Windows machine monitoring with Netdata

This module will monitor one or more Windows machines, using the windows_exporter.

The module collects metrics from the following collectors:

• cpu
• iis
• memory
• net
• logical_disk
• os
• system
• logon
• tcp
• thermalzone
• process
• service
• mssql
• ad
• adcs
• adfs

Requirements

Netdata monitors Windows hosts by utilizing the Prometheus exporter for Windows machines, a native Windows agent running on each host.

To quickly test Netdata directly on a Windows machine, you can use the Netdata MSI installer. The installer runs Netdata in a custom WSL deployment. WSL was not designed for production environments, so we do not recommend using the installer in production.

For production use, you need to install Netdata on one or more nodes running Linux:

• Install the latest Prometheus exporter for Windows on every Windows host you want to monitor.
• Get the installation commands from Netdata Cloud and install Netdata on one or more Linux nodes.
• Configure each Netdata instance to collect data remotely, from several Windows hosts. Just add one job for each host to wmi.conf, as shown in the configuration section.
• [Optional][Disable all plugins](/docs/configure/common-changes#disable-a-collector-or-plugin) except for go.d in netdata.conf, so that you only see Windows metrics.
• [Optional] Set up replication, for high availability.

Automated charts and alerts for your entire Windows infrastructure will be automatically generated. Each Windows host (data collection job) will be identifiable as an "instance" in the Netdata Cloud charts.

Metrics

All metrics have "wmi." prefix.

