[comment]: # ({7905d51a-7905d51a})
# 2 New host

[comment]: # ({/7905d51a-7905d51a})

[comment]: # ({b1060785-b1060785})
#### Overview

In this section you will learn how to set up a new host.

A host in Zabbix is a networked entity (physical, virtual) that you wish
to monitor. The definition of what can be a "host" in Zabbix is quite
flexible. It can be a physical server, a network switch, a virtual
machine or some application.

[comment]: # ({/b1060785-b1060785})

[comment]: # ({eba9a770-9c1b7280})
#### Adding host

Information about configured hosts in Zabbix is available in *Data collection → Hosts* as well as *Monitoring* → *Hosts*.
There is already one pre-defined host, called "Zabbix server", but we want to learn adding another.

To add a new host, click on *Create host*.
This will present us with a host configuration form.

![](../../../../assets/en/manual/quickstart/new_host.png)

All mandatory input fields are marked with a red asterisk.

The bare minimum to enter here is:

***Host name***

-   Enter a host name. Alphanumerics, spaces, dots, dashes and
    underscores are allowed.

***Host groups***

-   Select one or several existing groups by clicking *Select* button or
    enter a non-existing group name to create a new group.

::: noteclassic
All access permissions are assigned to host groups, not
individual hosts. That is why a host must belong to at least one
group.
:::

***Interfaces: IP address***

-   Although not a required field technically, a host interface is necessary for collecting certain metrics.
To use Zabbix agent passive checks, specify the agent's IP or DNS in this field.
Note that you should also specify Zabbix server's IP or DNS in the Zabbix agent [configuration file](/manual/appendix/config/zabbix_agentd) 'Server' directive.
If Zabbix agent and Zabbix server are installed on the same machine, you need to specify the same IP/DNS in both places.

[Other options](/manual/config/hosts/host#configuration) will suit us
with their defaults for now.

When done, click *Add*. Your new host should be visible in the host
list.

![](../../../../assets/en/manual/quickstart/host_list.png){width="600"}

The Availability column contains indicators of host availability per
each interface. We have defined a Zabbix agent interface, so we can use
the agent availability icon (with 'ZBX' on it) to understand host
availability:

-   ![icon\_zbx\_gray.png](../../../../assets/en/manual/quickstart/icon_zbx_gray.png) -
    host status has not been established; no metric check has happened
    yet
-   ![icon\_zbx\_green.png](../../../../assets/en/manual/quickstart/icon_zbx_green.png) -
    host is available, a metric check has been successful
-   ![icon\_zbx\_red.png](../../../../assets/en/manual/quickstart/icon_zbx_red.png) -
    host is unavailable, a metric check has failed (move your mouse
    cursor over the icon to see the error message). There might be some
    error with communication, possibly caused by incorrect interface
    credentials. Check that Zabbix server is running, and try refreshing
    the page later as well.

[comment]: # ({/eba9a770-9c1b7280})