Linuxfabrik Python Libraries

Python 3.6+ modules for Linuxfabrik projects: DB access, SQLite KVS caching, WinRM, SMB, shell execution, 15+ API integrations (Icinga2, Veeam, Nextcloud, ...). Available on PyPI. • made by Linuxfabrik

Linuxfabrik Python Libraries

A mature, production-grade Python library collection providing 35+ modules with 300+ functions for system administration, monitoring, and infrastructure automation. These libraries are used across several Linuxfabrik projects -- most prominently the Linuxfabrik Monitoring Plugins (Nagios/Icinga check plugins), but also in ChecklistFabrik and other tools.

The library requires Python 3.6+ (the default Python version on RHEL 8) and runs on every platform.

Installation

pip install linuxfabrik-lib

Documentation

Full API documentation is available at linuxfabrik.github.io/lib (generated with pdoc).

Design Principles

These libraries are built with a clear set of priorities:

• Broad compatibility. Python 3.6+ is the minimum, ensuring the libraries work on RHEL 8 and every major distribution without requiring newer runtimes.
• Cross-platform. Core functions behave identically on Linux, Windows, and macOS. Platform-specific code (WinRM, PowerShell, SMB) is cleanly separated.
• Minimal dependencies. We avoid pulling in large dependency trees. External packages are used only when the alternative would be unreliable or significantly more complex.
• Consistent error handling. Most functions return (success, result) tuples. The caller decides whether to continue or exit -- the library never exits on its own. The base.coe() ("Continue or Exit") helper makes this pattern concise.
• Automatic redaction. Sensitive data (passwords, tokens, API keys) in error messages is automatically sanitized before output.
• Nagios/Icinga conventions. State constants, threshold evaluation, performance data formatting, and range parsing follow the Monitoring Plugins Development Guidelines.
• Defensive defaults. Functions use sensible timeouts, safe SSL settings, and locked-down defaults so that plugins work out of the box without extensive configuration.

Library Index

Core Utilities

Module	Description	Key Functions
args.py	Extends argparse with custom input types for monitoring thresholds and common parameters.	csv(), float_or_none(), int_or_none(), number_unit_method()
base.py	The central library for plugin development. Provides state evaluation, threshold comparison, performance data formatting, ASCII table output, and the coe() error-handling pattern.	coe(), get_perfdata(), get_state(), get_table(), get_worst(), match_range(), oao(), state2str()
globals.py	Defines the four Nagios/Icinga plugin states: STATE_OK (0), STATE_WARN (1), STATE_CRIT (2), STATE_UNKNOWN (3).	--
human.py	Converts raw numbers and durations to human-readable representations and back. Supports binary/SI prefixes and Nagios range syntax with units.	bytes2human(), human2bytes(), seconds2human(), human2seconds(), number2human()
lftest.py	Test harness for running plugin unit tests against expected STDOUT/STDERR output files.	test()
time.py	Date/time conversions between UNIX epochs, ISO strings, datetime objects, and weekday names. Timezone-aware.	epoch2iso(), now(), timestr2epoch(), timestrdiff(), utc_offset()
txt.py	Text processing: encoding conversion, regex compilation, substring extraction, multi-line parsing, sensitive data redaction, and pluralization.	sanitize_sensitive_data(), extract_str(), mltext2array(), to_text(), to_bytes()
version.py	Software version parsing, comparison, and End-of-Life checking against endoflife.date.	check_eol(), version(), version2float()

Data Access & Caching

Module	Description	Key Functions
cache.py	A simple SQLite-based key-value store with optional key expiration. Used for persisting state between plugin runs.	get(), set()
db_mysql.py	MySQL/MariaDB client with connection management, query execution, and privilege checking.	connect(), select(), check_select_privileges()
db_sqlite.py	Full SQLite interface: table/index creation, CRUD operations, CSV import, regex support, and automatic load computation for time-series data.	connect(), select(), insert(), create_table(), compute_load(), import_csv()

