sumologic-collectd-metrics

Sumo Logic collectd Plugin

A collectd output plugin to send Carbon 2.0-formatted metrics to Sumo Logic.

Get Started

1. Python version

Sumo Logic collectd plugin is built on top of collectd-python plugin. The minimum required version for running the plugin is Python version 2.6. You can download and install the desired Python version from Python download page.

2. Install collectd on your machine

If collectd is already installed, you can skip this step. Otherwise, follow the instructions in the collectd download site for download and installation. For additional details, see First steps section in the collectd Wiki.

MacOS

brew install collectd

Debian / Ubuntu

sudo apt-get install collectd

3. Download and install Sumo Logic collectd plugin

Option 1: Install as a library

sudo pip install sumologic_collectd_metrics

All required dependencies will be automatically installed with library installation.

Option 2: Install with source code

The Sumo Logic collectd plugin source code can be saved in a directory anywhere on your system. Download it from Python Package Index, or:

git clone https://github.com/SumoLogic/sumologic-collectd-plugin.git

Sumo Logic collectd plugin uses requests and retry libraries for sumbitting HTTPS requests. If they are not installed. Install them using pip:

sudo pip install requests
sudo pip install retry

4. Create an HTTP Metrics Source in Sumo Logic

Create a Sumo Logic account if you don't currently have one.

Follow these instructions for setting up an HTTP Source in Sumo Logic. Be sure to obtain the URL endpoint after creating an HTTP Source.

5. Configure Sumo Logic collectd plugin

Sumo Logic collectd plugin supports the following parameters. To configure the plugin, modify collectd's configuration file named collectd.conf (e.g. /etc/collectd/collectd.conf).

Required parameters

The parameters below are required and must be specified in the module config.

Name	Description	Type	Required
URL	The URL to send metrics to. This should be given when creating the HTTP Source on Sumo Logic web app.	String	True

Basic parameters

The parameters below are not strictly required. It is recommended to set these parameters as they prove to be extremely useful to categorize your metrics and search by them.

Name	Description	Type	Required
SourceName	Name of the metrics source. _sourceName can be used to search metrics from this source. It will override the default configured in the the Sumo Logic Source configuration.	String	False
SourceHost	Name of metrics host. _sourceHost can be used to search metrics from this host. It will override the default configured in the the Sumo Logic Source configuration.	String	False
SourceCategory	Category of the collected metrics. _sourceCategory can be used to search metrics from this category. It will override the default configured in the the Sumo Logic Source configuration.	String	False
Dimensions	Key value pairs that contribute to identifying a metric. Collectd data have intrinsic dimensions with keys as host, plugin, plugin_instance, type, type_instance, ds_name, ds_type. The Additional dimensions specified here can help separating metrics collected from this collectd instance with metircs collected from other collectd instances. Dimensions cannot contain Reserved symbols and Reserved keywords	Srings in the format of "key1"="val1", "key2"="val2" ...	False
Metadata	Key value pairs that do not contribute to identifying a metric. Metadata are primarily used to assist in searching metrics. Collectd data may have internal metadata. The additional metadata specified here can be used to enrich the existing metadata set. Metadata cannot contain Reserved symbols and Reserved keywords	Srings in the format of "key1"="val1", "key2"="val2" ...	False
AddMetricDimension	If set to true adds new dimension named metric to every data point which consists of type and type_instance concatenated using MetricDimensionSeparator. By default it is set to True.	Boolean	False
MetricDimensionSeparator	String used to concatenate type and type_instance while creating metric dimension. See AddMetricDimension option. By default it is ..	String	False

Additional parameters

For additional configuration parameters, see Advanced parameters below.

