The Social Seismograph - I Just Love Monitoring

Monitoring a large Website like XING is essential for secure, stable and fast operation. The talk will share how to set up a hands on but reliable monitoring with client site javascript and apache log file as persistence layer. Log evaluation is shown in a very DEVOPS approach using shell and awk for log parsing and statistical analysis plus munin as monitor. The talk will then share some real stories and statistics around the following subjects:

• how to monitor real-time business statistics as operations geek
• how we found the double opt in bug
• why it is so important, to investigate unanswered questions
• how twitter stats can be used as social seismograph of XING
• how to monitor real-time end user performance stats yourself (no third party needed)

Takeaways (from my memory stick or bazaar):

• Javascript client side code
• awk log parsing code
• a box full of new monitoring ideas
• A view behind the curtains of XING operations, their monitors and expertise