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diff --git a/backends/README.md b/backends/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8d53fd6 --- /dev/null +++ b/backends/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,236 @@ +<!-- +title: "Metrics long term archiving" +custom_edit_url: https://github.com/netdata/netdata/edit/master/backends/README.md +--> + +# Metrics long term archiving + +> ⚠️ The backends system is now deprecated in favor of the [exporting engine](/exporting/README.md). + +Netdata supports backends for archiving the metrics, or providing long term dashboards, using Grafana or other tools, +like this: + + + +Since Netdata collects thousands of metrics per server per second, which would easily congest any backend server when +several Netdata servers are sending data to it, Netdata allows sending metrics at a lower frequency, by resampling them. + +So, although Netdata collects metrics every second, it can send to the backend servers averages or sums every X seconds +(though, it can send them per second if you need it to). + +## features + +1. Supported backends + + - **graphite** (`plaintext interface`, used by **Graphite**, **InfluxDB**, **KairosDB**, **Blueflood**, + **ElasticSearch** via logstash tcp input and the graphite codec, etc) + + metrics are sent to the backend server as `prefix.hostname.chart.dimension`. `prefix` is configured below, + `hostname` is the hostname of the machine (can also be configured). + + - **opentsdb** (`telnet or HTTP interfaces`, used by **OpenTSDB**, **InfluxDB**, **KairosDB**, etc) + + metrics are sent to opentsdb as `prefix.chart.dimension` with tag `host=hostname`. + + - **json** document DBs + + metrics are sent to a document db, `JSON` formatted. + + - **prometheus** is described at [prometheus page](/backends/prometheus/README.md) since it pulls data from + Netdata. + + - **prometheus remote write** (a binary snappy-compressed protocol buffer encoding over HTTP used by + **Elasticsearch**, **Gnocchi**, **Graphite**, **InfluxDB**, **Kafka**, **OpenTSDB**, **PostgreSQL/TimescaleDB**, + **Splunk**, **VictoriaMetrics**, and a lot of other [storage + providers](https://prometheus.io/docs/operating/integrations/#remote-endpoints-and-storage)) + + metrics are labeled in the format, which is used by Netdata for the [plaintext prometheus + protocol](/backends/prometheus/README.md). Notes on using the remote write backend are [here](/backends/prometheus/remote_write/README.md). + + - **TimescaleDB** via [community-built connector](/backends/TIMESCALE.md) that takes JSON streams from a Netdata + client and writes them to a TimescaleDB table. + + - **AWS Kinesis Data Streams** + + metrics are sent to the service in `JSON` format. + + - **MongoDB** + + metrics are sent to the database in `JSON` format. + +2. Only one backend may be active at a time. + +3. Netdata can filter metrics (at the chart level), to send only a subset of the collected metrics. + +4. Netdata supports three modes of operation for all backends: + + - `as-collected` sends to backends the metrics as they are collected, in the units they are collected. So, + counters are sent as counters and gauges are sent as gauges, much like all data collectors do. For example, to + calculate CPU utilization in this format, you need to know how to convert kernel ticks to percentage. + + - `average` sends to backends normalized metrics from the Netdata database. In this mode, all metrics are sent as + gauges, in the units Netdata uses. This abstracts data collection and simplifies visualization, but you will not + be able to copy and paste queries from other sources to convert units. For example, CPU utilization percentage + is calculated by Netdata, so Netdata will convert ticks to percentage and send the average percentage to the + backend. + + - `sum` or `volume`: the sum of the interpolated values shown on the Netdata graphs is sent to the backend. So, if + Netdata is configured to send data to the backend every 10 seconds, the sum of the 10 values shown on the + Netdata charts will be used. + + Time-series databases suggest to collect the raw values (`as-collected`). If you plan to invest on building your + monitoring around a time-series database and you already know (or you will invest in learning) how to convert units + and normalize the metrics in Grafana or other visualization tools, we suggest to use `as-collected`. + + If, on the other hand, you just need long term archiving of Netdata metrics and you plan to mainly work with + Netdata, we suggest to use `average`. It decouples visualization from data collection, so it will generally be a lot + simpler. Furthermore, if you use `average`, the charts shown in the back-end will match exactly what you see in + Netdata, which is not necessarily true for the other modes of operation. + +5. This code is smart enough, not to slow down Netdata, independently of the speed of the backend server. + +## configuration + +In `/etc/netdata/netdata.conf` you should have something like this (if not download the latest version of `netdata.conf` +from your Netdata): + +```conf +[backend] + enabled = yes | no + type = graphite | opentsdb:telnet | opentsdb:http | opentsdb:https | prometheus_remote_write | json | kinesis | mongodb + host tags = list of TAG=VALUE + destination = space separated list of [PROTOCOL:]HOST[:PORT] - the first working will be used, or a region for kinesis + data source = average | sum | as collected + prefix = Netdata + hostname = my-name + update every = 10 + buffer on failures = 10 + timeout ms = 20000 + send charts matching = * + send hosts matching = localhost * + send names instead of ids = yes +``` + +- `enabled = yes | no`, enables or disables sending data to a backend + +- `type = graphite | opentsdb:telnet | opentsdb:http | opentsdb:https | json | kinesis | mongodb`, selects the backend + type + +- `destination = host1 host2 host3 ...