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Install Observium on a supported Ubuntu release, connect it to Apache and MySQL or MariaDB, then add an SNMP-enabled device for discovery and polling. Observium currently lists Ubuntu 20.04, 22.04, 24.04 and 26.04 as compatible; use the newest release available to you and make sure its PHP package is at least 8.2 and matches that Ubuntu release.
The reliable order is: choose an Observium edition, install the operating-system dependencies, create the database, write config.php, configure Apache to serve /opt/observium/html, create an administrator, add a device, run discovery and polling, and schedule the poller every 300 seconds.
Before you begin
Use a clean Ubuntu server with a static name or address, sudo access, and outbound access to the Observium distribution source. The server will run Apache, PHP, the database, SNMP utilities and the Observium poller. Allow HTTP or HTTPS access from the administrators who will use the dashboard, and allow UDP 161 from the server to each monitored device.
- Supported Ubuntu releases: 20.04, 22.04, 24.04 and 26.04.
- PHP: 8.2 or newer is required by the current requirements; the package and Apache module name must match the selected Ubuntu release.
- Database: MySQL newer than 8.0.12 or MariaDB newer than 10.3.
- Web server: Apache newer than 2.4, using the prefork MPM with the matching PHP module.
- Monitoring components: Net-SNMP newer than 5.8, RRDTool newer than 1.7.2 and fping newer than 3.8.
- Privileges: sudo for system packages and a database administrator account for the initial schema and user.
Check the operating system and PHP candidate before installing:
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lsb_release -ds
apt-cache policy php
php -vIf the candidate PHP package is below 8.2, do not continue with that package set. Install a supported PHP package source for your Ubuntu release according to the Observium guide, or choose a supported Ubuntu release whose repositories provide the required version. Do not mix modules from different PHP versions.
Choose an Observium edition and installation path
Observium has a Community Edition distributed as a tarball and Subscription Editions delivered through SVN trains. Subscribers who want automated updates are directed to the stable train; current is the other subscription train.
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| Choice | How it is delivered | Best fit | Update characteristic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community Edition | Tarball | A fixed, manually managed installation | You download and replace releases yourself |
| Subscription stable | SVN stable train |
Subscribers prioritizing a conservative update stream | Designed for regular SVN updates with fewer surprises |
| Subscription current | SVN current train |
Subscribers who need the newest subscription code | Updates arrive on the current development stream |
There are also two practical installation routes:
Automated installer
The vendor script installs the normal operating-system prerequisites and lays out Observium for you. It is the quickest route on a standard Ubuntu host and is easier to repeat on another clean server, but you should still inspect the resulting package versions and configuration. Run one of these commands as written:
sudo bash <(wget -qO- https://www.observium.org/observium_installscript.sh)or:
sudo bash <(curl -Ls https://www.observium.org/observium_installscript.sh)After the script completes, continue with the database, Apache, user, device and scheduler sections below. The script does not replace those application-specific steps.
Manual installation
Manual installation gives you control over the exact package set and application source. Create the standard directory first:
sudo mkdir -p /opt/observium
sudo chown "$USER":"$USER" /opt/observium
cd /opt/observiumFor Community Edition, download the latest Community tarball from Observium and extract it in /opt, preserving the directory name observium. For a Subscription Edition, check out the subscription train assigned to you, choosing stable or current. Avoid placing the application in a home directory: later Apache and cron instructions assume /opt/observium.
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First refresh package metadata:
sudo apt update
sudo apt full-upgradePackage names differ between Ubuntu releases because the PHP module suffix changes. Set PHPVER to the PHP 8.2-or-newer version actually provided for your release, then install the matching modules. The following pattern includes the dependency groups called for by Observium:
PHPVER=8.3
sudo apt install apache2 mysql-server mysql-client
php${PHPVER} php${PHPVER}-cli php${PHPVER}-mysql
php${PHPVER}-gd php${PHPVER}-bcmath php${PHPVER}-mbstring
php${PHPVER}-curl php${PHPVER}-apcu php${PHPVER}-snmp
snmp snmpd fping rrdtool graphviz imagemagick
python3-mysqldbChange 8.3 to the installed version; for example, do not install PHP 8.3 modules on a host whose Apache module is PHP 8.4. If your release uses a different package naming convention, use the equivalent packages shown by apt search php and confirm the resulting version with:
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php -v
php -m | grep -E 'apcu|bcmath|curl|gd|mbstring|mysqli|snmp'Enable and start the services:
sudo systemctl enable --now apache2
sudo systemctl enable --now mysqlNet-SNMP tools are used to test and query devices. The snmpd daemon is not required for Observium to poll remote devices, but installing the package supplies the standard SNMP utilities. Configure a local SNMP agent only if you also intend to monitor this Ubuntu server through SNMP.
