doc::Smokeping::probes:doc::Smokeping::probes::passwordchecker(3)



NAME
       Smokeping::probes::passwordchecker - A Base Class for
       implementing SmokePing Probes

OVERVIEW
       Like Smokeping::probes::basefork, but supports a probe-
       specific configuration file for storing passwords and a
       method for accessing them.

SYNOPSIS
        *** Probes ***

        +passwordchecker

        forks = 5
        offset = 50%
        passwordfile = /some/place/secret
        step = 300
        timeout = 15

        # The following variables can be overridden in each target section
        pings = 5

        # [...]

        *** Targets ***

        probe = passwordchecker # if this should be the default probe

        # [...]

        + mytarget
        # probe = passwordchecker # if the default probe is something else
        host = my.host
        pings = 5

DESCRIPTION
       synopsis with more detail

       SmokePing main configuration file:

        *** Probes ***
        + MyPasswordChecker
        # location of the file containing usernames and passwords
        passwordfile = /usr/share/smokeping/etc/passwords

       The specified password file:

        # host:username:password
        host1:joe:hardlyasecret
         # comments and whitespace lines are allowed

        host2:sue:notasecreteither

       Actual description

       In implementing authentication probes, it might not be
       desirable to store the necessary cleartext passwords in
       the SmokePing main configuration file, since the latter
       must be readable both by the SmokePing daemon performing
       the probes and the CGI that displays the results. If the
       passwords are stored in a different file, this file can be
       made readable by only the user the daemon runs as. This
       way we can be sure that nobody can trick the CGI into dis-
       playing the passwords on the Web.

       This module reads the passwords in at startup from the
       file specified in the probe-specific variable `password-
       file'. The passwords can later be accessed and modified by
       the password method, that needs the corresponding host and
       username as arguments.

       Password file format

       The password file format is simply one line for each
       triplet of host, username and password, separated from
       each other by colons (:).

       Comment lines, starting with the `#' sign, are ignored, as
       well as empty lines.

VARIABLES
       Supported probe-specific variables:

       forks
           Run this many concurrent processes at maximum

           Example value: 5

           Default value: 5

       offset
           If you run many probes concurrently you may want to
           prevent them from hitting your network all at the same
           time. Using the probe-specific offset parameter you
           can change the point in time when each probe will be
           run. Offset is specified in % of total interval, or
           alternatively as 'random', and the offset from the
           'General' section is used if nothing is specified
           here. Note that this does NOT influence the rrds
           itself, it is just a matter of when data acqusition is
           initiated.  (This variable is only applicable if the
           variable 'concurrentprobes' is set in the 'General'
           section.)

           Example value: 50%

       passwordfile
           Location of the file containing usernames and pass-
           words.

           Example value: /some/place/secret

       step
           Duration of the base interval that this probe should
           use, if different from the one specified in the
           'Database' section. Note that the step in the RRD
           files is fixed when they are originally generated, and
           if you change the step parameter afterwards, you'll
           have to delete the old RRD files or somehow convert
           them. (This variable is only applicable if the vari-
           able 'concurrentprobes' is set in the 'General' sec-
           tion.)

           Example value: 300

       timeout
           How long a single 'ping' takes at maximum

           Example value: 15

           Default value: 5

       Supported target-specific variables:

       pings
           How many pings should be sent to each target, if dif-
           ferent from the global value specified in the Database
           section. Note that the number of pings in the RRD
           files is fixed when they are originally generated, and
           if you change this parameter afterwards, you'll have
           to delete the old RRD files or somehow convert them.

           Example value: 5

AUTHORS
       Niko Tyni <ntyni@iki.fi>

BUGS
       The need for storing cleartext passwords can be considered
       a bug in itself.

SEE ALSO
       Smokeping::probes::basefork, Smokeping::probes::Radius,
       Smokeping::probes::LDAP



2.0.9                  doc::Smokeping::probes::passwordchecker(3)
