Search icon CANCEL
Subscription
0
Cart icon
Your Cart (0 item)
Close icon
You have no products in your basket yet
Arrow left icon
Explore Products
Best Sellers
New Releases
Books
Videos
Audiobooks
Learning Hub
Free Learning
Arrow right icon
Cacti Beginner's Guide
Cacti Beginner's Guide

Cacti Beginner's Guide: Leverage Cacti to design a robust network operations center , Second Edition

eBook
₹799.99 ₹2919.99
Paperback
₹3649.99
Subscription
Free Trial
Renews at ₹800p/m

What do you get with a Packt Subscription?

Free for first 7 days. ₹800 p/m after that. Cancel any time!
Product feature icon Unlimited ad-free access to the largest independent learning library in tech. Access this title and thousands more!
Product feature icon 50+ new titles added per month, including many first-to-market concepts and exclusive early access to books as they are being written.
Product feature icon Innovative learning tools, including AI book assistants, code context explainers, and text-to-speech.
Product feature icon Thousands of reference materials covering every tech concept you need to stay up to date.
Subscribe now
View plans & pricing
Table of content icon View table of contents Preview book icon Preview Book

Cacti Beginner's Guide

Using Graphs to Monitor Networks and Devices

After having installed and configured Cacti, you are now able to add your first devices and graphs to the system. This chapter will show you how to add new devices and how to add some performance measurement graphs to them. You will also learn how to group devices using the Cacti tree.

This chapter is going to cover the following topics:

  • Introduction to graph creation with RRDtool
  • Adding devices to Cacti
  • Adding graphs to a device
  • Assigning host templates to a device
  • Adding a device to the Cacti tree

So let's get started...

An introduction to Cacti graphs and RRDtool

In the preface, we talked about how RRDtool stores data. Now, you'll be looking into the actual graph creation process and what features Cacti supports.

Creating graphs with RRDtool

As you have seen in the preface, Cacti uses RRDtool to store the polled data. In addition to just storing the data, RRDtool is also used to create the actual performance graphs.

If you now expect to see a full-featured charting application, you will be disappointed. RRDtool graph functionality only offers a very limited range of chart types. They can either be line charts, area charts, or a combination of both. There is no 3D option available or any other type of chart, such as pie or scatter charts...

Adding devices to Cacti

A device in Cacti can be anything that can be monitored remotely or locally. This can be a storage device, Windows or Unix servers, and of course network devices. For Cacti to be able to monitor a device it needs to be reachable by ping or SNMP, but the actual data retrieval can also be done using scripts and commands, or a set of SNMP queries. With Cacti 1.0, a new management item has been introduced called Site. The site item allows you to group devices by site and also store site-specific information, such as address, time zone, and GPS coordinates. Before you add a new device, you will therefore first create a site to which you will be assigning the device later.

Creating a new site

Site creation...

Adding devices to the Cacti tree

The Cacti tree lists sub-trees, hosts, and graphs in a tree-like interface. It is the main user interface for the Graphs tab. There can be more than one tree, which allows for a granular definition of the tree structure. Before creating the Cacti tree, think about a good structure for it. Changing the tree later can involve quite a bit of manual work.

With the new 1.0 version of Cacti, the Cacti tree has undergone a major change from the 0.8 version. Previously, the tree management page was built using a static HTML page, which caused a large amount of work when managing large Cacti deployments. Version 1.0 introduced a dynamic JavaScript-based interface with drag-and-drop support, so the tree creation process and, especially, rearranging devices is now a lot easier.

...

Before we continue

You now have a basic knowledge of the RRDtool graph functionality, and also have your first device added to Cacti.

Pop quiz - a few questions about Chapter 2

  1. If you want to add an additional threshold line, what do you need to add?
    • A LINE2 item
    • A THRESHOLD item
    • AN HRULE item
  1. What information will be displayed when you create an SNMP-enabled device?
    • The hardware configuration of the device
    • A message of the day
    • The contact information and hostname of the device
  1. Where do you add the Cisco - CPU Usage graph?
    • On the Cacti tree
    • On the RRDtool command prompt
    • On the device screen

Summary

In this chapter, you have learned quite a bit about the RRDtool graph generation features.

Specifically, we have covered how to create some basic graphs using the RRDtool as well as adding advanced features such as threshold lines and color changes based on the threshold. You have briefly covered the concept of adding a device to Cacti and assigning graphs and interface graphs to it. Finally, you have created a new Cacti tree containing sub-tree items and the previously added device.

