HomeAudit/playbooks/README-netdata.md

Netdata Parent-Child Configuration

Architecture Overview

This playbook configures a centralized monitoring setup using Netdata's parent-child streaming:

• Parent Node: Fedora workstation (192.168.1.243) - Stores all metrics, provides dashboard
• Child Nodes: All other hosts - Stream metrics to parent, minimal local storage

Current Installation Status

Based on the latest check:

✅ Already Running

• lenovo420 - Fedora workstation (1.7GB memory usage)
• omv800 - OpenMediaVault server (561MB memory usage)
• lenovo - Lenovo laptop (438MB memory usage)

❌ Need Installation

• surface - Surface tablet
• fedora - Target parent node
• omvbackup - Backup server

⚠️ Unreachable

• audrey - Connection timeout (may be offline)

Resource Usage Benefits

Before (current standalone instances):

• Total memory: ~2.7GB across 3 nodes
• Each node stores full retention
• Duplicated web interfaces

After (parent-child setup):

• Parent: ~512MB (centralized storage + web UI)
• Children: ~32MB each (streaming only)
• Total memory: ~640MB (76% reduction)

Running the Playbook

# Configure all nodes
ansible-playbook -i inventory.ini playbooks/netdata-parent-child.yml

# Configure only specific hosts
ansible-playbook -i inventory.ini playbooks/netdata-parent-child.yml --limit fedora,surface

# Test connectivity after setup
ansible-playbook -i inventory.ini playbooks/netdata-parent-child.yml --tags verify

Configuration Details

Parent Node (fedora)

• Binds to *:19999 (accessible from network)
• 2GB disk space for metrics storage
• Receives streams from all children
• Provides centralized dashboard

Child Nodes (all others)

• Memory mode: none (no local storage)
• Binds to localhost:19999 only
• Streams all metrics to parent
• Minimal resource footprint

Accessing the Dashboard

After configuration:

• Central Dashboard: http://192.168.1.243:19999
• Individual Node Access: http://node-ip:19999 (localhost only on children)

Security Features

• API key authentication for streaming
• Network restrictions (home + Tailscale networks only)
• Local-only access on child nodes
• Firewall rules automatically configured

Troubleshooting

Check stream status on parent:

curl http://192.168.1.243:19999/api/v1/info | jq '.hosts'

Check streaming on child:

systemctl status netdata
journalctl -u netdata -f

Verify connectivity:

# From child node
curl -I http://192.168.1.243:19999/api/v1/info