TSDR User Guide

TSDR Overview

The Time Series Data Repository (TSDR) project in OpenDaylight (ODL) is an extendible collector framework used to collect and store network metrics from SDN protocols, traditional network protocols as well as SDN controller and environment data. This data is stored in a common format using one of several datastores and is accessible by a REST interface, Grafana interface (beta) and by the ODL provided API.

SDN, Environment and Traditional Network Data Collected

  • OpenFlow

  • NetFlow

  • sFlow

  • REST

  • SNMP

  • SysLog

  • Controller Metrics

The Time Series Data Repository (TSDR) project in OpenDaylight (ODL) creates a framework for collecting, storing, querying, and maintaining time series data in the OpenDaylight infrastructure. TSDR provides the framework for plugging in various data collectors to collect OpenFlow, sFlow, NetFlow, SysLog and Controller metrics time series data in a common data model and generic TSDR data persistence API. The user can choose which data stores to be plugged into the TSDR Persistence framework. Three data stores are currently supported: HSQLDB (loaded by default), HBase and Cassandra.

With the capabilities of data collection, storage, query, aggregation and purging provided by TSDR, network administrators could leverage various data driven applications built on top of TSDR for security risk detection, performance analysis, operational configuration optimization, traffic engineering and network analytics with automated intelligence.

TSDR Model/Architecture

TSDR has the following major components:

  • Data Collection Service

    • OpenFlow Data Collector

    • RestConf Data Collector

    • NetFlow Data Collector

    • SNMP Data Collector

    • sFlow Data Collector

    • SysLog Data Collector

    • Controller Metrics Data Collector

  • Data Storage Service

    • HSQLDB Datastore (loaded by default)

    • HBase Datastore

    • Cassandra Datastore

  • Data Query Service

  • ElasticSearch Service

  • Grafana integration for time series data visualization

  • Data Aggregation Service

  • Data Purging Service

The Data Collection Service handles the collection of time series data into TSDR and hands it over to the Data Storage Service. The Data Storage Service stores the data into TSDR through the TSDR Persistence Layer. The TSDR Persistence Layer provides generic Service APIs allowing various data stores to be plugged in. The Data Aggregation Service aggregates time series fine-grained raw data into course-grained roll-up data to control the size of the data. The Data Purging Service periodically purges both fine-grained raw data and course-grained aggregated data according to user-defined schedules.

TSDR provides component-based services on a common data model. These services include the data collection service, data storage service and data query service. The TSDR data storage service supports HSQLDB (the default datastore), HBase and Cassandra datastores. Between these services and components, time series data is communicated using a common TSDR data model. This data model is designed around the abstraction of time series data commonalities. With these services, TSDR is able to collect the data from the data sources and store them into one of the TSDR data stores; HSQLDB, HBase and Cassandra datastores. Data can be retrieved with the Data Query service using the default OpenDaylight RestConf interface or its ODL API interface. TSDR also has integrated support for ElasticSearch capabilities. TSDR data can also be viewed directly with Grafana (beta) for time series visualization or various chart formats.

Configuring TSDR Data Stores

For detailed instruction, see the individual datastore installation guides.

Configure HSQLDB Data Store

The HSQLDB files are stored automatically in <karaf install folder>/tsdr/ directory. If you want to change the default storage location, the configuration file to change can be found in <karaf install folder>/etc directory. The filename is org.ops4j.datasource-metric.cfg. Change the last portion of the url=jdbc:hsqldb:./tsdr/metric to point to different directory.

After installing HBase Server on the same machine as OpenDaylight, if the user accepts the default configuration of the HBase Data Store, the user can directly proceed with the installation of HBase Data Store from Karaf console.

Optionally, the user can configure TSDR HBase Data Store following HBase Data Store Configuration Procedure.

  • HBase Data Store Configuration Steps

    • Open the file etc/tsdr-persistence-hbase.peroperties under karaf distribution directory.

    • Edit the following parameters:

      • HBase server name

      • HBase server port

      • HBase client connection pool size

      • HBase client write buffer size

After the configuration of HBase Data Store is complete, proceed with the installation of HBase Data Store from Karaf console.

