Integrating with Prometheus to collect metrics via API


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

Configure a connection with Prometheus to view the metric data from Prometheus and derive actionable insights.

You can view the collected data in various BMC Helix applications and derive the following benefits:

BMC Helix application

Type of data collected or viewed

Benefits

BMC Helix Operations Management

Metrics

Use alarm and variate policies to detect anomalies and eliminate false positives for more accurate results while monitoring the health of your system.

For more information, see Detecting anomalies by using static and dynamic thresholds.

 

As a tenant administrator, perform the following steps to configure a connection with Prometheus, verify the connection, and view the collected data in various BMC Helix applications.

ConnectorSteps.png

Task 2: To configure the connection with Prometheus


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  1. On the CONNECTORS tab, clickadd_icon.pngin the SOURCES panel .
  2. Click the Prometheus Metrics tile.
  3. 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 (d efault 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).
  4. Click VALIDATE AND CREATE.
    The specified connection details are validated and the corresponding source connection is created in the Source Connection list.
  5. 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.

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

  8. Click CREATE COLLECTORS to create the required collector streams for the selected data type.
  9. Click a data type and specify the configuration parameters in the Distributors section as described in the following table:
    Parameter name
    Description
    Max Batching Size
    Specify the maximum number of data items to send in a single POST request to the destination API.
    The batch size 
    depends on the destination’s ability to buffer the incoming data.Default: 250
    Max Batching Delay
    Specify the maximum time (in seconds) to wait before building and processing a batch.Default: 3 seconds 
    Base Retry Delay
    Specify the initial time (in seconds) for which to wait before retrying to build and process a batch.
    The waiting time increases in the following sequence: n1, n2, n3, and so on, where n indicates the number of seconds.Default: 2 secondsExample:Base Retry Delay is set to 2 seconds.Retry is performed after 2, 4, 8, 16, ... seconds.
    Max Intra-Retry Delay
    Specify the maximum limit for the base retry delay. Default: 60 secondsExample:Max Intra-Retry Delay is set to 60 seconds.
    Base Retry Delay is set to 2 seconds.Retries are performed 2, 4, 8, 16, 32,... seconds later.
    Max Retry Duration
    Specify the total time for retrying a delivery. For REST destinations, a delivery is a batch of data items in one POST request. Default: 5 minutesExample:Max Retry Duration is set to 8 hours.
    Base Retry Delay is set to 2 seconds.Requests are sent for 2+4+8+16+32+64+132... until 8 hours in total duration is reached. After that, no subsequent attempts are made to retry the delivery.The assumption here is that if there is an outage or other issue with the destination tool, recovery should take less than the value of the Max Retry Duration parameter to be completed.
    Attributes To Be Dropped When Updating Events
    Specify the event attributes that you do not want to be updated in BMC Helix Operations Managementwhen events are updated. For example, if you do not want an event's severity, source address, source category, and subcategory to be updated in BMC Helix Operations Management , you need to specify those attributes in a comma-separated format: severity,source_address,source_category,source_subcategory .Important:You can obtain the event attribute names in BMC Helix Operations Management, by exporting any event data in JSON, BAROC, XML, or CSV format . The exported file contains all attributes of the event data, and from there you can identify the attributes to be dropped. 

    Parameter name

    Description

    Max Batching Size

    Specify the maximum number of data items to send in a single POST request to the destination API.
    The batch size 
    depends on the destination’s ability to buffer the incoming data.Default: 250

    Max Batching Delay

    Specify the maximum time (in seconds) to wait before building and processing a batch.Default: 3 seconds 

    Base Retry Delay

    Specify the initial time (in seconds) for which to wait before retrying to build and process a batch.
    The waiting time increases in the following sequence: n1, n2, n3, and so on, where n indicates the number of seconds.Default: 2 secondsExample:Base Retry Delay is set to 2 seconds.Retry is performed after 2, 4, 8, 16, ... seconds.

    Max Intra-Retry Delay

    Specify the maximum limit for the base retry delay. Default: 60 secondsExample:Max Intra-Retry Delay is set to 60 seconds.
    Base Retry Delay is set to 2 seconds.Retries are performed 2, 4, 8, 16, 32,... seconds later.

    Max Retry Duration

    Specify the total time for retrying a delivery. For REST destinations, a delivery is a batch of data items in one POST request. Default: 5 minutesExample:Max Retry Duration is set to 8 hours.
    Base Retry Delay is set to 2 seconds.Requests are sent for 2+4+8+16+32+64+132... until 8 hours in total duration is reached. After that, no subsequent attempts are made to retry the delivery.The assumption here is that if there is an outage or other issue with the destination tool, recovery should take less than the value of the Max Retry Duration parameter to be completed.

    Attributes To Be Dropped When Updating Events

    Specify the event attributes that you do not want to be updated in 

    BMC Helix Operations Management

    when events are updated. For example, if you do not want an event's severity, source address, source category, and subcategory to be updated in 

    BMC Helix Operations Management

     , you need to specify those attributes in a comma-separated format: severity,source_address,source_category,source_subcategory .Important:You can obtain the event attribute names in 

    BMC Helix Operations Management

    , by exporting any event data in JSON, BAROC, XML, or CSV format . The exported file contains all attributes of the event data, and from there you can identify the attributes to be dropped. 

