Grafana + Prometheus

Step 1: Install Prometheus

1. Download Prometheus:

   • Visit the Prometheus download page.
   • Download the Windows ZIP file for the latest version (e.g., prometheus-2.53.3.windows-amd64).

2. Extract Prometheus:

   • Extract the ZIP file to a folder. For example:

     C:\Users\Kumar\OneDrive\Desktop\projects\grafana_promethus\prometheus-2.53.3.windows-amd64

   • Open PowerShell and navigate to the folder:

     cd "C:\Users\Kumar\OneDrive\Desktop\projects\grafana_promethus\prometheus-2.53.3.windows-amd64"

3. Verify Installation:

   • Run the following command to check Prometheus is installed correctly:

     .\prometheus.exe --version

Step 2: Configure Prometheus

1. Modify the prometheus.yml File:

   • Open the prometheus.yml configuration file:

     code "C:\Users\Kumar\OneDrive\Desktop\projects\grafana_promethus\prometheus-2.53.3.windows-amd64\prometheus.yml"

   • Add a job for Windows Exporter under scrape_configs:

     scrape_configs: - job_name: 'windows_exporter' scrape_interval: 5s static_configs: - targets: ['localhost:9182']

   • Start Prometheus:

     • Run Prometheus using:

       .\prometheus.exe --config.file=prometheus.yml

   • Access Prometheus:

     • Open your browser and go to:

       http://localhost:9090

Step 3: Install Windows Exporter

1. Download the MSI Installer:

   • Visit the Windows Exporter GitHub page.
   • Download the latest .msi installer.

2. Run the Installer:

   • Double-click the MSI file and follow these steps:
     • Choose the default installation path (e.g., C:\WindowsExporter).
     • Enable the Firewall Exception during setup.
     • Leave the list of collectors as [defaults].

3. Start Windows Exporter:

   • Navigate to the installation folder and run:

     .\windows_exporter.exe

4. Verify Windows Exporter:

   • Open your browser and check:

     http://localhost:9182/metrics

Step 4: Install Grafana

1. Download Grafana:

   • Visit the Grafana download page.
   • Download the Windows installer for the latest version (e.g., grafana-11.5.2).

2. Run the Installer:

   • Install Grafana using the default path:

     C:\Program Files\GrafanaLabs\grafana

3. Start the Grafana Server:

   • Navigate to the Grafana installation folder and run:

     cd "C:\Program Files\GrafanaLabs\grafana" .\bin\grafana-server.exe

4. Access Grafana:

   • Open your browser and go to:

     http://localhost:3000

   • Log in with the default credentials:

     • Username: admin
     • Password: admin

   • Change the password when prompted( i set my own password : sammyouel)

Step 5: Integrate Prometheus with Grafana

1. Add Prometheus as a Data Source:
   • In Grafana, go to Connections → Data Sources → Add Data Source.
   • Choose Prometheus from the list.
   • Configure it with:
     • URL: http://localhost:9090
     • Access: Server (default)
   • Click Save & Test.
2. Verify the Connection:
   • If successful, you’ll see the message: "Data source is working."
3. Start Visualizing:
   • Begin building your dashboard using metrics from Prometheus (e.g., CPU usage, memory usage).

Enter the PromQL Query: windows_cpu_time_total :

Enter the PromQL Query:

go_memstats_alloc_bytes:

Scripting: Automate Startup Using PowerShell

Create a single PowerShell script to start Prometheus, Grafana, and Windows Exporter together.

1. Create the Script File:

   • Open a new file in VS Code and name it start_monitoring.ps1.

2. Add the Following Script:

   # Start Prometheus
   Start-Process -FilePath "C:\Prometheus\prometheus.exe" -WindowStyle Minimized
   
   # Start Grafana
   Start-Process -FilePath "C:\Program Files\GrafanaLabs\grafana\bin\grafana-server.exe" -WindowStyle Minimized
   
   # Start Windows Exporter
   Start-Process -FilePath "C:\WindowsExporter\windows_exporter.exe" -WindowStyle Minimized
   
   Write-Output "All monitoring tools started successfully."
   
