Configure OBI performance

You can use the eBPF tracer to fine-tune OBI performance.

You can configure the component under the ebpf section of your YAML configuration or with environment variables.

Wake up length

OBI accumulates messages in the eBPF ringbuffer and sends a wake-up request to user space when it reaches this value.

For high-load services, set this option higher to reduce CPU overhead.

For low-load services, high values can delay when OBI submits metrics and when they become visible.

Traffic control backend

This option selects the backend for attaching traffic control probes. Linux 6.6 adds support for TCX, a file-descriptor based traffic control attachment. TCX is more robust, doesn’t require explicit qdisc management, and chains probes deterministically. We recommend the tcx backend for kernels >= 6.6. When set to auto, OBI chooses the best backend for your kernel.

Accepted backends: tc, tcx, and auto. If you leave this value empty or unset, OBI uses auto.

HTTP request timeout

This option sets how long OBI waits before considering an HTTP request a timeout. OBI can report HTTP transactions that time out and never return. Set this option to a non-zero value to enable automatic HTTP request timeouts. When a request times out, OBI reports HTTP status code 408. Disconnects can look like timeouts, so setting this value may increase your request averages.

High request volume

This option makes OBI send telemetry events as soon as it detects a response. It reduces timing accuracy for requests with large responses, but in high-volume scenarios, it helps reduce dropped trace events.