Etcd Process Test

The Etcd process is a distributed key-value store that stores all of Kubernetes' cluster data, including configurations, state, and metadata. It ensures data consistency and availability across the cluster using the Raft consensus algorithm. The etcd process runs on the Kubernetes master node, interacting with the API server to manage the cluster's desired state. It allows components like the controller manager and scheduler to monitor and respond to changes in the cluster's configuration and resources.

Monitoring the etcd process is crucial to ensure data consistency, availability, and performance in Kubernetes. It helps detect issues like slowdowns, storage problems, or failures that could disrupt cluster operations.

The Etcd Process Test continuously monitors the Etcd process and reports the key metrics. Through the analysis of these metrics administrators can identify if there are any issues with system.

Target of the test : A Kubernetes Master Node

Agent deploying the test : A remote agent

Outputs of the test : One set of results for the target Kubernetes master node being monitored

Configurable parameters for the test

Parameter	Description
Test Period	How often should the test be executed.
Host	The IP address of the host for which this test is to be configured.
Port	Specify the port at which the specified Host listens. By default, this is 6443.
Timeout	Specify the duration (in seconds) beyond which the test will timeout in the Timeout text box. The default value is 10 seconds.
Metric URL	Each of the Kubernetes system components expose monitoring metrics through /metrics endpoint of the HTTP server. For components that don't expose endpoint by default, refer official Kubernetes distribution documentation site. Specify the metric URL textbox.

Measurements made by the test

Measurement	Description	Measurement Unit	Interpretation
Process CPU time spent	Indicates the total CPU time spent by Etcd process out of the total CPU time spent.	MilliSeconds
Resident memory size	Indicates the portion of a process's memory that is held in RAM and is not swapped out to disk	MB
Uptime	Indicates the amount of time the master node has been running without interruption or reboot.	Secs	Monitoring etcd uptime is important to ensure the stability of the cluster's key-value store, as frequent restarts could signal issues with data consistency or availability.
Virtual memory size	Indicates the amount of memory a process can access, including both the memory it is currently using and the memory it has reserved but is not actively using	MB	In Kubernetes or etcd monitoring, tracking VMS helps assess the total memory footprint of a process, including memory that's been allocated but not necessarily being actively used at the moment.