Configuring ThousandEyes as a third-party data source

ThousandEyes provides a SaaS-based monitoring platform. It combines various active and passive monitoring techniques to provide real-time internet outage detection and insight into user experiences across applications and services. NS1’s integration with ThousandEyes allows teams to detect service disruptions or user experience issues with ThousandEyes monitoring, and then to automate failover in the NS1 platform.

During the implementation process, you will configure ThousandEyes tests and connect them to the associated DNS answers in the NS1 platform. When the results of the tests change, the up/down metadata for the associated answer changes, and then this information is considered when routing DNS traffic. For example, if ThousandEyes detects a server is down, it communicates that to the NS1 platform, and the DNS answer(s) corresponding to that server are marked as "down." If applied, the Up filter within the Filter Chain configuration removes any answers marked as "down" from the answer pool, steering traffic toward "up" or otherwise better endpoints.

Step 1 - Create a data feed on the IBM NS1 Connect® platform

Follow the instructions below to configure a data source and connect ThousandEyes to the IBM® NS1 Connect® platform.

  1. In the IBM NS1 Connect® portal, navigate to the Integrations page.
  2. Click the + button to create a new data source.
  3. Click the ThousandEyes logo.
  4. Enter a name for the data source for internal reference.
  5. Click Save data source.
  6. When prompted to create a feed from a new data source, click the X in the top right corner to close the window. You will add the data feeds later.
  7. Navigate to the Data sources tab and copy the Source ID displayed next to the ThousandEyes data source you just created. You will need this ID to configure the integration within the ThousandEyes platform.

Step 2 - Configure a test on the ThousandEyes platform

Follow the instructions below to create a Cloud and Agent-Based test on the ThousandEyes platform. Refer to the ThousandEyes documentation for details.

Note: Skip this step if you are using existing ThousandEyes tests.
  1. In the ThousandEyes portal, navigate to Cloud & Enterprise Agents and click Test Settings.
  2. Click Add New Test.
  3. Complete the form fields, ensuring no alert rules are selected.
  4. Click Create New Test.
  5. Navigate to the Views page from the left side navigation.
  6. Under Current Test, select the test you just created from the dropdown.
  7. With the test selected, the unique ID appears at the end of the URL after testid=.
    Note: To locate the test IDs for multiple tests, you can use the ThousandEyes API. Refer to the ThousandEyes Developer Reference documentation for details.
  8. Repeat this process for each test you want to connect to the IBM NS1 Connect® platform.

Step 3 - Create a data feed for each ThousandEyes test

Follow the instructions below to create a data feed for each ThousandEyes test you want to connect to the IBM NS1 Connect® platform.

  1. In the IBM NS1 Connect® portal, navigate to Integrations > Feeds.
  2. Click the ThousandEyes logo under Add a feed to an existing data source.
  3. Enter a name for the data feed.
  4. Copy and paste the unique test ID for the ThousandEyes test generated in Step 2.
  5. Click Save feed.
  6. Repeat this process for each ThousandEyes test you want to connect to an answer on the DNS record.

Step 4 - Create a ThousandEyes alert and webhook

  1. In the ThousandEyes portal, navigate to Alerts > Alert Rules.
  2. In the Add New Alert Rule page, next to Alert Type, select the test layer and test type for this alert rule.
  3. Enter a name for the alert rule.
  4. Click the Settings tab to configure the conditions that must be met to trigger this alert rule and to assign the alert rule to tests and agents. Refer to this topic in the ThousandEyes documentation for details.
  5. Click the Notifications tab to configure the methods by which users are notified when an alert rule is triggered.
  6. Click Edit Webhooks.
  7. Click Add New Webhook.
    Note: Create only one webhook to integrate ThousandEyes and IBM NS1 Connect®, attaching it to all applicable alert rules.
  8. Enter a name for the webhook.
  9. Next to URL, enter https://api.nsone.net/v1/feed/<sourceID>, replacing <sourceID> with the unique ID of the ThousandEyes data source you generated in Step 1.
  10. Next to Auth Type, select None.
  11. Click Add New Webhook.
    Attention: The webhook is not automatically attached to the alert rule. You must attach the webhook you just created.
  12. Click the Notifications tab and, next to Send notifications to, select the webhook you just created from the dropdown.
  13. Click Create New Alert Rule.
    Note: You only need to create one alert with a webhook notification pointing to the IBM NS1 Connect® platform. Use the same alert for all ThousandEyes tests.

Step 5 - Connect each data feed to the NS1 DNS answers

To configure automatic updates from ThousandEyes to DNS record answers on the IBM NS1 Connect® platform, you must connect the data feeds configured in Step 4 to the corresponding DNS answers. You will map each feed to the up/down metadata field for the relevant answer.

For instructions, refer to Connecting a monitor or data source to a DNS answer.

Step 6 - Create a Filter Chain

After configuring automatic updates from the ThousandEyes test to their corresponding answers, you can create a Filter Chain for the parent DNS record to activate dynamic traffic steering. Use the Up filter to instruct the IBM NS1 Connect® platform to eliminate down or unavailable answers when making routing decisions. As the ThousandEyes data feeds update the answer metadata, the platform adjusts traffic steering behavior to accommodate changing network conditions.