August 2020 Summaries

Dynatrace Managed version 1.202, released on August 28, 2020, introduced several new features and enhancements, including optimized backup space estimation in the Cluster Management Console and updated Java Runtime Environment (JRE) versions for improved performance and security. Significant changes include support for openSUSE Leap 15.2 and the discontinuation of support for clusters using the legacy Mission Control endpoint, with efforts made to ensure clusters remain monitored during installation. The release addressed various resolved issues across different components, such as improvements in Autonomous Cloud metrics, fixes in request attribute editing, and enhanced error message reporting. Updates provided cumulative fixes for issues such as package upload timeouts, incompatible data formats during cluster upgrades, and memory allocation challenges with custom alerts. The release also improved several user interface elements, adjusted disk space requirements for the OneAgent installer, and refined logging and monitoring functionalities.

The OneAgent release version 1.199, published on August 24, 2020, introduces several updates and support changes across various technologies and operating systems. Key updates include a new default installation directory on Windows, added support for SAP JVM versions 11 LTS and 14, and gRPC support for Go versions 1.30 to 1.39. The release notes outline future support changes, such as the discontinuation of support for certain OpenTelemetry versions in upcoming OneAgent releases and the end of support for various Linux and Windows operating systems by specific dates in 2025 and 2026. The release also resolves multiple issues across different components, including Java, .NET, Node.js, and infrastructure monitoring, addressing problems like memory allocation, disk metrics, and process monitoring. Additionally, the update includes improvements in the OneAgent installer and fixes for issues in mobile and JavaScript agents, enhancing overall system performance and reliability.

Kubernetes facilitates the management and development of distributed applications by deploying containerized workloads across nodes, but this inherent complexity can lead to challenging errors. To address this, observability and monitoring are essential for gaining deeper insights into application states, as Kubernetes lacks visibility into internal processes. Instrumenting application code with telemetry data, such as metrics, logs, and traces, can provide valuable insights, which can be further enhanced with monitoring solutions like Dynatrace. Dynatrace offers comprehensive observability into all layers of Kubernetes deployments, integrating seamlessly with cloud infrastructure like AWS, Azure, and VMware. It uses OneAgent to collect relevant data automatically and provides tools for digital experience monitoring, such as Synthetic Monitoring and Real User Monitoring, to track real user interactions and performance. Dynatrace's AI engine, Davis®, performs root cause analysis, and customizable dashboards can align technical insights with business goals. Ultimately, Dynatrace helps manage the dynamic nature of Kubernetes environments, ensuring both technical performance and customer satisfaction are maintained.

Dynatrace has announced enhancements to its error workflow and the Davis AI system, which now automatically detects and reports client-side HTTP and custom errors, providing out-of-the-box solutions to improve observability of customers' digital experiences. This update extends the Davis AI causation engine's awareness, offering comprehensive visibility into real user actions and application behavior, which aids in reducing Mean Time To Identify (MTTI) errors. The new feature allows users to automatically baseline errors and receive alerts for anomalies, eliminating the need for manual error configuration and alert setup. The system provides an in-depth analysis of error-related problems and includes tools for fine-tuning alert settings to align with specific application needs. Users can enable this extended awareness across all applications via a simple interface, which integrates error types into a unified error column for efficient monitoring and alerting. Dynatrace is also working on further updates to enhance Davis's error analysis and alerting capabilities, and they invite user feedback through their community platform.

End-user experience monitoring (EUEM) has become increasingly critical for IT operations (ITOps) teams as organizations strive to enhance their digital experience amidst a growing online presence. EUEM evaluates digital interactions from the user's perspective, providing insights into user behavior, identifying friction points, and enabling proactive resolution of issues before users notice them. While traditionally IT monitoring focused on isolated aspects like network or application performance, EUEM offers comprehensive visibility into the overall user experience, integrating methods such as synthetic monitoring, real user monitoring (RUM), JavaScript injection, and device performance monitoring. The challenges of partial visibility and false positives in traditional monitoring are addressed by EUEM, which connects user journeys and root causes, fostering better internal collaboration and communication with business stakeholders. Moreover, EUEM helps assess third-party impacts on user experience, uncover shadow IT, and track remote infrastructure usage, ultimately aiding organizations in achieving business KPIs and innovation goals. Solutions like Dynatrace's AI-driven platform exemplify how centralized digital experience monitoring can enhance user satisfaction and business outcomes by providing precise, automated insights and end-to-end observability.

Dynatrace has announced the general availability of Windows services availability monitoring with its OneAgent version 1.197, aimed at enhancing the understanding of infrastructure health. This feature focuses on Windows services that typically operate in the background without a user interface and are crucial for running core components of Windows and third-party applications. The service enables users to create availability checks and apply configurations to specific host groups, simplifying and automating the monitoring process across large environments. Dynatrace automatically distributes the configurations to all OneAgent instances, performing checks every 10 seconds and sending availability data to the host details page. Alerts are generated automatically when monitored services become unavailable, with customizable settings for a tailored experience. Dynatrace invites user feedback through various channels, emphasizing its commitment to continuous improvement and user engagement.