Monitoring IBM Db2 pureScale with Instana
IBM Db2 pureScale
The IBM® DB2® pureScale® environment offers a compelling solution for organizations seeking to enhance the scalability and reliability of their distributed database systems. By providing exceptional capacity and application transparency, it mitigates the risks and costs that are associated with expanding database solutions. Designed for continuous availability, DB2 pureScale surpasses the industry standards by ensuring uninterrupted operation even under demanding conditions.
Unlike traditional distributed database systems that require application modifications or data redistribution as workloads increase, Db2 pureScale offers seamless scalability. The clustered architecture of Db2 pureScale comprises of multiple database servers known as members, enables transparent scaling without the need for application changes, data redistribution, or performance tuning. Adding additional members effortlessly accommodates growing business requirements, safeguarding against downtime, and minimizing operational disruptions.
DB2 pureScale is built upon proven design features from Db2 for z/OS® database software by incorporating advanced hardware and software technologies. The Db2 pureScale feature delivers unparalleled levels of database availability and fault tolerance. Even during extreme circumstances, it maintains robust processing capabilities, ensures uninterrupted service delivery, and safeguards business continuity.
You can setup Db2 by using either of the following ways:
Db2 pureScale and Instana
In the realm of application performance management (APM), Instana shines with its cutting-edge solution designed to tackle the complexities of modern database environments. Instana’s specialized sensors meticulously crafted for monitoring IBM Db2 pureScale setups provide businesses with unparalleled insights into the performance metrics that are essential for fine-tuning intricate database clusters. From tracking throughput and latency to monitoring resource utilization, Instana’s purescale monitoring capabilities offer a comprehensive view of Db2 pureScale deployments, enabling proactive issue resolution, and streamlined performance optimization. With its tailored approach that is centered around pureScale and its associated metrics, Instana stands ready to meet the unique monitoring needs of today’s dynamic database infrastructures. This documentation provides more insights on Db2, such as enabling SSL.
Configuring Instana to monitor Db2 pureScale
- Install the Instana agent.
- After the Instana agent is installed, configure the <agent_install_dir>/etc/instana/configuration.yaml Instana agent configuration file to monitor the Db2 databases as shown:
Db2 pureScale monitoring in Instana can be remote or local depending on where the Instana agent runs. If the Instana agent and the database processes runson the same host, it qualifies for local monitoring or else it qualifies for remote monitoring.
For more information on configuring remote and local monitoring, see this blog.
When you visualize PureScale nodes over the Instana dashboard, you can see individual towers for each successfully-connected database nodes. To see all the information that are related to respective databases (Figure 1), hover over each tower. To view all metrics related to a specific database, click to open its dashboard.
The following figure shows the Instana dashboard:
When a member node is configured in Instana, it offers a comprehensive view of all member nodes and cluster caching facility nodes within the associated cluster. This visibility encompasses crucial metrics, such as lock memory, shared common area memory, buffer pool statistics, and page statistics. Instana’s monitoring capabilities provide detailed insights into the performance and health of each node, facilitating efficient management, and troubleshooting. The previous figures (Figure 2.x) highlights a subset of the metric details that are available through Instana to demonstrate its ability to capture and present essential data for optimising IBM Db2 pureScale environments.
Conclusion
After configuring Instana to monitor Db2 pureScale, you can now monitor both the member nodes and associated databases by using a variety of intriguing performance parameters. Additionally, there are configurations for generating alerts, crafting custom dashboards, and exporting collected statistics by using APIs.
References
- IBM pureScale documentation
- IBM Db2 monitoring using Instana documentation