Create the Observium database and application configuration
Use a strong, unique database password. The following SQL creates a local database and account; replace the example password before executing it:
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CREATE USER 'observium'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'Use-a-long-unique-database-password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON observium.* TO 'observium'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;Enter the Observium directory and copy the supplied configuration template:
cd /opt/observium
cp config.php.default config.php
sudo nano config.phpSet the database values in config.php to match the account you created:
$config['db_extension'] = 'mysqli';
$config['db_host'] = 'localhost';
$config['db_user'] = 'observium';
$config['db_pass'] = 'Use-a-long-unique-database-password';
$config['db_name'] = 'observium';Keep this file readable by the account that runs the Observium commands, but do not expose it through the web server. The document root will be the html subdirectory, not the application root.
Initialize or upgrade the database schema:
cd /opt/observium
./discovery.php -uThe installation guide notes that some SQL revision messages can be acceptable during this operation. Treat a command that exits with a fatal error differently from a warning: check the database credentials, confirm that the database exists, and rerun the command after correcting the problem.
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Create the directories used for logs and RRD files, and give Apache ownership of the RRD directory:
mkdir -p logs rrd
sudo chown www-data:www-data rrdRRD files contain the time-series data used for graphs. If Apache cannot write to /opt/observium/rrd, discovery may succeed while graph data remains empty.
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Configure Apache to serve Observium
Observium must serve /opt/observium/html. You can use the default Apache virtual host on a dedicated monitoring server or create a separate virtual host when the machine hosts other sites. A dedicated virtual host gives clearer isolation and makes it easier to add a hostname and TLS configuration later; the default host requires fewer files.
Default-host configuration
Edit the default virtual host:
sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/000-default.confSet its document root to the Observium web directory and allow rewrite rules:
<VirtualHost *:80>
DocumentRoot /opt/observium/html
<Directory /opt/observium/html>
DirectoryIndex index.php
Options FollowSymLinks
AllowOverride All
Require all granted
</Directory>
</VirtualHost>If you create a dedicated file instead, use the same DocumentRoot and Directory block, enable it with a2ensite, and disable any host that would otherwise capture the same name.
Enable the correct Apache modules
Disable the event MPM, enable the prefork MPM, enable the PHP module that matches php -v, and enable URL rewriting:
sudo a2dismod mpm_event
sudo a2enmod mpm_prefork
sudo a2enmod php8.3
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo apache2ctl configtest
sudo systemctl restart apache2Replace php8.3 with the module for your installed PHP version. A successful Syntax OK from apache2ctl configtest should precede the restart. If Apache reports that the PHP module does not exist, list available modules with ls /etc/apache2/mods-available/php*.load, install the matching package, and repeat the enable step.
Create the first administrator
Observium’s command-line utility creates the first login. Use an administrator level of 10, as in this example:
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cd /opt/observium
./adduser.php observiumadmin 'Use-a-long-unique-login-password' 10Choose a password that is different from the database password. Open the server’s address in a browser and sign in with this account. If the login page does not appear, check Apache’s error log, confirm that /opt/observium/html/index.php exists, and verify that the PHP module is enabled.
Add an SNMP device
Prepare the target device first. Enable SNMP, permit the Ubuntu server’s source address, and note the device hostname or IP address, SNMP version and community. The command below adds an SNMP v2c device:
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cd /opt/observium
./add_device.php router.example.net 'Replace-with-the-device-community' v2cUse the exact community configured on the device. A typo produces an unreachable device even when DNS and routing work. Test the credentials from Ubuntu before troubleshooting Observium:
snmpwalk -v2c -c 'Replace-with-the-device-community' router.example.net 1.3.6.1.2.1.1The walk should return standard system-object values. If it times out, check UDP 161 filtering, the device’s SNMP access list, the hostname resolution and the community. If it returns an authorization error, correct the SNMP configuration rather than changing Observium permissions.
