Grafana

Overview

The proNX Optical Director software comes packaged with Grafana, a popular open platform used for analytics. You can use Grafana to query and visualize performance monitoring metrics from the proNX Optical Director’s historical PM database to debug issues and observe trends on devices and links in your network.

The proNX Optical Director collects performance monitoring metrics from managed devices and stores the metrics in the proNX Optical Director’s historical PM database. Performance monitoring metrics include a variety of counts and gauges that devices commonly measure and monitor to give indications of health and performance for components in the system. Most devices collect these metrics in 15-minute and 24-hour bins, and some devices collect them in 1-minute bins as well. A bin is a collection period over which the measurement samples are summarized (maximum/minimum/average), and the summaries are timestamped and stored.

The proNX Optical Director stores PM metrics in an Influx database. Each PM metric is stored in the database as a measurement. In Influx database terminology, a measurement is a container that holds the data being stored. A measurement is identified by a string. It is convenient to think of a measurement as a table and the string as the name of the table. In the historical PM database, a measurement is identified by a string in the following format:

<bin>/<ip_address>/<entity_type>/<metric_type>

An example of a measurement is FIFTEEN_MIN/10.228.107.23/port/band-input-power, which is the band-input-power metric in the 15-minute bin on a port on the device with the IP address specified.

Within each measurement, the data is organized as a table, as follows:

For example, here is a simplified view of a typical table stored in the historical PM database:

name: FIFTEEN_MIN/10.228.107.26/port/band-output-power
time                 avg    id                  max    min    value
----                 ---    --                  ---    ---    -----
2018-06-18T14:45:00Z 1.5    port:1_1_LINE_osc1  1.51   1.49   1.51
2018-06-18T14:45:00Z -50.72 port:1_1_LINE_osc2  -50.72 -50.72 -50.72
2018-06-18T14:45:00Z 6.24   port:1_1_LINE_total 6.31   6.18   6.27
2018-06-18T15:00:00Z -50.72 port:1_1_LINE_osc2  -50.72 -50.72 -50.72
2018-06-18T15:00:00Z 6.23   port:1_1_LINE_total 6.3    6.16   6.23
2018-06-18T15:00:00Z 1.5    port:1_1_LINE_osc1  1.51   1.5    1.5
2018-06-18T15:15:00Z 6.23   port:1_1_LINE_total 6.29   6.17   6.2
2018-06-18T15:15:00Z 1.5    port:1_1_LINE_osc1  1.51   1.5    1.5
2018-06-18T15:15:00Z -50.72 port:1_1_LINE_osc2  -50.72 -50.72 -50.72

Grafana allows you to create custom queries of the historical PM database and to graph the result. Examples of this are shown in the following sections. Note that the following sections are presented for your convenience to help you get started with Grafana. These sections are cursory and are not intended to replace official Grafana documentation. For official Grafana documentation, see docs.grafana.org. For more information on the Influx database, see https://www.influxdata.com.

Viewing a PM Graph

Procedure

1. Access Grafana from your web browser.

   • Releases 2.2 and lower - go to http://<server-ip-or-hostname>:3000

   • Releases 18.4 and higher - go to https://<server-hostname>/graphs

   This places you in the Home dashboard. You can also access Grafana from the proNX Optical Director UI by clicking on the Analyze button in the Devices Port Metrics page. See Viewing Historical Performance Monitoring Metrics.

2. Click on the Home drop-down list to see the list of preconfigured dashboards. In addition to the Home dashboard, the proNX Optical Director software comes packaged with the following:

   • 15min Metrics - a dashboard that displays the average, minimum, maximum, and last value of a metric from the 15-minute bin over a specified time period

   • 1min Metrics - a dashboard that displays the average, minimum, maximum, and last value of a metric from the 1-minute bin over a specified time period

   • 24h Metrics - a dashboard that displays the average, minimum, maximum, and last value of a metric from the 24-hour bin over a specified time period

   • Cluster - a dashboard that displays usage information for the proNX Optical Director server cluster

   • Pods - a dashboard that displays usage information for a selected pod

3. Select the 15min Metrics dashboard (for example).

   The 15min Metrics dashboard is displayed. The dashboard has a row of tabs at the top where you can select the entity and metric you want to view. These are called variables.

