• LPAR2RRD can be hosted on any Unix or Linux Operating system
• Rough disk space requirements: 3GB for 100 VMs, 20 datastores, 10 Hosts
• Perl: arbitrary version coming with the OS with some additional modules, more below
• Apache or any other Web server

Skip it in case of configuring Virtual Appliance

User creation

• create lpar2rrd user under root:

  # useradd -c "LPAR2RRD user" -m lpar2rrd
  

• Increase limits for user lpar2rrd and the WEB server user (under root)
  • AIX

    # chdev -l sys0 -a maxuproc=2000
    # chuser  nofiles=32768 data=-1  stack=-1 rss=-1 lpar2rrd
    # chuser  data=-1  stack=-1 rss=-1 apache
    

  • Linux

    # vi /etc/security/limits.conf
    
    @lpar2rrd        hard    stack           -1
    @lpar2rrd        soft    stack           -1
    @lpar2rrd        hard    data            -1
    @lpar2rrd        soft    data            -1
    @lpar2rrd        hard    nofile          32768 
    @lpar2rrd        soft    nofile          32768 
    @lpar2rrd        hard    nproc           2000
    @lpar2rrd        soft    nproc           2000
    
    @apache          hard    stack           -1
    @apache          soft    stack           -1
    @apache          hard    data            -1
    @apache          soft    data            -1
    

If you have already running STOR2RRD on the same host then skip to Web tab.

Linux RedHat, CentOS

RHEL 8: enable the codeready-builder-for-rhel-8-*-rpms repository

# ARCH=$( /bin/arch )
# subscription-manager repos --enable "codeready-builder-for-rhel-8-${ARCH}-rpms"

CentOS 8: enable the PowerTools repository

# yum config-manager --set-enabled PowerTools

# umask 0022 
# yum install rrdtool rrdtool-perl httpd
# yum install epel-release
# yum install perl perl-TimeDate perl-XML-Simple perl-XML-SAX perl-XML-LibXML perl-Env perl-CGI perl-Data-Dumper perl-LWP-Protocol-https perl-PDF-API2 perl-libwww-perl
# yum install ed bc libxml2 sharutils

Note that rrdtool-perl and epel-release (this is necessary only for PDF reporting) might not be in your RedHat base repository especially for RHEL 6.x and olders.
Install CentOS package instead rrdtool-perl-1.4.8-9.el7.x86_64.rpm and epel-release-7-9.noarch.rpm

Linux Debian, Ubuntu

# umask 0022 
# apt-get install apache2 perl rrdtool ed bc
# apt-get install librrdp-perl libxml-sax-perl libxml-simple-perl libtimedate-perl libenv-sanctify-perl libcgi-pm-perl libdata-dumper-simple-perl libpdf-api2-perl libxml2-utils
# apt-get install liblwp-protocol-https-perl libcrypt-ssleay-perl libio-socket-ssl-perl libmozilla-ldap-perl libxml-parser-perl

AIX

Install RRDTool 1.4.8 with all prerequisites for AIX
If you use yum on AIX then do not use rrdtool-1.7.0-4, it has a bug, use rrdtool-1.7.0-3 instead

Solaris

# /opt/csw/bin/pkgutil -y -i pm_xml_simple pm_libxml_perl pm_xml_sax rrdtool

Skip it in case of configuring Virtual Appliance

Apache download

• Linux CentOS, RedHat

  # yum install httpd
  

• Linux Debian, Ubuntu

  # apt-get install httpd
  

Apache configuration

• Linux CentOS, RedHat
• Linux Debian, Ubuntu
• Apache 2.4+
• Apache 1.3 - 2.3
• SELinux disable
• Apache authorization (optional)

Apache start / restart

Command depends on Apache version, one of these should work:

# apachectl restart
# /opt/freeware/apache/sbin/apachectl restart
# /etc/init.d/httpd restart
# service apache2 restart

You might need to stop firewall on Linux hosts:

- Checking if there is some rules in iptables
# iptables -L
- Disable the firewall
# systemctl disable firewalld
- Stop the firewall
# systemctl stop firewalld

Test web pages

Point your web browser to http://<your lpar2rrd host>/lpar2rrd/ as soon as you configure LPAR2RRD
Do not forget to ensure that Apache starts after the OS reboot (there must be a starting script in /etc/rc.... )

Apache configuration per platform and version

• Linux CentOS, RedHat

  
  Append at the end of /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf following

