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14.1 - Current Release 13.1 13.0 12.1
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Metrics

October 16, 2024
Contributed by: 
C C

Metrics refers to the piece of data that is tracked by NetScaler. Metrics provide meaningful insights and is useful to track the health of NetScaler and the applications handled by NetScaler.

A time series is a sequence of sequential data points that occur over a particular interval of time. NetScaler supports configuring the analytics time series profile to send metrics to a service.

Configure metrics

You can enable metrics on NetScaler to collect and export metrics from NetScaler to various endpoints. You can export metrics in the following formats: Avro, Prometheus, and JSON. The exported metrics can be processed and visualized to get meaningful insights. By default, metrics supports the export of time-series analytics data every 30 seconds. However, you can configure it to a value between 30 to 300 seconds as per your requirement.

Do the following to configure a metrics using the NetScaler CLI.

  1. Configure a service with IP address, protocol, and port using the following command:

    add service <metrics_service_name> <ip-address> <protocol> <port>
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    Example:

    add service metrics_service1 192.168.1.1 HTTP 5563
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  2. Configure the analytics time series profile to send metrics to the service. Specify the service, frequency for exporting metrics, and output mode.

    set analytics profile ns_analytics_time_series_profile -collectors <metrics_service_name> -type timeseries -metrics ENABLED metricsExportFrequency <30-300> -outputMode <avro/prometheus>
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    Example:

    set analytics profile ns_analytics_time_series_profile -collectors metrics_service1 -type timeseries -metrics Enabled metricsExportFrequency 90 -outputMode prometheus --serveMode PUSH
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    Note:

    This example uses the default time series profile ns_analytics_time_series_profile. If you want to create a time series profile, you can use the add analytics profile command.

    In this example, metrics export frequency is set as 90 seconds and export mode is specified as Prometheus.

    Verify the metrics configuration using the show analytics profile <analytics-profile-name> command:

    show analytics profile ns_analytics_time_series_profile

    Name: ns_analytics_time_series_profile
    Collector: metrics_service1
    Profile-type: timeseries
        Output Mode: Prometheus
        Metrics: ENABLED
            Schema File: schema.json
            Metrics Export Frequency: 90
        Events: DISABLED
        Auditlog: DISABLED
        Serve mode: Pull
    Reference Count: 0
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Metrics file generation

The metrics_<format>_log.* files are generated under the /var/nslog/ folder location.

Dynamic schema support

Starting from NetScaler release 13.1 build 24.38, dynamic schema counters are supported. With the support of dynamic schema counters, a schema file containing a list of counters can be updated at run time based on the requirement. By default, /var/metrics_conf/schema.json file is configured with a list of counters.

Note:

  • The metrics default schema file /var/metrics_conf/schema.json can be installed on a NetScaler appliance by installns procedure. For information on installns procedure, see Upgrade and downgrade a NetScaler appliance.
  • Default schema file /var/metrics_conf/schema.json consists of a few entities and counters that are not part of reference_schema.json. These counters are retained in schema.json for backward compatibility reasons because they were part of the older version of metrics which supported static schema.
  • If the rate field in schema.json is set to True, then a counter called RATE__<counter_name> is exported by metricscollector as part of metrics payload.

Configure the metrics to subscribe counters using the CLI

Start the metrics export by configuring a service.

At the command prompt, type:


set analytics profile ns_analytics_time_series_profile -metrics ENABLED -collectors <collector_name> -schemaFile  schema.json -outputMode <avro | prometheus>

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Note:

schema.json is the default schemaFile configuration.

A new schema file with a required set of counters can be configured using the CLI command for the metrics to export. The schema file must be present at the /var/metrics_conf/ location.

The schema file containing all the list of counters (reference_schema.json) supported by stats infra is present in the /var/metrics_conf/ location. This file can be used as a reference to build a custom list of counters.

