summaryrefslogtreecommitdiffstats
path: root/docs/guides/step-by-step/step-04.md
diff options
context:
space:
mode:
Diffstat (limited to 'docs/guides/step-by-step/step-04.md')
-rw-r--r--docs/guides/step-by-step/step-04.md144
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 144 deletions
diff --git a/docs/guides/step-by-step/step-04.md b/docs/guides/step-by-step/step-04.md
deleted file mode 100644
index fcd84ce6a..000000000
--- a/docs/guides/step-by-step/step-04.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,144 +0,0 @@
-<!--
-title: "Step 4. The basics of configuring Netdata"
-date: 2020-03-31
-custom_edit_url: https://github.com/netdata/netdata/edit/master/docs/guides/step-by-step/step-04.md
--->
-
-# Step 4. The basics of configuring Netdata
-
-Welcome to the fourth step of the Netdata guide.
-
-Since the beginning, we've covered the building blocks of Netdata, dashboard basics, and how you can monitor many
-individual systems using many distributed Netdata agents.
-
-Next up: configuration.
-
-## What you'll learn in this step
-
-We'll talk about Netdata's default configuration, and then you'll learn how to do the following:
-
-- [Find your `netdata.conf` file](#find-your-netdataconf-file)
-- [Use edit-config to open `netdata.conf`](#use-edit-config-to-open-netdataconf)
-- [Navigate the structure of `netdata.conf`](#the-structure-of-netdataconf)
-- [Edit your `netdata.conf` file](#edit-your-netdataconf-file)
-
-## Find your `netdata.conf` file
-
-Netdata primarily uses the `netdata.conf` file to configure its core functionality. `netdata.conf` resides within your
-**Netdata config directory**.
-
-The location of that directory and `netdata.conf` depends on your operating system and the method you used to install
-Netdata.
-
-The most reliable method of finding your Netdata config directory is loading your `netdata.conf` on your browser. Open a
-tab and navigate to `http://HOST:19999/netdata.conf`. Your browser will load a text document that looks like this:
-
-![A netdata.conf file opened in the
-browser](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/1153921/68346763-344f1c80-00b2-11ea-9d1d-0ccac74d5558.png)
-
-Look for the line that begins with `# config directory = `. The text after that will be the path to your Netdata config
-directory.
-
-In the system represented by the screenshot, the line reads: `config directory = /etc/netdata`. That means
-`netdata.conf`, and all the other configuration files, can be found at `/etc/netdata`.
-
-> For more details on where your Netdata config directory is, take a look at our [installation
-> instructions](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/packaging/installer/README.md).
-
-For the rest of this guide, we'll assume you're editing files or running scripts from _within_ your **Netdata
-configuration directory**.
-
-## Use edit-config to open `netdata.conf`
-
-Inside your Netdata config directory, there is a helper scripted called `edit-config`. This script will open existing
-Netdata configuration files using a text editor. Or, if the configuration file doesn't yet exist, the script will copy
-an example file to your Netdata config directory and then allow you to edit it before saving it.
-
-> `edit-config` will use the `EDITOR` environment variable on your system to edit the file. On many systems, that is
-> defaulted to `vim` or `nano`. We highly recommend `nano` for beginners. To change this variable for the current
-> session (it will revert to the default when you reboot), export a new value: `export EDITOR=nano`. Or, [make the
-> change permanent](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/13046624/how-to-permanently-export-a-variable-in-linux).
-
-Let's give it a shot. Navigate to your Netdata config directory. To use `edit-config` on `netdata.conf`, you need to
-have permissions to edit the file. On Linux/macOS systems, you can usually use `sudo` to elevate your permissions.
-
-```bash
-cd /etc/netdata # Replace this path with your Netdata config directory, if different as found in the steps above
-sudo ./edit-config netdata.conf
-```
-
-You should now see `netdata.conf` your editor! Let's walk through how the file is structured.
-
-## The structure of `netdata.conf`
-
-There are two main parts of the file to note: **sections** and **options**.
-
-The `netdata.conf` file is broken up into various **sections**, such as `[global]`, `[web]`, and `[registry]`. Each
-section contains the configuration options for some core component of Netdata.
-
-Each section also contains many **options**. Options have a name and a value. With the option `config directory =
-/etc/netdata`, `config directory` is the name, and `/etc/netdata` is the value.
-
-Most lines are **commented**, in that they start with a hash symbol (`#`), and the value is set to a sane default. To
-tell Netdata that you'd like to change any option from its default value, you must **uncomment** it by removing that
-hash.
-
-### Edit your `netdata.conf` file
-
-Let's try editing the options in `netdata.conf` to see how the process works.
-
-First, add a fake option to show you how Netdata loads its configuration files. Add a `test` option under the `[global]`
-section and give it the value of `1`.
-
-```conf
-[global]
- test = 1
-```
-
-Restart Netdata with `sudo systemctl restart netdata`, or the [appropriate
-method](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/docs/configure/start-stop-restart.md) for your system.
-
-Now, open up your browser and navigate to `http://HOST:19999/netdata.conf`. You'll see that Netdata has recognized
-that our fake option isn't valid and added a notice that Netdata will ignore it.
-
-Here's the process in GIF form!
-
-![Animated GIF of creating a fake option in
-netdata.conf](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/1153921/65470254-4422e200-de1f-11e9-9597-a97c89ee59b8.gif)
-
-Now, let's make a slightly more substantial edit to `netdata.conf`: change the Agent's name.
-
-If you edit the value of the `hostname` option, you can change the name of your Netdata Agent on the dashboard and a
-handful of other places, like the Visited nodes menu _and_ Netdata Cloud.
-
-Use `edit-config` to change the `hostname` option to a name like `hello-world`. Be sure to uncomment it!
-
-```conf
-[global]
- hostname = hello-world
-```
-
-Once you're done, restart Netdata and refresh the dashboard. Say hello to your renamed agent!
-
-![Animated GIF of editing the hostname option in
-netdata.conf](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/1153921/80994808-1c065300-8df2-11ea-81af-d28dc3ba27c8.gif)
-
-Netdata has dozens upon dozens of options you can change. To see them all, read our [daemon
-configuration](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/daemon/config/README.md), or hop into our popular guide on [increasing long-term metrics
-storage](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/docs/guides/longer-metrics-storage.md).
-
-## What's next?
-
-At this point, you should be comfortable with getting to your Netdata directory, opening and editing `netdata.conf`, and
-seeing your changes reflected in the dashboard.
-
-Netdata has many more configuration files that you might want to change, but we'll cover those in the following steps of
-this guide.
-
-In the next step, we're going to cover one of Netdata's core functions: monitoring the health of your systems via alarms
-and notifications. You'll learn how to disable alarms, create new ones, and push notifications to the system of your
-choosing.
-
-[Next: Health monitoring alarms and notifications &rarr;](step-05.md)
-
-