4. Select the date range from the upper right corner of the page. You have the option of selecting from predefined ranges or you can specify a custom range.
5. Select the IP address of the device from the IP variable drop-down list. This is the IP address of the device that you want to view.
6. Select the entity type from the Entity Type variable drop-down list. This is the type of entity or component that you want to view.
7. Select the metric from the Metric variable drop-down list. This is the metric you want to view.
8. Select the entity from the Entity variable drop-down list. This is the specific entity or component that you want to view.

   A graph of the selected PM is displayed, for example:

   
9. To focus on a specific time range on the graph, click on the graph and drag your mouse horizontally to encompass the desired time range.

   When you release your mouse, the graph is redrawn with the new time range.

10. To view the graph in a full browser page, click the graph title and then select View in the ensuing pop-up, for example:
    

    To return to the dashboard from the full browser view, click Back to dashboard at the top of the page.

Creating a Multi-PM Dashboard (2 Metrics, 1 Entity, 1 Device)

Procedure

1. Follow the procedure in Viewing a PM Graph to bring up the 15min Metrics dashboard.

   You will use this dashboard to create the new one. This approach allows you to reuse the same variables without having to recreate them.

2. Click the icon at the top of the page and then select Save As....

   Enter the new name for the dashboard and click Save.

   You are now placed into the new dashboard. Since you have not made any changes yet, this dashboard is the same as the 15min Metrics dashboard.

3. List the variables that are defined for this dashboard. Variables allow you to dynamically select which metric you want to graph when you view the dashboard.

   Click the icon at the top of the page and then select Templating. The Templating panel appears listing the variables that have been defined.

   

   An explanation of these constructs is provided in the steps that follow.

4. Create a new metric type variable that allows you to select the second metric to graph. This new variable will appear in the variables row in the dashboard. For expediency, you will create the new variable from the existing variable.

   1. Find the row for the $MetricType variable and click Duplicate. The duplicated variable ($copy_of_MetricType) is added to the bottom of the list of variables.

   2. Click Edit for the duplicated variable. The Edit panel appears.

   3. In the Name box in the Variable section, change the variable name to something more meaningful (for example, MetricType2).

      

      You do not need to make any changes to the Query Options section because this second metric type variable has the same characteristics as the first metric type variable. Here is an explanation of the query options:

      • Query - Search through all measurements and look for measurements matching FIFTEEN_MIN/<IP address>/<Entity Type>. These represent the measurements in the 15-minute bins for the IP address and entity type that you specify in the IP variable and Entity Type variable drop-down lists in the dashboard.

      • Regex - Additionally, from the results of the query, capture the last string containing word characters (a-z, A-Z, 0-9, _) and hyphens (-). The last string in a measurement is the metric type. In other words, this query looks through the database for all 15-minute bins matching the specified IP address and entity type, and presents all metric types found to the user through the Metric variable drop-down list.

   4. Scroll down and click Update. The new variable name is now shown in the list of variables.

5. Create a new PM measurement variable that uses the second metric. The PM measurement variable represents the measurement containing the metric being graphed. You will refer to this variable later when you define the graph. For expediency, you will create the new variable from the existing variable.

   1. Find the row for the $PmMeasurement variable and click Duplicate. The duplicated variable ($copy_of_PmMeasurement) is added to the bottom of the list of variables.

   2. Click Edit for the duplicated variable. The Edit panel appears.

   3. In the Name box in the Variable section, change the variable name to something more meaningful (for example, PmMeasurement2).

   4. In the Query Options section, change the query to use the new metric type. You accomplish this by clicking in the Query box and changing $MetricType to $MetricType2.

      

      Here is an explanation of the query options:

      • Query - Search through all measurements and look for the measurement matching FIFTEEN_MIN/<IP address>/<Entity Type>/<Metric Type>. This represents the measurement in the 15-minute bins for the IP address, entity type, and metric type that you specify in the IP variable, Entity Type variable, and second Metric variable drop-down lists in the dashboard.

