iControl web app to generate data for Cacti graphing

This is a good discussion. Very generally speaking, iControl isn't an ideal tool for heavy monitoring tasks and SNMP should win the day. However, there are always exceptions and each environment is different so your approach may be just the ticket and may not introduce any problems at all. Also, I've seen poorly configured SNMP setups kill systems as well, so care must be taken no matter what.

 

 

Fwiw, here are a couple of pros/cons that stand out for each. I'm sure there's more...

 

 

SNMP:

 

-- Pro: Optimized monitoring subsystem. Be sure and enumerate OIDs in order if possible, as we've optimized the SNMP system for this type of access.

 

-- Pro: Good for lots of data, 'pre canned'. Just point cacti or whatever at it and off you go.

 

-- Con: can be a bear for complex tasks or ad-hoc reports.

 

-- Con: it can be expensive (like, very very expensive) if you do your SNMP polling incorrectly or too aggressively.

 

 

iControl:

 

-- Pro: great for custom reporting/monitoring that may go beyond what's possible with iControl.

 

-- Pro: it can be 'light enough' for some monitoring tasks.

 

-- Con: it can be expensive for certain monitoring tasks.

 

 

So for me, the mantra is: design your specific solution to your specific needs. If your needs change, you may need to re-evaluate your solution.

 

 

-Matt