KNX and Dynatrace Integration

Input and output integration overview

The KNX plugin listens for messages from the KNX home-automation bus via a KNX-IP interface, allowing for real-time data integration from KNX-enabled devices.

The Dynatrace plugin allows users to send metrics collected by Telegraf directly to Dynatrace for monitoring and analysis. This integration enhances the observability of systems and applications, providing valuable insights into performance and operational health.

Integration details

KNX

The KNX plugin allows for the listening to messages transmitted over the KNX home-automation bus. It establishes a connection with the KNX bus through a KNX-IP interface, making it compatible with various message datapoint types that KNX employs. The plugin supports service input configuration, wherein it remains active to listen for relevant metrics or events rather than relying solely on scheduled intervals. This inherent characteristic enables real-time data capture from the KNX systems, enhancing automation and integration possibilities for building management and smart home applications. Additionally, this plugin is designed to handle multiple measurements from the KNX data, allowing for a flexible categorization of metrics based on the derived datapoint types, thus broadening the scope of data integration in smart environments.

Dynatrace

The Dynatrace plugin for Telegraf facilitates the transmission of metrics to the Dynatrace platform via the Dynatrace Metrics API V2. This plugin can function in two modes: it can run alongside the Dynatrace OneAgent, which automates authentication, or it can operate in a standalone configuration that requires manual specification of the URL and API token for environments without a OneAgent. The plugin primarily reports metrics as gauges unless explicitly configured to treat certain metrics as delta counters using the available config options. This feature empowers users to customize the behavior of metrics sent to Dynatrace, harnessing the robust capabilities of the platform for comprehensive performance monitoring and observability. It’s crucial for users to ensure compliance with version requirements for both Dynatrace and Telegraf, thereby optimizing compatibility and performance when integrating with the Dynatrace ecosystem.

Configuration

KNX

[[inputs.knx_listener]]
  ## Type of KNX-IP interface.
  ## Can be either "tunnel_udp", "tunnel_tcp", "tunnel" (alias for tunnel_udp) or "router".
  # service_type = "tunnel"

  ## Address of the KNX-IP interface.
  service_address = "localhost:3671"

  ## Measurement definition(s)
  # [[inputs.knx_listener.measurement]]
  #   ## Name of the measurement
  #   name = "temperature"
  #   ## Datapoint-Type (DPT) of the KNX messages
  #   dpt = "9.001"
  #   ## Use the string representation instead of the numerical value for the
  #   ## datapoint-type and the addresses below
  #   # as_string = false
  #   ## List of Group-Addresses (GAs) assigned to the measurement
  #   addresses = ["5/5/1"]

  # [[inputs.knx_listener.measurement]]
  #   name = "illumination"
  #   dpt = "9.004"
  #   addresses = ["5/5/3"]

Dynatrace

[[outputs.dynatrace]]
  ## For usage with the Dynatrace OneAgent you can omit any configuration,
  ## the only requirement is that the OneAgent is running on the same host.
  ## Only setup environment url and token if you want to monitor a Host without the OneAgent present.
  ##
  ## Your Dynatrace environment URL.
  ## For Dynatrace OneAgent you can leave this empty or set it to "http://127.0.0.1:14499/metrics/ingest" (default)
  ## For Dynatrace SaaS environments the URL scheme is "https://{your-environment-id}.live.dynatrace.com/api/v2/metrics/ingest"
  ## For Dynatrace Managed environments the URL scheme is "https://{your-domain}/e/{your-environment-id}/api/v2/metrics/ingest"
  url = ""

  ## Your Dynatrace API token.
  ## Create an API token within your Dynatrace environment, by navigating to Settings > Integration > Dynatrace API
  ## The API token needs data ingest scope permission. When using OneAgent, no API token is required.
  api_token = ""

  ## Optional prefix for metric names (e.g.: "telegraf")
  prefix = "telegraf"

  ## Optional TLS Config
  # tls_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
  ## Optional flag for ignoring tls certificate check
  # insecure_skip_verify = false

  ## Connection timeout, defaults to "5s" if not set.
  timeout = "5s"

  ## If you want metrics to be treated and reported as delta counters, add the metric names here
  additional_counters = [ ]

  ## In addition or as an alternative to additional_counters, if you want metrics to be treated and
  ## reported as delta counters using regular expression pattern matching
  additional_counters_patterns = [ ]

  ## NOTE: Due to the way TOML is parsed, tables must be at the END of the
  ## plugin definition, otherwise additional config options are read as part of the
  ## table

  ## Optional dimensions to be added to every metric
  # [outputs.dynatrace.default_dimensions]
  # default_key = "default value"

Input and output integration examples

KNX

1. Smart Home Energy Monitoring: Utilize the KNX plugin to monitor energy consumption across various devices in a smart home setup. By configuring measurements for different appliances, users can gather real-time data on power usage, enabling them to optimize energy consumption and reduce costs. This setup can also integrate with visualization tools to provide insights into energy trends and usage patterns.

2. Automated Lighting Control System: Leverage this plugin to listen for lighting status updates from KNX sensors in a building. By capturing measurements related to illumination, users can develop an automated lighting control system that adjusts the brightness based on the time of day or occupancy, enhancing comfort and energy efficiency.

3. HVAC Performance Tracking: Implement the KNX plugin to track temperature and ventilation data across different zones in a building. By monitoring these metrics, facilities managers can identify trends in HVAC performance, optimize climate control strategies, and proactively address maintenance needs to ensure consistent environmental quality.

4. Integrated Security Solutions: Use the plugin to capture data from KNX security sensors, such as door/window open/close statuses. This information can be routed into a central monitoring system, providing real-time alerts and enabling automated responses, such as locking doors or activating alarms, thus enhancing the building’s security posture.

Dynatrace

1. Cloud Infrastructure Monitoring: Utilize the Dynatrace plugin to monitor a cloud infrastructure setup, feeding real-time metrics from Telegraf into Dynatrace. This integration provides a holistic view of resource utilization, application performance, and system health, enabling proactive responses to performance issues across various cloud environments.

2. Custom Application Performance Metrics: Implement custom application-specific metrics by configuring the Dynatrace output plugin to send tailored metrics from Telegraf. By leveraging additional counters and dimension options, development teams can gain insights that are precisely aligned with their application’s operational requirements, allowing for targeted optimization efforts.

3. Multi-Environment Metrics Management: For organizations running multiple Dynatrace environments (e.g., production, staging, and development), use this plugin to manage metrics for all environments from a single Telegraf instance. With proper configuration of endpoints and API tokens, teams can maintain consistent monitoring practices throughout the SDLC, ensuring that performance anomalies are detected early in the development process.

4. Automated Alerting Based on Metrics Changes: Integrate the Dynatrace output plugin with an alerting mechanism that triggers notifications when specific metrics exceed defined thresholds. This scenario involves configuring additional counters to monitor crucial application performance indicators, enabling swift remediation actions to maintain service availability and user satisfaction.

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