Using external integrations with DNS Insights

While the DNS Insights dashboard does not require external integrations, you can optionally configure data sinks to export DNS Insights metrics to supported time series databases (TSDBs) and visualize the metrics in your preferred visualization tools.

External integrations can be useful if you want to:

  • Build custom dashboards and visualizations.

  • Combine DNS Insights metrics with other monitoring and observability data.

  • Perform more granular metric analysis.

  • Use existing enterprise monitoring workflows.

External integrations might require additional third-party infrastructure, licensing, storage, or operational costs depending on your configuration.

Supported integrations and requirements

Data sink

To export DNS Insights metrics to your TSDB, configure a data sink in NS1 Connect. DNS Insights supports data sinks using the following protocols:

  • Prometheus remote write

  • OpenTelemetry (OTLP) HTTP

To configure data sinks that use other protocols, work directly with IBM support to validate compatibility with NS1 Connect. You can configure data sinks through the NS1 Connect web-based interface or API. After you configure a data sink, contact IBM support to link the data sink to the required DNS Insights data sets and validate metric forwarding. For more information, see Creating a data sink.

Time series databases (TSDBs)

DNS Insights supports integrations with certified TSDBs and observability platforms that are compatible with the supported Prometheus or OTLP protocols. Supported and certified TSDB options include, but are not limited to:

  • Grafana Cloud

  • Grafana Enterprise Stack

  • Dynatrace

  • Thanos

  • Other TSDBs that support Prometheus (OTLP) protocols

If you want to use a TSDB that is not listed, contact IBM support to initiate a proof of concept (POC). The POC validates that the TSDB is compatible with NS1 Connect. After IBM support confirms that the POC is successful, you can configure your dashboards in your preferred visualization tool.

Visualization/dashboard
After configuring a supported data sink and TSDB, you can build and customize dashboards by using your preferred visualization tools. Refer to your visualization tool documentation for platform specific dashboard configuration instructions.
Note:

LEVEL OF ACCESS REQUIRED FOR IBM

DNS Insights requires the necessary credentials to perform remote_write operations on the target time series database instance. If you're using Grafana Cloud, this would be a Grafana Cloud API key with the Metrics Publisher role. This role only provides permission to send log and metric data to Grafana Cloud.

HOW IBM WILL USE THIS CREDENTIAL

The system will use the access to send data from the DNS Insights service.

DISCLAIMER TEXT

Customers (i) must not provide any greater level of access than described for this feature and (ii) must ensure that no additional data is contained in the environments accessible using the provided credentials than what is required to enable this feature. Customers should review the terms of their agreements with third-party cloud providers that will transmit data to IBM or receive data from IBM using this feature to determine whether such third party will impose any fees for the use, transmission, storage, and/or export of such data. IBM disclaims any and all liability resulting from the provision of credentials to IBM, IBM's storage of such credentials, and/or the use of such credentials by IBM, including, without limitation, any fees imposed on a Customer's account with any third party resulting from use of this feature.