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How to Install and Configure Zabbix on AnonVM: A Complete Guide

Zabbix is a powerful open-source monitoring software for tracking the health and performance of your network, servers, virtual machines, and applications. It can provide insights into a wide range of metrics, including CPU, memory, disk usage, and more, making it an essential tool for system administrators. In this tutorial, we will guide you through installing Zabbix on your AnonVM server, configuring it, and setting up basic monitoring for your infrastructure.

Prerequisites

Before starting the installation, make sure you have the following:

• AnonVM VPS or Dedicated Server: A server with root or sudo access running on AnonVM.
• Operating System: Zabbix supports multiple Linux distributions, including Ubuntu, CentOS, and Debian.
• LAMP Stack: A working web server (Apache/Nginx), PHP, and MySQL or MariaDB installed.

Step 1: Update Your System

It's important to ensure that your server’s software is up to date before beginning the installation process. Run the following commands to update your system.

For Ubuntu/Debian-based systems:

For CentOS-based systems:

Step 2: Install Required Dependencies

Zabbix requires several dependencies such as Apache, PHP, MySQL/MariaDB, and some PHP extensions. Install them using the package manager.

For Ubuntu/Debian:

For CentOS:

Step 3: Add Zabbix Repository

To install the latest version of Zabbix, you need to add the Zabbix repository to your system.

For Ubuntu/Debian:

1. Download and add the Zabbix repository:
    

   wget https://repo.zabbix.com/zabbix/5.0/debian/zabbix-release_5.0-1+debian_all.deb sudo dpkg -i zabbix-release_5.0-1+debian_all.deb sudo apt update

For CentOS:

1. Add the Zabbix repository:
    

   sudo rpm -Uvh https://repo.zabbix.com/zabbix/5.0/rhel/8/x86_64/zabbix-release-5.0-1.el8.x86_64.rpm sudo yum clean all

Step 4: Install Zabbix Server, Frontend, and Agent

Once the repository is added, you can install the Zabbix server, frontend (web interface), and agent.

For Ubuntu/Debian:

For CentOS:

Step 5: Configure the Database

Zabbix requires a MySQL or MariaDB database to store monitoring data. Follow these steps to set up the database.

1. Start the MySQL/MariaDB service:

    

   sudo systemctl start mysql sudo systemctl enable mysql

2. Create a database for Zabbix: Login to MySQL as the root user:

    

   sudo mysql -u root -p

   Then, execute the following SQL commands to create the database and user:

    

   CREATE DATABASE zabbix character set utf8 collate utf8_bin; CREATE USER 'zabbix'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'your_password'; GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON zabbix.* TO 'zabbix'@'localhost'; FLUSH PRIVILEGES; EXIT;

3. Import the initial schema and data: Import the Zabbix database schema and initial data:

    

   sudo zcat /usr/share/doc/zabbix-server-mysql*/create.sql.gz | mysql -u zabbix -p zabbix

Step 6: Configure Zabbix Server

1. Edit the Zabbix server configuration: Open the Zabbix server configuration file:

    

   sudo nano /etc/zabbix/zabbix_server.conf

2. Set the database password: Locate the DBPassword parameter and set the password you created for the zabbix database user:

    

   DBPassword=your_password

3. Save and close the file.

Step 7: Configure PHP for Zabbix Web Interface

The Zabbix web interface needs PHP to be configured correctly.

1. Edit the PHP configuration for Zabbix: Open the Zabbix PHP configuration file:

    

   sudo nano /etc/zabbix/apache.conf

2. Set the correct timezone: Ensure that the date.timezone setting is uncommented and set to your server's timezone:

    

   php_value date.timezone Europe/Belgrade

3. Save and close the file.

Step 8: Start Zabbix Services

Start the Zabbix server and agent services:

For Ubuntu/Debian:

For CentOS:

Step 9: Configure Firewall

If your server is running a firewall, ensure that HTTP (80) and Zabbix port (10051) are open.

For Ubuntu/Debian:

For CentOS:

Step 10: Access Zabbix Web Interface

Now that the server is up and running, you can access the Zabbix web interface.

1. Open your browser and navigate to:

    

   http://your_server_ip/zabbix

2. The Zabbix installation wizard will guide you through the final steps:

   • Check PHP configuration.
   • Verify database settings.
   • Set up the Zabbix server.
   • Create an admin user for the Zabbix frontend.

Once you’ve completed the setup, you can log in with the username Admin and the password zabbix.

Step 11: Configure Zabbix Agent

Finally, configure the Zabbix agent on any client machines that you wish to monitor. Install the agent package and configure it to connect to your Zabbix server.

For Ubuntu/Debian:

For CentOS:

Edit the /etc/zabbix/zabbix_agentd.conf file and set the server IP address:

Restart the agent:

Step 12: Monitor Your Infrastructure

Once Zabbix is configured, you can start monitoring your infrastructure by adding hosts, configuring items and triggers, and setting up notifications.

Conclusion

You’ve successfully installed and configured Zabbix on your AnonVM server. Zabbix will now monitor your server’s health and performance, providing real-time metrics and alerting you in case of any issues.

Key Takeaways:

• Zabbix Server: Provides monitoring of servers, network devices, and applications.
• Zabbix Frontend: Accessible via a web interface, making it easy to configure and manage.
• Zabbix Agent: Required on monitored hosts to gather data and send it to the Zabbix server.
• Security: Always configure your firewall to protect Zabbix’s ports.

With Zabbix installed and configured, your AnonVM server is now equipped to handle efficient monitoring, ensuring high availability and optimal performance for your infrastructure.