Operative server monitoring is mission critical because most of us have service contracts with strict SLAs for IBM Connections environments. But how do you prove your SLA compliance without spending too much money for a monitoring solution? In this session we will show you how you can use Nagios for IBM Connections server monitoring and develop your own Nagios Plugins with Python and JMeter.

1. How to monitor your IBM Connections
environment with Python Scripts, JMeter
and Nagios
Klaus Bild, Christian Güdemann
WebGate

2. About me
• Klaus Bild
• Senior System Architect
• @
• Blog: http://kbild.ch
• http://linkedin.com/in/kbild

3. Agenda
• What is Nagios
• How to use Nagios with IBM Connections
• What is JMeter and how to use it with IBM
Connections
• How to combine Nagios and JMeter
• Python scripts for Monitoring

4. Agenda
• What is Nagios
• How to use Nagios with IBM Connections
• What is JMeter and how to use it with IBM
Connections
• How to combine Nagios and JMeter
• Python scripts for Monitoring

5. What is Nagios
• Open source computer system monitoring, network
monitoring and infrastructure monitoring software
application
• Initial Release 1999
• Actual Version 4.0.8 - http://www.nagios.org/
• GNU General Public License version 2
• Commercial Version Nagios XI
• Icinga 1 (Nagios fork) and Icinga 2 (Core framework
replacement / Nagios rewrite)

6. What is Nagios

7. What is Nagios - Definitions
Commands can be found in …/nagios/etc/objects/commands.cfg
define command {
command_name ncpa_check
command_line $USER1$/check_ncpa.py -H $HOSTADDRESS$ -P 5693 -t $USER2$ -M
$ARG1$
}
Host
use linux-server
host_name wghub01.webgate.biz
alias Domino Server
address 192.168.45.123
Services
use high-prio-services
service_descrip0on Check Domino service Win
hostgroup_name domino-servers
check_command ncpa_check!service/rc_domino/running
Plugin

8. Agenda
• What is Nagios
• How to use Nagios with IBM Connections
• What is JMeter and how to use it with IBM
Connections
• How to combine Nagios and JMeter
• Python scripts for Monitoring

9. How to use Nagios with Connections
• Monitor Ports and Services (WAS, DB2, HTTP)
• URLs (HTTP, Connections -> returns always
status code 200, check for content on page)
• Check for errors in logs (WAS, HTTP, TDI, DB2)
• Test JDBC connections to DBs
Most of these monitors just provide yes/no info

10. Nagios with Connections- WAS Agent Plugin
• WAS Agent Plugin: https://github.com/yannlambret/websphere-nagios
• Will be installed on the Dmgr
• Current features are:
• JVM heap monitoring
• Server thread pools monitoring
• Transactions monitoring
• JDBC datasources monitoring
• JMS connection factories monitoring
• SIB queues depth monitoring
• HTTP sessions monitoring
• Servlets service time monitoring
• We use pnp4nagios for performance charts

11. Nagios with Connections- WAS Agent Plugin
• All statistics will be created by the Performance
Monitoring Infrastructure (PMI)
• Standard PMI configuration will deliver all
needed statistics

12. Nagios with Connections- WAS Agent Plugin
• WAS Agent Plugin
• These monitors can
inform you of problems
before Connections stops
working
• Example to get used heapsize:
./wasagent.sh
'hostname=192.168.45.123&
port=8880&jvm=heapUsed,90,95
• Response:
InfraCluster_server1: status OK|jvm-
heapSize=3267MB;;;0;3268
jvm-heapUsed=944MB;;;0;3268 jvm-
cpu=0%;;;0;100
Proactive Monitoring

13. Agenda
• What is Nagios
• How to use Nagios with IBM Connections
• What is JMeter and how to use it with IBM
Connections
• How to combine Nagios and JMeter
• Python scripts for Monitoring

14. What is JMeter
• The Apache JMeter™ application is open
source software, a 100% pure Java application
designed to load test functional behavior and
measure performance. It was originally
designed for testing Web Applications but has
since expanded to other test functions.
h"p://jmeter.apache.org/

15. How to use JMeter with Connections
• JMeter let you record and playback all
Operations equals to the browser
• JMeter should be used to do basic operations
• JMeter allows you to do End to End Testing
• JMeter provides performance data as well

