SUSE Revolutionizes Observability for CNCF Projects: A Case Study on the Longhorn Project

In this blog post:

1. SUSE acquires StackState to enhance observability for CNCF projects.
2. With SUSE, the Longhorn project identifies Kubernetes deployment issues.
3. SUSE automates discovery and provides advanced monitoring tools.
4. CNCF projects benefit from improved visibility and early issue detection.
5. SUSE Observability open source transition supports the cloud native community.

The landscape of Kubernetes observability is evolving rapidly, with new tools and platforms continuously emerging to address the complex needs of modern cloud native applications.

SUSE has recognized this need for better observability, which is why, at SUSECON 2024, we announced the acquisition of StackState. With StackState, now known as SUSE Observability, we can enhance the observability capabilities for Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) projects, offering robust solutions to monitor and troubleshoot Kubernetes deployments effectively, as can be seen in this case study.

Let’s explore the immediate impact SUSE Observability had on Longhorn, a CNCF incubating project.

The Challenge

Days after SUSECON 2024, maintainers of the project Longhorn were among the first teams to request a license to try out SUSE Observability for their deployments. Longhorn is a SUSE Rancher-born project that offers a reliable, lightweight and user-friendly distributed block storage system for Kubernetes workloads.

The Longhorn team, like many other development teams, strives to ensure their Kubernetes deployments are robust and efficient. However, maintaining Kubernetes deployments can be challenging, particularly when detecting and resolving issues that may not be immediately obvious.

In a previous product release, the Longhorn team consolidated several different services into a unified pod but overlooked updating their Helm charts. This oversight led to Kubernetes services with selectors that no longer matched any pods, rendering them effectively useless. The team was unaware of this issue until they installed SUSE Observability into their environment.

Discovering the Issue with SUSE Observability

Upon integrating SUSE Observability, the Longhorn team quickly discovered an issue with their Kubernetes deployment. SUSE Observability’s out-of-the-box monitors immediately flagged two orphaned services. Detection of Kubernetes services that lack active endpoints is important because, without them, these services cannot effectively route incoming traffic.

Services and their pods are loosely coupled using a selector. The service uses this selector to specify the criteria that pods must meet to receive the traffic from the service. However, because the selector creates a loose coupling, mistakes can go unnoticed by the developer creating the resource. It is also possible that all pods were inadvertently scaled down. These scenarios result in the service being unavailable, and any traffic sent to it is unrouteable.

The rapid detection of this misconfiguration led to the creation of a bug report, which allowed the team to further investigate how to effectively handle these orphaned services.

This detected issue underscores the importance of comprehensive observability, taking not only standard metrics, logs and traces into account but also adding the dimension of topology. This is one of SUSE Observability’s unique capabilities in maintaining healthy Kubernetes environments.

How SUSE Observability Works

SUSE Observability provides a powerful observability platform that offers real-time insights into Kubernetes deployments. It achieves this through several differentiating features:

• Automated Discovery and Mapping: SUSE Observability automatically discovers all Kubernetes components managed by Kubernetes and maps their relationships. This creates a holistic view that allows teams to understand both the interdependencies and potential points of failure within their environment.
• Advanced Monitoring: With out-of-the-box monitors, SUSE Observability continuously checks the health and performance of Kubernetes resources. It can detect anomalies, such as services without backing pods, and alert teams promptly.
• Root Cause Analysis: When issues are detected, SUSE Observability helps teams perform root cause analysis by providing detailed insights into the affected components and their interactions. This accelerates troubleshooting and resolution.

Impact on CNCF Projects

The transition of SUSE Observability to an open source model under SUSE’s guidance will benefit CNCF projects significantly. By integrating SUSE Observability into their build and test cycles, CNCF projects can achieve enhanced observability and preemptively address potential issues. This proactive approach ensures higher reliability and performance, which are critical for the success of any cloud native application.

Benefits of SUSE Observability for CNCF Projects:

1. Enhanced Visibility: SUSE Observability provides a comprehensive view of Kubernetes deployments, making it easier for teams to monitor and manage their resources effectively.
2. Early Issue Detection: With its advanced monitoring capabilities, SUSE Observability can detect issues early, allowing teams to address them before they escalate.
3. Improved Troubleshooting: The platform’s root cause analysis feature simplifies troubleshooting, helping teams resolve issues faster and with greater accuracy.
4. Open Source Integration: As SUSE Observability transitions to an open source model, CNCF projects can easily integrate it into their workflows, benefiting from community-driven enhancements and support.

The Promise of Better Observability

This SUSE acquisition marks a significant milestone in the Kubernetes observability space. The immediate impact it had on the Longhorn project demonstrates the platform’s capabilities and the benefits it can bring to CNCF projects.

By transitioning SUSE Observability to an open source model, SUSE is not only enhancing its own observability toolkit but also contributing to the broader cloud native community. As CNCF projects continue to grow and evolve, having a robust observability solution like SUSE Observability will be key to ensuring their success.

With SUSE Observability, SUSE is paving the way for a more observable and reliable Kubernetes ecosystem, allowing teams to build, deploy and manage their applications with confidence. With SUSE Observability in our portfolio, the future of Kubernetes observability looks very promising.

To learn more about SUSE Observability solution, talk with an expert today.