   

3. Run the Script:

   

   • Execute the script in PowerShell:

     .\start_monitoring.ps1

4. Add the Script to Startup:

   • Place the script in the Startup folder to run it automatically on system boot:

     $startupPath = [Environment]::GetFolderPath("Startup") Copy-Item -Path "C:\YourPath\start_monitoring.ps1" -Destination

$startupPath = [Environment]::GetFolderPath("Startup")
$startupPath

Next :

$startupPath = [Environment]::GetFolderPath("Startup")
Copy-Item -Path "C:\Users\Kumar\OneDrive\Desktop\projects\grafana_promethus\prometheus-2.53.3.windows-amd64\start_monitoring.ps1" -Destination $startupPath

• Paste the above script into your PowerShell console or script editor.

• Execute it by pressing Enter.

• Confirm the file was copied successfully by checking the Startup folder:

  powershell

  Test-Path "$startupPath\start_monitoring.ps1"

  If it returns True, the script was successfully added to the Startup folder.

Alerting: Configure Alerts in Prometheus

Adding alerts for high CPU usage or low memory situations is essential for proactive monitoring.

1. Edit prometheus.yml to Define Alerts:

   • Open the prometheus.yml file in your Prometheus directory:

     code "C:\Users\Kumar\OneDrive\Desktop\projects\grafana_promethus\prometheus-2.53.3.windows-amd64\prometheus.yml"

   • Add an alerting rule configuration:

     rule_files:
       - "C:/Users/Kumar/OneDrive/Desktop/projects/grafana_promethus/prometheus-2.53.3.windows-amd64/alert.rules.yml"
     
     

2. Create an alert.rules.yml File:

   • In the same directory, create the alert.rules.yml file:

     code "C:\Users\Kumar\OneDrive\Desktop\projects\grafana_promethus\prometheus-2.53.3.windows-amd64\alert.rules.yml"

   • Add the following example alert rules to the yaml file:

     ---

     groups:

     • name: System Alerts rules:
       • alert: HighCPUUsage expr: sum(rate(windows_cpu_time_total[1m])) > 0.75 for: 2m labels: severity: critical annotations: summary: High CPU usage detected description: CPU usage has exceeded 75% for more than 2 minutes. Investigate immediately.
       • alert: LowMemoryAvailable expr: windows_memory_available_bytes / windows_memory_total_bytes < 0.20 for: 2m labels: severity: warning annotations: summary: Low Memory Warning description: Available memory is less than 20% of the total memory for over 2 minutes.

Restart Prometheus to Apply Changes

1. Save both prometheus.yml and alert.rules.yml.

2. Restart Prometheus to load the new configurations:

   powershell

   cd "C:\Users\Kumar\OneDrive\Desktop\projects\grafana_promethus\prometheus-2.53.3.windows-amd64" .\prometheus.exe --config.file=prometheus.yml

3. Verify Alerts in Prometheus:

   • Go to http://localhost:9090/alerts to view active alerts.

Step-by-Step: Set Up a GitHub Actions Workflow

1. Ensure Your Project Is on GitHub:

   • If it’s not already, push your project to a GitHub repository:

     bash

     git init git add . git commit -m "Initial commit" git branch -M main git remote add origin <your-repo-URL> git push -u origin main

2. Create a Workflow File:

   • Navigate to your repository on GitHub.
   • Go to the Actions tab → New Workflow → Set up a workflow yourself.
   • Create a file named .github/workflows/ci-cd-pipeline.yml.