  • HBase Data Store Installation Steps

    • Start Karaf Console

    • Run the following commands from Karaf Console: feature:install odl-tsdr-hbase

To Configure Cassandra Data Store

Currently, there’s no configuration needed for Cassandra Data Store. The user can use Cassandra data store directly after installing the feature from Karaf console.

Additionally separate commands have been implemented to install various data collectors.

Administering or Managing TSDR Data Stores

To Administer HSQLDB Data Store

Once the TSDR default datastore feature (odl-tsdr-hsqldb-all) is enabled, the TSDR captured OpenFlow statistics metrics can be accessed from Karaf Console by executing the command

tsdr:list <metric-category> <starttimestamp> <endtimestamp>

wherein

  • <metric-category> = any one of the following categories FlowGroupStats, FlowMeterStats, FlowStats, FlowTableStats, PortStats, QueueStats

  • <starttimestamp> = to filter the list of metrics starting this timestamp

  • <endtimestamp> = to filter the list of metrics ending this timestamp

  • <starttimestamp> and <endtimestamp> are optional.

  • Maximum 1000 records will be displayed.

To Administer HBase Data Store

Using Karaf Command to retrieve data from HBase Data Store

The user first need to install hbase data store from karaf console:

feature:install odl-tsdr-hbase

The user can retrieve the data from HBase data store using the following commands from Karaf console:

tsdr:list tsdr:list <CategoryName> <StartTime> <EndTime>

Typing tab will get the context prompt of the arguments when typeing the command in Karaf console.

To Administer Cassandra Data Store

The user first needs to install Cassandra data store from Karaf console:

feature:install odl-tsdr-cassandra

Then the user can retrieve the data from Cassandra data store using the following commands from Karaf console:

tsdr:list tsdr:list <CategoryName> <StartTime> <EndTime>

Typing tab will get the context prompt of the arguments when typeing the command in Karaf console.

Installing TSDR Data Collectors

When the user uses HSQLDB data store and installed “odl-tsdr-hsqldb-all” feature from Karaf console, besides the HSQLDB data store, OpenFlow data collector is also installed with this command. However, if the user needs to use other collectors, such as NetFlow Collector, Syslog Collector, SNMP Collector, and Controller Metrics Collector, the user needs to install them with separate commands. If the user uses HBase or Cassandra data store, no collectors will be installed when the data store is installed. Instead, the user needs to install each collector separately using feature install command from Karaf console.

The following is the list of supported TSDR data collectors with the associated feature install commands:

  • OpenFlow Data Collector

    feature:install odl-tsdr-openflow-statistics-collector

  • NetFlow Data Collector

    feature:install odl-tsdr-netflow-statistics-collector

  • Syslog Data Collector

    feature:install odl-tsdr-syslog-collector

  • Controller Metrics Collector

    feature:install odl-tsdr-controller-metrics-collector

  • Web Activity Collector

    feature:install odl-tsdr-restconf-collector

  • sFlow Data Collector (experimental)

    feature:install odl-tsdr-sflow-statistics-colletor

  • SNMP Data Collector (experimental)

    feature:install odl-tsdr-snmp-data-collector

In order to use controller metrics collector, the user needs to install Sigar library.

The following is the instructions for installing Sigar library on Ubuntu:

  • Install back end library by “sudo apt-get install libhyperic-sigar-java”

  • Execute “export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/lib/jni/:/usr/lib:/usr/local/lib” to set the path of the JNI (you can add this to the “.bashrc” in your home directory)

  • Download the file “sigar-1.6.4.jar”. It might be also in your “.m2” directory under “~/.m2/resources/org/fusesource/sigar/1.6.4”

  • Create the directory “org/fusesource/sigar/1.6.4” under the “system” directory in your controller home directory and place the “sigar-1.6.4.jar” there

Querying TSDR from REST APIs

TSDR provides two REST APIs for querying data stored in TSDR data stores.