   5. Scroll down and click Update. The new variable name and definition are now shown in the list of variables.

6. The order of the variables in the list dictates how the variables are displayed in the variables row in the dashboard. Use the arrow buttons for each variable to move them up or down. How you order them is a personal preference. In this example, the final order is as follows:
   

   Note The $PmMeasurement and $PmMeasurement2 variables are configured as hidden in the variables row, and therefore their order is not important. These variables are used in defining the graph.

7. Click the in the upper right corner to close the Templating panel.
8. Now that you have defined the new variables, you can edit the graph to use the new variables.

   Click the graph title and then select Edit in the ensuing pop-up, for example:

   

   The Graph panel appears below the graph.

9. Click the Metrics tab in the Graph panel if it has not already been selected.
   

   Here is an explanation of the graph query options:

   • FROM - Find the measurement matching the measurement specified in the $PmMeasurement variable. The $PmMeasurement variable contains a string consisting of your selections for IP address, entity type, and metric type from the respective variable drop-down lists in the dashboard.

   • WHERE - From the matching measurement, search through the table for the entry that matches the $ID variable. The $ID variable contains your selection from the Entity drop-down list in the dashboard.

   • SELECT - From the matching entry, select the avg, min, max, and value fields to display and graph.

10. Create a new query for the second metric. For expediency, you will create the new query from the existing query.

    1. Click the icon in Query A and select Duplicate. The duplicated query is shown in Query B.

    2. In Query B in the FROM row, click the /^$PmMeasurement$/ box and select /^$PmMeasurement2$/ from the drop-down list.

       Query B is the same as Query A except that you are using the measurement specified in the $PmMeasurement2 variable. The $PmMeasurement2 variable contains a string consisting of your selections for the IP address, entity type, and second metric type from the respective variable drop-down lists in the dashboard.

11. Adding the second query puts the second metric on the graph. So that you can discern one metric from the other metric on the graph, edit the alias to add information to distinguish between the two metrics.

    1. In Query A, in the SELECT row, click in each of the alias fields and add $MetricType.

    2. In Query B, in the SELECT row, click in each of the alias fields and add $MetricType2.

    For example:

    
12. Change the graph title so that the title matches the graph.

    1. Click the General tab.

    2. In the Info section, click in the Title box and specify the variable for the second metric.

       For example: $IP - $ID - $MetricType - $MetricType2

13. Click the in the upper right corner to close the Graph panel.
14. Save your new dashboard.

Here is an example of the new graph showing two metrics for the same entity on the same device:

Creating a Multi-PM Dashboard (2 Metrics, 2 Entities, 2 Devices)

Procedure

1. Follow the procedure in Viewing a PM Graph to bring up the 15min Metrics dashboard.

   You will use this dashboard to create the new one. This approach allows you to reuse the same variables without having to recreate them.

2. Click the icon at the top of the page and then select Save As....

   Enter the new name for the dashboard and click Save.

   You are now placed into the new dashboard. Since you have not made any changes yet, this dashboard is the same as the 15min Metrics dashboard.

3. List the variables that are defined for this dashboard.

   Click the icon at the top of the page and then select Templating. The Templating panel appears listing the variables that have been defined.

   

   An explanation of these constructs is provided in the steps that follow.

4. Create a new IP variable that allows you to select the IP address of the second device. This new variable will appear in the variables row in the dashboard. For expediency, you will create the new variable from the existing variable.

   1. Find the row for the $IP variable and click Duplicate. The duplicated variable ($copy_of_IP) is added to the bottom of the list of variables.

   2. Click Edit for the duplicated variable. The Edit panel appears.

   3. In the Name box in the Variable section, change the variable name to something more meaningful (for example, IP2).

      

      You do not need to make any changes to the Query Options section because this second IP variable has the same characteristics as the first IP variable. Here is an explanation of the query options:

      • Query - Search through all measurements and look for measurements matching FIFTEEN_MIN. These represent the measurements for all the 15-minute bins.

