This document discusses using RSpec tests to check server configurations and integrating those tests with the monitoring tool Sensu. It recommends running RSpec tests frequently via Sensu to simplify monitoring and overlap with traditional checks. It outlines an iteration where Sensu runs RSpec tests and reports individual test results and summaries to provide monitoring of server configurations.

1. +
MICHAEL RICHARDSON - @M_RICHO
Testing and Monitoring
Collide

2. WHAT IS IT?
RSpec Tests for checking your servers are
configured correctly

3. CM/PROVISIONING TOOL AGNOSTIC

4. CM/PROVISIONING TOOL AGNOSTIC
SERVERS CAN BE BUILT USING
• CHEF
• PUPPET
• CF-ENGINE
• ANSIBLE
• POWER SHELL
• SHELL SCRIPTS
• MANUAL HACK
• WHAT EVER.

5. 26 RESOURE TYPES INCLUDING
• COMMAND
• DEFAULT_GATEWAY
• FILE
• GROUP
• HOST
• INTERFACE
• IPTABLES
• KERNEL_MODULE
• PACKAGE
• PORT
• PROCESS
• SERVICE
• USER
• WINDOWS_REGISTRY_KEY

7. That’s super fast

8. WHEN TO RUN SERVERSPEC TESTS?
??

9. WHEN TO RUN SERVERSPEC TESTS?
That’s super useful
• When developing config management code (eg
puppet/chef)
• When validating a node or environment

10. WHEN TO RUN SERVERSPEC TESTS?
Hell yeah. That’s a
great idea.
• What about every 2 minutes on all hosts via your
monitoring tool

11. WHY?
• Fast
• Lightweight
• Overlaps with traditional monitoring checks
• Simplifies monitoring tool config

12. WE USE SENSU FOR MONITORING
It’s
• Simple
• Extensible
• Lightweight
• Simple to install on linux and windows.
• blah…
• blah…

13. ITERATION 1+
GET SENSU TO JUST RUN THE RSPEC TESTS

14. ITERATION 1+
RSpec stdout isn’t great to simply pass back to a
monitoring tool.

15. ITERATION 1+
SURE, WE CAN TIDY UP RSPEC STD OUT
But now have no idea which tests are failing 

16. 2 USEFUL FEATURES TO THE RESCUE
1. Rspec JSON output format
2. Sensu-Client has a local socket to
accept check results

17. RSPEC JSON OUTPUT
4 example
tests
Summary
results

18. SENSU CLIENT SOCKET
Send results here
Failures appear here

19. ITERATION 2+

20. ITERATION 2+
RSpec in json format
Send each test result
to sensu socket
Report summary serverspec results
to back to sensu defined check
Iterate over rspec results

21. ITERATION 2+
Summary results Individual test failures

22. SUMMARY
1. Write tests for your systems
2. Don’t duplicate effort.
3. Run your tests via a monitoring tool

23. THANK YOU
Michael Richardson - @m_richo
https://github.com/m-richo/sensu_check-rspec