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How to Install Observium on Ubuntu for Network Monitoring

Install Observium on supported Ubuntu releases with the right PHP packages, database schema, Apache document root, SNMP device and 300-second poller schedule.
Length10 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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Install Observium on a supported Ubuntu release, satisfy its PHP and monitoring dependencies, initialize the database, configure Apache to serve /opt/observium/html, and then add an SNMP device. Observium’s official guide lists Ubuntu 20.04, 22.04, 24.04 and 26.04 as compatible; use the newest release available in your environment and keep the PHP package and Apache module matched to that release.

Check Ubuntu, Observium edition and requirements first

Before installing anything, confirm the server’s Ubuntu version and decide which Observium distribution you will run. The official compatibility list includes Ubuntu 20.04, 22.04, 24.04 and 26.04, with the most recent supported release recommended.

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Ubuntu release Compatibility Practical choice
20.04 Listed as compatible Use when an existing deployment must remain on this LTS release; verify that the installed PHP meets Observium’s minimum.
22.04 Listed as compatible Suitable for established LTS infrastructure.
24.04 Listed as compatible Good default when you want a current LTS base.
26.04 Listed as compatible Use the newest supported release when your organization’s software and hardware allow it.

Observium is available in two broad forms:

Edition Delivery Update approach
Community Edition Downloaded as a tarball Updates are performed manually by replacing or updating the installation files.
Subscription Edition, stable train Checked out through SVN The stable train is recommended for subscribers who want automated updates with a conservative release stream.
Subscription Edition, current train Checked out through SVN Provides the current development stream; choose it only when you accept more frequent change.

Observium’s stated minimum component levels are:

Component Minimum stated level
Apache Newer than 2.4
PHP 8.2 or newer
MySQL Above 8.0.12
MariaDB Above 10.3
Net-SNMP Above 5.8
RRDTool Above 1.7.2
fping Above 3.8

Ubuntu’s PHP package names vary by release. Do not assume that the distribution’s default PHP on an older release satisfies the 8.2-or-newer requirement. Check with php -v and install a supported PHP package set for your Ubuntu version before enabling Apache’s PHP module.

Choose automated or manual installation

Automated installer

The vendor-provided script is the fastest repeatable route. It installs the release-appropriate packages and performs much of the initial setup. Run it as root through either wget or curl:

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sudo bash <(wget -qO- https://www.observium.org/observium_installscript.sh)

Alternatively:

sudo bash <(curl -Ls https://www.observium.org/observium_installscript.sh)

Review the script’s output rather than assuming success. Confirm that PHP, Apache, the database server, Net-SNMP utilities, fping and RRDTool were installed, then continue with the database, Apache and first-device steps below. An automated run is convenient for a single host, but a manual procedure is easier to audit line by line and to reproduce in configuration management.

Manual installation

For Community Edition, create /opt/observium, obtain the latest Community tarball, and extract its contents there. A shell glob avoids hard-coding a changing archive filename:

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sudo install -d /opt/observium
cd /opt/observium
tar -xzf observium*.tar.gz --strip-components=1

For Subscription Edition, check out the subscription account’s stable or current SVN train into /opt/observium. Keep the checkout and its credentials protected; the exact SVN endpoint is supplied with the subscription. The stable train is the safer choice for most production monitoring servers because it is intended for automated, conservative updates.

Whether you use the script or a manual extraction, all later commands assume the application directory is /opt/observium.

Install the complete dependency set

Refresh package metadata first:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

Install Apache, the database server and client, PHP with the modules Observium uses, SNMP tooling, graphing and image utilities, and the Python MySQL connector. The unversioned PHP package names below let Ubuntu select the package family for the release; on a release where those packages are below PHP 8.2, use the release-appropriate newer PHP packages instead.

sudo apt install apache2 libapache2-mod-php mysql-server mysql-client 
  php-cli php-mysql php-gd php-bcmath php-mbstring php-curl 
  php-apcu php-snmp snmp fping rrdtool graphviz imagemagick 
  python3-mysqldb

The important pieces have distinct jobs:

  • Apache and PHP: deliver the web interface and execute Observium’s PHP code.
  • PHP MySQL, GD, bcmath, mbstring and cURL modules: provide database access, image handling, numerical operations, string handling and HTTP functionality used by the application.
  • APCu: supplies PHP user-cache support.
  • Net-SNMP and the SNMP utilities: query monitored devices and provide SNMP support to PHP.
  • fping: performs fast reachability checks.
  • RRDTool: stores time-series measurements and renders graphs.
  • Graphviz and ImageMagick: support topology and image-related functions.
  • Python MySQL connector: supports Observium’s helper scripts.

