Ubuntu Host Metrics

Use OpenTelemetry to instrument host metrics.

Read the setup guide for more details.

Prerequisites

Before setting up Ubuntu host metrics monitoring, ensure you have:

• Ubuntu server with administrative access
• OpenTelemetry Collector installation access
• Last9 account with integration credentials

1. Install OpenTelemetry Collector

   You can install either rpm or deb package depending on flavor of operating system you are using.

   Note: systemd is required for automatic service configuration.

   • RPM Package
   • DEB Package

   Installing rpm package:

   wget https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-releases/releases/download/v0.118.0/otelcol-contrib_0.118.0_linux_amd64.rpm
   sudo rpm -ivh otelcol-contrib_0.118.0_linux_amd64.rpm

   More installation options can be found here.

2. Configure OpenTelemetry Collector

   Create the configuration file:

   sudo nano /etc/otel-contrib-collector/config.yaml

   Use the following configuration for OpenTelemetry Collector:

   receivers:
     filelog:
       # File path pattern to read system logs from.
       include: [/var/log/*.log]
       include_file_path: true
       retry_on_failure:
         enabled: true
     hostmetrics:
       collection_interval: 60s
       scrapers:
         cpu:
           metrics:
             system.cpu.logical.count:
               enabled: true
         memory:
           metrics:
             system.memory.utilization:
               enabled: true
             system.memory.limit:
               enabled: true
         load:
         disk:
         filesystem:
           metrics:
             system.filesystem.utilization:
               enabled: true
         network:
         paging:
         processes:
         process:
           mute_process_user_error: true
           mute_process_io_error: true
           mute_process_exe_error: true
           metrics:
             process.cpu.utilization:
               enabled: true
             process.memory.utilization:
               enabled: true
   
   processors:
     batch:
       timeout: 20s
       send_batch_size: 10000
       send_batch_max_size: 10000
     resourcedetection/system:
       detectors: ["system"]
       system:
         hostname_sources: ["os"]
     resourcedetection/cloud:
       detectors: ["aws", "gcp", "azure"]
     transform/hostmetrics:
       metric_statements:
         - context: datapoint
           statements:
             - set(attributes["host.name"], resource.attributes["host.name"])
             - set(attributes["cloud.account.id"], resource.attributes["cloud.account.id"])
             - set(attributes["cloud.availability_zone"], resource.attributes["cloud.availability_zone"])
             - set(attributes["cloud.platform"], resource.attributes["cloud.platform"])
             - set(attributes["cloud.provider"], resource.attributes["cloud.provider"])
             - set(attributes["cloud.region"], resource.attributes["cloud.region"])
             - set(attributes["host.type"], resource.attributes["host.type"])
             - set(attributes["host.image.id"], resource.attributes["host.image.id"])
     transform/logs:
       flatten_data: true
       log_statements:
         - context: resource
           statements:
             - set(attributes["service.name"], "hostmetrics") # Change this as needed
             - set(attributes["deployment.environment"], "staging") # Change this as needed
   
   exporters:
     otlp/last9:
       endpoint: "{{ .Logs.WriteURL }}"
       headers:
         "Authorization": "{{ .Logs.AuthValue }}"
     debug:
       verbosity: detailed
   
   service:
     pipelines:
       logs:
         receivers: [filelog]
         processors:
           [
             batch,
             resourcedetection/system,
             resourcedetection/cloud,
             transform/logs,
           ]
         exporters: [otlp/last9]
       metrics:
         receivers: [hostmetrics]
         processors:
           [
             batch,
             resourcedetection/system,
             resourcedetection/cloud,
             transform/hostmetrics,
           ]
         exporters: [otlp/last9]

3. Configure the OpenTelemetry Collector Service

   Create the service file:

   sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/otelcol-contrib.service

   Add the following:

   [Unit]
   Description=OpenTelemetry Collector Contrib with custom flags
   After=network.target
   
   [Service]
   ExecStart=/usr/bin/otelcol-contrib --config /etc/otelcol-contrib/config.yaml --feature-gates transform.flatten.logs
   Restart=always
   User=root
   Group=root
   
   [Install]
   WantedBy=multi-user.target

4. Start the OpenTelemetry Collector Service

   Reload systemd to apply changes and start the service:

   sudo systemctl daemon-reload
   sudo systemctl enable otelcol-contrib
   sudo systemctl start otelcol-contrib

Verification

Verify Configuration and Monitor Logs:

Check the service status:

sudo systemctl status otelcol-contrib

Monitor logs in real-time:

sudo journalctl -u otelcol-contrib -f

Log into your Last9 account to confirm host metrics are being received.

Need Help?

If you encounter any issues or have questions:

• Join our Discord community for real-time support
• Contact our support team at support@last9.io