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Static Sensors, Counters, and Status Monitoring

Observium provides powerful static monitoring capabilities that allow you to monitor custom SNMP OIDs that aren't automatically discovered. This is particularly useful for vendor-specific MIBs, custom applications, or devices with non-standard implementations.

Overview

Static monitoring supports three entity types:

  • Static Sensors - Monitor numeric values (temperature, voltage, etc.)
  • Static Counters - Monitor incrementing values (packet counts, byte counts, etc.)
  • Static Status - Monitor state values with custom translations (power states, operational status, etc.)

Static Sensors

Static sensors allow you to monitor any SNMP OID that returns a numeric value.

Configuration

Add sensor configurations to your config.php:

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$config['sensors']['static'][] = [
    'device_id' => '123',                           // Target device ID
    'class' => 'temperature',                       // Sensor class (temperature, voltage, current, etc.)
    'oid' => '1.3.6.1.4.1.12345.1.2.3.0',         // SNMP OID to poll
    'descr' => 'External Temperature Sensor',       // Human description
    'multiplier' => 0.1,                           // Scale factor (value * multiplier)
    'limit' => 80,                                 // Optional: high limit (alert)
    'limit_low' => -20,                            // Optional: low limit (alert)
    'limit_warn' => 70,                            // Optional: high warning limit
    'limit_low_warn' => 0                          // Optional: low warning limit
];

Sensor Classes

Common sensor classes include:

  • temperature - Temperature sensors (°C)
  • voltage - Voltage sensors (V)
  • current - Current sensors (A)
  • power - Power sensors (W)
  • humidity - Humidity sensors (%)
  • fanspeed - Fan speed (RPM)
  • load - Generic load/usage (%)
  • pressure - Pressure sensors
  • signal - Signal strength (dBm)

Example: Multiple Sensors

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// UPS temperature sensors
$config['sensors']['static'][] = [
    'device_id' => '456',
    'class' => 'temperature',
    'oid' => '1.3.6.1.4.1.5491.2.7.1.2.1.1.1.8.0',
    'descr' => 'UPS Internal Temperature',
    'multiplier' => 1,
    'limit' => 60,
    'limit_warn' => 50
];

// Custom voltage monitoring
$config['sensors']['static'][] = [
    'device_id' => '456',
    'class' => 'voltage',
    'oid' => '1.3.6.1.4.1.5491.2.7.1.2.1.1.1.3.0',
    'descr' => 'Battery Voltage',
    'multiplier' => 0.1,
    'limit' => 14.4,
    'limit_low' => 10.8
];

Static Counters

Static counters monitor incrementing values and automatically calculate rates.

Configuration

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$config['counters']['static'][] = [
    'device_id' => '789',                          // Target device ID
    'class' => 'counter',                          // Counter class
    'oid' => '1.3.6.1.4.1.12345.1.5.2.0',        // SNMP OID to poll
    'descr' => 'Custom Packet Counter',            // Human description
    'multiplier' => 1,                             // Scale factor
    'counter_unit' => 'pps',                       // Optional: unit for rates
    'limit' => 1000000,                           // Optional: rate limit
    'limit_warn' => 800000                        // Optional: rate warning
];

Counter Classes

  • counter - Generic counter
  • traffic - Network traffic counters
  • packets - Packet counters
  • errors - Error counters
  • storage - Storage counters

Example: Application Counters

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// Database query counter
$config['counters']['static'][] = [
    'device_id' => '101',
    'class' => 'counter',
    'oid' => '1.3.6.1.4.1.99999.1.1.1.0',
    'descr' => 'Database Queries',
    'multiplier' => 1,
    'counter_unit' => 'qps'
];

// Custom error counter
$config['counters']['static'][] = [
    'device_id' => '101',
    'class' => 'errors',
    'oid' => '1.3.6.1.4.1.99999.1.2.1.0',
    'descr' => 'Application Errors',
    'multiplier' => 1
];

Static Status

Static status monitoring allows you to monitor state values with custom name and event translations. This is perfect for vendor-specific status OIDs that aren't covered by standard MIBs.

