NAME¶

Smokeping::probes::RemoteFPing - Remote FPing Probe for SmokePing

SYNOPSIS¶

 *** Probes ***
 +RemoteFPing
 binary = /usr/bin/ssh # mandatory
 blazemode = true
 hostinterval = 1.5
 mininterval = 0.001
 offset = 50%
 packetsize = 5000
 pings = 20
 rbinary = /usr/bin/fping # mandatory
 rhost = my.pinger.host # mandatory
 ruser = foo
 sourceaddress = 192.168.0.1
 step = 300
 timeout = 1.5
 tos = 0x20
 # [...]
 *** Targets ***
 probe = RemoteFPing # if this should be the default probe
 # [...]
 + mytarget
 # probe = RemoteFPing # if the default probe is something else
 host = my.host

DESCRIPTION¶

Integrates the remote execution of FPing via ssh/rsh into smokeping. The variable binary must point to your copy of the ssh/rsh program. The variable rbinary must point to your copy of the fping program at the remote end.

VARIABLES¶

Supported probe-specific variables:

binary

This variable specifies the path of the remote shell program (usually ssh, rsh or remsh). Any other script or binary that can be called as

 

binary [ -l ruser ] rhost rbinary

 

may be used.

 

Example value: /usr/bin/ssh

 

This setting is mandatory.

blazemode

Send an extra ping and then discarge the first answer since the first is bound to be an outliner.

 

Example value: true

hostinterval

The fping "-p" parameter, but in (possibly fractional) seconds rather than milliseconds, for consistency with other Smokeping probes. From fping(1):

 

This parameter sets the time that fping waits between successive packets to an individual target.

 

Example value: 1.5

mininterval

The fping "-i" parameter, but in (probably fractional) seconds rather than milliseconds, for consistency with other Smokeping probes. From fping(1):

 

The minimum amount of time between sending a ping packet to any target.

 

Example value: 0.001

 

Default value: 0.01

offset

If you run many probes concurrently you may want to prevent them from hitting your network all at the same time. Using the probe-specific offset parameter you can change the point in time when each probe will be run. Offset is specified in % of total interval, or alternatively as 'random', and the offset from the 'General' section is used if nothing is specified here. Note that this does NOT influence the rrds itself, it is just a matter of when data acqusition is initiated. (This variable is only applicable if the variable 'concurrentprobes' is set in the 'General' section.)

 

Example value: 50%

packetsize

The ping packet size (in the range of 12-64000 bytes).

 

Example value: 5000

pings

How many pings should be sent to each target, if different from the global value specified in the Database section. Note that the number of pings in the RRD files is fixed when they are originally generated, and if you change this parameter afterwards, you'll have to delete the old RRD files or somehow convert them.

 

Example value: 20

rbinary

The location of your fping binary.

 

Example value: /usr/bin/fping

 

This setting is mandatory.

rhost

The rhost option specifies the remote device from where fping will be launched.

 

Example value: my.pinger.host

 

This setting is mandatory.

ruser

The (optional) ruser option allows you to specify the remote user, if different from the one running the smokeping daemon.

 

Example value: foo

sourceaddress

The fping "-S" parameter . From fping(1):

 

Set source address.

 

Example value: 192.168.0.1

step

Duration of the base interval that this probe should use, if different from the one specified in the 'Database' section. Note that the step in the RRD files is fixed when they are originally generated, and if you change the step parameter afterwards, you'll have to delete the old RRD files or somehow convert them. (This variable is only applicable if the variable 'concurrentprobes' is set in the 'General' section.)

 

Example value: 300

timeout

The fping "-t" parameter, but in (possibly fractional) seconds rather than milliseconds, for consistency with other Smokeping probes. Note that as Smokeping uses the fping 'counting' mode (-C), this apparently only affects the last ping.

 

Example value: 1.5

tos

Set the type of service (TOS) of outgoing ICMP packets. You need at laeast fping-2.4b2_to3-ipv6 for this to work. Find a copy on www.smokeping.org/pub.

 

Example value: 0x20

AUTHORS¶

 Luis F Balbinot <hades@inf.ufrgs.br>
 Niko Tyni <ntyni@iki.fi>
 derived from Smokeping::probes::FPing by
 Tobias Oetiker <tobi@oetiker.ch>

NOTES¶

It is important to make sure that you can access the remote machine without a password prompt, otherwise this probe will not work properly. To test just try something like this:

    $ ssh foo@HostA.foobar.com fping HostB.barfoo.com

The next thing you see must be fping's output. The rhost, ruser and rbinary variables used to be configured in the Targets section of the first target or its parents They were moved to the Probes section, because the variables aren't really target-specific (all the targets are measured with the same parameters). The Targets sections aren't recognized anymore.

BUGS¶

This functionality should be in a generic 'remote execution' module so that it could be used for the other probes too.