System Requirements
Requirements
Zabbix has specific hardware and software requirements that must be met, and these requirements may change over time. They also depend on the size of your setup and the software stack you select. Before purchasing hardware or installing a database version, it's essential to consult the Zabbix documentation for the most up-to-date requirements for the version you plan to install. You can find the latest requirements https://www.zabbix.com/documentation/current/en/manual/installation/requirements. Make sure to select the correct Zabbix version from the list.
For smaller or test setups, Zabbix can comfortably run on a system with 2 CPUs and 8 GB of RAM. However, your setup size, the number of items you monitor, the triggers you create, and how long you plan to retain data will impact resource requirements. In today's virtualised environments, my advice is to start small and scale up as needed.
You can install all components (Zabbix server, database, web server) on a single machine or distribute them across multiple servers. For simplicity, take note of the server details:
| Component | IP Address |
|---|---|
| Zabbix Server | |
| Database Server | |
| Web Server |
Tip
Zabbix package names often use dashes (-) in their names, such as zabbix-get
or zabbix-sender, but the binaries themselves may use underscores (_),
like zabbix_sender or zabbix_server. This naming discrepancy can sometimes
be confusing, particularly if you are using packages from non-official Zabbix
repositories.
Always check if a binary uses a dash or an underscore when troubleshooting.
Warning
Starting from Zabbix 7.2, only MySQL (including its forks) and PostgreSQL are supported as back-end databases. Earlier versions of Zabbix also included support for Oracle Database; however, this support was discontinued with Zabbix 7.0 LTS, making it the last LTS version to officially support Oracle DB.
Basic OS Configuration
Operating systems, so many choices, each with its own advantages and loyal user base. While Zabbix can be installed on a wide range of platforms, documenting the process for every available OS would be impractical. To keep this book focused and efficient, we have chosen to cover only the most widely used options: Ubuntu, Red Hat and Suse based distributions.
Since not everyone has access to a Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) or a SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) subscription even though a developer account provides limited access we have opted for Rocky Linux respectively openSUSE Leap as a readily available alternative. For this book, we will be using Rocky Linux 9.x, openSUSE Leap 16 and Ubuntu LTS 24.04.x.
Note
OS installation steps are outside the scope of this book, but a default or even a minimal installation of your preferred OS should be sufficient. Please refrain from installing graphical user interfaces (GUIs) or desktop environments, as they are unnecessary for server setups and consume valuable resources.
Once you have your preferred OS installed, there are a few essential configurations to perform before proceeding with the Zabbix installation. Perform the following steps on all the servers that will host Zabbix components (i.e., Zabbix server, database server, and web server).
Update the System
Before installing the Zabbix components, or any new software, it's a best practice to ensure your operating system is up-to-date with the latest patches and security fixes. This will help maintain system stability and compatibility with the software you're about to install. Even if your OS installation is recent, it's still advisable to run an update to ensure you have the latest packages.
To update your system, run the following command based on your OS:
Update your system
Red Hat
SUSE
Ubuntu
What is apt, dnf or zypper
- DNF (Dandified YUM) is a package manager used in recent Red Hat-based systems (invoked as
dnf). - ZYpp (Zen / YaST Packages Patches Patterns Products) is the package manager
used on SUSE-based systems (invoked as
zypper) and - APT (Advanced Package Tool) is the package manager used on Debian/Ubuntu-based systems (invoked as
apt).
If you're using another distribution, replace dnf/zypper/apt with your appropriate
package manager, such as yum, pacman, emerge, apk or ... .
Do note that package names may also vary from distribution to distribution.
Tip
Regularly updating your system is crucial for security and performance. Consider setting up automatic updates or scheduling regular maintenance windows to keep your systems current.
Sudo
By default the Zabbix processes like the Zabbix server and agent run under their
own unprivileged user accounts (e.g., zabbix). However, there are scenarios where
elevated privileges are required, such as executing custom scripts or commands
that need root access.
Also throughout this book, we will perform certain administrative tasks that
require sudo on the system.
Usually, sudo is already present on most systems, but when you performed
a minimal installation of your OS, it might be missing. Therefore we need to
ensure it's installed.
This will also allow the Zabbix user to execute specific configured commands with elevated privileges without needing to switch to the root user entirely.
What is sudo
sudo (short for "superuser do") is a command-line utility that allows
permitted users to execute commands with the security privileges of another
user, typically the superuser (root). It is commonly used in Unix-like
operating systems to perform administrative tasks without needing to log in
as the root user.
To install sudo, run the following command based on your OS:
Install sudo
Red Hat
SUSE
Ubuntu
On Ubuntu, sudo is normally installed by default. Root access is managed
through sudo for the initial user created during installation.
If sudo is already installed, these commands will inform you that the latest version
is already present and no further action is needed. If not, the package manager
will proceed to install it.
Firewall
Next, we need to ensure that the firewall is installed and configured. A firewall is a crucial security component that helps protect your server from unauthorized access and potential threats by controlling incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules.
To install and enable the firewall, run the following command:
Install and enable the firewall
Red Hat
SUSEUbuntu
What is firewalld / ufw
Firewalld is the replacement for iptables in RHEL- and SUSE-based systems and allows changes to take effect immediately without needing to restart the service. If your distribution does not use Firewalld, refer to your OS documentation for the appropriate firewall configuration steps. Ubuntu makes use of UFW which is merely a frontend for iptables.
During the Zabbix installation in the next chapters, we will need to open specific ports in the firewall to allow communication between Zabbix components.
Alternatively to just opening ports, as we will do in the next chapters, you can also choose to define dedicated firewall zones for specific use cases. This approach enhances security by isolating services and restricting access based on trust levels. For example...