You now have a running Cacti server, polling and graphing at least one device.

In the next chapter, you will learn how to create your own Cacti templates, where you can directly apply everything you have learned here.

Left arrow icon Right arrow icon

Key benefits

  • A complete Cacti book that focuses on the basics as well as the advanced concepts you need to know for implementing a Network Operations Center
  • A step-by-step Beginner's Guide with detailed instructions on how to create and implement custom plugins
  • Written by Thomas Urban – creator of the “Cereus” and “NMID” plugins for Cacti known as Phalek in the Cacti forum

Description

Cacti is a performance measurement tool that provides easy methods and functions for gathering and graphing system data. You can use Cacti to develop a robust event management system that can alert on just about anything you would like it to. But to do that, you need to gain a solid understanding of the basics of Cacti, its plugin architecture, and automation concepts. Cacti Beginner's Guide will introduce you to the wide variety of features of Cacti and will guide you on how to use them for maximum effectiveness. Advanced topics such as the plugin architecture and Cacti automation using the command-line interface will help you build a professional performance measurement system. Designed as a beginner's guide, the book starts off with the basics of installing and using Cacti, and also covers the advanced topics that will show you how to customize and extend the core Cacti functionalities. The book offers essential tutorials for creating advanced graphs and using plugins to create enterprise-class reports to show your customers and colleagues. From data templates to input methods and plugin installation to creating your own customized plugins, this book provides you with a rich selection of step-by-step instructions to reach your goals. It covers all you need to know to implement professional performance measurement techniques with Cacti and ways to fully customize Cacti to fit your needs. You will also learn how to migrate Cacti to new servers. Lastly you will also be introduced to the latest feature of building a scalable remote poller environment. By the end of the book, you will be able to implement and extend Cacti to monitor, display, and report the performance of your network exactly the way you want.

Who is this book for?

If you are a network operator and want to use Cacti for implementing performance measurement for trending, troubleshooting, and reporting purposes, then this book is for you. You only need to know the basics of network management and SNMP.

What you will learn

  • Setting up Cacti on Linux and Windows systems
  • Extending the core functionality by using the plugin architecture
  • Building your own custom plugins
  • Creating your own custom data input method to retrieve data from your systems
  • Using SNMP, SSH, and WMI to retrieve remote performance data
  • Designing and create enterprise-class reports with the reporting plugins
  • Implementing threshold-based alerting using the Thold plugin
  • Automating common administrative tasks utilizing the command-line interface and the automate functionality
  • Migrating Cacti to new servers
  • Building a multi remote-poller environment

Product Details

Country selected
Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Dec 27, 2017
Length: 420 pages
Edition : 2nd
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781788299183
Concepts :
Tools :

What do you get with a Packt Subscription?

Free for first 7 days. ₹800 p/m after that. Cancel any time!
Product feature icon Unlimited ad-free access to the largest independent learning library in tech. Access this title and thousands more!
Product feature icon 50+ new titles added per month, including many first-to-market concepts and exclusive early access to books as they are being written.
Product feature icon Innovative learning tools, including AI book assistants, code context explainers, and text-to-speech.
Product feature icon Thousands of reference materials covering every tech concept you need to stay up to date.
Subscribe now
View plans & pricing

Product Details

Publication date : Dec 27, 2017
Length: 420 pages
Edition : 2nd
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781788299183
Concepts :
Tools :

Packt Subscriptions

See our plans and pricing
Modal Close icon
₹800 billed monthly
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Simple pricing, no contract
₹4500 billed annually
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Choose a DRM-free eBook or Video every month to keep
Feature tick icon PLUS own as many other DRM-free eBooks or Videos as you like for just ₹400 each
Feature tick icon Exclusive print discounts
₹5000 billed in 18 months
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Choose a DRM-free eBook or Video every month to keep
Feature tick icon PLUS own as many other DRM-free eBooks or Videos as you like for just ₹400 each
Feature tick icon Exclusive print discounts

Frequently bought together


Stars icon
Total 18,545.97
Linux: Powerful Server Administration
₹7447.99
Wireshark Revealed: Essential Skills for IT Professionals
₹7447.99
Cacti Beginner's Guide
₹3649.99
Total 18,545.97 Stars icon
Banner background image

Table of Contents

17 Chapters
Installing Cacti Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Using Graphs to Monitor Networks and Devices Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Creating and Using Templates Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
User Management Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Data Management Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Cacti Maintenance Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Network and Server Monitoring Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Plugin Architecture Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Plugins Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Threshold Monitoring with Thold Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Enterprise Reporting Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Cacti Automation for NOC Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Migrating Cacti to a New Server Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Multiple Poller with Cacti Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Online Resources Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Further Information Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Pop Quiz Answers Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