Configuration Options

Static status supports three configuration approaches:

1. Existing MIB Status Types

Use existing Observium MIB status definitions:

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$config['status']['static'][] = [
    'device_id' => '123',
    'oid' => '1.3.6.1.4.1.9.9.500.1.2.1.1.3.1001',
    'type' => 'cisco-stackwise-member-state',       // Use existing MIB status type
    'descr' => 'Switch 1 Role'
];

2. Shared Custom State Types

Define reusable state types for multiple devices:

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// Define shared state type
$config['status']['static_states']['custom-power-state'] = [
    0 => ['name' => 'off', 'event' => 'alert'],
    1 => ['name' => 'on', 'event' => 'ok'],
    2 => ['name' => 'standby', 'event' => 'warning'],
    3 => ['name' => 'fault', 'event' => 'alert']
];

// Use shared state type on multiple devices
$config['status']['static'][] = [
    'device_id' => '456',
    'oid' => '1.3.6.1.4.1.12345.1.2.3.0',
    'type' => 'custom-power-state',
    'descr' => 'External PSU 1'
];

$config['status']['static'][] = [
    'device_id' => '456',
    'oid' => '1.3.6.1.4.1.12345.1.2.4.0',
    'type' => 'custom-power-state',
    'descr' => 'External PSU 2'
];

3. Inline States (Perfect for One-off Devices)

Define states directly in the configuration entry:

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$config['status']['static'][] = [
    'device_id' => '789',
    'oid' => '1.3.6.1.4.1.99999.5.1.2.0',
    'type' => 'schneider-door-sensor',
    'descr' => 'Cabinet Door Sensor',
    'entPhysicalClass' => 'chassis',
    'states' => [
        0 => ['name' => 'closed', 'event' => 'ok'],
        1 => ['name' => 'open', 'event' => 'warning'],
        2 => ['name' => 'forced', 'event' => 'alert'],
        3 => ['name' => 'fault', 'event' => 'alert']
    ]
];

State Event Types

Each state value maps to an event type:

  • ok - Normal operation (green)
  • warning - Warning condition (yellow)
  • alert - Critical condition (red)
  • ignore - Ignore this state for alerting

Use Case: Schneider Electric Devices

Schneider devices often have vendor-specific MIBs that change between models. Static status is perfect for these:

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// Schneider UPS status
$config['status']['static'][] = [
    'device_id' => '500',
    'oid' => '1.3.6.1.4.1.705.1.5.11.0',
    'type' => 'schneider-ups-status',
    'descr' => 'UPS System Status',
    'states' => [
        1 => ['name' => 'unknown', 'event' => 'warning'],
        2 => ['name' => 'onLine', 'event' => 'ok'],
        3 => ['name' => 'onBattery', 'event' => 'warning'],
        4 => ['name' => 'onBoost', 'event' => 'warning'],
        5 => ['name' => 'sleeping', 'event' => 'ok'],
        6 => ['name' => 'onBypass', 'event' => 'warning'],
        7 => ['name' => 'rebooting', 'event' => 'warning'],
        8 => ['name' => 'standBy', 'event' => 'ok'],
        9 => ['name' => 'onBuck', 'event' => 'warning']
    ]
];

// Schneider environmental sensor
$config['status']['static'][] = [
    'device_id' => '500',
    'oid' => '1.3.6.1.4.1.705.1.8.1.0',
    'type' => 'schneider-env-status',
    'descr' => 'Environmental Alarm',
    'states' => [
        1 => ['name' => 'normal', 'event' => 'ok'],
        2 => ['name' => 'warning', 'event' => 'warning'],
        3 => ['name' => 'critical', 'event' => 'alert'],
        4 => ['name' => 'notPresent', 'event' => 'ignore']
    ]
];

Discovery and Polling

All static entities are:

