Once you finish basic Zabbix 6.0 LTS installation following the Zabbix documentation, you can and should check this part for more details about required steps for RACOM products Zabbix support. The order of explained steps is not so important usually.

	Note
	If there is any particular Linux command, it is based on Debian11 OS.

We suggest various applications for future usage:

All the commands can be installed from the command line with:

# apt-get install traceroute nmap zabbix-sender sshpass

If you need, you can implement sending PDF reports automatically. The installation and functionality can vary from version to version so we do not describe step-by-step procedure here. Use Zabbix documentation for more details.

For RACOM products, multiple steps are required. Upload all the MIBs from respective devices (RipEX in our case) to /usr/share/snmp/mibs/ directory. For a proper functionality, add them to SNMP configuration file /etc/snmp/snmp.conf. E.g.:

mibs +/usr/share/snmp/mibs/MG-MIB.txt
mibs +/usr/share/snmp/mibs/RacomRay3.mib
mibs +/usr/share/snmp/mibs/RacomRay2.mib
mibs +/usr/share/snmp/mibs/RACOM-RipEX-1.0.4.0.mib
mibs +/usr/share/snmp/mibs/SNMPv2-TC.txt
mibs +/usr/share/snmp/mibs/RACOM-RA2-MIB

3.1.1.1. Templates

Download RipEX Zabbix 6.0 template from RACOM website. Unzip the file and import zbx_export_ripex.yaml into your Zabbix instance in Configuration -> Templates menu via web interface. The template consists of:

• approximately 300 Item values (~ 20 tags) which can be read from RipEX units (proprietary OIDs only – i.e., OID starting with 1.3.6.1.4.1.33555.2 prefix). For other general OIDs, use Zabbix predefined templates or do your own templates (e.g., SNMPv2-MIB::sysDescr.0, SNMPv2-MIB::sysName.0, …)

  • RFC1213 and RS232 OIDs are included

• Discovery rules

  • For the 1.9.7.0 firmware, there are 3 Discovery rules

  • We use Discovery rules for RipEX radio statistics, remote watched values and backup routes, because these tables consist of individual lines where each line is e.g., another RipEX unit, another alternative path or TX lost counter, individual items must be discovered first.

  • Once discovered, new Items are automatically created and then, Zabbix handles them as basic Items. The only difference is that if a particular new Item becomes unsupported, Zabbix deletes it automatically after a predefined time.

Default Template settings:

• All Items are in Disabled state, except:

  • Modem temperature (°C), RF power (W), TX lost (%), UCC (V) and VSWR (updated every 30 minutes)

  • Other update times: 30 minutes, 1 hour and 1 day

• All Discovery rules are disabled as well

  • Update times can vary from 5 minutes to 2 hours

  • By default, each discovery rule is run every 8 hours

Other important steps are for SNMP traps. Once the trap is received, it is handled by our script and for its proper functionality, the OID cannot be translated to text. Edit the snmptrapd:

# systemctl edit snmptrapd.service --force –full

Change the ExecStart variable:

ExecStart=/usr/sbin/snmptrapd -Lsd -f -p /run/snmptrapd.pid -On

The whole file should be:

# cat /etc/systemd/system/snmptrapd.service
[Unit]
Description=Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) Trap Daemon.
After=network.target
ConditionPathExists=/etc/snmp/snmptrapd.conf
[Service]
Type=simple
ExecStart=/usr/sbin/snmptrapd -Lsd -f -p /run/snmptrapd.pid -On
ExecReload=/bin/kill -HUP $MAINPID
[Install]

For a proper functionality of RipEX SNMP notifications, multiple additional steps are required. The following sections focuses on SNMPv2c traps and informs. The SNMPv3 notifications are described later on. Also keep in mind that you could configure RipEX notifications different way (e.g., via SNMPTT) – here is just one approach described.

If not yet installed, install ‘snmptrapd’ daemon and enable it to be run automatically.

