nagios-plugins/FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions
**************************

Q: Where can I find documentation for <insert name> plugin?

A: All plugins that comply with minimal development guideline for
   this project include internal documentation.  The documentation
   can be read executing plugin with the -h or --help option. If 
   the '-h' option does not work, that is a bug.


Q: What version of <insert name> plugin am I running?

A: All plugins that comply with minimal development guideline for
   this project include detailed version information.  When executed
   with the '-V' option, a version string will be printed:

   check_radius (nagios-plugins 1.3.0-alpha1) 1.11

   Note that this string include both the assigned package release
   name and the CVS-generated revision for the individual plugin.
   Authors should strictly adhere to this format.  All bug reports
   and help requests should reference this information.


Q: What information do I need to include when asking for help or
   submitting a bug report?

A: At a minimum, the output from 'uname -a' and the version string
   from '<plugin_name> -V' and, of course, a description of the
   problem and any solution/patch.


Q: I'm using Redhat Linux (or some other RPM-based distribution).
   Which packages should I install?

A: The package nagios-plugins-<version>.<arch>.rpm contains only
   those plugins that should work on any POSIX compliant system.  In
   other words, you should be able to install this package on your
   system, no matter what else is or in not installed.

   However, most of us have more complex systems than barebones
   POSIX.  We tried creating a variety of separate packages so
   each dependency could be installed cleanly, but many people
   found that this resulted in too many packages.  So in the end,
   all the non-POSIX plugins were folded into one RPM 
   (nagios-plugins-<version>.<arch>.rpm).  Most people will need to
   use RPM's '--nodeps' option to install this package.


Q: My system uses the .deb package format. What packages should I
   install?

A: We strive for cooperation between all packagers and developers.
   The answers for .deb are the same as for RPM, after changing the
   package name suffixes accordingly.


Q: I prefer to build my own RPMs. Do I need to install all of the
   various dependencies?

A: Beginning with the 1.2.9-1 release, you may run

   rpm --define 'custom 1' -ta nagios-plugins-<release>.tar.gz

   In prior releases, you must unpack the tarball and build the
   RPM using nagios-custom.spec with 'rpm -ba'.


Q: I get an error like

   Warning: Return code of 127 for check of service 'PING' on host 'anyhost' was out of bounds.

   when I run Nagios. (Often check_ping runs just fine on the
   command line).

A: Commonly, system administrators will make security as tight as
   possible on the monitoring system. Sometimes this includes OS
   options or hardening scripts that prevent unprivileged users from
   running the ping command. Nagios runs with no more privileges
   than 'nobody' -- check to be sure that the nagios user can
   actually run check ping.  (This can also happen with other binaries
   executed by nagios, but ping seems to be far and away the biggest
   offender.)


Q: I have a plugin to offer. What can I do?

A: You can make it available on NagiosExchange (http://nagiosexchange.org)
   where other people can find it for use.

   You can also get feedback on improving the plugin via the 
   nagiosplug-devel@lists.sourceforge.net mailing list.