Adding upstream version 1.29.0.upstream/1.29.0

Signed-off-by: Daniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org>

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+<!--
+title: "Common configuration changes"
+description: "See the most popular configuration changes to make to the Netdata Agent, including longer metrics retention, reduce sampling, and more."
+custom_edit_url: https://github.com/netdata/netdata/edit/master/docs/configure/common-changes.md
+-->
+
+# Common configuration changes
+
+The Netdata Agent requires no configuration upon installation to collect thousands of per-second metrics from most
+systems, containers, and applications, but there are hundreds of settings to tweak if you want to exercise more control
+over your monitoring platform.
+
+This document assumes familiarity with using [`edit-config`](/docs/configure/nodes.md) from the Netdata config
+directory.
+
+## Change dashboards and visualizations
+
+The Netdata Agent's [local dashboard](/web/gui/README.md), accessible at `http://NODE:19999` is highly configurable. If
+you use Netdata Cloud for [infrastructure monitoring](/docs/quickstart/infrastructure.md), you will see many of these
+changes reflected in those visualizations due to the way Netdata Cloud proxies metric data and metadata to your browser.
+
+### Increase the long-term metrics retention period
+
+Increase the values for the `page cache size` and `dbengine multihost disk space` settings in the [`[global]`
+section](/daemon/config/README.md#global-section-options) of `netdata.conf`.
+
+```conf
+[global]
+    page cache size = 128   # 128 MiB of memory for metrics storage
+    dbengine multihost disk space = 4096   # 4GiB of disk space for metrics storage
+```
+
+Read our doc on [increasing long-term metrics storage](/docs/store/change-metrics-storage.md) for details, including a
+[calculator](/docs/store/change-metrics-storage.md#calculate-the-system-resources-RAM-disk-space-needed-to-store-metrics)
+to help you determine the exact settings for your desired retention period.
+
+### Reduce the data collection frequency
+
+Change `update every` in the [`[global]` section](/daemon/config/README.md#global-section-options) of `netdata.conf` so
+that it is greater than `1`. An `update every` of `5` means the Netdata Agent enforces a _minimum_ collection frequency
+of 5 seconds.
+
+```conf
+[global]
+    update every = 5
+```
+
+Every collector and plugin has its own `update every` setting, which you can also change in the `go.d.conf`,
+`python.d.conf`, `node.d.conf`, or `charts.d.conf` files, or in individual collector configuration files. If the `update
+every` for an individual collector is less than the global, the Netdata Agent uses the global setting. See the [enable
+or configure a collector](/docs/collect/enable-configure.md) doc for details.
+
+### Disable a collector or plugin
+
+Turn off entire plugins in the [`[plugins]` section](/daemon/config/README.md#plugins-section-options) of
+`netdata.conf`.
+
+To disable specific collectors, open `go.d.conf`, `python.d.conf`, `node.d.conf`, or `charts.d.conf` and find the line
+for that specific module. Uncomment the line and change its value to `no`.
+
+## Modify alarms and notifications
+
+Netdata's health monitoring watchdog uses hundreds of preconfigured health entities, with intelligent thresholds, to
+generate warning and critical alarms for most production systems and their applications without configuration. However,
+each alarm and notification method is completely customizable.
+
+### Add a new alarm
+
+To create a new alarm configuration file, initiate an empty file, with a filename that ends in `.conf`, in the
+`health.d/` directory. The Netdata Agent loads any valid alarm configuration file ending in `.conf` in that directory.
+Next, edit the new file with `edit-config`. For example, with a file called `example-alarm.conf`.
+
+```bash
+sudo touch health.d/example-alarm.conf
+sudo ./edit-config health.d/example-alarm.conf
+```
+
+Or, append your new alarm to an existing file by editing a relevant existing file in the `health.d/` directory.
+
+Read more about [configuring alarms](/docs/monitor/configure-alarms.md) to get started, and see the [health monitoring
+reference](/health/REFERENCE.md) for a full listing of options available in health entities.
+
+### Configure a specific alarm
+
+Tweak existing alarms by editing files in the `health.d/` directory. For example, edit `health.d/cpu.conf` to change how
+the Agent responds to anomalies related to CPU utilization.
+
+To see which configuration file you need to edit to configure a specific alarm, [view your active
+alarms](/docs/monitor/view-active-alarms.md) in Netdata Cloud or the local Agent dashboard and look for the **source**
+line. For example, it might read `source  4@/usr/lib/netdata/conf.d/health.d/cpu.conf`. 
+
+Because the source path contains `health.d/cpu.conf`, run `sudo edit-config health.d/cpu.conf` to configure that alarm.
+
+### Disable a specific alarm
+
+Open the configuration file for that alarm and set the `to` line to `silent`.
