Introduction

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This section describes how to configure and monitor Linux systems with SL1 using the Dynamic Applications in the Linux Base Pack PowerPack.

The Linux Base Pack PowerPack version 109 release has been removed from the ScienceLogic Support portal and replaced with the version 110 release.

SL1 supports three protocols to monitor Linux devices:

  • SNMP
  • SSH
  • Syslogs

SNMP and Linux are used to proactively poll the device periodically to collect information, while Syslog asynchronously receives logs from the device. Syslog can be used with SNMP or SSH, but you cannot use both SNMP and SSH together.

ScienceLogic recommends using SSH along with Syslog as that provides the most comprehensive and secure monitoring.

The following sections provide an overview of Secure Shell (SSH) and the Linux Base Pack  PowerPack.

Use the following menu options to navigate the SL1 user interface:

  • To view a pop-out list of menu options, click the menu icon ().
  • To view a page containing all of the menu options, click the Advanced menu icon ().

What is SSH?

Secure Shell (SSH) is a network protocol that enables users to securely access a command-line shell on a remote computer or server over an unsecured network. SSH provides strong encryption and authentication capabilities, making it an ideal method for securely administering commands or transferring data between a client and server.

To make SSH even more secure, you can use SSH keys instead of a simple password to log in to a server. SSH keys consist of two long strings of characters, called a public/private key pair, that are much less susceptible than passwords are to brute force attacks. The public key is placed on the server you want to access, while the private key resides on the client. When you use SSH to log in to the server from the client, the key pair is used to authenticate the session.

In SL1, some Dynamic Applications of type "Snippet" use SSH to communicate with a remote device. To use these Dynamic Applications, you must define an SSH credential. This credential specifies the hostname or IP address of the system you want to monitor, the port number used to access that system, and the private key used for authentication.

The default TCP port for SSH servers is 22.

What Does the Linux Base Pack PowerPack Monitor?

To monitor Linux systems with SSH using SL1, you must install the Linux Base Pack PowerPack. This PowerPack enables you to discover, model, and collect data about Linux systems.

The Linux Base Pack PowerPack includes:

  • Dynamic Applications that discover and collect configuration and performance data for Linux systems
  • Internal collection Dynamic Applications for Linux systems
  • Event Policies and corresponding alerts that are triggered when Linux systems meet certain status criteria
  • Device Classes for each type of Linux system monitored
  • A Run Book Action and an Automation policy to assign the proper device classes to Linux systems
  • A Device Template for discovering Linux devices

Installing the Linux Base Pack PowerPack

To monitor Linux systems with SSH, you must import and install the latest version of the Linux Base Pack PowerPack.

By default, installing a new version of a PowerPack overwrites all content from a previous version of that PowerPack that has already been installed on the target system. You can use the Enable Selective PowerPack Field Protection setting in the Behavior Settings page (System > Settings > Behavior) to prevent new PowerPacks from overwriting local changes for some commonly customized fields. (For more information, see the section on Global Settings.)

The minimum required MySQL version is 5.6.0.

To download and install the PowerPack:

  1. Search for and download the PowerPack from the PowerPacks page (Product Downloads > PowerPacks & SyncPacks) at the ScienceLogic Support Site.
  2. In SL1, go to the PowerPacks page (System > Manage > PowerPacks).
  3. Click the Actions button and choose Import PowerPack. The Import PowerPack dialog box appears.
  4. Click [Browse] and navigate to the PowerPack file from step 1.
  5. Select the PowerPack file and click Import. The PowerPack Installer modal displays a list of the PowerPack contents.
  6. Click Install. The PowerPack is added to the PowerPacks page.

If you exit the PowerPack Installer modal without installing the imported PowerPack, the imported PowerPack will not appear in the PowerPacks page. However, the imported PowerPack will appear in the Imported PowerPacks modal. This page appears when you click the Actions menu and select Install PowerPack.

Upgrading the PowerPack and Removing Dynamic Applications

To upgrade the Linux Base Pack PowerPack, perform the following steps:

Before you upgrade, you should check the thresholds for zombie processes and load average. The load average is compared to the threshold based on the normalized data per CPU.

  1. Familiarize yourself with the Known Issues for this release in the current version's Release Notes.
  2. If you have not done so already, upgrade your SL1 system to the minimum version or later release required for the version of the PowerPack you are upgrading to.
  3. Go to the Device Manager page (Devices > Device Manager) and disable all Linux devices.
  4. Download the latest version of the Linux Base Pack PowerPack from the Support Site to a local computer.
  5. Go to the PowerPack Manager page (System > Manage > PowerPacks). Click the Actions menu and choose Import PowerPack. When prompted, import the Linux Base Pack.
  6. Click the Install button. Wait for about five minutes to ensure the virtual environment is created.
  7. Return to the Device Manager page (Devices > Device Manager) and re-enable all Linux devices.

NOTE: Interface discovery only runs nightly, therefore interfaces will not immediately appear until that process runs. If you would like to manually run nightly discovery, SSH in to your Data Collector and run the following command:

sudo -u s-em7-core /opt/em7/bin/python /opt/em7/backend/discover_update.py

After installing the PowerPack, you must delete old Dynamic Applications from previous versions. In later versions of the Linux Base Pack, some Dynamic Applications replace Dynamic Applications in older versions. If these old Dynamic Applications are left enabled, they can drastically reduce the number of Linux devices supported by a Data Collector.

To remove Dynamic Applications from the Linux Base PackPowerPack:

  1. Go to the PowerPack Manager page (System > Manage > PowerPacks).
  2. Locate the Linux Base PackPowerPack and click its wrench icon ().
  3. In the PowerPack Properties page, in the Navbar on the left side, select Dynamic Applications.
  4. In the Embedded Dynamic Applications page, you will remove Dynamic Applications depending on which version of the Linux Base Pack you are upgrading from:

If you are upgrading from version 102, 103, or 104 of the Linux Base Pack PowerPack, click the bomb icon () for the following Dynamic Applications:

  • Linux: File System Performance
  • Linux: IC Availability
  • Linux: Interface Performance
  • Linux: Network Configuration
  • Linux: Performance Cache (Deprecated)
  • Linux: TCP Services Configuration
  1. The content will be removed from the PowerPack and will now appear in the bottom pane.

NOTE: Deleting the Dynamic Applications will remove all historical data from your devices. If you need to retain their historical data, then you must at a minimum disable the Dynamic Applications. However, in all cases the "Linux: Performance Cache" Dynamic Application must be deleted.