Rating distribution
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon Empty star icon 3.5
(2 Ratings)
5 star 50%
4 star 0%
3 star 0%
2 star 50%
1 star 0%
Eric W. Holzapfel Apr 11, 2019
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
very informative BUT never explained how to use the high collection rate
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Mancho Sancha May 21, 2018
Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon 2
Covers the basics of Cacti post v. 1, but doesn't include coverage of the latest UI, so the screenshots in this book won't match what you see if you download a current version of Cacti.You still need this book I feel if you are using any version of Cacti later that .8x No fault of this author I figure, but Cacti remains really pretty hard to do useful things with beyond using the templates you can find on line--and many of the templates now don't work with version > 1.0.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Get free access to Packt library with over 7500+ books and video courses for 7 days!
Start Free Trial

FAQs

What is included in a Packt subscription? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

A subscription provides you with full access to view all Packt and licnesed content online, this includes exclusive access to Early Access titles. Depending on the tier chosen you can also earn credits and discounts to use for owning content

How can I cancel my subscription? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

To cancel your subscription with us simply go to the account page - found in the top right of the page or at https://subscription.packtpub.com/my-account/subscription - From here you will see the ‘cancel subscription’ button in the grey box with your subscription information in.

What are credits? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Credits can be earned from reading 40 section of any title within the payment cycle - a month starting from the day of subscription payment. You also earn a Credit every month if you subscribe to our annual or 18 month plans. Credits can be used to buy books DRM free, the same way that you would pay for a book. Your credits can be found in the subscription homepage - subscription.packtpub.com - clicking on ‘the my’ library dropdown and selecting ‘credits’.

What happens if an Early Access Course is cancelled? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Projects are rarely cancelled, but sometimes it's unavoidable. If an Early Access course is cancelled or excessively delayed, you can exchange your purchase for another course. For further details, please contact us here.

Where can I send feedback about an Early Access title? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

If you have any feedback about the product you're reading, or Early Access in general, then please fill out a contact form here and we'll make sure the feedback gets to the right team. 

Can I download the code files for Early Access titles? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

We try to ensure that all books in Early Access have code available to use, download, and fork on GitHub. This helps us be more agile in the development of the book, and helps keep the often changing code base of new versions and new technologies as up to date as possible. Unfortunately, however, there will be rare cases when it is not possible for us to have downloadable code samples available until publication.

When we publish the book, the code files will also be available to download from the Packt website.

How accurate is the publication date? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

The publication date is as accurate as we can be at any point in the project. Unfortunately, delays can happen. Often those delays are out of our control, such as changes to the technology code base or delays in the tech release. We do our best to give you an accurate estimate of the publication date at any given time, and as more chapters are delivered, the more accurate the delivery date will become.

How will I know when new chapters are ready? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

We'll let you know every time there has been an update to a course that you've bought in Early Access. You'll get an email to let you know there has been a new chapter, or a change to a previous chapter. The new chapters are automatically added to your account, so you can also check back there any time you're ready and download or read them online.

I am a Packt subscriber, do I get Early Access? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Yes, all Early Access content is fully available through your subscription. You will need to have a paid for or active trial subscription in order to access all titles.

How is Early Access delivered? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Early Access is currently only available as a PDF or through our online reader. As we make changes or add new chapters, the files in your Packt account will be updated so you can download them again or view them online immediately.

How do I buy Early Access content? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Early Access is a way of us getting our content to you quicker, but the method of buying the Early Access course is still the same. Just find the course you want to buy, go through the check-out steps, and you’ll get a confirmation email from us with information and a link to the relevant Early Access courses.

What is Early Access? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Keeping up to date with the latest technology is difficult; new versions, new frameworks, new techniques. This feature gives you a head-start to our content, as it's being created. With Early Access you'll receive each chapter as it's written, and get regular updates throughout the product's development, as well as the final course as soon as it's ready.We created Early Access as a means of giving you the information you need, as soon as it's available. As we go through the process of developing a course, 99% of it can be ready but we can't publish until that last 1% falls in to place. Early Access helps to unlock the potential of our content early, to help you start your learning when you need it most. You not only get access to every chapter as it's delivered, edited, and updated, but you'll also get the finalized, DRM-free product to download in any format you want when it's published. As a member of Packt, you'll also be eligible for our exclusive offers, including a free course every day, and discounts on new and popular titles.