How to integrate linkerd for tracing data in skywalking?

[guicailiao]

We collected linkerd tracing data(https://linkerd.io/2.14/features/distributed-tracing/) through zipkin receiver(https://skywalking.apache.org/docs/main/v10.0.0/en/setup/backend/zipkin-trace/), but we can only check collected tracing data from skywalking-ui/zipkin with topology graph missed.

Question:

1. Where can we get topology graph from skywalking after we push tracing data to skywalking?
2. Is there any other integration method for linkerd, so we can have these tracing data showed natively in skywalking-ui. For example, show linkerd tracing data like showing istio tracing data.

[wu-sheng]

That is the limitation of Zipkin trace. There is no way to have topology analysis.
And we don't support linkerd as we don't have ppl deeply used that, and contributed solutions to us.

[wu-sheng]

Ok, seems like we need a new method to integrate linkerd, linkerd integration is not supported directly for now. Maybe we need to switch to use istio as it is supported by skywalking.

Note, istio topo is not from zipkin trace or skywalking trace. It is from Envoy ALS with Istio Telemetry v2 solution.

[guicailiao]

Ok, seems like we need a new method to integrate linkerd, linkerd integration is not supported directly for now. Maybe we need to switch to use istio as it is supported by skywalking.

Note, istio topo is not from zipkin trace or skywalking trace. It is from Envoy ALS with Istio Telemetry v2 solution.

Linkerd should also have these information ready. Is there a lot of work, maybe we can have try to implement it. Switch to use a new service mesh is also a huge work for us.

[wu-sheng]

I don't know how much. ALS solution has provided document, istio solution is ip oriented or isitoo metadta exchange(in istio telemetry v2).
We took a part in making that landed in istio. So, can't tell how linkerd works like that.
You need to figure out on your own.

[wu-sheng]

Read this doc, https://skywalking.apache.org/docs/main/latest/en/setup/envoy/als_setting/
And it includes two important blogs

• https://skywalking.apache.org/blog/2020-12-03-obs-service-mesh-with-sw-and-als/
• https://skywalking.apache.org/blog/obs-service-mesh-vm-with-sw-and-als/

[guicailiao]

Thanks, these document are useful for us.