Mastering gnocchi in openstack: how to install and configure effortlessly

Gnocchi is an OpenStack project that provides a time-series database service for collecting and storing monitoring data. It enables users to gather and analyze metrics from various OpenStack components, such as Compute (Nova), Block Storage (Cinder), and Networking (Neutron). This blog post will guide you through the detailed process of installing Gnocchi in an OpenStack environment.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding with the installation, ensure that you have the following prerequisites:

• OpenStack cloud platform (version Havana or later)
• Python 3.6 or later
• Virtualenv (optional, but recommended)
• MariaDB or MySQL database
• RabbitMQ message broker

Installing Gnocchi

1. Create a Virtual Environment

It is recommended to create a virtual environment to isolate the Gnocchi installation from the system packages. To do this, run the following commands:

“`bash
python3 -m venv gnocchi-venv
source gnocchi-venv/bin/activate
“`

2. Install Gnocchi Packages

From the virtual environment, install the necessary Gnocchi packages:

“`bash
pip install gnocchi
“`

3. Create a Gnocchi Database

Create a database for Gnocchi using your preferred database management tool. For example, for MariaDB:

“`bash
mysql -u root -p
CREATE DATABASE gnocchi;
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON gnocchi.* TO ‘gnocchi’@’localhost’ IDENTIFIED BY ‘password’;
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
“`

4. Configure Gnocchi

Edit the `/etc/gnocchi/gnocchi.conf` file and update the following options:

“`
[database]
connection = mysql+pymysql://gnocchi:password@localhost/gnocchi

[storage]
backend = influxdb

[index]
driver = elasticsearch

[elasticsearch]
host = localhost:9200
“`

5. Initialize the Gnocchi Database

Initialize the Gnocchi database:

“`bash
gnocchi-manage db sync
“`

6. Start Gnocchi Services

Start the Gnocchi services:

“`bash
service gnocchi-metricd start
service gnocchi-api start
service gnocchi-statsd start
“`

Configuring Monitoring

1. Enable Metrics Collection

Enable metrics collection from various OpenStack components by configuring the appropriate plugins. For example, to enable metrics collection from Nova, edit `/etc/gnocchi/nova.yaml` and set `enabled` to `true`.

2. Configure Resource Types

Define the resource types that Gnocchi will monitor. Edit `/etc/gnocchi/resources.yaml` and add the desired resource types.

3. Create Archives

Create archives to store the collected metrics. Edit `/etc/gnocchi/archives.yaml` and add the desired archives.

Monitoring Gnocchi

You can monitor the Gnocchi services using the following commands:

“`bash
journalctl -u gnocchi-metricd
journalctl -u gnocchi-api
journalctl -u gnocchi-statsd
“`

Troubleshooting

1. Gnocchi Services Not Starting

Check the Gnocchi logs (`/var/log/gnocchi/`) for errors. Ensure that the database connection is correct and the message broker is running.

2. Metrics Not Being Collected

Verify that the monitoring plugins are enabled and configured correctly. Check the Gnocchi logs for any errors related to metric collection.

Wrapping Up

Installing Gnocchi in OpenStack is a straightforward process that provides valuable monitoring capabilities. By following the steps outlined in this blog post, you can effectively gather and analyze metrics from your OpenStack environment to optimize performance and ensure reliability.

Questions You May Have

1. What is the purpose of Gnocchi?

Gnocchi is a time-series database service that collects and stores monitoring data from OpenStack components.

2. What are the benefits of using Gnocchi?

Gnocchi enables users to gather and analyze metrics to optimize performance, identify trends, and troubleshoot issues.

3. What are the prerequisites for installing Gnocchi?

Prerequisites include OpenStack Havana or later, Python 3.6+, a database, and a message broker.