Automate DB Monitoring Reports with Zabbix and Orabbix

In database operations, having a clear overview of server load across dozens or hundreds of machines can dramatically improve troubleshooting. The author describes a method to generate visual reports from Zabbix (enhanced by Orabbix) and embed those graphs in email notifications.

Understanding the Zabbix/Orabbix Data Flow

Orabbix pulls monitoring data via JDBC and writes it into Zabbix's MySQL tables. To retrieve specific graphs, both screenid and graphid are required; these identifiers link the stored metrics to visual representations.

Step‑by‑Step Implementation

Map screenid and graphid to the MySQL tables – Identify the relational tables that store the association between Zabbix screens, graphs, and the underlying metrics.

Generate the graph image URL – Using the discovered IDs, construct a URL such as

http://zabbix.example.com/chart2.php?graphid=123&screenid=456&width=800&height=600

. Default width and height values can be hard‑coded.

Download the image – Write a Python script that fetches the URL, saves the PNG to a temporary directory (e.g., /var/www/zabbix/reports), and ensures proper file permissions.

Attach the image to an email – Use Python’s smtplib or a higher‑level library to compose an email, attach the saved PNG, and send it to the intended recipients.

The four steps are independent, allowing you to implement them incrementally. For quick testing, you can skip the first two steps by manually copying an existing graph URL from Zabbix, then focus on downloading and emailing the image.

Practical Tips

When constructing the URL, omit optional parameters like period unless a specific time range is needed.

Store images in a web‑accessible directory (e.g., /var/www/zabbix/reports) if you also want to serve them via HTTP.

Ensure the Python environment has the requests library for reliable HTTP downloads.

Further details on the database schema and the exact screenid / graphid relationships are covered in a follow‑up article.