Example configuration

An example configuration for the plugin is shown below (code to be added to collectd.conf under collectd_root/etc):

LoadPlugin python
<Plugin python>
    # Uncomment and update the following line if sumologic collectd plugin installed with source code
    # ModulePath "/path/to/sumologic-collectd-plugin"
    LogTraces true
    Interactive false
    Import "sumologic_collectd_metrics"

    <Module "sumologic_collectd_metrics">
        URL "https://<deployment>.sumologic.com/receiver/v1/http/<source_token>"  # URL must be specified
        # Uncomment and update the following lines to override the default metadata configured in the the Sumo Logic Source configuration
        # SourceName "my_source"
        # SourceHost "my_host"
        # SourceCategory "my_category"
        # Uncomment and update the following lines to add additional key=value pairs
        # Dimensions "my_dim_key1"="my_dim_val1", "my_dim_key2"="my_dim_val2"
        # Metadata "my_meta_key1"="my_meta_val1", "my_meta_key2"="my_meta_val2"
    </Module>
</Plugin>

Other recommended modules

It is recommeded to setup the following two plugins in collectd.conf. The functionalities of the two plugins are explained in collectd Wiki Plugin:LogFile and Plugin:CSV:

LoadPlugin logfile
<Plugin logfile>
    LogLevel "info"
    File "/var/log/collectd.log"
    Timestamp true
    PrintSeverity true
</Plugin>

LoadPlugin csv
<Plugin csv>
    DataDir "/usr/local/var/lib/collectd/csv"
</Plugin>

The following pulgins, if enabled in collectd.conf, enable collecting cpu, memory, disk, network metrics from the system:

LoadPlugin cpu
LoadPlugin memory
LoadPlugin disk
LoadPlugin interface

A list of all collectd plugins is awailable in collectd Wiki Table of Plugins

Reserved symbols

Equal sign and space are reserved symbols.

"=" " "

Reserved keywords

Following terms are reserved for Sumo Logic internal use only:

"_sourcehost", "_sourcename", "_sourcecategory", "_collectorid", "_collector", "_source", "_sourceid", "_contenttype", "_rawname"

6. Start sending metrics

Start sending metrics by running collectd, e.g. (command will differ depending on collectd installation):

sudo service collectd start

View logs

If logfile plugin is installed, then you can view logs by tailling collectd.log file, e.g. (command can be different depending on collectd installation):

tail -f /var/log/collectd.log

Data model

The Sumo Logic collectd plugin will send metrics using the Carbon 2.0 format, defined as:

dimensions  metadata value timestamp

dimensions and metadata are key/value pairs of strings separated by two spaces. dimensions uniquely identifying a metric, while metadata do not contribute to identifying a metric. Instead, they are used to categorize metrics for searching. value is a double number. timestamp is a 10-digit UNIX epoch timestamp.

Example data before compression:

host=my_mac plugin=cpu plugin_instance=1 type=cpu type_instance=user ds_name=value ds_type=DERIVE  meta_key1=meta_val1 5991.000000 1502148249
host=my_mac plugin=cpu plugin_instance=0 type=cpu type_instance=user ds_name=value ds_type=DERIVE  meta_key1=meta_val1 98722.000000 1502148249

Naming Schema

Collectd uses a very powerful naming schema to identify each statistics value. It has been proven very generic and flexible, but may be confusing at first, especially to new users. You can read more about it by following this wiki collectd naming schema.

Compression

Metrics are batched and compressed before they are sent. The default compression algorithm is "deflate". The algorithm is explained in more detail in An Explanation of the Deflate Algorithm. Alternatively, you can specify "gzip" for gzip compression and "none" for no compression.

Error handling

Sumo Logic collectd plugin retries on exceptions by default. When all retries fail, the request is either scheduled for a future attempt or dropped based on the buffer status. By default, 1000 requests are buffered. If the buffer becomes full, then requests failed after all retries will be dropped. Otherwise, it is put back to the processing queue for the next run.

7. View metrics

To view the metrics sent by the collectd plugin, log into Sumo Logic and open a Metrics tab. Query for metrics using either dimensions or metadata, e.g.:

_sourceName=my_source _sourceHost=my_host _sourceCategory=my_category plugin=cpu

You should be able to see metrics displayed in the main graph.

Advanced Topics

Advanced parameters

You can configure the Sumo Logic collectd plugin by overriding default values for plugin parameters.

