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Agents : op5 NSClient++
   
op5 NSClient++
 
Installing and configuring op5 NSClient++
Plugins used with op5 NSClient++
check_nt
check_nrpe
Configuration files
Changing the configuration
To change the configuration
This is the agent used for monitoring Windows type operating systems.
This agent has the ability to function as a drop in replacement for NSClient providing the same features as NSClient combined with the ability to execute scripts on the monitored Windows server.
op5 NSClient++ runs as a service under
Windows 2000
Windows XP
Windows 2003
Windows 7
Windows 2008.
Windows 2008 R2
Windows 2012
Installing and configuring op5 NSClient++
The installation and configuration of op5 NSClient++ is covered in detail in the op5 video tutorial How to monitor windows servers:
http://www.op5.com/support/documentation/video-tutorials
Plugins used with op5 NSClient++
There are mainly two plugins that is used to communicate with op5 NSClient++:
check_nt
check_nrpe
check_nt
This plugin is used for all basic tests like
cpu
memory
disks
But it can also be used to check
Windows services
performances counters
Note: The perfered way is to use the check_nrpe_win commands.
check_nrpe
check_nrpe can also be used in the communication with op5 NSClient++. This one is normally used when you are performing checks on the Windows server with custom scripts.
Configuration files
NSClient++ operation is configured in a couple of plain text files called:
NSC.ini
op5.ini
custom.ini
They are located in the install directory.
Table 1 Description of the configurations files
 
File
Description
NSC.ini
This is the standard configuration file. This contains the default settings for NSClient++
This file might be overwritten during an update of NSClient++
op5.ini
This is a op5 specific configuration file. Here are the changes made by op5 entered.
This file might be overwritten during an update of NSClient++
custom.ini
This is where you shall place your own files.
It will never be overwritten during any update of NSClient++.
The default configuration provided is fully functional but there are some options that likely need to be changed.
Changing the configuration
To change the configuration
To change the configuration open the custom.ini file using your favorite text-editor (e.g. WordPad). This file is empty but take a look at NSC.ini to view all settings.
Read the NSC.ini file carefully to get a complete understanding of all configuration options. Lines starting with ; (semicolon) are comments.
Before the changes will take effect NSClient++ service must be restarted.
Options most likely in need for configuration are described bellow, section by section.

[Settings]
allowed_hosts=
This option lists all servers that are allowed to talk to the agent. Enter the IP-address of the op5 Monitor server. If this option is left blank anybody will be able to communicate with the agent.
[log]
debug=0
Set debug to 1 to enable debugging. This is normally not needed but can be very useful when debugging.
[NSClient]
port=1248
This is the port used for NSClient style requests, i.e. using the check_nt plugin. If any other application is already using the default port it might be necessary to change this option.
Note: If a non default port is used you also need to make changes on the op5 Monitor server.
[NRPE]
port=5666
This is the port used for nrpe style requests. In order for a minimum of configuration on the op5 Monitor server it’s recommended that this option is left with the default value. If this is changed new nrpe check commands using the configured port need to be created on the op5 Monitor server.
allow_arguments=0
Set this to 1 to enable the possibility to include arguments in nrpe requests. This could be considered a security risk so only enable this if needed. Also, make sure to set the allowed_hosts option described above if arguments are allowed.
[NRPE Handlers]
The nrpe handlers provide a way to execute any custom plugin/check command on the monitored Windows server. In this section you configure all the commands that should be available.
Example 1 Adding a custom script/plugin to NSClient++
command[my_custom]=c:\mycustomdir\my_prog.exe
Or the simplified syntax:
my_custom=c:\mycustomdir\my_prog.exe