This section will describe how you can verify that we are actually persisting the data collected and to learn more about the data being collected. This knowledge will be helpful in the Creating a Visualization article.

First, make sure that you have a valid Monitoring License added to the Nodegrid. Check System : : License, Details column. 

Then, you can explore the raw data points collected by performing the steps below.

1. Click on Dashboard.

2. Click on Discover.

3. Optionally, search for the device you configured in the previous section.

4. Verify that you have data points.

5. Inspect the available fields in each data point.

As the collected data is buffered before being persisted, it may take a couple of cycles before you can visualize the persisted data.

There are numbers of fields that can be used in the search expressions that will be used in the next section. They are:

1. Data point fields:
   • 1. host
     The name of the device being monitored.
   • 2. plugin
     The name of the plugin collecting the data. Possible values are:
     • 2.1. snmp
     • 2.2. ipmi
     • 2.3. nominal
     • 2.4. aggregation
   • 3. plugin_instance
     The instance of the plugin collecting the data, if the plugin requires it. Present in the aggregation plugin, possible values are:
     • 3.1. sum
     • 3.2. average
   • 4. collectd_type
     The type of the measurement. Possible values are:
     • 4.1. temperature
     • 4.2. humidity
     • 4.3. fanspeed
     • 4.4. timeleft
     • 4.5. power
     • 4.6. apparent_power
     • 4.7. power_factor
     • 4.8. current
     • 4.9. voltage
     • 4.10. frequency
     • 4.11. percent
     • 4.12. counter
   • 5. type_instance
     The name of the element associated with the measurement. For example, a PDU’s outlet or bank would show up as type_instance.
2. Device fields:
   • 1. name
     The name of the device being monitored.
   • 2. mode
     The operational mode of the device. Possible value are:
     • 2.1. enabled
     • 2.2. ondemand
     • 2.3. disabled
   • 3. type
     The type of the device. Possible values are:
     • 3.1. ilo
     • 3.2. drac
     • 3.3. idrac6
     • 3.4. ipmi_1.5
     • 3.5. ipmi_2.0
     • 3.6. cimc_ucs
     • 3.7. device_console
     • 3.8. pdu_apc
     • 3.9. pdu_mph2
     • 3.10. pdu_pm3000
     • 3.11. pdu_raritan
     • 3.12. pdu_servertech
     • 3.13. pdu_enconnex
   • 4. family
     The family to which the device is a member. Possible values are:
     • 4.1. ilo
     • 4.2. drac
     • 4.3. ipmi_1.5
     • 4.4. ipmi_2.0
     • 4.5. cimc_ucs
     • 4.6. device_console
     • 4.7. pdu
   • 5. addr_location
     The configured location for the device.
   • 6. coordinates
     The coordinates for the device.
   • 7. ip
     The IP address of the device.
   • 8. mac
     The mac address of the device, if known. 
     As MAC addresses have colon in its address, which is understood by the query syntax to separate the field name from its field value, we will need to escape it:
     "00\\:02\\:99\\:11\\:B7\\:1D"
   • 9. alias
     The IP address alias assigned to the device.
   • 10. groups
     The authorization groups to which access to this device have been granted.
   • 11. licensed
     If the device is licensed or not. Possible values:
     • 11.1. yes
     • 11.2. no
   • 12. status
     The current status of the device. Possible values:
     • 12.1. connected
     • 12.2. disconnected
     • 12.3. in-use
     • 12.4. unknown
   • 13. nodegrid
     The hostname of the NodeGrid that controls the device.
3. Custom fields
   Any custom field configured for the device.