Zenoss
Encyclopedia
Zenoss is an open source
application
, server
and network management
platform based on the Zope
application server. Released under the GNU General Public License
(GPL) version 2, Zenoss Core provides a web interface that allows system administrators to monitor availability, inventory/configuration, performance and events.
Development of Zenoss Core began in 2002 and in August 2005 the corporate patron of the project Zenoss, Inc. was founded. Zenoss, Inc. sponsors the development of Zenoss Core and sells an enterprise version based on the core version.
Zenoss Core is built upon the following open source
technologies:
Zenoss Core provides the following capabilities:
Other Linux versions will work with the stack installers as well as source for any other Unix systems.
A web-based portal provides operating system agnostic access to configuration and administration functions. Both Firefox and Internet Explorer are supported.
. In an interview with Jack Loftus of SearchEnterpriseLinux.com, Bill Karpovich explains what makes Zenoss different:
Closed-source vendors include BMC
, HP OpenView, Orion
, AdRem NetCrunch
and CA.
In his review, Ballard finds the installation troubling. "Unfortunately, getting started was challenging as Zenoss provided no context-sensitive help to guide us through a truly staggering number of configuration options."
In the "Clear Choice Tests" Network World reviewer Barry Nance offers the following praise for Zenoss Core 2, "Even more impressive than its discovery of our network is its remediation features, which can automatically execute start or stop operations for a Windows service, for example." Nance's review finds that "Zenoss Core doesn’t support as many diverse devices as HP OpenView or Argent Extended Technologies, nor does it monitor Microsoft Exchange or SQL Server as closely as a commercial tool does."
SYS-CON Media awards Zenoss Core the 2007 Enterprise Open Source Reader's choice award for best Linux systems management software. Reader choice awards are nominated and voted on by the community of Enterprise Open Source Magazine readers.
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
application
Application software
Application software, also known as an application or an "app", is computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks. Examples include enterprise software, accounting software, office suites, graphics software and media players. Many application programs deal principally with...
, server
Server (computing)
In the context of client-server architecture, a server is a computer program running to serve the requests of other programs, the "clients". Thus, the "server" performs some computational task on behalf of "clients"...
and network management
Network management
Network management refers to the activities, methods, procedures, and tools that pertain to the operation, administration, maintenance, and provisioning of networked systems....
platform based on the Zope
Zope
Zope is a free and open-source, object-oriented Web application server written in the Python programming language. Zope stands for "Z Object Publishing Environment", and was the first system using the now common object publishing methodology for the Web...
application server. Released under the GNU General Public License
GNU General Public License
The GNU General Public License is the most widely used free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU Project....
(GPL) version 2, Zenoss Core provides a web interface that allows system administrators to monitor availability, inventory/configuration, performance and events.
Development of Zenoss Core began in 2002 and in August 2005 the corporate patron of the project Zenoss, Inc. was founded. Zenoss, Inc. sponsors the development of Zenoss Core and sells an enterprise version based on the core version.
Project milestones
Zenoss maintains an active developer community. Notable project milestones include:- 2002: Erik Dahl began development on Zenoss.
- August 2005: Erik Dahl and Bill Karpovich form Zenoss Inc.
- March 2006: Zenoss made available on SourceForge.netSourceForge.netSourceForge is a web-based source code repository. It acts as a centralized location for software developers to control and manage open source software development. The website runs a version of SourceForge Enterprise Edition, forked from the last open-source version available...
. - November 2006: Zenoss Core Version 1.0 released.
- June 2007: Zenoss Core 2.0 released.
- July 2007: Zenoss Enterprise 2.0 released.
- October 2007: Zenoss Core 2.1 released.
- November 2007: Zenoss Enterprise 2.1 released.
- May 2008: Zenoss Core 2.2 released.
- November 2008: Zenoss Core 2.3 released.
- May 2009: Zenoss Core 2.4 released.
- October 2009: Zenoss Core 2.5 released.
- July 2010: Zenoss Core 3.0 released.