3. Add the Following Workflow:

   yaml

   `name: CI/CD Pipeline for Monitoring Project

   on: push: branches: - main

   jobs: build: runs-on: windows-latest

    steps:
    - name: Checkout Code
      uses: actions/checkout@v3
   
    - name: Validate Prometheus Config
      run: |
        prometheus.exe --config.file=prometheus.yml --dry-run
   
    - name: Validate Alert Rules
      run: |
        prometheus.exe --config.file=prometheus.yml --rules.alerts.alertmanager.rules
   

   test: runs-on: windows-latest needs: build

    steps:
    - name: Checkout Code
      uses: actions/checkout@v3
   
    - name: Test Prometheus Connection
      run: |
        curl http://localhost:9090/api/v1/alerts
   

   deploy: runs-on: windows-latest needs: test

    steps:
    - name: Deploy Updates
      run: |
        # Any deployment-specific commands go here, e.g., restart services`
   

4. Save and Push the Workflow:

   • Commit the .github/workflows/ci-cd-pipeline.yml file.
   • Push it to the main branch.

5. Run the Workflow:

   • Every time you push changes to the repository, GitHub Actions will automatically trigger the pipeline.

Modified the code and these were the changes :

. Reorganized Project Structure

• Created a dedicated directory named code_directory within the main project folder:

  C:\Users\Kumar\OneDrive\Desktop\projects\grafana_promethus\prometheus-2.53.3.windows-amd64\code_directory

• Moved all custom scripts and files (e.g., start_monitoring.ps1) into the code_directory for better organization.

2. Updated start_monitoring.ps1 Script

• Adjusted paths in start_monitoring.ps1 to ensure compatibility with the new project structure:

  powershell

  # Example: Start-Process -FilePath "C:\Users\Kumar\OneDrive\Desktop\projects\grafana_promethus\prometheus-2.53.3.windows-amd64\prometheus.exe" -WindowStyle Minimized

• Verified that all services (Prometheus, Grafana, and Windows Exporter) start successfully from the script.

3. Managed Git Configuration and Repository

• Configured Git with your username and email:

  bash

  git config --global user.name "sammyouel" git config --global user.email "[email protected]"

• Added a .gitignore file to exclude unnecessary files and folders:

  plaintext

  prometheus.exe promtool.exe alertmanager.exe data/ logs/ console_libraries/ consoles/ *.zip *.tar.gz .vscode/ !prometheus.yml !alert.rules.yml !LICENSE !NOTICE !README.md

4. Resolved Merge Conflicts

• Encountered and resolved merge conflicts in README.md. Combined or prioritized content as needed:

  plaintext

  # monitoring-project our grafana-promethus integrated code base

• Marked the conflict as resolved:

  bash

  git add README.md git commit -m "Resolved merge conflict in README.md"

5. Created a New Repository

• Set up a new GitHub repository to host the reorganized project:

  • Repository Name: monitoring-project.

  • Added the new repository as the remote:

    bash

    git remote add origin https://github.com/sammyouel/monitoring-project.git

6. Pushed the Project to GitHub

• Initialized Git in the main project directory and pushed the changes:

  bash

  git init git add . git commit -m "Initial commit for reorganized project" git branch -M main git push -u origin main

7. Tested the Setup Locally

• Ran the start_monitoring.ps1 script:

  powershell

  pwsh -File "C:\Users\Kumar\OneDrive\Desktop\projects\grafana_promethus\prometheus-2.53.3.windows-amd64\code_directory\start_monitoring.ps1"

• Confirmed the following:

  • Prometheus was accessible at http://localhost:9090.
  • Grafana was accessible at http://localhost:3000.
  • Windows Exporter metrics were available at http://localhost:9182/metrics.

8. Shared and Deployed the Project

• Shared Repository:
  • Shared the GitHub repository link with collaborators.
  • Included LICENSE, README.md, NOTICE, and other critical files for better project clarity.
• Deployed Dashboards:
  • Set up Prometheus and Grafana on a local/remote server.
  • Shared dashboard access via:
    • http://<server-IP>:9090 for Prometheus.
    • http://<server-IP>:3000 for Grafana.
  • Optionally secured access using SSL and user authentication.