# PostgreSQL Partitioning for Zabbix

This is the declarative (PostgreSQL procedures based) partitioning implementation for Zabbix `history`, `trends`, and `auditlog` tables on PostgreSQL. This solution is intended to replace standard Zabbix housekeeping for the configured tables. Partitioning is very useful for large environments because it completely eliminates the housekeeper from the process. Instead of huge DELETE queries on several million rows, fast DDL queries (ALTER TABLE) are executed, which drop an entire partition. 


> [!WARNING]
> **High-Load Environments**:
> 1.  **Data Visibility**: After enabling partitioning, old data remains in `*_old` tables and is **NOT visible** in Zabbix. You must migrate data manually if needed.
> 2.  **Disable Housekeeping**: You **MUST** disable Zabbix Housekeeper for History and Trends in *Administration -> Housekeeping*. Failure to do so will cause massive `DELETE` loads.

## Table of Contents
- [Architecture](#architecture)
  - [Components](#components)
- [Prerequisites: Database & User Creation](#prerequisites-database--user-creation)
- [Installation](#installation)
- [Configuration](#configuration)
  - [Modifying Retention](#modifying-retention)
- [Maintenance](#maintenance)
  - [Scheduling Maintenance](#scheduling-maintenance)
- [Monitoring & Permissions](#monitoring--permissions)
  - [Versioning](#versioning)
  - [Least Privilege Access (`zbx_monitor`)](#least-privilege-access-zbx_monitor)
- [Implementation Details](#implementation-details)
  - [`auditlog` Table](#auditlog-table)
  - [Converting Existing Tables](#converting-existing-tables)
- [Upgrades](#upgrades)
- [Appendix: Zabbix Server & Frontend RDS Configuration](#appendix-zabbix-server--frontend-rds-configuration)

## Architecture

The solution uses PostgreSQL native declarative partitioning (`PARTITION BY RANGE`).
All procedures, information, statistics and configuration are stored in the `partitions` schema to maintain full separation from Zabbix schema.

### Components
1.  **Configuration Table**: `partitions.config` defines retention policies.
2.  **Maintenance Procedure**: `partitions.run_maintenance()` manages partition lifecycle.
3.  **Monitoring View**: `partitions.monitoring` provides system state visibility.
4.  **Version Table**: `partitions.version` provides information about installed version of the partitioning solution.

## Prerequisites: Database & User Creation
If you are deploying Zabbix on a fresh database instance (like AWS RDS) rather than a local server, you must first create the `zabbix` user and database using your administrator account (e.g., `postgres`).

1. Connect to your DB instance as the administrator:
   ```bash
   psql "host=YOUR_RDS_HOST port=5432 user=postgres dbname=postgres sslmode=require"
   ```
2. Create the user and database:
   ```sql
   CREATE USER zabbix WITH PASSWORD 'your_secure_password';
   -- On Cloud DBs like RDS, the master user must inherit the new role to grant ownership
   GRANT zabbix TO postgres; 
   CREATE DATABASE zabbix OWNER zabbix;
   ```

## Installation

The installation is performed by executing the SQL procedures in the following order:
1.  Initialize schema (`00_partitions_init.sql`).
2.  Install maintenance procedures (`01_maintenance.sql`).
3.  Enable partitioning on tables (`02_enable_partitioning.sql`).
4.  Install monitoring views (`03_monitoring_view.sql`).

**Command Example:**
You can deploy these scripts manually against your Zabbix database using `psql`. Navigate to the `procedures/` directory and run:

```bash
# Connect as the zabbix database user
export PGPASSWORD="your_zabbix_password"
DB_HOST="localhost" # Or your RDS endpoint
DB_NAME="zabbix"
DB_USER="zabbix"

for script in 00_partitions_init.sql 01_maintenance.sql 02_enable_partitioning.sql 03_monitoring_view.sql; do
    echo "Applying $script..."
    psql -h $DB_HOST -U $DB_USER -d $DB_NAME -f "$script"
done
```

## Configuration

Partitioning policies are defined in the `partitions.config` table.

| Column | Type | Description |
|--------|------|-------------|
| `table_name` | text | Name of the Zabbix table (e.g., `history`, `trends`). |
| `period` | text | Partition interval: `day`, `week`, or `month`. |
| `keep_history` | interval | Data retention period (e.g., `30 days`, `12 months`). |
| `future_partitions` | integer | Number of future partitions to pre-create (buffer). Default: `5`. |
| `last_updated` | timestamp | Timestamp of the last successful maintenance run. |

### Modifying Retention
To change the retention period for a table, update the configuration:

```sql
UPDATE partitions.config 
SET keep_history = '60 days' 
WHERE table_name = 'history';
```

## Maintenance

The maintenance procedure `partitions.run_maintenance()` is responsible for:
1.  Creating future partitions (current period + `future_partitions` buffer).
2.  Creating past partitions (backward coverage based on `keep_history`).
3.  Dropping partitions older than `keep_history`.

