I get many questions around Log Insight calculations, including how large to size a Log Insight instance/cluster, how much storage is necessary to meet retention requirements, and how much network bandwidth is used. I typically point people to the Log Insight getting started document, but this only provides part of the information and requires manual calculations to answer all the common questions. As such, I have put together a Log Insight calculator!
For the first version of this calculator, I have created a Google Spreadsheet. The spreadsheet consists of two tabs, the first can be used for properly sizing Log Insight, and the second can be used to determine network and storage utilization. To use the spreadsheet, just fill in the information asked under the “*** INPUT: FILL ME IN ***” section.
A couple of technical details:
- Given that this is a Google document, this means two people cannot use the spreadsheet at the same time or may step on one another. I suspect this will not be a major issue, and people can always use the group chat.
- You may be concerned about the calculations being changed. It turns out, Google supports locking down parts of a spreadsheet tab, so you can only edit the inputs, not the calculations, so no problems there either!
You may be asking yourself, why is the calculator not part of the official documentation? The answer is simple, most of the numbers I am using are estimations. Unfortunately, it is impossible to know the exact numbers for many of the required inputs as they are environment-specific. I have provided some good approximations that should handle most environment needs and added comments to relevant sections for tips on sizing appropriately. In addition, I have put into place data validation and conditional formatting to address invalid entries to the calculator.
The last and most important point I would like to bring up is: please provide feedback! If you believe the numbers need to be tweaked, comment here or on the Google Spreadsheet. Want to see more calculations? Let me know. This calculator can only get as good as the feedback it receives.
With that, here is the link to the Log Insight calculator.
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