IPMI Sensor and Redis Integration

Input and output integration overview

The IPMI Sensor Plugin facilitates the collection of server health metrics directly from hardware via the IPMI protocol, querying sensor data from either local or remote systems.

The Redis plugin enables users to send metrics collected by Telegraf directly to Redis. This integration is ideal for applications that require robust time series data storage and analysis.

Integration details

IPMI Sensor

The IPMI Sensor plugin is designed to gather bare metal metrics via the command line utility ipmitool, which interfaces with the Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI). This protocol provides management and monitoring capabilities for hardware components in server systems, allowing for the retrieval of critical system health metrics such as temperature, fan speeds, and power supply status from both local and remote servers. When configured without specified servers, the plugin defaults to querying the local machine’s sensor statistics using the ipmitool sdr command. In scenarios covering remote hosts, authentication is supported through username and password using the command format ipmitool -I lan -H SERVER -U USERID -P PASSW0RD sdr. This flexibility allows users to monitor systems effectively across various environments. The plugin also supports multiple sensor types, including chassis power status and DCMI power readings, catering to administrators needing real-time insight into server operations.

Redis

The Redis Telegraf plugin is designed for writing metrics to RedisTimeSeries, a specialized Redis database module for time series data. This plugin facilitates the integration of Telegraf with RedisTimeSeries, allowing for the efficient storage and retrieval of timestamped data. With RedisTimeSeries, users can take advantage of enhanced capabilities for managing time series data, including aggregated views and range queries. The plugin offers various configuration options to enable the flexibility needed to connect securely to your Redis database, including support for Authentication, Timeouts, data type conversions, and TLS configurations. The underlying technology leverages Redis’ efficiency and scalability, making it an excellent choice for high-volume metric environments, where real-time processing is essential.

Configuration

IPMI Sensor

[[inputs.ipmi_sensor]]
  ## Specify the path to the ipmitool executable
  # path = "/usr/bin/ipmitool"

  ## Use sudo
  ## Setting 'use_sudo' to true will make use of sudo to run ipmitool.
  ## Sudo must be configured to allow the telegraf user to run ipmitool
  ## without a password.
  # use_sudo = false

  ## Servers
  ## Specify one or more servers via a url. If no servers are specified, local
  ## machine sensor stats will be queried. Uses the format:
  ##  [username[:password]@][protocol[(address)]]
  ##  e.g. root:passwd@lan(127.0.0.1)
  # servers = ["USERID:PASSW0RD@lan(192.168.1.1)"]

  ## Session privilege level
  ## Choose from: CALLBACK, USER, OPERATOR, ADMINISTRATOR
  # privilege = "ADMINISTRATOR"

  ## Timeout
  ## Timeout for the ipmitool command to complete.
  # timeout = "20s"

  ## Metric schema version
  ## See the plugin readme for more information on schema versioning.
  # metric_version = 1

  ## Sensors to collect
  ## Choose from:
  ##   * sdr: default, collects sensor data records
  ##   * chassis_power_status: collects the power status of the chassis
  ##   * dcmi_power_reading: collects the power readings from the Data Center Management Interface
  # sensors = ["sdr"]

  ## Hex key
  ## Optionally provide the hex key for the IMPI connection.
  # hex_key = ""

  ## Cache
  ## If ipmitool should use a cache
  ## Using a cache can speed up collection times depending on your device.
  # use_cache = false

  ## Path to the ipmitools cache file (defaults to OS temp dir)
  ## The provided path must exist and must be writable
  # cache_path = ""

Redis

[[outputs.redistimeseries]]
  ## The address of the RedisTimeSeries server.
  address = "127.0.0.1:6379"

  ## Redis ACL credentials
  # username = ""
  # password = ""
  # database = 0

  ## Timeout for operations such as ping or sending metrics
  # timeout = "10s"

  ## Enable attempt to convert string fields to numeric values
  ## If "false" or in case the string value cannot be converted the string
  ## field will be dropped.
  # convert_string_fields = true

  ## Optional TLS Config
  # tls_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
  # insecure_skip_verify = false

Input and output integration examples

IPMI Sensor

1. Centralized Monitoring Dashboard: Utilize the IPMI Sensor plugin to gather metrics from multiple servers and compile them into a centralized monitoring dashboard. This enables real-time visibility into server health across data centers. Administrators can track metrics like temperature and power usage, helping them make data-driven decisions about resource allocation, potential failures, and maintenance schedules.

2. Automated Power Alerts: Incorporate the plugin into an alerting system that monitors chassis power status and triggers alerts when anomalies are detected. For instance, if the power status indicates a failure or if watt values exceed expected thresholds, automated notifications can be sent to operations teams, ensuring prompt attention to hardware issues.

3. Energy Consumption Analysis: Leverage the DCMI power readings collected via the plugin to analyze energy consumption patterns of hardware over time. By integrating these readings with analytics platforms, organizations can identify opportunities to reduce power usage, optimize efficiency, and potentially decrease operational costs in large server farms or cloud infrastructures.

4. Health Check Automation: Schedule regular health checks by using the IPMI Sensor Plugin to collect data from a fleet of servers. This data can be logged and compared against historical performance metrics to identify trends, outliers, or signs of impending hardware failure, allowing IT teams to take proactive measures and reduce downtime.

Redis

1. Monitoring IoT Sensor Data: Utilize the Redis Telegraf plugin to collect and store data from IoT sensors in real-time. By connecting the plugin to a RedisTimeSeries database, users can analyze trends in temperature, humidity, or other environmental factors. The ability to query historical sensor data efficiently will aid in predictive maintenance and help in resource management.

2. Financial Market Data Aggregation: Employ this plugin to track and store time-sensitive financial data from various sources. By sending metrics to Redis, financial institutions can aggregate and analyze market trends or price changes over time, providing them with actionable insights derived from reliable time series analytics.

3. Application Performance Monitoring (APM): Implement the Redis plugin for gathering application performance metrics such as response times and CPU usage. Users can visualize their application’s performance over time with RedisTimeSeries, allowing them to identify bottlenecks and optimize resource allocation swiftly.

4. Energy Consumption Tracking: Leverage this plugin to monitor energy usage in buildings over time. By integrating with smart meters and sending data to RedisTimeSeries, municipalities or enterprises can analyze energy consumption patterns, helping to implement energy-saving measures and sustainability practices.

Feedback

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