This document discusses extending Zabbix using its API. [1] It describes a real-world example of a service called Tribily that provides server monitoring as a service (SMaaS) by interfacing with Zabbix through a custom Drupal module. [2] The module allows users to be created in Zabbix corresponding to Drupal users and assigns templates based on roles to centrally manage monitoring configurations. [3] Challenges in working with an older Zabbix API are discussed as well as plans for further improving the integration between Drupal and Zabbix.

1. Extending Zabbix using the API
A real world example
October 1st, 2011
Zabbix Conference, Riga, Latvia
Walter Heck, Tribily.com

2. Introduction
2
The zabbix API is still quite new, but already quite
powerful. This presentation will show you one of many
uses for it. Be inspired!

3. Who am I?
3
• Walter Heck, 30 years old
• Ex-Delphi programmer
• Location independent
• MySQL Consultant for Open Query
• Narcoleptic
• Traveler / hitchhiker / couchsurfer / diver / hiker /
geek / environmentalist / metalhead

4. Tribily
4
• Server monitoring as a service (SMaaS)
• Role = 1 or more templates
• Template is either an App, OS, or hardware
• Self-defined Restrictions
• Active only hosts
• 1 User <=> 1Hostgroup <=> 1Usergroup
• Zabbix permissions read-only
• All writes done through Drupal module

5. Drupal module
5
• Custom module written in PHP, started from
scratch
• Fully Open Source: http://github.com/tribily
•

6. Zabbix
6
• Currently 1.8.2, but API is young and buggy,
imminent upgrade to 1.8.8
• Interfacing using PHP API class by Andrew Farley
• Only admin user has API permissions turned on

7. Structure
7
• Login first, PHP API will check
// This logs into Zabbix, and returns FALSE if it fails
return ZabbixAPI::login($API_url, $API_user, $API_pass);
• Then execute your method
$trigger = ZabbixAPI::fetch_array('trigger', 'get', $options)
or drupal_set_message('Unable to get zabbix triggers: ' .
serialize(ZabbixAPI::getLastError(), TRUE), DRUPAL_MSG_TYPE_ERR);

8. Module functionality - user
8
• Create zabbix user, usergroup and hostgroup on
creation of drupal user
• Create hosts (no IP or DNS, status monitored)
• Assign templates based on roles

9. Module functionality – Admin
9
• Update actions text (hundreds of users, thousands
of actions!)
• Configuration options
• Zabbix API credentials

10. Challenges
10
• Using older 1.8.2, so not everything works or is
actually transparent, so lots of searching the zabbix
frontend source
• Not everything is implemented
• Sometimes delete and re-add works better then
update

11. Future plans
11
• Eventually replace frontend altogether (unless it
improves massively before that ;) ) and pull it into
drupal
• Multiple users / usergroups / hostgroups per drupal
user
• Daily / weekly / monthly reports

12. 12
Questions / Feedback ?

13. The End!
http://tribily.com
walter@tribily.com
@tribily