Metric	Scope	Dimensions	Units
cpu_utilization_total	global	dpc, user, privileged, interrupt	percentage
cpu_core_utilization	cpu core	dpc, user, privileged, interrupt	percentage
cpu_core_interrupts	cpu core	interrupts	interrupts/s
cpu_core_dpcs	cpu core	dpcs	dpcs/s
cpu_core_cstate	cpu core	c1, c2, c3	percentage
memory_utilization	global	available, used	bytes
memory_utilization	global	available, used	KiB
memory_page_faults	global	page_faults	events/s
memory_swap_utilization	global	available, used	bytes
memory_swap_operations	global	read, write	operations/s
memory_swap_pages	global	read, written	pages/s
memory_cached	global	cached	KiB
memory_cache_faults	global	cache_faults	events/s
memory_system_pool	global	paged, non-paged	bytes
logical_disk_utilization	logical disk	free, used	bytes
logical_disk_bandwidth	logical disk	read, write	bytes/s
logical_disk_operations	logical disk	reads, writes	operations/s
logical_disk_latency	logical disk	read, write	seconds
net_nic_bandwidth	network device	received, sent	kilobits/s
net_nic_packets	network device	received, sent	packets/s
net_nic_errors	network device	inbound, outbound	errors/s
net_nic_discarded	network device	inbound, outbound	discards/s
tcp_conns_established	global	ipv4, ipv6	connections
tcp_conns_active	global	ipv4, ipv6	connections/s
tcp_conns_passive	global	ipv4, ipv6	connections/s
tcp_conns_failures	global	ipv4, ipv6	failures/s
tcp_conns_resets	global	ipv4, ipv6	resets/s
tcp_segments_received	global	ipv4, ipv6	segments/s
tcp_segments_sent	global	ipv4, ipv6	segments/s
tcp_segments_retransmitted	global	ipv4, ipv6	segments/s
os_processes	global	processes	number
os_users	global	users	users
os_visible_memory_usage	global	free, used	bytes
os_paging_files_usage	global	free, used	bytes
system_threads	global	threads	number
system_uptime	global	time	seconds
logon_type_sessions	global	system, interactive, network, batch, service, proxy, unlock, network_clear_text, new_credentials, remote_interactive, cached_interactive, cached_remote_interactive, cached_unlock	seconds
thermalzone_temperature	global	a dimension per thermalzone	celsius
processes_cpu_utilization	global	a dimension per process	percentage
processes_handles	global	a dimension per process	handles
processes_io_bytes	global	a dimension per process	bytes/s
processes_io_operations	global	a dimension per process	operations/s
processes_page_faults	global	a dimension per process	pgfaults/s
processes_page_file_bytes	global	a dimension per process	bytes
processes_pool_bytes	global	a dimension per process	bytes
processes_threads	global	a dimension per process	threads
service_state	service	running, stopped, start_pending, stop_pending, continue_pending, pause_pending, paused, unknown	state
service_status	service	ok, error, unknown, degraded, pred_fail, starting, stopping, service, stressed, nonrecover, no_contact, lost_comm	status
iis_website_traffic	website	received, sent	bytes/s
iis_website_requests_rate	website	requests	requests/s
iis_website_active_connections_count	website	active	connections
iis_website_users_count	website	anonymous, non_anonymous	users
iis_website_connection_attempts_rate	website	connection	attempts/s
iis_website_isapi_extension_requests_count	website	isapi	requests
iis_website_isapi_extension_requests_rate	website	isapi	requests/s
iis_website_ftp_file_transfer_rate	website	received, sent	files/s
iis_website_logon_attempts_rate	website	logon	attempts/s
iis_website_errors_rate	website	document_locked, document_not_found	errors/s
iis_website_uptime	website	document_locked, document_not_found	seconds
mssql_instance_accessmethods_page_splits	mssql instance	page	splits/s
mssql_instance_cache_hit_ratio	mssql instance	hit_ratio	percentage
mssql_instance_bufman_checkpoint_pages	mssql instance	flushed	pages/s
mssql_instance_bufman_page_life_expectancy	mssql instance	life_expectancy	seconds
mssql_instance_bufman_iops	mssql instance	read, written	iops
mssql_instance_blocked_processes	mssql instance	blocked	processes
mssql_instance_user_connection	mssql instance	user	connections
mssql_instance_locks_lock_wait	mssql instance	alloc_unit, application, database, extent, file, hobt, key, metadata, oib, object, page, rid, row_group, xact	locks/s
mssql_instance_memmgr_pending_memory_grants	mssql instance	pending	processes
mssql_instance_memmgr_server_memory	mssql instance	memory	bytes
mssql_instance_sqlstats_auto_parameterization_attempts	mssql instance	failed	attempts/s
mssql_instance_sqlstats_safe_auto_parameterization_attempts	mssql instance	safe	attempts/s
mssql_instance_sqlstats_sql_compilations	mssql instance	compilations	compilations/s
mssql_instance_sqlstats_sql_recompilations	mssql instance	recompiles	recompiles/s
mssql_database_active_transactions	database	active	transactions
mssql_database_backup_restore_operations	database	backup	operations/s
mssql_database_data_files_size	database	size	bytes
mssql_database_log_flushed	database	flushed	bytes/s
mssql_database_log_flushes	database	log	flushes/s
mssql_database_transactions	database	transactions	transactions/s
mssql_instance_write_transactions	database	write	transactions/s
ad_dra_replication_intersite_compressed_traffic	global	inbound, outbound	bytes/s
