QuickConnect

Use QuickConnect to sent data from Sources to Destinations with drag-and-drop.

The QuickConnect rapid-development UI enables you to visually connect Cribl Edge inputs (Sources) to outputs (Destinations) through simple drag-and-drop.

You can insert Pipelines or Packs into the connections, to take advantage of the full range of data-transformation [Functions] (functions) in Cribl Edge. Or you can omit these processing stages entirely, to send incoming data directly to Destinations – with minimal configuration fuss.

QuickConnect was designed as a simple, quick way to prototype, test, and send data flowing through Cribl Edge. But it’s also entirely suitable for configuring a production deployment, if your needs are restricted to sending data through parallel paths, and you don’t need to use Routes. (See QuickConnect Versus Routes to help you clarify that choice.)

You also have the option to start with simple direct connections, and later add Pipelines’ and/or Packs’ processing power at up to three stages of each connection.

Initiating QuickConnect

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To access QuickConnect, from a single-instance or individual Edge Node, select Collect.

To display QuickConnect in a distributed deployment, you must first select a Fleet. Select the Manage link to select the default or a different Fleet.

You can switch to Cribl Edge’s Routes UI at any time from the top nav by selecting Routing > Data Routes. To toggle back, select Routing > QuickConnect.

QuickConnect Versus Routes

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QuickConnect provides access to most of Cribl Edge’s configuration options, with a few restrictions (in exchange for the simplified visual interface):

• QuickConnect completely bypasses Routes – which is why every QuickConnect path is independent and parallel. There is no Route-level data filtering, and you forego the Cribl Edge Routing table options to clone and cascade data across Pipelines.
• Most Sources are available to fully configure, with a few current exclusions.
• Each supported Source’s config can be created in either QuickConnect or Routes, and will reside only in that context. But you can switch a config between the two contexts, or you can create an identical config on the opposite side.
• All Destinations are available to fully configure.
• Everything you configure in QuickConnect exists separately from everything you configure in Data Routes. (But remember that you can use the Routing menu to toggle between contexts, and then replicate a QuickConnect configuration on the Data Routes side, or vice versa.)

Using QuickConnect

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QuickConnect is designed to be nearly self-documenting. To get you going quickly, it displays the following Sources and Destinations straight out of the box:

Enabling Sources and Destinations

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When you select Sources and Destinations, their configuration options will open in a drawer. Fill in a unique Input ID, and any other required fields marked by an asterisk (*). Then select Save.

Switching Contexts

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If you switch an existing Source to QuickConnect – for example, one of the preconfigured Sources that ship with Cribl Edge – you’ll see the dialog shown below. This is due to QuickConnect’s independence from the Routes interface – you need to confirm your choice to move the existing configuration from the Data Routes world to the QuickConnect world.

If you switch an existing Source config to QuickConnect, its data will no longer flow through its configured Route.

You can also go the opposite way: move a Source originally configured in QuickConnect to the Routing interface. In the Source’s drawer or config modal, select the Connected Destinations left tab, and then select the resulting Send to Routes button. Here again, you’ll need to confirm your choice before proceeding.

Selecting a Pipeline or Pack

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When you add or modify a connection line, the bottom Connection Configuration drawer will prompt you to select a Passthru, Pipeline, or Pack connection. Selecting either Pipeline or Pack will open an Add… modal like this in the bottom drawer:

Here, you’re selecting among already-configured Pipelines or Packs. Resist the temptation to select a bold blue Pipeline or Pack name. (Doing so will open the Pipeline or Pack config in a separate browser tab, which might offer more configuration than you bargained for.)

Instead, select the subtle radio button to the left of the Pipeline or Pack you want to open. Then select Save to confirm your choice and close the drawer.

Multiple Connections

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You can drag multiple connection lines between a given Source/Destination pair. (You might do this, for example, to configure parallel Pipelines to handle different data types.)

Also, you can connect one Source to multiple Destinations, or multiple Sources to one Destination. Let’s isolate examples of both, from the screen capture we started with:

Source/Destination Tiles’ Hover Options

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Once you’ve configured a Source or Destination, hovering over its tile will display options like these:

The leftmost button is an indicator of the Source’s/Destination’s state. Live means healthy; disabled, error, or warning states will also appear here. Note that a Source will appear as Disabled until you connect it to a Destination.

To update the Source or Destination configuration or address any problems, select the middle Configure button.

The right Capture button captures a sample of data flowing through the Source or Destination. This is visualized in a drawer version of the Live tab.

Group Connections

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Once you’ve configured two or more copies of the same Source or Destination type – for example, to support different configurations of one integration or protocol – QuickConnect stacks their tiles together to keep the display clean.

The number inside the stack shows how many tiles it contains.

You can select a stack to change its options. This will expand all the tiles in the group, and each tile will reveal the on-hover options described above.

You can drag multiple connection lines from, or to, the same stack. If you drag or modify a connection from or to a stacked group, the UI will prompt you whether to similarly expand the group to access individual tiles.