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Install Observium on a supported Ubuntu release (20.04, 22.04, 24.04 or 26.04), then install the matching PHP packages, Apache, MySQL or MariaDB, Net-SNMP, fping and RRDTool. Initialize the database and Observium configuration before opening the browser interface, serve /opt/observium/html through Apache with PHP and mod_rewrite, create an administrator, add an SNMP device, and schedule the poller every five minutes (300 seconds).
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Choose a supported Ubuntu and Observium edition
Observium’s installation guide lists Ubuntu 20.04, 22.04, 24.04 and 26.04 as compatible. Use the newest release available for your deployment unless another application in the same server requires an older one. Your PHP package, Apache PHP module and command examples must all match that Ubuntu release.
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| Observium edition | Distribution method | Update approach | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community Edition | Tarball | Download and replace releases manually | Small installations and users who want the freely distributed edition |
| Subscription Edition, stable train | SVN checkout | Automated updates from the stable train | Subscribers prioritising predictable updates |
| Subscription Edition, current train | SVN checkout | More frequent changes through the current train | Subscribers who need the newest changes and can test updates |
Subscribers who want automated updates are generally directed to the stable train. Community users download the latest tarball. The operating-system choice does not change the edition’s database, Apache or polling requirements.
Check the server before installing
Use a clean Ubuntu server or a host where you control Apache, PHP and the database. Observium can run on a single host with the default Apache site, but a dedicated virtual host is easier to isolate from other web applications.
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- Use one of the supported Ubuntu releases listed above.
- Have root or
sudoaccess. - Reserve a stable hostname or IP address for the monitoring server.
- Ensure the server can reach monitored devices over SNMP and can resolve their hostnames if you plan to use DNS names.
- Choose an SNMP version and credential policy before adding devices. The examples below use SNMPv2c and a community string.
- Plan persistent storage for the RRD files. Every graph depends on those files remaining writable by Apache.
Observium’s requirements specify Apache newer than 2.4, PHP 8.2 or newer, MySQL newer than 8.0.12 or MariaDB newer than 10.3, Net-SNMP newer than 5.8, RRDTool newer than 1.7.2 and fping newer than 3.8. Verify the versions supplied by your selected Ubuntu release before proceeding.
Automated installation versus a manual installation
Automated script
The vendor script is the quickest route because it installs the operating-system packages and performs the standard setup for you. Run it only on a server where you are comfortable allowing a script to change package, database and web-server configuration.
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sudo bash <(wget -qO- https://www.observium.org/observium_installscript.sh)If wget is not installed, use the equivalent curl form:
sudo bash <(curl -Ls https://www.observium.org/observium_installscript.sh)Read the script’s prompts and review the resulting configuration. You still need to confirm the web interface, create your first administrator and add devices. If the script selects a PHP version that does not meet the current requirement, stop and correct the package selection before continuing.
Manual installation
A manual installation takes longer but makes every package, directory, database grant and Apache setting visible. It is useful when you have configuration-management standards, need a dedicated virtual host, or want to control when a subscription checkout moves between trains.
- Create the application directory:
sudo mkdir -p /opt/observium. - For Community Edition, download the current tarball from Observium and extract its contents into
/opt/observium. For Subscription Edition, check out thestableorcurrentSVN train supplied with your subscription. - Continue with the dependency, database, configuration and Apache steps below.
Do not mix a Community tarball with subscription update commands. Keep the installation method and update method consistent so that files and database revisions stay aligned.
Install the complete dependency set
Update package metadata first:
sudo apt updateThe exact PHP package suffix depends on Ubuntu. The following example uses PHP 8.3; replace every 8.3 suffix with the supported PHP version available for your release, and use the same suffix later when enabling the Apache PHP module.
sudo apt install -y apache2 mysql-server mysql-client
php8.3 php8.3-cli php8.3-mysql php8.3-gd php8.3-bcmath
php8.3-mbstring php8.3-curl php8.3-apcu php8.3-snmp
snmp snmpd fping rrdtool graphviz imagemagick
python3-mysqldb subversion wget curlOn a release where php8.3 is not an available package, do not install an older PHP merely to make the command succeed. Select a PHP 8.2-or-newer package set supported for that Ubuntu release, then substitute its module name in the command and in a2enmod.
