Bixdata: bixserver

We have been looking at the bixserver, bixagent and bixdesktop software from bixdata for our server monitoring system.

Install bixserver on FC4

Download and unpack the bixserver (or bixagent in case of a remote server to be monitored, I put the program in /usr/bin/bixdata)
The program can be downloaded from http://www.bixdata.com/downloads.

Bixserver and bixagent need Mysql libraries to be able to run.

Installing the following package using yum will solve this problem: mysqlclient*

Startup script

The script below can be used to integrate the bixdata clients in the Linux (Fedora) startup sequence. This script allows to start bixserver (or bixagent when bixserver is replaced by bixagent in the script) to be started with the /sbin/service command and be added to the startup sequence using the chkconfig command.

This script has to be put in /etc/init.d/ and be made executable (chmod 755).
The script is very basic, and only starts or stops the bixserver (or agent).

(modified to run runserver.sh instead of bixerver, and a change in path as from Bixserver version 2.3)

#!/bin/sh # # Bixserver script: start bixserver deamon # # chkconfig: - 95 5 # description: Bixserver is the bixdata server which is used to collect #               data from agents about local/remote systems # # Source function library. . /etc/rc.d/init.d/functions start() {     echo -n $"BixServer: "     cd /usr/bin/bixdata;     nohup ./runserver.sh >out &     sleep 1     PID=`pidof -s -x -o $$ -o $PPID -o %PPID bixserver`     if [ $PID ]; then       echo_success     else       echo_failure     fi     echo #   RETVAL=$?; } stop() { #   /bin/true     echo -n "Stopping BixServer daemon:  "     killproc bixserver  && echo_success  || echo_failure     echo } # See how we were called. case "$1" in     start)         start         ;;     stop)         stop         ;;     status)         ;;     restart)         stop         start         ;;     condrestart)         ;;     reload)         ;;     *)         echo $"Usage: $0 {start|stop|status|restart|condrestart|reload}"         ;; esac exit $RETVAL

The service should now be start-able with (make sure you gave execution permissions to the script):

/sbin/service bixserver start

and can be added to the startup sequence by:

/sbin/chkconfig --add bixserver
/sbin/chkconfig bixserver on

The script can be used with he bixagent if all the bixserver entries in the script (in red) are replaced by bixagent entries.
The directory has to be changed if the program is stored in an other location (in blue)

Running as a different user

I modified the script above so the service is ran as a user called bixdata. This is just as a security enhanchement, and should not couse any problems. There are some software packages that should be installed as can be seen below when bixserver is not running as root.

#!/bin/sh # # Bixserver script: start bixserver deamon # # chkconfig: - 95 5 # description: Bixserver is the bixdata server which is used to collect #               data from agents about local/remote systems # # Source function library. . /etc/rc.d/init.d/functions start() {     echo -n $"BixServer: "     cd /usr/bin/bixdata/bixserver; #   nohup ./bixserver >out & #   su - bixdata -c "cd /usr/bin/bixdata/bixserver; nohup ./bixserver >out &"     su - bixdata -c "cd /usr/bin/bixdata; nohup ./runserver.sh >out &"     sleep 1     PID=`pidof -s -x -o $$ -o $PPID -o %PPID bixserver`     if [ $PID ]; then       echo_success     else       echo_failure     fi     echo #   RETVAL=$?; } stop() { #   /bin/true     echo -n "Stopping BixServer daemon:  "     killproc bixserver  && echo_success  || echo_failure     echo } # See how we were called. case "$1" in     start)         start         ;;     stop)         stop         ;;     status)         ;;     restart)         stop         start         ;;     condrestart)         ;;     reload)         ;;     *)         echo $"Usage: $0 {start|stop|status|restart|condrestart|reload}"         ;; esac exit $RETVAL

Installing Smart Monitoring Tools 

Some of the (SMART) features are not available as the bixserver/agent are not running unless the smart deamon is installed, which is a good idea anyway, as the bixserver relies on this for creating graphs etc.

Install the monitoring tools using (fedora):

yum install smartmontools

This will install the rpm package. Now set the deamon up to automatic start, start the deamon and restart the bixserver/agent.

/sbin/chkconfig --add smartd
/sbin/chkconfig smartd on

/sbin/service bixserver restart (or bixagent restart)

More information can be found on the bixdata website!