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Introduction

What is it for?

This extension offers an extensible, centralized TYPO3 monitoring system to observe several TYPO3 installations.

A typical TYPO3 installation is a complex mix of TYPO3-core, TYPO3-setup and extensions which make every installation unique. Therefore it is difficult to detect the status of a TYPO3 installation automatically, especially when new security concerns arise or different systems, extensions or partners interact. Currently available system-monitoring software, like nagios, is able to check the hardware state and much more except the proper setup of TYPO3 and the correct function of the whole website.

Given this situation n@work/Hamburg and networkteam/Hamburg+Kiel joined forces to develop a flexible TYPO3 centralized monitoring system.

Caretaker is an observation system for TYPO3 providing the possibility to observe instances of TYPO3 from a central point. The system is based on a client-server architecture where everything is configured and monitored on a central server. Administrators are able to define a wide range of different tests and to assign them to all registered instances. The results are accumulated and displayed on the server.

Including the basic functionality known from other system monitoring software, we intend to add the following features:

  1. Monitoring of several TYPO3 instances brought together in one TYPO3 installation (Caretaker Server)
  2. Testing and monitoring of remote servers
    1. Ping test
    2. HTTPtest
  3. Testing and monitoring of remote TYPO3 installations (core, setup and extensions)
    1. Check TYPO3 version
    2. Checktheexistenceofanextension
    3. Find unsecured extensions
    4. Checkbackenduseraccounts
    5. Find and get a record
    6. Password quality test
  4. Flexible and comfortable management of tests and instances as TYPO3 records
  5. Hierarchical structure in the caretaker overview (instances → assigned tests) with highlighting problematical instances
  6. Tests and instances are able to be organized in groups
  7. Perform scheduled tests in user-defined intervals
  8. Information service via email if a test fails with an error acknowledgement
  9. Optional customer interface (frontend) with basic status information (for interested customers who want to know more about it)
  10. Secure communication of several instances (TYPO3 systems with installed caretaker instance extension)
  11. Output of charts to track trends in test-behavior
  12. Log for storing results and general information about tests that had already been carried out
  13. Problem output as summary for failed tests
  14. Caretaker works read-only on instances
  15. Extensibility of the whole system.

The caretaker-extension is a basic system with core functionalities (see above). It implements the whole test-management and execution but brings only ping- and http-tests and needs to be emphasized by further extensions to fit special needs (e.g. advanced escalation strategies). Have a look at chapter "Extensions" for further information.

Current state

The current extension is alpha, therefore changes are possible. The current development status can be seen at forge.typo3.org – check out the recent version via svn.

Sponsors & Acknowledgements

The development of caretaker was financed by n@work Internet Informationssysteme GmbH and networkteam GmbH.

TYPO3 Caretaker Hamburg
TYPO3 Kiel/Hamburg

Special thanks to Lars Lehners (G16 Media GmbH) for writing this pretty documentation.

Screenshots

@TODO add screenshots of current caretaker here.