AppDynamics Integration
Caveat: each of the following integration directions was based on the UI when it was written. The UIs may change by the time you read this, so UI updates are beyond the scope of these articles. Please go to the integration target sites for their latest information on integration directions.
AppDynamics integration provides access to AppDynamics data via a dashboard containing AppDynamic metrics and allows you to compare check metrics against AppDynamics Business Transactions response times. You can also trigger and view AppDynamics Snapshots.
With the AppDynamics internal application metrics, you can correlate Synthetic Monitoring metrics with AppDynamics internal application metrics.
Feature Overview
Introduction
AppDynamics is the leading provider of application performance management for modern application architectures. The integration of Synthetic Monitoring and AppDynamics delivers a complete performance monitoring solution.
Benefits
Reduce mean time to resolution
Pinpoint problems instantly, find the root cause in a matter of seconds, and troubleshoot issues faster than ever before.
Understand the user journey
Gain newfound insight into the end-user experience. Correlate browser, mobile, and API synthetic checks with your AppDynamics transactions in your Apica dashboard.
Keep your data secure
Have tight security requirements? We offer on-premise deployment so you can augment your AppDynamics data with secure internal synthetic checks.
Some sample views:
Integration Dashboard
Check Result
Integration Information Needed
Browser Check
AppDynamics New Integration Process
AppDynamics
This Section focuses on the New Integration + AppDynamics checks process, which uses a configured AppDynamics integration to provide AppDynamics application performance monitoring information.
An Example AppD Integration Results View of an AppD Check:
The AppD Wizard
An AppDynamics check accesses AppDynamics data for application performance monitoring.
Step
Screenshot
Step 2: Command and Location
In the second step, you provide integration settings. This AppDynamics section contains Critical/Fundamental settings related to proper AppDynamics integration.
AppDynamics Base URL: the AppDynamics controller address.
AppDynamics Account/Username: The user name for access to the controller.
AppDynamics Password: Password for access to the controller.
Application: Name of the application.
AppDynamics Path: Full path to the metric you wish to use.
Available metrics can be viewed in the AppDynamics Metric Browser.
Statistics: Type of data for the metric.
Value/Maximum/Minimum
Interval (min): Time between data retrievals.
Use Private Location: Internal location to run the test from.
This will require allowing the IP.
Step 3: Options
In the third step, you can configure
how often the check is to run,
set threshold values for check notifications, and
Polling Interval: The time between data retrieval.
High Warning Threshold: Severity level Threshold calculation method and settings. A warning is triggered above this value.
High Error Threshold: Severity level Threshold calculation method and settings. Error is triggered above this value.
Low Warning Threshold: Severity level Threshold calculation method and settings. A warning is triggered below this value.
Low Error Threshold: Severity level Threshold calculation method and settings. Error is triggered below this value.
Monitor Groups: Monitor Groups for the check.
AppD Configuration:
Step/Configuration
Screenshot
Execution Behavior
The Execution Behavior section defines how the check will be run.
Use Private Location: Internal location to run the test from.
This will require allowing the IP.
Enable Failover: Use Failover for the check.
Polling Interval: Time between data retrieval.
Max Attempts: The number of attempts for the check run.
This setting applies to the primary location only, not any failover locations.
Attempt Pause: The delay between attempts.
Scheduling when to Run Checks
In the Schedule section, you can define time periods where the check runs should deviate from the basic AppD Configuration: Execution Behavior settings.
Inclusion Periods: Time period(s) when the check will run at the defined frequency.
Exclusion Periods: Time period(s) when the check will not run.
Monitor Groups
Monitor groups are a way of organizing checks into manageable groupings or thematic units.
Monitoring groups are used in the Dashboard to organize checks in separate display widgets and lists and the Manage view to structure checks for a better overview.
You can have as many groups as you like, and any check can be a member of any number of groups.
Top-Level Groups
The Top-Level Groups are the primary organizing level. They can contain any number of Subgroups.
Subgroups
Subgroups provide a slightly more fine-grained organization and are placed inside Top-Level Groups.
Subgroups are at the lowest level and cannot contain other subgroups.
Access
Users can have access to monitor groups either as either a co-owner or as a user (non-co-owner).
None: No unit.
%: Percentage.
b: Bytes.
h: Hours.
Mbit / s: Megabit / second.
ms: Milliseconds.
Target SLA %: The primary SLA target percentage.
Target SLA % (2nd): Secondary SLA target percentage.
Schedule Syntax
The periods are configured as semicolon-separated strings specifying the date and time ranges.
Syntax: PERIOD [ ; PERIOD ]
PERIOD ::= ( WEEK-DAY-LIST | MONTH-DAY-LIST | DATE-LIST ) : TIME-RANGE WEEK-DAY-LIST ::= WEEK-DAY-SPEC [ , WEEK-DAY-LIST ]* WEEK-DAY-SPEC ::= ( WEEK-DAY | WEEK-DAY-RANGE ) WEEK-DAY-RANGE ::= WEEK-DAY - WEEK-DAY WEEK-DAY ::= ( mon | tue | wed | thu | fri | sat | sun ) MONTH-DAY-LIST ::= MONTH-DAY-SPEC [ , MONTH-DAY-LIST ]* MONTH-DAY-SPEC ::= ( MONTH-DAY | MONTH-DAY-RANGE ) MONTH-DAY-RANGE::= MONTH-DAY - MONTH-DAY MONTH-DAY ::= 0-31 (Note: Month day 0 means last day of month) DATE-LIST ::= DATE-SPEC [ , DATE-LIST ]* DATE-SPEC ::= ( DATE | DATE-RANGE ) DATE-RANGE ::= DATE - DATE DATE ::= [yy]yy-mm-dd TIME-RANGE ::= TIME-SPEC - TIME-SPEC TIME-SPEC ::= hh[:mm[:ss]]
Example:
mon-fri:21:30-22; sun:15-17; 0-1:12-18; 2018-04-01-2018-04-30:18-23
Section
Description
mon-fri:21:30-22
Every Monday to Friday between 21:30 and 22:00.
sun:15-17
Sundays between 15:00 and 17:00.
