Question

As you see, I got a problem when I want to write a plugin with escript for nagios. I want to run net_adm:ping(Node) in an escript.
* * * As you know, I need to keep my escript’s cookie the same as the remote node. So what I need is to do erlang:set_cookie(node(), mycookie)

#!/usr/bin/env escript

main([Node]) ->
erlang:set_cookie(node(), mycookie),
Resp = net_adm:ping(list_to_atom(Node)),
io:format("~p~n", [Resp]).

The result maybe

Eshell V5.10.4  (abort with ^G)
1> erlang:set_cookie(node(), mycookie).
** exception error: no function clause matching 
                    erlang:set_cookie(nonode@nohost,mycookie) 
2> 

Wait a minute, what’s nonode@nohost? Eshell V5.10.4 (abort with ^G) 1> erlang:set_cookie(node(), mycookie). ** exception error: no function clause matching erlang:set_cookie(nonode@nohost,mycookie) 2> node(). nonode@nohost 3>

So we need to start a erlang node, Oh! the escript didn’t start one for us! when I searching in google, found someone who noticed erlang:setnode() , But there’s no manual about how the specs we need? Somebody who knows? please contact me, thanks! * * * So how could we solve this?

Eshell V5.10.4  (abort with ^G)
1> net_kernel:start(['mynode@127.0.0.1', longnames]).
{ok,<0.35.0>}
(mynode@127.0.0.1)2>

You see? we got a node named ‘mynode@127.0.0.1’, then we can set_cookie

Eshell V5.10.4  (abort with ^G)
1> net_kernel:start(['mynode@127.0.0.1', longnames]).
{ok,<0.35.0>}
(mynode@127.0.0.1)2> node().                                           
'mynode@127.0.0.1'
(mynode@127.0.0.1)3> erlang:set_cookie(node(), mycookie).
true
(mynode@127.0.0.1)4> erlang:get_cookie().
mycookie
(mynode@127.0.0.1)5> 

---

So, we can write our escript like this:

#!/usr/bin/env escript

main([Node]) ->
{ok, _} = net_kernel:start(['mynode@127.0.0.1', longnames]).
erlang:set_cookie(node(), mycookie),
Resp = net_adm:ping(list_to_atom(Node)),
io:format("~p~n", [Resp]).

Notice

If you want to use this escript in nagios, better to add try catch for all:

#!/usr/bin/env escript

main([Node]) ->
try
    {ok, _} = net_kernel:start(['mynode@127.0.0.1', longnames]).
    erlang:set_cookie(node(), mycookie),
    case net_adm:ping(list_to_atom(Node)) of
    pong -> halt(0);
    pang -> halt(2)
    end
catch _:Reason
    io:format("~p~n", [Reason]),
    halt(3)
end.