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| Component | Purpose in Observium | Minimum stated requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Apache | Serves the web interface and executes PHP | Newer than 2.4 |
| PHP and modules | Runs the application, database queries, graph pages and SNMP integration | 8.2 or newer |
| MySQL or MariaDB | Stores devices, users, sensors, events and configuration | MySQL newer than 8.0.12 or MariaDB newer than 10.3 |
| Net-SNMP and utilities | Provides SNMP polling tools and libraries | Newer than 5.8 |
| RRDTool | Stores time-series data used by graphs | Newer than 1.7.2 |
| fping | Performs fast reachability checks during polling | Newer than 3.8 |
| Graphviz and ImageMagick | Supports topology and image-generation features | Packages supplied by Ubuntu |
| Python MySQL connector | Supports Observium helper and wrapper scripts | Packages supplied by Ubuntu |
Check the installed versions before moving on:
php -v
apache2 -v
mysql --version
snmpget --version
rrdtool --version
fping -vIf a command reports an older version than the stated requirement, resolve the repository or package choice now. A later web-interface failure is often only a symptom of an incompatible PHP or database package.
Create the Observium database
Open the database client as an administrator and create a dedicated database and login. Use a long, unique password; the same value will be placed in config.php.
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CREATE USER 'observium'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'replace-with-a-long-random-password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON observium.* TO 'observium'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;The account is limited to the local host because the application and database are installed together. If you intentionally place the database on another host, use a narrowly scoped account and an allowed host rather than opening the grant to every address.
Configure Observium and initialize its schema
Change to the installation directory and copy the supplied configuration template:
cd /opt/observium
sudo cp config.php.default config.php
sudo nano config.phpSet the database connection values in the file:
$config['db_host'] = 'localhost';
$config['db_user'] = 'observium';
$config['db_pass'] = 'replace-with-a-long-random-password';
$config['db_name'] = 'observium';Save the file with permissions that prevent unrelated users from reading the database password. Then build or update the database schema:
sudo ./discovery.php -uThe initialization command may report SQL revision errors that the installation guide considers acceptable during this step. Read the output: a completed revision update and a returned shell prompt indicate that the schema process finished; a connection-authentication error means the credentials or database grant are wrong.
Create the directories used for logs and RRD data, and make the RRD directory writable by Apache:
sudo mkdir logs
sudo mkdir rrd
sudo chown www-data:www-data rrdKeep the logs directory inside the Observium tree. If you later move the RRD directory to another volume, preserve ownership and update the configuration so pollers and Apache point to the same location.
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Configure Apache to serve the web interface
Observium’s web root is /opt/observium/html, not the application directory itself. Serving the parent directory exposes files that should remain private, including configuration and scripts.
Use the default Apache site
For a single-purpose monitoring host, edit the default virtual host and set its document root to the Observium HTML directory. The directory block must permit Observium’s rewrite rules and allow requests:
<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerName observium.example.invalid
DocumentRoot /opt/observium/html
<Directory /opt/observium/html>
Options FollowSymLinks
AllowOverride All
Require all granted
DirectoryIndex index.php
</Directory>
</VirtualHost>Replace the example server name with the monitoring host’s real DNS name. If you keep the distribution’s default site, make sure it does not still point at /var/www/html.
Use a dedicated virtual host
A dedicated file keeps Observium isolated when the server hosts other sites:
sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/observium.confPut the virtual-host block above in that file, then enable it and optionally disable the unused default site:
sudo a2ensite observium.conf
sudo a2dissite 000-default.confDo not disable a site that another application still needs. The important settings are the Observium document root, AllowOverride All, Require all granted and DirectoryIndex index.php.
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Apache’s event MPM cannot be used with the standard PHP module. Disable event MPM, enable prefork, enable the PHP module that matches the installed package, and enable rewrite:
sudo a2dismod mpm_event
sudo a2enmod mpm_prefork
sudo a2enmod php8.3
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo apache2ctl configtest
sudo apache2ctl restartReplace php8.3 with your installed PHP module, such as the version selected for Ubuntu 20.04, 22.04, 24.04 or 26.04. Run apache2ctl configtest before restarting; correct any syntax error it reports instead of restarting a broken configuration.
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Create the first administrator
From /opt/observium, create an administrator with access level 10. The command takes a username, password and numeric level:
cd /opt/observium
sudo ./adduser.php monitor-admin 'use-a-unique-password' 10Use a password that is different from the database password. Open the Observium host in a browser and sign in with this account. If the page is blank or Apache downloads PHP source instead of executing it, check that the PHP module suffix matches the installed version and that mpm_prefork is enabled.
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Enable SNMP on the router, switch, server or other device before adding it. Confirm that the device permits queries from the Observium server and that the community string is correct. Add an SNMPv2c device with:
sudo ./add_device.php device.example.invalid 'community-string' v2cUse an IP address when DNS is unreliable. A hostname is preferable when the address can change and DNS is maintained correctly. The command creates the device record; it does not replace the device-side SNMP access control.