Within the downloaded .zip templates from our website, snmptrap.sh script is included. Copy the script into /usr/lib/zabbix/externalscripts/ directory and change the file privileges and make it executable.

# chown zabbix:zabbix /usr/lib/zabbix/externalscripts/snmptrap.sh
# chmod +x /usr/lib/zabbix/externalscripts/snmptrap.sh

	Note
	Your ‘zabbix’ user should be enabled. It should have a HOME directory set to /var/lib/zabbix/ and this user should be able to run the shell. E.g., this command can be helpful:

# usermod --shell /bin/bash zabbix

Check your ‘zabbix_sender’ path and if required, change it within the provided snmptrap.sh script accordingly.

# which zabbix_sender
/usr/bin/zabbix_sender

So, the script has this line inside:

ZABBIX_SENDER="/usr/bin/zabbix_sender";

The script parses the output of each received SNMP trap, selects the appropriate host and declares an associative array containing trap descriptions. Eventually, it sends the whole message to your Zabbix server.

The default path to a LOG file from snmptrap.sh script is /var/log/snmptrap/snmptrap.log. Create the directory and a file manually, if not yet created.

Another required step from the command line is to edit /etc/zabbix/zabbix_server.conf file. Find the appropriate lines and edit them to:

SNMPTrapperFile=/var/log/snmptrap/snmptrap.log
StartSNMPTrapper=1

Zabbix, and especially your snmptrapd must know how to authenticate against the received traps/informs. If it is SNMPv2, it is quite easy – you just need to allow particular community strings and also explicitly say that our snmptrap.sh must be executed upon a received trap/inform. Do this via /etc/snmp/snmptrapd.conf file. Example of such file:

authCommunity log,execute public
authCommunity log,execute mwl-snmp
authCommunity log,execute racom-snmp
traphandle default /bin/bash /usr/lib/zabbix/externalscripts/snmptrap.sh

With SNMPv3 it gets more complicated.

For SNMPv3 Informs (not traps), you need to create the user via createUser command. Stop the snmptrapd daemon:

# systemctl stop snmptrapd

Now, edit the /etc/snmp/snmptrapd.conf file and add these lines:

createUser racom MD5 "racom1234" DES "racom5678"
authUser log,execute,net racom

This should add the User “racom” with MD5 and DES secrets and authenticate him. Save the changes and start the snmptrapd daemon.

# systemctl start snmptrapd

Now, the SNMPv3 informs can be successfully received and used.

SNMPv3 Traps need a bit different command. Everything is the same, but the EngineID must be configured.

Generate, copy&paste or manually configure RipEX EngineID. This was explained in Section 2.5, “RipEX SNMP Settings”.

	Note
	The similar procedure must be met for any other SNMPv3 devices and their SNMPv3 traps/informs (not just RipEX).

Once you apply all the mentioned changes, it is suggested to reboot your Linux OS and check the functionality.

3.1.1.2. RipEX images

Hosts can be displayed in graphs. For such a purpose, we created multiple RipEX images of different size and with different borders (e.g., red border in case the unit is in a problem state). These images are included in the mentioned .zip file with RipEX template. Import them one by one in Administration – General – Images menu, or via directly via MySQL.

Fig. 3.1: RipEX images in Zabbix

RZA6 is widely preconfigured.

You will still need to go through SNMP traps/informs section above so that you can use your particular community strings, and SNMv3 users. Otherwise, all should be prepared.

Having a map is handy way for a network overview. On a single map, or multiple maps (even hierarchical) you may see all RipEX units (and any other devices) and their status overview. There can be a plain/empty background, or e.g., some picture of a map (static).

Fig. 3.7: Zabbix simple RipEX map

On the map above, we can see two RipEX units with a displayed name and current Radio temperature, voltage and VSWR. If the unit has no Problem, an “OK” message is displayed and the Host borders are in green color. We also depict a radio link between these units and its RSS/DQ values.

