If you are interested in how to migrate from Grafana V1.x to V2.0, please read our [Migration Guide](../installation/migrating_to2.md)
## New backend
## New backend server
Grafana now ships with its own backend server. Graphs are still 100% client-side rendered, but the integrated server allows for much of
the new functionality that 2.0 brings. The backend server is written in Go, has a full HTTP API, and is also completely open source.
Grafana now ships with its own required backend server. Also completely open-source, it's written in Go and has a full HTTP API.
In addition to new features, the backend server makes it much easier to set up and enjoy Grafana.
Grafana 2.0 ships as a single binary with no dependencies, and we hope to extend support to more platforms.
Authentication is built in, and Grafana is now capable of proxying connections to Data Sources.
There are no longer any CORS (Cross Origin Resource Sharing) issues requiring messy workarounds.
Elasticsearch is no longer required just to store dashboards.
In addition to new features, the backend server makes it much easier to set up and enjoy Grafana. Grafana 2.0 now ships as cross platform binaries with no dependencies. Authentication is built in, and Grafana is now capable of proxying connections to Data Sources. There are no longer any CORS (Cross Origin Resource Sharing) issues requiring messy workarounds. Elasticsearch is no longer required just to store dashboards.
## User & Organization permissions
All Dashboards and Data Sources are linked to an Organization (not to a User). Users are linked to
Organizations via a role. That role can be:
-`Viewer`: Can only view dashboards, not save / create them.
-`Editor`: Can view, update and create dashboards.
-`Admin`: Everything an Editor can plus edit and add data sources and organization users.
> **Note** A `Viewer` can still view all metrics exposed through a data source, not only
> the metrics used in already existing dashboards. That is because there are not
> per series permissions in Graphite, InfluxDB or OpenTSDB.
There are currently no permissions on individual dashboards.
Read more about Grafanas new user model on the [Admin section](../reference/admin/)
## Dashboard Snapshot sharing
A Dashboard Snapshot is an easy way to create and share a URL for a stripped down, point-in-time version of any Dashboard.
You can give this URL to anyone or everyone, and they can view the Snapshot even if they're not a User of your Grafana instance.
You can set an expiration time for any Snapshots you create. When you create a Snapshot, we strip some data, like
You can set an expiration time for any Snapshots you create. When you create a Snapshot, we strip sensitive data, like
panel metric queries, annotation and template queries and panel links. The data points displayed on
screen for that specific time period in your Dashboard is saved in the JSON of the Snapshot itself.
Sharing a Snapshot is similar to sharing a link to a screenshot of your dashboard, only way better (they'll look great at any screen resolution, you can hover over series,
even zoom in). Also they are fast to load as they aren't actually connected to any live Data Sources in any way.
They're a great way to communicate about a particular incident with specific people, or over the Internet. You can also use them to show off your dashboards.
They're a great way to communicate about a particular incident with specific people who aren't Users of your Grafana instance. You can also use them to show off your dashboards over the Internet.
### Publish snapshots
You can publish snapshots to you local instance or to [snapshot.raintank.io](http://snapshot.raintank.io). The later is a free service
that is provided by [Raintank](http://raintank.io) that allows you to publish dashboard snapshots to an external grafana instance.
The same rules still apply, anyone with the link can view it.
You can publish snapshots locally or to [snapshot.raintank.io](http://snapshot.raintank.io). snapshot.raintank is a free service provided by [raintank](http://raintank.io) for hosting external Grafana snapshots.
Either way, anyone with the link (and access to your Grafana instance for local snapshots) can view it.
## Panel time overrides & timeshift
In Grafana v2.x you can now override the relative time range for individual panels. You can also add a
time shift to individual panels. This allows you to show metrics from different time periods or days
at the same time.
In Grafana v2.x you can now override the relative time range for individual panels, causing them to be different than what is selected in the Dashboard time picker in the upper right. You can also add a time shift to individual panels. This allows you to show metrics from different time periods or days at the same time.
...
...
@@ -54,54 +67,62 @@ You control these overrides in panel editor mode and the new tab `Time Range`.
Currently you can only override the dashboard time with relative time ranges, not absolute time ranges. When
you zoom or change the dashboard time to a custom absolute time range the panel overrides will be disabled. The
panel relative time override is only active when the dashboard time is also relative. The panel timeshift override
however is always active, even when the dashboard time is absolute.
When you zoom or change the Dashboard time to a custom absolute time range, all panel overrides will be disabled. The panel relative time override is only active when the dashboard time is also relative. The panel timeshift override however is always active, even when the dashboard time is absolute.
The `Hide time override info` option allows you to hide the the override info text that is by default shown in the
upper right of a panel when overriden time range options.
upper right of a panel when overridden time range options.
## Panel IFrame embedding
Currently you can only override the dashboard time with relative time ranges, not absolute time ranges.
