Scheduled Service Downtimes

Introduction

Pandora FMS has a system for managing scheduled service downtimes through the menu Management → Alerts → Scheduled downtime.

This system allows alerts to be deactivated in intervals where there is a service downtime, deactivating the agents.

When an agent is deactivated, it does not collect information either, so in a service downtime, for most metrics or report types, the intervals where there is a service downtime are not taken into account in the reports, since there is no data from that time from agents.

Scheduled downtime creation

To create a service downtime, please go to Management → Alerts → Scheduled downtime menu. Then click Create to add a new scheduled downtime. The following fields must be filled in:

  • Name: Name of the scheduled downtime, mandatory field.
  • Group: Group the scheduled downtime will belong to. Only a group to which the user creating the scheduled downtime belongs can be assigned, unless the user explicitly belongs to the All group (ALL). Agents and modules to be selected for the new scheduled downtime will be added after it is created.
  • Type: To select one of the following types of downtimes:
    • Quiet: It checks as silent the modules indicated, so they will generate neither alerts nor events.
    • Disable only alerts: It disables alerts for the selected agents.
    • Disable Agents: It disables the selected agents. It is important to know that if an agent is manually disabled before the task is launched, it will become enabled once the task is finished.
      • Disable modules: It disables the selected modules.

Since version 782, Quiet, Disable only alerts and Disable modules modes are applied to modules while Disable Agents is applied to Agents, which in turn affects each and every corresponding module.

  • Execution: It can be configured to run once or periodically, either monthly (Monthly option) or weekly ((Weekly option).
  • Set time: Configuration of the day and time at which the scheduled downtime will start and the day and time at which it will end, either once or periodically.

If Pandora FMS administrator enables the token Allow create scheduled downtimes in the past in the general configuration section, it is possible to create scheduled downtimes in a past date. They will not be executed but their existence will be reflected in different reports. This is especially relevant as it affects, among others, availability and SLA reports.

To save, click Add and, by means of a filter, the Agents and Modules affected by the scheduled downtime:

By using Group filter when selecting a group, the available agents will be displayed in Available agents. From them in turn select one or more and the modules will be updated in Available modules option. All of them may also be selected with option Any. You may display the common modules between the selected agents in Show common modules or, on the other hand, show all modules with Show all modules and thus make a new module selection. Finally, click Update to update the values of the newly created scheduled downtime.

Once the modules have been added to the scheudled downtime, you may modify, delete or add the modules (which are available according to the selected filter).

When a scheduled shutdown is “active” (Running), it cannot be modified or deleted and an option is available to stop its execution (Stop downtime).

This option is not compatible with periodic scheduled downtimes.

Note that for each scheduled downtime, next to its name and in parentheses, the number of agents “affected” is shown.

Alternatives to service downtime management in the console

There are often certain “cyclical” situations that you need to take into account and the service downtime management method is too specific. For example, being able to deactivate all agents quickly and on time or scheduling a general downtime every week from a certain time to a certain time. For these types of operations, there are ways to do it from the command line.

There is a quick way to set all agents in service mode, through the use of the CLI with the utility pandora_manage.pl: 

./pandora_manage.pl /etc/pandora/pandora_server.conf --enable_group 1

Pandora FMS Manage tool 3.1 PS100519 Copyright (c) 2010 Pandora FMS SL
This program is Free Software, licensed under the terms of GPL License v2
You can download latest versions and documentation at https://pandorafms.com/

[*] Pandora FMS module loaded.

[INFO] Enabling group 1

To disable them: 

./pandora_manage.pl /etc/pandora/pandora_server.conf --disable_group 1

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