  • Query of TSDR Metrics

    • URL: http://localhost:8181/tsdr/metrics/query

    • Verb: GET

    • Parameters:

      • tsdrkey=[NID=][DC=][MN=][RK=]

        The TSDRKey format indicates the NodeID(NID), DataCategory(DC), MetricName(MN), and RecordKey(RK) of the monitored objects.
For example, the following is a valid tsdrkey:
[NID=openflow:1][DC=FLOWSTATS][MN=PacketCount][RK=Node:openflow:1,Table:0,Flow:3]
The following is also a valid tsdrkey:
tsdrkey=[NID=][DC=FLOWSTATS][MN=][RK=]
In the case when the sections in the tsdrkey is empty, the query will return all the records in the TSDR data store that matches the filled tsdrkey. In the above example, the query will return all the data in FLOWSTATS data category.
The query will return only the first 1000 records that match the query criteria.

      • from=<time_in_seconds>

      • until=<time_in_seconds>

The following is an example curl command for querying metric data from TSDR data store:

curl -G -v -H “Accept: application/json” -H “Content-Type: application/json” “http://localhost:8181/tsdr/metrics/query” –data-urlencode “tsdrkey=[NID=][DC=FLOWSTATS][MN=][RK=]” –data-urlencode “from=0” –data-urlencode “until=240000000000”|more

  • Query of TSDR Log type of data

    • URL:http://localhost:8181/tsdr/logs/query

    • Verb: GET

    • Parameters:

      • tsdrkey=tsdrkey=[NID=][DC=][RK=]

        The TSDRKey format indicates the NodeID(NID), DataCategory(DC), and RecordKey(RK) of the monitored objects.
For example, the following is a valid tsdrkey:
[NID=openflow:1][DC=NETFLOW][RK]
The query will return only the first 1000 records that match the query criteria.

      • from=<time_in_seconds>

      • until=<time_in_seconds>

The following is an example curl command for querying log type of data from TSDR data store:

curl -G -v -H “Accept: application/json” -H “Content-Type: application/json” “http://localhost:8181/tsdr/logs/query” –data-urlencode “tsdrkey=[NID=][DC=NETFLOW][RK=]” –data-urlencode “from=0” –data-urlencode “until=240000000000”|more

Grafana integration with TSDR

TSDR provides northbound integration with Grafana time series data visualization tool. All the metric type of data stored in TSDR data store can be visualized using Grafana.

For the detailed instruction about how to install and configure Grafana to work with TSDR, please refer to the following link:

https://wiki.opendaylight.org/view/Grafana_Integration_with_TSDR_Step-by-Step

Configuring TSDR Data Collectors

SNMP Data Collector Device Credential Configuration (experimental)

After installing SNMP Data Collector, a configuration file under etc/ directory of ODL distribution is generated: etc/tsdr.snmp.cfg is created.

The following is a sample tsdr.snmp.cfg file:

credentials=[192.168.0.2,public],[192.168.0.3,public]

The above credentials indicate that TSDR SNMP Collector is going to connect to two devices. The IPAddress and Read community string of these two devices are (192.168.0.2, public), and (192.168.0.3) respectively.

The user can make changes to this configuration file any time during runtime. The configuration will be picked up by TSDR in the next cycle of data collection.

Polling interval configuration for SNMP Collector and OpenFlow Stats Collector

The default polling interval of SNMP Collector and OpenFlow Stats Collector is 30 seconds and 15 seconds respectively. The user can change the polling interval through restconf APIs at any time. The new polling interval will be picked up by TSDR in the next collection cycle.

Purging Service configuration

After the data stores are installed from Karaf console, the purging service will be installed as well. A configuration file called tsdr.data.purge.cfg will be generated under etc/ directory of ODL distribution.

The following is the sample default content of the tsdr.data.purge.cfg file:

host=127.0.0.1 data_purge_enabled=true data_purge_time=23:59:59 data_purge_interval_in_minutes=1440 retention_time_in_hours=168

The host indicates the IPAddress of the data store. In the case when the data store is together with ODL controller, 127.0.0.1 should be the right value for the host IP. The other attributes are self-explained. The user can change those attributes at any time. The configuration change will be picked up right away by TSDR Purging service at runtime.

