How to make smartmontools send errors to you via Telegram messenger.

smartd-telegram-notify.md

###Step by step

Installing smartmontools

1. Install smartmontools with sudo apt-get install smartmontools

Create your new bot

1. Create a new telegram bot via the botfather (see https://core.telegram.org/bots#3-how-do-i-create-a-bot). You will need the token of the bot from botfather.
2. Initiate a chat with your new bot.
3. Send a GET to https://api.telegram.org/bot{YOUR_TOKEN}/getUpdates. You will need the chat id of your chat with the bot.

Configure smartd to use Telegram

1. On your machine open the file /etc/default/smartmontools and uncomment the line start_smartd=yes.
2. In the file /etc/smartd.conf use the first example that might be uncommented already and change it to DEVICESCAN -d removable -n standby -m root -M test -M exec /usr/share/smartmontools/smartd-runner
3. Create a bash file in the folder /etc/smartmontools/run.d called 10telegram-notify.
4. Fill in this content (replace token and chat id):

#!/bin/bash -e

chatid="YOUR_CHAT_ID"
error=$(cat $1)
apikey="YOUR_BOT_TOKEN"

curl -G --data-urlencode "chat_id=${chatid}" --data-urlencode "text=${error}" https://api.telegram.org/bot${apikey}/sendMessage

5. Make the file executable with chmod +x FILENAME

Prime time

1. Start the daemon with sudo smartd. You should be receiving a test message in the chat with your bot. If not, you can investigate the error with sudo cat /var/log/syslog.
2. Remove the -M test from your /etc/smartd.conf file, so that the line looks like this now: DEVICESCAN -d removable -n standby -m root -M exec /usr/share/smartmontools/smartd-runner.
3. Done.