Observability Unveiled: Navigating OpenTelemetry's Framework and Deployment Options
A recent Tech Talk, Starting With Observability: OpenTelemetry Best Practices explored the foundational technology and framework of OpenTelemetry, focusing on its role in enabling observability practices and its rapid adoption across various industries. It emphasizes the value of deploying the OpenTelemetry collector and the recommended modes of deployment, such as Agent mode and Gateway mode.
Hear from Splunk’s Observability Practitioner Director, Greg Leffler, as he delves into tips and tricks for using OpenTelemetry, understanding the deployment options, and choosing the appropriate deployment model based on the specific needs of the environment.
Exploring OpenTelemetry: An Introduction to Observability
Understanding OpenTelemetry: A Framework for Observability
Learn about OpenTelemetry, a foundational technology used for observability, its components, integrations, and benefits for monitoring and instrumentation across various platforms and languages.
OpenTelemetry, a buzzword that has caught the attention of many, is the focus of this edition of Splunk's Tech Talks. The session delves into the foundational technology and framework that OpenTelemetry offers for observability. It is designed to capture distributed traces, metrics, logs, and more, providing a standard way to enrich data.
OpenTelemetry also stands out for its flexibility and lack of vendor lock-in, offering users full control over their telemetry data. The webinar highlights the importance of OpenTelemetry, emphasizing its role in enabling observability practices and its rapid adoption across various industries. According to the speaker, a significant number of organizations are already embracing observability, recognizing its value and the need for dedicated experts in this field.
The session also addresses the process of getting started with OpenTelemetry, emphasizing the significance of deploying the OpenTelemetry collector and the recommended modes of deployment, such as Agent mode and Gateway mode.
Implementing OpenTelemetry: Starting Small and Necessary Configurations
Getting Started With Splunk and OpenTelemetry: Installation and Configuration Guide
Learn how to easily start using Splunk with OpenTelemetry, whether you're a Splunk customer or not, by following the installation and configuration steps.
When implementing OpenTelemetry, it is crucial to start small and gradually expand a deployment. By beginning with one service or a specific environment, it allows for a better understanding of the benefits and facilitates easier configuration adjustments. Additionally, it is important to ensure the necessary extensions are enabled for seamless troubleshooting and data processing.
Extensions such as health checks, zpages, and batch are essential for monitoring the performance of data pipelines. Moreover, log collection via the Filelog receiver can be considered to reduce the number of needed agents. By following these steps, the implementation of OpenTelemetry can be streamlined and optimized for effective observability. It's also worth noting that the majority of business cases involve the deployment of OpenTelemetry in Agent mode, which is the most common and recommended approach for collecting host metric data and forwarding application data to the observability backend.
However, in complex environments or where scalability and network traffic need to be managed, deploying the collector in gateway mode might be more suitable.
Tips and Tricks for Using OpenTelemetry
When using OpenTelemetry, it is essential to consider the deployment mode that best suits your environment. The most common mode is the Agent mode, which is deployed onto every machine to collect host metric data and forward application data to the observability backend. However, for complex environments with potential network constraints or scalability concerns, the Gateway mode is a viable option.
In Gateway mode, the agent can still run on every machine but it would then direct data to a gateway machine before sending it to the observability backend, addressing issues related to network traffic and data volume. Additionally, in cases where the collector is not required, such as in platform-as-a-service systems, applications can directly emit data to endpoints without the need for a collector.
Understanding the deployment options and choosing the appropriate mode based on the specific needs of the environment is crucial for effective implementation of OpenTelemetry.
Understanding OpenTelemetry Collector Deployment Modes
Understanding the OpenTelemetry Collector and Ecosystem
Explore the functionalities of the OpenTelemetry collector, including receivers, processors, extensions, and exporters, enabling efficient data collection and integration with various formats and destinations.
The OpenTelemetry collector offers two deployment modes: Agent mode, Gateway mode. You can also use OpenTelemetry without the collector (No Collector mode). In Agent mode, the collector is deployed on every machine to collect host metric data and application data, forwarding it to the observability backend. This mode is recommended for most common environments. On the other hand, Gateway mode involves running the agent on every machine but instead of sending data directly to the observability backends, sending it to a gateway machine, which then communicates with the observability backend.
Gateway mode is suitable for complex environments, large-scale deployments, and where network traffic and overall performance of the observability infrastructure need careful consideration. Alternatively, in scenarios where the collector is not required, such as in platform as a service systems, applications can directly emit data to endpoints without the need for a collector.
This 'No Collector' mode is ideal for simple applications that require minimal instrumentation. Understanding these deployment modes is crucial for optimizing the performance and efficiency of the OpenTelemetry collector in different deployment scenarios.
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Starting With Observability: OpenTelemetry Best Practices
Exploring Key Features of OpenTelemetry
Exploring Zpages: A Hidden Gem in OpenTelemetry Collector
Discover the power of Zpages in OpenTelemetry Collector for monitoring and troubleshooting pipelines with ease.
OpenTelemetry offers a range of powerful features designed to enhance observability and streamline the collection of crucial data. One noteworthy feature is the zpages extension, which provides valuable troubleshooting insights. By enabling the zpages extension during the setup of the OpenTelemetry pipeline, users gain access to configz, statsz, rpcz, and tracez.
