Question 1

node_exporter vs telegraf for system monitoring

Accepted Answer

Node Exporter is tailored for Prometheus, exposing metrics in its format with deep *NIX system integration, while Telegraf supports multiple outputs and plugins but may require more configuration for Prometheus. Choose Node Exporter for pure Prometheus stacks and Telegraf for multi-output needs.

Question 2

how to enable the perf collector in node_exporter

Accepted Answer

Enable with --collector.perf flag and adjust kernel.perf_event_paranoid sysctl (e.g., set to 0 for full access). Optionally, specify CPUs with --collector.perf.cpus and tracepoints with --collector.perf.tracepoint, as detailed in the Perf Collector section.

Question 3

node_exporter default port change

Accepted Answer

By default, it listens on HTTP port 9100, but you can change it using command-line flags like --web.listen-address. Refer to the --help output for all options, though specific flag details might require checking the source or documentation.

Question 4

Docker setup for node_exporter host monitoring

Accepted Answer

Use docker run with --net="host", --pid="host", -v "/:/host:ro,rslave", and --path.rootfs=/host to access host namespaces and filesystems. The README provides exact commands and a Docker Compose example for deployment.

Question 5

example of textfile collector usage

Accepted Answer

Set --collector.textfile.directory and write metrics in Prometheus text format to *.prom files. For instance, echo 'role{role="server"} 1' > /path/dir/role.prom to statically label machines, or log cron job completion times.

Question 6

which collectors are enabled by default in node_exporter

Accepted Answer

Default collectors include arp, cpu, diskstats, filesystem, meminfo, netdev, and many more, with a full table in the README showing OS support. Disable defaults with --no-collector.<name> or enable specific ones with --collector.disable-defaults.

Node/system metrics exporter

What is Node/system metrics exporter?

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