`, accepts **a space separated list** of hostnames, IPs (IPv4 and IPv6) and + ports to connect to. Netdata will use the **first available** to send the metrics. + + The format of each item in this list, is: `[PROTOCOL:]IP[:PORT]`. + + `PROTOCOL` can be `udp` or `tcp`. `tcp` is the default and only supported by the current backends. + + `IP` can be `XX.XX.XX.XX` (IPv4), or `[XX:XX...XX:XX]` (IPv6). For IPv6 you can to enclose the IP in `[]` to + separate it from the port. + + `PORT` can be a number of a service name. If omitted, the default port for the backend will be used + (graphite = 2003, opentsdb = 4242). + + Example IPv4: + +```conf + destination = 10.11.14.2:4242 10.11.14.3:4242 10.11.14.4:4242 +``` + + Example IPv6 and IPv4 together: + +```conf + destination = [ffff:...:0001]:2003 10.11.12.1:2003 +``` + + When multiple servers are defined, Netdata will try the next one when the first one fails. This allows you to + load-balance different servers: give your backend servers in different order on each Netdata. + + Netdata also ships `nc-backend.sh`, a script that can be used as a fallback backend to save the + metrics to disk and push them to the time-series database when it becomes available again. It can also be used to + monitor / trace / debug the metrics Netdata generates. + + For kinesis backend `destination` should be set to an AWS region (for example, `us-east-1`). + + The MongoDB backend doesn't use the `destination` option for its configuration. It uses the `mongodb.conf` + [configuration file](/backends/mongodb/README.md) instead. + +- `data source = as collected`, or `data source = average`, or `data source = sum`, selects the kind of data that will + be sent to the backend. + +- `hostname = my-name`, is the hostname to be used for sending data to the backend server. By default this is + `[global].hostname`. + +- `prefix = Netdata`, is the prefix to add to all metrics. + +- `update every = 10`, is the number of seconds between sending data to the backend. Netdata will add some randomness + to this number, to prevent stressing the backend server when many Netdata servers send data to the same backend. + This randomness does not affect the quality of the data, only the time they are sent. + +- `buffer on failures = 10`, is the number of iterations (each iteration is `[backend].update every` seconds) to + buffer data, when the backend is not available. If the backend fails to receive the data after that many failures, + data loss on the backend is expected (Netdata will also log it). + +- `timeout ms = 20000`, is the timeout in milliseconds to wait for the backend server to process the data. By default + this is `2 * update_every * 1000`. + +- `send hosts matching = localhost *` includes one or more space separated patterns, using `*` as wildcard (any number + of times within each pattern). The patterns are checked against the hostname (the localhost is always checked as + `localhost`), allowing us to filter which hosts will be sent to the backend when this Netdata is a central Netdata + aggregating multiple hosts. A pattern starting with `!` gives a negative match. So to match all hosts named `*db*` + except hosts containing `*child*`, use `!*child* *db*` (so, the order is important: the first pattern + matching the hostname will be used - positive or negative). + +- `send charts matching = *` includes one or more space separated patterns, using `*` as wildcard (any number of times + within each pattern). The patterns are checked against both chart id and chart name. A pattern starting with `!` + gives a negative match. So to match all charts named `apps.*` except charts ending in `*reads`, use `!*reads + apps.*` (so, the order is important: the first pattern matching the chart id or the chart name will be used - + positive or negative). + +- `send names instead of ids = yes | no` controls the metric names Netdata should send to backend. Netdata supports + names and IDs for charts and dimensions. Usually IDs are unique identifiers as read by the system and names are + human friendly labels (also unique). Most charts and metrics have the same ID and name, but in several cases they + are different: disks with device-mapper, interrupts, QoS classes, statsd synthetic charts, etc. + +- `host tags = list of TAG=VALUE` defines tags that should be appended on all metrics for the given host. These are + currently only sent to graphite, json, opentsdb and prometheus. Please use the appropriate format for each + time-series db. For example opentsdb likes them like `TAG1=VALUE1 TAG2=VALUE2`, but prometheus like `tag1="value1", + tag2="value2"`. Host tags are mirrored with database replication (streaming of metrics between Netdata servers). + + Starting from Netdata v1.20 the host tags are parsed in accordance with a configured backend type and stored as + host labels so that they can be reused in API responses and exporting connectors. The parsing is supported for + graphite, json, opentsdb, and prometheus (default) backend types. You can check how the host tags were parsed using + the /api/v1/info API call. + +## monitoring operation + +Netdata provides 5 charts: + +1. **Buffered metrics**, the number of metrics Netdata added to the buffer for dispatching them to the + backend server. + +2. **Buffered data size**, the amount of data (in KB) Netdata added the buffer. + +3. ~~**Backend latency**, the time the backend server needed to process the data Netdata sent. If there was a + re-connection involved, this includes the connection time.~~ (this chart has been removed, because it only measures + the time Netdata needs to give the data to the O/S - since the backend servers do not ack the reception, Netdata + does not have any means to measure this properly). + +4. **Backend operations**, the number of operations performed by Netdata. + +5. **Backend thread CPU usage**, the CPU resources consumed by the Netdata thread, that is responsible for sending the + metrics to the backend server. + + + +## alarms + +Netdata adds 4 alarms: + +1. `backend_last_buffering`, number of seconds since the last successful buffering of backend data +2. `backend_metrics_sent`, percentage of metrics sent to the backend server +3. `backend_metrics_lost`, number of metrics lost due to repeating failures to contact the backend server +4. ~~`backend_slow`, the percentage of time between iterations needed by the backend time to process the data sent by + Netdata~~ (this was misleading and has been removed). + + + +[](<>) |