System & OS

Module	Description	Key Functions
disk.py	File I/O, directory walking, CSV/environment file parsing, partition listing, device-mapper resolution, and file ownership lookup.	read_file(), walk_directory(), grep_file(), read_csv(), get_real_disks()
distro.py	Linux distribution detection. Returns normalized facts including distribution name, version, and Ansible-compatible os_family.	get_distribution_facts()
dmidecode.py	Parses dmidecode output into structured data. Extracts CPU, RAM, firmware, serial number, manufacturer, and model information.	get_data(), cpu_type(), ram(), manufacturer(), model(), serno()
endoflifedate.py	Bundled End-of-Life data from endoflife.date for offline version checks when internet access is unavailable.	--
psutil.py	Wrapper around psutil for retrieving mounted disk partitions with device, mount point, and filesystem type.	get_partitions()
shell.py	Subprocess execution with pipeline support, regex filtering, configurable locale, and timeout handling. Works on Linux and Windows.	shell_exec(), get_command_output()

Networking & HTTP

Module	Description	Key Functions
feedparser.py	Parses Atom and RSS feeds from URLs using BeautifulSoup.	parse()
net.py	Low-level networking: TCP/UDP sockets, SSL connections, Unix domain sockets, public IP lookup, hostname validation, and CIDR conversion.	fetch(), fetch_ssl(), fetch_socket(), get_public_ip(), is_valid_hostname()
url.py	HTTP client for fetching HTML, JSON, or raw data. Supports GET/POST, Basic/Digest authentication, SSL/TLS options, custom headers, and proxy control.	fetch(), fetch_json(), get_latest_version_from_github(), strip_tags()

Windows Integration

Module	Description	Key Functions
powershell.py	Executes PowerShell commands locally (on Windows hosts).	run_ps()
smb.py	Native SMB/CIFS file access: list, glob, and open files on remote shares with encryption support.	glob(), open_file()
winrm.py	Executes commands and PowerShell scripts on remote Windows hosts via WinRM. Supports Kerberos, NTLM, CredSSP, and JEA (Just Enough Administration).	run_cmd(), run_ps()

API Integrations

Module	Description	Key Functions
grassfish.py	Grassfish digital signage REST API.	fetch_json()
huawei.py	Huawei storage system status parsing (controller models, health, LED status).	get_controller_model()
icinga.py	Icinga2 REST API client for querying services, setting acknowledgements, and managing downtimes.	get_service(), set_ack(), set_downtime(), remove_downtime()
infomaniak.py	Infomaniak Swiss Backup REST API for events and backup products.	get_events(), get_swiss_backup_products()
jitsi.py	Jitsi Meet server statistics API.	get_data()
keycloak.py	Keycloak identity provider API with OIDC discovery and admin token management.	discover_oidc_endpoints(), obtain_admin_token(), get_data()
librenms.py	LibreNMS monitoring API with state conversion.	get_data()
nextcloud.py	Nextcloud OCC command execution.	run_occ()
nodebb.py	NodeBB forum API.	get_data()
qts.py	QNAP QTS NAS API with authentication.	get_auth_sid()
redfish.py	Redfish BMC API for chassis, thermal, power, and storage monitoring.	get_chassis(), get_thermal(), get_power()
rocket.py	Rocket.Chat API for statistics, room management, and webhooks.	get_token(), get_stats(), send2webhook()
uptimerobot.py	UptimeRobot API for monitor and alert management.	get_monitors(), new_monitor(), get_account_details()
veeam.py	Veeam Backup & Replication Enterprise Manager API.	get_token()
wildfly.py	WildFly/JBoss application server management API (standalone and domain mode).	get_data()

Usage Example

A typical monitoring plugin using these libraries:

import lib.args
import lib.base
import lib.url
from lib.globals import (STATE_CRIT, STATE_OK, STATE_UNKNOWN, STATE_WARN)

def main():
    # Parse arguments with custom threshold types
    parser = lib.args.ArgumentParser()
    parser.add_argument('--url', required=True)
    parser.add_argument('--warning', type=lib.args.float_or_none, default=80)
    parser.add_argument('--critical', type=lib.args.float_or_none, default=90)
    args = parser.parse_args()

    # Fetch data (coe = "Continue or Exit")
    result = lib.base.coe(lib.url.fetch_json(args.url))

    # Evaluate thresholds
    state = lib.base.get_state(result['usage'], args.warning, args.critical)
    perfdata = lib.base.get_perfdata('usage', result['usage'], '%', args.warning, args.critical, 0, 100)

    # Output and exit
    lib.base.oao('Usage is {}%'.format(result['usage']), state, perfdata)

if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()

Tips & Tricks

Count the function calls to any "lib" library in your project and sort by frequency:

grep -rhoP '\Wlib\.[a-zA-Z0-9_\.]+' * | sed 's/^[^a-zA-Z0-9]*//' | sort | uniq -c | sort -nr