How to install Observium monitoring on Ubuntu 20.04

What is Observium?

Observium is a network monitoring tool that allows network engineers to track network devices and infrastructure in real time. This scalable and flexible solution can control networks of any size. Observium provides detailed and useful information about network performance, making it a valuable tool for IT teams of any size.

How to install Observium

First, we check if there is an available update of the OS package, how it is recommended to install it on a fresh OS. To check whether there are available packages for the update, execute the command:

apt update && apt upgrade -y

Wait a few minutes if updates exist and continue further.

First, we download the installation file to the server and run it, executing the command below:

wget http://www.observium.org/observium_installscript.sh

We give it rights so that we can run it:

chmod +x observium_installscript.sh

And then run the installation itself using the command below:

./observium_installscript.sh

The installation will be started, and when asked what version we want to install, we select number one – this is the version that is supported by the community, and then write our password for the root user for the MySQL server, press Enter, and then accept that certain packages will be installed and waiting for the end of the installation.

After a couple of minutes, the installation will ask us to specify the login and password of our new admin user, we indicate and answer the following questions with “Y“.

Immediately after that, we will receive a message that Observium has been installed on our server and we can proceed with it using the address:

http://IP-ADDRESS

We enter the data of the user we created and enter the web interface by clicking on the “Log in” button:

After logging in, we can see, for example, our devices, but at the beginning you will see only one, as only the local server is added at the beginning.

If we click on our device, we get some information and monitoring graphs:

You can find a lot of information in the dashboard, including graphs, port usage, logging data, and event alerts.

Compared to other network monitors:

Observium stands out from other network monitoring tools for its ease of use and flexibility. It offers a simple and user-friendly interface that displays key network metrics and real-time alerts. Observium also supports many devices and protocols, making it very versatile.

Observium usage examples:

Observium can be used for a variety of purposes, including:

  1. Network performance monitoring: Observium allows network engineers to monitor the performance of their network devices and infrastructure in real time, making it easier to identify and troubleshoot problems.
  2. Bandwidth Planning: Observium provides detailed bandwidth and network usage information, making it easy to plan for future growth and scaling.
  3. Security Monitoring: Observium can monitor security-related events and anomalies on the network, making it a valuable tool for security teams.
  4. Compliance: Observium can help organizations comply with industry regulations and standards by providing comprehensive network monitoring and reporting capabilities.

Observium Features:

Observium offers a wide range of features, including:

  1. Real-time monitoring: Observium provides real-time monitoring of network devices and infrastructure, allowing users to quickly identify and fix problems.
  2. Auto Discovery: Observium automatically discovers devices on the network, making it easy to add new widgets to your monitoring system.
  3. Alerts: Observium provides configurable alerting capabilities, allowing users to be alerted when network performance exceeds pre-defined thresholds.
  4. Visualization: Observium offers a variety of visualization tools, including graphs and charts that help users visualize network performance.
  5. Reporting: Observium provides detailed reporting capabilities, allowing users to generate performance, capacity, and network usage reports.

Observium Advantages:

  1. Ease of Use: Observium offers a simple and user-friendly interface that makes it easy to monitor their networks.
  2. Scalability: Observium is highly scalable and can track networks of any size.
  3. Flexibility: Observium supports many devices and protocols, making it very versatile.
  4. Customization: Observium provides users with extensive customization options to tailor the monitoring system to their needs.

Disadvantages of Observium:

  1. Complexity: While Observium is relatively easy to use, it can be difficult to install and configure, especially for larger networks.
  2. Cost: While Observium is an open source product, additional fees may apply for deploying and maintaining the solution.

Conclusion

Observium is a powerful and versatile network monitoring tool that provides detailed information about network performance and throughput. It is a scalable solution that can control networks of any size and supports a wide variety of devices and protocols.

While there are some potential downsides to using Observium, such as complexity and cost, the benefits tend to outweigh the downsides. Overall, Observium is a valuable tool for IT teams of any size and a must-have for any organization that wants to monitor their network performance and capacity in real time.