---
title: Telegraf Documentation
description: Telegraf plugin for collecting metrics from IPVS
url: https://docs.influxdata.com/telegraf/v1/input-plugins/ipvs/
estimated_tokens: 1627
product: Telegraf
version: v1
---

-   Telegraf v1.9.0+

# IPVS Input Plugin

This plugin gathers metrics about the [IPVS virtual and real servers](http://www.linuxvirtualserver.org/software/ipvs.html) using the netlink socket interface of the Linux kernel.

The plugin requires `CAP_NET_ADMIN` and `CAP_NET_RAW` capabilities. Check the permissions section for ways to grant them.

**Introduced in:** Telegraf v1.9.0 **Tags:** network, system **OS support:** linux

## Global configuration options

Plugins support additional global and plugin configuration settings for tasks such as modifying metrics, tags, and fields, creating aliases, and configuring plugin ordering. See [CONFIGURATION.md](/telegraf/v1/configuration/#plugins) for more details.

## Configuration

```toml
# Collect virtual and real server stats from Linux IPVS
# This plugin ONLY supports Linux
[[inputs.ipvs]]
  # no configuration
```

### Permissions

Assuming you installed the Telegraf package via one of the published packages, the process will be running as the `telegraf` user. However, in order for this plugin to communicate over netlink sockets it needs the telegraf process to have `CAP_NET_ADMIN` and `CAP_NET_RAW` capabilities.

This is the case when running Telegraf as `root` or some user with `CAP_NET_ADMIN` and `CAP_NET_RAW`. Alternatively, you can add the capabilities when starting Telegraf via systemd by running `systemctl edit telegraf.service` and add the following:

```shell
[Service]
CapabilityBoundingSet=CAP_NET_RAW CAP_NET_ADMIN
AmbientCapabilities=CAP_NET_RAW CAP_NET_ADMIN
```

## Metrics

Server will contain tags identifying how it was configured, using one of `address` + `port` + `protocol` *OR* `fwmark`. This is how one would normally configure a virtual server using `ipvsadm`.

-   ipvs\_virtual\_server
    
    -   tags:
        -   sched (the scheduler in use)
        -   netmask (the mask used for determining affinity)
        -   address\_family (inet/inet6)
        -   address
        -   port
        -   protocol
        -   fwmark
    -   fields:
        -   connections
        -   pkts\_in
        -   pkts\_out
        -   bytes\_in
        -   bytes\_out
        -   pps\_in
        -   pps\_out
        -   cps
-   ipvs\_real\_server
    
    -   tags:
        -   address
        -   port
        -   address\_family (inet/inet6)
        -   virtual\_address
        -   virtual\_port
        -   virtual\_protocol
        -   virtual\_fwmark
    -   fields:
        -   active\_connections
        -   inactive\_connections
        -   connections
        -   pkts\_in
        -   pkts\_out
        -   bytes\_in
        -   bytes\_out
        -   pps\_in
        -   pps\_out
        -   cps

## Example Output

Virtual server is configured using `fwmark` and backed by 2 real servers:

```text
ipvs_virtual_server,address=172.18.64.234,address_family=inet,netmask=32,port=9000,protocol=tcp,sched=rr bytes_in=0i,bytes_out=0i,pps_in=0i,pps_out=0i,cps=0i,connections=0i,pkts_in=0i,pkts_out=0i 1541019340000000000
ipvs_real_server,address=172.18.64.220,address_family=inet,port=9000,virtual_address=172.18.64.234,virtual_port=9000,virtual_protocol=tcp active_connections=0i,inactive_connections=0i,pkts_in=0i,bytes_out=0i,pps_out=0i,connections=0i,pkts_out=0i,bytes_in=0i,pps_in=0i,cps=0i 1541019340000000000
ipvs_real_server,address=172.18.64.219,address_family=inet,port=9000,virtual_address=172.18.64.234,virtual_port=9000,virtual_protocol=tcp active_connections=0i,inactive_connections=0i,pps_in=0i,pps_out=0i,connections=0i,pkts_in=0i,pkts_out=0i,bytes_in=0i,bytes_out=0i,cps=0i 1541019340000000000
```

Virtual server is configured using `proto+addr+port` and backed by 2 real servers:

```text
ipvs_virtual_server,address_family=inet,fwmark=47,netmask=32,sched=rr cps=0i,connections=0i,pkts_in=0i,pkts_out=0i,bytes_in=0i,bytes_out=0i,pps_in=0i,pps_out=0i 1541019340000000000
ipvs_real_server,address=172.18.64.220,address_family=inet,port=9000,virtual_fwmark=47 inactive_connections=0i,pkts_out=0i,bytes_out=0i,pps_in=0i,cps=0i,active_connections=0i,pkts_in=0i,bytes_in=0i,pps_out=0i,connections=0i 1541019340000000000
ipvs_real_server,address=172.18.64.219,address_family=inet,port=9000,virtual_fwmark=47 cps=0i,active_connections=0i,inactive_connections=0i,connections=0i,pkts_in=0i,bytes_out=0i,pkts_out=0i,bytes_in=0i,pps_in=0i,pps_out=0i 1541019340000000000
```

#### Related

-   [Configure plugins](/telegraf/v1/configure_plugins/)
-   [IPVS Plugin Source](https://github.com/influxdata/telegraf/tree/v1.38.4/plugins/inputs/ipvs/README.md)