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authorDaniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org>2019-09-03 10:23:38 +0000
committerDaniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org>2019-09-03 10:23:38 +0000
commit574098461cd45be12a497afbdac6f93c58978387 (patch)
tree9eb60a5930b7c20d42f7fde1e234cae3968ed3d9 /collectors/charts.d.plugin/README.md
parentAdding upstream version 1.16.1. (diff)
downloadnetdata-574098461cd45be12a497afbdac6f93c58978387.tar.xz
netdata-574098461cd45be12a497afbdac6f93c58978387.zip
Adding upstream version 1.17.0.upstream/1.17.0
Signed-off-by: Daniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org>
Diffstat (limited to 'collectors/charts.d.plugin/README.md')
-rw-r--r--collectors/charts.d.plugin/README.md76
1 files changed, 37 insertions, 39 deletions
diff --git a/collectors/charts.d.plugin/README.md b/collectors/charts.d.plugin/README.md
index 3d318f26..6bd115f3 100644
--- a/collectors/charts.d.plugin/README.md
+++ b/collectors/charts.d.plugin/README.md
@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
# charts.d.plugin
-`charts.d.plugin` is a netdata external plugin. It is an **orchestrator** for data collection modules written in `BASH` v4+.
+`charts.d.plugin` is a Netdata external plugin. It is an **orchestrator** for data collection modules written in `BASH` v4+.
-1. It runs as an independent process `ps fax` shows it
-2. It is started and stopped automatically by netdata
-3. It communicates with netdata via a unidirectional pipe (sending data to the netdata daemon)
-4. Supports any number of data collection **modules**
+1. It runs as an independent process `ps fax` shows it
+2. It is started and stopped automatically by Netdata
+3. It communicates with Netdata via a unidirectional pipe (sending data to the `netdata` daemon)
+4. Supports any number of data collection **modules**
`charts.d.plugin` has been designed so that the actual script that will do data collection will be permanently in
memory, collecting data with as little overheads as possible
@@ -39,35 +39,35 @@ A `charts.d.plugin` module is a BASH script defining a few functions.
For a module called `X`, the following criteria must be met:
-1. The module script must be called `X.chart.sh` and placed in `/usr/libexec/netdata/charts.d`.
+1. The module script must be called `X.chart.sh` and placed in `/usr/libexec/netdata/charts.d`.
-2. If the module needs a configuration, it should be called `X.conf` and placed in `/etc/netdata/charts.d`.
- The configuration file `X.conf` is also a BASH script itself.
- To edit the default files supplied by netdata run `/etc/netdata/edit-config charts.d/X.conf`,
- where `X` is the name of the module.
+2. If the module needs a configuration, it should be called `X.conf` and placed in `/etc/netdata/charts.d`.
+ The configuration file `X.conf` is also a BASH script itself.
+ To edit the default files supplied by Netdata, run `/etc/netdata/edit-config charts.d/X.conf`,
+ where `X` is the name of the module.
-3. All functions and global variables defined in the script and its configuration, must begin with `X_`.
+3. All functions and global variables defined in the script and its configuration, must begin with `X_`.
-4. The following functions must be defined:
+4. The following functions must be defined:
- - `X_check()` - returns 0 or 1 depending on whether the module is able to run or not
- (following the standard Linux command line return codes: 0 = OK, the collector can operate and 1 = FAILED,
- the collector cannot be used).
+ - `X_check()` - returns 0 or 1 depending on whether the module is able to run or not
+ (following the standard Linux command line return codes: 0 = OK, the collector can operate and 1 = FAILED,
+ the collector cannot be used).
- - `X_create()` - creates the netdata charts, following the standard netdata plugin guides as described in
- **[External Plugins](../plugins.d/)** (commands `CHART` and `DIMENSION`).
- The return value does matter: 0 = OK, 1 = FAILED.
+ - `X_create()` - creates the Netdata charts, following the standard Netdata plugin guides as described in
+ **[External Plugins](../plugins.d/)** (commands `CHART` and `DIMENSION`).