Configure a schema file using the CLI 

set analytics profile ns_analytics_time_series_profile -metrics ENABLED -collectors <collector name> -schemaFile <schema file_name> -outputMode <avro | prometheus>

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A new schema file with the required counters can be added and configured using the preceding CLI command for metrics to export.

The reference schema file with all the list of counters (reference_schema.json) supported by stats infra are present in /var/metrics_conf/ location. This file can be used as a reference to build a custom list of counters.

Check the CLI configuration output at the command prompt:


show analytics profile ns_analytics_time_series_profile

    Name: ns_analytics_time_series_profile
    Collector: <collector_name>
    Profile-type: timeseries
    Output Mode: avro
    Metrics: ENABLED
    Schema File: schema.json
    Events: ENABLED
    Auditlog: DISABLED
    Serve mode: Push
    Reference Count: 0

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Steps to update the list of counters exported

Perform the following steps to update the list of exported counters:

  1. Update the custom/new schema file.
  2. Disable and enable metrics using the -metrics option shown in the CLI configuration for the updated schema file to be used.

Multiple time-series profile support

Starting from NetScaler release 13.1 build 33.47, up to three time-series profile configurations are supported on NetScaler.

You can configure each time series to have the following:

  • Collector.

  • Schema file containing the required set of counters to be exported.

  • The data format in which the metrics are to be exported.

  • The option to enable or disable metrics audit logs and events.

With the multiple time-series profile support, the metrics can simultaneously export a different set (based on the schema file configured) of metrics to different collectors in different formats (Avro, Prometheus, Influx).

Note:

Even though metrics can be enabled on all the configured time-series profiles, events and audit logs can be enabled only on one profile.

Add time-series profile using the CLI

At the command prompt, type:

add analytics profile <profile_name> -type timeseries
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Configure time-series profile using the CLI

At the command prompt, type:

set analytics profile <profile_name> -metrics <DISABLED|ENABLED> -auditlogs <DISABLED|ENABLED> -events <DISABLED|ENABLED> -collectors <collector_name> -schemaFile schema.json -outputMode <avro | influx | prometheus>

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Log file-naming conventions with multiple time-series profile support

  • Avro log files are generated as metrics_avro_<profile_name>_log.*.
  • Prometheus log files are generated as metrics_prom_<profile_name>.log.

Configure use-case specific metrics export

You can export only the metrics related to a specific use case by creating a schema file. For example, if you want to view only TCP traffic related metrics, then you can create a tcptrafficschema.json file to export only the metrics related to TCP traffic. With the use case specific metrics export, finding the metrics that you want becomes easier.

NetScaler supports exporting metrics for the following use cases:

  • Virtual server
  • Application security
  • SSL traffic
  • TCP traffic
  • HTTP traffic
  • System overview

Virtual server

To view only virtual server related metrics perform the following steps:

  1. Log in to NetScaler CLI and navigate to /var/metrics_conf/ folder.

  2. Create a schema file. For example, vserver_metrics.json.

    set analytics profile ns_analytics_time_series_profile -schemaFile vserver_metrics.json
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  3. Add the following content and save the changes:

    {
    "server_svc_cfg":
    [
        {"name":"si_tot_RequestBytes","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_ResponseBytes","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_cur_Clients","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"si_cur_Servers","rate":"False"}
    ],
    "server_serviceGroup":
    [
        {"name":"si_tot_RequestBytes","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_ResponseBytes","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_cur_Clients","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"si_cur_Servers","rate":"False"}
    ],
    "vserver_authn":
    [
        {"name":"si_tot_RequestBytes","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_ResponseBytes","rate":"True"}
    ],
    "vserver_cr":
    [
        {"name":"si_tot_RequestBytes","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_ResponseBytes","rate":"True"}
    ],
    "vserver_cs":
    [
        {"name":"si_tot_RequestBytes","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_ResponseBytes","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_cur_Clients","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"si_cur_Servers","rate":"False"}
    ],
    "gslb_server":
    [
        {"name":"si_tot_RequestBytes","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_ResponseBytes","rate":"True"}
    ],
    "gslb_vserver":
    [
        {"name":"si_tot_RequestBytes","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_ResponseBytes","rate":"True"}
    ],
    "server_gslb_serviceGroup":
    [
        {"name":"si_tot_RequestBytes","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_ResponseBytes","rate":"True"}
    ],
    "vserver_lb":
    [
        {"name":"si_tot_RequestBytes","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_ResponseBytes","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_cur_Clients","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"si_cur_Servers","rate":"False"}
    ],
    "vserver_vpn":
    [
        {"name":"si_tot_RequestBytes","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_ResponseBytes","rate":"True"}
    ],
    "vserver_user":
    [
        {"name":"si_tot_RequestBytes","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_ResponseBytes","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_cur_Clients","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"si_cur_Servers","rate":"False"}
    ]
}
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Application security

