Freeside:4:Documentation:Cacti

Connecting Cacti To Freeside

Copy the freeside_cacti.php script from the bin directory of your Freeside installation to the cli directory of your Cacti installation. Give this file the same permissions as the other files in that directory, and create (or choose an existing) user with sufficient permission to read these scripts.

In the regular Cacti interface, create a Host Template to be used by devices exported by Freeside, and note the template's id number. Optionally, create a Graph Tree for these devices to be automatically added to, and note the tree's id number. Configure a Graph Export (under Settings) and note the Export Directory.

In Freeside, go to Configuration->Services->Provisioning exports to add a new export. From the Add Export page, select cacti for Export then enter...

• the Hostname or IP address of your Cacti server

• the User Name with permission to run scripts in the cli directory

• the full Script Path to that directory (eg /usr/share/cacti/cli/)

• the Host Template ID for adding new devices

• the Graph Tree ID for adding new devices (optional)

• the Description for new devices; you can use the tokens

 $ip_addr and $description to include the equivalent fields
 from the broadband service definition, or $contact to use
 the customer's contact name

• the Graph Export Directory, including connection information

 if necessary (user@host:/path/to/graphs/)

• the minimum minutes between graph imports to Freeside (graphs will

 otherwise be imported into Freeside as needed.)  This should be at least
 as long as the minumum time between graph exports configured in Cacti.
 Defaults to 5 if unspecified.

• the maximum size per graph, in MB; individual graphs that exceed this size

 will be quietly ignored by Freeside.  Defaults to 5 if unspecified.

After adding the export, go to Configuration->Services->Service definitions. The export you just created will be available for selection when adding or editing broadband service definitions; check the box to activate it for a given service. Note that you should only have one cacti export per broadband service definition.

When properly configured broadband services are provisioned, they will now be added to Cacti using the Host Template you specified. If you also specified a Graph Tree, the created device will also be added to that.

Once added, a link to the graphs for this host will be available when viewing the details of the provisioned service in Freeside.

Devices will be deleted from Cacti when the service is unprovisioned in Freeside, and they will be deleted and re-added if the ip address changes.

Currently, graphs themselves must still be added in Cacti by hand or some other form of automation tailored to your specific graph inputs and data sources.