[rrd-users] Steps and heartbeats.

[Alex van den Bogaerdt]

> but I still have a doubt as to
> how these parameters relate / work with one another.

They don't.

> I have created the following rrd database:

> rrdtool create test.rrd --start 1314270000 --step 300 --no-overwrite
> DS:no-signal-3-steps:GAUGE:1800:U:U RRA:AVERAGE:0:1:15
[...]
> rrdtool update test.rrd 1314272400:10
> rrdtool update test.rrd 1314274800:5

update at times 1314272400 and 1314274800. The difference is 2400 seconds.
That is more than the heartbeat, thus is the rate unknown between
1314272400 and 1314274800. Now this unknown goes into normalization and
consolidation. All parameters like X-Files Factor, step, steps play a role
only after heartbeat did its work.

HTH
Alex