16. How to use JMeter with Connections
• Common testing scenarios:
• Log on to Connections
• Create/delete a Activity, Wiki…
• Create a Community and add Apps, delete
Community

17. How to use JMeter with Connections
• Record your test case with JMeter with the
HTTP(S) Test Script Recorder
• Most of the actions will be done through the
Connections API:
http://www-10.lotus.com/ldd/lcwiki.nsf/xpAPIViewer.xsp?
lookupName=IBM+Connections+5.0+API+Documentation
• Use variables for servers/users/ports

18. How to use JMeter with Connections
• Wiki Example

19. How to use JMeter with Connections

20. Agenda
• What is Nagios
• How to use Nagios with IBM Connections
• What is JMeter
• How to use JMeter with IBM Connections
• How to combine Nagios and JMeter
• Python scripts for Monitoring

21. How to combine Nagios and JMeter
• There are different Plugins for Nagios available
https://github.com/gmykhailiuta/nagios_jmeter_check
• Install JMeter on your Nagios Server
• Test the JMeter plan from the command line
and inspect the result file
D:apache-jmeter-2.13binjmeter -t C:JMeterCreateWiki.jmx
-Jserver=connections.demo.ch -Jport=443 -Juser=kbi
-Jpassword=IBMConnect14 -Jwiki_title=Soccnx
• Use the JMeter plugin with variables

22. Things to consider
• Connections always returns status code 200
during login, even if a wrong password is used
-> check Response Header for “X-LConn-Auth: true”
• The user should have no “relation ships” to any
other users
• You are creating and manipulating data on the
live system!
• Updates can let your plan fail!

23. Agenda
• What is Nagios
• How to use Nagios with IBM Connections
• What is JMeter
• How to use JMeter with IBM Connections
• How to combine Nagios and JMeter
• Python scripts for Monitoring

24. Python scripts for Monitoring
• Nagios always needs following Plugin return
codes:
• 0 (OK)
• 1 (Warning)
• 2 (Critical)
• 3 Unknown
• Description (optional)
• Performance data (optional)

25. Python scripts for Monitoring
• Examples:
• Date of Connections Search Index
• Ownerless IBM Connections Communities
• Inactive Communities

26. Date of Connections Search Index
#!/usr/bin/env python
import sys, argparse, urllib2, cookielib, urllib, datetime from bs4 import BeautifulSoup
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description='This script gets the arguments')
parser.add_argument('-H','--conn_host', help='Connections Domain',required=True)
parser.add_argument('-w','--warning',help='Warning value in hours', required=True)
parser.add_argument('-c','--critical',help='Critical value in hours', required=True)
parser.add_argument('-u','--user',help='User ', required=True)
parser.add_argument('-p','--pw',help='Password ', required=True)
args = parser.parse_args()
password_mgr = urllib2.HTTPPasswordMgrWithDefaultRealm()
top_level_url = "http://" + args.conn_host
password_mgr.add_password(None, top_level_url, args.user, args.pw)
handler = urllib2.HTTPBasicAuthHandler(password_mgr)
opener = urllib2.build_opener(urllib2.HTTPHandler, handler)
soup = BeautifulSoup(opener.open(‘https://' + args.conn_host + '/search/atom/mysearch?
scope=&query=test_something_weird&page=1&pageSize=10&format=light').read().strip(), "lxml")
search_date = datetime.datetime.strptime(soup.updated.string[:-10], "%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S" )

27. Date of Connections Search Index
if (datetime.datetime.now() - datetime.timedelta(hours=int(args.critical)) > search_date):
print("Status Critical - Search Index older than " + args.critical + " hours - Search Index date " +
str(search_date))
sys.exit(1)
elif (datetime.datetime.now() - datetime.timedelta(hours=int(args.warning)) > search_date):
print("Status Warning - Search Index older than " + args.warning + " hours - Search Index date " +
str(search_date))
sys.exit(2)
else:
print("Status OK - Search Index date " + str(search_date))
sys.exit(0)

28. Further Material
• http://kbild.ch
• http://www.slideshare.net/kbild/the-best-
things-in-life-are-free-wie-sie-ihre-ibm-
conneceons-umgebung-kostenlos-mit-jmeter-
und-nagios-uberwachen-konnen

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