    Parameter name

    Description

    Max Batching Size

    Specify the maximum number of data items to send in a single POST request to the destination API.
    The batch size 
    depends on the destination’s ability to buffer the incoming data.Default: 250

    Max Batching Delay

    Specify the maximum time (in seconds) to wait before building and processing a batch.Default: 3 seconds 

    Base Retry Delay

    Specify the initial time (in seconds) for which to wait before retrying to build and process a batch.
    The waiting time increases in the following sequence: n1, n2, n3, and so on, where n indicates the number of seconds.Default: 2 secondsExample:Base Retry Delay is set to 2 seconds.Retry is performed after 2, 4, 8, 16, ... seconds.

    Max Intra-Retry Delay

    Specify the maximum limit for the base retry delay. Default: 60 secondsExample:Max Intra-Retry Delay is set to 60 seconds.
    Base Retry Delay is set to 2 seconds.Retries are performed 2, 4, 8, 16, 32,... seconds later.

    Max Retry Duration

    Specify the total time for retrying a delivery. For REST destinations, a delivery is a batch of data items in one POST request. Default: 5 minutesExample:Max Retry Duration is set to 8 hours.
    Base Retry Delay is set to 2 seconds.Requests are sent for 2+4+8+16+32+64+132... until 8 hours in total duration is reached. After that, no subsequent attempts are made to retry the delivery.The assumption here is that if there is an outage or other issue with the destination tool, recovery should take less than the value of the Max Retry Duration parameter to be completed.

    Attributes To Be Dropped When Updating Events

    Specify the event attributes that you do not want to be updated in 

    BMC Helix Operations Management

    when events are updated. For example, if you do not want an event's severity, source address, source category, and subcategory to be updated in 

    BMC Helix Operations Management

     , you need to specify those attributes in a comma-separated format: severity,source_address,source_category,source_subcategory .Important:You can obtain the event attribute names in 

    BMC Helix Operations Management

    , by exporting any event data in JSON, BAROC, XML, or CSV format . The exported file contains all attributes of the event data, and from there you can identify the attributes to be dropped. 

    Parameter name

    Description

    Max Batching Size

    Specify the maximum number of data items to send in a single POST request to the destination API.
    The batch size 
    depends on the destination’s ability to buffer the incoming data.Default: 250

    Max Batching Delay

    Specify the maximum time (in seconds) to wait before building and processing a batch.Default: 3 seconds 

    Base Retry Delay

    Specify the initial time (in seconds) for which to wait before retrying to build and process a batch.
    The waiting time increases in the following sequence: n1, n2, n3, and so on, where n indicates the number of seconds.Default: 2 secondsExample:Base Retry Delay is set to 2 seconds.Retry is performed after 2, 4, 8, 16, ... seconds.

    Max Intra-Retry Delay

    Specify the maximum limit for the base retry delay. Default: 60 secondsExample:Max Intra-Retry Delay is set to 60 seconds.
    Base Retry Delay is set to 2 seconds.Retries are performed 2, 4, 8, 16, 32,... seconds later.

    Max Retry Duration

    Specify the total time for retrying a delivery. For REST destinations, a delivery is a batch of data items in one POST request. Default: 5 minutesExample:Max Retry Duration is set to 8 hours.
    Base Retry Delay is set to 2 seconds.Requests are sent for 2+4+8+16+32+64+132... until 8 hours in total duration is reached. After that, no subsequent attempts are made to retry the delivery.The assumption here is that if there is an outage or other issue with the destination tool, recovery should take less than the value of the Max Retry Duration parameter to be completed.

    Attributes To Be Dropped When Updating Events

    Specify the event attributes that you do not want to be updated in 

    BMC Helix Operations Management

    when events are updated. For example, if you do not want an event's severity, source address, source category, and subcategory to be updated in 

    BMC Helix Operations Management

     , you need to specify those attributes in a comma-separated format: severity,source_address,source_category,source_subcategory .Important:You can obtain the event attribute names in 

    BMC Helix Operations Management

    , by exporting any event data in JSON, BAROC, XML, or CSV format . The exported file contains all attributes of the event data, and from there you can identify the attributes to be dropped. 

  10. Click CREATE DISTRIBUTORS to create the required distributor streams for the selected data type.
  11. Click VALIDATE AND CREATE and then click SAVE STREAM to save the stream.
    After you save the stream, the connection that you just created is listed on the SOURCES panel.
  12. (Optional) Perform the following steps if you want to use the custom JSLT that you have prepared according to the sample shown in Prometheus prerequisite. Otherwise, skip to step 14.
    1. On the SOURCES panel, click Configure Mediator ConfigureMediator_icon.pngfor the source connection that you created and then expand PROMETHEUS METRICS and navigate to the DISTRIBUTOR CONFIGURATION tab.
    2. To view JSON in the edit mode, click Edit JSON.
    3. Search for the following line:

       "jsltField": "//NO JSLT",
    4. Delete the existing value from the jsltField field; the result should look as follows:

      "jsltField": "",
    5. To disable the edit mode for JSON, click Edit JSON.
    6. In the JSLT field, enter the customized JSLT.  
    7. Click SAVE & CLOSE.
  13. On the SOURCES panel, move the slider to the right to start the data stream for the connector you created.
    ImportantFor a data stream, the Run Latency (max/avg), Items (Avg per Run), and Last Run Status columns on the Streams page might show the status as No Runs during the data collection process. After completion of the process, these columns are updated with an appropriate status.

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

 

Task 3: To verify 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.

To view metrics in BMC Helix Operations Management

  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.
    Prometheus_Metrics.png
    For information about metrics, see Viewing collected data.

 

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