[smokeping-users] Smoke cut-off problem back in 2.4.0?

[G.W. Haywood]

Hi Tobi,

On Thu, 12 Jun 2008, Tobias Oetiker wrote:

> you can configure rrdtool to keep hiresolution data for arbitrary
> time. The consolidation is just a way to keep more data with less
> space. If you have the space, configure the hires RRAs to be longer
> (still have the low res rras around for long term graphs).
> Performance will not be impacted in any way by this change.

I don't think I'm making my point clearly enough.

I know that that RRDtool, and the Terabyte of storage on my desk,
permit me to keep records at high resolution for extended periods.

However, short of painstakingly examining the high-resolution graphs
minute-by-minute I do not see how Smokeping will alert me to transient
short duration events.  These may be symptoms of some unknown problem
which appeared while I was away on holiday: It's 8am on Monday morning
and there's a great big heap of paper in my 'IN' tray.  An ugly crowd
of disgruntled computer users is gathering at the door to the IT dep't
offices, and I'd like to take a quick look at what's been going on in
the LAN for the past month before I unlock it - so that I don't appear
to be quite so clueless as is in fact the case.

Networks can be a bit like combat - long periods of nothing happening
punctuated by moments of sheer terror.  The 'nothing happening' bits
establish reference points but little else, and can be characterized
with little storage (or screen) capacity.  The punctuations are more
interesting, and will require more resources.  At the moment these
punctuations tend to be masked.  In your words:

> Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2008 14:49:38 +0200 (CEST)
> From: Tobias Oetiker <tobi at oetiker.ch>
> To: G.W. Haywood <ged at jubileegroup.co.uk>
> In-Reply-To: <Pine.LNX.4.58.0804261259001.18067 at mail3.jubileegroup.co.uk>
> Cc: smokeping-users at lists.oetiker.ch
> Subject: Re: [smokeping-users] Graph scale problem
>
> [snip] the net result is, that the spike becomes lower as it gets
> distributed across time [snip]

That's the bit that bothers me.

I think I've banged on this drum enough now. :)

--

73,
Ged.