July 2019 Summaries

Flux is a programming language designed specifically for time series analysis, aiming to make working with large dynamic time series datasets more elegant. The author's initial experience with Flux was promising but ultimately revealed that understanding the results as tables, not arrays, was crucial to unlocking its full potential. By leveraging the "View Raw Data" feature in InfluxDB Cloud 2 UI, users can gain a deeper understanding of the table structure and column layout within the results. This insight enables users to manipulate, analyze, and shape their data more effectively, ultimately leading to better insights and answers. As Flux continues to evolve with new features like conditionals and multi-data stores, it's now an ideal time for developers to explore its capabilities and tackle complex time series analysis use cases.

InfluxDB 2.0 Alpha 16 has been released, featuring updated templates that require deletion and re-creation for compatibility with the latest Flux updates, minor bug fixes, and a flux library update to version 0.37.2. The release is intended for feedback on functionality and user experience rather than production usage or performance testing.

Telegraf 1.11.3 has been released, featuring improvements to several plugins including Bind input, Github Input, Graphite Parser, JSON Parser, Lustre Input, Nvidia SMI Input, StatsD input, and VMware vSphere Input, addressing issues such as panic errors and config parse regressions.

Telegraf 1.11.3 has been released, featuring improvements to various plugins including Bind input, Github Input, Graphite Parser, JSON Parser, Lustre Input, Nvidia SMI Input, StatsD input and VMware vSphere Input. The release includes bug fixes for several plugins, such as fixing panics when processing certain events or handling unknown errors. Additionally, the release notes mention improvements to the `rcodeand` and `zonestatmetrics` plugins, which were previously missing. The latest binaries are available on the Telegraf downloads page.

InfluxDB 2.0 Alpha 14 introduces the Multi-Data Source Flux, a significant development that enables combining time series data with various different data sources, addressing the issue of relying on developers to shape and crunch data from multiple stores. This feature is essential for general-purpose data analytics and visualization tools that often struggle to merge data from different data stores. The introduction of SQL.from() allows developers to pull data from MySQL and Postgres, but the team plans to expand this functionality to other data sources, including SQLite, MS SQL Server, Google Cloud Compute partners, and BigQuery. This move aims to provide a unified language for analyzing data across multiple data stores, empowering every query and visualization tool to bring together related datasets and generate insights.

Containers are a crucial abstraction between infrastructure and application layers, requiring professionals in different roles to approach container monitoring from distinct yet valid perspectives. Monitoring only from the outside may not be sufficient for teams working on full-stack applications, as every layer and moving part needs to work harmoniously. To address this, it is essential to have visibility into what's happening from the inside, including resource utilization, latency, traffic generation, and error rates within containers. Traditional packet inspection methods are no longer effective due to the lack of context in containerized applications, but eBPF technology can provide system-level insights, enabling root-cause identification and actionable information. A converged data platform, such as InfluxDB, is necessary to collect and analyze metrics, kernel events, log data, tracing, and business KPIs, providing a comprehensive monitoring solution for containerized application environments.

InfluxDB Enterprise 1.7.7 has been released with several bug fixes, including adding TLS to RPC calls, re-enabling retry-rate-limit configuration value for hinted handoff queue draining, and always forwarding Anti-Entropy repair to the next node. Additionally, hinted handoff metrics have been improved to include ShardID, and the Technical Preview of Flux remains at version 0.24.0 until the next monthly maintenance release. A known issue with additional log lines has also been identified and will be addressed in the next release.

A new release of InfluxDB 2.0 Alpha is now available, offering enhancements including time zone support in the UI and a new influxd tool to inspect tsm files. The Flux library has also been updated to version 0.35.1. This alpha build is intended for feedback on functionality, user experience, and APIs, rather than performance or production usage. Users are encouraged to download and explore the latest iteration, report any issues, and provide feedback through the InfluxDB Github Repo or Community Site.

InfluxDB 2.0 can be run on an AWS EC2 instance with Cloud Formation, filling a gap in knowledge for developers who have completed coding bootcamps. To set up the stack, users need to create an AWS account, generate a key pair, and download the private key. The stack definition includes resources such as an EC2 instance type, security group, and script that installs Docker and pulls the InfluxDB 2.0 image. Once created, users can verify the public IP address of the instance and install telegraf to collect metrics from AWS services. With InfluxDB, developers can gain real-time views into their AWS spend, monitor DevOps monitoring, application monitoring, and Amazon CloudWatch metrics, and cut costs by optimizing their AWS usage.

The InfluxData company had a very successful quarter, with key highlights including expanding into Austin, partnering with Google Cloud, hosting InfluxDays in London, and launching new brand initiatives. The community of users for InfluxDB grew rapidly to over 240k daily active instances, with initiatives such as virtual conferences and office hours launched to support developers. The company also opened a second office in Austin, added leadership team members, and released InfluxDB Cloud 2.0 public beta, which represents the most significant change to the technology since its launch in 2014. A partnership with Google Cloud was also announced, providing customers with a seamless user experience across management, billing, and support. The company received recognition from industry publications such as DBTA, Forbes, and CRN, solidifying its position as a leader in time series platforms.

A new maintenance release of Telegraf version 1.11.2 is now available, addressing several plugin issues including fixes for value out of range errors, topic filtering, and path separator handling in Windows. The update also resolves problems with logparser input, ping input on BSD systems, and Datadog tag strings.

Web Shop Fly, a major online airline ticket travel agency, leverages InfluxDB, an open-source time series database, to collect and store user interactions and application metrics, as well as send automated notifications in case of errors. The company, which operates five independent portals across six European countries and Russia, aims to improve its flight search and purchase experience by gaining real-time visibility into user activity. By deploying InfluxDB's time series platform for monitoring infrastructure, application, and business-level metrics, Web Shop Fly achieves faster search response times, higher price accuracy, and more accurate flight and ticket information, ultimately providing better customer service and competing through clear strategy with the right toolset.

InfluxData has introduced the InfluxAces program, a recognition and support initiative for community leaders who share expertise on time series data with their developer peers. The program aims to enhance overall engagement through various activities such as guest blogging, speaking engagements, and meetups worldwide. InfluxAces are valued contributors to the InfluxDB open source project, passionate about sharing knowledge and contributing to the community. The inaugural group of InfluxAces includes industry experts who have demonstrated their commitment to time series data expertise and the InfluxDB software. The program is now 100 percent community-led, with InfluxData providing support and resources such as blog post promotion, speaking engagements, and product access.