ID: 11080
Title: Port Checkmk to Python 3
Component: Core & setup
Level: 3
Class: New feature
Version: 1.7.0i1
Most of Checkmk is written in Python. We have been developing on Python 2 for
over 10 years now and are now taking the big step of porting Checkmk to Python
3 with Checkmk 1.7.
This is a very big change in the software which has cost us a lot of time. But
this step is necessary to continue to develop Checkmk efficiently and safely.
In the past, Python 2.7 with all necessary 3rd party modules have been shipped
in Checkmk for a long time. This Python 2.7 will no longer be shipped with
Checkmk 1.7. Instead we now ship Python 3.8 with all necessary 3rd party
modules.
This is especially important if you use your own plugins or scripts. You have
to consider the following things.
If you have a script that is called directly from a cronjob or the core, e.g. a
notification script, you have often used the shebang "#!/usr/bin/env python" in
the past. By doing so, you have used the Python 2.7 that we shipped. Since this
no longer exists, "python" of the operating system is used without further
adaptation. This can be a Python 2.7, it depends on your system.
We recommend changing the shebang to "#!/usr/bin/env python3". This will allow
you to use the Python that comes with Checkmk again.
After you have done this, you may need to adjust some things in your scripts to
change your code from Python 2 to 3. We will publish more information about the
conversion of plugins and scripts soon.
ID: 11072
Title: Distributed environments: Improve config synchronization
Component: WATO
Level: 3
Class: New feature
Version: 1.7.0i1
Synchronizing configurations between the central and remote sites has taken too
much time in the past because the entire configuration was always synchronized.
Even files that are still present on the remote site were completely
synchronized, which led to increased computing effort, traffic and runtime.
This mechanism has now been replaced by an incremental mechanism. Before each
synchronization, the system determines which files already exist on the remote
site. Only those files are synchronized that differ from the central site.
For the migration from Checkmk 1.6 to 1.7 the change is compatible. Both
central 1.6 sites can communicate with remote 1.7 sites and 1.7 central sites
can communicate with 1.6 remote sites. Mixed environments should only be used
for migration purposes. In such a scenario, the previous synchronization
mechanism is used. After 1.7 this compatibility mode will be removed.