You can confirm the creation of the zone by executing the following command:
Verify the zone creation
Using zones in firewalld to configure firewall rules provides several advantages in terms of security, flexibility, and ease of management. Here’s why zones are beneficial:
- Granular Access Control :
- Firewalld zones allow different levels of trust for different network interfaces and IP ranges. You can define which systems are allowed to connect to PostgreSQL based on their trust level.
- Simplified Rule management:
- Instead of manually defining complex iptables rules, zones provide an organized way to group and manage firewall rules based on usage scenarios.
- Enhanced security:
- By restricting application access to a specific zone, you prevent unauthorized connections from other interfaces or networks.
- Dynamic configuration:
- Firewalld supports runtime and permanent rule configurations, allowing changes without disrupting existing connections.
- Multi-Interface support:
- If the server has multiple network interfaces, zones allow different security policies for each interface.
Bringing everything together to add a zone for, in this example, PostgreSQL it would look like this:
Firewalld with zone config for PostgreSQL database access
Where the source IP is the only address permitted to establish a connection to
the database.
If you wish to use zones when using firewalld, ensure to adapt the instructions in the following chapters accordingly.
Time Server
Another crucial step is configuring the time server and syncing the Zabbix server using an NTP client. Accurate time synchronization is vital for Zabbix, both for the server and the devices it monitors. If one of the hosts has an incorrect time zone, it could lead to confusion, such as investigating an issue in Zabbix that appears to have happened hours earlier than it actually did.
To install and enable chrony, our NTP client, use the following command:
Install NTP client
Red Hat
SUSE
Ubuntu
After installation, verify that Chrony is enabled and running by checking its status with the following command:
what is Chrony
Chrony is a modern replacement for ntpd, offering faster and
more accurate time synchronization. If your OS does not support
Chrony, consider using
ntpd instead.
Once Chrony is installed, the next step is to ensure the correct time zone is set.
You can view your current time configuration using the timedatectl command:
Check the time config
Ensure that the Chrony service is active (refer to the previous steps if needed). To set the correct time zone, first, you can list all available time zones with the following command:
This command will display a list of available time zones, allowing you to select the one closest to your location. For example:
List of all the timezones available
Once you've identified your time zone, configure it using the following command:
To verify that the time zone has been configured correctly, use the timedatectl
command again:
Check the time and zone
Note
Some administrators prefer installing all servers in the UTC time zone to ensure that server logs across global deployments are synchronized. Zabbix supports user-based time zone settings, which allows the server to remain in UTC while individual users can adjust the time zone via the interface if needed.
Verifying Chrony Synchronization
To ensure that Chrony is synchronizing with the correct time servers, you can run the following command:
The output should resemble:
Verify your chrony output
localhost:~ # chronyc
chrony version 4.2
Copyright (C) 1997-2003, 2007, 2009-2021 Richard P. Curnow and others
chrony comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY. This is free software, and
you are welcome to redistribute it under certain conditions. See the
GNU General Public License version 2 for details.
chronyc>
Once inside the Chrony prompt, type the sources command to check the used time sources:
Example output:
Check your time server sources
chronyc> sources
MS Name/IP address Stratum Poll Reach LastRx Last sample
===============================================================================
^- 51-15-20-83.rev.poneytel> 2 9 377 354 +429us[ +429us] +/- 342ms
^- 5.255.99.180 2 10 377 620 +7424us[+7424us] +/- 37ms
^- hachi.paina.net 2 10 377 412 +445us[ +445us] +/- 39ms
^* leontp1.office.panq.nl 1 10 377 904 +6806ns[ +171us] +/- 2336us
In this example, the NTP servers in use are located outside your local region. It is recommended to switch to time servers in your country or, if available, to a dedicated company time server. You can find local NTP servers here: www.ntppool.org.
Updating Time Servers
To update the time servers, modify the Chrony configuration file:
Edit chrony config file
Red Hat
SUSE
On SUSE, the pool configuration is located in a separate file. You can edit that file directly or add a new configuration file in the same directory. In the latter case, ensure to disable or remove the existing pool configuration to avoid conflicts.Ubuntu
Replace the existing NTP server pool with one closer to your location.
Example of the current configuration:
Example ntp pool config
Change the pools you want to a local time server:
Change ntp pool config
After making this change, restart the Chrony service to apply the new configuration:
Verifying Updated Time Servers
Check the time sources again to ensure that the new local servers are in use:
Example of expected output with local servers:
Example output
chronyc> sources
MS Name/IP address Stratum Poll Reach LastRx Last sample
===============================================================================
^- ntp1.unix-solutions.be 2 6 17 43 -375us[ -676us] +/- 28ms
^* ntp.devrandom.be 2 6 17 43 -579us[ -880us] +/- 2877us
^+ time.cloudflare.com 3 6 17 43 +328us[ +27us] +/- 2620us
^+ time.cloudflare.com 3 6 17 43
This confirms that the system is now using local time servers.
Conclusion
As we have seen, before even considering the Zabbix packages, attention must be paid to the environment in which it will reside. A properly configured and up-to-date operating system, an open path through the firewall, and accurate timekeeping are not mere suggestions, but essential building blocks. Having laid this groundwork, we can now proceed with confidence to the Zabbix installation, knowing that the underlying system is prepared for the task.
Questions
- Why do you think accurate time synchronization is so crucial for a monitoring system like Zabbix?
- Now that the groundwork is laid, what do you anticipate will be the first step in the actual Zabbix installation process?
- As we move towards installing Zabbix, let's think about network communication. What key ports do you anticipate needing to allow through the firewall for the Zabbix server and agents to interact effectively?