ANNOUNCE: moodss-16.4
Jean-Luc Fontaine
--- version 16.4 ---
- added Windows support to snmp module (read snmp module documentation
for required software)
- in snmp module:
- improved end of table detection
- formatted data of time ticks type as ??d??h??m??s??
- improved error message when -t(--table) is used on a non table
identifier
- dynamically loading a module would reset the poll time increased by
the user
- added support for MySQL database server version 3.23.51 to mystatus
module
- in a dashboard with several pages, if an inner page was deleted, the
saved configuration lacked pages indexes, which would prevent the
dashboard from being properly restored, with viewers eventually
becoming invisible
- updated help tool bar icon
- all dialog boxes are now proper transient windows of the main window
- made widget tips (balloons) a little wider so that descriptions in
SNMP MIBs keep their original formatting
- successfully tested with Tcl/Tk 8.4b1
### README ###
This is moodss (Modular Object Oriented Dynamic SpreadSheet) version
16.4.
Moodss won in the Best System Admin Technology category (Tcl Tips and
Tricks, Valuable Real World Programming Examples) at the O'Reilly
Tcl/Tk 1999 Conference.
Linux Magazine calls it a "lifesaver".
Tucows gives it 5 stars (cows or penguins :-).
Moodss is a modular application. It displays data described and
updated in one or more modules, which can be specified in the command
line or dynamically loaded or unloaded while the application is
running. Data is originally displayed in tables. Graphical viewers
(graph, bar, 3D pie charts, ...), summary tables (with current,
average, minimum and maximum values) and free text viewers can be
created from any number of table cells, originating from any of the
displayed viewers. The display area can be extended by adding pages
with notebook tabs. Thresholds can be set on any number of cells.
Moomps (shipped with moodss) is a monitoring daemon which works using
configuration files created by moodss. Thresholds, when crossed,
create messages in the system log, and eventually trigger the sending
of email alert messages.
Specific modules can easily be developed in the Tcl, Perl and Python
scripting languages or in C.
A thorough and intuitive drag'n'drop scheme is used for most viewer
editing tasks: creation, modification, type mutation, destruction,
... and thresholds creation. Table rows can be sorted in increasing or
decreasing order by clicking on column titles. The current
configuration (modules, tables and viewers geometry, ...) can be saved
in a file at any time, and later loaded at the user's convenience,
thus achieving a dashboard functionality.
The module code is the link between the moodss core and the data to be
displayed. All the specific code is kept in the module package. Since
module data access is entirely customizable (through C code, Tcl,
Perl, Python, HTTP, ...) and since several modules can be loaded at
once, applications for moodss become limitless.
For example, thoroughly monitor a dynamic web server on a single
dashboard with graphs, using the Apache, MySQL, ODBC, cpustats,
memstats, ... modules. If you have replicated servers, dynamically add
them to your view, even load the snmp module on the fly and let your
imagination take over...
Along with a core trace module, arp, cpustats, diskstats, interrupts,
kernmods, memstats, minimal, mounts, netdev, pci, ps, random, route,
sensors, system modules for Linux, MySQL (myerrorlog, myhealth,
myprocs, myquery, myreplication, mystatus, myvars), odbcquery, ping,
snmp, snmptrap for UNIX, apache and apachex, Minimal and Random Perl
modules, minipy and randpy Python modules are included. Running "wish
moodss ps cpustats memstats" mimics the "top" application with a
graphic edge and remote monitoring capability.
Thorough help is provided through menus, widget tips, a message area,
a module help window and a global help window with a complete HTML
documentation.
Moodss is multi-langual thanks to Tcl internationalization
capabilities. So far only English and partially French are
supported. Help with other languages will be very warmly welcomed.
Development of moodss is continuing and as more features are added in
future versions, backward module code compatibility will be maintained.
I cannot thank the authors of the tkTable, BLT, MIME/SMTP and the HTML
libraries enough for their great work.
In order to run moodss, you need to install the following packages
(unless you can use the rpm utility, see below):
Tcl/Tk 8.3.1 or above, at (or at a mirror near you)
http://dev.scriptics.com/ or ftp://ftp.scriptics.com/
the latest tkTable widget library at:
http://tktable.sourceforge.net/
the latest BLT library at:
ftp://tcltk.sourceforge.net/pub/tcltk/blt/
eventually the latest tclperl library for writing modules in Perl, or
the latest tclpython library for writing modules in Python at:
http://jfontain.free.fr/
(see the INSTALL file for complete instructions, for UNIX and also
Windows platforms).
You also have the option of using the moodss rpm file (also in my
homepage), if you are using a Redhat Linux system (6.0 or above).
You can find the required tcl, tk, tktable, blt, tcpperl and other
rpms at: http://jfontain.free.fr/
Whether you like it (or hate it), please let me know. I would like to
hear about bugs and improvements you would like to see. I will correct
the bugs quickly, especially if you send me a test script (module code
with a data trace would be best).
###
you may find it now at my homepage:
http://jfontain.free.fr/moodss-16.4.tar.bz2
http://jfontain.free.fr/moodss-16.4.zip
http://jfontain.free.fr/moodss-16.4-1.i386.rpm
http://jfontain.free.fr/moomps-1.4.3-1.i386.rpm
http://jfontain.free.fr/moodss-16.4-1.spec
Enjoy and please let me know what you think.