>> dll's in Windows-specific C or something.
>>
>>
>> OK folks - where am I off?  Please tear it to shreds.
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
> \\Greg
>
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