Configuration drift
Understand instances whose running config doesn't match what they were assigned.
Configuration drift describes collector instances whose delivered (served) configuration version doesn't match the version currently assigned to them.
In other words: you assigned a config (or rolled out a new version), but some instances aren't running it yet.
Why drift happens
- An instance hasn't phoned home since the assignment (it shows Pending pickup).
- An instance is mid-rollout (Applying).
- An instance rejected the new config (Apply failed) and is still on the old one.
- An instance has gone quiet (Stale) and can't be updated until it returns.
A healthy fleet trends toward zero drift — every instance In sync with its assigned version. Drift that persists points at a collector that needs attention.
Seeing drift today
The fleet dashboard already makes drift visible per instance through the status column — anything that isn't In sync is, by definition, drifting from its assigned version. Sort or scan by status to find the laggards.
Heads up: a dedicated Configuration Drift report (a fleet-wide rollup of drifting instances) is in progress. Until it lands, use the per-instance status on the fleet dashboard to identify drift.
Resolving drift
- Pending pickup / Applying — usually resolves on its own as the collector phones home and applies the config. Give it a heartbeat cycle.
- Apply failed — the config was rejected; fix and re-roll. See Update the config.
- Stale — the collector is unreachable. Check the host and the collector process; once it reconnects it will catch up.