You can embed a single panel on another web page using the panel share dialog. Below you should see an iframe
with a graph panel (taken from dashoard snapshot at [snapshot.raintank.io](http://snapshot.raintank.io). Try
hovering or zooming on the panel below!
## Panel iframe embedding
You can embed a single panel on another web page or your own application using the panel share dialog.
Below you should see an iframe with a graph panel (taken from a Dashboard snapshot at [snapshot.raintank.io](http://snapshot.raintank.io).
1.`Side menubar toggle` Toggle the side menubar on or off. This allows you to focus on the data presented on the Dashboard. The side menubar provides access to features unrelated to a Dashboard such as Users, Organizations, and Data Sources.
2.`Dashboard dropdown` This main dropdown shows you which Dashboard you are currently viewing, and allows you to easily switch to a new Dashboard. From here you can also create a new Dashboard, Import existing Dashboards, and manage Dashboard playlists.
3.`Star Dashboard`: Star (or unstar) the current Dashboar. Starred Dashboards will show up on your own Home Dashboard by default, and are a convenient way to mark Dashboards that you're interested in.
2.`Dashboard dropdown` The main dropdown shows you which Dashboard you are currently viewing, and allows you to easily switch to a new Dashboard. From here you can also create a new Dashboard, Import existing Dashboards, and manage the Playlist.
3.`Star Dashboard`: Star (or un-star) the current Dashboard. Starred Dashboards will show up on your own Home Dashboard by default, and are a convenient way to mark Dashboards that you're interested in.
4.`Share Dashboard`: Share the current dashboard by creating a link or create a static Snapshot of it. Make sure the Dashboard is saved before sharing.
5.`Save dashboard`: Save the current Dashboard.
6.`Settings`: Manage Dashboard settings and features such as Templating and Annotations.
5.`Save dashboard`: Save the current Dashboard with the current name.
6.`Settings`: Manage Dashboard settings and features such as Templating, Annotations and the name.
> **Note** In Grafana v2.0 when you change the title of a dashboard and then save it it will no
> longer create a new dashboard. It will just change the name for the current dashboard.
> To change name and create a new dashboard use the `Save As...` menu option
> longer create a new Dashboard. It will just change the name for the current Dashboard.
> To change name and create a new Dashboard use the `Save As...` menu option
### New Side menubar
The side menubar provides access to features such as User Preferences, Organizations, and Data Sources.
If you have multiple Organizations, you can easily switch between them.
The new side menubar provides access to features such as User Preferences, Organizations, and Data Sources.
If you have multiple Organizations, you can easily switch between them here.
The side menubar will become more useful as we build out additional functionality in Grafana 2.x
You can easily collapse or re-open the side menubar at any time by clicking the Grafana icon in the top left. We never want to get in the way of the data.
## New search view & starring dashboards
The dashboard search view has received a big UI update and polish. You can now see and filter by which dashboard
you have personally starred.
The dashboard search view has gotten a big overhaul. You can now see and filter by which dashboard you have personally starred.
## Logarithmic scale
The Graph panel now supports 3 logarithmic scales, `log base 10`, `log base 32`, `log base 1024`. Logarithmic y-axis
scales are very useful when rendering many series of different order of magnitude on the same scale. For example
latency, network traffic or storage.
The Graph panel now supports 3 logarithmic scales, `log base 10`, `log base 32`, `log base 1024`. Logarithmic y-axis scales are very useful when rendering many series of different order of magnitude on the same scale (eg.
latency, network traffic, and storage)
...
...
@@ -109,56 +130,47 @@ latency, network traffic or storage.
There is one new panel in Grafana v2.0 and that is the `dashlist` panel that allows you to show your personal
starred dashboards as well as do custom searches based on search strings or tags.
The dashlist is a new panel in Grafana v2.0. It allows you to show your personal starred dashboards, as well as do custom searches based on search strings or tags.
dashlist is used on the new Grafana Home screen. It is included as a reference Panel and is useful to provide basic linking between Dashboards.
## Data Source proxy & admin views
Data sources in Grafana v2.0 are NOT defined in a config file but added through the UI. The backend can also
handle proxying data source metric requests which meens that it is a lot easier to get started using Grafana with
Graphite or OpenTSDB without having to spend time with nginx CORS (Cross origin resource sharing) work arounds.
Data sources in Grafana v2.0 are no longer defined in a config file. Instead, they are added through the UI or the HTTP API.
> **Note** For InfluxDB users: The data source proxy feature will
> hide database user & password details from the frontend / browser.
The backend can now proxy data from Data Sources, which means that it is a lot easier to get started using Grafana with Graphite or OpenTSDB without having to spend time with CORS (Cross origin resource sharing) work-arounds.
