# Check the expected Jaeger state before diagnosing a failed Checkmk service > Compare the expected optional tracing service with edition and configuration before treating an inactive Jaeger component as a fault. - Canonical URL: https://update.dsesecurity.com/updates/check-the-expected-jaeger-state-before-diagnosing-a-failed-checkmk-service/ - Publisher: Detection Systems & Engineering (DSE Security) - Author: DSE Security Editorial Team - Published: 2026-10-30T06:46:51+00:00 - Modified: 2026-10-30T06:47:29+00:00 - Last reviewed by DSE: 2026-10-30 - Resource type: Guide - DSE priority: Advisory - Topics: Cybersecurity, IT - Reading time: 3 minutes ## What you need to know Compare the expected optional tracing service with edition and configuration before treating an inactive Jaeger component as a fault. ## Potentially affected Commercial Checkmk sites reviewing the documented optional Jaeger diagnostic service. ## DSE recommendation Check the expected service and trace configuration before enabling diagnostics or changing process settings. ## Article Bottom line: Compare the commercial-edition service inventory and explicit trace configuration with the observed Jaeger state before calling it failed; the guide recommends disabling this internal diagnostic tool in normal operation. ## Source fact: what the authority says The [Checkmk site-services guide](https://docs.checkmk.com/latest/en/cmk_processes.html) lists Jaeger as a commercial-edition service that is not enabled by default. Its Jaeger section describes tracing individual request operations to investigate performance bottlenecks. The tool was added primarily for Checkmk development and is active only when trace sending or receiving is explicitly enabled in site configuration. The guide recommends disabling Jaeger during normal operation. ## What the source does not establish This article scopes an internal diagnostic feature, not a general tracing deployment or proof of a performance defect. It does not approve exposing the diagnostic interface or collecting sensitive request data without an appropriate review. ## Applicability questions - What Checkmk edition and site configuration govern the observed service list? - Are trace sending or receiving explicitly intended to be enabled? - Is there an approved internal diagnostic requirement for Jaeger? - Which separate signal establishes the health of the actual monitoring function? ## DSE recommendation: controlled next steps The following steps are DSE recommendations based on the cited source. DSE recommends comparing the observed component with the expected site configuration before opening a service-failure incident. Record the edition, enabled feature settings and the named process or interface under investigation. Keep the optional diagnostic component separate from the monitoring core and the workload’s own required observations. Ask the site owner whether internal tracing was deliberately enabled and why. If it was not intended, investigate the mismatch in the observation or configuration before turning on additional components. Do not enable Jaeger merely to make a service list resemble the documentation’s illustrative status output. Where a diagnostic session is separately approved, name the exact performance question, permitted trace population and handling requirements. Follow the installed-release procedure and protect diagnostic access. Keep any measurement claim unresolved until actual observations support it; the presence of a tracing tool is not a diagnosis. Agree on the intended normal configuration and who checks it after the session. Preserve the initial settings and record any authorized temporary change. Have the monitoring owner assess the normal service’s health independently, so either an absent diagnostic component or a populated trace view cannot substitute for the required operational check. ## Verification and evidence Proposed verification: inspect a representative test site’s edition, trace settings and actual service observations against the written expectation. Use a disabled-normal configuration as one clearly labeled case. Record a discrepancy without assuming that a missing optional component means the monitoring core failed. If an approved diagnostic case is exercised, retain the selected settings, safe request scope and actual observations, then verify the intended normal settings afterward. Keep trace contents under the agreed access restrictions. Report only the configuration and diagnostic behavior observed, without claiming a performance improvement or a completed fault diagnosis. ## Official references - [Checkmk — Site services – Checkmk under the hood](https://docs.checkmk.com/latest/en/cmk_processes.html) — official product documentation; confirm the installed release and configuration. Source review completed October 30, 2026. Recheck the official documentation and deployment-specific applicability before a production change. ## Primary reference - Name: Checkmk — Site services - Checkmk under the hood - Authority: docs.checkmk.com - URL: https://docs.checkmk.com/latest/en/cmk_processes.html - Source publication date: Not stated by the source ## Citation and use Preferred citation: “Check the expected Jaeger state before diagnosing a failed Checkmk service,” DSE Security, https://update.dsesecurity.com/updates/check-the-expected-jaeger-state-before-diagnosing-a-failed-checkmk-service/ Publishing principles: https://update.dsesecurity.com/updates/dse-updates-editorial-methodology/ Usage and citation policy: https://update.dsesecurity.com/usage/ Copyright © 2026 Detection Systems & Engineering. All rights reserved.