src/go/plugin/go.d/modules/ping/integrations/ping.md
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# Ping
<img src="https://netdata.cloud/img/globe.svg" width="150"/>
Plugin: go.d.plugin
Module: ping
<img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/maintained%20by-Netdata-%2300ab44" />
## Overview
This module measures round-trip time and packet loss by sending ping messages to network hosts.
There are two operational modes:
- privileged (send raw ICMP ping, default). Requires
CAP_NET_RAW [capability](https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man7/capabilities.7.html) or root privileges:
> **Note**: set automatically during Netdata installation.
```bash
sudo setcap CAP_NET_RAW=eip <INSTALL_PREFIX>/usr/libexec/netdata/plugins.d/go.d.plugin
```
- unprivileged (send UDP ping, Linux only).
Requires configuring [ping_group_range](https://www.man7.org/linux/man-pages/man7/icmp.7.html):
```bash
sudo sysctl -w net.ipv4.ping_group_range="0 2147483647"
```
To persist the change add `net.ipv4.ping_group_range=0 2147483647` to `/etc/sysctl.conf` and
execute `sudo sysctl -p`.
This collector is supported on all platforms.
This collector supports collecting metrics from multiple instances of this integration, including remote instances.
### Default Behavior
#### Auto-Detection
This integration doesn't support auto-detection.
#### Limits
The default configuration for this integration does not impose any limits on data collection.
#### Performance Impact
The default configuration for this integration is not expected to impose a significant performance impact on the system.
## Metrics
Metrics grouped by *scope*.
The scope defines the instance that the metric belongs to. An instance is uniquely identified by a set of labels.
### Per host
These metrics refer to the remote host.
Labels:
| Label | Description |
|:-----------|:----------------|
| host | remote host |
Metrics:
| Metric | Dimensions | Unit |
|:------|:----------|:----|
| ping.host_rtt | min, max, avg | milliseconds |
| ping.host_std_dev_rtt | std_dev | milliseconds |
| ping.host_packet_loss | loss | percentage |
| ping.host_packets | received, sent | packets |
## Alerts
The following alerts are available:
| Alert name | On metric | Description |
|:------------|:----------|:------------|
| [ ping_host_reachable ](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/src/health/health.d/ping.conf) | ping.host_packet_loss | network host ${lab1el:host} reachability status |
| [ ping_packet_loss ](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/src/health/health.d/ping.conf) | ping.host_packet_loss | packet loss percentage to the network host ${label:host} over the last 10 minutes |
| [ ping_host_latency ](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/blob/master/src/health/health.d/ping.conf) | ping.host_rtt | average latency to the network host ${label:host} over the last 10 seconds |
## Setup
### Prerequisites
No action required.
### Configuration
#### File
The configuration file name for this integration is `go.d/ping.conf`.
You can edit the configuration file using the `edit-config` script from the
Netdata [config directory](/docs/netdata-agent/configuration/README.md#the-netdata-config-directory).
```bash
cd /etc/netdata 2>/dev/null || cd /opt/netdata/etc/netdata
sudo ./edit-config go.d/ping.conf
```
#### Options
The following options can be defined globally: update_every, autodetection_retry.
<details open><summary>Config options</summary>
| Name | Description | Default | Required |
|:----|:-----------|:-------|:--------:|
| update_every | Data collection frequency. | 5 | no |
| autodetection_retry | Recheck interval in seconds. Zero means no recheck will be scheduled. | 0 | no |
| hosts | Network hosts. | | yes |
| network | Allows configuration of DNS resolution. Supported options: ip (select IPv4 or IPv6), ip4 (select IPv4), ip6 (select IPv6). | ip | no |
| privileged | Ping packets type. "no" means send an "unprivileged" UDP ping, "yes" - raw ICMP ping. | yes | no |
| packets | Number of ping packets to send. | 5 | no |
| interval | Timeout between sending ping packets. | 100ms | no |
</details>
#### Examples
##### IPv4 hosts
An example configuration.
<details open><summary>Config</summary>
```yaml
jobs:
- name: example
hosts:
- 192.0.2.0
- 192.0.2.1
```
</details>
##### Unprivileged mode
An example configuration.
<details open><summary>Config</summary>
```yaml
jobs:
- name: example
privileged: no
hosts:
- 192.0.2.0
- 192.0.2.1
```
</details>
##### Multi-instance
> **Note**: When you define multiple jobs, their names must be unique.
Multiple instances.
<details open><summary>Config</summary>
```yaml
jobs:
- name: example1
hosts:
- 192.0.2.0
- 192.0.2.1
- name: example2
packets: 10
hosts:
- 192.0.2.3
- 192.0.2.4
```
</details>
## Troubleshooting
### Debug Mode
**Important**: Debug mode is not supported for data collection jobs created via the UI using the Dyncfg feature.
To troubleshoot issues with the `ping` 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]`.
```bash
cd /usr/libexec/netdata/plugins.d/
```
- Switch to the `netdata` user.
```bash
sudo -u netdata -s
```
- Run the `go.d.plugin` to debug the collector:
```bash
./go.d.plugin -d -m ping
```
### Getting Logs
If you're encountering problems with the `ping` collector, follow these steps to retrieve logs and identify potential issues:
- **Run the command** specific to your system (systemd, non-systemd, or Docker container).
- **Examine the output** for any warnings or error messages that might indicate issues. These messages should provide clues about the root cause of the problem.
#### System with systemd
Use the following command to view logs generated since the last Netdata service restart:
```bash
journalctl _SYSTEMD_INVOCATION_ID="$(systemctl show --value --property=InvocationID netdata)" --namespace=netdata --grep ping
```
#### System without systemd
Locate the collector log file, typically at `/var/log/netdata/collector.log`, and use `grep` to filter for collector's name:
```bash
grep ping /var/log/netdata/collector.log
```
**Note**: This method shows logs from all restarts. Focus on the **latest entries** for troubleshooting current issues.
#### Docker Container
If your Netdata runs in a Docker container named "netdata" (replace if different), use this command:
```bash
docker logs netdata 2>&1 | grep ping
```