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Monitor Network Device Health Using Grafana

Grafana Overview

Starting with Paragon Insights (formerly HealthBot) Release 4.1.0, you can use the Grafana user interface (UI) to view data of your network devices. Grafana UI renders data from Paragon Insights time series database (TSDB). You can view this data in the form of charts, graphs, histograms, and heat maps. You can also query data and view the results from the Grafana UI.

In releases earlier than Paragon Insights Release 4.1.0, you could only create and view graphs from the Charts page of the Paragon Insights UI.

Grafana is an open-source data visualization tool. You use Grafana to create and view charts, graphs, and other visuals to help organize and understand data. Paragon Insights uses Grafana to render graphs that you create from the Charts page of the UI. With Release 4.1.0, you can create graphs and other visuals directly from the Grafana UI.

For more information on Grafana, see Grafana Documentation.

Access the Grafana UI

You can access Grafana UI by selecting Monitor > Graphs > Grafana from the Paragon Insights UI.

You can access Grafana by logging into the Paragon Insights UI. All logged in users can access and use Grafana and its features by clicking Monitor > Graphs > Grafana.

You use dashboards to monitor the status and health of devices. Follow these steps to view existing dashboards or create new dashboards from the Grafana UI:

  • To create a new dashboard from the Grafana UI, click the plus (+) icon >Create > Dashboards > Add Panel from the right-nav panel.

  • To view existing dashboards from the Grafana UI, click Dashboards from the right-nav panel.

Run a Query

You can run queries from the Grafana UI. For more information, see Query a Data Source.

When you create a chart, the data is rendered from the TSDB database, an open-source time series database. Information sent to and received from the TSDB database is in the influxDB format. With Release 4.1.0, Paragon Insights also supports Grafana's open-source influxDB plugin. After you run a query from the Grafana UI, the open-source influxDB sends a backend request to the Paragon Insights TSDB. The Paragon Insights TSDB sends the response in influxDB format.

In Paragon Insights Release 4.1.0, when you run a query from the Grafana UI using influxDB as a data source, you can only view data of a specific device of a device group. You use syntax parameters such as FROM and SELECT that the influxDB recognizes. You cannot view aggregate data of a device group, or view aggregate data of multiple device groups using the influxDB plugin. However, with Release 4.2.0, Paragon Insights supports the Juniper Paragon Insights TSDB plugin.

The Juniper Paragon Insights TSDB plugin is based on the influxDB plugin but also supports the ability to view aggregate data of a device group, or view aggregate data of multiple device groups. You can view aggregate data by using Syntax parameters such as DEVICE, DEVICE GROUPS, and MEASUREMENT. The default data source for Paragon Insights in Grafana is based on the Juniper Paragon Insights TSDB plugin.

For more information on supported syntax parameters, see Table 1.

Figure 1: Querying from Grafana UIQuerying from Grafana UI
Table 1: Examples of InfluxDB and TSDB Syntax Parameters

InfluxDB Querying Options

TSDB Querying Options

FROM—Select the data source (device, device group, topic/rule).

DEVICE—Select one or more than one device for this query.

SELECT—Select the data field, and apply aggregation and transformation types to the data.

DEVICE GROUP—Select one or more than one device group for this query.

GROUP BY—Specify how to group data based on KPI keys.

MEASUREMENT—Select the Paragon Insights topic or rule name.

FORMAT AS—Specify if you want to format as table, time series, or log.

WHERE—Filter data based on tags and fields.

FIELDS—Select the fields to which you want to apply the aggregation.

GROUP BY—Specify how to group data based KPI keys.

FORMAT AS—Specify if you want to format as table, time series, or log.

PER DEVICE LIMIT—Set the per-device limit of the base query for each device (database) that you have selected.

AGGREGATED LIMIT—Set the aggregate limit for the device (databases) after the base query is run.

ALIAS BY—Rename a field. For example, if you select mean as an aggregation function for a field named bps, you can give it an alias name called mean_bps.

View Prepopulated Graphs

Starting with Paragon Insights Release 4.3.0, you can view prepopulated graphs from the Grafana dashboard.

You can view prepopulated graphs from the Dashboards section of the Grafana Home page. You can also view these prepopulated graphs by clicking Dashboard > Manage > Paragon Insights Cluster Health. With Paragon Insights Release 4.3.0, the following graphs are available by default:

  • CPU Usage—View cluster-wise or node-wise information on CPU (%) usage at different levels.

  • Disk Read Usage (r_await)—View cluster-wise or node-wise information on average time taken for disk reads to be served.

  • Disk Write Usage (w_await)—View cluster-wise or node-wise information on average time taken for disk writes to be served.

  • Node Memory Available—View information on free memory available on a node in a selected cluster.

Click the name of a graph to view more information of that graph. You can view a prepopulated graph of all nodes in a cluster at a time, and also view prepopulated graphs of one or more nodes in a cluster.

Back Up and Restore Grafana Data

Back Up Grafana Data

  1. Click Administration > Backup.

    The Backup page appears.

  2. Click Backup Grafana to backup Grafana data. The Confirm Backup pop-up appears.
  3. Click Ok to confirm.

Restore Grafana Data

  1. Click Administration > Restore. The Restore page appears.

  2. Click Choose file and select the backed-up Grafana data file from your local system; click Ok to confirm selection.

  3. Click Restore Grafana to restore Grafana data.

  4. Click Ok to confirm.

Related Documentation

Release History Table
Release
Description
4.3.0
Starting with Paragon Insights Release 4.3.0, you can view prepopulated graphs from the Grafana dashboard.
4.1.0
Starting with Paragon Insights (formerly HealthBot) Release 4.1.0, you can use the Grafana user interface (UI) to view data of your network devices.