Cloud Datacenter Monitoring

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• Cloud providers need to monitor how hardware, software, and network are being utilized in their datacenters
  • to better meet customer needs (and comply with SLAs)
• fulfills 3 IT service management functions
  • Service-level management
    • IT organization is fulfilling its obligations to internal and external customers
  • Availability management
    • improves resiliency of IT services
  • Capacity mangement
    • ensures sufficient IT resources

Monitoring

• Tools to monitor datacenter:
  • OS logging
    • monitors performance and events
    • can set logs to alert when usage approaches a certain level of capacity utilization or performance degradation
    • includes:
      • CPU usage, memory usage, disk space, disk I/O timing
  • Cloud application telemetry
    • describes the rich information sources provided by some cloud services that orgs may include in security monitoring
    • introduces new challenges
      • can be difficult to import or export log sources from the cloud
      • log entries may be delayed from real-time
  • Hardware monitoring
    • performance-monitoring tools are often included in device builds
    • can monitor:
      • CPU usage, fan speed, voltages (consumption and throughput), CPU load, clock speed, drive temp
    • can use third-party monitoring products
  • Network monitoring
    • monitor network hardware, software, and distribution components (cabling, SDN control planes)
    • ensure capacity meets customer needs
    • ensure network is not overburdened or unacceptable latency