How To Install Pandora FMS Monitoring

Tool in Ubuntu 18.04

Aaron KiliFebruary 12, 2020 Categories Monitoring Tools, Ubuntu 2 Comments

Pandora FMS (Flexible Monitoring System) is a free open-source, modern and highly scalable
full-featured IT infrastructure monitoring tool designed for all types of environments. It is used
to manage network equipment; Linux and other Unix-like servers and Windows servers; virtual
infrastructures and all kinds of applications.

Designed to be modular, multi-platform and easy to customize, Pandora FMS supports

monitoring of networks, servers, applications, databases, cloud and virtualization, logs, user
experience, and business processes.

It uses powerful agents for all operating systems to collect data from monitored systems and
devices, supports both local and remote network monitoring, auto-monitoring where agents
detect storage devices, partitions or databases, and many other things. Agents can control system
components such as services, execute processes or remove temporary files and more.

It also features a flexible notification and alert system, supports remote access via tools such as
eHorus and SSH, auto-discovery of networks, network elements, network topology, etc. And has
an integrated reporting system with dozens of different report templates and graphs for analysis.
Notably, it is fully compatible with most open-source tools and experienced users can also create
custom integrations with the services of their choice and so much more.

Pandora FMS Components:

 Pandora FMS Servers – A Perl-based program in charge of performing checks,

collecting, aggregating and processing the data. They save data (generated by them or
agents) into the database. All servers are integrated into a single multi-threaded
application.
 Pandora FMS Console – A PHP-based user interface (UI) to operate and manage the
monitoring system. It is powered by a database(MySQL/MariaDB by default) and a web
server (Apache by default). It is also in charge of displaying the information present in
the database.
 Database – A data about the monitoring system (administrator configurations from the
UI, data from agents, events, etc.) is stored in the database.
 Software Agents – A applications installed on monitored systems, and run as daemons or
services to collect the data to send it to the Pandora FMS servers.

System Hardware Requirements:

The following are the minimum requirements for different installation environments.
Small Installation: a few to 500 Agents

 1 core at 2 GHz
 4 GB RAM
 20 GB Hard disk space

Medium Installation: up to 2000 Agents

 2 cores at 2.5 GHz

 8 GB RAM
 60 GB Hard disk space

Large installation: for more than 4000 Agents

 4 core at 3 GHz
 16 GB RAM
 120 GB Hard disk space

In this article, we will walk through you the process of installing the latest version of the
Pandora FMS monitoring tool in the Ubuntu 18.04 LTS server.

Step 1: Installing Dependencies and Required Packages

1. Login to your Ubuntu server, update your APT package cache and install all the required
dependencies for the Pandora server which includes a number of Perl modules, the Apache
HTTP server, PHP and it’s modules, and the MariaDB database server, among others, from the
default repositories by running the following commands.

$ sudo apt-get update

$ sudo apt-get installsnmp snmpd libtime-format-perl libxml-simple-perl
libxml-twig-perl libdbi-perl libnetaddr-ip-perl libhtml-parser-perl xprobe2
nmap libmail-sendmail-perl traceroute libio-socket-inet6-perl libhtml-tree-
perl libsnmp-perl snmp-mibs-downloader libio-socket-multicast-perl libsnmp-
perl libjson-perl php libapache2-mod-php apache2 mariadb-server mariadb-client
php-gd php-mysql php-pear php-snmp php-db php-gettext graphviz php-curl php-
xmlrpc php-ldap dbconfig-common

2. Once the installation is complete, check if the Apache2 service is up and running. Also check
if it is enabled to automatically start at system boot, using the following systemctl commands.

$ sudo systemctl status apache2.service

$ sudo systemctl is-enabled apache2.service
Check Apache Status in Ubuntu

3. Also check if the MariaDB service is up and running, and is enabled.

$ sudo systemctl status mariadb.service

$ sudo systemctl is-enabled mariadb.service
Check MariaDB Status in Ubuntu

4. Create a password for the MariaDB database root user, using the mysqladmin database server
administration utility as shown.

$ sudo mysqladmin password

Set MySQL Root Password

5. By default on Ubuntu, MySQL/MariaDB is configured to use the UNIX auth_socket plugin.

This prevents the console installation script from running successfully especially at the point of
the creation of the pandora database by the root user. So you need to update the authentication
plugin for the root user to use mysql_native_password.

$ sudo mysql -u root

> USE mysql;
> UPDATE user SET plugin='mysql_native_password' WHERE User='root';
> FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
> EXIT;
6. Next, improve the security of your MariaDB server by running the
mysql_secure_installation shell script.

$ sudo mysql_secure_installation

After running the script, follow the prompts (as shown in the screenshot):

 Enter current password for root (enter for none): (enter the password set in step 4).
 Change the root password? [Y/n] n
 Remove anonymous users? [Y/n] y
 Disallow root login remotely? [Y/n] y
 Remove test database and access to it? [Y/n] y
 Reload privilege tables now? [Y/n] y
Secure MariaDB Server

7. Another required dependency is WMI client which is not in the Ubuntu repositories. You
need to download and install it from the Pandora repository on SourceForge as shown.

