Werk #5535: Check_MK hosts can now use multiple agents
| Component | Core & setup | ||||||||||||||
| Title | Check_MK hosts can now use multiple agents | ||||||||||||||
| Date | Nov 21, 2017 | ||||||||||||||
| Level | Prominent Change | ||||||||||||||
| Class | New Feature | ||||||||||||||
| Compatibility | Compatible - no manual interaction needed | ||||||||||||||
| Checkmk versions & editions |
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It is now possible to configure multiple Check_MK agents for a single host.
With this change, you can now configure e.g. a ESX VCenter to use the ESX special agent together with the regular Check_MK agent installed on the monitored host.
All existing hosts remain using their existing configuration after an update. Also new hosts only use a single Check_MK agent using the already existing logic where a) The Check_MK agent was contacted via TCP or b) a configured data source program (special agent or other program invocation) was used.
The new feature can be enabled by changing the host attribute (on hosts or folders) "Check_MK Agent" to e.g. "Contact Check_MK agent and all datasource programs". This will make Check_MK use all data sources matching on this host instead of just picking the first matching one. There is also an alternative option "Use all enabled datasources" available which can be used to execute only the data sources matching the host.
On the way to this change we have changed server previously existing things:
- The host tag group agent has been split into multiple tag groups to be more flexible.
- The tag group ping and snmp have been added and provide the options which were previously available in the single agent attribute.
- All these tag groups are treated as builtin tag groups defined by Check_MK (can not be modified anymore).
- Existing configurations of hosts/folders will be translated seamlessly into the new format.
- During updates your site will only apply the changes above in case you have an unmodified agent tag group. In case you have modified it in any way, these changes will not be applied and you won't be able to use the changes introduced with this werk. You will then have to clean up your local changes. Once you delete your local tag group "agent", the builtin one will be used automatically.
- The Edit host dialog has split up into more independent sections, the new ones are Address and Data sources to better visualize the relation of the different attributes.
Please note: In case you are using the Web-API calls to create or modify hosts or folders while setting attributes we changed with this change, you may have to change your API calls.