Integrating with Prometheus to collect metrics


Prometheus is an open-source system monitoring and alerting solution that collects and stores metrics as time-series data.

Configure an integration with Prometheus to view the metric data from Prometheus in BMC Helix Operations Management and derive actionable insights.


As a tenant administrator, perform the following steps to integrate with Prometheus, verify the integration, and view the collected data in various BMC products.

Planning for the connection

  • Depending on the location (SaaS, on-premises) of the third-party product, choose one or more BMC Helix Intelligent Integrations deployment modes and review the corresponding port requirements. For information about various deployment modes and port requirements, see Deployment-scenarios.
  • Based on the deployment modes, use the BMC Helix Intelligent Integrations SaaS deployment or the BMC Helix Intelligent Integrations on-premises gateway or both. For more information about the gateway, see Deploying-the-BMC-Helix-Intelligent-Integrations-on-premises-gateway.

Configuring the connection with Prometheus

  1. Access BMC Helix Intelligent Integrations:
    • BMC Helix Intelligent Integrations SaaS – Log on to BMC Helix Portal, and click Launch on BMC Helix Intelligent Integrations.
    • BMC Helix Intelligent Integrationson-premises gateway – Use one of the following URLs to access BMC Helix Intelligent Integrations:
      • http://<hostName>:<portNumber>/swpui
      • https://<hostName>:<portNumber>/swpui
  2. On the CONNECTORS tab, clickadd_icon.pngin the SOURCES panel.
  3. Click the Prometheus Metrics tile.
  4. Specify the following details for the source connection:
    1. Specify a unique instance name.

      Important

      We recommend that you specify the instance name in the following format:

      <sourceType>_<sourceControllerServerName>{_<InstanceQualifier>}

      The instance qualifier helps you to distinguish the multiple instances configured from the same source server. For example, you can name your instances as Prometheus_Host_PROD, Prometheus_Host_TEST, and so on.

    2. Specify the Prometheus metrics host name.
    3. Specify the Prometheus HTTP or HTTPS port number depending on the connection protocol (default value is 9090).
    4. Select the HTTPS option to use an https connection to the Prometheus  host.

      Important

      We recommend that you do not select the Allow Unsigned Certificate option in a production environment.  You might want to select this option to allow unsigned certificates in a test environment. See the Prometheus documentation to learn how to install SSL certificates.

    5. Specify the number of maximum concurrent REST API requests that should be executed during a collection schedule (default value is 5).
    6. Specify the user name and password. Ensure that the specified user can access the Prometheus REST API.
    7. Click Proxy and specify whether you want to configure a proxy server.
      If yes, specify the host name and port number (default value is 8888).
  5. Click VALIDATE AND CREATE.
    The specified connection details are validated and the corresponding source connection is created in the Source Connection list.
  6. Select the source connection that you created from the list if it is not selected already.

    Important

    The destination host connection is created and configured automatically for each tenant when the source connection is created.

  7. Ensure that the options for the datatypes for which you want to collect data are selected.
  8. Click a data type and specify the configuration parameters in the Collectors section as described in the following table:

  9. Click CREATE COLLECTORS to create the required collector streams for the selected data type.
  10. Click a data type and specify the configuration parameters in the Distributors section as described in the following table:
  1. Click CREATE DISTRIBUTORS to create the required distributor streams for the selected data type.
  2. Click one of the following buttons:
    • SAVE STREAM: Click this button if you want to edit the integration details before creating the instance. After you save the stream, the connector that you just created is listed in the SOURCES panel. Move the slider to the right to start the data stream.
    • SAVE AND START STREAM: Click this button if you want to save the integration details and start receiving data immediately.

          For more information about data streams, see Starting-or-stopping-data-streams.


Verifying the integration

In BMC Helix Intelligent Integrations , on the SOURCES panel, confirm that the data streams for the integration you created are running. Data streaming is indicated by moving colored arrows.

Prometheus_MetricStream.png

A moving red arrow (MetricsStream_Icon.png) indicates that the metric stream is running. Metric data will be pushed according to the configured Collection Schedule interval.

Viewing metrics in BMC Helix Operations Management

ImportantIf the event or metric data is ingested by using BMC Helix Intelligent Integrations, and the topology data is ingested through some other means, all the use cases in BMC Helix AIOps might not work as expected because the external IDs generated by BMC Helix Intelligent Integrations and BMC Helix Discovery differ. In addition, host name might differ in both the products. 

  1. In BMC Helix Operations Management, select Monitoring > Devices.
  2. Click the links for the required device.
  3. On the Monitors tab, click the required monitor.
    The Performance Overview tab shows the metrics graph.
    For information about metrics, see Viewing collected data.

 

Tip: For faster searching, add an asterisk to the end of your partial query. Example: cert*