[rrd-users] Beginner question: "rrdtool.exe graph" started from windows shell does not produce any graph nor error message

[Tobias Oetiker]

Hi Petr,

Today Petr Láz?ovský wrote:

> Got it now, after studying documents again. Controlling rrdtool
> is more 'programming conditions' rather than 'run utility with a
> command and modify it`s behaviour by some non-mandatory
> parameters'.  Something like difference between 'cut' and 'awk'
> utility for example.
>
> For non-programming people like me, this could be crucial
> information and should be written on the top of page with bold
> font.  I spent(waste) many hours with google to try understanding
> how this work.
>
> But how many non-programming people dealing with rrdtool.....
> Maybe you are right....
>
> Anyway, thank you for help and comment.
>
> P.L.
>
> BTW: I read in many documents (often more than 10 years old) so
> MRTG3 will be merged with rrdtool, is it still actual
> information?

yes, except that there is no mrtg3 :-) and probably never will be

there is a chance that smokeping3 will be able to take the place
of mrtg3 ...

in any event, windows will not be a good platform for running it
...

cheers
tobi

>
>
>
> >> I have read both manual and tutorial again and discovered missed parameter
> >> "LINE1:traffic#xxxxxx"
>
> >> It`s pitty the author hide this important sentence at the very end of
> >> document: "You need at least one DEF and one LINE, AREA, GPRINT, PRINT
> >> statement to generate anything useful"
>
> >> Should I consider those parameters as a mandatory minimum? Without
> >> AREA,GPRINT and PRINT, still got valid graph. Can someone explain me this?
>
> > There is no such thing as a mandatory line or a mandatory area. And if you do
> > not want a legend line from GPRINT then that too is just fine.  If you do
> > not ask RRDtool to produce any output, it will not produce output. It did
> > exactly what you asked it to do, so there's no error either.
>
> > It's perfectly fine to just draw a line without any legend. You'd need a DEF
> > and a LINE.  Also fine is a legend without a line; you'd need a DEF and a
> > GPRINT command.  Whether or not that's useful, is your decision.
>
> > It's perfectly fine to just have a DEF and a PRINT.  No graph created, there
> > will be only a number returned to the calling process.  Again, that is not an
> > error condition, it is what you ask RRDtool to do.
>
>
> > If you did not yet 'get it' yet, maybe you paced through the tutorial too
> > fast.
>
> > Summarized:
> > get data:  DEF
> > massage data:  CDEF
> > output data: LINE, AREA, PRINT, GPRINT.  Choose zero or more.
>
> > and you should look at XPORT, which is not covered in the tutorial because
> > the tutorial was written in the v1.0 era of rrdtool and XPORT came later.
>
> > HTH,
> > "the author"
>
>
>
> > _______________________________________________
> > rrd-users mailing list
> > rrd-users at lists.oetiker.ch
> > https://lists.oetiker.ch/cgi-bin/listinfo/rrd-users
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> rrd-users mailing list
> rrd-users at lists.oetiker.ch
> https://lists.oetiker.ch/cgi-bin/listinfo/rrd-users
>
>

-- 
Tobi Oetiker, OETIKER+PARTNER AG, Aarweg 15 CH-4600 Olten, Switzerland
http://it.oetiker.ch tobi at oetiker.ch ++41 62 775 9902 / sb: -9900