$ wget https://sourceforge.net/projects/pandora/files/Tools%20and
%20dependencies%20%28All%20versions%29/DEB%20Debian%2C%20Ubuntu/wmi-
client_0112-1_amd64.deb
$ sudo dpkg -i wmi-client_0112-1_amd64.deb

Step 2: Installing Pandora Server and Console

8. Now download the Pandora server and console DEB packages by running the following wget
commands.

$ wget https://sourceforge.net/projects/pandora/files/Pandora%20FMS
%207.0NG/743/Debian_Ubuntu/pandorafms.console_7.0NG.743.deb
$ wget https://sourceforge.net/projects/pandora/files/Pandora%20FMS
%207.0NG/743/Debian_Ubuntu/pandorafms.server_7.0NG.743.deb

9. Once you have downloaded both files, install them using the dpkg command as shown. The
installation should fail due to some dependency issues as seen in the screenshot. To fix the
issues, go to the next step.

$ sudo dpkg -i pandorafms.console_7.0NG.743.deb

pandorafms.server_7.0NG.743.deb
Install Pandora FMS and Console

10. Run the following command to automatically fix the dependency issues from the previous
step.

$ sudo apt-get -f install

Fix Installation Dependency Issues

11. After the packages are installed, the installer will restart the Apache2 service and start the
Pandora FMS Websocket engine as indicated in the command output.

Installation Summary of Pandora FMS and Console

12. The Pandora console is installed in the path /var/www/html/pandora_console/. You can
use the ls command to view the directory contents.

$ sudo ls /var/www/html/pandora_console/

Pandora Console Directory Contents

13. If you have the UFW firewall service enabled and running, issue the following commands to
allow HTTP and HTTPS requests through the firewall to the Apache2 HTTP server before
accessing the Pandora console.

$ sudo ufw allow http

$ sudo ufw allow https
$ sudo ufw reload

Step 3: Complete PandoraFMS Installation via Web Wizard

14. Now you need to complete the installation of the Pandora FMS Console from a web
browser. Point your browser to the following address to access the console installation wizard.

http://192.168.58.9/pandora_console/

After it loads, read the instructions and click Next to continue.

Pandora FMS Console Installation Wizard

15. Next, agree to the license terms by clicking “Yes, I accept license terms”.
Accept Pandora FMS Console License

16. Then the installer will check software dependencies. If all is OK, click Next.
Checks Software Dependencies

17. Now provide the MariaDB database root user password to create the Pandora FMS
database and a database user (read the instructions). Then click Next.
Create Pandora FMS Database

18. Next, the installer will create the Pandora database and a MySQL user to access it, and
create a random password for the MySQL user, take note of it (the password), you need to set in
the Pandora FM server configuration as explained later on.

Besides, it will create a new configuration file located at

/var/www/html/pandora_console/include/config.php. Click Next to complete the installation
process.
Pandora FMS Database Configuration

19. When the installation is complete, rename the installation script by clicking on “Yes, rename
the file” or completely remove it.

$ sudo rm /var/www/html/pandora_console/install.php

To access the console login page, click on “click here to access your Pandora FMS Console”.
Pandora FMS Installation Complete

20. At the login page, use the default login credentials to log in:

username: admin
password: pandora
Pandora FMS Login

21. Next, configure the console by providing the language code, timezone, and email for
receiving alerts.
Configure Pandora FMS Console
22. The following screenshot shows the Pandora FMS admin users’ default dashboard without
any monitoring information.
Pandora Console Default Dashboard

23. Next, to secure the Pandora console admin user’s account, change the default password to
something strong and secure. Click on the admin user, then on the profile page, enter a new
password and confirm it. Then click Update.
Change Pandora FMS Console Admin Password

Step 4: Performing Pandora FMS Server Initial and Basic Configuration

24. To start monitoring, you need to configure the Pandora server. Open and edit the file named
‘/etc/pandora/pandora_server.conf‘.

$ sudo vi /etc/pandora/pandora_server.conf

and look for the following line and set the dbpass parameter value to the MySQL user password
(from step 18).

dbpass bempvuhb

Set MySQL User Password in Pandora Configuration

25. Finally, restart the Pandora service and check if it is up and running (in this case it should
fail/die).

$ sudo systemctl restart pandora_server.service

$ sudo systemctl status pandora_server.service
Check Pandora Server Status

26. The reason the Pandora service dies immediately after being started is that the default
service unit file doesn’t have the correct ExecStart command provided by the developers.

$ sudo vi /lib/systemd/system/pandora_server.service

Change the line:

ExecStart=/usr/bin/pandora_server /etc/pandora/pandora_server.conf -D

to

ExecStart=/etc/init.d/pandora_server start

Save the changes and then reload systemd configurations as shown.

$ sudo systemctl daemon-reload

27. Now try to start the Pandora FMS service once more and check if it is up and running, and
is enabled to auto-start at system boot as well.

