VBTK version 0.01 ================= VBTK is a collection of modules which can be used to build a complex monitoring system completely written in perl. It's system monitoring abilities are, at the moment, mostly limited to unix servers. But it also supports monitoring through SNMP, HTTP, SMTP, TCP, POP3, etc., and the framework is easily expanded. More modules will be added over time. It provides a central server with a simple web interface which shows statuses, history, monitoring details, and graphs. Note that the VB toolkit is just a group of modules. You write the final perl program which runs them yourself. But don't let that deter you, everything is defaulted and quite simple, so the final perl program is usually very simple. Also, there are several examples and templates to copy from. Note also that I wrote most of this during my commute, while sitting on public transportation, so it's not my best work ever, but I think it's still useful. DEPENDENCIES This module requires these other modules and libraries: Perl 5.6 libwww-perl Algorithm::Diff Date::Manip Mail::POP3Client Mail::Sendmail Storable SNMP If you want graphs, you'll also want to install rrdtool. (See http://www.rrdtool.com/index.html) I strongly recommend this! The VBServer doesn't run too well running directly on Windows. The little testing I've done has shown it to constantly lock up. I'm not sure why. However, it runs great under Cygwin on Windows, so I strongly suggest using Cygwin if you want to run this on Windows. INSTALLATION To install this module type the following: perl Makefile.PL make make test make install INITIAL CONFIGURATION The first step is to get the VBServer up and running. They you can see how it looks and add monitoring processes a little at a time. Also, once it's up and running, you will be able to view the VBTK POD documentation online, which gives further details on setting up your monitoring system. So first, pick a location to install the application files. I recommend /usr/vbtk. Now run the install ::TBD:: BUG REPORTING Please report bugs to vbtoolkit@yahoo.com. I can't promise I'll be responsive, but send away... COPYRIGHT AND LICENCE Copyright (C) 1996-2002 Brent Henry This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of version 2 of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation available at: http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.