Configuring Prometheus Node Exporter

As part of setting up a monitoring system, one crucial step is to configure the Prometheus node exporter. This article will guide you through the process of setting up and configuring the Prometheus node exporter.

Step 1: Configure Prometheus Server

The first step in configuring the Prometheus node exporter is to login to the Prometheus server and open the prometheus.yml file. If you have followed along the previous tutorial, it should be that machine. Note that this configuration should be done on the Prometheus server.

Adding Node Exporter as a Target

Once the Prometheus server is configured, the next step is to add the node exporter as a target in the Prometheus server configuration. This allows the node exporter to send metrics to the Prometheus server for monitoring.

Step 2: Create a Node Exporter Service File

To start and manage the node exporter service, you need to create a systemd service file. This can be done by creating a new file called node_exporter.service in the /etc/systemd/system directory.

Step 3: Move Node Exporter Binary to /usr/local/bin

Next, move the node exporter binary to /usr/local/bin using the mv command.

Step 4: Reload System Daemon and Start Node Exporter Service

Reload the system daemon using the systemctl daemon-reload command. Then start the node exporter service using the systemctl start node_exporter command.

Step 5: Check Node Exporter Status

Check the status of the node exporter service to ensure it is running in an active state using the systemctl status node_exporter command.

Step 6: Enable Node Exporter Service to System Startup

Finally, enable the node exporter service to start automatically on system boot by using the systemctl enable node_exporter command.

Verifying Node Exporter Configuration

Once the node exporter is configured and running, you can verify its configuration by visiting your server URL on /metrics as shown below. The node exporter will be exporting metrics on port 9100.

Port Configuration

Remember to open port 9100 in your server firewall as Prometheus reads metrics on this port.

Prometheus Server Configuration

Also, note that you need a Prometheus server running to use the Prometheus node exporter. Please see the Prometheus setup guide for Linux for more information.

By following these steps, you should now have a functioning Prometheus node exporter configured and ready to send metrics to your Prometheus server.

Prometheus node exporter systed