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 here. 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 virtualized 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.

Basic OS Configuration¶

Firewall¶

Before installing Zabbix, it's essential to properly prepare the operating system. The first step is to ensure that the firewall is installed and configured.

To install and enable the firewall, run the following command:

# dnf install firewalld --now

Once installed, you can configure the necessary ports. For Zabbix, we need to allow access to port 10051/tcp, which is where the Zabbix trapper listens for incoming data. Use the following command to open this port in the firewall:

# firewall-cmd --add-service=Zabbix-server --permanent

If the service is not recognized, you can manually specify the port:

# firewall-cmd --add-port=10051/tcp --permanent

firewalld

"Firewalld is the replacement for iptables in RHEL-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."

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 Chrony, an NTP client, use the following command:

# dnf install chronyd --now

Once installed, you can verify that Chrony is enabled and running by checking its status:

# systemctl status chronyd

dnf

"dnf is a package manager used in Red Hat-based systems. If you're using another distribution, replace dnf with your appropriate package manager, such as zyper, apt, or yum. 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:

# timedatectl
               Local time: Thu 2023-11-16 15:09:14 UTC
           Universal time: Thu 2023-11-16 15:09:14 UTC
                 RTC time: Thu 2023-11-16 15:09:15
                Time zone: UTC (UTC, +0000)
System clock synchronized: yes
              NTP service: active
          RTC in local TZ: no

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:

# timedatectl list-timezones

This will display a list of time zones, from which you can select the one closest to your location, for example:

Africa/Abidjan
Africa/Accra
...
Pacific/Tongatapu
Pacific/Wake
Pacific/Wallis
UTC

Once you've identified your time zone, configure it using the following command:

# timedatectl set-timezone Europe/Brussels

To verify that the time zone has been configured correctly, use the timedatectl command again:

# timedatectl
               Local time: Thu 2023-11-16 16:13:35 CET
           Universal time: Thu 2023-11-16 15:13:35 UTC
                 RTC time: Thu 2023-11-16 15:13:36
                Time zone: Europe/Brussels (CET, +0100)
System clock synchronized: yes
              NTP service: active
          RTC in local TZ: no

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:

# chronyc

The output should resemble:

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 following to check the sources:

chronyc> sources

Example output:

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.

Updating Time Servers¶

To update the time servers, modify the /etc/chrony.conf file. Replace the existing NTP server with one closer to your location.

Example of the current configuration:

# Use public servers from the pool.ntp.org project.
# Please consider joining the pool (http://www.pool.ntp.org/join.html).
pool 2.centos.pool.ntp.org iburst

Change it to a local time server:

# Use public servers from the pool.ntp.org project.
# Please consider joining the pool (http://www.pool.ntp.org/join.html).
pool be.pool.ntp.org iburst

After making this change, restart the Chrony service to apply the new configuration:

# systemctl restart chronyd

Verifying Updated Time Servers¶

Check the time sources again to ensure that the new local servers are in use:

chronyc> sources

Example of expected output with local servers:

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.