add alert configuration steps

simplexalerts/index.md

@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ Download the simplex-chat ubuntu release as shown:
 Run your client in server mode:
 
 
-    [user@devnode:~]$ simplex-chat -d clientDB -p 1337
+    [user@devnode:~]$ simplex-chat -d clientDB -p 1337 -x
     No user profiles found, it will be created now.
     Please choose your display name.
     It will be sent to your contacts when you connect.
@@ -225,14 +225,159 @@ so it looks like this:
 
 ##### Start the alerter
 
-Here using docker becomes a hassle, since we are going to have to make the simplex-chat port accessible. For security easons it runs on the loopback interface.
+Run the container
+
+    sudo docker run -v $(pwd):/config --network="host" --rm simplex-alerter -c /config/config.yml -e 127.0.0.1:1337
+
+It will connect to the simplex-chat client we started earlier. You can check the metrics to make sure it's running by checking the metrics page
+
+    curl http://localhost:7898/metrics | less
+    # HELP python_gc_objects_collected_total Objects collected during gc
+    # TYPE python_gc_objects_collected_total counter
+    python_gc_objects_collected_total{generation="0"} 600.0
+    python_gc_objects_collected_total{generation="1"} 15.0
+    python_gc_objects_collected_total{generation="2"} 0.0
+    # HELP python_gc_objects_uncollectable_total Uncollectable objects found during GC
+    # TYPE python_gc_objects_uncollectable_total counter
+    python_gc_objects_uncollectable_total{generation="0"} 0.0
+    python_gc_objects_uncollectable_total{generation="1"} 0.0
+    python_gc_objects_uncollectable_total{generation="2"} 0.0
+    # HELP python_gc_collections_total Number of times this generation was collected
+    ...
+    ...
+    ...
 
 
-let's create a socat tunnel with:
+### Configuring a grafana endpoint
 
-    apt install socat
-    sudo socat TCP-LISTEN:31337,bind=172.17.0.1,reuseaddr,fork TCP:127.0.0.1:1337&
-
-Now run our container:
+Browse to the contact points page in grafana and click on "add a new contact point"
 
 
+![](contact_points.png)
+
+
+Fill out the details, don't forget the path after the URL, as it's how the alerter knows where to deliver the messages
+
+![new_contact_point.png]
+
+And click on Test!
+
+
+Result:
+
+
+![](alert.png)
+
+
+### Configuring an actual alert
+
+Now that our webhook is ready we can configure an actual alert!
+
+Go to alert rules and click on "create a new alert rule"
+
+![](create_alert.png)
+
+Now you need to configure it:
+
+![](test_alert.png)
+
+- set a name
+- make sure it uses the Prometheus data source
+- add an alerting condition (must be True to fire)
+- Use the preview button to check that the alert would indeed be firing upon creation
+
+
+#### Keeping things Tidy
+
+Your alert must live in a folder:
+
+
+Click on "New folder"
+![](test_alert2.png)
+
+and add a folder name
+
+![](test_alert_2_1.png)
+
+#### Alert Evaluation
+
+![](test_alert_3.png)
+
+Alerts are regularly *evaluated* by grafana. Which means grafana will run the query at specific intervals and fire the alert if the conditions specified are filled.
+
+
+Let's imagine that we want to keep a close eye on this alert, as if 0 ever not equals 0 then we will have big problems.
+
+
+First configure an evaluation group and set its name. You can leave the one minute evaluation timing as it's the shortest.
+
+![](test_alert_3_1.png)
+
+
+You can leave all other options to their default.
+
+
+#### Alert Contact Point
+
+Now we are going to use the alert contact point we created earlier:
+
+![](test_alert_4.png)
+
+Choose from the drop-down menu the web hook we configured.
+
+
+#### Alert Message
+
+When the conditions are fulfilled you want an information to be conveyed: that's where you configure it
+
+![](test_alert_5.png)
+
+
+#### And now let's blow up some phones
+
+Save the rule and exit, in 1 minute it will be evaluated and you will receive a a notification
+
+![](test_alert_6.png)
+
+
+And here's the alert:
+
+![](test_alert_7.png)
+
+
+# Configuring those systems as systemd services
+
+To turn the simplex-chat and the alerter into systemd services, you only need to create two files:
+
+## /etc/systemd/system/simplex-chat.service
+
+    [Unit]
+    Requires=tor.service
+
+    [Service]
+    ExecStart=simplex-chat -d /etc/alerter_clientDB -p 1337 -x
+    [Install]
+    WantedBy=multi-user.target
+
+## /etc/systemd/system/alerter.service
+
+
+    [Unit]
+    Requires=simplex-chat.service
+
+    [Service]
+    ExecStart=docker run --rm simplex-alerter -c /etc/alerter-config.yaml -e 127.0.0.1:1337
+
+    [Install]
+    WantedBy=simplex-chat.service
+
+## Enable the services
+Now enable the services
+    
+    systemctl enable simplex-chat.service
+    systemctl enable alerter.service
+
+
+# Conclusion
+
+We now have an easy way to set multiple alerts to different groups based on our monitoring system, furthermore those alerts will be sent over tor through a privacy-preserving messaging system.