OpenTelemetry Config (otel.ncconf)

The OpenTelemetry configuration file (otel.ncconf) contains the settings used by NCache to enable OpenTelemetry publishing and configure the endpoints for metrics and logs. The configuration also controls whether client-side telemetry publishing is enabled. OpenTelemetry configuration is maintained at the node level and applies to all relevant NCache processes running on that node.

Note

The otel.ncconf file is installed with NCache and is located at *%NCHOME%\config* on Windows and /opt/ncache/config on Linux.

OpenTelemetry Config Syntax

The OpenTelemetry configuration file is explained below.

<open-telemetry enabled="False" client-enabled="False">
  <logs endpoint="" protocol="HttpProtobuf"/>
  <metrics endpoint="" protocol="HttpProtobuf"/>
</open-telemetry>
Note

Changes to otel.ncconf do not automatically reinitialize existing OpenTelemetry exporters. Restart all relevant NCache processes for the updated configuration to take effect.

The <open-telemetry> tag contains the OpenTelemetry settings for the NCache node. The logs and metrics tags define the endpoints and protocols used to publish NCache event logs and metrics.

Understanding the OpenTelemetry Config Tags

The following section explains the tags mentioned in the file syntax.

<open-telemetry>

This tag defines the OpenTelemetry configuration for an NCache server node. It controls whether OpenTelemetry publishing is enabled on the node and whether client-side telemetry publishing is enabled.

<open-telemetry enabled="False" client-enabled="False">

  • enabled: Specifies whether OpenTelemetry publishing is enabled on the NCache node. If set to True, NCache publishes the metrics and event logs to the specified endpoints. The default value for on-premises installations is False.

  • client-enabled: Specifies whether client-side metrics publishing is enabled. If set to True, NCache clients publish metrics to the OpenTelemetry Collector running on the cache server using the cache server's IP address and configured metrics port. The default value is False.

Note

The enabled and client-enabled attributes control server-side and client-side telemetry independently. Disabling enabled does not automatically disable client metrics publishing.

<logs>

This tag configures the endpoint and protocol used for publishing NCache event logs through OpenTelemetry.

<logs endpoint="" protocol="HttpProtobuf"/>

  • endpoint: Specifies the endpoint where NCache publishes event logs through OpenTelemetry. The endpoint must contain a hostname or IP address followed by a port number.

  • protocol: Specifies the protocol used to export logs. Supported values are HttpProtobuf, Https, and Grpc. The default is HttpProtobuf.

Note

PowerShell and NCache Management Center require IP-based endpoints. Ensure that the configured endpoint and port are valid and accessible from the NCache node.

NCache publishes only event logs through OpenTelemetry. On Windows, these correspond to the logs published to the Windows Application Event Log. On Linux, these correspond to NCache event-log messages written to the NCache event-log file. NCache does not publish cache-server logs through OpenTelemetry.

<metrics>

This tag configures the endpoint and protocol used for publishing OpenTelemetry metrics.

<metrics endpoint="" protocol="HttpProtobuf"/>

  • endpoint: Specifies the endpoint where NCache publishes metrics. The endpoint must contain a hostname or IP address followed by a port number.

  • protocol: Specifies the protocol used to export metrics. Supported values are HttpProtobuf, Https, and Grpc. The default is HttpProtobuf.

Note

HttpProtobuf uses OTLP over HTTP, Https uses OTLP over HTTPS, and Grpc uses OTLP over gRPC. If the protocol is omitted or unrecognized, NCache defaults to HttpProtobuf.

Important

Client-side metrics publishing can introduce additional overhead in high-traffic environments. Evaluate the impact before enabling client metrics for heavy workloads.

Client-Side Telemetry

Client-side telemetry uses the OpenTelemetry configuration provided by the NCache server. A separate OpenTelemetry configuration file is not required on the client. When client telemetry is enabled, clients receive the cache server's IP address and configured metrics port when they connect. Client metrics are published to the OpenTelemetry Collector running on the cache server.

Note

Metrics and logs can be configured independently. If an endpoint is not configured for a telemetry signal, that signal is not published.

See Also

Monitor NCache Using OpenTelemetry

Set-NCacheOpenTelemetry