Technology overview
Zenoss Core combines original programming and several open source projects to integrate data storage and data collection processes with a web-based user interface.Zenoss Core is built upon the following open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
technologies:
- ZopeZopeZope is a free and open-source, object-oriented Web application server written in the Python programming language. Zope stands for "Z Object Publishing Environment", and was the first system using the now common object publishing methodology for the Web...
Application server: An object-oriented web server written in Python. - PythonPython (programming language)Python is a general-purpose, high-level programming language whose design philosophy emphasizes code readability. Python claims to "[combine] remarkable power with very clear syntax", and its standard library is large and comprehensive...
: Extensible programming language. - Net-SNMPNet-SNMPNet-SNMP is a suite of software for using and deploying the SNMP protocol . It supports IPv4, IPv6, IPX, AAL5, Unix domain sockets and other transports...
: Monitoring protocol that collects systems status information. - RRDtoolRRDtoolRRDtool aims to handle time-series data like network bandwidth, temperatures, CPU load, etc...
: Graph and log time series data. - MySQLMySQLMySQL officially, but also commonly "My Sequel") is a relational database management system that runs as a server providing multi-user access to a number of databases. It is named after developer Michael Widenius' daughter, My...
: A popular open source database. - TwistedTwisted (software)Twisted is an event-driven network programming framework written in Python and licensed under the MIT License.Twisted projects variously support TCP, UDP, SSL/TLS, IP Multicast, Unix domain sockets, a large number of protocols , and much more...
: An event-driven networking engine written in Python.
Zenoss Core provides the following capabilities:
- Monitoring availability of network devices using SNMP, SSH, WMI
- Monitoring of network services (HTTP, POP3, NNTP, SNMP, FTP)
- Monitoring of host resources (processorMicroprocessorA microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit on a single integrated circuit, or at most a few integrated circuits. It is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and...
, disk usage) on most network operating systems. - Time-series performance monitoring of devices
- Extended Microsoft WindowsMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
monitoring via Windows Management InstrumentationWindows Management InstrumentationWindows Management Instrumentation is a set of extensions to the Windows Driver Model that provides an operating system interface through which instrumented components provide information and notification...
using SAMBASambaSamba is a Brazilian dance and musical genre originating in Bahia and with its roots in Brazil and Africa via the West African slave trade and African religious traditions. It is recognized around the world as a symbol of Brazil and the Brazilian Carnival...
and Zenoss open source extensions - Event management tools to annotate system alerts
- Automatically discovers network resources and changes in network configuration
- Alerting system provides notifications based on rule sets and on-call calendars
- Supports NagiosNagiosNagios is a popular open source computer system and network monitoring software application. It watches hosts and services, alerting users when things go wrong and again when they get better....
plug-in format
Platform
Zenoss Inc. lists the following operating systems for Zenoss Core on their download page:- Red Hat Enterprise LinuxRed Hat Enterprise LinuxRed Hat Enterprise Linux is a Linux-based operating system developed by Red Hat and targeted toward the commercial market. Red Hat Enterprise Linux is released in server versions for x86, x86-64, Itanium, PowerPC and IBM System z, and desktop versions for x86 and x86-64...
/ CentOSCentOSCentOS is a free operating system based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux . It exists to provide a free enterprise class computing platform and strives to maintain 100% binary compatibility with its upstream distribution...
(4, 5) - FedoraFedora (operating system)Fedora is a RPM-based, general purpose collection of software, including an operating system based on the Linux kernel, developed by the community-supported Fedora Project and sponsored by Red Hat...
(9, 10, 11) - UbuntuUbuntu (operating system)Ubuntu is a computer operating system based on the Debian Linux distribution and distributed as free and open source software. It is named after the Southern African philosophy of Ubuntu...
(6.06, 8.04) - DebianDebianDebian is a computer operating system composed of software packages released as free and open source software primarily under the GNU General Public License along with other free software licenses. Debian GNU/Linux, which includes the GNU OS tools and Linux kernel, is a popular and influential...
(5) - SuSE (10.X)
- OpenSUSEOpenSUSEopenSUSE is a general purpose operating system built on top of the Linux kernel, developed by the community-supported openSUSE Project and sponsored by SUSE...
