AppDynamics Cookbooks

Cookbooks for installing AppDynamics agents.

This cookbook is a WIP. See the issues for what we're working on.

Learn more about AppDynamics at:

• http://www.appdynamics.com/ (and check out the handsome devil next to the "Act" bubble in the photo)
• https://docs.appdynamics.com/display/PRO41/Getting+Started
• https://docs.appdynamics.com/display/PRO41/Install+and+Administer+Agents

Requirements

• Chef >= 0.10.0
• python cookbook
• nodejs cookbook
• windows cookbook
• java cookbook
• apt cookbook
• Python and Node.JS recipes are tested on Ubuntu and CentOS
• .Net recipes are tested on Windows2012r2 and Windows2008r2

Attributes

For more information about these settings, please refer to the AppDynamics documentation for the relevant agent:

• Install the Node.js Agent - Advanced Instructions
• Python Agent Settings
• Java Agent Settings
• .NET Agent Settings

Default Attributes

These node attributes must be set to use the _agent recipes:

• node['appdynamics']['app_name'] - The name to register your application under with the AppDynamics controller.
• node['appdynamics']['tier_name'] - The name to register this tier of your application under with the AppDynamics controller.
• node['appdynamics']['node_name'] - The name to register this node of your application under with the AppDynamics controller.
• node['appdynamics']['version'] - The version of AppDynamics to use.
• node['appdynamics']['controller']['host'] - The host your AppDynamics controller is running on (a domain name or IP address). Required
• node['appdynamics']['controller']['port'] - The port your AppDynamics controller is running on.
• node['appdynamics']['controller']['user'] - The account name to use with your AppDynamics controller.
• node['appdynamics']['controller']['accesskey'] - The access key for your account for accessing your AppDynamics controller.

Optional attributes:

• node['appdynamics']['packages_site'] - The base URL of the AppDynamics packages site (defaults to https://packages.appdynamics.com).
• node['appdynamics']['controller']['ssl'] - Flag indicating if SSL should be used to speak to the controller (true) or not (false). Defaults to true. SaaS controllers do not support the value false for this flag.

HTTP Proxy Attributes

If your agents must use an HTTP proxy to communicate with the controller, set these attributes:

• node['appdynamics']['http_proxy']['host'] - The hostname/IP of your HTTP proxy.
• node['appdynamics']['http_proxy']['port'] - The port of your HTTP proxy.
• node['appdynamics']['http_proxy']['user'] - If you must authenticate with your HTTP proxy, the user name to authenticate as.
• node['appdynamics']['http_proxy']['password_file'] - If you must authenticate with your HTTP proxy, the complete path to a file you will create on a machine using an AppDynamics agent that contains the password used for authenticating with your HTTP proxy.

Python Agent Configuration Attributes

The python_agent recipe has some additional attributes you may set:

• node['appdynamics']['python_agent']['virtualenv'] - The path to the Python virtualenv to install the Python agent into.
• node['appdynamics']['python_agent']['version'] - The version of the Python agent you wish to use. If set, overrides the version set in node['appdynamics']['version'].
• node['appdynamics']['python_agent']['debug'] - If set to true, the Python agent will start in debug mode.
• node['appdynamics']['python_agent']['dir'] - Set to the path you want the agent to use for storing its runtime data. It defaults to /tmp/appd.
• node['appdynamics']['python_agent']['source'] - Specify a full URL here if you wish to download the Python agent from another location than the default packages site.

Java Agent Configuration Attributes

The java_agent recipe has some additional attributes you may set:

• node['appdynamics']['java_agent']['source']
• node['appdynamics']['java_agent']['version']
• node['appdynamics']['java_agent']['checksum'] - The sha256 checksum of the installer. Required to prevent cookbook from redownloading agent installer every chef run.
• node['appdynamics']['java_agent']['zip']
• node['appdynamics']['java_agent']['install_dir']
• node['appdynamics']['java_agent']['owner']
• node['appdynamics']['java_agent']['group']

Usage

Instrumenting a Python WSGI Application

Step 1. Set the following node attributes (documented above):

• node['appdynamics']['version'] OR node['appdynamics']['python_agent']['version']
• node['appdynamics']['app_name']
• node['appdynamics']['tier_name']
• node['appdynamics']['node_name']
• node['appdynamics']['controller']['host']
• node['appdynamics']['controller']['port']
• node['appdynamics']['controller']['user']
• node['appdynamics']['controller']['accesskey']
• node['appdynamics']['python_agent']['virtualenv']

For example, you might set these in a Chef role file:

default_attributes (
  'appdynamics' => {
    'app_name' => 'my app',
    'tier_name' => 'frontend',
    'node_name' => node.name,
    'version' => '4.1.2.0',
    'controller' => {
      'host' => 'my-controller',
      'port' => '8181',
      'ssl' => true,
      'user' => 'someuser',
      'accesskey' => 'supersecret',
    },
    'python_agent' => {
      'virtualenv' => '/path/to/my/virtualenv'
    }
  }
)

Step 2. Add recipe[appdynamics::python_agent] to your run list.

Step 3. Update your recipes that deploy your application to enable the Python agent in your application. See Instrument Python Applications.

.Net Agent Configuration Attributes

The dotnet_agent recipe has some additional attributes you may set:

• node['appdynamics']['dotnet_agent']['version'] - The version of the .net agent you wish to use. If not set, node['appdynamics']['version'] is used.
• node['appdynamics']['dotnet_agent']['install_dir'] - Set to the path you want the agent to be installed at, it defaults to C:\Program Files\Appdynamics.
• node['appdynamics']['dotnet_agent']['source'] - base url for downloading the agent from.
• node['appdynamics']['dotnet_agent']['logfiles_dir'] - Set the logfile directory. defaults to C:\DotNetAgent\Logs.
• node['appdynamics']['dotnet_agent']['instrument_iis'] - defaults to false. override to true if iis instrumentation is needed.
• node['appdynamics']['dotnet_agent']['standalone_apps'] - defaults to nil. use this to instrument windows services and/or standalone apps. make sure restart = false for apps that are not windows services, because the service resource will fail trying to restart a non-windows service.

Usage

Instrumenting a .Net IIS Application

Step 1. Set the following node attributes (documented above):

• node['appdynamics']['version']
• node['appdynamics']['app_name']
• node['appdynamics']['controller']['host']
• node['appdynamics']['controller']['port']
• node['appdynamics']['controller']['user']
• node['appdynamics']['controller']['accesskey']
• node['appdynamics']['dotnet_agent']['instrument_iis']
• node['appdynamics']['dotnet_agent']['standalone_apps']

For example, you might set these in a Chef role file:

default_attributes (
  'appdynamics' => {
    'app_name' => 'my app',
    'controller' => {
      'host' => 'my-controller',
      'port' => '8181',
      'ssl' => true,
      'user' => 'someuser',
      'accesskey' => 'supersecret'
    }
    'dotnet_agent' => {
      'instrument_iis' => true,
      'standalone_apps' => [
        {
          'name' => 'WindowsServiceNameA', 'executable' => 'a.exe', 'tier' => 'TierA', 'commandline' => 'nil', 'restart' => true
        },
        {
          'name' => 'ExecutableNameB', 'executable' => 'b.exe', 'tier' => 'TierB', 'commandline' => '-a -b', 'restart' => false
        }
      ]
    }
  }
)

Step 2. Add recipe[appdynamics::dotnet_agent] to your run list.