This procedure should be scheduled to run periodically (e.g., daily via `pg_cron` or system cron).

```sql
CALL partitions.run_maintenance();
```
### Scheduling Maintenance

To ensure partitions are created in advance and old data is cleaned up, the maintenance procedure should be scheduled to run automatically. 

It is recommended to run the maintenance **twice a day** (e.g., at 05:30 and 23:30).
*   **Primary Run**: Creates new future partitions and drops old ones.
*   **Secondary Run**: Acts as a safety check. Since the procedure is idempotent (safe to run multiple times), a second run ensures everything is consistent if the first run failed or was interrupted.

You can schedule this using one of the following methods:

#### Option 1: `pg_cron` (Recommended)
`pg_cron` is a cron-based job scheduler that runs directly inside the database as an extension.

> [!NOTE] 
> **Cloud Managed Databases (AWS RDS, Aurora, Azure, GCP):**
> Managed databases generally have `pg_cron` pre-installed and handle the authentication/connections securely for you automatically. You do **not** need to install OS packages or configure a `.pgpass` file! Simply modify your RDS Parameter Group to include `shared_preload_libraries = 'pg_cron'` and `cron.database_name = 'zabbix'`, reboot the instance, and execute `CREATE EXTENSION pg_cron;`.

**Setup `pg_cron` (Self-Hosted):**
1. Install the package via your OS package manager (e.g., `postgresql-15-cron` on Debian/Ubuntu, or `pg_cron_15` on RHEL/CentOS).
2. Configure it modifying `postgresql.conf`:
   ```ini
   shared_preload_libraries = 'pg_cron'
   cron.database_name = 'zabbix' # Define the database where pg_cron will run
   ```
3. Restart PostgreSQL:
   ```bash
   systemctl restart postgresql
   ```
4. Connect to your `zabbix` database as a superuser and create the extension:
   ```sql
   CREATE EXTENSION pg_cron;
   ```
5. Schedule the job to run:
   ```sql
   SELECT cron.schedule('zabbix_partition_maintenance', '30 5,23 * * *', 'CALL partitions.run_maintenance();');
   ```
6. **Manage your `pg_cron` jobs** (run as superuser):
   - To **list all active schedules**: `SELECT * FROM cron.job;`
   - To **view execution logs/history**: `SELECT * FROM cron.job_run_details;`
   - To **remove/unschedule** the job: `SELECT cron.unschedule('zabbix_partition_maintenance');`

**⚠️ Troubleshooting `pg_cron` Connection Errors:**
If your cron jobs fail to execute and you see `FATAL: password authentication failed` in your PostgreSQL logs, it is because `pg_cron` attempts to connect via TCP (`localhost`) by default, which usually requires a password. 

**Solution A: Use Local Unix Sockets (Easier)**
Edit your `postgresql.conf` to force `pg_cron` to use the local Unix socket (which uses passwordless `peer` authentication):
```ini
cron.host = '/var/run/postgresql'  # Or '/tmp', depending on your OS
```
*(Restart PostgreSQL after making this change).*

**Solution B: Provide a Password (`.pgpass`)**
If you *must* connect via TCP with a specific database user and password, the `pg_cron` background worker needs a way to authenticate. You provide this by creating a `.pgpass` file for the OS `postgres` user.
1. Switch to the OS database user:
   ```bash
   sudo su - postgres
   ```
2. Create or append your database credentials to `~/.pgpass` using the format `hostname:port:database:username:password`:
   ```bash
   echo "localhost:5432:zabbix:zabbix:my_secure_password" >> ~/.pgpass
   ```
3. Set strict permissions (PostgreSQL will ignore the file if permissions are too loose):
   ```bash
   chmod 0600 ~/.pgpass
   ```

#### Option 2: Systemd Timers
Systemd timers provide better logging and error handling properties than standard cron.

1. Create a service file **`/etc/systemd/system/zabbix-partitions.service`**:
   ```ini
   [Unit]
   Description=Zabbix PostgreSQL Partition Maintenance
   After=network.target postgresql.service
   
   [Service]
   Type=oneshot
   User=postgres
   ExecStart=/usr/bin/psql -d zabbix -c "CALL partitions.run_maintenance();"
   ```

2. Create a timer file **`/etc/systemd/system/zabbix-partitions.timer`**:
   ```ini
   [Unit]
   Description=Run Zabbix Partition Maintenance Twice Daily
   
   [Timer]
   OnCalendar=*-*-* 05:30:00
   OnCalendar=*-*-* 23:30:00
   Persistent=true
   
   [Install]
   WantedBy=timers.target
   ```

