Prerequisite

Install the OpenTelemetry Operator into the K8s cluster.

There are three different options available to choose from: Operator helm chart, Operator release manifest or Operator Hub.

In most cases, a cert-manager should be installed. If the helm chart option is used, there is an option to generate a self-signed cert instead.

Option 1: Operator helm chart

This option is to use helm chart to install OpenTelemetry operator.

1. Add helm chart repository.

   helm repo add open-telemetry https://open-telemetry.github.io/opentelemetry-helm-charts
   helm repo update

2. Create Kubernetes namespace for OpenTelemetry operator.

   kubectl create namespace opentelemetry-operator-system

3. Install OpenTelemetry operator.

   helm install opentelemetry-operator open-telemetry/opentelemetry-operator \
   --namespace opentelemetry-operator-system \
   --set "manager.collectorImage.repository=otel/opentelemetry-collector-k8s"\
   --set admissionWebhooks.certManager.enabled=false\
   --set admissionWebhooks.autoGenerateCert.enabled=true

Option 2: Operator release manifest

This option is to use YAML files to install OpenTelemetry operator.

kubectl apply -f https://github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/releases/download/v1.17.1/cert-manager.yaml

kubectl apply -f https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-operator/releases/latest/download/opentelemetry-operator.yaml

Deploy the APM Dotnet Agent

To deploy the APM Dotnet agent, follow these steps:

1. Create a Kubernetes Custom Resource (CR).

   To manage automatic instrumentation, the OpenTelemetry Operator needs to be provided with information about the APM Dotnet agent and its configuration which it's done using the Custom Resource Definition (CRD).

   This Custom Resource will be used by the operator to copy the agent into the pod and add to it the required configuration.

   Run the following command to create the CR on your Kubernetes cluster:

   kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
   apiVersion: opentelemetry.io/v1alpha1
   kind: Instrumentation
   metadata:
     name: inst-apm-dotnet
     namespace: opentelemetry-operator-system
   spec:
     dotnet:
       image: us-ashburn-1.ocir.io/idpyjkbcc9tk/apm-net-agent:latest
       env:
         - name: OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT
           value: <data-upload-endpoint>/20200101/opentelemetry
         - name: OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_HEADERS
           value: "Authorization=dataKey <private-data-key>"
         - name: OTEL_LOGS_EXPORTER
           value: "none"
         - name: OTEL_DOTNET_AUTO_TRACES_ADDITIONAL_SOURCES
           value: "OpenTelemetry.ODP"
   EOF

   Where:

   • <data-upload-endpoint> is the data upload endpoint URL that is generated when the APM domain is created. For information, see Obtain Data Upload Endpoint and Data Keys.
   • <private-data-key> is the APM Dotnet agent installation private data key which is generated when the APM domain is created. For information, see Obtain Data Upload Endpoint and Data Keys.
   The created CR can be queried by running the following command:

   kubectl get otelinst -n opentelemetry-operator-system

   All endpoints and environment variables required to be correct for auto-instrumentation to work properly.
2. Add the Kubernetes annotation.

   The OpenTelemetry operator uses Kubernetes annotation to decide which pods should be auto-injected with the APM Dotnet agent.

   The annotation can be added to a namespace. In that case, all the pods within that namespace will get injected. The annotation can also be added to individual PodSpec objects, available as part of Deployment, Statefulset, and other resources.

   Annotation for x64 glibc:

   annotations:
     instrumentation.opentelemetry.io/inject-dotnet: opentelemetry-operator-system/inst-apm-dotnet

   Annotation for x64 musl:

   annotations:
     instrumentation.opentelemetry.io/inject-dotnet: opentelemetry-operator-system/inst-apm-dotnet
     instrumentation.opentelemetry.io/otel-dotnet-auto-runtime: linux-musl-x64

   To start editing your namespace, do the following:

   • Run the command:

     kubectl edit namespace <your-namespace-name>

   • After running the above command, edit the namespace once the editor is opened. For example, using the vi editor.
   • Add the annotation to the namespace. Keep in mind indentation is very important to make it as a valid YAML file.
   See below an example of a namespace with the added annotation:

   apiVersion: v1
   kind: Namespace
   metadata:
     labels:
       kubernetes.io/metadata.name: mynamespace
     annotations:
     instrumentation.opentelemetry.io/inject-dotnet: "opentelemetry-operator-system/inst-apm-dotnet"
     name: mynamespace
   spec:

3. Restart the Kubernetes pod.

   To restart the pod where you want to auto-inject the APM Dotnet agent, run the following:

   kubectl delete pod <your-pod-name> -n <your-namespace-name>

4. Verify the Kubernetes pod.
   To verify that your pod has been auto-injected with the APM Dotnet agent after it was restarted, run the following:

   kubectl get pod <your-pod-name> -n <your-namespace-name> -o yaml

You can now go to the next step: Verify APM Dotnet Agent Deployment.