  1. Discovered during the sensors discovery module
  2. Polled every polling cycle along with other sensors/counters/status
  3. Graphed automatically with appropriate RRD storage
  4. Alerted based on limits and events

Manual Discovery

To force discovery of new static configurations:

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sudo -u observium php discovery.php -h [device_id] -m sensors

Manual Polling

To test polling:

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sudo -u observium php poller.php -h [device_id] -m status
sudo -u observium php poller.php -h [device_id] -m sensors

Finding Device IDs

To find device IDs for configuration, they can be extracted from any device page URL:

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http://observium.domain.com/device/<device_id>/

Testing OIDs

Before adding static configurations, test OIDs manually:

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# Test SNMP polling
snmpget -v2c -c [community] [hostname] [oid]

# Example
snmpget -v2c -c public device.example.com 1.3.6.1.4.1.12345.1.2.3.0

Advanced Options

Physical Entity Association

Associate sensors with physical entities:

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$config['sensors']['static'][] = [
    'device_id' => '123',
    'class' => 'temperature',
    'oid' => '1.3.6.1.4.1.12345.1.2.3.5',
    'descr' => 'Slot 1 Temperature',
    'multiplier' => 1,
    'entPhysicalClass' => 'module',         // Physical class
    'entPhysicalIndex' => '5'               // Physical index
];

Measured Entity Association

Link status to specific entities for advanced alerting:

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$config['status']['static'][] = [
    'device_id' => '456',
    'oid' => '1.3.6.1.4.1.12345.1.3.2.1',
    'type' => 'port-link-state',
    'descr' => 'Port Link Status',
    'measured_class' => 'port',             // Entity class
    'measured_entity' => '12345'            // Entity ID
];

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

  1. "Skipped by unknown state value" - The polled value doesn't match any defined states
  2. No data in graphs - Check OID accessibility and SNMP credentials
  3. Status not updating - Verify state definitions match actual OID values

Debug Discovery

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sudo -u observium php discovery.php -h [device_id] -m sensors -d

Debug Polling

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sudo -u observium php poller.php -h [device_id] -m status -d

Best Practices

  1. Use descriptive names - Make status descriptions clear and specific
  2. Group related states - Use shared state types for similar devices
  3. Test OIDs first - Verify SNMP accessibility before adding configs
  4. Document custom states - Comment complex state mappings
  5. Use appropriate limits - Set meaningful thresholds for alerting
  6. Regular validation - Periodically verify custom monitoring is working

Examples by Vendor

APC UPS

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$config['sensors']['static'][] = [
    'device_id' => '100',
    'class' => 'load',
    'oid' => '1.3.6.1.4.1.318.1.1.1.4.2.3.0',
    'descr' => 'UPS Load Percentage',
    'multiplier' => 1
];

Eaton UPS

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$config['status']['static'][] = [
    'device_id' => '200',
    'oid' => '1.3.6.1.4.1.534.1.1.2.0',
    'type' => 'eaton-ups-status',
    'descr' => 'UPS Status',
    'states' => [
        1 => ['name' => 'other', 'event' => 'warning'],
        2 => ['name' => 'none', 'event' => 'ok'],
        3 => ['name' => 'normal', 'event' => 'ok'],
        4 => ['name' => 'bypass', 'event' => 'warning'],
        5 => ['name' => 'battery', 'event' => 'warning'],
        6 => ['name' => 'booster', 'event' => 'warning'],
        7 => ['name' => 'reducer', 'event' => 'warning']
    ]
];

Custom Application

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$config['counters']['static'][] = [
    'device_id' => '300',
    'class' => 'counter',
    'oid' => '1.3.6.1.4.1.99999.1.1.1.0',
    'descr' => 'Application Requests',
    'multiplier' => 1,
    'counter_unit' => 'req/s'
];

This static monitoring system provides the flexibility needed to monitor any SNMP-accessible metric, making it perfect for custom applications, vendor-specific devices, and filling gaps in automatic discovery.