3. Enable and start the timer:
   ```bash
   systemctl daemon-reload
   systemctl enable --now zabbix-partitions.timer
   ```

#### Option 3: System Cron (`crontab`)
Standard system cron is a simple fallback.

**Example Crontab Entry (`crontab -e`):**
```bash
# Run Zabbix partition maintenance twice daily (5:30 AM and 5:30 PM)
30 5,23 * * * psql -U zabbix -d zabbix -c "CALL partitions.run_maintenance();" >> /var/log/zabbix_maintenance.log 2>&1
```

**Docker Environment:**
If running in Docker, you can execute it via the host's cron by targeting the container:
```bash
30 5,23 * * * docker exec zabbix-db-test psql -U zabbix -d zabbix -c "CALL partitions.run_maintenance();"
```
## Monitoring & Permissions

System state can be monitored via the `partitions.monitoring` view. It includes a `future_partitions` column which counts how many partitions exist *after* the current period. This is useful for alerting (e.g., trigger if `future_partitions < 2`).

```sql
SELECT * FROM partitions.monitoring;
```

### Versioning
To check the installed version of the partitioning solution:
```sql
SELECT * FROM partitions.version ORDER BY installed_at DESC LIMIT 1;
```

### Least Privilege Access (`zbx_monitor`)
For monitoring purposes, it is recommended to create a dedicated user with read-only access to the monitoring view.

```sql
CREATE USER zbx_monitor WITH PASSWORD 'secure_password';
GRANT USAGE ON SCHEMA partitions TO zbx_monitor;
GRANT SELECT ON partitions.monitoring TO zbx_monitor;
```

## Implementation Details

### `auditlog` Table
The standard Zabbix `auditlog` table has a primary key on `(auditid)`. Partitioning by `clock` requires the partition key to be part of the primary key. 
To prevent placing a heavy, blocking lock on a highly active `auditlog` table to alter its primary key, the enablement script (`02_enable_partitioning.sql`) detects it and handles it exactly like the history tables: it automatically renames the live, existing table to `auditlog_old`, and instantly creates a brand new, empty partitioned `auditlog` table pre-configured with the required `(auditid, clock)` composite primary key.

### Converting Existing Tables
The enablement script guarantees practically zero downtime by automatically renaming the existing tables to `table_name_old` and creating new partitioned tables matching the exact schema.
*   **Note**: Data from the old tables is NOT automatically migrated to minimize downtime.
*   New data flows into the new partitioned tables immediately.
*   Old data remains accessible in `table_name_old` for manual lookup or migration if required.

## Upgrades

When upgrading Zabbix:
1.  **Backup**: Ensure a full database backup exists.
2.  **Compatibility**: Zabbix upgrade scripts may attempt to `ALTER` tables. PostgreSQL supports `ALTER TABLE` on partitioned tables for adding columns, which propagates to partitions.
3.  **Failure Scenarios**: If an upgrade script fails due to partitioning, the table may need to be temporarily reverted or the partition structure manually adjusted.

---

## Appendix: Zabbix Server & Frontend RDS Configuration

If you are running Zabbix against an external Cloud database (like AWS RDS) via SSL (`verify-full`), you must explicitly configure both the Zabbix Server daemon and the Web Frontend to enforce SSL and locate the downloaded Root CA Certificate.

**Prerequisite:** Download your cloud provider's root certificate (e.g., `global-bundle.pem`) and place it in a secure location on your Zabbix Server (e.g., `/etc/zabbix/global-bundle.pem`).

### 1. Zabbix Server (`/etc/zabbix/zabbix_server.conf`)
Ensure the following database lines are active:

```ini
DBHost=YOUR_RDS_ENDPOINT.amazonaws.com
DBPort=5432
DBName=zabbix
DBUser=zabbix
DBPassword=your_secure_password
DBTLSConnect=verify_full
DBTLSCAFile=/etc/zabbix/global-bundle.pem
```

### 2. Zabbix Frontend PHP (`/etc/zabbix/web/zabbix.conf.php`)
If you used the Web Setup Wizard, it might not configure the Root CA File correctly. Update your config array to enforce encryption and verify the host certificate:

```php
$DB['TYPE']     = 'POSTGRESQL';
$DB['SERVER']   = 'YOUR_RDS_ENDPOINT.amazonaws.com';
$DB['PORT']     = '5432';
$DB['DATABASE'] = 'zabbix';
$DB['USER']     = 'zabbix';
$DB['PASSWORD'] = 'your_secure_password';
$DB['SCHEMA']   = '';
$DB['ENCRYPTION'] = true;
$DB['VERIFY_HOST'] = true;
$DB['CA_FILE']   = '/etc/zabbix/global-bundle.pem';
```