For a quick connectivity check, query the device from the Observium host with Net-SNMP:
snmpget -v2c -c 'community-string' device.example.invalid 1.3.6.1.2.1.1.1.0A returned system description confirms that the server can reach SNMP and authenticate. A timeout usually indicates routing, firewall or SNMP access-list problems; an authorization error usually indicates the community string or SNMP version is wrong.
Run initial discovery and polling
Discovery learns interfaces, sensors, storage and other objects. Polling then collects current measurements and writes time-series data:
sudo ./discovery.php -h all
sudo ./poller.php -h allRun discovery first. The first poll can take longer because RRD files are created and many sensors are queried. Refresh the web interface after the commands finish and check that the device status, interfaces and graphs appear.
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 at that interval; do not choose a one-minute or fifteen-minute interval and expect the application to behave normally.
sudo nano /etc/cron.d/observiumA typical cron entry for an installation in /opt/observium is:
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*/5 * * * * root /opt/observium/poller-wrapper.py 4The */5 field starts the wrapper every five minutes. Keep the command path and worker argument consistent with the wrapper installed by your Observium edition. Cron files require six fields before the command: minute, hour, day of month, month, day of week and user.
After saving the file, verify that the cron daemon is running and inspect the Observium logs after the next five-minute boundary. A manually successful poll does not prove that cron can execute it; cron needs the correct absolute path, executable permissions and a working environment.
Maintain updates and permissions
Subscription Edition
Apply Subscription Edition updates frequently: at least monthly, and preferably once or twice per week or daily when automated SVN updates are used. Update during a maintenance window, run the supplied update process for the selected SVN train, and then run the schema update command if the release requests it.
Community Edition
Community Edition is distributed as a tarball, so review each release, extract it into the intended application directory and preserve config.php, the logs directory and the rrd directory. Reapply www-data ownership to rrd after replacing files if necessary.
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- Confirm PHP remains at version 8.2 or newer after Ubuntu security updates.
- Check that the database service starts after a reboot.
- Verify that
/opt/observium/rrdis writable bywww-data. - Review discovery and poller output for devices that stop responding.
- Back up the database,
config.php, and the RRD directory before major upgrades.
Troubleshoot the common installation failures
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Apache shows the default page | The virtual host still points to the distribution document root | Confirm DocumentRoot /opt/observium/html, enable the intended site and reload Apache |
| PHP source downloads or appears as text | The PHP Apache module is missing or its version does not match | Check php -v, enable the matching phpX.Y module and keep mpm_prefork enabled |
| Every route except the home page returns 404 | Rewrite rules are not being read | Enable mod_rewrite and set AllowOverride All for /opt/observium/html |
discovery.php -u cannot connect |
Wrong database password, missing database, or insufficient grant | Compare config.php with the SQL user and test mysql -u observium -p observium |
| Graphs remain empty | The poller has not run, RRD is unwritable, or the device is not responding | Run poller.php -h all manually, check www-data ownership and inspect poller output |
| SNMP device shows as unreachable | Routing, firewall, access-list, credential or version mismatch | Run an equivalent snmpget from the Observium host and correct the device-side SNMP settings |
| Cron produces no data | Invalid cron syntax, wrong wrapper path or a stopped cron service | Validate the six-field entry, use absolute paths and inspect system and Observium logs |
Single host or dedicated Apache virtual host?
| Approach | Advantages | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|
| Default Apache virtual host | Few files and quick setup on a monitoring-only server | Less isolation if another site is later added |
| Dedicated virtual host | Clear hostname, separate configuration and safer coexistence with other sites | Requires an additional site file and deliberate enable/disable steps |
Both approaches must serve only /opt/observium/html, permit the application’s rewrite rules and execute the matching PHP module. The choice changes Apache organisation, not Observium’s polling behaviour.
Quick Recap
Installation checklist
- Ubuntu is 20.04, 22.04, 24.04 or 26.04.
- PHP is 8.2 or newer and its package suffix is used consistently in Apache.
- Apache, the database server and client, Net-SNMP, SNMP utilities, fping, RRDTool, Graphviz, ImageMagick, APCu and the required PHP modules are installed.
- The
observiumdatabase and local database user exist with a strong password. config.phpcontains the same credentials and./discovery.php -ucompleted./opt/observium/htmlis the Apache document root, withmod_rewriteandmpm_preforkenabled.- The first administrator was created with level 10.
- An SNMP device responds to a test query, then discovery and polling complete.
/etc/cron.d/observiumruns the poller-wrapper every five minutes (300 seconds).
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