Host details:

Fig. 3.8: Host details in maps

Label is set as follows:

{HOST.NAME}
Temperature: {?last(//wvTempAvg)} 
Voltage: {?last(//wvUccAvg)} 
VSWR: {?last(//wvVswrAvg)}

Select a particular host and you can change icons for various situations.

Example of the link Label:

<-- {?last(/192.168.132.200/wvRemRssAvg[10.10.10.2])} /
{?last(/192.168.132.200/wvRemDqAvg[10.10.10.2])}

--> {?last(/192.168.132.201/wvRemRssAvg[10.10.10.1])} /
{?last(/192.168.132.201/wvRemDqAvg[10.10.10.1])}

Even the link color can change in time – for example lower RSS than -90 dBm. You can create your own Trigger monitoring average RSS values.

New feature from 6.0 LTS Zabbix version are Geographical maps. If you add GPS coordinates to your RipEX hosts, you can display them on geographical maps.

Fig. 3.9: Geographical map

First, you need to add GPS coordinates in the Host Inventory.

Fig. 3.10: Host GPS coordinates

Another step is to enable and configure Geographical graphs. Go to Administration – General – Geographical maps menu. Set the required map source/provider. There is a list of default supported map sources, but you can also add “other”. Here is the example for Czech mapy.cz map source.

Fig. 3.11: Zabbix Geographical maps

Tile URL: https://mapserver.mapy.cz/turist-m/{z}-{x}-{y}
Attribution: <a href=”https://napoveda.seznam.cz/cz/mapy/mapy-licencni-podminky/licencni-podminky-mapovych-podkladu/%22%3E%C2%A9 Seznam.cz, a.s.</a>
Max zoom level: 18

The last step is to add Geographical map to your Dashboard. Edit the dashboard and add “Geomap” widget. Select its name, host group(s) and host(s). Save the changes.

Within the map, you can use a “zoom” feature. You can either see multiple hosts within one icon, or one icon is one host (it is zoomed enough). You can then be forwarded into particular menus etc. Color of the Icons can be changed upon Host status. Read more in Zabbix documentation.

Fig. 3.12: Geographical map host details

Units’ GUI can be accessed from Zabbix web interface from multiple menus.

A typical one is from simple maps. Configure the URL within the Host on the map and once you click on the Host in this map afterwards, you can be forwarded there. Keep in mind it is not possible from geographical maps.

Fig. 3.13: URL link – maps

Another way is a link from Triggers so that if a Problem occurs, you can quickly go to the required web interface.

Fig. 3.14: URL link – triggers

The third option is to use Inventory for configuring URL. For every Host, you can enable the Inventory (serial number, OS, host type, …). Within many Inventory options, the URL can be defined.

Fig. 3.15: URL link – Inventory

Another useful feature is generating scheduled reports. You need to configure Scheduled reports in general. Once you have it, go to the Report – Scheduled reports menu and create a new one. Basically, Zabbix can send multiple users in regular intervals its Dashboard(s) as PDF.

More information e.g., see Zabbix website.

In case of any issue within your network, e.g., drop in the signal quality, or the unit being unreachable, Zabbix can automatically send an e-mail to predefined e-mail addresses. See the following example for your reference, but customize it to suit your needs.

The e-mail can be set in the Administration – Media Types menu. Edit the E-mail type corresponding to your server settings. In our example, we use our own SMTP server reachable from Zabbix server. No special security or password is required. You should be able to use any SMTP server.

Fig. 3.16: Zabbix Media type – Email

The e-mails are sent to the users’ e-mail addresses. Go to the Administration – Users menu and configure the required e-mail addresses within the user’s details (Media).

Fig. 3.17: User’s e-mail

You define the time when the e-mail will be sent (e.g., do not send it over the night) and the severity of the issue (e.g., send me the e-mail just in case of a critical issue).

