Recipe: Monitor Windows Task Scheduler status with Nagios

1. Install and configure check_nt plugin on Nagios and NSCA/NRPE on the Windows server (which I leave as an exercise to the reader, due to abundance of docs elsewhere)


2. On the Windows machine prepare a .cmd batch which barely resembles this:

@echo off
if x%1==x goto usage
set TF="%TEMP%\check_tasks.tmp"
schtasks /query /v /FO CSV > "%TF%"
if %1==running goto running
if %1==status goto status
goto usage

:running
for /F "delims=, tokens=2,5 usebackq" %%a in (%TF%) do if %%a-%%b=="%2"-"In esecuzione" (
  set R="%%a %%b"
  set RC=0
  goto result
) ELSE (
  set R="%%a not running!"
  set RC=2
)
goto result

:status
SET R=2
SET RC=2
for /F "skip=1 delims=, tokens=2,9 usebackq" %%a in (%TF%) do if %%a-%%b=="%2"-"0" (
  set R=%%b
  SET RC=0
  goto result
) ELSE (
  set R=--
  SET RC=2
)
goto result

:result
echo %R:"=%
goto end

:usage
echo Lists running or failed tasks
echo Usage: "%0    -- check if  is running (CRITICAL if not)"
echo Usage: "%0    -- show numerical status for task  and returns CRITICAL if not zero"
SET RC=3
 
:end
exit /B %RC%



3. Configure the checks in NSC.ini (we use NRPE):

   check_schtasks_status=check_tasks.cmd status $ARG1$
   check_schtasks_running=check_tasks.cmd running
   





4. In nagios configure your standard NRPE/NSCA check:

   define command {
     command_name    check_nrpe_generic
     command_line    $USER1$/check_nrpe -H $HOSTADDRESS$ -n -u -c $ARG1$ -a $ARG2$
   }
   
   define service {
     host_name           yourhost
     service_description Yourtask status
     check_command       check_nrpe_generic!check_schtasks_status!YourScheduleName
   }
   
   define service {
     host_name           yourhost
     service_description Yourtask is running
     check_command       check_nrpe_generic!check_schtasks_running!YourScheduleName
   }