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Version: 1.2.0

CLI: Generator

Overview​

VirtualMetric Generator™ is a powerful testing tool designed to generate various types of network data for testing and validation purposes. It supports multiple protocols including Syslog, TCP, UDP, HTTP, Netflow, and VMF, making it an essential companion tool for testing DataStream configurations and device setups.

Synopsis​

vmetric-generator [OPTIONS]

Options​

The following command line options are available.

General Options​

OptionDefaultDescription
-example-Show usage examples
-version-Display version information

Protocol Configuration​

OptionDefaultDescription
-address127.0.0.1:514Target address and port
-protocolsyslogProtocol to use (syslog, tcp, udp, http, netflow, vmf)
-severityErrorSyslog severity level

Message Configuration​

OptionDefaultDescription
-messageVirtualMetric Test MessageMessage content to send
-count1000Number of messages to generate
-file-path-Path to file containing messages

Timing Configuration​

OptionDefaultDescription
-duration300Total duration to generate messages (seconds)
-interval1Interval between messages (seconds)
-nowfalseGenerate messages immediately without timing delays

Protocol-Specific Usage​

Syslog Generator​

The default protocol for generating RFC3164 and RFC5424 compliant syslog messages.

  • Basic Usage:

    vmetric-generator

  • With Custom Parameters:

    vmetric-generator -protocol=syslog -address=192.168.1.100:514 -severity=Info -message="Custom syslog message" -count=500

  • Supported Severity Levels:

    • Emergency
    • Alert
    • Critical
    • Error (default)
    • Warning
    • Notice
    • Info
    • Debug

TCP Generator​

Generates raw TCP messages for testing TCP-based log collectors.

  • Basic Usage:

    vmetric-generator -protocol=tcp -address=127.0.0.1:1514

  • With File Input:

    vmetric-generator -protocol=tcp -address=127.0.0.1:1514 -file-path=./test-messages.txt -count=100

UDP Generator​

Generates UDP messages for testing UDP-based collectors and parsers.

  • Basic Usage:

    vmetric-generator -protocol=udp -address=127.0.0.1:514

  • High-Volume Testing:

    vmetric-generator -protocol=udp -address=127.0.0.1:514 -count=10000 -interval=0 -duration=60

HTTP Generator​

Generates HTTP POST requests for testing HTTP endpoints and APIs.

  • Basic Usage:

    vmetric-generator -protocol=http -address=http://127.0.0.1:8080/logs

  • With JSON Payload:

    vmetric-generator -protocol=http -address=http://127.0.0.1:8080/api/logs -message='{"level":"info","source":"test"}' -count=200

Netflow Generator​

Generates Netflow v5 records for testing network flow collectors.

  • Basic Usage:

    vmetric-generator -protocol=netflow -address=127.0.0.1:2055

  • Continuous Flow Generation:

    vmetric-generator -protocol=netflow -address=127.0.0.1:2055 -count=5000 -interval=2 -duration=600

VMF Generator​

Generates VirtualMetric Format (VMF) messages for internal testing.

  • Basic Usage:

    vmetric-generator -protocol=vmf -file-path=./output.vmf

  • With Custom Content:

    vmetric-generator -protocol=vmf -file-path=./metrics.vmf -message="Custom VMF data" -count=1000

Common Usage Patterns​

Performance Testing​

  • High-Volume Syslog Testing:

    vmetric-generator -protocol=syslog -address=127.0.0.1:514 -count=50000 -interval=0 -now

  • Sustained Load Testing:

    vmetric-generator -protocol=tcp -address=127.0.0.1:1514 -count=10000 -interval=1 -duration=3600

Device Configuration Testing​

  • Test UDP Syslog Device:

    vmetric-generator -protocol=syslog -address=127.0.0.1:514 -message="Test UDP syslog device" -count=10

  • Test TCP Device with Custom Port:

    vmetric-generator -protocol=tcp -address=127.0.0.1:1514 -message="Test TCP device" -count=5

  • Test HTTP Endpoint:

    vmetric-generator -protocol=http -address=http://127.0.0.1:8080/ingest -message='{"test": "data"}' -count=1

File-Based Testing​

  • Using Message Files:

    vmetric-generator -protocol=tcp -address=127.0.0.1:1514 -file-path=./sample-logs.txt -count=100

    Create a file sample-logs.txt with different message formats:

    2024-01-15 10:30:45 server01 nginx: Connection established
    2024-01-15 10:30:46 server01 nginx: Request processed in 120ms
    2024-01-15 10:30:47 server01 nginx: Connection closed

Timing Control​

  • Immediate Generation:

    vmetric-generator -protocol=syslog -address=127.0.0.1:514 -now -count=100

  • Controlled Rate:

    vmetric-generator -protocol=syslog -address=127.0.0.1:514 -interval=5 -count=60 -duration=300

Integration with DataStream​

Testing Device Configurations​

  • Test Basic Syslog Device:

    Start your syslog device first

    vmetric-director -path=<vm_root>/Director/config/syslog-config.yml

    Then generate test data

    vmetric-generator -protocol=syslog -address=127.0.0.1:514 -count=10

  • Test Pipeline Processing:

    Generate structured data for pipeline testing

    vmetric-generator -protocol=syslog -address=127.0.0.1:514 -message="Jan 15 14:23:12 webserver01 apache: User login successful" -count=5

Load Testing​

  • Device Performance Testing:

    Test device under load

    vmetric-generator -protocol=syslog -address=127.0.0.1:514 -count=10000 -interval=0 -duration=60

  • Network Capacity Testing:

    Test network handling capacity

    vmetric-generator -protocol=tcp -address=192.168.1.100:1514 -count=50000 -interval=0

Troubleshooting​

Connection Issues​

  • Test Connectivity:

    vmetric-generator -protocol=tcp -address=target-server:1514 -count=1 -message="Connection test"

  • Verify UDP Reception:

    vmetric-generator -protocol=udp -address=127.0.0.1:514 -count=1 -message="UDP connectivity test"

Performance Issues​

  • Low-Rate Testing:

    vmetric-generator -protocol=syslog -address=127.0.0.1:514 -count=10 -interval=10

  • Immediate Burst Testing:

    vmetric-generator -protocol=syslog -address=127.0.0.1:514 -count=1000 -now

Examples and Use Cases​

Basic Testing Scenarios​

  • Validate Syslog Collection:

    vmetric-generator -protocol=syslog -address=127.0.0.1:514 -message="Basic validation test" -count=1

  • Test Multiple Severity Levels:

    vmetric-generator -protocol=syslog -address=127.0.0.1:514 -severity=Info -count=5
    vmetric-generator -protocol=syslog -address=127.0.0.1:514 -severity=Error -count=5
    vmetric-generator -protocol=syslog -address=127.0.0.1:514 -severity=Debug -count=5

Advanced Testing Scenarios​

  • Simulate Network Flow Data:

    vmetric-generator -protocol=netflow -address=127.0.0.1:2055 -count=1000 -interval=1 -duration=300

  • HTTP API Load Testing:

    vmetric-generator -protocol=http -address=http://api.example.com/logs -count=1000 -interval=1

Continuous Monitoring Setup​

  • Long-Running Test:

    vmetric-generator -protocol=syslog -address=127.0.0.1:514 -count=86400 -interval=1 -duration=86400

This generates one message per second for 24 hours, useful for long-term stability testing.

Version Information​

To check the current version:

vmetric-generator -version

To see usage examples:

vmetric-generator -example