Attention web and data masters: no less than 4 MySQL modules are now available! (there is even a generic module which allows displaying any database table, which could be yet another way to monitor something: store the data in a table periodically and monitor it with moodss), And of course, combine that with several instances of any of the other available modules (apache, ping, snmp, ...), all on the same dashboard.

Check it out! (or at least the screenshots at http://jfontain.free.fr/moodss3.gif or http://jfontain.free.fr/moodss4.gif :).

Note: versions 10.x and above releases are for Tcl/Tk 8.3 or 8.4, with corresponding releases using the 8.x version numbering for Tcl/Tk 8.0. Once Tcl/Tk 8.2.3 or 8.3 becomes part of the main Linux distributions, development of the 8.x versions will stop.

### CHANGES ###

--- version 8.24 --- new MySQL myvars module with full help (using 'SHOW VARIABLE' query, for version 3.22 only) new MySQL myprocs module (using 'SHOW PROCESSLIST' query) new MySQL myselect generic module (using 'SELECT + FROM table' query) renamed mysql module to mystatus and display whole set of rows from 'SHOW STATUS' output for both 3.22 and 3.23 MySQL servers series module development: data table or view sort member is now optional, which allows displayed data tables column or row sorting to be removed apache, memstats and mystatus module tables no longer sortable (was useless) added -u (--users) option to ps module to allow display filtering on a list of users or their IDs in snmp module, displayed data tables use a swapped layout for scalars (when -i (--identifiers) option is used alone) added Tcl http package configuration options to apache modules: --proxyhost and --proxyport module development: added miscellaneous package to eliminate some duplicated code in a few modules added help button to poll time dialog box the loaded / load / unload module dialog boxes now prevent interaction with main window data tables with non numeric sort columns were not sortable (bug introduced in 8.22 version)

### README ###

This is moodss (Modular Object Oriented Dynamic SpreadSheet) version 8.24. Moodss is implemented in the great Tcl language (requires at least versions 8.0 of Tcl and Tk, for UNIX or Windows).

Moodss won in the Best System Admin Technology category (Tcl Tips and Tricks, Valuable Real World Programming Examples) at the O'Reilly Tcl/Tk Conference on August 24, 1999, Linux Magazine calls it a "lifesaver", and is worth about 5 penguins at Tucows.

Moodss is a modular application. It displays data described and updated in one or more modules, which can be specified in the command line or dynamically loaded or unloaded while the application is running. Data is originally displayed in tables. Graphical views (graph, bar, 3D pie charts, ...), summary tables (with current, average, minimum and maximum values) and free text viewers can be created from any number of table cells, originating from any of the displayed viewers.

A thorough and intuitive drag'n'drop scheme is used for most viewer editing tasks: creation, modification, type mutation, destruction, ... Table rows can be sorted in increasing or decreasing order by clicking on column titles. The current configuration (modules, tables and viewers geometry, ...) can be saved in a file at any time, and later reused through a command line switch, thus achieving a dashboard functionality.

The module code is the link between the moodss core and the data to be displayed. All the specific code is kept in the module package. Since module data access is entirely customizable (through C code, Tcl, HTTP, ...) and since several modules can be loaded at once, applications for moodss become limitless. For example, thoroughly monitor a dynamic web server on a single dashboard with graphs, using the Apache, MySQL, cpustats, memstats, ... modules. If you have replicated servers, dynamically add them to your view, even load the snmp module on the fly and let your imagination take over...

Apart from a sample module with random data, ps, cpustats, memstats, diskstats, mounts, route, arp, kernmods, netdev, MySQL (myselect, mystatus, myprocs, myvars) modules for Linux, ping, snmp and snmptrap for UNIX, apache and apachex modules are included (running "wish moodss ps cpustats memstats" mimics the "top" application with a graphic edge). Module contibutions are of course welcomed and will be included in my home page.

Thorough help is provided through menus, widget tips, a message area, a module help window and a global help window with a complete HTML documentation.

Development of moodss is continuing and as more features are added in future versions, backward module code compatibility will be maintained.

I cannot thank the authors of tkTable, BLT, wcb and the HTML library enough for their great work.

In order to run moodss, you need to install the following packages (unless you can use the rpm utility, see below): obviously Tcl/Tk 8.0 at (or at a mirror near you) http://www.scriptics.com/ or ftp://ftp.scriptics.com/ the latest tkTable widget library at: http://www.hobbs.wservice.com/tcl/main.html and the latest BLT library at: http://www.tcltk.com/pub/blt/ (see the INSTALL file for complete instructions, for UNIX and also Windows platforms).

You also have the option of using the moodss rpm file (also in my homepage), if you are using a Redhat Linux system (5.1 or above). The required tcl, tk and blt rpms are part of the Redhat distribution, whereas the tktable rpm can be found at: ftp://rpmfind.net/linux/contrib/libc5/i386/tktable-2.2-1.i386.rpm. More moodss related rpms can be found in my homepage.

Whether you like it (or hate it), please let me know. I would like to hear about bugs and improvements you would like to see. I will correct the bugs quickly, especially if you send me a test script (module code with a data trace would be best).

Jean-Luc Fontaine mailto:jfon...@free.fr http://jfontain.free.fr/

###

you may find it now at my homepage:

http://jfontain.free.fr/moodss-8.24.tar.gz http://jfontain.free.fr/moodss-8.24-1.i386.rpm http://jfontain.free.fr/moodss-8.24-1.spec

a bit later at:

ftp://contrib.redhat.com/libc6/i386/moodss-8.24-1.i386.rpm

Enjoy and please let me know what you think.