ad_dra_replication_intrasite_compressed_traffic	global	inbound, outbound	bytes/s
ad_dra_replication_sync_objects_remaining	global	inbound, outbound	objects
ad_dra_replication_objects_filtered	global	inbound, outbound	objects/s
ad_dra_replication_properties_updated	global	inbound, outbound	properties/s
ad_dra_replication_properties_filtered	global	inbound, outbound	properties/s
ad_dra_replication_pending_syncs	global	pending	syncs
ad_dra_replication_sync_requests	global	requests	requests/s
ad_ds_threads	global	in_use	threads
ad_ldap_last_bind_time	global	last_bind	seconds
ad_binds	global	binds	binds/s
ad_ldap_searches	global	searches	searches/s
adcs_cert_template_requests	certificate template	requests	requests/s
adcs_cert_template_failed_requests	certificate template	failed	requests/s
adcs_cert_template_issued_requests	certificate template	issued	requests/s
adcs_cert_template_pending_requests	certificate template	pending	requests/s
adcs_cert_template_request_processing_time	certificate template	processing_time	seconds
adcs_cert_template_retrievals	certificate template	retrievals	retrievals/s
adcs_cert_template_retrieval_processing_time	certificate template	processing_time	seconds
adcs_cert_template_request_cryptographic_signing_time	certificate template	singing_time	seconds
adcs_cert_template_request_policy_module_processing	certificate template	processing_time	seconds
adcs_cert_template_challenge_responses	certificate template	challenge	responses/s
adcs_cert_template_challenge_response_processing_time	certificate template	processing_time	seconds
adcs_cert_template_signed_certificate_timestamp_lists	certificate template	processed	lists/s
adcs_cert_template_signed_certificate_timestamp_list_processing_time	certificate template	processing_time	seconds
adfs_ad_login_connection_failures	global	connection	failures/s
adfs_certificate_authentications	global	authentications	authentications/s
adfs_db_artifact_failures	global	connection	failures/s
adfs_db_artifact_query_time_seconds	global	query_time	seconds/s
adfs_db_config_failures	global	connection	failures/s
adfs_db_config_query_time_seconds	global	query_time	seconds/s
adfs_device_authentications	global	authentications	authentications/s
adfs_external_authentications	global	success, failure	authentications/s
adfs_federated_authentications	global	authentications	authentications/s
adfs_federation_metadata_requests	global	requests	requests/s
adfs_oauth_authorization_requests	global	requests	requests/s
adfs_oauth_client_authentications	global	success, failure	authentications/s
adfs_oauth_client_credentials_requests	global	success, failure	requests/s
adfs_oauth_client_privkey_jwt_authentications	global	success, failure	authentications/s
adfs_oauth_client_secret_basic_authentications	global	success, failure	authentications/s
adfs_oauth_client_secret_post_authentications	global	success, failure	authentications/s
adfs_oauth_client_windows_authentications	global	success, failure	authentications/s
adfs_oauth_logon_certificate_requests	global	success, failure	requests/s
adfs_oauth_password_grant_requests	global	success, failure	requests/s
adfs_oauth_token_requests_success	global	success	requests/s
adfs_passive_requests	global	passive	requests/s
adfs_passport_authentications	global	passport	authentications/s
adfs_password_change_requests	global	success, failure	requests/s
adfs_samlp_token_requests_success	global	success	requests/s
adfs_sso_authentications	global	success, failure	authentications/s
adfs_token_requests	global	requests	requests/s
adfs_userpassword_authentications	global	success, failure	authentications/s
adfs_windows_integrated_authentications	global	authentications	authentications/s
adfs_wsfed_token_requests_success	global	success	requests/s
adfs_wstrust_token_requests_success	global	success	requests/s

Configuration

Edit the go.d/wmi.conf configuration file using edit-config from the Netdata config directory, which is typically at /etc/netdata.

cd /etc/netdata # Replace this path with your Netdata config directory
sudo ./edit-config go.d/wmi.conf

Needs only url to windows_exporter metrics endpoint. Here is an example for 2 instances:

jobs:
  - name: win_server1
    url: http://203.0.113.10:9182/metrics

  - name: win_server2
    url: http://203.0.113.11:9182/metrics

Hint: Use friendly server names for job names, as these will appear as "instances" in Netdata Cloud charts and on the right side menu of the agent UI charts.

For all available options please see module configuration file.

Troubleshooting

To troubleshoot issues with the wmi collector, run the go.d.plugin with the debug option enabled. The output should give you clues as to why the collector isn't working.

• Navigate to the plugins.d directory, usually at /usr/libexec/netdata/plugins.d/. If that's not the case on your system, open netdata.conf and look for the plugins setting under [directories].

  cd /usr/libexec/netdata/plugins.d/

• Switch to the netdata user.

  sudo -u netdata -s

• Run the go.d.plugin to debug the collector:

  ./go.d.plugin -d -m wmi

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