View Active Managed Node Meters for Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform on Microsoft Azure

Meter Overview

When you purchase Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform on Microsoft Azure, you agree to an Azure plan that includes a monthly fee and a per Active Managed Node fee. Monthly fees can include a certain number of managed active nodes per month.

Each time you automate against a unique host from Ansible Automation Platform on Azure in a billing cycle it is counted as a managed active node. Each node is only billed once during a billing cycle. That node may be automated against any number of times, but is only ever counted as one node during that billing cycle.

When a managed active node is counted, a meter event is sent to Azure to alert Azure billing of the node. Azure billing then begins to decrement the count of managed active nodes that have been included in the monthly fee mentioned previously. When the count reaches zero, then Azure will start to implement a pay-as-you-go metering model that charges the per-node fee on each metering event.

Meters will only begin to appear in the Azure console when the pay-as-you-go events start. Azure does not currently show metered usage when the count is below what is included in the monthly fee.

View Meters in Current Billing cycle

Microsoft Azure does not expose an interface to show how many managed nodes below a deployment tier. However, it will show nodes if a deployment automates above its tier. You can use Azure Cost Analysis to create a view into the managed active node meter to specifically view nodes counted above a tier in a month.

1. Open your Azure Console.
2. In the search bar in the top center of the screen, search for "Cost Analysis".
3. Click the "Cost Analysis" icon.
4. Ensure that the subscription in which you deployed Ansible Automation Platform on Azure is selected.
5. Click the "Accumulated Costs" button.
6. Remove any other filters that may be set by default.
7. Click the "Add Filter" button.
8. From the dropdown list, select "Meter" as the filter type.
9. Select "Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform on Microsoft Azure" as the meter.
10. Select a date range that you want to apply to your view.

If you do not see "Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform" in the product list, or the metered amount returns no results, then no pay-as-you-go meters have been counted for the month. You will still be charged the monthly fee even if meters do not return any results.

Creating a Budget Alert for Managed Nodes

If your organization would like to be notified when automation goes above your purchase tier, then you can setup a budget alert to email you when this event occurs. Follow these steps to create a budget alert.

1. Open your Azure Console.
2. In the search bar in the top center of the screen, search for "Budgets".
3. Click the "Budgets" icon.
4. Ensure that the subscription in which you deployed Ansible Automation Platform on Azure is selected.

5. Click the "Add" button to create a new budget.

   

6. Remove any other filters that may be set by default.

7. Click the "Add Filter" button.
8. From the dropdown list, select "Meter" as the filter type.
9. Select "Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform on Microsoft Azure" as the meter. Note: This option will appear ONLY if the current billing cycle has an active meter. Meters will only begin to appear in the Azure console when the pay-as-you-go events start.
10. Create a name for the budget.
11. Set the budget amount to one dollar, or the dollar amount that you want to trigger a notification for managed node events.

12. Click next.

    

13. Set the alert conditions to "actual" and 100% of the budget that you have defined.

14. Add email addresses that need to receive budget alerts.
15. Change the email language if desired.

16. Click "create".

    

You will be able to see the budget in your budget lists now. And, when automation meters are triggered above the number of managed active nodes in the tier that you have purchased, you will get an email that those occur. The managed node count is reset at the start of each month's billing cycle, so you will only get an alert if you have automated more managed active nodes than purchased in your deployment tier.