But there is problem with installation, update and centralised management. This tool should do all of this in easy steps. In future it can be *starting point* to
install and configure zabbix agent on systems with one step. Primary goal is not to make all plugins available here but to be able to use any plugin and decentralized development.
Did you install lot of zabbix agents and try to setup similar common user parameters? Do you want to setup them all? Do you want to change some zabbix agent options on lot of system? Do you want to write your own simple check or discovery rule for zabbix and it is nightmare to deploy same script on more zabbix agents? Are you tired searching some system specific agent check and setup them individualy? Do you want to auto simple backup all hosts in your zabbix to xml files? Or do you want to do some scripting on host depending on Zabbix server configuration?
* Zabbix discovery simplification. Creating zabbix item for discovery is not so easy in shell based system and result is not nice. But you can use framework function to do so.
* Zabbix sender and agent glue (send results of agent checks to zabbix sender)
## How it works
Zaf installer will do most of actions needed to monitor some specific plugin items. Configuration of plugin is very simple and text readable. Anybody can write its own plugin or make its plugin "zafable". It is enough to create *control.zaf" file. For example, look into https://github.com/limosek/zaf-plugins repository. This is default repository for zaf.
## I want to make my own plugin!
Great! Look into https://github.com/limosek/zaf-plugins repository, look to control files and try to create your own. It is easy! You can contact me for help.
## I want to help with zaf!
Great! I have no time for testing on systems and writing system specific hacks. Next to this, templates should be optimized and tested for basic plugins.
## I love this tool
OK, great, if you love this tool, you can support new development on paypal account *lukas@macura.cz* or Bitcoin address **19Wbr729vei35gUQLcH2ZJGKb8oTVLz44K**.
You need to be root and you must have curl installed on your system. Depending on your system, github certificates may not be available so you have to use *-k* option for curl (insecure). Default installation type is silent. So there will be no questions and everything will be autodetected. This simple command should be used on most systems:
Now everything was tested on Debian and OpenWrt. If somebody is interrested in, you can help and test with some rpm specific functions. Remember that on some systems, default zabbix agent config is empty so you *need to* enter essential config options as parameters.
This command will install zaf, install zabbix-agent if necessary and sets zabbix variables on agent to reach server (Server and ServerActive to zabbix.server.local). This command can be automatized by puppet or another deploying system.
Zaf plugin is set of configuration options and binaries which are needed for specific checks. For example, to monitor postfix, we need some cron job which is automaticaly run and next ti this, some external items which has to be configured. Do not mix zaf plugin and zabbix plugin. While zaf plugin is set of scripts or binaries external to zabbix agent, zabbix plugin is internal zabbix lodadable module.
Control file is main part of zaf plugin. It describes how to install plugin and defines all checks. In fact, simple control file can be enough to create zaf plugin because scripts can be embeded within. There are two kind of options: global and per item. Each option can be singleline:
During plugin installation, zaf will check all dependencies, do install binaries and generates apropriate zabbix.conf.d entries. Look into https://github.com/limosek/zaf-plugins repository for more examples.
Zaf binary can be installed on any system from openwrt to big system. It has minimal dependencies and is shell based. Is has minimal size (up to 50kb of code). It can be used for installing, removing and testing zaf plugin items. Zaf has to be configured and installed by root but it can be invoked as regular user.
To install plugin from external source, external plugin has to be "zafable". This means that its maitainer will create control.zaf file located at http://some.project/plugin/control.zaf. Nothing else.
```
zaf install http://some.project/plugin
```
To install plugin from local directory:
```
zaf install /some/plugin
```
Installer will look into control file, run setup task defined there, fetch binaries and scripts needed for specific plugin and test system dependencies for that plugin. If everything is OK, zaf_plugin.conf is created in zabbix_agentd.d conf directory and userparameters are automaticaly added.
Plugin can have some global parameters. For example url of local server to check. See booked plugin. In that case, you have to specify parameters before use.
Plugin parameters are available as environment variables in shell script/binary run by agent. You can simulate this environment by
```
zaf itemsh booked.num_reservations
```
Interactive shell will be spawn and you can test your commands or scripts in same way how zabbix agent would do it. Use exit command or ctrl-D to get back.