Verify the versions before proceeding:

php -v
apache2 -v
mysql --version
snmpget --version
fping -v
rrdtool --version

If PHP reports a version below 8.2, stop and correct the PHP installation. Installing an Apache module for one PHP version while the command-line interpreter and extensions belong to another is a common cause of blank pages and missing functions.

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Create the database and initialize Observium

Create the database account

Open the database administrator console:

sudo mysql

Create a database named observium, a matching database user, and grant that user access. Replace the example password with a long, unique value.

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CREATE DATABASE observium;
CREATE USER 'observium'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'replace-with-a-strong-password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON observium.* TO 'observium'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Keep the password available for the application configuration but do not put it in shell history, tickets or public configuration repositories.

Copy and edit the application configuration

Change to the Observium directory and copy the distributed template:

cd /opt/observium
cp config.php.default config.php

Edit config.php and set the database host, database name, username and password to the values you just created. Retain the other defaults unless your deployment has a specific requirement. The essential values are the local host, observium database, observium user and its password.

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Build the schema and create writable directories

Initialize or update the database schema:

./discovery.php -u

The installation guide notes that some SQL revision messages can be acceptable during this step. Treat an actual connection failure, authentication error or inability to create tables as a problem to fix before continuing.

Create the log and RRD directories, then allow Apache to write RRD files:

mkdir logs
mkdir rrd
chown www-data:www-data rrd

Run these commands from /opt/observium. If you created the directories as another user, confirm their ownership and permissions with ls -ld logs rrd.

Configure Apache to serve Observium

Observium’s web root is the html subdirectory, not the application directory itself. You can use the default Apache virtual host or create a dedicated one.

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Approach Isolation When it fits
Default virtual host Least configuration; Observium is placed into the existing site definition. A single-purpose monitoring server where no other web application is hosted.
Dedicated virtual host Separates Observium’s document root and access rules from other sites. A host that serves multiple sites or needs a clear, independently managed Apache configuration.

Dedicated virtual host configuration

Create a site file such as /etc/apache2/sites-available/observium.conf with this content. The AllowOverride All setting permits Observium’s rewrite rules, and DirectoryIndex makes index.php the entry point.

<VirtualHost *:80>
    DocumentRoot /opt/observium/html

    <Directory /opt/observium/html>
        Options FollowSymLinks
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
        DirectoryIndex index.php
    </Directory>
</VirtualHost>

Enable the site and the required Apache modules. Replace php8.3 with the PHP module version actually installed on your Ubuntu release.

sudo a2ensite observium.conf
sudo a2dismod mpm_event
sudo a2enmod mpm_prefork
sudo a2enmod php8.3
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo apache2ctl configtest
sudo apache2ctl restart

The mpm_prefork module is required with the traditional Apache PHP module; it cannot run alongside mpm_event. If a2enmod php8.3 reports that the module does not exist, inspect installed PHP packages, install the matching Apache PHP module and enable that version instead. Always run apache2ctl configtest before restarting so a syntax error does not leave the service down.

Open the server’s HTTP address in a browser after the restart. The Observium setup page should load from the /opt/observium/html document root. A directory listing, a raw PHP download or a blank response indicates a document-root, PHP-module or rewrite configuration problem.

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Create the administrator and add the first SNMP device

Create an administrator

From /opt/observium, create the first account with access level 10, which the guide uses for an administrator:

./adduser.php <username> <password> 10

Replace the two angle-bracketed values with the account name and password you want to use. Do not reuse the database password.

Add a device with SNMPv2c

Prepare the device first: enable SNMP, set a read-only community string and allow the Observium server to reach UDP port 161. Then add the device:

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./add_device.php <hostname> <community> v2c

Use a resolvable hostname or address for <hostname> and the device’s read-only community for <community>. The command explicitly selects SNMPv2c. If the device uses another SNMP version, do not disguise it as v2c; configure the corresponding Observium device parameters according to that device’s security model.

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For a first test, use a switch, router or server that is already known to answer SNMP from the Observium host. A typo in the hostname, an incorrect community, an ACL that excludes the monitoring server or a firewall blocking UDP 161 will all look like an Observium discovery failure.

Run discovery and the first poll

After creating the device, perform an initial discovery and poll manually. This exposes configuration errors before a scheduled job hides them in background output.

cd /opt/observium
./discovery.php -h all
./poller.php -h all

Discovery gathers the device’s supported sensors, interfaces and inventory. Polling then collects current measurements and writes the RRD data used for graphs. Refresh the web interface after both commands complete. A newly added device may show limited information until the first successful poll has created its RRD files.

