JTI OpenConfig Telemetry and Azure Application Insights Integration

Input and output integration overview

The JTI OpenConfig Telemetry plugin allows users to collect real-time telemetry data from devices running Juniper’s implementation of the OpenConfig model, leveraging the Junos Telemetry Interface for efficient data retrieval.

This plugin writes Telegraf metrics to Azure Application Insights, enabling powerful monitoring and diagnostics.

Integration details

JTI OpenConfig Telemetry

This plugin reads data from Juniper Networks’ OpenConfig telemetry implementation using the Junos Telemetry Interface (JTI). OpenConfig is an initiative aimed at enabling standardized and open network device telemetry through a common model for various devices and protocols. The JTI allows for the collection of this telemetry data in a real-time manner from various sensors defined within the configuration. Configurable parameters for this plugin include the ability to specify device addresses, authentication credentials, sampling frequency, and multiple sensors with potentially different reporting rates. The plugin uniquely handles time-stamping either through the collection time or the timestamp provided in the data, allowing for flexibility in how data is processed. Given its support for TLS for secure communication, the plugin is well-suited for integration into both traditional and modern network management systems, enhancing visibility into network performance and reliability.

Azure Application Insights

The Azure Application Insights plugin integrates Telegraf with Azure’s Application Insights service, facilitating the seamless transmission of metrics from various sources to a centralized monitoring platform. This plugin empowers users to harness the capabilities of Azure Application Insights, a powerful application performance management tool, allowing developers and IT operations teams to gain valuable insights into the performance, availability, and usage of their applications. By employing this plugin, users can monitor application telemetry and operational data efficiently, contributing to better diagnostics and improved application performance.

Key features of this plugin include the ability to specify an instrumentation key for the Application Insights resource, configure the endpoint URL for tracking, and enable additional diagnostic logging for a more comprehensive analysis. Furthermore, the plugin provides context tagging capabilities, allowing the addition of specific Application Insights context tags to enhance the contextual information associated with metrics being sent. These features collectively make the Azure Application Insights Output Plugin a vital tool for organizations looking to optimize their monitoring capabilities within Azure.

Configuration

JTI OpenConfig Telemetry

[[inputs.jti_openconfig_telemetry]]
  ## List of device addresses to collect telemetry from
  servers = ["localhost:1883"]

  ## Authentication details. Username and password are must if device expects
  ## authentication. Client ID must be unique when connecting from multiple instances
  ## of telegraf to the same device
  username = "user"
  password = "pass"
  client_id = "telegraf"

  ## Frequency to get data
  sample_frequency = "1000ms"

  ## Sensors to subscribe for
  ## A identifier for each sensor can be provided in path by separating with space
  ## Else sensor path will be used as identifier
  ## When identifier is used, we can provide a list of space separated sensors.
  ## A single subscription will be created with all these sensors and data will
  ## be saved to measurement with this identifier name
  sensors = [
   "/interfaces/",
   "collection /components/ /lldp",
  ]

  ## We allow specifying sensor group level reporting rate. To do this, specify the
  ## reporting rate in Duration at the beginning of sensor paths / collection
  ## name. For entries without reporting rate, we use configured sample frequency
  sensors = [
   "1000ms customReporting /interfaces /lldp",
   "2000ms collection /components",
   "/interfaces",
  ]

  ## Timestamp Source
  ## Set to 'collection' for time of collection, and 'data' for using the time
  ## provided by the _timestamp field.
  # timestamp_source = "collection"

  ## Optional TLS Config
  # enable_tls = false
  # tls_ca = "/etc/telegraf/ca.pem"
  # tls_cert = "/etc/telegraf/cert.pem"
  # tls_key = "/etc/telegraf/key.pem"
  ## Minimal TLS version to accept by the client
  # tls_min_version = "TLS12"
  ## Use TLS but skip chain & host verification
  # insecure_skip_verify = false

  ## Delay between retry attempts of failed RPC calls or streams. Defaults to 1000ms.
  ## Failed streams/calls will not be retried if 0 is provided
  retry_delay = "1000ms"

  ## Period for sending keep-alive packets on idle connections
  ## This is helpful to identify broken connections to the server
  # keep_alive_period = "10s"

  ## To treat all string values as tags, set this to true
  str_as_tags = false

Azure Application Insights

[[outputs.application_insights]]
  ## Instrumentation key of the Application Insights resource.
  instrumentation_key = "xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxx"

  ## Regions that require endpoint modification https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-monitor/app/custom-endpoints
  # endpoint_url = "https://dc.services.visualstudio.com/v2/track"

  ## Timeout for closing (default: 5s).
  # timeout = "5s"

  ## Enable additional diagnostic logging.
  # enable_diagnostic_logging = false

  ## NOTE: Due to the way TOML is parsed, tables must be at the END of the
  ## plugin definition, otherwise additional config options are read as part of
  ## the table

  ## Context Tag Sources add Application Insights context tags to a tag value.
  ##
  ## For list of allowed context tag keys see:
  ## https://github.com/microsoft/ApplicationInsights-Go/blob/master/appinsights/contracts/contexttagkeys.go
  # [outputs.application_insights.context_tag_sources]
  #   "ai.cloud.role" = "kubernetes_container_name"
  #   "ai.cloud.roleInstance" = "kubernetes_pod_name"

Input and output integration examples

JTI OpenConfig Telemetry

1. Network Performance Monitoring: Use the JTI OpenConfig Telemetry plugin to monitor network performance metrics from multiple Juniper devices in real-time. By configuring various sensors, operators can gain insights into interface performance, traffic patterns, and error rates, allowing for proactive troubleshooting and optimization of the network.

2. Automated Fault Detection: Integrate the telemetry data collected via this plugin with a fault detection system that triggers alerts based on predefined thresholds. For example, when a specific sensor indicates a fault or threshold breach, automated scripts can be initiated to remediate the situation, dramatically improving response times.

3. Historical Performance Analysis: By forwarding the collected telemetry data into a time-series database, organizations can perform historical analysis on network performance. This enables teams to identify trends over time, spot anomalies, and make more informed decisions regarding network capacity planning and resource allocation.

4. Real-Time Dashboards for Network Operations: Leverage the real-time data gathered through this plugin to power visualization dashboards that provide network operators with live insights into performance metrics. This facilitates better operational awareness and quicker decision-making during critical events.

Azure Application Insights

1. Application Performance Monitoring: Utilize the Azure Application Insights plugin to continuously monitor the performance of your web applications or microservices. By sending Telegraf metrics directly to Application Insights, teams can visualize real-time application performance data, enabling proactive tuning and optimization of application resources. This setup not only enhances the reliability of applications but also ensures user satisfaction through consistent performance monitoring.

2. Integrated Logging and Telemetry: Combine this plugin with centralized logging solutions to provide a comprehensive observability stack. By sending telecom data to Azure Application Insights, teams can correlate performance metrics with log data and gain deeper insights into application behavior, allowing for more efficient troubleshooting and root cause analysis.

3. Contextual Monitoring of Cloud Resources: Use the context tagging feature to enrich your application metrics with specific contextual information related to your cloud environment. This enhanced context can be invaluable for understanding the performance of cloud-native applications, enabling better scaling decisions and resource management based on real usage patterns.

4. Real-time Alerts Setup: Configure Application Insights to trigger alerts based on specific metrics received via this plugin. This allows teams to be notified of performance degradation or anomalies in real-time, enabling immediate action to mitigate issues and maintain high availability of applications.

Feedback

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