Beeks provides the following plugins that add Beeks-specific capabilities to Grafana:

Front-end datasource plugin

When you create a new panel in a Dashboard, you need to select a datasource to instruct Grafana to connect to the data source and receive its data. The Front-end datasource plugin enables you to select the Beeks Analytics datasource from the list of data sources when you’re configuring a panel, and thereby visualise data from Beeks Analytics in the panel. Without the plugin, you’ll see only the data sources provided by Grafana when you open the list of data sources and you won’t be able to pull Beeks Analytics data into your visualisation.

Back-end datasource plugin

The Back-end datasource plugin enables you to connect to a Beeks Analytics time series data source and thereby create alerts in Grafana that are triggered when a series breaches a pre-defined threshold. Without the plugin, you’ll see only the datasources provided by Grafana when you open the list of data sources and you won’t be able to create alerts for time series breaches.

Panel plugin

The Panel plugin enables a Beeks Analytics panel for Retrospective Packet Analysis.

Retrospective packet analysis is the retrieval of a timeslice of packets, which are delivered in a single packet capture file. You can filter the set of packets by specific probes and with a BPF (Berkeley Packet Filter). It enables the user to re-examine data sets gathered in the past, for purposes of diagnosis or analytics.

Panels are visualisations in Grafana, e.g. a big number, or a scatter graph. You can add panels to your dashboard from a wealth of pre-defined panels that are available in Grafana, or add the Retro Packet Analysis panel provided by Beek’s Panel plugin, or by creating your own custom panel.

App plugin

The App plugin provides a range of Beeks Analytics tabs in Grafana, each of which can be enabled or disabled as required. If the App plugin is installed, you’ll see a Beeks Analytics app in the Apps page. Select this to display the enabled tabs. Any of the app components can be switched on or off.