Creating a No-Ping Host Template in Nagios

Sometimes we need to monitor a host that doesn't respond to ping.  To do this, we need to use a no-ping host template.  Otherwise, Nagios will attempt to ping the host, get a failure, decide the host is down, and skip all of the other checks.

To do this, create a copy of /etc/nagios3/conf.d/generic-host.cfg and call it /etc/nagios3/conf.d/noping-host.cfg.

Change the name to be nohost-ping and remove the link that starts with check_command.  The resulting file should look like this:

# Generic host definition template - This is NOT a real host, just a template!

# Generic host definition template - This is NOT a real host, just a template!

define host{
        name                            noping-host    ; The name of this host template
        notifications_enabled           1       ; Host notifications are enabled
        event_handler_enabled           1       ; Host event handler is enabled
        flap_detection_enabled          1       ; Flap detection is enabled
        failure_prediction_enabled      1       ; Failure prediction is enabled
        process_perf_data               1       ; Process performance data
        retain_status_information       1       ; Retain status information across program restarts
        retain_nonstatus_information    1       ; Retain non-status information across program restarts
                max_check_attempts              10
                notification_interval           0
                notification_period             24x7
                notification_options            d,u,r
                contact_groups                  admins
        register                        0       ; DONT REGISTER THIS DEFINITION - ITS NOT A REAL HOST, JUST A TEMPLATE!
        }

Then, when you setup the cfg files, reference noping-host instead of generic-host.

In the Nagios web interface, if you would like the host to appear green instead of gray, you can submit a Passive Check marking it as UP.