Grafana Install

Overview

This role installs and configures Grafana on RedHat-based systems. It adds the official Grafana repository, installs the Grafana package, configures HTTPS with SSL certificates, configures SQLite in WAL mode to avoid database lock errors, sets up SMTP for email alerts via Gmail, deploys Synology SNMP MIB files, and enables the grafana-server service to start on boot.

What This Role Does

1. Adds Grafana YUM repository

   • URL: https://rpm.grafana.com
   • Enables GPG verification
   • Configures SSL certificate verification

2. Installs Grafana package via dnf/yum

   • Latest stable version from official repository

3. Enables and starts grafana-server service

   • Starts grafana-server
   • Service starts on boot automatically

4. Configures server settings in /etc/grafana/grafana.ini:

   • Protocol (HTTP or HTTPS)
   • Bind address (IP)
   • SSL certificate paths (if HTTPS)
   • SQLite WAL mode and retry settings (avoids database lock errors)
   • Creates backup of config file before changes

5. Configures SMTP settings for email alerts:

   • Gmail SMTP server
   • Authentication credentials
   • From address and name
   • StartTLS encryption

6. Creates SNMP MIB directory (/usr/share/snmp/mibs/)

7. Copies Synology MIB files for SNMP monitoring

8. Restarts grafana-server if configuration changed (via handler)

Role Variables

Variable	Description
grafana_install_protocol	Web interface protocol (http or https)
grafana_install_http_addr	IP address to bind
grafana_install_cert_file	SSL certificate path
grafana_install_cert_key	SSL private key path
grafana_install_wal_enabled	Enable SQLite WAL mode (avoids database lock errors on alerts)
grafana_install_query_retries	Query retries on SQLite lock
grafana_install_transaction_retries	Transaction retries on SQLite lock
grafana_install_smtp_enabled	Enable SMTP email alerts
grafana_install_smtp_host	SMTP server and port
grafana_install_smtp_user	SMTP username (Gmail address)
grafana_install_smtp_password	SMTP app password
grafana_install_smtp_from_address	From address
grafana_install_smtp_from_name	From name
grafana_install_smtp_starttls_policy	StartTLS policy for SMTP
grafana_install_mibs_dest_dir	SNMP MIB files directory

Notes

• Run deploy_ssl_certificates before this role to ensure cert files exist
• SQLite WAL mode is enabled by default — fixes “database is locked” errors when Grafana handles concurrent alert evaluations
• SMTP credentials are stored in Ansible Vault
• Gmail requires an App Password (not account password) for SMTP with 2FA enabled
• Synology MIB files are deployed to enable SNMP-based NAS monitoring in dashboards