IPMI Sensor and Sumo Logic 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 Sumo Logic plugin is designed to facilitate the sending of metrics from Telegraf to Sumo Logic’s HTTP Source. By utilizing this plugin, users can analyze their metric data in the Sumo Logic platform, leveraging various output data formats.

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.

Sumo Logic

This plugin facilitates the transmission of metrics to Sumo Logic’s HTTP Source, employing specified data formats for HTTP messages. Telegraf, which must be version 1.16.0 or higher, can send metrics encoded in several formats, including graphite, carbon2, and prometheus. These formats correspond to different content types recognized by Sumo Logic, ensuring that the metrics are correctly interpreted for analysis. Integration with Sumo Logic allows users to leverage a comprehensive analytics platform, enabling rich visualizations and insights from their metric data. The plugin provides configuration options such as setting URLs for the HTTP Metrics Source, choosing the data format, and specifying additional parameters like timeout and request size, which enhance flexibility and control in data monitoring workflows.

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 = ""

Sumo Logic

[[outputs.sumologic]]
  ## Unique URL generated for your HTTP Metrics Source.
  ## This is the address to send metrics to.
  # url = "https://events.sumologic.net/receiver/v1/http/"

  ## Data format to be used for sending metrics.
  ## This will set the "Content-Type" header accordingly.
  ## Currently supported formats:
  ## * graphite - for Content-Type of application/vnd.sumologic.graphite
  ## * carbon2 - for Content-Type of application/vnd.sumologic.carbon2
  ## * prometheus - for Content-Type of application/vnd.sumologic.prometheus
  ##
  ## More information can be found at:
  ## https://help.sumologic.com/03Send-Data/Sources/02Sources-for-Hosted-Collectors/HTTP-Source/Upload-Metrics-to-an-HTTP-Source#content-type-headers-for-metrics
  ##
  ## NOTE:
  ## When unset, telegraf will by default use the influx serializer which is currently unsupported
  ## in HTTP Source.
  data_format = "carbon2"

  ## Timeout used for HTTP request
  # timeout = "5s"

  ## Max HTTP request body size in bytes before compression (if applied).
  ## By default 1MB is recommended.
  ## NOTE:
  ## Bear in mind that in some serializer a metric even though serialized to multiple
  ## lines cannot be split any further so setting this very low might not work
  ## as expected.
  # max_request_body_size = 1000000

  ## Additional, Sumo specific options.
  ## Full list can be found here:
  ## https://help.sumologic.com/03Send-Data/Sources/02Sources-for-Hosted-Collectors/HTTP-Source/Upload-Metrics-to-an-HTTP-Source#supported-http-headers

  ## Desired source name.
  ## Useful if you want to override the source name configured for the source.
  # source_name = ""

  ## Desired host name.
  ## Useful if you want to override the source host configured for the source.
  # source_host = ""

  ## Desired source category.
  ## Useful if you want to override the source category configured for the source.
  # source_category = ""

  ## Comma-separated key=value list of dimensions to apply to every metric.
  ## Custom dimensions will allow you to query your metrics at a more granular level.
  # dimensions = ""
</code></pre>

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.

Sumo Logic

1. Real-Time System Monitoring Dashboard: Utilize the Sumo Logic plugin to continuously feed performance metrics from your servers into a Sumo Logic dashboard. This setup allows tech teams to visualize system health and load in real-time, enabling quicker identification of any performance bottlenecks or system failures through detailed graphs and metrics.

2. Automated Alerting System: Configure the plugin to send metrics that trigger alerts in Sumo Logic for specific thresholds such as CPU usage or memory consumption. By setting up automated alerts, teams can proactively address issues before they escalate into critical failures, significantly improving response times and overall system reliability.

3. Cross-System Metrics Aggregation: Integrate multiple Telegraf instances across different environments (development, testing, production) and funnel all metrics to a central Sumo Logic instance using this plugin. This aggregation enables comprehensive analysis across environments, facilitating better monitoring and informed decision-making across the software development lifecycle.

4. Custom Metrics with Dimensions Tracking: Use the Sumo Logic plugin to send customized metrics that include dimensions identifying various aspects of your infrastructure (e.g., environment, service type). This granular tracking allows for more tailored analytics, enabling your team to dissect performance across different application layers or business functions.

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