  # vi /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf
  
  AddHandler cgi-script .sh
  # DocumentRoot  "/home/lpar2rrd/lpar2rrd/www/"
  Alias /lpar2rrd  "/home/lpar2rrd/lpar2rrd/www/"
  <Directory "/home/lpar2rrd/lpar2rrd/www/">
      AllowOverride AuthConfig
      Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
      Require all granted
  </Directory>
  # CGI-BIN
  ScriptAlias /lpar2rrd-cgi/ "/home/lpar2rrd/lpar2rrd/lpar2rrd-cgi/"
  <Directory "/home/lpar2rrd/lpar2rrd/lpar2rrd-cgi">
      AllowOverride AuthConfig
      SetHandler cgi-script
      Options ExecCGI FollowSymLinks
      Require all granted
  </Directory>
  

• Linux Debian, Ubuntu : Apache2 (2.4+)

  
  Enable CGI-BIN

  # a2enmod cgi
  

  Append this at the end of /etc/apache2/apache2.conf

  # vi /etc/apache2/apache2.conf
  
  AddHandler cgi-script .sh
  Alias /lpar2rrd  "/home/lpar2rrd/lpar2rrd/www/"
  <Directory "/home/lpar2rrd/lpar2rrd/www/">
      Options Indexes FollowSymLinks 
      Require all granted
  </Directory>
  # CGI-BIN
  ScriptAlias /lpar2rrd-cgi/ "/home/lpar2rrd/lpar2rrd/lpar2rrd-cgi/"
  <Directory "/home/lpar2rrd/lpar2rrd/lpar2rrd-cgi">
      AllowOverride None
      Options +ExecCGI +SymLinksIfOwnerMatch
      Require all granted
      SetHandler cgi-script
  </Directory>
  

• Apache 2.4+ generally

  
  Configure httpd.conf, it might be in different locations (depends of distribution)
  • /etc/httpd/httpd.conf
  • /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf
  • /etc/opt/freeware/apache/httpd.conf (AIX)
  • /opt/freeware/etc/httpd/httpd.conf (AIX)
  • /opt/freeware/etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf (AIX)
  • /etc/apache2/apache2.conf
  
  
  1. Verify alias_module and cgi_module is loaded (uncommented it, the path can be different)

     LoadModule alias_module /opt/freeware/lib/httpd/modules/mod_alias.so
     LoadModule cgi_module /opt/freeware/lib/httpd/modules/mod_cgi.so
     

  2. cgi_module could depend on mpm_prefork_module like here.
     Allow it as well (uncomment it) and disable mpm_worker_module, mpm_event_module

     LoadModule mpm_prefork_module /opt/freeware/lib/httpd/modules/mod_mpm_prefork.so
     # LoadModule mpm_worker_module /opt/freeware/lib/httpd/modules/mod_mpm_worker.so
     # LoadModule mpm_event_module modules/mod_mpm_event.so
     <IfModule mpm_prefork_module>
          LoadModule cgi_module /opt/freeware/lib/httpd/modules/mod_cgi.so
     </IfModule>
     

  3. Append this at the end of httpd.conf

     AddHandler cgi-script .sh
     Alias /lpar2rrd  "/home/lpar2rrd/lpar2rrd/www/"
     <Directory "/home/lpar2rrd/lpar2rrd/www/">
         Options Indexes FollowSymLinks 
         Require all granted
     </Directory>
     # CGI-BIN
     ScriptAlias /lpar2rrd-cgi/ "/home/lpar2rrd/lpar2rrd/lpar2rrd-cgi/"
     <Directory "/home/lpar2rrd/lpar2rrd/lpar2rrd-cgi">
         AllowOverride None
         SetHandler cgi-script
         Options ExecCGI FollowSymLinks
         Require all granted
     </Directory>
     

     Sometimes appears necessary to remove "Require all granted" lines in both directives.
     
     

• Apache 1.3 - 2.3

  
  Configure httpd.conf, it might be in different locations (depends of distribution)
  • /etc/httpd/httpd.conf
  • /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf
  
  

  # vi /etc/opt/freeware/apache/httpd.conf
  
  Alias /lpar2rrd  "/home/lpar2rrd/lpar2rrd/www/"
  <Directory "/home/lpar2rrd/lpar2rrd/www/">
      Options Indexes FollowSymLinks 
      Order allow,deny
      Allow from all
  </Directory>
  # CGI-BIN
  ScriptAlias /lpar2rrd-cgi/ "/home/lpar2rrd/lpar2rrd/lpar2rrd-cgi/"
  <Directory "/home/lpar2rrd/lpar2rrd/lpar2rrd-cgi">
      AllowOverride None
      Options ExecCGI FollowSymLinks
      Order allow,deny
      Allow from all
  </Directory>
  

• SELinux changes

  
  You need to disable the SELinux service protection to be able to utilize basic web services.
  You must do it in case you get "(13)Permission denied:" in Apache error_log.
  You have 2 options:
  
  
  • Disable SELinux only for Apache

    Step 1. Query for the Boolean value you need to change:
    # getsebool -a | grep httpd_dis
      httpd_disable_trans --> off
    
