Node Reuse for Node.js Agent

A SIGTERM (15) shutdown of the Node.js process is a requirement for reuseNode feature. 

Reuse Node Name

To reuse node names in Splunk AppDynamics, you have to set the reuseNode property to true. When you set this property to true, you do not have to supply a node name, but you do need to provide a node name prefix using reuseNodePrefix . 

When reuseNode and a nodeName are used, the reuseNodePrefix property is given precedence over the nodeName.

This property is useful for monitoring environments where there are many VMs (Virtual Machines) with short life spans, and for container environments. When set to true, Splunk AppDynamics reuses the node names of historical VMs for new VMs. This avoids a proliferation of differently named nodes in Splunk AppDynamics over time, particularly when the nodes are essentially identical processes that run over different times. 

Splunk AppDynamics generates a node name with App, Tier, and Sequence number, and the node names are pooled. For example, the sequence numbers are reused when the nodes are purged (based on the node lifetime).

System Property: reuseNode

Type: Boolean

Default: False

Required: No

Reuse Node Name Prefix

When you configure the agent to reuse node names, use this property to specify the prefix that the Controller uses to generate node names dynamically.  

System Property: reuseNodePrefix

Type: String

Default: None

Required: When reuseNode=true

Reuse node feature example:

With the following configuration, the Controller generates a node name with the prefix "reportGen". Node names will have suffixes -1, -2, and so on, depending on the number of nodes are running in parallel. The name of a node that is shut down and qualifies as a historical node may be reused by a new node. 

reuseNode=true reuseNodePrefix=reportGen