This is a text-only version of the following page on https://raymii.org:
---
Title       : 	Set up a Collectd client
Author      : 	Remy van Elst
Date        : 	09-04-2013
URL         : 	https://raymii.org/s/tutorials/Collectd_client_setup_tutorial.html
Format      : 	Markdown/HTML
---



This tutorial shows you how to set up a collectd client for use with a collectd
server. What is collectd? collectd gathers statistics about the system it is
running on and stores this information. Those statistics can then be used to
find current performance bottlenecks (i.e. performance analysis) and predict
future system load (i.e. capacity planning). Or if you just want pretty graphs
of your private server and are fed up with some homegrown solution you're at the
right place, too ;).

You need a collectd server set up to fully use this tutorial, but I also have
written a tutorial to do that.

<p class="ad"> <b>Recently I removed all Google Ads from this site due to their invasive tracking, as well as Google Analytics. Please, if you found this content useful, consider a small donation using any of the options below:</b><br><br> <a href="https://leafnode.nl">I'm developing an open source monitoring app called  Leaf Node Monitoring, for windows, linux & android. Go check it out!</a><br><br> <a href="https://github.com/sponsors/RaymiiOrg/">Consider sponsoring me on Github. It means the world to me if you show your appreciation and you'll help pay the server costs.</a><br><br> <a href="https://www.digitalocean.com/?refcode=7435ae6b8212">You can also sponsor me by getting a Digital Ocean VPS. With this referral link you'll get $200 credit for 60 days. Spend $25 after your credit expires and I'll get $25!</a><br><br> </p>


[The collectd server tutorial can be found here][2].

The collectd client is much easier to set up than the server with web frontend.
It only requires installation and configuring the client.

#### Installing Collectd

First install all the required packages:

    
    
    sudo apt-get install collectd 
    

#### Configuring Collectd to talk to our server

Open your favorite editor and edit the `/etc/collectd/collectd.conf` file. Read
it, then remove it all and make sure it looks like the below config file:

    
    
    ## /etc/collectd/collectd.conf generated for vps3.sparklingclouds.nl by Ansible
    ## Config Type: CollectD Client
    
    
    Hostname $HOSTNAME
    FQDNLookup false
    Interval 30
    ReadThreads 1
    LoadPlugin syslog
    <Plugin syslog>
            LogLevel info
    </Plugin>
    
    LoadPlugin cpu
    LoadPlugin df
    LoadPlugin disk
    LoadPlugin entropy
    LoadPlugin interface
    LoadPlugin irq
    LoadPlugin load
    LoadPlugin memory
    LoadPlugin processes
    LoadPlugin rrdtool
    LoadPlugin swap
    LoadPlugin users
    LoadPlugin network
    
    ## Extra Plugins
    LoadPlugin nginx
    LoadPlugin iptables
    LoadPlugin uptime
    LoadPlugin dns
    LoadPlugin ping
    
    ## CollectD Servers
    <Plugin "network">
            Server "$COLLECTD SERVER IP" "25826"
            Server "$COLLECTD SERVER IP" "25826"
            SecurityLevel None
    </Plugin>
    
    
    <Plugin rrdtool>
            DataDir "/var/lib/collectd/rrd"
    </Plugin>
    
    Include "/etc/collectd/filters.conf"
    Include "/etc/collectd/plugins.conf"
    Include "/etc/collectd/thresholds.conf"
    

The configuration file is relatively simple. Make sure to replace $VARIABLE$ by
the correct on for your server. You load plugins via `"LoadPlugin $name"`. The
network part is important, this configures our client to send its data to our
server. Replace $COLLECT SERVER IP with your collectd server IP.

*Make sure the file has a blank newline at the end. If it has not, collectd will _fail to start/run correctly_.

#### Configure collectd plugins

Now create the following file: `/etc/collectd/plugins.conf`, it doesn't exist by
default. This will house the plugin config. Add the following content to it, but
make sure it matches your LoadPlugin settings above. If you don't have the ping
plugin, you also don't need the config for it.

    
    
    ## /etc/collectd/plugins.conf 
    
    ## Static Plugins (every host has them)
    <Plugin swap>
           ReportByDevice false
    </Plugin>
    
    
    ## Dynamic Plugins 
    <Plugin nginx>
           URL "http://127.0.0.1/nginx_status"
    </Plugin>
    
    <Plugin ntpd>
           Host "localhost"
           Port 123
           ReverseLookups false
    </Plugin>
    
    <Plugin ping>
           Host "google.com"
    </Plugin>
    
    <Plugin sensors>
           SensorConfigFile "/etc/sensors3.conf"
           Sensor "it8712-isa-0290/temperature-temp1"
           Sensor "it8712-isa-0290/fanspeed-fan3"
           Sensor "it8712-isa-0290/voltage-in8"
           IgnoreSelected false
    </Plugin>
    
    <Plugin write_graphite>
           <Carbon>
                   Host "$GRAPHITE_HOST$"
                   Port "2003"
                   Prefix "collectd"
                   Postfix "collectd"
                   StoreRates false
                   AlwaysAppendDS false
                   EscapeCharacter "_"
           </Carbon>
    </Plugin>
    

Collectd server is now set up in "client" mode. To test it we restart the
service:

    
    
    /etc/init.d/collectd restart
    

And then check the `/var/lib/collectd/rrd/` folder and you should see some files
and folders (rrd libraries). If not then your collectd is setup wrong, see
syslog for more info.

We also should see these files on the collectd server, in the
`/var/lib/collectd/rrd` folder. If you see them there, you have done it
correctly.

Remember to add the IP to the collectd server firewall.

Now you have a fully working collectd client set up.

   [1]: https://www.digitalocean.com/?refcode=7435ae6b8212
   [2]: https://raymii.org/s/tutorials/Collectd_server_setup_tutorial_with_web_frontend.html

---

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