What Is Zabbix? A Deep Dive into Its Features, Architecture, and Deployment

1. What is Zabbix

Zabbix is an open-source, enterprise-grade, web-based monitoring solution that can be deployed in a distributed manner.

2. Functions of Zabbix

Monitor hardware and software status on Windows and Linux hosts.

Monitor network devices such as routers, switches, firewalls, F5, printers, etc.

Send alert notifications.

Display monitoring data via web pages and graphs.

3. Key Features

Works with a server and agent; distributed monitoring adds a proxy.

Monitoring modes from the agent perspective: active ( agent active) and passive ( agent).

Supported data collection methods: SNMP (polling, trapping), IPMI, JMX, custom scripts.

Alert thresholds defined in triggers, stored in the backend database, with customizable escalation and actions.

Real-time data presentation via built-in graphing on the web UI.

Historical data stored in databases (MySQL, DB2, Oracle, PostgreSQL, SQLite) with configurable retention and automatic cleanup.

Host configuration via manual addition or templates; templates include items, triggers, actions and support inheritance and host-group monitoring.

Automatic discovery of network devices, agents, filesystems, NICs, SNMP OIDs.

Web interface built with PHP, fully customizable appearance and audit logs.

Zabbix API for third-party integration.

Permission system with user groups and authentication.

Agents for Linux and Windows; daemon written in C.

4. Zabbix System Components

zabbix_server : server daemon that processes data received from agents/proxies and presents it via the web UI.

zabbix_agentd : client daemon that collects local data and sends it to the server or proxy.

zabbix_get : server-side tool to manually retrieve data from agents for testing or troubleshooting.

zabbix_sender : client tool to push large-volume data to the server or proxy, used together with a trapper.

zabbix_proxy : intermediate node for remote or multi-site deployments, forwarding data to the server.

zabbix_java_gateway : gateway for monitoring Java applications, works like an active agent.

zabbix_web : dedicated web site that displays monitoring data and provides configuration.

5. Software Requirements for Zabbix 3.2.4

PHP environment requirements include specific compile-time options and php.ini settings (illustrated below).