# Monitoring in the Amazon FSx console
<a name="monitor-throughput-cloudwatch"></a>

The CloudWatch metrics reported by Amazon FSx provide valuable information about your FSx for ONTAP file systems and volumes. 

**Topics**
+ [Monitoring file system metrics in the Amazon FSx console](#fsxn-howtomonitor-fs)
+ [Monitoring volume metrics in the Amazon FSx console](#fsxn-howtomonitor-vol)
+ [Performance warnings and recommendations](performance-insights-FSxN.md)
+ [Creating Amazon CloudWatch alarms to monitor Amazon FSx](creating_alarms.md)

## Monitoring file system metrics in the Amazon FSx console
<a name="fsxn-howtomonitor-fs"></a>

You can use the **Monitoring & performance** panel on your file system's dashboard in the Amazon FSx console to view the metrics that are described in the following table. For more information, see [Accessing CloudWatch metrics](accessingmetrics.md). 

[\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/fsx/latest/ONTAPGuide/monitor-throughput-cloudwatch.html)

**Note**  
We recommend that you maintain an average throughput capacity utilization of any performance-related dimensions such as network utilization, CPU utilization, and SSD IOPS utilization to under 50%. This ensures that you have enough spare throughput capacity for unexpected spikes in your workload, as well as for any background storage operations (such as storage synchronization, data tiering, or backups).

## Monitoring volume metrics in the Amazon FSx console
<a name="fsxn-howtomonitor-vol"></a>

You can view the **Monitoring** panel on your volume's dashboard in the Amazon FSx console to see additional performance metrics. For more information, see [Accessing CloudWatch metrics](accessingmetrics.md). 

[\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/fsx/latest/ONTAPGuide/monitor-throughput-cloudwatch.html)

# Performance warnings and recommendations
<a name="performance-insights-FSxN"></a>

FSx for ONTAP displays a warning for CloudWatch metrics whenever one of these metrics has approached or crossed a predetermined threshold for multiple consecutive data points. These warnings provide you with actionable recommendations that you can use to optimize your file system's performance.

Warnings are accessible in several areas of the **Monitoring & performance** dashboard. All active or recent Amazon FSx performance warnings and any CloudWatch alarms configured for the file system that are in an ALARM state appear in the **Monitoring & performance** panel in the **Summary** section. The warning also appears in the section of the dashboard where the metric graph is displayed.

You can create CloudWatch alarms for any of the Amazon FSx metrics. For more information, see [Creating Amazon CloudWatch alarms to monitor Amazon FSx](creating_alarms.md).

## Use performance warnings to improve file system performance
<a name="resolve-warnings"></a>

Amazon FSx provides actionable recommendations that you can use to optimize your file system's performance. These recommendations describe how you can address a potential performance bottle neck. You can take the recommended action if you expect the activity to continue, or if it's causing an impact to your file system's performance. Depending on which metric has triggered a warning, you can resolve it by increasing either the file system's throughput capacity or storage capacity, as described in the following table.

[\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/fsx/latest/ONTAPGuide/performance-insights-FSxN.html)

**Note**  
During an SSD decrease operation, write-heavy workloads could experience a temporary performance degradation as the operation consumes disk and network resources. To minimize performance impact, maintain adequate headroom by ensuring ongoing workloads don't consistently consume more than 50% CPU, 50% disk throughput, or 50% SSD IOPS before initiating an SSD decrease operation.  
Brief I/O pauses of up to 60 seconds might occur for each volume as client access is redirected to the new set of disks. These pauses are expected and normal during the cutover phase of the operation.

For more information about file system performance, see [Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP performancePerformance](performance.md).

# Creating Amazon CloudWatch alarms to monitor Amazon FSx
<a name="creating_alarms"></a>

You can create a CloudWatch alarm that sends an Amazon Simple Notification Service (Amazon SNS) message when the alarm changes state. An alarm watches a single metric over a time period that you specify. If needed, the alarm then performs one or more actions based on the value of the metric relative to a given threshold over a number of time periods. The action is a notification sent to an Amazon SNS topic or an Auto Scaling policy.

Alarms invoke actions for sustained state changes only. CloudWatch alarms don't invoke actions only because they are in a particular state; the state must have changed and been maintained for a specified number of periods. You can create an alarm from the Amazon FSx console or the Amazon CloudWatch console.

The following procedures describe how to create alarms using the Amazon FSx console, AWS Command Line Interface (AWS CLI), and API.

**To set alarms using the Amazon FSx console**

1. Open the Amazon FSx console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com/fsx/](https://console.aws.amazon.com/fsx/).

1. In the left navigation pane, choose **File systems**, and then choose the file system that you want to create the alarm for.

1. On the **Summary** page, choose **Monitoring & performance** from the second panel. 

1. Choose the **CloudWatch alarms** tab. 

1. Choose **Create CloudWatch alarm**. You are redirected to the CloudWatch console.

1. Choose **Select metric**.

1. In the **Metrics** section, choose **FSx**.

1. Choose a metric category:
   + **File System Metrics**
   + **Detailed File System Metrics**
   + **Volume Metrics**
   + **Detailed Volume Metrics**

1. Choose the metric you want to set the alarm for, and then choose **Select metric**.

1. In the **Conditions** section, choose the conditions you want for the alarm, and then choose **Next**.
**Note**  
Metrics might not be published during file system maintenance. To prevent unnecessary and misleading alarm condition changes and to configure your alarms so that they are resilient to missing data points, see [Configuring how CloudWatch alarms treat missing data](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonCloudWatch/latest/monitoring/AlarmThatSendsEmail.html#alarms-and-missing-data) in the *Amazon CloudWatch User Guide*.

1. If you want CloudWatch to send you an email or Amazon SNS notification when the alarm state initiates the action, choose an alarm state for **Alarm state trigger**. 

   For **Send a notification to the following SNS topic**, choose an option. If you choose **Create topic**, you can set the name and email addresses for a new email subscription list. This list is saved and appears in the field for future alarms. Choose **Next**.
**Note**  
If you use **Create topic** to create a new Amazon SNS topic, the email addresses must be verified before they receive notifications. Emails are sent only when the alarm enters an alarm state. If this alarm state change happens before the email addresses are verified, they don't receive a notification.

1. Fill in the **Alarm name** and **Alarm description** fields, and then choose **Next**. 

1. On the **Preview and create** page, review the alarm that you're about to create, and then choose **Create alarm**. 

**To set alarms using the CloudWatch console**

1. Open the CloudWatch console at [https://console.aws.amazon.com/cloudwatch/](https://console.aws.amazon.com/cloudwatch/).

1. Choose **Create Alarm** to start the **Create Alarm Wizard**. 

1. Follow the procedure in **To set alarms using the Amazon FSx console**, beginning with step 6. 

**To set an alarm using the AWS CLI**
+ Call the [put-metric-alarm](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/reference/cloudwatch/put-metric-alarm.html) CLI command. For more information, see the [AWS CLI Command Reference](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/reference/). 

**To set an alarm using the CloudWatch API**
+ Call the [PutMetricAlarm](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonCloudWatch/latest/APIReference/API_PutMetricAlarm.html) API operation. For more information, see the [Amazon CloudWatch API Reference](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonCloudWatch/latest/APIReference/).