How to use TSDR to collect, store, and view OpenFlow Interface Statistics

Overview

This tutorial describes an example of using TSDR to collect, store, and view one type of time series data in OpenDaylight environment.

Prerequisites

You would need to have the following as prerequisits:

  • One or multiple OpenFlow enabled switches. Alternatively, you can use mininet to simulate such a switch.

  • Successfully installed OpenDaylight Controller.

  • Successfully installed HBase Data Store following TSDR HBase Data Store Installation Guide.

  • Connect the OpenFlow enabled switch(es) to OpenDaylight Controller.

Target Environment

HBase data store is only supported in Linux operation system.

Instructions

  • Start OpenDaylight.

  • Connect OpenFlow enabled switch(es) to the controller.

    • If using mininet, run the following commands from mininet command line:

      • mn –topo single,3 –controller remote,ip=172.17.252.210,port=6653 –switch ovsk,protocols=OpenFlow13

  • Install TSDR hbase feature from Karaf:

    • feature:install odl-tsdr-hbase

  • Install OpenFlow Statistics Collector from Karaf:

    • feature:install odl-tsdr-openflow-statistics-collector

  • run the following command from Karaf console:

    • tsdr:list PORTSTATS

You should be able to see the interface statistics of the switch(es) from the HBase Data Store. If there are too many rows, you can use “tsdr:list InterfaceStats|more” to view it page by page.

By tabbing after “tsdr:list”, you will see all the supported data categories. For example, “tsdr:list FlowStats” will output the Flow statistics data collected from the switch(es).

Troubleshooting

Karaf logs

All TSDR features and components write logging information including information messages, warnings, errors and debug messages into karaf.log.

HBase and Cassandra logs

For HBase and Cassandra data stores, the database level logs are written into HBase log and Cassandra logs.

  • HBase log

    • HBase log is under <HBase-installation-directory>/logs/.

  • Cassandra log

    • Cassandra log is under {cassandra.logdir}/system.log. The default {cassandra.logdir} is /var/log/cassandra/.

Security

TSDR gets the data from a variety of sources, which can be secured in different ways.

  • OpenFlow Security

    • The OpenFlow data can be configured with Transport Layer Security (TLS) since the OpenFlow Plugin that TSDR depends on provides this security support.

  • NetFlow Security

    • NetFlow, which cannot be configured with security so we recommend making sure it flows only over a secured management network.

  • Syslog Security

    • Syslog, which cannot be configured with security so we recommend making sure it flows only over a secured management network.

  • SNMP Security

    • The SNMP version3 has security support. However, since ODL SNMP Plugin that TSDR depends on does not support version 3, we (TSDR) will not have security support at this moment.

  • sFlow Security

    • The sflow has security support.

Support multiple data stores simultaneously at runtime

TSDR supports running multiple data stores simultaneously at runtim. For example, it is possible to configure TSDR to push log type of data into Cassandra data store, while pushing metrics type of data into HBase.

When you install one TSDR data store from karaf console, such as using feature:install odl-tsdr-hsqldb, a properties file will be generated under <Karaf-distribution-directory>/etc/. For example, when you install hsqldb, a file called tsdr-persistence-hsqldb.properties is generated under that directory.

By default, all the types of data are supported in the data store. For example, the default content of tsdr-persistence-hsqldb.properties is as follows:

metric-persistency=true
log-persistency=true
binary-persistency=true

When the user would like to use different data stores to support different types of data, he/she could enable or disable a particular type of data persistence in the data stores by configuring the properties file accordingly.

For example, if the user would like to store the log type of data in HBase, and store the metric and binary type of data in Cassandra, he/she needs to install both hbase and cassandra data stores from Karaf console. Then the user needs to modify the properties file under <Karaf-distribution-directory>/etc as follows:

  • tsdr-persistence-hbase.properties

    metric-persistency=false
log-persistency=true
binary-persistency=true

  • tsdr-persistence-cassandra.properties

    metric-psersistency=true
log-persistency=false
binary-persistency=false