    Step 2. Disable the SELinux protection:
    # setsebool -P httpd_disable_trans=1
    
    Step 3. Verify that the Boolean has changed:
    # getsebool -a | grep httpd_dis
      httpd_disable_trans --> on
    

  • Globally disable SELinux

    # setenforce Permissive
    # vi /etc/sysconfig/selinux
      SELINUX=disabled
    

LPAR2RRD is able to monitor stand-alone MS Windows servers and MS Hyper-V performance metrics.
Implementation is done through single Windows OS agent running on any Windows host in the Windows domain.
This OS agent gets all required configuration from the AD and performance data of monitored hosts through WMI.
It passes such data to LPAR2RRD server where data is saved and presented.

Installation summary

1. Allow TCP connection initiated from Windows LPAR2RRD Hyper-V agent server to LPAR2RRD server on port 8162
2. Make sure your LPAR2RRD daemon is running on LPAR2RRD server

User creation

1. Create LPAR2RRD user in the AD with membership in these groups:
   • Event Log Readers
   • Hyper-V Administrators
   • Performance Log Users
   • Performance Monitor Users
   This must be done for all Hyper-V nodes and MS Windows servers that are supposed to be monitored (this can be set globally in AD).
   Use this manual for user creation and assigning rights in the AD.
   
   
2. Give local admin rights to the LPAR2RRD user on the Win server where LPAR2RRD Hyper-V agent will be running.
   Add him into Domain Users group.
   
   
3. Assign read-only rights for monitored Hyper-V clusters to LPAR2RRD user

OS agent installation

Unzip LPAR2RRD-Win-agent-1.3.3.zip

Unblock these files by right clicking them and checking "Unblock" Setup.vbs, Configuration.vbs, LPAR2RRD-agent.ps1 LPAR2RRD-agent-Configuration.ps1, LPAR2RRD-agent-Installer.ps1

Run Setup.vbs

Select installation directory

Put hostname of the LPAR2RRD server

Test connection to the LPAR2RRD server

Put user which will run LPAR2RRD OS aget on this machine

Select monitored mode (agent v1.3.3+)

You can also use manuall OS agent installation

• Wait about 30 minutes, then Ctrl-F5 in your LPAR2RRD UI and you should see Hyper-V folder in the main menu

Monitored modes (agent version 1.3.2+)

Older agent versions trying to get and monitor all servers in AD which are visible for the user.
Since v1.3.2 there is a change and the agent monitors just the server where it is installed.

Version 1.3.2 brings configuration file where is possible to define what will be monitored.
There are these options:
1. leave it in default mode and monitor just the server where it is installed
2. monitor all visible servers from AD
3. monitor only specific servers (recommended), added into cfg file
   for monitoring of cluster - add its name to servers too

Mode configuration is selected during installation or run whenever Configuration.vbs in the agent install dir.
Mode configuration in agent v1.3.2 is possible only manually by editing agent_config.txt in the agent install dir.

Skip it in case of configuring Virtual Appliance

Install LPAR2RRD server

• Definitelly use the latest available version (6.10+ at least)
  
  
• Install it:

  # su - lpar2rrd
  $ tar xvf lpar2rrd-6.XX.tar
  $ cd lpar2rrd-6.XX
  $ ./install.sh
  $ cd /home/lpar2rrd/lpar2rrd
  

• Schedule to run it from lpar2rrd crontab (it might already exist there)
  

  $ crontab -l | grep load.sh
  $
  

  Add if it does not exist as above

  $ crontab -e
  
  # LPAR2RRD UI
  0 * * * * /home/lpar2rrd/lpar2rrd/load.sh > /home/lpar2rrd/lpar2rrd/load.out 2>&1 
  

  Assure there is just one such entry in crontab.
  
  
• You might need to add lpar2rrd user into /var/adm/cron/cron.allow if crontab command fails
  Allow it for lpar2rrd user as root user.

  # echo "lpar2rrd" >> /var/adm/cron/cron.allow
  

• Assure you have a cron jobs for Hyper-V in place (upgrade script might do it automatically)
  Skip it on the Virtual Appliance, it is already there.

  $ crontab -l | grep "load_hyperv.sh"
  $
  

  Add it if it does not exist like above

  $ crontab -e
  
  # MS Hyper-V support
  0,20,40 * * * *  /home/lpar2rrd/lpar2rrd/load_hyperv.sh > /home/lpar2rrd/lpar2rrd/load_hyperv.out 2>&1 
  
  

• Initial start from cmd line:

  $ cd /home/lpar2rrd/lpar2rrd
  $ ./load.sh
  

• Go to the web UI: http://<your web server>/lpar2rrd/
  Use Ctrl-F5 to refresh the web browser cache.