1. Anomaly Detection in the Data Center
Closing the DevOps Feedback Loop
Toufic Boubez, Ph.D.
Co-Founder, CTO
Metafor Software

2. 2
Toufic Intro – who I am
• Co-Founder/CTO Metafor Software
• Co-Founder/CTO Layer 7 Technologies
– API Management and Security
– Acquired by Computer Associates in 2013
– But I escaped 
• Building large scale software systems for 20
years (I’m older I look, I know!)

3. 3
What is Anomaly Detection in the data center?
• One of these things is not like the other ones!
– Anomalies in environment
– Anomalies in behaviour
– How do you find out!?

4. 4
Simple file diffing

5. 5
Distributed diffing?
• What about:
– Files (code, config, etc)
– Directories
– Packages
– Date/Time
– Running services
– Open ports
– Other stuff?

6. 6
Distributed historical diffing? Anyone?
Time

7. 7
Open Loop Control System:
Heating your house – the wrong way!
• Steps:
– Tweak heater input
– Get to ideal temperature
– Lock gas valve
– Hope nothing changes
Controller
(gas valve)
System
(heater)
Sensor
(thermometer)

8. 8
Controller
(gas valve)
System
(heater)
Sensor
(thermometer)
+
-
delta
desired
temperature
current
temperature
Open Loop Control System:
Heating your house – the right way
• Steps:
– Set the desired temperature
– Sit back and let the system deal with changes

9. 9
Controller System
Sensor
+
-
Puppet
Chef
CFEngine
…
My
Infrastrucutre
Nagios
Cacti
Zabbix
…
?desired
state
current
state
What’s missing to get to self-healing systems
delta
• We have most of the tools already
• Need to add:
– Error tracking (anomaly detection)
– Corrective action

10. 10
Metafor demo: environmental anomaly detection
• Agent-based SaaS model
– Agents installed on user servers (a couple of minutes)
– Agents collect data
– Metafor servers perform analytics and detect anomalies
– Send reports/alerts
– API
• Currently in open beta
– Get it NOW!
– http://metaforsoftware.com/
• Currently static anomalies
– Coming soon: Behaviour anomalies
• Being used by cloud provider as the error tracking component in a
self-healing system

11. GO BUG JENNY ABOUT YOUR BETA!!