## Relative time now delay
A commonly reported problem has been graphs dipping to zero at the the end, because metric data for
the last interval has yet to be written to the Data Source. These graphs then "self correct" once the data comes in, but can look deceiving or alarming at times.
In addition, connections to Data Sources can be better controlled and secured, and authentication information no longer needs to be exposed to the browser.
You can avoid this problem by adding a `now delay` in `Dashboard Settings` > `Time Picker` tab. This will effectively cause Grafana to ignore the most recent data up to the set delay. The necessary delay will depend on how much latency you have in your collection pipeline.
## Dashboard "now delay"
A commonly reported problem has been graphs dipping to zero at the the end, because metric data for the last interval has yet to be written to the Data Source. These graphs then "self correct" once the data comes in, but can look deceiving or alarming at times.
You can avoid this problem by adding a `now delay` in `Dashboard Settings` > `Time Picker` tab. This new feature will cause Grafana to ignore the most recent data up to the set delay.
## Overwrite protection
The delay that may be necessary depends on how much latency you have in your collection pipeline.
Grafana v2.0 will protect Users from accidentally overwriting another Users changes. Similar protections are in place if you try to create a new Dashboard with the same name as an existing one.
These protections are only the first step; we will be building out additional capabilities around dashboard versioning and management in future versions of Grafana.
## Dashboard overwrite protection
Grafana v2.0 protects Users from accidentally overwriting each others Dashboard changes. Similar protections are in place if you try to create a new Dashboard with the same name as an existing one.
## User preferences
If you open side menu (by clicking on the Grafana icon in the top header) you can access your profile page.
Here you can update your user details, UI Theme and change password.
These protections are only the first step; we will be building out additional capabilities around dashboard versioning and management in future versions of Grafana.
## PNG rendering
Grafana now supports server-side PNG rendering. From the Panel share dialog you now have access to a link that will render the Panel to a PNG image.
## User preferences
> **Note** This requires that your Data Source is accessible from your Grafana instance.
If you open side menu (by clicking on the Grafana icon in the top header) you can access your Profile Page.
Here you can update your user details, UI Theme, and change your password.
## User & Organization permissions
## Server-side Panel rendering
All dashboards and data sources are linked to an organization (not to a user). Users are linked to
Organizations via a role. That role can be:
Grafana now supports server-side PNG rendering. From the Panel share dialog you now have access to a link that will render a particular Panel to a PNG image.
-`Viewer`: Can only view dashboards, not save / create them.
-`Editor`: Can view, update and create dashboards.
-`Admin`: Everything an Editor can plus edit and add data sources and organization users.
> **Note** This requires that your Data Source is accessible from your Grafana instance.
> **Note** A `Viewer` can still view all metrics exposed through a data source, not only
> the metrics used in already existing dashboards. That is because there are not
> per series permissions in Graphite, InfluxDB or OpenTSDB.
There are currently no permissions on individual dashboards.
@@ -4,35 +4,35 @@ page_keywords: grafana, introduction, documentation, about
# About Grafana
Grafana is a general purpose dashboard and graph composer. It's focused on providing
rich ways to visualize time series metrics, mainly though graphs but supports other ways to visualize data through
a pluggable panel architecture. It currently has rich support for [Graphite](http://graphite.readthedocs.org/en/latest/),
[InfluxDB](http://influxdb.org) and [OpenTSDB](http://opentsdb.net). But supports other data sources via plugins.
Grafana is a leading open source applications for visualizing large-scale measurement data.
It is most commonly used for infrastructure monitoring, application monitoring and metric analytics. But Grafana
has an open architecture and design that enables it to be used in other domains as well, like home automation,
weather and industrial sensors analytics.
It provides a powerful and elegant way to create, share, and explore data and dashboards from your disparate metric databases, either with your team or the world.
## Support
Grafana is most commonly used for Internet infrastructure and application analytics, but many use it in other domains including industrial sensors, home automation, weather, and process control.
If you have any trouble with Grafana, either the install or some feature you do not understand or you suspect isn't working
correctly there are a number of sources where you can get help.
Grafana features pluggable panels and data sources allowing easy extensibility. There is currently rich support for [Graphite](http://graphite.readthedocs.org/en/latest/), [InfluxDB](http://influxdb.org) and [OpenTSDB](http://opentsdb.net). There is also experimental support for KairosDB, and SQL is on the roadmap. Grafana has a variety of panels, including a fully featured graph panel with rich visualization options.
-[Troubleshooting guide](../troubleshooting)
-\#grafana IRC channel on freenode
- Search closed and open [issues on github](https://github.com/grafana/grafana/issues)
Version 2.0 was released in April 2015: Grafana now ships with its own backend server that brings [many changes and features](../guides/whats-new-in-v2/).
Do not hesitate to open a new issue with a question, bug report or an idea for improvement.
