Build 253

Application API changes

The application trace API is changed. The endpoint GET /api/application-monitoring/analyze/traces/{id} (see OpenAPI) is marked as deprecated and might be removed in the future. The replacement for this API is GET /api/application-monitoring/v2/analyze/traces/{id} (see OpenAPI). The new API supports pagination and does not provide call data and stacktrace information.

Instana logs

Instana logs are now generally available. It remains an optional feature for Kubernetes self-hosted environments. You can perform the following functions with the logs:

• Break down the logs and analyze them through Unbound Analytics by using its application and infrastructure context. For more information, see Logging.
• Correlate logs with metrics and traces by using the logs in the context of Kubernetes and containers. For more information, see Analyze Kubernetes logs.
• Enable launch-in-context integrations with third-party log aggregators. For more information, see Logging integrations.

Synthetic monitoring

The Synthetic monitoring feature is generally available with Instana 253. It remains an optional feature for kubernetes self-hosting environments. The supported features include:

• Create synthetic tests through the Instana UI or API for web applications and websites
• Use credentials in your synthetic tests; credentials are stored securely in Instana
• Deploy Points of Presence (PoP)
• Monitor PoP health by using the PoP sensor

Note: Points of Presence (PoP) must be deployed in the customer environment.

For more information on deploying PoP, see Synthetic Monitoring documentation.

Native histogram metric support

Native histogram metric support is a technology preview feature that enables the storage and visualization of Prometheus histogram metrics as a native metric type. For more information, see Native histogram metric support (technology preview).

Node v20 support for Node.js tracer

Instana now supports Node.js v20.

PHP 8.2 support for PHP tracer

Instana now supports PHP 8.2.

AWS CloudFront

Instana now automatically discovers and monitors AWS CloudFront. For more information, see AWS support.

IBM MQ sensor

All status channels are added to the current channel table to show all the defined channels and active channels in current Queue Manager.

Node.js

The Instana Node.js SDK now has methods to mark spans as an error. For more information, see Node.js API.

Tuxedo Application Sensor

The Tuxedo Application sensor instance monitors Tuxedo Application by extracting the data from topology file, Service Broker Project and Tuxedo Service performance data files. For more information, see Monitoring Tuxedo Application.

WebSphere Application Server sensor

Open Beta

Role-based access control improvements

• Groups:
  • Improved the Instana UI to clarify what is configured and simplify the role-based access control (RBAC) configuration.
  • Limited scope can now be set separately for Websites, Mobile apps, Applications, and Kubernetes.
  • Adding or removing users now takes affect immediately without having to save.
• Users:
  • Improved the Instana UI to clarify what a user has access to.

For more information, see Managing user access.

Synthetic Monitoring: Deletion confirmation dialog enhancements

The confirmation dialogs that appear when you request to delete a test or delete a location are enhanced for consistency with other parts of the Instana UI. The dialogs allow you to enter an optional reason for the deletion and require you to enter specific confirmation text. In addition, the ability to delete a test has moved from the Tests tab to the Configuration tab of a specific Synthetic test.

For more information about deleting a test, see Viewing the configuration for a test.

For more information about deleting a location, see the documentation of the Locations tab in Using the Synthetic Monitoring user interface.

Synthetic Monitoring: Open API documentation improvements

The following updates are made to the Synthetic Monitoring section of the Open API documentation:

• Permissions that are required for all operations are added to the documentation.
• The schemas for the payloads for PATCH and PUT operations are updated.

For more information about the Synthetic Monitoring APIs, see Open API documentation.

Synthetic PoP: Image root path is changed

The image root path of Synthetic PoP is changed from containers.instana.io/instana/release/synthetic to containers.instana.io/synthetic due to the underlying artifactory migration. You need to use the latest-published Helm chart for PoP installation or upgrading.

If you want to manually pull the images, use the new image path.

ContainerD entity label

ContainerD labels now display namespace and pod name when these are available.