These components offer real-time visibility into the internal workings of the collector, simplifying the troubleshooting process and providing essential performance metrics.
The OpenTelemetry pipeline is a core component that supports receivers, processors, and exporters. Receivers are capable of accepting data in various formats, including OTLP, Jaeger, Prometheus, and more, ensuring flexibility in data ingestion. Processors allow for data manipulation, such as sampling, batching, and filtering, offering extensive customization options. Exporters then facilitate the transfer of data out of the collector, enabling seamless integration with observability backends.
Furthermore, OpenTelemetry promotes both automatic and manual instrumentation.
Getting Started with OpenTelemetry
Getting Started With Splunk and OpenTelemetry: Installation and Configuration Guide
Learn how to easily start using Splunk with OpenTelemetry, whether you're a Splunk customer or not, by following the installation and configuration steps.
To begin with, automatic instrumentation should be the starting point for any OpenTelemetry deployment. It eliminates the need to understand OpenTelemetry in significant depth, making it a suitable option for most use cases. However, if automatic instrumentation is not available for certain languages or frameworks, manual instrumentation can be added as needed.
For Splunk customers, using resources such as the Cloud Native Computing Foundation Slack and Splunk Professional Services is highly recommended. The Slack channel provides real-time access to OpenTelemetry experts for specific problem-solving, and Splunk Professional Services can offer valuable support and guidance, with assigned experts on Splunk and OpenTelemetry available.
Joining the Cloud Native Computing Foundation Slack is essential for gathering insights and assistance related to OpenTelemetry. The community-focused program allows users to engage with knowledgeable individuals and stay updated on the latest developments.
It's crucial to initiate an OpenTelemetry deployment as soon as possible, as it provides an opportunity to gain experience and familiarity with the system.
Deploying the Collector: Platforms and Steps
Getting Started With Splunk Observability Cloud: Deploying the OpenTelemetry Collector
Learn how to deploy the OpenTelemetry Collector in Splunk Observability Cloud and configure it using the provided configuration files.
The OpenTelemetry collector can be deployed on various platforms, including Linux, Windows, Kubernetes, and EC2. The deployment can also be carried out in different modes, such as agent or gateway. It is recommended to use the agent mode for deployment. In Splunk Observability Cloud, the process begins with clicking on the 'Add Integration' option and selecting OpenTelemetry as the integration of choice.
This initiates a wizard to set up the collector.
The installation process requires the use of cURL to download the setup script, which then determines the realm of the observability cloud install and the access token to be used. Additionally, the Java zero-touch instrumentation can be enabled during the deployment process.
Once the deployment is completed, the configuration file for the collector is located at /etc/otel/collector/config.yaml, and the environment variables are specified at /etc/otel/collector/splunk-otel-collector.conf.
Configuring the Splunk OpenTelemetry Collector
Getting Started With Splunk Observability Cloud: Deploying the OpenTelemetry Collector
Learn how to deploy the OpenTelemetry Collector in Splunk Observability Cloud and configure it using the provided configuration files.
The configuration of the Splunk OpenTelemetry Collector is an essential aspect of setting up and optimizing your observability platform. The collector relies on two key configuration files, which hold critical information about the collector's operation and behavior. The configuration file for the collector is located at /etc/otel/collector/config.yaml, while the environment variables are specified in /etc/otel/collector/splunk-otel-collector.conf.
These files play a pivotal role in determining how the collector runs, the pipeline structure, and the settings for extensions and environment variables.
Making changes to these configuration files is a straightforward process. Any modifications to the configuration files must be followed by a restart of the collector to ensure the changes take effect. It is important to note that the OpenTelemetry Auto Instrumentation package can also be installed, which automatically updates the ld.so.preload file, enabling automatic instrumentation of Java applications by simply restarting them.
Exploring OpenTelemetry Features: Enabling zpages
Discover the power of Zpages in OpenTelemetry Collector for monitoring and troubleshooting pipelines with ease.
Enabling zpages in the OpenTelemetry collector provides valuable insights into the system's performance and operation. These zpages offer a comprehensive view of the collector's inner workings and facilitate efficient monitoring and troubleshooting.
Introduction to zpages:
Zpages are an essential feature of the OpenTelemetry collector, allowing users to gain visibility into various aspects of the system. They offer detailed information about the collector's configuration, pipeline, extensions, and traces, enabling users to better understand the behavior of the collector.
Different types of zpages:
There are several types of zpages, each serving a specific purpose. These include the config zpage, pipeline zpage, extensions zpage, feature zpage, and trace zpage. Each type provides distinct insights into the functioning of the OpenTelemetry collector, allowing for comprehensive analysis and monitoring.
Conclusion
In conclusion, OpenTelemetry plays a pivotal role in enabling observability practices, offering a standard way to enrich data and providing flexibility without vendor lock-in. The deployment of the OpenTelemetry collector, with a focus on agent mode and gateway mode, is crucial for effective data collection and forwarding to the observability backend.
The deployment process involves utilizing cURL to download the setup script, determining the realm of the observability cloud install, and configuring the access token.
Related Tech Talk
OpenTelemetry: What’s Next. Logs, Profiles, and More. Watch the Replay
