[chef] Visualizing your network with Chef, chef-span, and Gephi

[Joshua Miller < >]

Hi all,

I've just pushed the code for a project I've been working on to visualize logical network connectivity in my environment using chef server node data.  I'm calling it "chef-span".

In short, we can query the chef server about information that shows connections between nodes, then build vertices and edges to describe them, and output the content in a graphing-software-compatible format.  This info can be used to see system dependencies, central services, and unexpected connections, among other uses.

To extend what chef knows about connections between nodes, I've created a cookbook that collects and rolls up netstat connections, which are then picked up by an ohai plugin.

Check it out and let me know what you think.  

Highlights video here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtnzTwzJXZY

https://github.com/edmunds/chef-span

https://github.com/edmunds/cookbook-chef-span

https://github.com/edmunds/cookbook-connections

Thanks,

Joshua Miller