All-in-one open source tools

Since the beginning of open source network monitoring systems, the most common (and easiest) way to build a solution was to package together all the key components – data collection, storage, and visualization.

In the early 2000s, the RRDtool database was the king database in network observability data. It was used by Cacti (https://www.cacti.net/), and other similar tools. Cacti is a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)-only tool that provides graphs of collected data. Here is an example of a Cacti graph from the Midwest Internet Cooperative Exchange (micemn.net):

Figure 10.2 – The Midwest Internet Cooperative Exchange Cacti graph

These early monitoring tools shared the same persistence system but also came as a complete solution, including SNMP data collection and visualization.

Technologies have evolved over time, but this approach of packaging all functions together is still very common in solutions...