November 2018 Summaries

At Evolution Gaming, the integration of Grafana has significantly enhanced the quality assurance processes, as highlighted by Andrejs Kalnacs, Lead Software Developer in Test. Grafana has transformed how test results are contextualized, allowing for a better understanding of game performance by visualizing data through InfluxDB. Live monitoring of performance tests is facilitated by tools like Apache JMeter and Gatling, which can export data to time series databases, enabling real-time analysis and feedback during long test durations. Furthermore, to improve continuous integration and test execution visualization, Kalnacs advocates for using tools like Allure, which consolidates diverse test data and integrates seamlessly with Grafana to provide comprehensive insights into test performance and efficiency. Kalnacs emphasizes the importance of sharing knowledge about Grafana's versatile applications across different company functions, extending beyond production monitoring.

TimeShift Issue 69 highlights the release of Grafana v5.3.4, which includes an important security fix prompting users to update immediately. The issue also announces the first confirmed speakers for GrafanaCon LA and details updates to several Grafana plugins, including Kentik Connect Pro and GLPI App. Additionally, readers are informed about upcoming events such as a webinar on visualizing time-series data with Grafana and the KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America 2018 conference, where Grafana's advancements in observability will be showcased. The newsletter encourages community engagement by soliciting feedback and promoting participation in the Grafana Labs community through social media channels.

Grafana has released versions 5.3.3 and 4.6.5 to address a critical security vulnerability (CVE-2018-19039) affecting installations between versions 4.1.0 and 5.3.2, which could allow users with Editor or Admin permissions unauthorized access to the filesystem. While Grafana Cloud instances have been updated automatically, users of affected versions are urged to upgrade immediately to prevent unauthorized access, or alternatively, set users to viewer status and remove dashboards containing text panels if upgrading is not possible. The vulnerability was reported on November 5, 2018, by Sebastian Solnica, with Grafana quickly confirming the issue and preparing a fix, which was publicly released on November 13, 2018. Grafana encourages users to report any further security vulnerabilities via their dedicated email address, and provides a PGP key for encrypted communication.

In the latest issue of TimeShift, Grafana Labs discusses their recent activities, including talks at events in Europe and the US, showcasing new features, and highlighting upcoming developments such as logging functionalities in Grafana. The release of Grafana v5.3.2 addressed several issues, including cross-site scripting vulnerabilities, template variable errors, and race conditions in Cloudwatch, alongside enhancements to Stackdriver and dashboard functionalities. New plugins for Consul and Warp 10 have been introduced, allowing for better integration and data visualization options within Grafana, while an updated Clickhouse datasource plugin offers improved query result macros. Additionally, GrafanaCon LA is announced for February 2019, featuring discussions on Grafana and the open-source monitoring ecosystem. Grafana Labs also highlights its European sales team expansion and continues to engage with the community through social media and events like KubeCon + CloudNativeCon.

TimeShift Issue 67 offers a comprehensive overview of recent developments related to Grafana, an open-source dashboard platform for visualizing time series data. It highlights contributions from Hacktoberfest participants, acknowledges updates in the latest Grafana v5.3.2 release, and shares various articles from the community, including insights on using Prometheus and Grafana for monitoring applications and devices. The issue also promotes upcoming events like GrafanaCon LA and various technical conferences where Grafana-related content will be featured. Additionally, it discusses new job openings at Grafana Labs and invites community feedback for future content.

Erwin de Keijzer, a Linux engineer, creatively used Prometheus and Grafana to monitor his washing machine's power usage at home, despite not achieving his initial goal of receiving notifications when the machine was done. By connecting his Raspberry Pi Zero to his smart energy meter, Erwin collected data and used Prometheus to scrape and Grafana to visualize the metrics, although the graphs did not provide a clear indication of the washing machine's completion. Nevertheless, his setup provided valuable insights into his household's power consumption patterns, revealing unexpected information such as the refrigerator's nighttime power draw and distinctions between peak and off-peak electricity usage, allowing him to identify cost-saving opportunities. While he still manually checks his laundry, Erwin's project showcases an innovative application of these technologies for personal energy monitoring.