Name	Description	Type	Default	Unit
MaxBatchSize	Sumo Logic collectd plugin batches metrics before sending them over https. MaxBatchSize defines the upper limit of metrics per batch.	Positive Integer	5000	NA
MaxBatchInterval	Sumo Logic collectd plugin batches metrics before sending them through https. MaxBatchInterval defines the upper limit of duration to construct a batch.	Positive Integer	1	Second
HttpPostInterval	Sumo Logic collectd plugin schedules https post requests at fixed intervals. HttpPostInterval defines the frequency for the scheduler to run. If no metrics batch is available at the time, the sceduler immediately returns. If multiple metrics batches are available, then the oldest batch is picked to be sent.	Positive Float	0.1
MaxRequestsToBuffer	Sumo Logic collectd plugin buffers failed and delayed metrics batch requests. MaxRequestsToBuffer specifies the maximum number of these requests to buffer. After the buffer becomes full, the request with oldest metrics batch will be dropped to make space for new metrics batch.	Positive Integer	Positive Integer	1000
RetryInitialDelay	Sumo Logic collectd plugin retries on recoverable exceptions. RetryInitialDelay specifies the initial delay before a retry is scheduled. More information can be found in the retry library	Non-negative Integer	0	Second
RetryMaxAttempts	Sumo Logic collectd plugin retries on recoverable exceptions. RetryMaxAttempts specifies the upper limit of retries before the current retry logic fails. The metric batch is then either put back for the next run (when metrics buffer specified by MaxRequestsToBuffer is not full), or dropped (when metrics buffer is full). More information can be found in the retry library	Positive Integer	10	NA
RetryMaxDelay	Sumo Logic collectd plugin retries on recoverable exceptions. RetryMaxDelay specifies the upper limit of delay before the current retry logic fails. Then the metric batch either is put back for the next run (when metrics buffer specified by MaxRequestsToBuffer is not full), or dropped (when metrics buffer is full). More information can be found in the retry library	Positive Integer	100	Second
RetryJitterMin	Sumo Logic collectd plugin retries on recoverable exceptions. RetryJitterMin specifies the minimum extra seconds added to delay between attempts. More information can be found in the retry library	Non-negative Integer	0	Second
RetryJitterMax	Sumo Logic collectd plugin retries on recoverable exceptions. RetryJitterMax specifies the maximum extra seconds added to delay between attempts. More information can be found in the retry library	Non-negative Integer	10	Second
EnableInternalMetrics	Enable the plugin's internal metrics. See Plugin Internal Metrics	Boolean	false	NA
SignalFxStatsDTags	Enable extracting metadata from metrics using SignalFx' extension to the StatsD protocol. See: https://docs.signalfx.com/en/latest/integrations/agent/monitors/collectd-statsd.html#adding-dimensions-to-statsd-metrics	Boolean	false	NA

Plugin Architecture

Collectd        MetricsConverter                    MetricsBatcher         MetricsBuffer                               MetricsSender
--------        --------------------------          --------------         ------------------------                    -----------------
                                                                                                       batch to send   
Raw Data   ->   Metric in Carbon 2.0 format    ->   Metrics Batch     ->   Buffered metrics batches         ->         Request scheduler
                                                                                                            <-
                                                                                                       failed batch

Plugin Internal Metrics

If the EnableInternalMetrics configuration option is set to true, the plugin emits metrics describing its own internal state.

The following metrics are available:

Name	Type	Description
received_metrics	Gauge	The number of metrics values received from collectd.
sent_metrics	Gauge	The number of metrics values successfully sent to Sumo.
sent_batches	Gauge	The number of metrics batches successfully sent to Sumo.
dropped_metrics	Gauge	The number of metrics values dropped during processing due to various faults, typically buffers being full.
dropped_batches	Gauge	The number of metrics batches dropped during processing due to various faults, typically buffers being full.
batch_queue_size	Gauge	The number of batches in the sending queue.

TLS 1.2 Requirement

Sumo Logic only accepts connections from clients using TLS version 1.2 or greater. To utilize the content of this repo, ensure that it's running in an execution environment that is configured to use TLS 1.2 or greater.

License

The Sumo Logic collectd output plugin is published under the Apache Software License, Version 2.0. Please visit http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.txt for details.