• Terminology
• Configuring
• Starting
• Reconfiguring

When configuring SURVIVOR, it may help to clarify the differences among an item module, an item stanza, and an Item.

• An item module is an actual executable that performs the function of an item. For example, check modules are installed in $INSTDIR/mod/check/ and perform the actual check.

• An item stanza is a configuration entry that controls how an item functions. For example, A check stanza is defined in check.cf and specifies (among other things) the arguments to be passed to a check module.

• An Item is defined in an item stanza and is implemented by the execution of an item module. So a Check is defined in a check stanza and is implemented by the execution of a check module.

Configuring SURVIVOR requires creating a few files and directories. Setting up the files in the order described here may facilitate the process.

1. instance.cf
   Each survivor instance requires a configuration directory, a state directory, and a history directory. Ordinarily, only one survivor instance is required. After the instance is defined, the next five configuration files must be created and installed in the configuration directory for that instance.
2. calllist.cf
3. schedule.cf
4. host.cf
5. check.cf
6. dependency.cf
7. Additionally, the web interface (sw) has its own configuration file, cgi.cf.
8. Additionally, the mail gateway (sg) has its own configuration file, gateway.cf.

These files should only be writable by trusted system administrators. Many check modules pass command line arguments to executables based on configuration values in these files (especially check.cf), and a malicious user with write access to these files may be able to craft arguments to elevate their privileges.

A sample script suitable for installing (perhaps with slight modification) in /etc/init.d can be found in the survivor distribution at init.d/survivor.

After editing the configuration files, kill -HUP the scheduler, which will tell it to reparse its configuration files. Watch for parsing errors, as the new configuration files may contain errors. See the documentation for the scheduler and the command line interface for information on how to enable debugging.

Also see the Error Messages information for an explanation of some errors that might appear after reconfiguration.