Default config path changed in the contrib container image

[pellared]

Since 0.42.0 the default config.yaml path used in the contrib container image changed from /etc/otelcol/config.yaml to /etc/otelcol-contrib/config.yaml.

As far as I understand it was done here: https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-releases/pull/43

While I have not found /etc/otelcol/config.yaml in any documentation I imagine that there may be a lot of users relying on this path.

Docker inspect dumps for reference:

• 0420inspect.txt
• 0400inspect.txt

[Kielek]

One more comment, similar breaking change was also introduced into base-collecto version, between 0.41.0 and 0.42.0

0.41.0: /etc/otel/config.yaml 0.42.0: /etc/otelcol/config.yaml

For details, please check https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-collector-releases/blob/606b9299551267c8c80c818b057f08a9444458d7/distributions/otelcol/Dockerfile#L19

[jpkrohling]

This was an adjustment done to ensure that there can be two distributions running at the same time at the same node. Do you have reasons to believe this should be reverted? Or do you believe we should just document it as part of the changelog?

[pellared]

For now, I think that documenting it as part of the changelog is good enough (until there are more complaints)

[pellared]

@jpkrohling

This was an adjustment done to ensure that there can be two distributions running at the same time at the same node.

Is there any issue where this use-case is described? Seems strange for me especially that otelcol-contrib is a superset of otelcol. Why would one like to have both distributions in one container? It would only increase the image size, attack-surface etc.

[jpkrohling]

Because we might have other, focused distributions running on the same node. For instance, a tracing distribution, a metrics distribution, and a logging distribution. All with the smallest possible set of components for that use-case, with varying degrees of stability expectations (traces are stable, metrics almost, logs not so much).

[mx-psi]

I am going to close this, we decided to keep this change, but we should be more careful with similar changes in the future