[rrd-users] If input is already in text format and I craft a perl script to parse the text format and update rrd database, what should the step and heartbeat be?

[Steve Shipway]

Use a GAUGE when the metric is already a rate (such as: current speed, flow rate, network transmit rate) or is not a continuously increasing count (such as: CPU percentage usage, number of currently active sessions).

 

Use a COUNTER when the metric is a continuously rising total that can be converted into a rate by RRDtool (such as: total pages printed, total bytes transmitted)

 

Use DERIVE when the rate could be negative (eg: current bank balance if you want to see avg outgoings in $/sec, distance from home and you want to see speed)

 

If you have the option, then it is preferable to use a COUNTER to a GAUGE because you will get more accurate totals over time when summarising over multiple intervals.  IE, use “total bytes transmitted” as a COUNTER in preference to using “bytes per sec transmission rate” as a GAUGE if both values are available.

 

So, “CPU Busy %” and “# active jobs” are both GAUGEs.  “Total bytes written to tape” is a COUNTER (assuming it is constantly increasing and you want to store bytes/sec written)

 

Steve

 

Steve Shipway

s.shipway at auckland.ac.nz

 

From: stevensim at principal-systems.com [mailto:stevensim at principal-systems.com] On Behalf Of Steven Sim
Sent: Tuesday, 10 June 2014 2:42 p.m.
To: Steve Shipway
Cc: rrd-users at lists.oetiker.ch
Subject: Re: [rrd-users] If input is already in text format and I craft a perl script to parse the text format and update rrd database, what should the step and heartbeat be?

 

Steve;

 

Thanks for your reply!

 

Just to clarify, a metric like CPU Busy, Number of JOBS etc would be better off as a COUNTER?

 

Deepest Regards
Steven Sim

 

 

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