If discovery reports an SNMP timeout, test network reachability from the Observium server and verify the community and device-side access list. If discovery succeeds but polling produces no graphs, check that /opt/observium/rrd is owned by www-data and that Apache and the poller can write there.

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Schedule the fixed five-minute poller

Observium operates on a fixed poller frequency of five minutes, or 300 seconds. Do not schedule the poller every minute or at an arbitrary interval; use the documented cadence.

Create or edit /etc/cron.d/observium and add a root-owned cron entry that invokes the poller wrapper every five minutes:

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*/5 * * * * root /opt/observium/poller-wrapper.py 4 >/dev/null 2>&1

Ensure the file is readable by cron and that the path matches your installation. The */5 field means minutes 0, 5, 10 and so on, giving a 300-second interval. Keep the manual ./discovery.php -h all operation separate from the high-frequency poller; discovery is an inventory operation, while polling is the recurring measurement job.

After saving the file, watch the next scheduled run through the system’s cron logs or inspect new RRD timestamps and the device’s “last polled” value in the web interface. If it never updates, check the cron file owner and syntax, executable permissions on poller-wrapper.py, the working directory and the PHP interpreter used by the wrapper.

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Updates and operational maintenance

Subscription Edition

Keep Subscription Edition installations current. The documentation recommends updating at least monthly, preferably once or twice per week, or daily when automated SVN updates are used. Test an update during a maintenance window, then run the database update command again if the update notes require schema changes:

cd /opt/observium
./discovery.php -u

Take a database backup and preserve config.php before replacing application files. Confirm Apache still points at /opt/observium/html and that the PHP module remains the version supported by the Ubuntu release.

Community Edition

Community Edition is delivered as a tarball, so updates are manual. Download the newer archive, retain your configuration and data directories, replace the application files, and run the schema update command. Do not delete config.php, logs or rrd when cleaning up old files.

Routine checks

  • Confirm the poller continues to run every 300 seconds.
  • Check that the RRD directory remains writable by www-data.
  • Review Apache and Observium logs after package or application updates.
  • Verify database backups can be restored before a major upgrade.
  • Keep SNMP communities read-only and restrict device access to the monitoring server where possible.

Troubleshoot the common installation failures

PHP version or module mismatch

Symptoms include an installer refusal, missing-function errors, a blank page or Apache failing to load the PHP module. Run php -v, identify the installed Apache PHP module with apache2ctl -M, and make sure both refer to the same supported PHP series. Disable the wrong module and enable the matching one, then restart Apache.

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Database schema update fails

Recheck the database name, username and password in config.php. Confirm that the user was granted privileges on the observium database and that the database service is running. SQL revision notices can be acceptable, but authentication, connection and table-creation errors are not.

Apache shows the wrong page

Verify that the active virtual host’s document root is exactly /opt/observium/html, that index.php is the directory index and that mod_rewrite is enabled. Run sudo apache2ctl -S to see which virtual host is serving the request, then run sudo apache2ctl configtest before restarting.

Device discovery times out

From the Observium host, resolve the hostname and test basic routing. On the device, verify that SNMP is enabled, the community matches the command, and an ACL or firewall allows the Observium server’s source address to query UDP 161. A successful ping does not prove that SNMP is reachable.

Graphs remain empty

Run ./poller.php -h all manually and inspect its output. Check ownership of /opt/observium/rrd, confirm that RRDTool is installed, and verify that the scheduled wrapper is actually running. Graphs require successful polls; adding a device alone does not create historical data.

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Installation completion checklist

  • Ubuntu is 20.04, 22.04, 24.04 or 26.04, with the newest supported release preferred.
  • PHP is 8.2 or newer and the CLI and Apache module use the same version family.
  • Apache, MySQL or MariaDB, Net-SNMP, fping, RRDTool, Graphviz, ImageMagick, APCu and the required PHP and Python connectors are installed.
  • The observium database and user exist, and config.php contains matching credentials.
  • ./discovery.php -u completed and the logs and rrd directories exist.
  • Apache serves /opt/observium/html, uses mpm_prefork, loads the matching PHP module and has mod_rewrite enabled.
  • An administrator was created with level 10.
  • At least one SNMP device was added with the correct hostname, community and protocol.
  • Initial discovery and polling succeeded.
  • /etc/cron.d/observium runs the poller wrapper every five minutes, or 300 seconds.

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