---
stage: Analyze
group: Analytics Instrumentation
info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/product/ux/technical-writing/#assignments
---

# Troubleshooting Service Ping

## Set up and test Service Ping locally

To set up Service Ping locally, you must:

1. [Set up local repositories](#set-up-local-repositories).
1. [Test local setup](#test-local-setup).
1. Optional. [Test Prometheus-based Service Ping](#test-prometheus-based-service-ping).

### Set up local repositories

1. Clone and start [GitLab](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-development-kit).
1. Clone and start [Versions Application](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-services/version.gitlab.com).
   Make sure you run `docker-compose up` to start a PostgreSQL and Redis instance.
1. Point GitLab to the Versions Application endpoint instead of the default endpoint:
   1. Open [service_ping/submit_service.rb](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/blob/master/app/services/service_ping/submit_service.rb#L5) locally and modify `STAGING_BASE_URL`.
   1. Set it to the local Versions Application URL: `http://localhost:3000`.

### Test local setup

1. Using the `gitlab` Rails console, manually trigger Service Ping:

   ```ruby
   GitlabServicePingWorker.new.perform('triggered_from_cron' => false)
   ```

1. Use the `versions` Rails console to check the Service Ping was successfully received,
   parsed, and stored in the Versions database:

   ```ruby
   UsageData.last
   ```

## Test Prometheus-based Service Ping

If the data submitted includes metrics [queried from Prometheus](../metrics/metrics_instrumentation.md#prometheus-metrics)
you want to inspect and verify, you must:

- Ensure that a Prometheus server is running locally.
- Ensure the respective GitLab components are exporting metrics to the Prometheus server.

If you do not need to test data coming from Prometheus, no further action
is necessary. Service Ping should degrade gracefully in the absence of a running Prometheus server.

Three kinds of components may export data to Prometheus, and are included in Service Ping:

- [`node_exporter`](https://github.com/prometheus/node_exporter): Exports node metrics
  from the host machine.
- [`gitlab-exporter`](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/ruby/gems/gitlab-exporter): Exports process metrics
  from various GitLab components.
- Other various GitLab services, such as Sidekiq and the Rails server, which export their own metrics.

### Test with an Omnibus container

This is the recommended approach to test Prometheus-based Service Ping.

To verify your change, build a new Omnibus image from your code branch using CI/CD, download the image,
and run a local container instance:

1. From your merge request, select the `qa` stage, then trigger the `e2e:package-and-test` job. This job triggers an Omnibus
   build in a [downstream pipeline of the `omnibus-gitlab-mirror` project](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/build/omnibus-gitlab-mirror/-/pipelines).
1. In the downstream pipeline, wait for the `gitlab-docker` job to finish.
1. Open the job logs and locate the full container name including the version. It takes the following form: `registry.gitlab.com/gitlab-org/build/omnibus-gitlab-mirror/gitlab-ee:<VERSION>`.
1. On your local machine, make sure you are signed in to the GitLab Docker registry. You can find the instructions for this in
   [Authenticate to the GitLab Container Registry](../../../user/packages/container_registry/authenticate_with_container_registry.md).
1. Once signed in, download the new image by using `docker pull registry.gitlab.com/gitlab-org/build/omnibus-gitlab-mirror/gitlab-ee:<VERSION>`
1. For more information about working with and running Omnibus GitLab containers in Docker, refer to [GitLab Docker images](../../../install/docker.md) documentation.

### Test with GitLab development toolkits

This is the less recommended approach, because it comes with a number of difficulties when emulating a real GitLab deployment.

The [GDK](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-development-kit) is not set up to run a Prometheus server or `node_exporter` alongside other GitLab components. If you would
like to do so, [Monitoring the GDK with Prometheus](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-development-kit/-/blob/main/doc/howto/prometheus/index.md#monitoring-the-gdk-with-prometheus) is a good start.

The [GCK](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-compose-kit) has limited support for testing Prometheus based Service Ping.
By default, it comes with a fully configured Prometheus service that is set up to scrape a number of components.
However, it has the following limitations:

- It does not run a `gitlab-exporter` instance, so several `process_*` metrics from services such as Gitaly may be missing.
- While it runs a `node_exporter`, `docker-compose` services emulate hosts, meaning that it usually reports itself as not associated
  with any of the other running services. That is not how node metrics are reported in a production setup, where `node_exporter`
  always runs as a process alongside other GitLab components on any given node. For Service Ping, none of the node data would therefore
  appear to be associated to any of the services running, because they all appear to be running on different hosts. To alleviate this problem, the `node_exporter` in GCK was arbitrarily "assigned" to the `web` service, meaning only for this service `node_*` metrics appears in Service Ping.

## Service Ping Payload drop

### Symptoms

You will be alerted by the [Data team](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/business-technology/data-team/) and their [Monte Carlo alerting](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/business-technology/data-team/platform/monte-carlo/).

### Locating the problem

First you need to identify at which stage in Service Ping data pipeline the drop is occurring.

Start at [Service Ping Health Dashboard](https://app.periscopedata.com/app/gitlab/968489) on Sisense.

