Reviews and Ratings
collectd is:
- cpu- and network-efficient
- modular and flexible
- powerful and extensible
...replacement for mrtg and lots of other sturdy code. And it doesn't need cron. In fact, usual crond(8) won't even keep up with collectd's default sub-minute time resolution.
Nice companion is monit(8), so you get active local monitoring in addition to passive remote one.
Short version: among php/mysql ones, look closer at Drupal for something like Joomla but created with security in mind -- or at TYPO3 if you need *really* flexible high-end CMS. Joomla is neither.
Longer version: over the years mambo/joomla folks managed to surprise me with both hideous security flaws constantly found in it (believe me, I do remember the very similar buzz on phpnuke and reading up bugtraq@ to patch it real quick week after week) -- and the immaturity feeling: licensing jumps, the lack of proper automatic navigation means, "in a year we'll have some more TYPO3 features".
I've hosted joomla sites and consulted on replacing another one with TYPO3-based one after it being broken through -- TYPO3 *is* hard but getting stuck with stuff like Joomla or Windows, no, thanks.
2 developers: sorry, I don't want to hurt your feelings, but I just don't use/recommend your product due to what's described above -- still hoping that this will change.
The only thing I'm missing in the racktables-0.15 instance I use is virtualization support -- so that individual servers aren't opaque but containers within can benefit from NAT and assigned IP/ports handling which is so useful to track state and its changes another year after.
Problem tracking is also very helpful: one can post trouble lists and sort them out, going over the racks with not-all-green servers.
The code is solid (like pdksh is), albeit tersely commented; yet going through it has taught me more than a trick in shell scripting.
Thoroughly recommended as an example of concise -- and secure -- implementation of a simple but powerful idea.
Bear in mind that integrating it into a distribution's package system requires support for script execution before and after actual package installation (%pre/%post in RPM speak).
I started using monit in 2003 after having looked at mon(8) and following the more experienced colleague who was packaging them both for ALT Linux back then.
Suffice to say that it has served me well ever since, both in commecrial and hobby environment -- keeping systems from overload or disk shortage, and notifying me in advance of the real trouble.
collectd(8) is nice companion to monit(8), BTW.
Zsh already saved my day more than once with safety nets for things like "rm * ~" being switched on...
It's a nice lazy shell which doesn't hurt. Especially delicious when nicely packaged.