To view only application security related metrics, perform the following steps:

  1. Log in to NetScaler CLI and navigate to /var/metrics_conf/ folder.

  2. Create a schema file. For example, appsec_metrics.json.

    set analytics profile ns_analytics_time_series_profile -schemaFile appsec_metrics.json
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  3. Add the following content and save the changes:

    {
    "netscaler":
    [
        {"name":"as_viol_starturl","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_denyurl","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_referer_header","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_bufferoverflow","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_grpc","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_postbodylimit","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_cookie","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_cookie_hijack","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_csrf_tag","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_xss","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_sql","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_fldfmt","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_fldconsistency","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_fileuploadtypes","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_infer_ctype_xml","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_safecommerce","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_safeobject","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_signature","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_content_type","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_cmd","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_json_dos","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_json_sql","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_json_xss","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_json_cmd","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_sql_gram","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_json_sql_gram","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_sql_comb","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_xxe_comb","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_xss_comb","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_owasp_comb","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_cmd_gram","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_json_cmd_gram","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_block_keyword","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_json_blockkeyword","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_Requests","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"http_tot_Requests","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"http_tot_Requests1_0","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"http_tot_Requests1_1","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_sig_num_viols","rate":"True"}
    ],
    "appfw__":
    [
        {"name":"as_viol_starturl_profile","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_denyurl_profile","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_referer_header_profile","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_bufferoverflow_profile","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_postbodylimit_profile","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_cookie_profile","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_cookie_hijack_profile","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_csrf_tag_profile","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_xss_profile","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_sql_profile","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_fldfmt_profile","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_fldconsistency_profile","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_safecommerce_profile","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_safeobject_profile","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_signature_profile","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_content_type_profile","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_json_dos_profile","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_json_sql_profile","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_json_xss_profile","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_json_cmd_profile","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_fileuploadtypes_profile","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_infer_ctype_xml_profile","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_cmd_profile","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_sql_gram_profile","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_json_sql_gram_profile","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_sql_comb_profile","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_xxe_comb_profile","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_xss_comb_profile","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_owasp_comb_profile","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_cmd_gram_profile","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_json_cmd_gram_profile","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_block_keyword_profile","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_json_blockkeyword_profile","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"as_viol_total_per_profile","rate":"True"}
    ]
}
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SSL traffic

To view only SSL related metrics, perform the following steps:

  1. Log in to NetScaler CLI and navigate to /var/metrics_conf/ folder.

  2. Create a schema file. For example, ssltraffic_metrics.json.

    set analytics profile ns_analytics_time_series_profile -schemaFile ssltraffic_metrics.json
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  3. Add the following content and save the changes:

