InfluxDB plugin
The InfluxDB plugin allows you to query and visualize time-series data.
For more information about what this plugin does and the data streams it retrieves, see:
To add a data source click on the + next to Data Sources on the left-hand menu in SquaredUp. Search for the data source and click on it to open the Configure data source page.
You can also add a data source by clicking Add data source on the Settings > Data Sources page, but pre-built dashboards are not added when using this method.
Before you start
The InfluxDB plugin is a "hybrid" plugin, meaning it is available in SquaredUp as both a cloud and an on-prem plugin.
- Use the cloud plugin if your InfluxDB database is available on the internet. You do not need to configure a relay agent.
- Use the on-prem plugin to access a InfluxDB database on a server on-prem. You will need to configure a relay agent before you configure the InfluxDB on-prem plugin.
An on-prem data source uses a relay agent to connect SquaredUp to a data source running on your internal network.
A relay agent is installed on a server on your internal network, and has access to your data source.
Using a relay agent means that you don't need to open your firewall to allow access.
Configuring and deploying an agent
For an on-prem plugin you will need a relay agent that can access the server hosting your on-prem data source. You do not need a relay agent for cloud plugins.
If you have already created a relay agent in SquaredUp that can access this data source, then you can skip this step and choose the agent group you want to use while Configuring the data source.
You can install an agent on either Windows or Linux:
Configuring the data source
Display name:
Enter a name for your data source. This helps you to identify this data source in the list of your data sources.Agent group:
Select the Agent Group that contains the agent(s) you want to use.- Username:
Enter the InfluxDB account username - Password:
The InfluxDB account password - Server:
The server address or IP to connect to. Do not include a port with the SERVER value.If you are adding the InfluxDB on-prem data source, the server must be accessible from the machine running the SquaredUp on-prem relay agent. Only the IP address or hostname is needed, there is no need to include the
https:// - Database:
The name of the database to initially connect to. Any queries executed without a database explicitly set will be run against this database. - Port:
The port to use to connect to InfluxDB. The default is 8086, but can be changed as needed. Ignore certificate errors:
If you activate this checkbox the data source will ignore certificate errors when accessing the server. This is useful if you have self-signed certificates.Restrict access to this data source:
You can enable this option if you only want certain users or groups to have access to the data source, or the permission to link it to new workspaces. See data source access control for more information.The term data source here really means data source instance. For example, a user may configure two instances of the AWS data source, one for their development environment and one for production. In that case, each data source instance has its own access control settings.
By default, Restrict access to this data source is set to off. The data source can be viewed, edited and administered by anyone. If you would like to control who has access to this data source, switch Restrict access to this data source to on.
Use the Restrict access to this data source dropdown to control who has access to the workspace:
- By default, the user setting the permissions for the data source will be given Full Control and the Everyone group will be given Link to workspace permissions.
- Tailor access to the data source, as required, by selecting individual users or user groups from the dropdown and giving them Link to workspace or Full Control permissions.
- If the user is not available from the dropdown, you are able to invite them to the data source by typing in their email address and then clicking Add. The new user will then receive an email inviting them to create an account on SquaredUp. Once the account has been created, they will gain access to the organization.
- At least one user or group must be given Full Control.
- Admin users can edit the configuration, modify the Access Control List (ACL) and delete the data source, regardless of the ACL chosen.
See Access control for more information.
Click Test and add to validate the data source configuration. SquaredUp will now attempt to connect to SquaredUp using the provided authentication method.
- Testing passed – a success message will be displayed and then the configuration will be saved.
- Testing passed with warnings – warnings will be listed and potential fixes suggested. You can still use the data source with warnings. Select Save with warnings if you believe that you can still use the data source as required with the warnings listed. Alternatively, address the issues listed and then select Rerun tests to validate the data source configuration again. If the validation now passes, click Save.
- Testing Failed – errors will be listed and potential fixes suggested. You cannot use the data source with errors. You are able to select Save with errors if you believe that a system outside of SquaredUp is causing the error that you need to fix. Alternatively, address the issues listed and then select Rerun tests to validate the data source configuration again. If the validation now passes, click Save.
You can edit any data source configurations at any time from Settings > Data Sources.
Next steps
You may like: Blog: Getting Started with InfluxDB Dashboards
Data streams
You can use these data streams to create new tiles to show data, or if there are preconfigured dashboards installed you can copy or edit those.
Data streams standardize data from all the different shapes and formats your tools use into a straightforward tabular format.
While creating a tile you can tweak data streams by grouping or aggregating specific columns.
Depending on the kind of data, SquaredUp will automatically suggest how to visualize the result, for example as a table or line graph.
Data streams can be either global or scoped:
- Global data streams are unscoped and return information of a general nature (e.g. "Get the current number of unused hosts").
- A scoped data stream gets information relevant to the specific set objects supplied in the tile scope (e.g. "Get the current session count for these hosts").
See Data Streams for more information.
The following data streams are installed with this plugin.
When using the data source to create data streams you have the option to create three different query types, as detailed below.
This allows for any tabular data to be pulled into SquaredUp and be displayed in a standard table.
This configurable data stream type allows for data to be displayed in a visual format, such as a line graph. When writing a query for use as a Metrics query, the below three columns are mandatory and all others will be ignored.