Run discovery and polling manually
Perform an initial discovery and poll so you can see errors immediately instead of waiting for cron:
cd /opt/observium
./discovery.php -h all
./poller.php -h allDiscovery identifies interfaces, sensors, storage and other entities. Polling then collects current values and writes the time-series data used by the graphs. Run discovery again after a device configuration change that adds or removes interfaces; routine measurements are handled by the poller.
Look at the device page after the commands finish. A healthy device should show discovered ports and sensors, a recent poll time and graph data after enough samples have accumulated. Command-line errors usually identify the failing layer: SNMP reachability, PHP extensions, database credentials, permissions or RRD writing.
Schedule the five-minute poller
Observium operates on a fixed poller frequency of five minutes, or 300 seconds. Configure /etc/cron.d/observium so the poller-wrapper runs every five minutes; the minute field is */5:
sudo nano /etc/cron.d/observium*/5 * * * * root /opt/observium/poller-wrapper.pyUse the poller-wrapper command and options supplied by your Observium tree if that release includes a different invocation. Keep the schedule at 300 seconds rather than choosing an arbitrary interval: the application and its graph expectations are designed around that fixed frequency. Confirm that cron is running and inspect the system journal or Observium logs after the first scheduled run.
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Operating system and services
systemctl status apache2should show Apache active.systemctl status mysqlshould show the database active.php -vshould report PHP 8.2 or newer.command -v snmpwalk fping rrdtoolshould return paths for the monitoring utilities.
Database and schema
- Log in with
mysql -u observium -p observiumto confirm the account and password. - Run
./discovery.php -ufrom/opt/observiumafter any schema-related correction. - Check that
config.phpnames the same database, user and host created in MySQL.
Apache and PHP
- Run
sudo apache2ctl configtestbefore every restart. - Confirm the document root is exactly
/opt/observium/html, not/opt/observium. - Confirm
mpm_prefork, the matching PHP module andrewriteare enabled. - Check that
www-datacan write to/opt/observium/rrd.
SNMP and polling
- Use
snmpwalkfrom the Observium host to separate network or device errors from application errors. - Run
./discovery.php -h alland./poller.php -h allmanually and read the first reported error. - Check that the cron file is readable, the wrapper path exists and the five-minute schedule has elapsed.
Updates, permissions and operational hygiene
Keep the application and its dependencies aligned with the Ubuntu release. Subscription Edition installations should be updated frequently: the guidance calls for at least monthly updates, preferably once or twice per week, or daily when automated SVN updates are used. Test an update on a maintenance window, retain a database backup and verify discovery and polling afterward.
For Community Edition, download the next tarball and follow the documented upgrade procedure rather than overwriting a running tree blindly. For Subscription Edition, update the selected SVN train consistently; do not switch between stable and current without understanding the resulting code and database changes.
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Common installation mistakes
Using an unsupported PHP version
Ubuntu’s default PHP differs by release. Installing a module from another release can leave Apache unable to load PHP or leave Observium missing required extensions. Check the version first, install all modules with the same suffix, and enable that exact Apache module.
Pointing Apache at the wrong directory
The web root is /opt/observium/html. Serving the parent directory can expose configuration and command-line files, while serving a different path produces a blank or missing application. Correct DocumentRoot and the matching Directory block.
Skipping schema initialization
A working login page does not prove that the database schema is current. Run ./discovery.php -u before adding devices, and rerun it after an upgrade that changes the schema.
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Use the fixed five-minute interval. A missing cron entry leaves graphs empty; an incompatible custom interval can make the poller behave differently from the documented schedule. Test one manual poll, then verify the cron execution.
Assuming an SNMP credential problem is an Observium problem
Validate the same hostname, version and community with snmpwalk. Fix routing, firewall rules, SNMP access lists or device credentials before changing application files.
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