    {
    "netscaler":
    [
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_TotalTxCount","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_enc_bytes","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_dec_bytes","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_KeyEx_RSA_512","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_KeyEx_RSA_1024","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_KeyEx_RSA_2048","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_KeyEx_RSA_3072","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_KeyEx_RSA_4096","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_KeyEx_DH_512","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_KeyEx_DH_1024","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_KeyEx_DH_2048","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_KeyEx_DH_4096","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_KeyEx_ECDHE_curve_secp521r1","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_KeyEx_ECDHE_curve_secp384r1","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_KeyEx_ECDHE_curve_secp256r1","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_KeyEx_ECDHE_curve_secp224r1","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_KeyEx_ECDHE_curve_x25519","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Cipher_RC4_40","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Cipher_RC4_56","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Cipher_RC4_64","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Cipher_RC4_128","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Cipher_DES_40","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Cipher_DES_56","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Cipher_3DES_168","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Cipher_AES_128","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Cipher_AES_256","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Cipher_RC2_40","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Cipher_RC2_56","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Cipher_RC2_128","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Cipher_AESGCM_128","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Cipher_AESGCM_256","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Cipher_NULL","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Hash_MD5","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Hash_SHA","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Hash_SHA256","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Hash_SHA384","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_SSLv3HandskCount","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_TLSv1HandskCount","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_TLSv11HandskCount","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_TLSv12HandskCount","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Auth_RSA","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Auth_DH","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Auth_DSS","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Auth_ECDSA","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Auth_NULL","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_KeyEx_backend_ecdhe_curve_secp521r1","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_KeyEx_backend_ecdhe_curve_secp384r1","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_KeyEx_backend_ecdhe_curve_secp256r1","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_KeyEx_backend_ecdhe_curve_secp224r1","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Backend_Cipher_RC4_40","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Backend_Cipher_RC4_56","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Backend_Cipher_RC4_64","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Backend_Cipher_RC4_128","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Backend_Cipher_DES_40","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Backend_Cipher_DES_56","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Backend_Cipher_3DES_168","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Backend_Cipher_AES_128","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Backend_Cipher_AES_256","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Backend_Cipher_RC2_40","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Backend_Cipher_RC2_56","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Backend_Cipher_RC2_128","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Backend_Cipher_AESGCM_128","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Backend_Cipher_AESGCM_256","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Backend_Cipher_NULL","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Backend_Hash_MD5","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Backend_Hash_SHA","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Backend_Hash_SHA256","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Backend_Hash_SHA384","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Backend_Auth_RSA","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Backend_Auth_DH","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Backend_Auth_DSS","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Backend_Auth_ECDSA","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_sslInfo_Backend_Auth_NULL","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_enc_bytes_FE","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_enc_bytes_BE","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_dec_bytes_FE","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_tot_dec_bytes_BE","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"ssl_cur_session_inuse","rate":"True"}
    ],
    "vserver_ssl":
    [
        {"name":"ssl_ctx_tot_HandskFail","rate":"True"}
    ]
}
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TCP traffic

To view only TCP related metrics, perform the following steps:

  1. Log in to NetScaler CLI and navigate to /var/metrics_conf/ folder.

  2. Create a schema file. For example, tcptraffic_metrics.json.

    set analytics profile ns_analytics_time_series_profile -schemaFile tcptraffic_metrics.json
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  3. Add the following content and save the changes:

    {
    "server_svc_cfg":
    [
        {"name":"si_tot_pkt_rcvd","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_pkt_sent","rate":"True"}
    ],
    "vserver_cr":
    [
        {"name":"si_tot_pkt_rcvd","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_pkt_sent","rate":"True"}
    ],
    "vserver_cs":
    [
        {"name":"si_tot_pkt_rcvd","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_pkt_sent","rate":"True"}
    ],
    "vserver_lb":
    [
        {"name":"si_tot_pkt_rcvd","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_pkt_sent","rate":"True"}
    ],
    "netscaler":
    [
        {"name":"tcp_cur_ClientConn","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"tcp_cur_ClientConnEst","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"tcp_cur_ServerConn","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"tcp_cur_ServerConnEst","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"tcp_cur_ClientConnClosing","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"tcp_cur_ServerConnClosing","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"tcp_cur_surgequeuelen","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"tcp_err_rst","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"tcp_err_noip","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"tcp_err_retransmit_giveups","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"tcp_err_retransmit","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"tcp_err_stray_packets","rate":"False"}
    ],
    "vserver_user":
    [
        {"name":"si_tot_pkt_rcvd","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_pkt_sent","rate":"True"}
    ]
}