+
+```conf
+template: disk_fill_rate
+       on: disk.space
+   lookup: max -1s at -30m unaligned of avail
+     calc: ($this - $avail) / (30 * 60)
+    every: 15s
+       to: silent
+```
+
+### Turn of all alarms and notifications
+
+Set `enabled` to `no` in the [`[health]` section](/daemon/config/README.md#health-section-options) section of
+`netdata.conf`.
+
+### Enable alarm notifications
+
+Open `health_alarm_notify.conf` for editing. First, read the [enabling
+notifications](/docs/monitor/enable-notifications.md#netdata-agent) doc for an example of the process using Slack, then
+click on the link to your preferred notification method to find documentation for that specific endpoint.
+
+## Improve node security
+
+While the Netdata Agent is both [open and secure by design](https://www.netdata.cloud/blog/netdata-agent-dashboard/), we
+recommend every user take some action to administer and secure their nodes.
+
+Learn more about a few of the following changes in the [node security doc](/docs/configure/secure-nodes.md).
+
+### Disable the local Agent dashboard (`http://NODE:19999`)
+
+If you use Netdata Cloud to visualize metrics, stream metrics to a parent node, or otherwise don't need the local Agent
+dashboard, disabling it reduces the Agent's resource utilization and improves security.
+
+Change the `mode` setting to `none` in the [`[web]` section](/web/server/README.md#configuration) of `netdata.conf`.
+
+```conf
+[web]
+    mode = none
+```
+
+### Use access lists to restrict access to specific assets
+
+Allow access from only specific IP addresses, ranges of IP addresses, or hostnames using [access
+lists](/web/server/README.md#access-lists) and [simple patterns](/libnetdata/simple_pattern/README.md).
+
+See a quickstart to access lists in the [node security
+doc](/docs/configure/secure-nodes.md#restrict-access-to-the-local-dashboard).
+
+### Stop sending anonymous statistics to Google Analytics
+
+Create a file called `.opt-out-from-anonymous-statistics` inside of your Netdata config directory to immediately stop
+the statistics script.
+
+```bash
+sudo touch .opt-out-from-anonymous-statistics
+```
+
+Learn more about [why we collect anonymous statistics](/docs/anonymous-statistics.md).
+
+### Change the IP address/port Netdata listens to
+
+Change the `default port` setting in the `[web]` section to a port other than `19999`.
+
+```conf
+[web]
+   default port = 39999
+```
+
+Use the `bind to` setting to the ports other assets, such as the [running `netdata.conf`
+configuration](/docs/configure/nodes.md#see-an-agents-running-configuration), API, or streaming requests listen to.
+
+## Reduce resource usage
+
+Read our [performance optimization guide](/docs/guides/configure/performance.md) for a long list of specific changes
+that can reduce the Netdata Agent's CPU/memory footprint and IO requirements.
+
+## Organize nodes with host labels
+
+Beginning with v1.20, Netdata accepts user-defined **host labels**. These labels are sent during streaming, exporting,
+and as metadata to Netdata Cloud, and help you organize the metrics coming from complex infrastructure. Host labels are
+defined in the section `[host labels]`. 
+
+For a quick introduction, read the [host label guide](/docs/guides/using-host-labels.md).
+
+The following restrictions apply to host label names: 
+ 
+-   Names cannot start with `_`, but it can be present in other parts of the name.
+-   Names only accept alphabet letters, numbers, dots, and dashes.
+
+The policy for values is more flexible, but you can not use exclamation marks (`!`), whitespaces (` `), single quotes
+(`'`), double quotes (`"`), or asterisks (`*`), because they are used to compare label values in health alarms and
+templates.
+
+## What's next?
+
+If you haven't already, learn how to [secure your nodes](/docs/configure/secure-nodes.md).
+
+As mentioned at the top, there are plenty of other 
+
+You can also take what you've learned about node configuration to tweak the Agent's behavior or enable new features:
+
+- [Enable new collectors](/docs/collect/enable-configure.md) or tweak their behavior.
+- [Configure existing health alarms](/docs/monitor/configure-alarms.md) or create new ones.
+- [Enable notifications](/docs/monitor/enable-notifications.md) to receive updates about the health of your
+  infrastructure.
+- Change [the long-term metrics retention period](/docs/store/change-metrics-storage.md) using the database engine.
+
+### Related reference documentation
+
+- [Netdata Agent · Daemon](/health/README.md)
+- [Netdata Agent · Daemon configuration](/daemon/config/README.md)
+- [Netdata Agent · Web server](/web/server/README.md)
+- [Netdata Agent · Local Agent dashboard](/web/gui/README.md)
+- [Netdata Agent · Health monitoring](/health/REFERENCE.md)
+- [Netdata Agent · Notifications](/health/notifications/README.md)
+- [Netdata Agent · Simple patterns](/libnetdata/simple_pattern/README.md)
+
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