Many users are unaware that Salt wasn't originally intended to be used as a configuration management system. One of its first uses was to collect and store information on system vitals, such as memory, CPU, and disk usage. It can still be used this way today, and in fact, it has quite a bit more functionality now, which can be useful in monitoring. In this chapter, we'll discuss the following topics:
Using returners to establish a historical baseline
Using monitoring states
Incorporating beacons into your workflow
Setting up alerts
Using Thorium in your monitoring systems