$ sudo systemctl start pandora_server.service

$ sudo systemctl status pandora_server.service
$ sudo systemctl is-enabled pandora_server.service
Check Pandora FMS Service Status

28. Also, ensure that the Tentacle (a client/server file transfer protocol) service is up and
running.

$ sudo systemctl status tentacle_serverd.service

Check Tentacle Status

29. Finally, go back to the Pandora FMS console and refresh it to start monitoring the
installation server. You should be able to get some information about the localhost on the
dashboard as highlighted in the following screenshot.
How To Install and Connect an Agent to
Pandora FMS Server
Aaron KiliFebruary 12, 2020 Categories Monitoring Tools, Ubuntu 2 Comments

A Pandora FMS Agent is an application installed on computers to be monitored using the

Pandora FMS Monitoring System. Software agents perform checks on server resources (such as
CPU, RAM, storage devices, etc.) and installed applications and services (such as Nginx,
Apache, MySQL/MariaDB, PostgreSQL, etc.); they send the collected data to the Pandora FMS
Servers in XML format using one of the following protocols: SSH, FTP, NFS, Tentacle
(protocol) or any other data transfer means.

Note: Agents are only needed for server and resource monitoring, while network equipment
monitoring is done remotely thus no need to install software agents.

This article shows how to install Pandora FMS software agents and connect them to a Pandora
FMS Server instance for monitoring. This guide assumes that you already have a running
instance of a Pandora FMS server.

Installing Pandora FMS Agents in Linux Systems

On CentOS and RHEL distributions, run the following commands to install the required
dependencies packages, then download the latest version of the Pandora FMS agent RPM
package and install it.

# yum install wget perl-Sys-Syslog perl-YAML-Tiny

# wget https://sourceforge.net/projects/pandora/files/Pandora%20FMS
%207.0NG/743/RHEL_CentOS/pandorafms_agent_unix-7.0NG.743-1.noarch.rpm
# yum install pandorafms_agent_unix-7.0NG.743-1.noarch.rpm

On Ubuntu and Debian distributions, issue the following commands to download the latest
agent DEB package and install it.

$ wget https://sourceforge.net/projects/pandora/files/Pandora%20FMS
%207.0NG/743/Debian_Ubuntu/pandorafms.agent_unix_7.0NG.743.deb
$ sudo dpkg -i pandorafms.agent_unix_7.0NG.743.deb
$ sudo apt-get -f install

Configuring Pandora FMS Agents in Linux Systems

After successfully installing the software agent package, configure it to communicate with the
Pandora FMS server, in the /etc/pandora/pandora_agent.conf configuration file.
# vi /etc/pandora/pandora_agent.conf

Look for the server configuration parameter and set its value to the IP address of the Pandora
FMS server as shown in the following screenshot.

Configure Pandora FMS Agent

Save the file and then start the Pandora agent daemon service, enable it to auto-start at system
boot and verify the service is up and running.

# systemctl start pandora_agent_daemon.service

# systemctl enable pandora_agent_daemon.service
# systemctl status pandora_agent_daemon.service

Adding New Agent to Pandora FMS Server

Next, you need to add the new agent via the Pandora FMS console. Go to the web browser and
log into the Pandora FMS server console and then go to Resources ==> Manage Agents.
Pandora FMS Resources Tab

From the next screen, click on Create agent to define a new agent.

Create a New Agent in Pandora FMS

At the Agent Manager page, define a new agent by filling the form as shown in the following
screenshot. Once you are done, click on Create.
Add Agent Details and Create

After adding agents, they should reflect in the front page summary as highlighted in the
following screenshot.

Pandora FMS Agent Summary

If you view the newly created agent under Agent details and highlight its status indicator, it
should show no monitors. So you need to create modules for monitoring the host the agent is
running on, as explained in the next section.

View Pandora FMS Agent Details

Configuring a Module for Remote Agent Monitoring

For this guide, we will create a module to check if the remote host is live (can be pinged). To
create a module, go to Resource ==> Manage agents. At the Agents defined in the Pandora
FMS screen, click on the agent name to edit it.

Open Agent to Define Module

Once it loads, click on the Modules link as highlighted in the following screenshot.
View Agent Modules

Then select the module type (e.g Create a new network server module) from the next screen
and click Create.
Select A Agent Module Type

From the next screen, select the module component group (e.g Network Management) and its
actual check type (e.g Host Alive). Then fill in the other fields, and ensure that the Target IP is
of the host to be monitored. Then click Create.
Agent Module Created

Next, refresh the console and try to view the agent under Agent details, and highlight its status
indicator, it should show “All monitors are OK”. And under modules, it should show that there
is one module that is in a normal state.
Check Status of Agent in Pandora FMS

When you open the agent now, it should display some monitoring information as highlighted in
the following screenshot.
Agent Monitoring Overview

To test if the module is working fine, you can shut down the remote host and reset the modules
for the agent. It should indicate a critical status (RED color).
Agent Critical Status Alert