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HTTP traffic

To view only HTTP related metrics, perform the following steps:

  1. Log in to NetScaler CLI and navigate to /var/metrics_conf/ folder.

  2. Create a schema file. For example, httptraffic_metrics.json.

    set analytics profile ns_analytics_time_series_profile -schemaFile httptraffic_metrics.json
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  3. Add the following content and save the changes:

    {
    "server_svc_cfg":
    [
        {"name":"si_tot_Requests","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_Responses","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_RequestBytes","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_ResponseBytes","rate":"True"}
    ],
    "server_serviceGroup":
    [
        {"name":"si_tot_Requests","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_Responses","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_RequestBytes","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_ResponseBytes","rate":"True"}
    ],
    "netscaler":
    [
        {"name":"http_tot_api_req_json","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"http_tot_api_req_xml","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"http_tot_api_req_vnd","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"http_tot_api_res_json","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"http_tot_api_res_xml","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"http_tot_api_res_vnd","rate":"False"}
    ],
    "vserver_authn":
    [
        {"name":"si_tot_Requests","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_Responses","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_RequestBytes","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_ResponseBytes","rate":"True"}
    ],
    "vserver_cr":
    [
        {"name":"vsvr_tot_Hits","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_Requests","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_Responses","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_RequestBytes","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_ResponseBytes","rate":"True"}
    ],
    "vserver_cs":
    [
        {"name":"vsvr_tot_Hits","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_Requests","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_Responses","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_RequestBytes","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_ResponseBytes","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_clt_ttlb_transactions","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"si_tot_clt_ttlb","rate":"False"}
    ],
    "gslb_server":
    [
        {"name":"si_tot_RequestBytes","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_ResponseBytes","rate":"True"}
    ],
    "gslb_vserver":
    [
        {"name":"vsvr_tot_Hits","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_RequestBytes","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_ResponseBytes","rate":"True"}
    ],
    "server_gslb_serviceGroup":
    [
        {"name":"si_tot_RequestBytes","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_ResponseBytes","rate":"True"}
    ],
    "vserver_lb":
    [
        {"name":"vsvr_tot_Hits","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_Requests","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_Responses","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_RequestBytes","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_ResponseBytes","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_clt_ttlb_transactions","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"si_tot_clt_ttlb","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"si_tot_1xx_resp","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"si_tot_2xx_resp","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"si_tot_4xx_resp","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"si_tot_5xx_resp","rate":"False"}
    ],
    "vserver_vpn":
    [
        {"name":"si_tot_Requests","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_Responses","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_RequestBytes","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_ResponseBytes","rate":"True"}
    ],
    "vserver_user":
    [
        {"name":"vsvr_tot_Hits","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_Requests","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_Responses","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_RequestBytes","rate":"True"},
        {"name":"si_tot_ResponseBytes","rate":"True"}
    ]
}
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System overview

To view only system overview related metrics, perform the following steps:

  1. Log in to NetScaler CLI and navigate to /var/metrics_conf/ folder.

  2. Create a schema file. For example, system_metrics.json.

    set analytics profile ns_analytics_time_series_profile -schemaFile system_metrics.json
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  3. Add the following content and save the changes:

    {
    "server_svc_cfg":
    [
        {"name":"si_tot_svr_ttlb","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"si_tot_svr_ttlb_transactions","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"si_cur_state","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"si_tot_svr_ttfb_transactions","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"si_tot_svr_ttfb","rate":"False"}
    ],
    "serviceGroup_NSSVC":
    [
        {"name":"si_cur_state","rate":"False"}
    ],
    "server_serviceGroup":
    [
        {"name":"si_cur_state","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"si_tot_svr_ttfb_transactions","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"si_tot_svr_ttfb","rate":"False"}
    ],
    "vserver_authn":
    [
        {"name":"si_cur_state","rate":"False"}
    ],
    "vserver_cr":
    [
        {"name":"si_cur_state","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"vsvr_tot_Hits","rate":"True"}
    ],
    "vserver_cs":
    [
        {"name":"si_cur_state","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"vsvr_tot_Hits","rate":"True"}
    ],
    "gslb_server":
    [
        {"name":"si_cur_state","rate":"False"}
    ],
    "gslb_vserver":
    [
        {"name":"si_cur_state","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"vsvr_tot_Hits","rate":"True"}
    ],
    "gslb_serviceGroup_NSSVC":
    [
        {"name":"si_cur_state","rate":"False"}
    ],
    "server_gslb_serviceGroup":
    [
        {"name":"si_cur_state","rate":"False"}
    ],
    "vserver_lb":
    [
        {"name":"si_cur_state","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"si_tot_2xx_resp","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"si_tot_4xx_resp","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"vsvr_tot_Hits","rate":"True"}
    ],
    "interface":
    [
        {"name":"nic_err_dropped_pkts","rate":"True"}
    ],
    "netscaler":
    [
        {"name": "tcp_cur_ClientConn", "rate": "False"},
        {"name": "tcp_err_noip", "rate": "False"},
        {"name": "tcp_err_rst", "rate": "True"},
        {"name": "mem_cur_usedsize", "rate": "False"},
        {"name": "tcp_tot_rxpkts", "rate": "True"},
        {"name": "http_tot_rxResponseBytes", "rate": "True"},
        {"name": "http_tot_Requests1_1", "rate": "True"},
        {"name": "http_tot_Responses", "rate": "True"},
        {"name": "tcp_err_retransmit_giveups", "rate": "True"},
        {"name": "cur_syshealth_disk0_errors", "rate": "False"},
        {"name": "http_tot_Requests", "rate": "True"},
        {"name": "http_tot_rxRequestBytes", "rate": "True"},
        {"name": "slave_cpu_use", "rate": "False"},
        {"name": "cur_syshealth_disk0_used", "rate": "False"},
        {"name": "tcp_err_rst_outof_wnd", "rate": "True"},
        {"name": "tcp_err_stray_packets", "rate": "True"},
        {"name": "cur_syshealth_disk1_errors", "rate": "False"},
        {"name": "mgmt_additional_cpu_use", "rate": "False"},
        {"name": "tcp_cur_ServerConnEst", "rate": "False"},
        {"name": "tcp_cur_ClientConnEst", "rate": "False"},
        {"name": "tcp_err_link_giveups", "rate": "False"},
        {"name": "tcp_err_rst_inTimewaits", "rate": "True"},
        {"name": "tcp_err_retransmit", "rate": "True"},
        {"name": "tcp_cur_ServerConnClosing", "rate": "False"},
        {"name": "tcp_err_rst_not_est", "rate": "True"},
        {"name": "http_tot_Responses1_1", "rate": "True"},
        {"name": "tcp_err_rst_not_est", "rate": "True"},
        {"name": "tcp_err_rst_inTimewaits", "rate": "True"},
        {"name": "tcp_err_rst_outof_wnd", "rate": "True"},
        {"name": "tcp_cur_ServerConn", "rate": "False"},
        {"name": "allnic_tot_tx_mbits", "rate": "True"},
        {"name": "http_tot_Responses1_0", "rate": "True"},
        {"name": "cpu_use", "rate": "False"},
        {"name": "tcp_err_retransmit_giveups", "rate": "True"},
        {"name": "http_tot_Requests1_0", "rate": "True"},
        {"name": "mgmt_cpu_use", "rate": "False"},
        {"name": "cur_syshealth_disk1_size", "rate": "False"},
        {"name": "allnic_tot_rx_mbits", "rate": "True"},
        {"name": "master_cpu_use", "rate": "False"},
        {"name": "cur_syshealth_disk0_size", "rate": "False"}
    ],
    "mempool":
    [
        {"name":"mem_err_alloc_failed","rate":"False"}
    ],
    "vserver_ssl":
    [
        {"name":"si_cur_state","rate":"False"}
    ],
    "cpu":
    [
        {"name":"cc_cpu_use","rate":"False"}
    ],
    "vserver_vpn":
    [
        {"name":"si_cur_state","rate":"False"}
    ],
    "vserver_user":
    [
        {"name":"si_cur_state","rate":"False"},
        {"name":"vsvr_tot_Hits","rate":"True"}
    ]
}
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Rate counters