Monitoring the mobile app

Synthetic Monitoring: Permissions for UI actions

Buttons and icons related to Synthetic Monitoring in Instana UI, which invoke actions such as creating a synthetic test, updating a synthetic test, or deleting a location, are visible only if the user has the appropriate permissions. For example, if the user does not have the permission Configure Synthetic tests, then the Add a synthetic test button, the "Edit" action (pencil icon on the Configuration tab), and the "Delete" action (trash can icon on the Configuration tab) are hidden. Similarly, if the user does not have the permission Configure Synthetic Locations, the Action Menu column on the Locations tab is hidden.

Synthetic Monitoring: Support for additional zip formats

Additional file formats for .zip files are supported for creating API scripts for Synthetic monitoring tests through the Instana UI. Zip files with or without subdirectories are supported, including support of "." for the current directory and a single file in a `zip' directory.

Trace detail view

An orphan call indicator is added to the call tree.

IBM DataPower sensor

You can now use Dynamic Focus Query (DFQ) in filters for all DataPower entities like appliance, cluster, domain, and service; for example: 'entity.ibmdatapower.domain.name:*'. For more information about using Dynamic Focus Query (DFQ), see Filtering with dynamic focus.

IBM Db2 LUW sensor

The issue that the latest full-backup information for IBM Db2 11.1.x is not retrieved and displayed on the Instana dashboard is fixed now.

IBM i sensor

• Fixed Null pointer exception when user does not provide the Inactive Jobs information in the configuration.
• Fixed the Unit NVMe not found issue by adding extra check for the Unit NVMe column of the solid state disk for IBM i versions that are greater than 7.4.
• Removed the events that are created based on the metrics severity and message_type from the History Log table because events can't be created based on these metrics.
• Fixed the storage usage calculation of Auxiliary Storage Pool (ASP).
• Fixed the issue that all the services of AS400 were not being properly closed when the connection was closing.
• Fixed a issue that retrieval of Solid State Disk (SSD) information based on OS version and Level failed because the UNIT_NVME condition was not available.

IBM MQ sensor

You can now use Dynamic Focus Query (DFQ) in filters for all MQ entities like channel, cluster, listener, mqttchannel, qm and queue; for example: 'entity.ibmmq.queue.name:*'. For more information about using Dynamic Focus Query (DFQ), see Filtering with dynamic focus.

Mobile App monitoring

In the Mobile App dashboard, when you click 3D to go to the 3D Globe view from the 2D map view, the link was broken. This issue is fixed now.

Service flow map

The broken "load more" link in the service flow map is fixed now. This link is used for pagination of incoming and outgoing services.

Services list

• Fixed the filtering of services by Sybase technology.
• Added a missing icon for the Sybase technology.

Trace detail view

Due to clock skew issue on monitored hosts, some calls might appear to start before their respective parent calls in the timeline and in the call tree. The issue is fixed now.

WebSphere Application Server sensor

Sometimes WebSphere application server 9 command line failed to be retrieved, so that WebSphere application server was not monitored by Instana. The issue is fixed now.

Monitoring the mobile app

Synthetic Monitoring: Scroll through locations in the Create Synthetic Test wizard

Using the Create Synthetic Test wizard in the Instana UI, you can scroll through the complete list of locations.

Synthetic Monitoring: Shared links include filters

Shared links from the Synthetic Monitoring UI pages include previously set filters, even for Smart Alerts.

Synthetic Monitoring: Removal of extra elements during test creation in the UI

During Synthetic test creation in the Instana UI, empty elements for headers and custom properties were added to the test definition. This issue is fixed now.

Synthetic PoP: Fix the issue of response size 0 in API script result

For some API script tests, the response size was showing 0 in the Synthetic test result UI. This issue is fixed now.

Synthetic PoP: Fix the issue of main script file path in API script bundle

Some API script bundle tests failed to run due to an issue of locating the main script file in the bundle .zip file. This issue is fixed now.

Synthetic PoP: Remove duplicated app and component label

Some Synthetic PoP pods had duplicated app and component label, which made Synthetic PoP installation failed in some Kubernetes platforms. This issue is fixed now.

Unbounded Analytics

Fixed an issue of calls analytics when calls are grouped by log messages and filtered by HTTP headers at the same time.

Operator

Previously, it was not possible to reactivate a tenant unit after it was deleted. The issue is solved now.