Monitor script output over SSH
You can create a data collector for monitoring data that is generated as a result of running a script by using an SSH connection.
You cannot use this data collector to collect data that is generated as a result of running the binary files (or executable files). For example, .exe files on the Windows platform.
This topic contains the following information:
Related topics
To collect output received by executing a script over an SSH connection
- Navigate to Administration > Data Collectors > Add Data Collector
.
- In the Name box, provide a unique name to identify this data collector.
- From the Type list, select Monitor script output over SSH.
Provide the following information, as appropriate:
Field
Description
Target/Collection Host
Target Host
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Collection Host (Agent)
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Note: For this type of data collector, the target host and collection host are expected to have different values.
Collector Inputs
Server Name
The host name of the server on which the data is generated as a result of running the script.
Note: If you selected a target host earlier, this field is automatically populated.
Credentials
(Optional) Select one of the following options:
- Apply security credential to automatically populate the user name and password fields.
Then select the appropriate credential (profile) from the Available Credential list that you already configured under Administration > Credentials. - Provide Credential to manually add user name and password credentials.
Then enter the credentials in the User Name and Password fields.
You can also create a credential that uses the manually entered details by clicking Add Credentialnext to the Password field.
User Name
Provide the user name for connecting with the server from which you want to retrieve the data.
Note: This field is disabled if you applied a security profile earlier.
The product supports only password-based authentication for connecting with the SSH server.
Password
Provide the password for connecting with the server from which you want to retrieve the data.
Click Add Credential
, provide a credential name, and click OK to create a new credential (profile) from the credentials that you provided in the user name and password fields. Once this credential is created, it is displayed under Administration > Credentials.
Note: This field is disabled if you applied a security credential earlier.
Script Path
Provide the complete path to the script that you want to execute on the remote computer for retrieving data.
You can also pass parameters dynamically while executing the script.
For example, you can execute the following script that takes the input parameter as your name and prints "Hello."
Script example#!/bin/bash
echo "Hello $1"In this case, you must enter script.sh MyName in this field.
where:
script.sh is the name of the file in which you saved the preceding script.
MyName refers to the name that you want to pass as the input parameter.
Note: If there is a space character in one of the directory names in your script path, then you must enclose the directory name with double quotes (").
Time Zone
Data Pattern
Pattern
Date Format
When you select a data pattern, the matching date format is automatically updated. However, you can specifically find date formats matching the timestamp in your data file.
Use one of the following methods to specify a date format:
- Filter the relevant data formats: Click Auto-Detect to find automatically find a list of matching data patterns and date formats. If no matching data patterns are found, a list of matching date formats is displayed. You can click each of the date formats displayed on the left, to see a preview of the sample records.
Note: Before filtering the relevant date formats by clicking Auto-Detect, under the Advanced Options section, ensure that the correct file encoding is set. - Manually select a date format: Manually scan through the list available, and select one of the date formats available. Click Preview to see the sample records parsed.
Alternatively, from the Pattern list, select Free Text with Timestamp and click Preview to find the relevant data formats that match the file. - Create a new date format: If you are not satisfied with the results arising out of the date formats available, you can create a new date format. To do this, select the Create new Date Format option and manually enter the date format depending on the timestamp that you want to capture. For example, if your data file contains the timestamp, "28 Apr 2014 10:58:28", then your date format must be dd MMM yyyy HH:mm:ss.
Notes:
- If you select both – a pattern and a date format, then the date format specified takes precedence over the date format from the pattern that you selected. So the timestamp is indexed as per the specified date format, and the rest of the data is indexed as per the pattern.
- If you select only a date format, then the date format is used for indexing the timestamp, while the rest of the data is displayed in a raw format in your search results.
Date Locale
You can use this setting to enable reading the date and time string based on the language selected. Note that this setting only applies to those portions of the date and time string that consist letters (digits are not considered).
By default, this value is set to English.
You can manually select a language to override the default locale. For a list of languages supported, see Language-information.
Script Time Out (mins)
Specify the time duration (in minutes) after which the script must time out. By default, this value is set to 10.
Poll Interval (mins)
Specify the interval (in minutes) after which the script must be executed and the script output data must be collected. By default, this value is set to 1.
The value of this field is passed as the last argument to the script.
Start/Stop Collection
(Optional) Select this check box if you want to start the data collection immediately.
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- Apply security credential to automatically populate the user name and password fields.
- Click Create to save your changes.
What to do if an error occurs
To understand the troubleshooting scenarios related to this data collector, see Troubleshooting-common-issues with the Category filter set to Data collection.