---
title: Linux rapl metricset
description: The RAPL metricset reports power usage in Watts as reported by Intel’s RAPL (Running Average Power Limit) API. In practice, RAPL is used for setting power...
url: https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3028/reference/beats/metricbeat/metricbeat-metricset-linux-rapl
products:
  - Beats
  - Metricbeat
applies_to:
  - Elastic Cloud Serverless: Beta
  - Elastic Stack: Beta
---

# Linux rapl metricset
<warning>
  This functionality is in beta and is subject to change. The design and code is less mature than official GA features and is being provided as-is with no warranties. Beta features are not subject to the support SLA of official GA features.
</warning>

The RAPL metricset reports power usage in Watts as reported by Intel’s RAPL (Running Average Power Limit) API. In practice, RAPL is used for setting power usage limits on a CPU, but it can also be used for monitoring power usage.
RAPL is available on most Intel CPUs in some form since Sandy Bridge, however, this implementation requires a linux distro that exposes intel MSRs (model-specific registers) via `/dev/cpu/[CPU]/msr`. You can check to see if your linux distro and CPU support RAPL by running
```
sudo rdmsr 0x606
```

If that command returns a hex value such as `a1003`, RAPL is supported.
RAPL divides a CPU into four domains, each one corresponding to a component within the hardware itself: `Package`, `DRAM`, `PP0` (usually the collective power usage of the cores), and `PP1` (usually the integrated GPU). Not all packages are available on all CPUs, and the RAPL metricset will report all RAPL domains that it finds.

## msr-safe usage

This metricset also supports [msr-safe](https://github.com/LLNL/msr-safe), which allows a user to access an MSR device without root. The `rapl.use_msr_safe` flag in the linux module config will enable usage of the `/dev/cpu/[CPU]/msr_safe` device.
For existing msr-safe installs, the following allowlist will open all RAPL MSRs for reading:
```
0x00000606 0x0000000000000000 # "SMSR_RAPL_POWER_UNIT"

0x00000610 0x0000000000000000 # "SMSR_PACKAGE_POWER_LIMIT"
0x00000611 0x0000000000000000 # "SMSR_PACKAGE_ENERGY_STATUS"
0x00000613 0x0000000000000000 # "SMSR_PACKAGE_PERF_STATUS"
0x00000614 0x0000000000000000 # "SMSR_PACKAGE_POWER_INFO"

0x00000618 0x0000000000000000 # "SMSR_DRAM_POWER_LIMIT"
0x00000619 0x0000000000000000 # "SMSR_DRAM_ENERGY_STATUS"
0x0000061b 0x0000000000000000 # "SMSR_DRAM_PERF_STATUS"
0x0000061c 0x0000000000000000 # "SMSR_DRAM_POWER_INFO"

0x00000638 0x0000000000000000 # "SMSR_PP0_POWER_LIMIT"
0x00000639 0x0000000000000000 # "SMSR_PP0_ENERGY_STATUS"
0x0000063a 0x0000000000000000 # "SMSR_PP0_POLICY"
0x0000063b 0x0000000000000000 # "SMSR_PP0_PERF_STATUS"

0x00000640 0x0000000000000000 # "SMSR_PP1_POWER_LIMIT"
0x00000641 0x0000000000000000 # "SMSR_PP1_ENERGY_STATUS"
0x00000642 0x0000000000000000 # "SMSR_PP1_POLICY"
```


## Fields

For a description of each field in the metricset, see the [exported fields](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3028/reference/beats/metricbeat/exported-fields-linux) section.
Here is an example document generated by this metricset:
```json
{
    "@timestamp": "2017-10-12T08:05:34.853Z",
    "event": {
        "dataset": "linux.rapl",
        "duration": 115000,
        "module": "linux"
    },
    "linux": {
        "rapl": {
            "core": 0,
            "dram": {
                "joules": 38106.59,
                "watts": 5.912
            },
            "package": {
                "joules": 25764.9984,
                "watts": 11.5784
            },
            "pp0": {
                "joules": 27353.5644,
                "watts": 2.7159
            }
        }
    },
    "metricset": {
        "name": "rapl",
        "period": 10000
    },
    "service": {
        "type": "linux"
    }
}
```