NagVis 1.x Installation Instructions

This instructions are meant for a new installation.

If you update your old NagVis installation we strongly recommend to make a backup of your NagVis Directory and merge the config files :!: manualy :!:.

STEP 0: Prepair System

Make sure your System fits the System requirements.

STEP 1: Download NagVis

Get NagVis, the latest release can be found at www.nagvis.org.

STEP 2: Unpack NagVis

tar xvzf nagvis-1.x.tar.gz

STEP 3: Move the unpacked NagVis directory

Place the NagVis directory tree into your Nagios share Folder (usally /usr/local/nagios/share).

mv nagvis /usr/local/nagios/share

You should see the directorys nagvis and wui on

ls -l /usr/local/nagios/share/nagvis

DON’T move any files or folders inside the NagVis directory (In fact you can move, but in this case you have to change/add some parameters and values the main config file - if everything is left untouched it should run “out of the box” without changes in the configuration files)

STEP 4: Configure NagVis

Change directory to the new NagVis location

cd /usr/local/nagios/share/nagvis

An example main configuration file can be found in nagvis/etc/config.ini.php.dist. If you like to change some settings, copy this example to nagvis/etc/config.ini.php.

cp nagvis/etc/config.ini.php.dist nagvis/etc/config.ini.php

Now you can edit this file with your favorite text editor - I use vi:

vi nagvis/etc/config.ini.php

Most lines in the fresh copied config.ini.php are commented out. If you want to set different settings, you can simply uncomment the line and change its value.

For information about all possible values have a look at Main Config Format Description.

STEP 5: Permissions

This is very important for a clean working installation.




First check which unix user account is used to run your webserver (in my case it is wwwrun).

Now grant permissions at the NagVis directory to your webserver user (in my case the paths are like this):

chown wwwrun:www /usr/local/nagios/share/nagvis -R
chmod 664 /usr/local/nagios/share/nagvis/nagvis/etc/config.ini.php
chmod 775 /usr/local/nagios/share/nagvis/nagvis/images/maps
chmod 664 /usr/local/nagios/share/nagvis/nagvis/images/maps/*
chmod 775 /usr/local/nagios/share/nagvis/nagvis/etc/maps
chmod 664 /usr/local/nagios/share/nagvis/nagvis/etc/maps/*

It’s possible to set even lower permissions on the files but for most setups the example should be fine. Only change them if you know what you are doing!

STEP 6: The graphical config tool (WUI)

NagVis has an included web based config tool called WUI. If you want to use it use your browser to open the page:

http://<nagiosserver>/<path-to-nagvis>/config.php

Hint: If you have some script or popup blockers, disable them for the WUI.

When you see the NagVis image, right click on it, a context menu should open, now you can configure NagVis and create maps with the WUI.

Just open the URL to the Config Tool in a Browser and use your right mouse button

The Config Tools DOES NOT display the current Nagios States of Objects configured. Its only for configuring! To “use” your configured Maps afterwards see STEP 7!

If this does’t work for you, or if you don’t want to use the WUI, you can simply edit the map config files in the nagvis/etc/maps/ directory with your favorite text editor. For valid format and values have a look at Map Config Format Description.

STEP 7: Watch the Maps

You should now be able to watch your defined maps in your browser:

 http://<nagiosserver>/<path-to-nagvis>/index.php?map=<mapname>

Have fun and please report bugs!