Template Inheritance contact options

[lmiltchev]

This should be fixed in our latest release - 2012R2.7... at least I was not able to reproduce the issue on 2.7. I set up a host with various hostgroups, servicegroups, contacts and contactgroups added (used option '+' ). I cloned this host with Bulk Host Import Wizard, and the "additive inheritance" options were preserved in the "new" hosts.

[WillemDH]

Ok, thanks for the update. I'll test again after installing 2.7 and will let you know.

[WillemDH]

Hello,

I did some new tests today after updating to 2.7 and I can confirm my earlier findings that the options are not all copied to from the source host to the clone. I'll try to clarify the configuration:

Some options were copied, but others are not. Apparently the bul host cloning wizard only copies the options if there is a servicegroup / hostgrpup / contact / contactgroup defined. Not when there is no specific contact defined!

SOURCE HOST:
Hostgroup: + AND 3 hostgroups specified
Contacts: + AND 1 contact specified
Contact Groups: + AND no contact groups specified!

CLONE HOST:
Hostgroup: + AND 3 hostgroups specified (=> So here the options are copied correctly)
Contacts: + AND 1 contact specified (=> So here the options are copied correctly)
Contact Groups: Standard AND no contact groups specified! (=> PROBLEM)

So For hosts it's clear the problem is that when there are no items implicitly specified, the options are always standard!

SOURCE SERVICE:
Hostgroup: Standard AND no hostgroups specified (as we don't use hostgroups for services...)
Servicegroup: + AND no servicegroups specified!
Contacts: + AND no contacts specified
Contact Groups: + AND no contact groups specified

CLONE SERVICE:
Hostgroup: Standard AND no hostgroups specified (as expected)
Servicegroup: Standard AND no servicegroups specified! (=> PROBLEM)
Contacts: Standard AND no contacts specified (=> PROBLEM)
Contact Groups: Standard AND no contact groups specified (=> PROBLEM)

Please retry your tests with a source host / service that has no specific contacts / contactgroups defined.

Thanks for anything that can help me fix this option bug. (I have 2000 services that are not inheriting their servicegroups, contacts and contactgroups from their templates.. Doing this manually is impossible, the bulk host cloning wizard is my only options to reconfigure these services 'quickly')

Willem

[lmiltchev]

Some options were copied, but others are not. Apparently the bul host cloning wizard only copies the options if there is a servicegroup / hostgrpup / contact / contactgroup defined. Not when there is no specific contact defined!

This is expected behavior, because additive inheritance is used when you want use the values of inherited (from the template) and local variables together. You have ONLY variables, that are specified in the template, but NOT on the hosts/service level (local variables), however you still have "+" selected. Having the "standard" option is just fine, because it would not make any difference (correct me if I am wrong) if you were using "+". Having this scenario for example:

Code: Select all

SOURCE HOST:
Contact Groups: + AND no contact groups specified!

CLONE HOST:
Contact Groups: Standard AND no contact groups specified! (=> PROBLEM)

It you don't have any contact groups specified locally, it doesn't matter if "+" will stick. When "standard" option is in place, the contact group will get inherited from the template that you are using (if you have one specified).

[WillemDH]

Aaaaah, I didn't think about it hat way. My thought was and is, that it might be standard, but imagine the following case:

I clone a service that has no contacts. The source service is set with + options. The clone service it set to standard as it has not contacts. In heritance will apply, so contacts from the template are used. Now suddenly a user adds himself as a contact in the XI gui. As the contact option is set to standard (and not to + as I would have expected), suddenly the contacts from the template are no longer getting notifications!
I can't imagine this would be expected behaviour? I would think this results in issues when using templates with 'default contacts' in combination with the Nagios XI gui where multiple users can set themselves as a contact or even configure a contact group or servicegroup?

[lmiltchev]

If you are using only a template (no contacts/contactgroups defined on a host/service level), the contacts inherited from the template should still receive notifications...
If you add a contact/contactgroup on the host/service level "afterwords", and you leave the "standard" option selected, the local setting will take precedence over the template. So if users add themselves as monitoring contacts at a later time, they need to select the "+" option, so that both, the local settings and the template would be used.

[WillemDH]

As far as I know, there is no way for users to select the + option through the Nagios XI gui, without CCM? And as they have no permissions to use the CCM... SO this means setting users as a contact for a host / service would always have to be done by an admin...., which in my opinion defeats one of the advantages of Nagios XI, which is that users can set themselves as a contact for a host / service....
I also really don't get why some options would be cloned and other options not. When I select the source host to be cloned, imo it's logical all options would be cloned, not only the ones where something explicitly is defined. If I wouldn't want these particular options to be cloned (or set to standard), I would just select a source host where this options are set to standard....

[lmiltchev]

SO this means setting users as a contact for a host / service would always have to be done by an admin...., which in my opinion defeats one of the advantages of Nagios XI, which is that users can set themselves as a contact for a host / service....

I totally agree with you. This is a valid point. The issue is being discussed internally and there is a proposal to modify the default behavior in the "wizard defaults", so that administrators would have the option to set the default option for inheritance (+, null, standard) for contacts/contactgroups.

For the time being, you can probably set up a "dummy" contact/contact group, and select the "+" option before cloning the host/service. This will make the "+" setting to "stick".

[WillemDH]

Thank you! The dummy contact group / contact / servicegroup is a good idea while waiting for to the updated bulk host cloning wizard.

[lmiltchev]

Sounds good! I am locking this topic. If you have any more questions/issues, please, start a new thread. Thanks!