Merge branch 'collectd-4.0' into collectd-4.1

[collectd.git] / src / collectd-unixsock.pod

diff --git a/src/collectd-unixsock.pod b/src/collectd-unixsock.pod
index 6875694..1be0654 100644 (file)
--- a/src/collectd-unixsock.pod
+++ b/src/collectd-unixsock.pod
@@ -20,6 +20,9 @@ the daemon. This can be used to use the values collected by collectd in other
 applications, such as monitoring, or submit externally collected values to
 collectd.
 
 applications, such as monitoring, or submit externally collected values to
 collectd.
 

+This plugin is used by L<collectd-nagios(1)> to check if some value is in a
+certain range and exit with a Nagios-compatible exit code.
+

 =head1 COMMANDS
 
 Upon start the C<unixsock plugin> opens a UNIX-socket and waits for
 =head1 COMMANDS
 
 Upon start the C<unixsock plugin> opens a UNIX-socket and waits for


@@ -33,12 +36,12 @@ The following commands are implemented:
 =item B<GETVAL> I<Identifier>
 
 If the value identified by I<Identifier> (see below) is found the complete
 =item B<GETVAL> I<Identifier>
 
 If the value identified by I<Identifier> (see below) is found the complete

-value-list is returned. The response is a space seperated list of
+value-list is returned. The response is a space separated list of

 name-value-pairs:
 
 I<num> I<name>B<=>I<value>[ I<name>B<=>I<value>[ ...]]
 
 name-value-pairs:
 
 I<num> I<name>B<=>I<value>[ I<name>B<=>I<value>[ ...]]
 

-If I<num> is less then zero, an error occured. Otherwise it contains the
+If I<num> is less then zero, an error occurred. Otherwise it contains the

 number of values that follow. Each value is of the form I<name>B<=>I<value>.
 Counter-values are converted to a rate, e.E<nbsp>g. bytes per second.
 Undefined values are returned as B<NaN>.
 number of values that follow. Each value is of the form I<name>B<=>I<value>.
 Counter-values are converted to a rate, e.E<nbsp>g. bytes per second.
 Undefined values are returned as B<NaN>.


@@ -47,24 +50,73 @@ Example:
   -> | GETVAL myhost/cpu-0/cpu-user
   <- | 1 value=1.260000e+00
 
   -> | GETVAL myhost/cpu-0/cpu-user
   <- | 1 value=1.260000e+00
 

-=item B<PUTVAL> I<Identifier> I<Valuelist>
+=item B<LISTVAL>
+
+Returnes a list of the values available in the value cache together with the
+time of the last update, so that querying applications can issue a B<GETVAL>
+command for the values that have changed.
+
+The first line's status number is the number of identifiers returned or less
+than zero if an error occured. Each of the following lines containes the
+update time as an epoch value and the identifier, seperated by a space.
+
+Example:
+  -> | LISTVAL
+  <- | 69 Values found
+  <- | 1182204284 leeloo/cpu-0/cpu-idle
+  <- | 1182204284 leeloo/cpu-0/cpu-nice
+  <- | 1182204284 leeloo/cpu-0/cpu-system
+  <- | 1182204284 leeloo/cpu-0/cpu-user
+  ...
+
+=item B<PUTVAL> I<Identifier> [I<OptionList>] I<Valuelist>
+
+Submits one or more values (identified by I<Identifier>, see below) to the
+daemon which will dispatch it to all it's write-plugins.
+
+An I<Identifier> is of the form
+C<I<host>B</>I<plugin>B<->I<instance>B</>I<type>B<->I<instance>> with both
+I<instance>-parts being optional. If they're omitted the hyphen must be
+omitted, too.
+
+The I<OptionList> is an optional list of I<Options>, where each option if a
+key-value-pair. A list of currently understood options can be found below, all
+other options will be ignored.
+
+I<Valuelist> is a colon-seperated list of the time and the values, each either
+an integer if the data-source is a counter, of a double if the data-source if
+of type "gauge". You can submit an undefined gauge-value by using B<U>. When
+submitting B<U> to a counter the behavior is undefined. The time is given as
+epoch (i.E<nbsp>e. standard UNIX time).

 
 

-Submits a value (identified by I<Identifier>, see below) to the daemon which
-will dispatch it to all it's write-plugins. The I<Valuelist> is a
-colon-seperated list of values, either an integer if the data-source is a
-counter, of a double if the data-source if of type "gauge". You can submit an
-undefined gauge-value by using B<U>. When submitting B<U> to a counter the
-behavior is undefined.
+You can mix options and values, but the order is important: Options only
+effect following values, so specifying an option as last field is allowed, but
+useless. Also, an option applies to B<all> following values, so you don't need
+to re-set an option over and over again.
+
+The currently defined B<Options> are:
+
+=over 4
+
+=item B<interval=>I<seconds>
+
+Gives the interval in which the data identified by I<Identifier> is being
+collected.
+
+=back
+
+Please note that this is the same format as used in the B<exec plugin>, see
+L<collectd-exec(5)>.

 
 Example:
 
 Example:

-  -> | PUTVAL testhost/interface/if_octets-test0 1179574444:123:456
+  -> | PUTVAL testhost/interface/if_octets-test0 interval=10 1179574444:123:456

   <- | 0 Success
 
 =back
 
 =head2 Identifiers
 
   <- | 0 Success
 
 =back
 
 =head2 Identifiers
 

-Value or value-lists are identified in a uniform fassion:
+Value or value-lists are identified in a uniform fashion:

 
 I<Hostname>/I<Plugin>/I<Type>
 
 
 I<Hostname>/I<Plugin>/I<Type>
 


@@ -91,9 +143,19 @@ Commands that return values may use I<Num> to return the number of values that
 follow, such as the B<GETVAL> command. These commands usually return a negative
 value on failure and never return zero.
 
 follow, such as the B<GETVAL> command. These commands usually return a negative
 value on failure and never return zero.
 

+=head1 ABSTRACTION LAYER
+
+Shipped with the sourcecode comes the Perl-Module L<Collectd::Unixsock> which
+provides an abstraction layer over the actual socket connection. It can be
+found in the directory F<contrib/PerlLib>. If you want to use Perl to
+communicate with the daemon, you're encouraged to use and expand this module.
+

 =head1 SEE ALSO
 
 =head1 SEE ALSO
 

-L<collectd(1)>, L<collectd.conf(5)>, L<unix(7)>
+L<collectd(1)>,
+L<collectd.conf(5)>,
+L<collectd-nagios(1)>,
+L<unix(7)>

 
 =head1 AUTHOR
 
 
 =head1 AUTHOR