[rrd-users] Graphing Data from win2k / RS-232 Serial Cable ??

[Reinhard Weissenbrunner]

hi, all,

I´ve been testing RRD-Tool a few days now, and I have to say:  Wow  ;-o
cool tool..
The folks here are mostly graphing Computer and Network-stuff from Routers,
Switches, or Unix or NT boxes...

But what about all the other data wich can be graphed over time, like
temperature, pressure
and all the other technical Stuff where we can get data from ?
E.g. Measurement-Instruments, Weather-Sensors,  Telemetry., wich could
deliver data
from Electrical current, power, pressure...

<The first Experiments>

My first experiments have been about some e-mail statistics over one year
a small example of a Mailserver-statistic can be seen here.
http://www.access.at/reinitest/allerlei/2001gesamt.gif

<The next step.>

The next step ahead is: collecting the data "automatically"..
but here is the end of my knowledge...
Luckily, i found an easy way to get experimental data on any W2K box:: The
perormance log:
So I added some perflog counter and got a (hmm, growing) csv-file like
this..
<cpu-total-log.csv>:
"(PDH-CSV 4.0)","\\KISTE2000\Prozessor(_Total)\Prozessorzeit (%)"
"04/20/2001 18:01:05.812","99,999970924648082"
"04/20/2001 18:01:20.812","11,66666666666667"
"04/20/2001 18:01:35.812","15,208333333333336"

so this has to be read and converted into a command like..
 rrdtool update cpu.rrd 983942400:15,2

Altough I´m a complete greenhorn in Perl, the task will be:
-read the last line of the log file,
-convert the first value into unix time (seconds since 1/1/70),
-truncate/round the data to 2 decimals (optional, dependent on the data)
-send this (via perl) to rrdtool in order to update the .rrd
and later then:
-generating a customized picture (png) "on demand" by calling  the rrdcgi
including some
additional parameters to tell the rrdcgi wich .rrd to use and how to draw
the picture.

Im sure, this small problem has been coded in perl many times,
so, why re-event the wheel.?.
Could you please give me some hints/tips to a "greenhorn" ?
(sounds like crying for .cfg files for this, OIDs for targeting with MRTG
..eh :-))

<And now, the Challenge>..

There are many Technical  Measurement-Instruments wirh a
"RS-232" Interface... so, why not obtaining data via  "serial cable" ?
like Chris Snell does  - with more or less continuity - at
http://www.rdrop.com/mrtg/weather.html
and with the Weather-Stations at weathertools.com

Has someone done something like this before ? written scripts, tools ?
Or can you give me some hints, where to start, when listening to a "Serial
Cable" ?
where are the "hurdles" wich are awaiting me ?

I´ll try to graph some "heat treatment-procedures" and i can imagine many
other things,
so, any hint will  be greatly apreciated.
please, kick me a step towards the solution ;)

cheers,
Reini

Reinhard Weissenbrunner
Dep. of Material Science,
Mining University
Leoben, Austria


--
Unsubscribe mailto:rrd-users-request at list.ee.ethz.ch?subject=unsubscribe
Help        mailto:rrd-users-request at list.ee.ethz.ch?subject=help
Archive     http://www.ee.ethz.ch/~slist/rrd-users
WebAdmin    http://www.ee.ethz.ch/~slist/lsg2.cgi