      • Regex - Additionally, from the results of the query, capture the string immediately following FIFTEEN_MIN. This string contains word characters and dots (such as an IP address in dotted decimal form). In other words, this query looks through all 15-minute bins in the database and presents all IP addresses found to the user through the IP variable drop-down list.

   4. Scroll down and click Update. The new variable name is now shown in the list of variables.

5. Create a new entity type variable that allows you to select the entity type for the second metric. This new variable will appear in the variables row in the dashboard. For expediency, you will create the new variable from the existing variable.

   1. Find the row for the $EntityType variable and click Duplicate. The duplicated variable ($copy_of_EntityType) is added to the bottom of the list of variables.

   2. Click Edit for the duplicated variable. The Edit panel appears.

   3. In the Name box in the Variable section, change the variable name to something more meaningful (for example, EntityType2).

   4. In the Query Options section, change the query to use the new IP variable. You accomplish this by clicking in the Query box and changing $IP to $IP2.

      

      Here is an explanation of the query options:

      • Query - Search through all measurements and look for measurements matching FIFTEEN_MIN/<IP address>. These represent the measurements in the 15-minute bins for the IP address that you specify in the second IP variable drop-down list in the dashboard.

      • Regex - Additionally, from the results of the query, capture the key words from the measurement (band-name, card, channel, roadm, total, edfa, connection, fru, port). These key words represent the entity type. In other words, this query looks through the database for all 15-minute bins matching the second specified IP address, and presents all entity types found to the user through the Entity Type variable drop-down list.

   5. Scroll down and click Update. The new variable name and definition are now shown in the list of variables.

6. Create a new metric type variable that allows you to select the second metric. This new variable will appear in the variables row in the dashboard. For expediency, you will create the new variable from the existing variable.

   1. Find the row for the $MetricType variable and click Duplicate. The duplicated variable ($copy_of_MetricType) is added to the bottom of the list of variables.

   2. Click Edit for the duplicated variable. The Edit panel appears.

   3. In the Name box in the Variable section, change the variable name to something more meaningful (for example, MetricType2).

   4. In the Query Options section, change the query to use the new variables. You accomplish this by clicking in the Query box and changing the query as follows:

      • change $IP to $IP2

      • change $EntityType to $EntityType2

        

        Here is an explanation of the query options:

        • Query - Search through all measurements and look for measurements matching FIFTEEN_MIN/<IP address>/<Entity Type>. These represent the measurements in the 15-minute bins for the IP address and entity type that you specify in the second IP variable and second Entity Type variable drop-down lists in the dashboard.

        • Regex - Additionally, from the results of the query, capture the last string containing word characters (a-z, A-Z, 0-9, _) and hyphens (-). The last string in a measurement is the metric type. In other words, this query looks through the database for all 15-minute bins matching the second specified IP address and the second specified entity type, and presents all metric types found to the user through the Metric variable drop-down list.

   5. Scroll down and click Update. The new variable name and definition are now shown in the list of variables.

7. Create a new PM measurement variable that uses the new variables. The PM measurement variable represents the measurement containing the metric being graphed. You will refer to this variable later when you define the graph. For expediency, you will create the new variable from the existing variable.

   1. Find the row for the $PmMeasurement variable and click Duplicate. The duplicated variable ($copy_of_PmMeasurement) is added to the bottom of the list of variables.

   2. Click Edit for the duplicated variable. The Edit panel appears.

   3. In the Name box in the Variable section, change the variable name to something more meaningful (for example, PmMeasurement2).

   4. In the Query Options section, change the query to use the new variables. You accomplish this by clicking in the Query box and changing the query as follows:

      • change $IP to $IP2

      • change $EntityType to $EntityType2

      • change $MetricType to $MetricType2

        

        Here is an explanation of the query options:

        • Query - Search through all measurements and look for the measurement matching FIFTEEN_MIN/<IP address>/<Entity Type>/<Metric Type>. This represents the measurement in the 15-minute bins for the IP address, entity type, and metric type that you specify in the second IP variable, second Entity Type variable, and second Metric variable drop-down lists in the dashboard.

