** Session from Pittsburgh Tech Fest - June 2014 **

1. Inside Azure Diagnostics
Pittsburgh Tech Fest
June 7th, 2014

3. 17
COLUMBUS, OH OCTOBER 17, 2014 CLOUDDEVELOP.ORG

4. 1 / The need for diagnostic data in cloud applications
2 / Data we can we monitor
3 / Using the Microsoft Azure Diagnostic Agent
4 / Real-world guidance for troubleshooting Microsoft Azure apps

5. node.js
C#
Java
Agile
- vs -
Waterfall

6. Diagnostics Data / Telemetry

7. Scenario

8. You’re kidding? Right?

9. Scenario
o
o
o
o
o
o
We have a problem

10. Resolution
o Step 0 – Enable Azure
diagnostics
• Set key performance
counters
o Step 1 – Add logging
statements around key
functionality
• Especially external services
o Step 3 – Test, test, test
o Step 4 – Analyze
o Step 5 – Fix it
Scenario
o
o
o
o
o
o

11. o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o

12. worker roles
web roles

13. worker roles
web roles
Diagnostic Data – 4x

14. 

17. Diagnostic Item Table Name Blob Container Name
Windows Event Logs WADWindowsEventLogsTable
Performance Counters WADPerformanceCountersTable
Trace Log Statements WADLogsTable
Azure Diagnostic Infrastructure
Logs
WADDiagnosticInfrastructureLogs
Custom Logs
(i.e. log4net, NLog, etc.)
<custom>
IIS Logs WADDirectoriesTable* wad-iis-logfiles
IIS Failed Request Logs WADDirectoriesTable* wad-iis-failedreqlogfiles
Crash Dumps WADDirectoriesTable*
* Location of the blob log file is specified in the Container field and name of the blob in the RelativePath field. The
AbsolutePath field contains the name of the file as it existed on the role instance.

18. 1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
o

20. o Trace logs
o IIS logs
o Infrastructure logs
o No transfer
o OnStart()
o Overrides default
o diagnostics.wadcfg
o Overrides
imperative

21. public override bool OnStart()
{
// Create the DiagnosticMonitorConfiguration object to use for configuring the monitoring agent.
DiagnosticMonitorConfiguration config = DiagnosticMonitor.GetDefaultInitialConfiguration();
// Performance Counter configuration
config.PerformanceCounters.DataSources.Add(new PerformanceCounterConfiguration
{
CounterSpecifier = @"Processor(_Total)% Processor Time",
SampleRate = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(30)
});
config.PerformanceCounters.ScheduledTransferPeriod = TimeSpan.FromMinutes(1);
// Log configuration
config.Logs.ScheduledTransferLogLevelFilter = LogLevel.Information;
config.Logs.ScheduledTransferPeriod = TimeSpan.FromMinutes(1);
// Event Log configuration
config.WindowsEventLog.DataSources.Add("Application!*");
config.WindowsEventLog.DataSources.Add("System!*");
config.WindowsEventLog.ScheduledTransferLogLevelFilter = LogLevel.Warning;
config.WindowsEventLog.ScheduledTransferPeriod = TimeSpan.FromMinutes(1);
// Start the diagnostic monitor with the new configuration
DiagnosticMonitor.Start("Microsoft.WindowsAzure.Plugins.Diagnostics.ConnectionString", config);
return base.OnStart();
}
Impacts local agent only!

22. Deployment ID

23. Declarative Configuration
using Visual Studio

24. 1. wad-control-container
2. Imperative code
3. Declarative configuration
4. Default configuration

25. o
o
o
o
o
o

26. Instruct WAD to transfer specific data sources to storage
Overwrites current diagnostic configuration
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg433075.aspx

27. Additional host-level data – not DiagnosticAgent.exe

28. o
o
o
o
o

29. Query Azure Diagnostic
Data

30. o
o Vital information
o
o
o
o Day-to-day operational data
o
o
o
o

31. Compute node
resource usage
Windows Event
logs
Database
queries
response times
Application
specific
exceptions
Database
connection &
cmd failures
Microsoft Azure
Storage
Analytics
Process for Azure hosted solutions is not that different
from traditional, on-premises solutions.

32. o
o
o
o
o
o

33. o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o

34. o
o
o
o

35. o http://bit.ly/1eomek9
o http://bit.ly/1mVHN3u
o http://bit.ly/1k1YkjI
o http://bit.ly/Q33mkU
o
http://bit.ly/1qp4omC

36. o
o
o
o
o
www.JustAzure.com