(10.3, 11.1) - Mac OS XMac OS XMac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
(10.5 Intel, PPC from source, 10.6) - VMwareVMwareVMware, Inc. is a company providing virtualization software founded in 1998 and based in Palo Alto, California, USA. The company was acquired by EMC Corporation in 2004, and operates as a separate software subsidiary ....
Appliance - FreeBSDFreeBSDFreeBSD is a free Unix-like operating system descended from AT&T UNIX via BSD UNIX. Although for legal reasons FreeBSD cannot be called “UNIX”, as the direct descendant of BSD UNIX , FreeBSD’s internals and system APIs are UNIX-compliant...
(6.x and 7.x from source) - Solaris (10 from source)
- Gentoo (from source)
Other Linux versions will work with the stack installers as well as source for any other Unix systems.
A web-based portal provides operating system agnostic access to configuration and administration functions. Both Firefox and Internet Explorer are supported.
ZenPacks
ZenPacks provide a plug-in architecture that allows community members to extend Zenoss's functionality. The authors are free to choose how they license their individual ZenPacks. ZenPacks are encapsulated in Python eggs and provide instrumentation and reports for monitored infrastructure components.Enterprise
The enterprise version builds on the core version by providing commercial support and additional features, such as synthetic web transactions and global dashboards. "In the enterprise edition," writes Sean Michael Kerner, "Zenoss is adding something it calls end-user experience monitoring which is intended to more accurately simulate end-user application activity." Kerner continues, "Enterprise users also get certified application monitors specifically geared for Microsoft SQL and Exchange."Related products
Zenoss competes with other open source and proprietary enterprise systems management products. Open source systems management products are available from GroundWork Open Source, Hyperic and OpsviewOpsview
Opsview is an open source network, server and application monitoring tool. It is released under the GNU General Public License version 2....
. In an interview with Jack Loftus of SearchEnterpriseLinux.com, Bill Karpovich explains what makes Zenoss different:
"Companies like GroundWork are similar to the Red Hat approach, where a company gathers up the pieces and puts support behind it. Our approach is we have always had the code and we are in control of its roadmap and indemnification. The Hyperic model is where a company comes from a commercial background and makes some of the code open source."
Closed-source vendors include BMC
BMC Software
BMC Software, Inc. is a multinational corporation specializing in Business Service Management software, with record annual revenue in fiscal 2009 of $1.87 billion...
, HP OpenView, Orion
SolarWinds
SolarWinds is a developer and marketer of network, applications, virtualization and storage management software.The company sells downloadable software products that maintain, monitor and troubleshoot IT networks...
, AdRem NetCrunch
NetCrunch
AdRem NetCrunch is a commercial software solution for agentless, cross-platform network monitoring developed by AdRem Software, Inc.The program monitors 65 network services, Windows applications; Windows, Linux, NetWare, BSD, Mac OS X systems and SNMP devices without agents; centralizes fault...
and CA.
Industry reviews
In a Network Computing review, Jeff Ballard singles out the Zenoss Core 2.0 user interface and event management system as highlights. Of the event management system, Ballard says, "By aggregating all events through a single rules-processing engine, Zenoss Core eliminates duplication, making for a manageable user interface."In his review, Ballard finds the installation troubling. "Unfortunately, getting started was challenging as Zenoss provided no context-sensitive help to guide us through a truly staggering number of configuration options."
In the "Clear Choice Tests" Network World reviewer Barry Nance offers the following praise for Zenoss Core 2, "Even more impressive than its discovery of our network is its remediation features, which can automatically execute start or stop operations for a Windows service, for example." Nance's review finds that "Zenoss Core doesn’t support as many diverse devices as HP OpenView or Argent Extended Technologies, nor does it monitor Microsoft Exchange or SQL Server as closely as a commercial tool does."
SYS-CON Media awards Zenoss Core the 2007 Enterprise Open Source Reader's choice award for best Linux systems management software. Reader choice awards are nominated and voted on by the community of Enterprise Open Source Magazine readers.
Books
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