New view approach for cacti

JBs · Joined: 23 Oct 2004 Posts: 11

Hi Guys, instead of having only « one » view mode for cacti (graphs) which is not always obvious for people that are not directly in relation with the IT System, I’m developing a new visualisation system: the map view approach. This visualisation mode allows people to create network maps (from their own network infrastructure generally) with a soft such as MS Visio and then convert them into pictures (PNGs, JPGs).

They can upload their maps to the server and attach them on a parallel tree (map view tree). This second tree is managed exactly like the graph tree. The only difference is that you can attach a map to each Leaf and even multiple maps to a Leaf.

Each map is cut by the user in areas (HTML dynamic mapping). This is still not implemented in my code but it will be user friendly (no need to define manually the area’s values, there will have a kind of “drawing” tool). Each zone may be linked to another map (in the map view tree) or to a device graphed (native cacti graph view mode). Then, when requested the map is printed to the screen with the mapped zones and their links to the defined Tree / Leaf and a status of the linked device is reported directly onto the map (automatically generated by the application). There is also a list of mapped devices and a detailed status printed at the bottom of a map.

Here are a few screen shots, I think they will be more representative than my little speech: that’s not easy to explain how it works, the best thing is to see it in action.

I’m ok to publish my code. The only problem is that I had to make many modifications in the basic cacti 0.8.6 patched and currently I don’t know how to separate my code from cacti’s original code and keep that mod fully separated from cacti (and in that way allow users to use future versions of cacti with the mod). Maybe the cacti dev team will have an idea about that?

JBs · Joined: 23 Oct 2004 Posts: 11

Other screen shots

Please, feel free to ask any question if you have some. And sorry for my English

LA · Joined: 12 Nov 2004 Posts: 31 Location: sttutgart, germany

Hey nice Idea, keep posting as it develops,

Regards

Guest · Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2004 9:00 pm Post subject: Re: New view approach for cacti

JBs · Joined: 23 Oct 2004 Posts: 11

jas0420 · Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2005 9:05 pm Post subject:

JBs, I think what you were working on here was awesome! Did you get it to a stable condition? I'm looking for something exactly like that!

Great job!
Jason

JBs · Joined: 23 Oct 2004 Posts: 11

Hi jas0420, I'm happy to see that you are interested in that new feature, I didn't have time to work on it, the user part of the feature is fully functional (and free of bugs?), whereas the admin part has still to be developed.

In // I have to add new features to cacti, for example, I have developed a full threshold management tool (associates thresholds to data sources, to graphs, can be used with simple cdef functions etc ...) and I'm currently working on a tool which sends email notices to the associated administrators if some devices are down. As soon as both of these tools will be functional, I'll start with the Map View Approach admin.

Guest · Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2005 2:40 pm Post subject:

Imagine that... You're working on the exact three things I was hoping would find their way into Cacti! I had grand visions finding a way to accomplish at the very least Thresholds and Notifications. The Visio overlays would have been icing on the cake.

Our company has a ticketing system that is fed by collection boxes around the country which listen for SNMP traps and manipulate them into a format that is valid for the ticketing system (which takes care of the email notifications, opening a ticket, etc). I'm hoping to find a way to turn a threshold violation into an SNMP trap and pass it along as well.

On the spectrum of PHP programming from Beginner to Guru though, I'd rank myself as about a "Hasn't gone out to buy the PHP For Dummies book yet." Gotta have goals though...

If you ever find that you need a guinea pig to test something on, I'm definitely a willing participant.

Best of luck,
Jason

JBs · Joined: 23 Oct 2004 Posts: 11

Thanks Jason, I'm gonna have a discussion with my boss on next Monday to know if we can make a "pre release" of the new stuffs implemented in the cacti version we are adapting to our needs...

Maybe you are looking for a student to help you?

I'm last year IT engineering student and I'm still (desperately) looking for an internship to validate my studies (abroad as much as possible)

(what a salesman I am

maybe this is because I’ve been sending so many resumes during these two last weeks

LOL)

I’ll give you some news on Monday or Tuesday after having my boss’ point of view.

jas0420 · Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2005 5:51 pm Post subject:

I wish! I asked for an assistant for my regular work (Cacti/monitoring has become an after-hours hobby/obsession) about a month ago and pretty much got laughed at.

Keep your chin up though... A couple of weeks of job hunting seems like a long time now, but in the big picture of things it's not. Something will turn up![/i]

JBs · Joined: 23 Oct 2004 Posts: 11

Yeah, I know that I have to keep my chin up but the begining of my intership is getting really close

and as I still haven't anything (only negatives answers, which makes me thinking that companies do not need network engineers ...).

Anyway, I had a discussion with my boss today, he is not against distributing the sources of the cacti version which is adapted to our needs. There's still a few bunch of stuffs to study and we will surely realase a full package (integrating all the mods: user side of map view approach, thresholds manager, base of email notifications and some other improvements) based on the 0.8.6c version of cacti.

(There are no patches or stuffs like that, only the whole package).