Cacti on Brainy Pi

Cacti is a powerful open-source software application designed for network monitoring and graphing because it utilizes Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) to collect data from network devices and presents it in visual graphs and charts. With its web-based interface, system administrators can easily create and customize graphs, monitor specific metrics, and set threshold-based alerts. Furthermore, Cacti stores collected data in a database, enabling historical analysis and trend tracking. In addition to these features, it offers user management and access control features, making it an ideal tool for network administrators. So, let’s delve into exploring Cacti on Brainy Pi and discover its full potential!

Hardware Requirements

Before getting started with Cacti installation, ensure that your Brainy Pi meets the following hardware requirements:

1. Brainy Pi board

2. Ethernet connection to the network/Internet

Install Required Packages

To set up Cacti on your Brainy Pi, you need to install the following packages:

1. Apache Web Server:

   sudo apt-get install apache2

   Start the Apache service:

   sudo systemctl start apache2

2. PHP:

   sudo apt install php7.4-fpm php7.4-mbstring php7.4-mysql php7.4-curl php7.4-gd php7.4-zip php7.4-xml -y

3. MySQL:

   sudo apt install php7.4-fpm php7.4-mbstring php7.4-mysql php7.4-curl php7.4-gd php7.4-zip php7.4-xml -y
   sudo apt install mariadb-server

   Set a password for the MySQL root user:

   sudo mysql_secure_installation

Installing Cacti on Brainy Pi

To install Cacti, run the following command:

sudo apt install cacti

During the installation, you will be prompted to configure Cacti.

1. Set a password as prompted.

   

2. Choose Apache2 as the web server.

   

Cacti will automatically configure itself based on the selected options.

Security Settings for Cacti

To access Cacti through a web browser, you need to configure the security settings. Edit the Cacti configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-enabled/cacti.conf

Add the following lines to the file:

Alias /cacti /usr/share/cacti/site 
<Directory /usr/share/cacti/site> 
   <IfModule mod_authz_core.c> 
      # httpd 2.4 
      Require all granted 
   </IfModule> 
</Directory>

Restart the Apache service:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

Adding a Device (Server) to Cacti

To monitor a server using Cacti, you need to add it as a device in the Cacti interface. Follow these steps:

1. Log in to the Cacti web interface using your credentials.

   

2. Go to “Create” in the menu.

   

3. Fill in the required information, such as IP address, SNMP community string, and device type.

   

4. Click on create.

Cacti will now start collecting data from the added server and display it in graphs and charts.

Conclusion

By following the steps outlined in this blog, you can successfully implement Cacti on your Brainy Pi device and start monitoring your network servers. Cacti provides a user-friendly interface, powerful graphing capabilities, and customizable alerting options, making it an invaluable tool for system administrators.

Remember to regularly check the Cacti interface to monitor your servers’ performance and proactively address any issues. Happy monitoring!

With these modifications, your blog will provide a more detailed and comprehensive guide for system admins to set up and use Cacti on Brainy Pi.