Using NodeQuery to Monitor Server Performance

Few users have asked to the owner of this blog to write about NodeQuery. There is its competitor, NixStats, reviewed in this blog. Finally, here’s the article you might have been waiting for. Let’s monitor our server with NodeQuery.

Wait!! What is it exactly? To cut long story short, NodeQuery is a web-based app  provideing a lightweight and easy to use linux server monitoring service. This service is currently in Beta stage offering free plan with up to 10 servers to monitor freely. Let’s take a look at its key features :

• Quick and easy setup – the service agent is designed to be easy-to-use and is compatible for major linux distribution. Yet, it is also easy to remove.
• Detailed metrics – their system will periodically store various system including system load, RAM Usage, Networks performance, etc.
• Email notifications – Right at the minute user’s servers stop sending data or may be using more resources than the custom threshold set in the dashboard, NodeQuery will send in-depth notification.
• Public API – NodeQuery’s intelligent API allows users to query almost every data of their servers’ data.

Also read :

• 20 Free Uptime Monitoring Services
• 5 Server Monitoring Scripts: Self-hosted and Free
• Monitor your server using NixStats

What’s the discrepancies between NodeQuery and NixStats :

Meanwhile as far as I can notice, NodeQuery offers only system performance monitoring while NixStats also provides website uptime monitoring in addition to performance monitoring. Moreover, while NixStats offer public stats page, NodeQuery does not (may be yet).

Anyway, I really like the simplicity of NodeQuery’s user interface and the way its display the data. How to setup NodeQuery monitoring agent on your server?

Setup User Agent

Step 1 – Of course, you have to firstly signup for an account at NodeQuery website. Visit this link to go to their signup page.

Step 2 – Choose Beta Account, and then fill in your Full Name, Email Address and Password.

Just click on the blue Sign Up button. You’ll be then asked to enter a challenge code. Just enter it, tick mark the “I agree to ToS,” and click the Confirm button.

You’ll then see this message :

Step 3 – Check your email for activation link and click on it to activate your account.

You’ll then see following message :

Step 4 – Do not forget to click the “Log Me in” button once you have activated your account. Following page will be seen there :

Step 5 – Let’s add your first server to monitor. Click on the New Server button / link.

Step 6 – Now define your server name. It is strongly recommended to use your valid FQDN.

Step 7 – Next following server name, you have to also decide how the system will send you alert when your server goes down.

Step 8 – Setup minimum threshold of when NodePing should send you alert. There are three major sections you can setup the threshold for system resource usage alert : System load, RAM usage, and Disk usage.

Finally, click the Create Server button.

Step 9 – You’ll be given a command to install monitoring agent on your server. Just copy that command :

Step 10 – Open up putty and login to your server as a user with sudo privilege. Issue the coped command there :

Step 11 – Go back to NodeQuery dashboard and click on the Manage Servers button.  You’ll then notice your newly added server is there. However, the status would be Awaiting Data.

Step 12 – You can click on your server name to display detailed information :

Just wait for approximately 3 minutes and refresh that page. You’ll then see a page similar to this one :

Step 13 – You can then browse around to see detailed server performance stats monitored by NodeQuery :

Top processes

Network usage

Network latency

Average Load (CPU and Disk I/O)

RAM Usage Stats

Verdict

NodeQuery is really an awesome Linux system monitoring tool. It monitors precisely all major aspects of Linux servers. The best part, its monitoring agent is also easy to install. Getting this done is just a piece of cake and within few minutes. I really hope they will soon provide public stats page.