How to Install Bosun on OpenBSD

Bosun is a monitoring and alerting system from Stack Exchange that collects and analyzes metrics from various sources. OpenBSD is a free and open-source Unix-like operating system. In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Bosun on OpenBSD.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, you need to ensure that you have the following prerequisites:

• An OpenBSD machine
• Root access to the machine
• A stable internet connection
• Basic knowledge of command line interface

Step 1: Install Go

Bosun is written in Go, so we need to install Go first. OpenBSD provides a package for installing Go.

1. Open the terminal on your OpenBSD machine.

2. Run the following command to install Go:

   sudo pkg_add go

3. Verify the installation by running the following command:

   go version

   This command should display the installed Go version.

Step 2: Install Bosun

Bosun is not available as a binary package on OpenBSD, so we need to build it from the source code.

1. Open the terminal on your OpenBSD machine.

2. Run the following command to clone the Bosun repository:

   git clone https://github.com/bosun-monitor/bosun.git

3. Go to the cloned repository directory:

   cd bosun

4. Build Bosun by running the following command:

   go build

5. Run Bosun by running the following command:

   ./bosun

   This will start the Bosun server.

Step 3: Configure Bosun

Now that we have installed Bosun, we need to configure it.

1. Create a configuration file for Bosun:

   sudo vi /etc/bosun.conf

2. Add the following lines to the configuration file:

   tsdbHost: localhost:4242
   smtpHost: smtp.gmail.com
   smtpPort: 587
   smtpUsername: your.gmail.username
   smtpPassword: your.gmail.password
   

   Replace your.gmail.username and your.gmail.password with your actual Gmail account credentials.

3. Save and exit the file.

Step 4: Start Bosun Automatically

To start Bosun automatically, we need to create a service file.

1. Create a service file for Bosun:

   sudo vi /etc/rc.d/bosun

2. Add the following lines to the service file:

   #!/bin/sh
   #
   # PROVIDE: bosun
   # REQUIRE: LOGIN
   # KEYWORD: shutdown
   #
   # Add the following lines to /etc/rc.conf.local or /etc/rc.conf
   # to enable this service:
   #
   # bosun_enable="YES"
   #
   
   . /etc/rc.subr
   
   name="bosun"
   rcvar=${name}_enable
   
   command="/path/to/bosun"
   command_args=""
   start_cmd= "bosun_start"
   stop_cmd="bosun_stop"
   
   bosun_start() {
           "$command" $command_args >/var/log/bosun.log 2>&1 &
   }
   
   bosun_stop() {
           pkill -f "$command"
   }
   
   load_rc_config $name
   run_rc_command "$1"
   

   Replace /path/to/bosun with the actual path to the Bosun binary.

3. Save and exit the file.

4. Make the file executable:

   sudo chmod +x /etc/rc.d/bosun

5. Enable the service:

   sudo vi /etc/rc.conf.local

6. Add the following line to the file:

   bosun_enable="YES"

7. Save and exit the file.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we have shown you how to install Bosun on OpenBSD. We have also shown you how to configure Bosun and start it automatically as a service. You can now use Bosun to collect and analyze metrics, and receive alerts when necessary.

If you want to self-host in an easy, hands free way, need an external IP address, or simply want your data in your own hands, give IPv6.rs a try!

Alternatively, for the best virtual desktop, try Shells!