A rate counter is an attribute used to monitor the rate of specific traffic types or requests passing through NetScaler. It helps administrators track various aspects of network traffic, such as the number of requests or the rate of connections to a particular service or virtual server.

The default reference schema file schema.json, located at /var/metrics_conf/ includes a list of entity types and associated counters. Not all counters listed in schema.json are rate counters. Only the counters with Rate: True denotes rate counters. You can create a custom schema.json file and add necessary rate counters.

Counters can be exported based on your requirements. To include a counter in the export, set the rate field to True. For example, if the rate field is set to true for si_tot_Requests, the rate for si_tot_Requests is exported. During export, a prefix RATE_<counter_name> is added in the metrics payload by NetScaler.

View metrics

The following are the different ways to consume or visualize metrics:

  • NetScaler command line interface (CLI)
  • Citrix proprietery NITRO APIs
  • Export metrics to NetScaler Console
  • Export metrics to observability tools

NetScaler CLI

You can use the NetScaler CLI to get the metrics. Log in to NetScaler CLI and run the command from the Shell prompt. The following command is an example command:

stat lb vserver <vserver-name>
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Example:

> shell
root@ns# stat lb vserver vsrv-wireless
Virtual Server Summary
                      vsvrIP  port     Protocol        State   Health  actSvcs
vsrv...eless               *     0          TCP           UP      100        1

           inactSvcs
vsrv...eless       0
Virtual Server Statistics
                                          Rate (/s)                Total
Vserver hits                                       0                   10
Requests                                           0                    0
Responses                                          0                    0
Request bytes                                      0                 1580
Response bytes                                     0            532594360
Total Packets rcvd                                 0               216463
Total Packets sent                                 0               369898
Current client connections                        --                    0
Current Client Est connections                    --                    0
Current server connections                        --                    0
Requests in surge queue                           --                    0
Requests in vserver's surgeQ                      --                    0
Requests in service's surgeQs                     --                    0
Spill Over Threshold                              --                    0
Spill Over Hits                                   --                    0
Labeled Connection                                --                    0
Push Labeled Connection                           --                    0
Deferred Request                                   0                    0
Invalid Request/Response                          --                    0
Invalid Request/Response Dropped                  --                    0
Bound Service(s) Summary
                          IP  port         Type        State     Hits   Hits/s
svc-internet     192.168.2.2     0          TCP           UP       10      0/s

                 Req    Req/s      Rsp    Rsp/s Throughp ClntConn   SurgeQ
svc-internet       0      0/s        0      0/s        0        0        0
                  SvrConn   ReuseP  MaxConn ActvTran  SvrTTFB     Load
svc-internet         0        0        0        0        0        0

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Citrix proprietery NITRO APIs

You can run NITRO APIs and fetch the required metrics.

For example, to view the total number of HTTP requests that NetScaler is handling, you can use the NITRO API by running the following curl command in the linux shell:

curl http://{nsip}/nitro/v1/stat/nsglobalcntr?args=counters:http_tot_Requests -u {nsuser}:{nspassword}
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In the preceding example,

  • nsip is the NetScaler IP address
  • nsuser and nspassword are the NetScaler login credentials

The output is as follows:

root@rohit_lvm:~#  curl "http://10.10.10.10/nitro/v1/stat/nsglobalcntr?args=counters:http_tot_Requests" -u nsroot:freebsd
{ "errorcode": 0, "message": "Done", "severity": "NONE", "nsglobalcntr": { "http_tot_Requests": "33398" } }
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For more information Citrix proprietery NITRO APIs, see Citrix ADC NITRO APIs.