The last step is to configure the action – configure which issue causes the e-mail to be sent. Go to the Configuration – Actions – Trigger actions menu and create a new Action. Set a Name of the Action and its Conditions – trigger severities and host group are used within the screenshot below.

Fig. 3.18: Action and its conditions

Within the Operations tab, define one or multiple operations. In the example, once the Problem occurs, Zabbix sends an email. It sends such email every other day until the problem is fixed.

We also send a Recovery email to all involved recipients.

Fig. 3.19: Action Operations

Usually, you will use the MACROs for the e-mail body/subject. In this example, the Subject of the email will consist of the host’s Name, Trigger status (Problem or OK) and Event Name. Within the body of the message, there can be additional information such as the Trigger Severity, URL and the Issue details.

Fig. 3.20: Action Operations details

By default, there are no ready-to-be-used actions in Zabbix such as configuration backup or firmware upgrade. The Zabbix NMS is a general system which requires special features to be implemented by RACOM or by the user himself.

We provide the user with a guide how to use and define these special features and within the RipEX template, we already prepared several examples:

	Note
	If you have troubles running those scripts or making your own, contact us on support@racom.eu.

The whole implementation can be quite time consuming, but once you successfully run the first script, the others are very similar and its implementation is straightforward.

Within the Template, there are two scripts. As you realize, having the configuration backup files can be crucial if replacing the unit. There is nothing easier than just uploading the configuration file into a brand new RipEX unit.

Before creating and running the first scripts, you need to prepare the Zabbix server (and the Linux operating system). In this example, we configure the Debian11 OS with Zabbix 6.0 LTS installed via packaging system.

The following steps can be done in different order, but following this order is absolutely fine.

By default, the zabbix_server configuration file is located in the /etc/zabbix/zabbix_server.conf file. Find the line with “SSHKeyLocation” parameter and define it with this value:

SSHKeyLocation=/var/lib/zabbix/.ssh

This is the location of the private SSH key which will be used to access the RipEX units. Restart the Zabbix server afterwards.

systemctl restart zabbix-server

The scripts must be uploaded manually to a correct directory. The default directory is /usr/lib/zabbix/externalscripts/. Copy the script files from the ZIP Template file to this directory. The target state should look similar to this output:

ls -l /usr/lib/zabbix/externalscripts/
-rwxr-xr-x 1 zabbix zabbix    686 May  4 10:21 ripex_cli_cnf_textfile_get.sh
-rwxr-xr-x 1 zabbix zabbix    111 Mar  8  2016 ripex_cli_rss_show.sh
-rw-r--r-- 1 zabbix zabbix   9612 May 25 09:31 script-log.txt
-rwxr-xr-x 1 zabbix zabbix  39262 May 26 08:44 snmptrap.sh

There are two executable scripts via the Zabbix web interface (starting with “ripex_”). The LOG output of those scripts is in script-log.txt file. There is also the snmptrap.sh file which you should have there for the SNMP TRAP/INFORM functionality.

Make sure that the files have the zabbix user/group and are executable.

# chown zabbix:zabbix /usr/lib/zabbix/externalscripts/*
# chmod +x /usr/lib/zabbix/externalscripts/*.sh

The Zabbix user cannot login to the bash by default. We need to enable it as follows (if not already done in RZA6).

usermod --shell /bin/bash zabbix

If not already created, create the HOME directory for the Zabbix user.

usermod -m -d /var/lib/zabbix zabbix
chown zabbix:zabbix /var/lib/zabbix
chmod 755 /var/lib/zabbix

Create the directories for the saved configuration and firmware files and change the access rights.

mkdir /var/lib/zabbix/configuration-backup
mkdir /var/lib/zabbix/configuration-backup/ripex
chown -R zabbix:zabbix /var/lib/zabbix/

The directory for the SSH key should now be located in /var/lib/zabbix/.ssh directory. Change the current directory to this one and login as zabbix.

