Use GUI, CLI or API to deploy a VPC and connect a VPC Application to a Monitoring service.

Purpose

This scenario illustrates how to integrate IBM Cloud Monitoring with an application installed in a VPC. This scenario uses the IBM Cloud Console for interacting with the IBM Cloud.

The example shown in this scenario includes a Node.js application (AppMonitor) which pushes a custom metric to the IBM Cloud Monitoring service.

After completing the scenario you will be able to:

• Create Virtual Private Clouds using the IBM Cloud console
• Create linux Virtual Servers in a Virtual Private Cloud
• Connect to and execute commands in a linux Virtual Server
• Provision an IBM Cloud Monitoring service using the IBM Cloud console
• Push a custom monitoring Metric to IBM Cloud Monitoring from a Virtual Server

The AppMonitor sample application

This scenario includes a small Node.js application called AppMonitor. This Node.js application provides a simple REST API to issue a custom metric to the IBM Cloud Monitoring service.

AppMonitor uses the Express.js Framework to serve the 'sendMetric' REST API.

AppMonitor uses the IBM Cloud Monitoring Node Library to send metrics to IBM Cloud Monitoring.

Architecture

Prerequisites

1. An IBM Cloud Account
2. Authority to create Organizations, Spaces, VPC resources and IBM Monitoring service in the IBM Cloud Account
3. A provisioned instance of the IBM Monitoring service
4. IBM Cloud API Key for Monitoring service. Generating an API Key
5. ssh-keygen installed locally.

Assumptions

1. You have basic knowledge of the linux VI editor

Creating a Virtual Private Cloud.

First we must create a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) and a Virtual Server in the VPC that the AppMonitor sample application will execute in. The instructions to deploy the VPC infrastructure for this scenario are available in these flavors:

1. Using the IBM Cloud CLI
2. Using the IBM Console UI
3. Using the IBM Cloud API

Install the AppMonitor sample application

Now that we have a VPC and a Virtual Server Instance, it is time to install the AppMonitor application.

1. Issue the following command to access the Virtual Server from your workstation:

   • ssh root@*floating ip*
     The floating ip is the IP address assigned to the VPC's VSI in the previous section.

   If you need to specify the SSH Key file, use the following command:

   • ssh -i *ssh key file* root@*floating ip* The ssh key file is the full path and filename of the SSH Key file created with your VPC.

2. Update the local package repository. Issue the command

   • sudo apt-get update

3. Install the LTS version of Node.js (which includes NPM) by issuing the following commands:

   • curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_10.x | sudo -E bash -
   • sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

Note: If receiving a groot error, follow the instructions in the error message and update /boot/grub/menu.lst.

4. Verify the Node.js and NPM installation is complete by issuing the commands:

   • node -v
   • npm -v

5. Create a new directory called 'appMonitor' and change to that directory by issuing these commands:

   • mkdir appMonitor
   • cd appMonitor

6. Create the package.json file by issuing the command vi package.json

7. Copy the following code to your clipboard and add it to the file.

{
    "name": "AppMonitorDemo",
    "version": "0.0.1",
    "private": true,
    "scripts": {
        "start": "node main.js"
    },
    "dependencies": {
        "express": "4.15.x",
        "ibm-cloud-monitoring": "^0.1.0"
    },
    "repository": {},
    "engines": {
        "node": "6.x"
    }
}

8. Save and exit the file
9. Create the main.js file by issuing the command vi main.js
10. Copy and paste the entire main.js source file into the vi editor. Open the main.js file
11. Update the following constants in main.js file with your values. See Sending data by using the Metrics API documentation:
    • cloudAPIKey - Your IBM Cloud API Key (see Prerequisites section).
    • spaceGUID - IBM Cloud Space GUID where the Monitor service resides.
    • monitorEndPoint - Metrics Monitor endpoint.
12. Save and exit the file
13. Issue the command npm update
14. Start the application by issuing the command npm start

Sending a custom monitor metric to IBM Cloud Monitoring

Now that we have the AppMonitor installed and running on the Virtual Server lets send a metric.

Do not close the SSH session that AppMonitor is executing in.

1. Open a new Terminal/Command Prompt on your workstation.

2. Issue the following command:

   ssh root@*floating ip*

   • The floating ip is the IP address assigned to the VPC's VSI in the previous section.

   If you need to specify the SSH Key file, use the following command:

   ssh -i *ssh key file* root@*floating ip*

   • The ssh key file is the full path and filename of the SSH Key file created with your VPC.

3. Issue the following command to send a custom metric:

   curl http://localhost:6001/sendMetric

4. You should see the IBM Cloud Monitor response Hint: If there was an error of any kind while sending the custom metric, you will see that error displayed in the SSH session which is running AppMonitor

Links

• IBM Cloud VPC
• IBM Cloud Monitoring - Getting Started
• IBM Cloud Monitoring Node Library
• IBM Catalog Monitoring service
• Metric Rest API