Monitoring Windows Server 2008 R2 with SNMP and Cacti - part2

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Configure Cacti Server
Now we need to configure our Cacti server.  Type http://YourCactiServer/cacti/ into your web browser and login.

On the left side under the Management section click Devices.


Now in the center look  for the Devices heading in blue and click Add way over on the right side.

Enter a Description and Hostname/IP Address for your Windows server.  Under Host Template select Windows 2000/XP.  There is an updated Windows Vista/2008 template available in the Cacti forums which has more functions available.  Under SNMP Version choose Version 2.  Also in the SNMP Community field type in the community that you configured on the SNMP agent.  Click Create.

The screen should notify us at the top if the save was successful.  Cacti will display some of the SNMP information the Windows agent has configured like the Windows Version and the Contact info that we entered before.  On the right click “Create Graphs for this Host”.

Make sure that the correct host is displayed and under Graph Templates select a graph type that you want to create.  I’ll choose Host MIB – Processes to display the number of processes running on my server.  Not massively interesting, but something to get us started.  Click Create.

We can choose an alternate color for the processes parameter if we desire.  Click Create.

At the top in small letters it should display that the graph was created.  Now click Devices again on the left to go back to the device list.

Cacti should update the status of our Windows server as being “Up”.  It may take a little while for the status to update so you may need to go back and click Device on the left periodically.  I have noticed that devices appear to need to have a graph associated with them (as we did above) in order for the Up status to be achieved.
On the left click Graph Trees.

Way on the right side click Add across from the Graph Trees heading in blue.

We’ll place the host’s graphs under a host branch of the default tree.  Across from Tree Items on the right click Add.

For the Tree Item Type select Host.  Then for the Host field make sure the correct system is listed.  Graph Grouping Style should have Graph Template listed.  Click Create.  Now click the Graphs tab at the top.

Our new host should now appear under the Default Tree on the left.  Click the new host on the left.

If all goes well you’ll see a graph with the number of processes running on the Windows server.  Not a very exciting graph but hopefully it has wet your appetite for more.  If you’d like to add more graphs be sure and click the Console tab and go back into the Device list.  Have fun!