su zabbix

A new prompt appears. We need to upload the SSH keys into every unit we want to control. You can either have you own RSA/DSA key or you can create a new one following this example. Run

ssh-keygen -t rsa

Follow the guide of the ssh-keygen application and leave the passphrase empty. To copy our RSA key into RipEX units, copy the public part of the key and run the following command:

ssh admin@192.168.132.200

Just replace 192.168.132.200 with the correct RipEX IP address. The prompt will ask for the admin password, fill it in and click Enter. Now, you should be logged in RipEX CLI. Run the following command:

vi .ssh/authorized_keys

	Note
	Browse the Internet for how to use ‘vi’ text editor if you are in trouble.

Insert (paste) your public part of the key to a new line. Save the changes and close the file. Logout and check, if you can access the unit without a password.

ssh -i rsa admin@192.168.132.200

We completed all Linux tasks, but we still need to edit Zabbix web interface.

Scripts must be manually created in the Zabbix Administration – Scripts menu. See the example below and create Zabbix scripts for RipEX units.

Fig. 3.21: RipEX scripts in Zabbix

If you open one of them, you can modify them as required. If you do not have any, you need to create them from scratch.

RSS sample – this script runs the RipEX Maintenance – RSS sample feature. The current level of Received Signal Strength (one sample) on Radio channel is measured. This sample is measured regardless of the current Radio channel status (Quiet/Rx/Tx).

Fig. 3.22: RSS sample script details

Set other parameters to suit your needs.

Configuration backup – the script creates a configuration backup file in /var/lib/zabbix/configuration-backup/ripex/ directory. The name is taken from RipEX S/N and Ethernet IP.

All is the same, except the “Commands” parameter:
/usr/lib/zabbix/externalscripts/ripex_cli_cnf_textfile_get.sh {HOST.CONN} {$HOST_SSHKEY} {$HOST_SSHPORT} 2>>/usr/lib/zabbix/externalscripts/script-log.txt

The parameters are MACROs which should be enabled by default due to our Template. Each RipEX unit uses the SSH port 22 and the SSH key saved in /var/lib/zabbix/.ssh/rsa file by default. If you need to modify any of these parameters, go to the Configuration – Hosts menu and edit the particular Host’s MACROs.

Fig. 3.23: Host MACROs

Test the scripts now. Scripts are e.g., available from maps.

Fig. 3.24: RipEX scripts – map

The easiest script displays the RSS sample. The level (in dBm) should be displayed within several seconds in the pop-up window.

Fig. 3.25: RSS sample script output

Another script is the Configuration backup. The expected output should display a full path to the stored file.

Fig. 3.26: RipEX Configuration backup script output

Zabbix 6.0 LTS offers you to use your own company’s branding instead of Zabbix ones, or RACOM logos in case of using RZA6.

Fig. 3.27: RACOM Branding

General and brief procedure is described here:
https://www.zabbix.com/documentation/current/en/manual/web_interface/rebranding

For the RZA6, we created a file /usr/share/zabbix/local/conf/brand.conf.php with this content:

<?php
return [
'BRAND_LOGO' => 'racom/racom_logo.png',
'BRAND_LOGO_SIDEBAR' => 'racom/racom_logo.png',
'BRAND_LOGO_SIDEBAR_COMPACT' => 'racom/racom_logo_compact.png',
#'BRAND_HELP_URL' => 'https://www.racom.eu/ APP NOTE LINK '
];

Logos were scaled to 140×20 and 20×13 (compact one). The logos are placed in /usr/share/zabbix/racom/ directory. After these changes, the Login screen can look like:

Fig. 3.28: RACOM Branding login page

If you need any additional help or information, do not hesitate to contact support@racom.eu. We are ready and happy to help you.

We do recommend using our RZA6 solution. If not in your real network, then as a start for getting familiar with RipEX SNMP and Zabbix NMS, because RZA6 has many configuration steps pre-configured and done.