Using SaltStack to run distributed monitoring checks is fun, but what is really awesome is writing the result of all those checks to CouchDB. Instead of returning the result of the check to the command line, or to the master even via programmatic method, you can use SaltStack's returners to have the output returned somewhere else.
This evening I successfully moved a second set of services from service provider IP space to BGP IP space. The first phase of this project began over a year ago -- I turned up AS62758 in early December 2013 prior to the migration of a Learning Management System.
One of the most exciting new features to me in SaltStack 2014.7 is the nagios module. This module supports remote execution of nagios-plugins on your minions. It can also execute pre-defined lists of checks and targets defined (and targeted) in a Pillar.
As part of maintaining my list of Manitoban ASNs and their IPv6 status, I need to determine new Canadian, and specifically, Manitoban ASNs issued by ARIN. I had been doing this manually by reading through bgp.he.net/country/CA, but this was very time consuming, and very prone to error/being banned.