0-1:12-18
The last and first day of each month, between noon and 18.
2018-04-01-2018-04-30:18-23
Between 18:00 and 23:00 on each day of April 2018.
Note: The Semicolon; separator is needed between periods, but not at the end.
AppDynamics Setup
Setup
The first time you open the integration view, you need to set the integration up, by adding (at least) one server.
AppDynamics Setup
Options
Item
Description
Account
AppDynamics account.
Username
AppDynamics username.
Password
AppDynamics password.
Url
AppDynamics controller URL.
Default Application
AppDynamics application to use as the standard in checks.
Share Settings
Make the server available to all users (required for use in browser checks).
Buttons
Button
Action
Description
Get Applications
Populate the dropdown list with applications from the AppDynamics account.
Save
Store the changes.
Cancel
Stop editing and ignore all changes.
When the AppDynamics Snapshots option is enabled, a transaction snapshot provided by AppDynamics is included in check results.
Where the Option is in the Edit Check View
When selecting this option, this additional configuration also needs to be set:
Item
Description
AppDynamics Server
Address to the AppDynamics server.
AppDynamics Application Name
Application name as set up in AppDynamics.
Add Server
Add Server
All the required settings to add a server can be configured from the dialog.
AppDynamics Setup
To add a server:
Click Add Server
The Server settings dialog is shown
Enter an account name
Enter a user with access to the API
Enter a password for the user
Enter the URL for the server
Click Get Applications
Select the desired application from the dropdown menu.
If you want all users in your account to share the same settings:
Mark the Share Settings checkbox
Click Save
Data Collector
Data Collector
When creating browser checks using AppDynamics snapshots, you need to make sure that there is an appropriate Data Collector configured for the Application.
HTTP Header
When the AppDynamics integration is enabled in a browser check, all the requests sent for the check contain a HTTP Header named ApicaGUID, containing a GUID for the request.
This header can be discovered by AppDynamics to trigger snapshots.
Create Data Collector
To create a data collector:
Log in to your AppDynamics account
Select Applications
Pick the relevant application
Select Configure
To find the data collectors section, open the >> dropdown menu
Select Data Collectors
Expand the HTTP Request Data Collectors section
Click Add
Enter a collector Name
If you want the collector to apply to all business transactions created later*:*
Mark the **Apply to new Business Transactions** checkbox
Add
ApicaGUIDin the Headers boxClick Create HTTP Request Data Collector
Next, you need to select which existing Business Transactions the collector should apply to:
Select Business Transactions in the NOT using this Data Collector list
Click Add
Click Save
AppDynamics is now activated to create a snapshot when Synthetic Monitoring checks are being executed against an AppDynamics-enabled website.
Summary information about snapshots can be viewed inside the details of a result:
Clicking the provided link Open snapshot in AppDynamics in the result details will take you to the snapshot in your AppDynamics dashboard:
In the snapshot view you can access all relevant ApDynamics features.
Edit Server
Existing server settings can be modifed by changing the server setup.
Change Setup
To change the settings for a server:
Click Setup
The Server settings dialog is shown
Click Edit for the server to change
Change the settings as needed
Click Save
Click Dashboard to return to the dashboard
AppDynamics Dashboard
An AppDynamics dashboard, featuring various AppDynamics metrics and graphs, is included in Synthetic Monitoring.
View
Overview
Filter
The filter section lets you choose between servers and applications to show in the dashboard.
Table
The table(s) show the business transactions configured in the selected AppDynamics server.
The AppDynamics Dashboard Charts
Charts
For each business transaction tier, a number of charts display AppDynamics performance data.
View
The AppDynamics Dashboard Filter
Filter
The filter section lets you choose between servers and applications to show in the dashboard.
View
Item
Description
Server
AppDynamics Controller address.
Application
AppDynamics Application.
Setup
Interval
Duration of time to display in the dashboard.
Refresh
Update all data according to the selected interval.
The AppDynamics Dashboard Table
Table
The table(s) show the business transactions configured in the selected AppDynamics server.
View
AppDynamics Results
Results
With AppDynamic integration, you can include snapshots in the Check Results graph, with the option to drill down into AppDynamics reporting.
Overview
Compare
Using the Compare feature, you can combine AppDynamics data with existing result charts.
Snapshots
Snapshots included in the results chart provide access to more detailed AppDynamics information.
Results Compare
Compare
Using the Compare feature, you can combine AppDynamics data with existing result charts.
View
Include AppDynamics data
Start with the results chart for the desired check.
Click Compare
If you have several servers, choose one of them
Choose an application
Choose the business transaction to display
Mark checkboxes if you want to include errors and/or normal snapshots
Click Apply
The AppDynamics graph is displayed below the check graph.
Results Snapshots
Snapshots
Snapshots included in the results chart provide access to more detailed AppDynamics information.
Example
The icons are clickable and provide access to the AppDynamics drill-down.
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