You can use [this query](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/347298#note_836685350) as an example, to start detecting when the drop started.

### Troubleshoot the GitLab application layer

We conducted an investigation into an unexpected drop in Service ping Payload events volume.
GitLab team members can view more information in this confidential issue:
`https://gitlab.com/gitlab-data/analytics/-/issues/11071`

### Troubleshoot VersionApp layer

Check if the [export jobs](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-services/version.gitlab.com/-/tree/main/#data-export-using-pipeline-schedules) are successful.

Check [Service Ping errors](https://app.periscopedata.com/app/gitlab/968489?widget=14609989&udv=0) in the [Service Ping Health Dashboard](https://app.periscopedata.com/app/gitlab/968489).

### Troubleshoot Google Storage layer

Check if the files are present in [Google Storage](https://console.cloud.google.com/storage/browser/cloudsql-gs-production-efd5e8-cloudsql-exports;tab=objects?project=gs-production-efd5e8&prefix=&forceOnObjectsSortingFiltering=false).

### Troubleshoot the data warehouse layer

Reach out to the [Data team](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/business-technology/data-team/) to ask about current state of data warehouse. On their handbook page there is a [section with contact details](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/business-technology/data-team/#how-to-connect-with-us).

### Cannot disable Service Ping with the configuration file

The method to disable Service Ping with the GitLab configuration file does not work in
GitLab versions 9.3.0 to 13.12.3. To disable it, you must use the Admin Area in
the GitLab UI instead. For more information, see
[this issue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/333269).

GitLab functionality and application settings cannot override or circumvent
restrictions at the network layer. If Service Ping is blocked by your firewall,
you are not impacted by this bug.

#### Check if you are affected

You can check if you were affected by this bug by using the Admin Area or by
checking the configuration file of your GitLab instance:

- Using the Admin Area:

  1. On the left sidebar, select **Search or go to**.
  1. Select **Admin Area**.
  1. On the left sidebar, select **Settings > Metrics and profiling**.
  1. Expand **Usage statistics**.
  1. Are you able to check or uncheck the checkbox to disable Service Ping?

     - If _yes_, your GitLab instance is not affected by this bug.
     - If you can't check or uncheck the checkbox, you are affected by this bug.
       See the steps on [how to fix this](#how-to-fix-the-cannot-disable-service-ping-bug).

- Checking your GitLab instance configuration file:

  To check whether you're impacted by this bug, check your instance configuration
  settings. The configuration file in which Service Ping can be disabled depends
  on your installation and deployment method, but is typically one of the following:

  - `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb` for Linux package installations and Docker.
  - `charts.yaml` for GitLab Helm and cloud-native Kubernetes deployments.
  - `gitlab.yml` for self-compiled installations.

  To check the relevant configuration file for strings that indicate whether
  Service Ping is disabled, you can use `grep`:

  ```shell
  # Linux package
  grep "usage_ping_enabled'\] = false" /etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb

  # Kubernetes charts
  grep "enableUsagePing: false" values.yaml

  # From source
  grep "usage_ping_enabled'\] = false" gitlab/config.yml
  ```

  If you see any output after running the relevant command, your GitLab instance
  may be affected by the bug. Otherwise, your instance is not affected.

#### How to fix the "Cannot disable Service Ping" bug

To work around this bug, you have two options:

- [Update](../../../update/index.md) to GitLab 13.12.4 or newer to fix this bug.
- If you can't update to GitLab 13.12.4 or newer, enable Service Ping in the
  configuration file, then disable Service Ping in the UI. For example, if you're
  using the Linux package:

  1. Edit `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb`:

     ```ruby
     gitlab_rails['usage_ping_enabled'] = true
     ```

  1. Reconfigure GitLab:

     ```shell
     sudo gitlab-ctl reconfigure
     ```

  1. On the left sidebar, select **Search or go to**.
  1. Select **Admin Area**.
  1. On the left sidebar, select **Settings > Metrics and profiling**.
  1. Expand **Usage statistics**.
  1. Clear the **Enable Service Ping** checkbox.
  1. Select **Save Changes**.

## Generate Service Ping

### Generate or get the cached Service Ping in rails console

Use the following method in the [rails console](../../../administration/operations/rails_console.md#starting-a-rails-console-session).

```ruby
Gitlab::Usage::ServicePingReport.for(output: :all_metrics_values, cached: true)
```

### Generate a fresh new Service Ping

Use the following method in the [rails console](../../../administration/operations/rails_console.md#starting-a-rails-console-session).

This also refreshes the cached Service Ping displayed in the Admin Area.

```ruby
Gitlab::Usage::ServicePingReport.for(output: :all_metrics_values)
```

### Generate and print

Generates Service Ping data in JSON format.

```shell
gitlab-rake gitlab:usage_data:generate
```

Generates Service Ping data in YAML format:

```shell
gitlab-rake gitlab:usage_data:dump_sql_in_yaml
```

### Generate and send Service Ping

Prints the metrics saved in `conversational_development_index_metrics`.

```shell
gitlab-rake gitlab:usage_data:generate_and_send
```