GRAFFER(8) BSD System Manager's Manual GRAFFER(8)NAMEgraffer — collect numeric values and generate graphs
SYNOPSISgraffer [-c config] [-d database] [-f file] [-q] [-p] [-t -days[:days]]
DESCRIPTION
The graffer utility can collect numeric values from external programs and
produce graphs from the collected data.
The options are as follows:
-q Query the current values from described external programs
and store them in the database. This is usually done from a
crontab(5) like this:
* * * * * /usr/local/bin/graffer -q
Note that without regular truncating (see below), the data‐
base will grow continually.
-p Produce the configured set of graph images based on the sta‐
tistics collected beforehand.
-t days:[days]
Truncate the database, removing entries older than the spec‐
ified number of days. The first value applies to uncom‐
pressed entries which constitute roughly 90 percent of the
database, the second value to compressed entries. Uncom‐
pressed entries are needed only for high-resolution graphs
over short time periods.
Assuming statistics are queried every I seconds, and a graph
of width W pixels covering a time period of T seconds is
generated, then uncompressed entries are only used when T/I
< W*10.
In other words, removing uncompressed entries earlier than
compressed ones drastically reduces the database size.
Graphs can be generated over the entire time range the com‐
pressed entries cover (monthly or yearly graphs), and high
resolution graphs over short time periods in the recent past
don't lose any precision. The precision is gradually lost
for older periods.
A typical invokation would be
graffer-t 31:365
This removes uncompressed entries older than a month and
compressed entries older than a year, allowing generation of
graphs up to one year into the past, while keeping full pre‐
cision for one month.
Note that truncating the database does not usually shrink
the size of the database file. Removed entries are only
marked as deleted and their space is later reused for new
entries.
-f file Copy the database into a new file, skipping removed and
invalid entries. This operation takes longer than truncat‐
ing, but produces a smaller database file. This can also be
used to recover data from a corrupted database, indicated by
the following error during truncating:
data_truncate: db->del() returned 1
main: data_truncate() failed
-c config Use the specified configuration file instead of the default
/usr/local/etc/graffer.conf. Syntax:
collect = "collect" number = coldef .
coldef = ( "path to external program" ) [ "diff" ] .
image = "image" filename "{"
time type size [ left ] [ right ] "}" .
time = "from" number [ unit ] [ "to" number [ unit ] ] .
unit = "minutes" | "hours" | "days" | "weeks" | "months" |
"years" .
type = "type" ( "jpeg" | "png" ) .
size = "width" number "height" number .
left = "left" graphs .
right = "right" graphs .
graphs = graph [ "," graphs ] .
graph = "graph" number [ "bps" ] [ "avg" | "min" | "max" ]
label unit "color" red green blue [ "filled" ] .
collect lines define what values to store in the database.
Each definition should use a unique number, which is used in
graph lines to reference those values.
The diff option causes differential values (change of value
per second) to be stored instead of absolute values. For
example, storing interface byte counters (which count the
number of bytes since last reset) differentially produces
values representing current speed (bytes per second).
Several images can be defined in the same config file. An
image can include two independent y-axes, both of which
auto-scale independently to the maximum value in the
selected range. Each axis can display an arbitrary number
of graphs.
When the bps option is used, values are multiplied by eight,
and the unit prefixes 'k' (kilo), 'm' (mega), etc. are mul‐
tiples of 1024, instead of 1000.
-d database Database file. Default is /var/db/graffer.db.
EXAMPLES
collect 1 = "/usr/local/bin/statgrab -u net.sis0.rx" diff
collect 2 = "/usr/local/bin/statgrab -u net.sis0.tx" diff
image "/var/www/htdocs/bandwidth.jpg" {
from 7 days to now
width 1000 height 400
left
graph 1 bps "in" "bits/s" color 0 192 0 filled
right
graph 2 bps "out" "bits/s" color 0 0 255
}
collect 3 = "/usr/local/etc/graffer/scripts/freebsd/netstat.sh rl0 in" diff
collect 4 = "/usr/local/etc/graffer/scripts/freebsd/disk.sh /dev/ad0 temp"
image "/var/www/htdocs/rl0.jpg" {
from 12 months to now
width 800 height 200
left
graph 3 bps "states" "entries" color 200 0 0 filled,
right
graph 4 "ad0" "temperature" color 0 0 255
}
SEE ALSOcrontab(5)BSD April 2, 2013 BSD
