Nobl9 release channels

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We've introduced release channels to enhance the performance and stability of data source integrations:

The Stable channel is mature and most reliable. It provides all officially released features and changes that have undergone rigorous testing. The Stable channel represents the final fully stable product ready for mission-critical production use. When you don't need the newest features, the Stable channel would be optimal for use.

The Beta channel showcases the latest innovations tested to deliver the best early-access experience possible. It contains the most recently shipped features that still need more green runs in real-world scenarios, such as usability testing. The Beta channel constantly receives updates and fixes as the development process moves forward. All new features are first delivered to the Beta channel.

What's in the Beta channel?

Some Nobl9 features have a Beta label, although they aren’t limited to the Beta channel. The difference between these concepts is as follows:

The Beta channel is a way to distribute new functionality

❏ New data sources and functionality related to the data sources are released to the Beta channel first.

❏ After thorough testing, they go to Stable.

The Beta label shows feature completeness

❏ These features can be available either in Beta or Stable channel

❏ They are released for use as a playground

❏ Nobl9 polishes these features based on user feedback and removes the label once a feature is mature

The following table contains the functionality available in the Beta channel along with the applicable information.

Data source	Agent min version	Beta functionality
Azure Monitor	≥ 0.69.0-beta04	Data source availability
Azure Monitor	≥ 0.71.0-beta	Resource and metrics discovery
Azure Monitor managed service for Prometheus	≥ 0.78.0-beta	Data source availability Event logs Query customization parameters retrieval with `sloctl` SLI Analyzer Replay
LogicMonitor	≥ 0.81.0-beta	Data source availability Event logs Query customization parameters retrieval with `sloctl` SLI Analyzer Replay
Google Cloud Monitoring	≥ 0.83.0-beta	PromQL queries
Nobl9 agent variables	≥ 0.84.0-beta	`N9_METRIC_BUFFER_LIMIT` is the environment variable to configure the size for Nobl9 agent datapoint buffer

beta key takeaways

Currently, Beta is the default channel for all new Nobl9 users.

Switching between release channels

You can switch between channels using Nobl9 UI or sloctl.

Selecting release channels in UI

You can choose the release channel for your data source (both agent and direct connection method) in the Data source wizard. To do this, navigate to Integrations > Sources, choose your source and connection method (agent/direct) and select the release channel from the list menu.

Image 1: Steps to get started with Nobl9

tip

For the agent connection method, remember to deploy your agent in Docker or Kubernetes once you clicked Add Data Source.

caution

You can edit the Release Channel field only for the direct connection method. For agents, this field is inactive in the Edit Data Source step.

Defining release channel in `sloctl`

You can define the release channel in sloctl with the sloctl apply command for agents or directs. YAML definitions for agents and directs include the releaseChannel field that can take one of two values: stable or beta.

Below is an example YAML configuration for an agent:

- apiVersion: n9/v1alpha
  kind: Agent
  metadata:
    displayName: Agent DT
    name: agent-dt
    project: default
  spec:
    dynatrace:
      url: https://{}
    queryDelay:
      minimumAgentVersion: 0.65.0-beta09
      unit: Minute
      value: 2
    releaseChannel: beta
    sourceOf:
    - Metrics

tip

Check YAML Guide and Sources documentation for more details on YAML definitions for specific sources and connection methods.

Assumptions

When you edit an existing agent, you cannot change the value for the releaseChannel field; sloctl will return an error.
When adding a new direct or agent without specifying the releaseChannel, the default release channel is set to beta.
Features labeled as Beta can be available in both channels.
For agents, the releaseChannel field in the Nobl9 database is automatically updated, depending on the agent version. So when you run the beta agent in your cluster, Nobl9 updates the releaseChannel field in the database to beta automatically.