IPVS and Databricks Integration

Input and output integration overview

The IPVS plugin is designed to collect metrics related to IPVS virtual and real servers on Linux systems.

Use Telegraf’s HTTP output plugin to push metrics straight into a Databricks Lakehouse by calling the SQL Statement Execution API with a JSON-wrapped INSERT or volume PUT command.

Integration details

IPVS

The IPVS plugin gathers metrics about IPVS virtual and real servers using the Linux kernel netlink socket interface. As a component specifically designed for Linux, it tracks performance related to IP virtual servers, allowing users to monitor various attributes such as active connections, packet statistics, and byte counts. Key metrics include those for both virtual and real servers, facilitating a comprehensive view of server performance. The plugin also requires the Telegraf process to run with appropriate permissions, typically as root or a user with specific capabilities for proper operation.

Databricks

This configuration turns Telegraf into a lightweight ingestion agent for the Databricks Lakehouse. It leverages the Databricks SQL Statement Execution API 2.0, which accepts authenticated POST requests containing a JSON payload with a statement field. Each Telegraf flush dynamically renders a SQL INSERT (or, for file-based workflows, a PUT ... INTO /Volumes/... command) that lands the metrics into a Unity Catalog table or volume governed by Lakehouse security. Under the hood Databricks stores successful inserts as Delta Lake transactions, enabling ACID guarantees, time-travel, and scalable analytics. Operators can point the warehouse_id at any serverless or classic SQL warehouse, and all authentication is handled with a PAT or service-principal token—no agents or JDBC drivers required. Because Telegraf’s HTTP output supports custom headers, batching, TLS, and proxy settings, the same pattern scales from edge IoT gateways to container sidecars, consolidating infrastructure telemetry, application logs, or business KPIs directly into the Lakehouse for BI, ML, and Lakehouse Monitoring. Unity Catalog volumes provide a governed staging layer when file uploads and COPY INTO are preferred, and the approach aligns with Databricks’ recommended ingestion practices for partners and ISVs.

Configuration

IPVS

[[inputs.ipvs]]
  # no configuration

Databricks

[[outputs.http]]
  ## Databricks SQL Statement Execution API endpoint
  url = "https://{{ env "DATABRICKS_HOST" }}/api/2.0/sql/statements"

  ## Use POST to submit each Telegraf batch as a SQL request
  method = "POST"

  ## Personal-access token (PAT) for workspace or service principal
  headers = { Authorization = "Bearer {{ env "DATABRICKS_TOKEN" }}" }

  ## Send JSON that wraps the metrics batch in a SQL INSERT (or PUT into a Volume)
  content_type = "application/json"

  ## Serialize metrics as JSON so they can be embedded in the SQL statement
  data_format = "json"
  json_timestamp_units = "1ms"

  ## Build the request body.  Telegraf replaces the template variables at runtime.
  ## Example inserts a row per metric into a Unity-Catalog table.
  body_template = """
  {
    \"statement\": \"INSERT INTO ${TARGET_TABLE} VALUES {{range .Metrics}}(from_unixtime({{.timestamp}}/1000), {{.fields.usage}}, '{{.tags.host}}'){{end}}\",
    \"warehouse_id\": \"${WAREHOUSE_ID}\"
  }
  """

  ## Optional: add batching limits or TLS settings
  # batch_size = 500
  # timeout     = "10s"

Input and output integration examples

IPVS

1. Load Balancing Performance Monitoring: Use the IPVS plugin to monitor the performance of a load balancing setup in a Linux environment where IPVS is implemented. By collecting metrics such as byte counts, packet rates, and active connections, administrators can gain real-time insights into server performance, allowing for proactive adjustments to load distribution strategies and ensuring that no individual server becomes a bottleneck.

2. Automated Alerting for Connection Thresholds: Integrate the metrics collected by the IPVS plugin with an alerting system to automatically notify administrators when active connections exceed or fall below specified thresholds. This use case enables dynamic scaling of backend resources, optimizing application performance and resource utilization, while minimizing the risk of sudden service disruptions.

3. Historical Performance Trend Analysis: Store the metrics gathered by the IPVS plugin in a time-series database for historical analysis. By analyzing trends over time, organizations can identify patterns in server performance, correlate them with application usage spikes, and make informed decisions regarding infrastructure upgrades or maintenance schedules to better handle peak loads.

Databricks

1. Edge-to-Lakehouse Telemetry Pipe: Deploy Telegraf on factory PLCs to sample vibration metrics and post them every second to a serverless SQL warehouse. Delta tables power PowerBI dashboards that alert engineers when thresholds drift.
2. Blue-Green CI/CD Rollout Metrics: Attach a Telegraf sidecar to each Kubernetes canary pod; it inserts container stats into a Unity Catalog table tagged by deployment_id, letting Databricks SQL compare error-rate percentiles and auto-rollback underperforming versions.
3. SaaS Usage Metering: Insert per-tenant API-call counters via the HTTP plugin; a nightly Lakehouse query aggregates usage into invoices, eliminating custom metering micro-services.
4. Security Forensics Lake: Upload JSON batches of Suricata IDS events to a Unity Catalog volume using PUT commands, then run COPY INTO for near-real-time enrichment with Delta Live Tables, producing a searchable threat-intel lake that joins network logs with user session data.

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