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index 7173c1d96753b53b7b523777543ea9500e36d5bb..b5f4556770fe00729a5c86564b023b7026589da3 100644 (file)
Database (B<RRD>) files. The file is created at its final, full size
and filled with I<*UNKNOWN*> data.
-=over 8
+=over
=item I<filename>
definitions that follow. Also consult the section on "HOW TO MEASURE"
for further insight.
-=over 4
+=over
=item B<GAUGE>
overflow checks. So if your counter does not reset at 32 or 64 bit you
might want to use DERIVE and combine it with a MIN value of 0.
-=over
-
-=item NOTE on COUNTER vs DERIVE
+NOTE on COUNTER vs DERIVE
by Don Baarda E<lt>don.baarda@baesystems.comE<gt>
setting will eliminate the possibility of mistaking a reset for a counter
wrap.
-=back
-
=item B<ABSOLUTE>
is for counters which get reset upon reading. This is used for fast counters
I<xff> The xfiles factor defines what part of a consolidation interval may
be made up from I<*UNKNOWN*> data while the consolidated value is still
-regarded as known.
+regarded as known. It is given as the ratio of allowed I<*UNKNOWN*> PDPs
+to the number of PDPs in the interval. Thus, it ranges from 0 to 1 (exclusive).
+
I<steps> defines how many of these I<primary data points> are used to build
a I<consolidated data point> which then goes into the archive.
=item *
-B<RRA:>I<HWPREDICT>B<:>I<rows>B<:>I<alpha>B<:>I<beta>B<:>I<seasonal period>B<:>I<rra-num>
+B<RRA:>I<HWPREDICT>B<:>I<rows>B<:>I<alpha>B<:>I<beta>B<:>I<seasonal period>[B<:>I<rra-num>]
=item *
It may help you to sort out why all this *UNKNOWN* data is popping
up in your databases:
-RRDtool gets fed samples at arbitrary times. From these it builds Primary
-Data Points (PDPs) at exact times on every "step" interval. The PDPs are
-then accumulated into RRAs.
+RRDtool gets fed samples/updates at arbitrary times. From these it builds Primary
+Data Points (PDPs) on every "step" interval. The PDPs are
+then accumulated into the RRAs.
The "heartbeat" defines the maximum acceptable interval between
-samples. If the interval between samples is less than "heartbeat",
+samples/updates. If the interval between samples is less than "heartbeat",
then an average rate is calculated and applied for that interval. If
the interval between samples is longer than "heartbeat", then that
entire interval is considered "unknown". Note that there are other
things that can make a sample interval "unknown", such as the rate
-exceeding limits, or even an "unknown" input sample.
+exceeding limits, or a sample that was explicitly marked as unknown.
The known rates during a PDP's "step" interval are used to calculate
-an average rate for that PDP. Also, if the total "unknown" time during
-the "step" interval exceeds the "heartbeat", the entire PDP is marked
+an average rate for that PDP. If the total "unknown" time accounts for
+more than B<half> the "step", the entire PDP is marked
as "unknown". This means that a mixture of known and "unknown" sample
-times in a single PDP "step" may or may not add up to enough "unknown"
-time to exceed "heartbeat" and hence mark the whole PDP "unknown". So
-"heartbeat" is not only the maximum acceptable interval between
-samples, but also the maximum acceptable amount of "unknown" time per
-PDP (obviously this is only significant if you have "heartbeat" less
-than "step").
+times in a single PDP "step" may or may not add up to enough "known"
+time to warrent for a known PDP.
The "heartbeat" can be short (unusual) or long (typical) relative to
the "step" interval between PDPs. A short "heartbeat" means you
u|15|/ "swt" expired
u|16|
|17|----* sample4, restart "hb", create "pdp" for step1 =
- |18| / = unknown due to 10 "u" labled secs > "hb"
+ |18| / = unknown due to 10 "u" labled secs > 0.5 * step
|19| /
|20| /
|21|----* sample5, restart "hb"
=head1 AUTHOR
-Tobias Oetiker E<lt>oetiker@ee.ethz.chE<gt>
+Tobias Oetiker E<lt>tobi@oetiker.chE<gt>