## Community Resources, Feedback, and Support
User feedback and involvement is paramount to making a product better so please take the time and create an issue.
Thousands of organizations large and small rely on Grafana, and we have a vibrant and active community that constantly inspires us.
## Paid support
If you wish to get paid support please [contact us](mailto:contact@grafana.org).
Please don't hesitate to [open a new issue on Github](https://github.com/grafana/grafana/issues) with your suggestions, ideas, and bug reports.
## License
Most of the new features and improvements that go into Grafana come from our users. We greatly value your feedback and suggestions; we consider them paramount to making the product better!
Grafana is licensed under Apache 2.0. See [LICENSE](https://github.com/grafana/grafana/blob/master/LICENSE.mdhttps://github.com/grafana/grafana/blob/master/LICENSE.md)
for full license text.
If you have any trouble with Grafana, whether you can't get it set up or you just want clarification on a feature, there are a number of ways to get help:
-[Troubleshooting guide](../troubleshooting)
-\#grafana IRC channel on the freenode network (chat.freenode.net)
- Search closed and open [issues on GitHub](https://github.com/grafana/grafana/issues)
[raintank](http://www.raintank.io), the company behind Grafana, will be launching a SaaS Grafana-based platform later this year that will also include commercial support for all your existing Grafana installations. Please sign up for [early access at raintank](http://www.raintank.io) for more information.
## License
By utilizing this software, you agree to the terms of the included license. Grafana is licensed under the Apache 2.0 agreement. See [LICENSE](https://github.com/grafana/grafana/blob/master/LICENSE.mdhttps://github.com/grafana/grafana/blob/master/LICENSE.md) for the full license terms.
@@ -4,8 +4,31 @@ page_description: Playlist guide for Grafana
page_keywords:grafana, playlist, documentation
---
# Playlist Guide
## About the Playlist
*TODO*
The Playlist is a special type of Dashboard that rotates through a particular list of two or more Dashboards. They can be a great way to build situational awareness or just show off your metrics to your team or visitors. Since Dashboards in Grafana automatically scale to any resolution they're perfect for big screens!
## Configuring the Playlist
The Playlist can be accessed from the main Dashboard picker. Click the 'Playlist' button at the bottom of the picker to access the Playlist functionality.
Since the Playlist is basically a list of Dashboards, ensure that all the Dashboards you want to appear in your Playlist are added here. You can search Dashboards by name (or use a regular expression).
You can search Dashboards by name (or use a regular expression), and add them to your Playlist. By default, your starred dashboards will appear as candidates for the Playlist.
Be sure to click the right arrow appearing next to the Dashboard name to add it to the Playlist.
You can configure a time interval for Grafana to wait on a particular Dashboard before advancing to the next one on the Playlist.
## Starting and controlling the Playlist
To start the Playlist, click the green "Start" button
Playlists can also be manually controlled utilizing the Playlist controls at the top of screen when in Playlist mode.
Click the stop button to stop the Playlist, and exit to the current Dashboard.
Click the next button to advance to the next Dashboard in the Playlist.
Click the back button to rewind to the previous Dashboard in the Playlist.
@@ -4,23 +4,30 @@ page_description: Time range user guide
page_keywords: grafana, time range, guide, documentation
---
# Time range controls
Grafana provides numerous ways to manage the time ranges of the data being visualized, both at the Dashboard-level and the Panel-level.
# Dashboard time picker
In the menu you have the time range dropdown (between to Zoom out and refresh links).
In this dropdown you have relative time options, auto refresh options and custom time options.
In the top right, you have the master Dashboard time picker (it's inbetween the 'Zoom out' and the 'Refresh' links).
From this dropdown you can:
1. Specify an exact time range (eg. "October 13 12:01 to October 14 12:05)
2. Choose a relative time (eg. "Last 15 minutes","Last 1 week")
3. Configure auto-refresh options
All of this applies to all Panels in the Dashboard (except those with Panel Time Overrides enabled)
## Customize relative time and auto auto-refresh options
## Custom time
It's possible to customize the options displayed for relative time and the auto-refresh options.
To customize the relative and auto refresh options open the dashboard settings and click the Timepicker tab.
In this tab you can specify the relative and auto refresh intervals. The Timepicker tab settings are saved
on per dashboard basis.
From Dashboard setttings, click the Timepicker tab. From here you can specify the relative and auto refresh intervals. The Timepicker tab settings are saved on a per Dashboard basis.
## Time picker options
## Panel time override
In dashboard settings, `Time Picker` tab you can add or remove the relative time intervals and refresh intervals
that should be available in the time picker dropdown.
In Grafana 2.0, it's now possible for individual Panels to override the Dashboard time picker. Please check out the [whats new in 2.0 guide](../guides/whats-new-in-v2/) for further information