Export metrics to NetScaler Console

If you have NetScaler Console in your network to manage your NetScalers, then you can view the metrics through NetScaler Console GUI. For more information, see NetScaler Console Documentation.

Export metrics to observability tools

You can export metrics such as statistics and counters to observability tools such as:

Even after you configure the export of metrics, there might be some issues that prevent metrics from getting exported. This section provides tips for troubleshooting issues related to the export of metrics:

  1. Check the status of the metrics collector: Check if the metrics collector daemon is running using the ps or top command.

  2. Check metrics configuration in the analytics profile: In the analytics profile, check the following metrics configuration:

    1. If Output Mode is set to Prometheus
    2. If Metrics is ENABLED
    3. If a valid schema file present under /var/metrics_conf is configured
    4. If the Serve mode is set to PULL

    The following is a sample configuration where the metrics configuration in the analytics profile is as it is expected to be:

      Command: show analytics profile <analytics_profile_name>
  Output:
    Name: <analytics_profile_name>
    Collector:
    Profile-type: timeseries
      Output Mode: Prometheus
      Metrics: ENABLED
        Schema File: <schema_file_name>
        Metrics Export Frequency: 30
      Events: DISABLED
      Auditlog: DISABLED
      Serve mode: PULL
    Endpoint Metadata:
    Authentication Token:
    Endpoint URL:
    Endpoint Content-type:
    Reference Count: 0
   Managementlog: NONE
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  3. Inspect logs:

    1. Check the /var/nslog/metricscollector.log for any configuration or schema file-related errors.

    2. Check /var/log/ns.log to see if metrics export has stopped due to disk space issues or other critical errors. If the disk space is full, the ns.log file contains the following:

      Free up diskspace on /var/nslog partition.Disabling metrics/logging for now
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      If the disk space is full, ensure that there is sufficient disk space available for metrics file generation.

  4. Verify metrics file generation: Confirm that the metrics file is being generated in the /var/nslog/ directory. For Prometheus, the format of the output file name is metrics_prom_<analytics_profile_name>.log.

  5. Check schema configuration:

    • Ensure that the configured schema file does not contain unsupported counters, as it can prevent metrics from being generated. If there are any errors, validate if the counters are present in the reference.schema file.
    • It is recommended to use a custom schema file with only the required counters.
    • Do not configure reference_schema.json as the input schema file.

    • If the custom schema file is updated, disable and re-enable metrics through the CLI to reload the updated schema file.

       set analytics profile ns_analytics_time_series_profile -metrics DISABLED
 set analytics profile ns_analytics_time_series_profile -metrics ENABLED
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  6. Issues related to export of metrics to Prometheus

    1. If there are any permission-related issues, configure read-only Prometheus access for a non-super user. For more information, see Configure read-only Prometheus access for a non-super user.

    2. If metrics is not visible after following the previously mentioned steps, try fetching the metrics using the cURL command to rule out configuration issues on Prometheus:

      curl -v -X GET "http://<Netscaler_IP_ADDRESS>/nitro/v1/config/systemfile?args=filename%3Ametrics_prom_<name_of_timeseries_profile>.log%2Cfilelocation%3A%2Fvar%2Fnslog&format=prometheus" -u <ns_user_name>:<ns_user's_password>
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      Example:

      curl  -v  -X GET "http://<10.106.26.205>/nitro/v1/config/systemfile?args=filename%3Ametrics_prom_prometheus_profile.log%2Cfilelocation%3A%2Fvar%2Fnslog&format=prometheus" -u nsroot:nsroot
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Sample dashboards

The following dashboards avaialble on Grafana and Splunk provide you metrics associated with a specific use case:

Metrics
October 16, 2024
Contributed by: 
C C
October 16, 2024
Contributed by: 
C C

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