+ The return value does matter: 0 = OK, 1 = FAILED.
- - `X_update()` - collects the values for the defined charts, following the standard netdata plugin guides
- as described in **[External Plugins](../plugins.d/)** (commands `BEGIN`, `SET`, `END`).
- The return value also matters: 0 = OK, 1 = FAILED.
+ - `X_update()` - collects the values for the defined charts, following the standard Netdata plugin guides
+ as described in **[External Plugins](../plugins.d/)** (commands `BEGIN`, `SET`, `END`).
+ The return value also matters: 0 = OK, 1 = FAILED.
-5. The following global variables are available to be set:
- - `X_update_every` - is the data collection frequency for the module script, in seconds.
+5. The following global variables are available to be set:
+ - `X_update_every` - is the data collection frequency for the module script, in seconds.
The module script may use more functions or variables. But all of them must begin with `X_`.
-The standard netdata plugin variables are also available (check **[External Plugins](../plugins.d/)**).
+The standard Netdata plugin variables are also available (check **[External Plugins](../plugins.d/)**).
### X_check()
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ connect to a local mysql database to find out if it can read the values it needs
### X_create()
-The purpose of the BASH function `X_create()` is to create the charts and dimensions using the standard netdata
+The purpose of the BASH function `X_create()` is to create the charts and dimensions using the standard Netdata
plugin guides (**[External Plugins](../plugins.d/)**).
`X_create()` will be called just once and only after `X_check()` was successful.
@@ -90,8 +90,8 @@ A non-zero return value will disable the collector.
### X_update()
-`X_update()` will be called repeatedly every `X_update_every` seconds, to collect new values and send them to netdata,
-following the netdata plugin guides (**[External Plugins](../plugins.d/)**).
+`X_update()` will be called repeatedly every `X_update_every` seconds, to collect new values and send them to Netdata,
+following the Netdata plugin guides (**[External Plugins](../plugins.d/)**).
The function will be called with one parameter: microseconds since the last time it was run. This value should be
appended to the `BEGIN` statement of every chart updated by the collector script.
@@ -167,8 +167,7 @@ Keep in mind that if your configs are not in `/etc/netdata`, you should do the f
export NETDATA_USER_CONFIG_DIR="/path/to/etc/netdata"
```
-Also, remember that netdata runs `chart.d.plugin` as user `netdata` (or any other user netdata is configured to run as).
-
+Also, remember that Netdata runs `chart.d.plugin` as user `netdata` (or any other user the `netdata` process is configured to run as).
## Running multiple instances of charts.d.plugin
@@ -179,17 +178,16 @@ You can have multiple `charts.d.plugin` running to overcome this problem.
This is what you need to do:
-1. Decide a new name for the new charts.d instance: example `charts2.d`.
+1. Decide a new name for the new charts.d instance: example `charts2.d`.
-2. Create/edit the files `/etc/netdata/charts.d.conf` and `/etc/netdata/charts2.d.conf` and enable / disable the
- module you want each to run. Remember to set `enable_all_charts="no"` to both of them, and enable the individual
- modules for each.
-
-3. link `/usr/libexec/netdata/plugins.d/charts.d.plugin` to `/usr/libexec/netdata/plugins.d/charts2.d.plugin`.
- Netdata will spawn a new charts.d process.
+2. Create/edit the files `/etc/netdata/charts.d.conf` and `/etc/netdata/charts2.d.conf` and enable / disable the
+ module you want each to run. Remember to set `enable_all_charts="no"` to both of them, and enable the individual
+ modules for each.
-Execute the above in this order, since netdata will (by default) attempt to start new plugins soon after they are
-created in `/usr/libexec/netdata/plugins.d/`.
+3. link `/usr/libexec/netdata/plugins.d/charts.d.plugin` to `/usr/libexec/netdata/plugins.d/charts2.d.plugin`.
+ Netdata will spawn a new charts.d process.
+Execute the above in this order, since Netdata will (by default) attempt to start new plugins soon after they are
+created in `/usr/libexec/netdata/plugins.d/`.
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