   5. Scroll down and click Update. The new variable name and definition are now shown in the list of variables.

8. Create a new ID variable that allows you to select the entity for the second metric. This new variable will appear in the variables row in the dashboard. For expediency, you will create the new variable from the existing variable.

   1. Find the row for the $ID variable and click Duplicate. The duplicated variable ($copy_of_ID) is added to the bottom of the list of variables.

   2. Click Edit for the duplicated variable. The Edit panel appears.

   3. In the Name box in the Variable section, change the variable name to something more meaningful (for example, ID2).

   4. In the Query Options section, change the query to use the new PM measurement variable. You accomplish this by clicking in the Query box and changing $PmMeasurement to $PmMeasurement2.

      

      Here is an explanation of the query options:

      • Query - Search through the table corresponding to the measurement specified by the $PmMeasurement2 variable and show all id values. These id values represent the entities in the 15-minute bins for the IP address, entity type, and metric type that you specify in the second IP variable, second Entity Type variable, and second Metric variable drop-down lists in the dashboard. These id values are presented to the user through the second Entity variable drop-down list.

   5. Scroll down and click Update. The new variable name and definition are now shown in the list of variables.

9. The order of the variables in the list dictates how the variables are displayed in the variables row in the dashboard. Use the arrow buttons for each variable to move them up or down. How you order them is a personal preference. In this example, the final order is as follows:
   

   Note The $PmMeasurement and $PmMeasurement2 variables are configured as hidden in the variables row, and therefore their order is not important. These variables are used in defining the graph.

10. Click the in the upper right corner to close the Templating panel.
11. Now that you have defined the new variables, you can edit the graph to use the new variables.

    Click the graph title and then select Edit in the ensuing pop-up, for example:

    

    The Graph panel appears below the graph.

12. Click the Metrics tab in the Graph panel if it has not already been selected.
    

    Here is an explanation of the graph query options:

    • FROM - Find the measurement matching the measurement specified in the $PmMeasurement variable. The $PmMeasurement variable contains a string consisting of your selections for IP address, entity type, and metric type from the respective variable drop-down lists in the dashboard.

    • WHERE - From the matching measurement, search through the table for the entry that matches the $ID variable. The $ID variable contains your selection from the Entity drop-down list in the dashboard.

    • SELECT - From the matching entry, select the avg, min, max, and value fields to display and graph.

13. Create a new query for the second metric. For expediency, you will create the new query from the existing query.

    1. Click the icon in Query A and select Duplicate. The duplicated query is shown in Query B.

    2. In Query B in the FROM row, change the query as follows:

       • click the /^$PmMeasurement$/ box and select /^$PmMeasurement2$/ from the drop-down list

       • click the /^$ID$/ box and select /^$ID2$/ from the drop-down list

       Query B is the same as Query A except that you are using the measurement specified in the $PmMeasurement2 variable. The $PmMeasurement2 variable contains a string consisting of your selections for the second IP address, second entity type, and second metric type from the respective variable drop-down lists in the dashboard. Additionally, Query B is looking for the entry identified by the entity specified in the $ID2 variable. The $ID2 variable contains your selection for the entity from the second Entity drop-down list in the dashboard.

14. Adding the second query puts the second metric on the graph. So that you can discern one metric from the other metric on the graph, edit the alias to add information to distinguish between the two metrics.

    1. In Query A, in the SELECT row, click in each of the alias fields and add $IP.

    2. In Query B, in the SELECT row, click in each of the alias fields and add $IP2.

    For example:

    

    Note In this example, the IP address is used to distinguish between the two metrics, the assumption being that you will only use this graph to display metrics from different devices. If this assumption is incorrect, then update the alias fields with a more appropriate distinction.

15. Change the graph title so that the title matches the graph.

    1. Click the General tab.

    2. In the Info section, click in the Title box and specify the variable for the second metric.

       For example: $ID - $IP - $MetricType - $IP2 - $MetricType2

16. Click the in the upper right corner to close the Graph panel.
17. Save your new dashboard.

Here is an example of the new graph showing two metrics for two entities on two different devices: