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vRealize Operations
Manager Configuration
Guide
vRealize Operations Manager 6.7

vRealize Operations Manager Configuration Guide

You can find the most up-to-date technical documentation on the VMware website at:
https://docs.vmware.com/
If you have comments about this documentation, submit your feedback to
docfeedback@vmware.com

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3401 Hillview Ave.
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Copyright © 2018 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright and trademark information.
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Contents
About Configuration

1 Connecting vRealize Operations Manager to Data Sources 8
VMware vSphere Solution in vRealize Operations Manager

Configure a vCenter Adapter Instance in vRealize Operations Manager
Configure User Access for Actions

End Point Operations Management Solution in vRealize Operations Manager
End Point Operations Management Agent Installation and Deployment
Roles and Privileges in vRealize Operations Manager
Registering Agents on Clusters

Manually Create Operating System Objects

Managing Objects with Missing Configuration Parameters
Mapping Virtual Machines to Operating Systems

Customizing How End Point Operations Management Monitors Operating Systems
VMware vRealize Application Management Pack
View the Configuration Details
Log Insight

Log Insight Page
Logs Tab

Configuring vRealize Log Insight with vRealize Operations Manager
Log Forwarding

Configure the vRealize Business for Cloud Adapter
Cost Settings for Financial Accounting Model
Overview of Cost Drivers
Editing Cost Drivers

vRealize Automation Solution

Supported vRealize Automation Versions
Object Types and Relationships

vRealize Automation Workload Placement

Security Guidelines

Configuring vRealize Automation

Configure a vSAN Adapter Instance

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Cluster Cost Overview

Alert Definitions

Cost Calculation Status Overview

Port Information

Business Management

vSAN

vRealize Operations Manager Configuration Guide

Verify that the Adapter Instance is Connected and Collecting Data
Installing Optional Solutions in vRealize Operations Manager
Managing Solution Credentials
Managing Collector Groups

2 Configuring Alerts and Actions 98
Types of Alerts

Configuring Alerts

Defining Alerts in vRealize Operations Manager
Defining Symptoms for Alerts

Defining Recommendations for Alert Definitions
Create a New Alert Definition

104

Alert Definition Best Practices

105

103

Creating and Managing vRealize Operations Manager Alert Notifications
Create an Alert Definition for Department Objects
Alerts Group

106

118

129

Configuring Actions

130

List of vRealize Operations Manager Actions
Actions Supported for Automation

131

132

Integration of Actions with vRealize Automation

134

Working With Actions That Use Power Off Allowed

135

3 Configuring and Using Workload Optimization 139
Configuring Workload Optimization
Workload Policy Settings
Tag-Based VM Placement

139

141
142

Configuring Workload Optimization Alerts
Using Workload Optimization

144

Example: Run Workload Optimization

145

Example: Schedule a Repeating Optimization Action

147

Example: Run Workload Optimization from Recommended Actions

148

4 Configuring Policies 150
Policies

150

Policy Decisions and Objectives
Active Policies Tab for Policies
Policy Library Tab for Policies
Operational Policies
Types of Policies

152
153

156

158

159

Custom Policies

159

Default Policy in vRealize Operations Manager

161

Policies Provided with vRealize Operations Manager

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vRealize Operations Manager Configuration Guide

Using the Monitoring Policy Workspace to Create and Modify Operational Policies
Policy Workspace in vRealize Operations Manager

163

164

5 Configuring Super Metrics 181
Create a Super Metric

182

Enhancing Your Super Metrics

184

Exporting and Importing a Super Metric

185

6 Configuring Objects 187
Object Discovery

187

About Objects

188

Managing Objects in Your Environment

190

Managing Custom Object Groups in VMware vRealize Operations Manager
Managing Application Groups

196

200

7 Configuring Data Display 202
Widgets

202

Widget Interactions

203

Manage Metric Configuration

203

Add a Resource Interaction XML File
Widget Definitions List
Dashboards

205

208

Types Of Dashboards

208

Create and Configure Dashboards
Managing Dashboards
Views

204

229

232

234

Views Overview

235

Views and Reports Ownership
Create and Configure a View

236
236

Editing, Cloning, and Deleting a View

248

User Scenario: Create, Run, Export, and Import a vRealize Operations Manager View for
Tracking Virtual Machines
Reports

249

251

Report Templates Tab
Generated Reports Tab

252
252

Create and Modify a Report Template

253

Add a Network Share Plug-In for vRealize Operations Manager Reports
User Scenario: Handling Reports to Monitor Virtual Machines

256

257

8 Configuring Application Monitoring with Wavefront 262
Configure Wavefront Account Tab

263

Configure the Wavefront Account

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vRealize Operations Manager Configuration Guide

Create a Wavefront Trial Account
Deploy VMware Application Proxy

263
264

Configure VMware Application Proxy Tab

266

Add and Configure an Application Proxy
Agent Management Tab
Install an Agent

267

268

270

Manage Application Services

271

Activate and Deactivate an Application Service
Uninstall an Agent

272

Monitor Metrics in Wavefront

273

9 Configuring Administration Settings 274
Managing Users and Access Control in vRealize Operations Manager
Users of vRealize Operations Manager

275

Roles and Privileges in vRealize Operations Manager
User Scenario: Manage User Access Control

279

280

Configure a Single Sign-On Source in vRealize Operations Manager
Audit Users and the Environment in vRealize Operations Manager
vRealize Operations Manager Passwords and Certificates
Generate a vRealize Operations Manager Passphrase
Custom vRealize Operations Manager Certificates
292

List of Global Settings

292

Global Settings

286
287

288

295

Create a vRealize Operations Manager Support Bundle
Customizing Icons

283

287

Change the vRealize Operations Manager Administrator Password

Modifying Global Settings

274

296

Customize an Object Type Icon

297

Customize an Adapter Type Icon

297

10 OPS-CLI Command-Line Tool 299
dashboard Command Operations
template Command Operations

300
301

supermetric Command Operations
attribute Command Operations

302

303

reskind Command Operations for Object Types
report Command Operations
view Command Operations
file Command Operations

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303

303
303

304

About Configuration
The VMware vRealize Operations Manager Configuration Guide describes how to configure and monitor
your environment. It shows you how to connect vRealize Operations Manager to external data sources
and analyze the data collected from them, ensure that users and their supporting infrastructure are in
place, configure resources to determine the behavior of your objects, and format the content that appears
in vRealize Operations Manager.
To help you maintain and expand your vRealize Operations Manager installation, this information
describes how to manage nodes and clusters, configure NTP, view log files, create support bundles, and
add a maintenance schedule. It provides information about license keys and groups, and shows you how
to generate a passphrase, review the certificates used for authentication, run the describe process, and
perform advanced maintenance functions.

Intended Audience
This information is intended for vRealize Operations Manager administrators, virtual infrastructure
administrators, and operations engineers who install, configure, monitor, manage, and maintain the
objects in your environment.
For users who want to configure vRealize Operations Manager programmatically, the
VMware vRealize Operations Manager REST API documentation is available in HTML format and is
installed with your vRealize Operations Manager instance. For example, if the URL of your instance is
https://vrealize.example.com, the API reference is available from
https://vrealize.example.com/suite-api/docs/rest/index.html.

VMware Technical Publications Glossary
VMware Technical Publications provides a glossary of terms that might be unfamiliar to you. For
definitions of terms as they are used in VMware technical documentation, go to
http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs.

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Connecting
vRealize Operations Manager to
Data Sources

Configure solutions in vRealize Operations Manager to connect to and analyze data from external data
sources in your environment. Once connected, you use vRealize Operations Manager to monitor and
manage objects in your environment.
A solution might be only a connection to a data source, or it might include predefined dashboards,
widgets, alerts, and views.
vRealize Operations Manager includes the VMware vSphere and End Point Operations Management
solutions. These solutions are installed when you install vRealize Operations Manager.
Other solutions can be added to vRealize Operations Manager as management packs, such as the
VMware Management Pack for NSX for vSphere. To download VMware management packs and other
third-party solutions, visit the VMware Solution Exchange at https://marketplace.vmware.com/vsx/.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n

VMware vSphere Solution in vRealize Operations Manager

End Point Operations Management Solution in vRealize Operations Manager

VMware vRealize Application Management Pack

Log Insight

Business Management

vRealize Automation Solution

vSAN

Installing Optional Solutions in vRealize Operations Manager

VMware vSphere Solution in vRealize Operations Manager
The VMware vSphere solution connects vRealize Operations Manager to one or more vCenter Server
instances. You collect data and metrics from those instances, monitor them, and run actions in them.
vRealize Operations Manager evaluates the data in your environment, identifying trends in object
behavior, calculating possible problems and future capacity for objects in your system based on those
trends, and alerting you when an object exhibits defined symptoms.

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Configuring the vSphere Solution
The vSphere solution is installed together with vRealize Operations Manager. The solution provides the
vCenter Server adapter which you must configure to connect vRealize Operations Manager to your
vCenter Server instances.

Configure the vSphere Solution to
connect vRealize Operations Manager
to one or more vCenter instances

Configure and manage
vCenter adapter instances in
one central workplace

Configure user access so that
users can run actions on objects
in vCenter Server from vRealize
Operations Manager

To begin, access
Administration > Solutions

Enable/disable actions
Update the default monitoring policy
Add vCenter adapter instances

Create roles with permissions to determine
who can access actions
Create user groups, and assign them
action-specific roles and access to adapter
instances

How Adapter Credentials Work
The vCenter Server credentials that you use to connect vRealize Operations Manager to a
vCenter Server instance, determines what objects vRealize Operations Manager monitors. Understand
how these adapter credentials and user privileges interact to ensure that you configure adapters and
users correctly, and to avoid some of the following issues.
n

If you configure the adapter to connect to a vCenter Server instance with credentials that have
permission to access only one of your three hosts, every user who logs in to
vRealize Operations Manager sees only the one host, even when an individual user has privileges on
all three of the hosts in the vCenter Server.

If the provided credentials have limited access to objects in the vCenter Server, even
vRealize Operations Manager administrative users can run actions only on the objects for which the
vCenter Server credentials have permission.

If the provided credentials have access to all the objects in the vCenter Server, any
vRealize Operations Manager user who runs actions is using this account.

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Controlling User Access to Actions
Use the vCenter Server adapter to run actions on the vCenter Server from vRealize Operations Manager.
If you choose to run actions, you must control user access to the objects in your vCenter Server
environment. You control user access for local users based on how you configure user privileges in
vRealize Operations Manager. If users log in using their vCenter Server account, then the way their
account is configured in vCenter Server determines their privileges.
For example, you might have a vCenter Server user with a read-only role in vCenter Server. If you give
this user the vRealize Operations Manager Power User role in vCenter Server rather than a more
restrictive role, the user can run actions on objects because the adapter is configured with credentials that
has privileges to change objects. To avoid this type of unexpected result, configure local
vRealize Operations Manager users and vCenter Server users with the privileges you want them to have
in your environment.

Configure a vCenter Adapter Instance in
vRealize Operations Manager
To manage your vCenter Server instances in vRealize Operations Manager, you must configure an
adapter instance for each vCenter Server instance. The adapter requires the credentials that are used for
communication with the target vCenter Server.
Caution Any adapter credentials you add are shared with other adapter administrators and
vRealize Operations Manager collector hosts. Other administrators might use these credentials to
configure a new adapter instance or to move an adapter instance to a new host.
Prerequisites

Verify that you know the vCenter Server credentials that have sufficient privileges to connect and collect
data. If the provided credentials have limited access to objects in vCenter Server, all users, regardless of
their vCenter Server privileges see only the objects that the provided credentials can access. At a
minimum, the user account must have Read privileges and the Read privileges must be assigned at the
data center or vCenter Server level.
Procedure

On the menu, click Administration and in the left pane click Solutions.

On the Solutions page, select VMware vSphere and click the Configure icon.

Enter a display name and description for the adapter instance.

In the vCenter Server text box, enter the FQDN or IP address of the vCenter Server instance to
which you are connecting.
The vCenter Server FQDN or IP address must be reachable from all nodes in the
vRealize Operations Manager cluster.

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To add credentials for the vCenter Server instance, click the Add icon, and enter the required
credentials.

The adapter is configured to run actions on objects in the vCenter Server from
vRealize Operations Manager. If you do not want to run actions, select Disable.
The credentials provided for the vCenter Server instance are also used to run actions. If you do not
want to use these credentials, you can provide alternative credentials by expanding Alternate Action
Credentials, and clicking the Add icon.

Click Test Connection to validate the connection with your vCenter Server instance.

In the Review and Accept Certificate dialog box, review the certificate information.

If the certificate presented in the dialog box matches the certificate for your target vCenter Server,
click OK.

If you do not recognize the certificate as valid, click Cancel. The test fails and the connection to
vCenter Server is not completed. You must provide a valid vCenter Server URL or verify the
certificate on the vCenter Server is valid before completing the adapter configuration.

To modify the advanced options regarding collectors, object discovery, or change events, expand the
Advanced Settings.
For information about these advanced settings, search for the VMware vSphere Solution Workspace
Options in the Information Center.

10 To adjust the default monitoring policy that vRealize Operations Manager uses to analyze and display
information about the objects in your environment, click Define Monitoring Goals.
For information about monitoring goals, search for the VMware vSphere Solution Workspace Options
in the Information Center.
11 Click Save Settings.
The adapter instance is added to the list.
vRealize Operations Manager begins collecting data from the vCenter Server instance. Depending on the
number of managed objects, the initial collection can take more than one collection cycle. A standard
collection cycle begins every five minutes.
What to do next

If you configured the adapter to run actions, configure user access for the actions by creating action roles
and user groups.

Configure User Access for Actions
To ensure that users can run actions in vRealize Operations Manager, you must configure user access to
the actions.
You use role permissions to control who can run actions. You can create multiple roles. Each role can
give users permissions to run different subsets of actions. Users who hold the Administrator role or the
default super user role already have the required permissions to run actions.

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vRealize Operations Manager Configuration Guide

You can create user groups to add action-specific roles to a group rather than configuring individual user
privileges.
Procedure

On the menu, click Administration and in the left pane click Access > Access Control.

To create a role:

Click the Roles tab.

Click the Add icon, and enter a name and description for the role.

To apply permissions to the role, select the role, and in the Permissions pane, click the Edit icon.
a

Expand Environment, and then expand Action.

Select one or more of the actions, and click Update.

To create a user group:
a

Click the User Groups tab, and click the Add icon.

Enter a name for the group and a description, and click Next.

Assign users to the group, and click the Objects tab.

Select a role that has been created with permissions to run actions, and select the Assign this
role to the user check box.

Configure the object privileges by selecting each adapter instance to which the group needs
access to run actions.

Click Finish.

What to do next

Test the users that you assigned to the group. Log out, and log back in as one of the users. Verify that this
user can run the expected actions on the selected adapter.

End Point Operations Management Solution in
vRealize Operations Manager
You configure End Point Operations Management to gather operating system metrics and to monitor
availability of remote platforms and applications. This solution is installed with
vRealize Operations Manager.

End Point Operations Management Agent Installation and
Deployment
Use the information in these links to help you to install and deploy End Point Operations Management
agents in your environment.

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vRealize Operations Manager Configuration Guide

Prepare to Install the End Point Operations Management Agent
Before you can install the End Point Operations Management agent, you must perform preparatory tasks.
Prerequisites
n

To configure the agent to use a keystore that you manage yourself for SSL communication, set up a
JKS-format keystore for the agent on its host and import its SSL certificate. Make a note of the full
path to the keystore, and its password. You must specify this data in the agent's agent.properties
file.
Verify that the agent keystore password and the private key password are identical.

Define the agent HQ_JAVA_HOME location.
vRealize Operations Manager platform-specific installers include JRE 1.8.x . Depending on your
environment and the installer you use, you may need to define the location of the JRE to ensure that
the agent can find the JRE to use. See Configuring JRE Locations for End Point Operations
Management Components.

Supported Operating Systems for the End Point Operations Management
Agent
These tables describe the supported operating systems for End Point Operations Management agent
deployments.
These configurations are supported for the agent in both development and production environments.
Table 1‑1. Supported Operating Systems for the End Point Operations Management Agent
Operating System

Processor Architecture

JVM

RedHat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 5.x, 6.x,
7.x

x86_64, x86_32

Oracle Java SE8

CentOS 5.x, 6.x, 7.x

x86_64, x86_32

Oracle Java SE8

SUSE Enterprise Linux (SLES) 11.x, 12.x

x86_64

Oracle Java SE8

Windows 2008 Server, 2008 Server R2

x86_64, x86_32

Oracle Java SE8

Windows 2012 Server, 2012 Server R2

x86_64

Oracle Java SE8

Windows Server 2016

x86_64

Oracle Java SE8

Solaris 10, 11

x86_64, SPARC

Oracle Java SE7

AIX 6.1, 7.1

Power PC

IBM Java SE7

VMware Photon Linux 1. 0

x86_64

Open JDK 1.8.0_72-BLFS

Oracle Linux versions 5, 6, 7

x86_64, x86_32

Open JDK Runtime Environment 1.7

Selecting an Agent Installer Package
The End Point Operations Management agent installation files are included in the
vRealize Operations Manager installation package.

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You can install the End Point Operations Management agent from a tar.gz or .zip archive, or from an
operating system-specific installer for Windows or for Linux-like systems that support RPM.
Note that when you install a non-JRE version of End Point Operations Management agent, to avoid being
exposed to security risks related to earlier versions of Java, VMware recommends that you only use the
latest Java version.
n

Install the Agent on a Linux Platform from an Archive
You can install an End Point Operations Management agent on a Linux platform from a tar.gz
archive.

Install the Agent on a Windows Platform from an Archive
You can install an End Point Operations Management agent on a Windows platform from a .zip file.

Install the Agent on a Windows Platform Using the Windows Installer
You can install the End Point Operations Management agent on a Windows platform using a
Windows installer.

Installing an End Point Operations Management Agent Silently on a Windows Machine
You can install an End Point Operations Management agent on a Windows machine using silent or
very silent installation.

Install the Agent on an AIX Platform
You can install the End Point Operations Management agent on an AIX platform.

Install the Agent on a Solaris Platform
You can install the End Point Operations Management agent on a Solaris platform.

Install the Agent on a Linux Platform from an RPM Package
You can install the End Point Operations Management agent from a RedHat Package Manager (RPM)
package. The agent in the noarch package does not include a JRE.
Agent-only archives are useful when you deploy agents to a large number of platforms with various
operating systems and architectures. Agent archives are available for Windows and UNIX-like
environments, with and without built-in JREs.
The RPM performs the following actions:
n

Creates a user and group named epops if they do not exist. The user is a service account that is
locked and you cannot log into it.

Installs the agent files into /opt/vmware/epops-agent.

Installs an init script to /etc/init.d/epops-agent.

Adds the init script to chkconfig and sets it to on for run levels 2, 3, 4, and 5.

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If you have multiple agents to install, see Install Multiple End Point Operations Management Agents
Simultaneously.
Prerequisites
n

Verify that you have sufficient privileges to deploy an End Point Operations Management agent. You
must have vRealize Operations Manager user credentials that include a role that allows you to install
End Point Operations Management agents. See Roles and Privileges in vRealize Operations
Manager.

If you plan to run ICMP checks, you must install the End Point Operations Management agent with
root privileges.

To configure the agent to use a keystore that you manage yourself for SSL communication, set up a
JKS-format keystore for the agent on its host and configure the agent to use its SSL certificate. Note
the full path to the keystore, and its password. You must specify this data in the agent
agent.properties file.
Verify that the agent keystore password and the private key password are identical.

If you are installing a non-JRE package, define the agent HQ_JAVA_HOME location.
End Point Operations Management platform-specific installers include JRE 1.8.x. Platformindependent installers do not. Depending on your environment and the installer you use, you might
need to define the location of the JRE to ensure that the agent can find the JRE to use. See
Configuring JRE Locations for End Point Operations Management Components.

If you are installing a non-JRE package, verify that you are using the latest Java version. You might
be exposed to security risks with earlier versions of Java.

Verify that the installation directory for the End Point Operations Management agent does not contain
a vRealize Hyperic agent installation.

If you are using the noarch installation, verify that a JDK or JRE is installed on the platform.

Verify that you use only ASCII characters when specifying the agent installation path. If you want to
use non-ASCII characters, you must set the encoding of the Linux machine and SSH client
application to UTF-8.

Procedure

Download the appropriate RPM bundle to the target machine.
Operating System

RPM Bundle to Download

64bit Operating System

epops-agent-x86-64-linux-version.rpm

32bit Operating System

epops-agent-x86-linux-version.rpm

No Arch

epops-agent-noarch-linux-version.rpm

Open an SSH connection using root credentials.

Run rpm -i epops-agent-Arch-linux-version.rpm to install the agent on the platform that the
agent will monitor, where Arch is the name of the archive and version is the version number.

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The End Point Operations Management agent is installed, and the service is configured to start at boot.
What to do next

Before you start the service, verify that the epops user credentials include any permissions that are
required to enable your plug-ins to discover and monitor their applications, then perform one of the
following processes.
n

Run service epops-agent start to start the epops-agent service.

If you installed the End Point Operations Management agent on a machine running SuSE 12.x, start
the End Point Operations Management agent by running the [EP Ops Home]/bin/ep-agent.sh
start command.

When you attempt to start an End Point Operations Management agent you might receive a message
that the agent is already running. Run ./bin/ep-agent.sh stop before starting the agent.

Configure the agent in the agent.properties file, then start the service. See Activate End Point
Operations Management Agent to vRealize Operations Manager Server Setup Properties.

Install the Agent on a Linux Platform from an Archive
You can install an End Point Operations Management agent on a Linux platform from a tar.gz archive.
By default, during installation, the setup process prompts you to provide configuration values. You can
automate this process by specifying the values in the agent properties file. If the installer detects values in
the properties file, it applies those values. Subsequent deployments also use the values specified in the
agent properties file.
Prerequisites
n

If you plan to run ICMP checks, you must install the End Point Operations Management agent with
root privileges.

Verify that the installation directory for the End Point Operations Management agent does not contain
a vRealize Hyperic agent installation.

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Procedure

Download and extract the End Point Operations Management agent installation tar.gz file that is
appropriate for your Linux operating system.
Operating System

tar.gz Bundle to Download

64bit Operating System

epops-agent-x86-64-linux-version.tar.gz

32bit Operating System

epops-agent-x86-linux-version.tar.gz

No Arch

epops-agent-noJRE-version.tar.gz

Run cd agent name/bin to open the bin directory for the agent.

Run ep-agent.sh start.
The first time that you install the agent, the command launches the setup process, unless you already
specified all the required configuration values in the agent properties file.

(Optional) Run ep-agent.sh status to view the current status of the agent, including the IP address
and port.

What to do next

Register the client certificate for the agent. See Regenerate an Agent Client Certificate.
Install the Agent on a Windows Platform from an Archive
You can install an End Point Operations Management agent on a Windows platform from a .zip file.
By default, during installation, the setup process prompts you to provide configuration values. You can
automate this process by specifying the values in the agent properties file. If the installer detects values in
the properties file, it applies those values. Subsequent deployments also use the values specified in the
agent properties file.
Prerequisites
n

Verify that you have sufficient privileges to deploy a End Point Operations Management agent. You
must have vRealize Operations Manager user credentials that include a role that allows you to install
End Point Operations Management agents. See Roles and Privileges in vRealize Operations
Manager.

Verify that the installation directory for the End Point Operations Management agent does not contain
a vRealize Hyperic agent installation.

Verify that you do not have any End Point Operations Management or vRealize Hyperic agent
installed on your environment before running the agent Windows installer.

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Procedure

Download and extract the End Point Operations Management agent installation .zip file that is
appropriate for your Windows operating system.
Operating System

ZIP Bundle to Download

64bit Operating System

epops-agent-x86-64-win-version.zip

32bit Operating System

epops-agent-win32-version.zip

No Arch

epops-agent-noJRE-version.zip

Run cd agent name\bin to open the bin directory for the agent.

Run ep-agent.bat install.

Run ep-agent.bat start.
The first time that you install the agent, the command starts the setup process, unless you already
specified the configuration values in the agent properties file.

What to do next

Generate the client certificate for the agent. See Regenerate an Agent Client Certificate.
Install the Agent on a Windows Platform Using the Windows Installer
You can install the End Point Operations Management agent on a Windows platform using a Windows
installer.
You can perform a silent installation of the agent. See Installing an End Point Operations Management
Agent Silently on a Windows Machine.
Prerequisites
n

Verify that the installation directory for the End Point Operations Management agent does not contain
a vRealize Hyperic agent installation.

If you already have an End Point Operations Management agent installed on the machine, verify that
it is not running.

Verify that you do not have any End Point Operations Management or vRealize Hyperic agent
installed on your environment before running the agent Windows installer.

You must know the user name and password for the vRealize Operations Manager, the
vRealize Operations Manager server address (FQDN), and the server certificate thumbprint value.
You can see additional information about the certificate thumbprint in the procedure.

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Procedure

Download the Windows installation EXE file that is appropriate for your Windows platform.
Operating System

RPM Bundle to Download

64bit Operating System

epops-agent-x86-64-win-version.exe

32bit Operating System

epops-agent-x86-win-version.exe

Double-click the file to open the installation wizard.

Complete the steps in the installation wizard.
Verify that the user and system locales are identical, and that the installation path contains only
characters that are part of the system locale's code page. You can set user and system locales in the
Regional Options or Regional Settings control panel.
Note the following information related to defining the server certificate thumbprint.
n

The server certificate thumbprint is required to run a silent installation.

Either the SHA1 or SHA256 algorithm can be used for the thumbprint.

By default, the vRealize Operations Manager server generates a self-signed CA certificate that is
used to sign the certificate of all the nodes in the cluster. In this case, the thumbprint must be the
thumbprint of the CA certificate, to allow for the agent to communicate with all nodes.

As a vRealize Operations Manager administrator, you can import a custom certificate instead of
using the default. In this instance, you must specify a thumbprint corresponding to that certificate
as the value of this property.

To view the certificate thumbprint value, log into the vRealize Operations Manager Administration
interface at https://IP Address/admin and click the SSL Certificate icon located on the right
of the menu bar. Unless you replaced the original certificate with a custom certificate, the second
thumbprint in the list is the correct one. If you did upload a custom certificate, the first thumbprint
in the list is the correct one.

(Optional) Run ep-agent.bat query to verify if the agent is installed and running.

The agent begins running on the Windows platform.
Caution The agent will run even if some of the parameters that you provided in the installation wizard
are missing or invalid. Check the wrapper.log and agent.log files in the product installation
path/log directory to verify that there are no installation errors.
Installing an End Point Operations Management Agent Silently on a Windows Machine
You can install an End Point Operations Management agent on a Windows machine using silent or very
silent installation.
Silent and very silent installations are performed from a command line interface using a setup installer
executable file.

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Verify that you do not have any End Point Operations Management or vRealize Hyperic agent installed on
your environment before running the agent Windows installer.
Use the following parameters to set up the installation process. For more information about these
parameters, see Specify the End Point Operations Management Agent Setup Properties.
Caution The parameters that you specify for the Windows installer are passed to the agent
configuration without validation. If you provide an incorrect IP address or user credentials, the
End Point Operations Management agent cannot start.
Table 1‑2. Silent Command Line Installer Parameters
Mandator
y/Optional

Parameter

Value

-serverAddress

FQDN/iP
address

Mandatory

-username

string

Mandatory

-securePort

number

Optional

-password

string

Mandatory

-serverCertificateThumbprint

string

Mandatory

Comments
FQDN or IP address of the vRealize Operations Manager
server.

Default is 443

The vRealize Operations Manager server certificate
thumbprint. You must enclose the certificate thumbprint in
opening and closing quotation marks, for example, serverCertificateThumbprint "31:32:FA:1F:FD:
78:1E:D8:9A:15:32:85:D7:FE:54:49:0A:1D:9F:6D" .

Parameters are available to define various other attributes for the installation process.
Table 1‑3. Additional Silent Command Line Installer Parameters
Parameter

Default Value

Comments

/DIR

C:\ep-agent

Specifies the installation path. You cannot use spaces in the
installation path, and you must connect the /DIR command and
the installation path with an equal sign, for example, /DIR=C:\epagent.

/SILENT

none

Specifies that the installation is to be silent. In a silent installation,
only the progress window appears.

/VERYSILENT

none

Specifies that the installation is to be very silent. In a very silent
installation, the progress window does not appear, however
installation error messages are displayed, as is the startup prompt
if you did not disable it.

Install the Agent on an AIX Platform
You can install the End Point Operations Management agent on an AIX platform.
Prerequisites

Install IBM Java 7.

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Add the latest JCE from the IBM JRE security directory:
JAVA_INSTALLATION_DIR/jre/lib/security. For more information, see Downloading and
installing the unrestricted JCE policy files

Procedure

When you configure the PATH variable, add /usr/java7_64/jre/bin:/usr/java7_64/bin or
PATH=/usr/java7_64/jre/bin:/usr/java7_64/bin:$PATH.

Configure HQ_JAVA_HOME=path_to_current_java_directory.
For more information on setting up and checking your AIX environment, see
https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSYKE2_7.0.0/com.ibm.java.aix.
70.doc/diag/problem_determination/aix_setup.html.

Download the noJre version of the End Point Operations Management agent and install the agent on
an AIX machine.

For agent installation information, see Install the Agent on a Linux Platform from an Archive

Install the Agent on a Solaris Platform
You can install the End Point Operations Management agent on a Solaris platform.
Prerequisites

Install Java 7 or above for Solaris from the Oracle site:
https://java.com/en/download/help/solaris_install.xml

Add the latest JCE from
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/jce-7-download-432124.html

Procedure

When you configure the PATH variable, add /usr/java7_64/jre/bin:/usr/java7_64/bin or
PATH=/usr/java7_64/jre/bin:/usr/java7_64/bin:$PATH.

Configure HQ_JAVA_HOME=path_to_current_java_directory.

Download and install the noJre version of the End Point Operations Management agent on a Solaris
machine.

For agent installation information, see Install the Agent on a Linux Platform from an Archive

Java Prerequisites for the End Point Operations Management Agent
All End Point Operations Management agents require Java Cryptography Extension (JCE) Unlimited
Strength Jurisdiction policy files be included as part of the Java package.
Java Cryptography Extension (JCE) Unlimited Strength Jurisdiction policy files are included in the JRE
End Point Operations Management agent installation options.
You can install an End Point Operations Management agent package that does not contain JRE files, or
choose to add JRE later.

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If you select a non-JRE installation option, you must ensure that your Java package includes Java
Cryptography Extension (JCE) Unlimited Strength Jurisdiction policy files to enable registration of the
End Point Operations Management agent. If you select a non-JRE option and your Java package does
not include Java Cryptography Extension (JCE) Unlimited Strength Jurisdiction policy files, you receive
these error messages Server might be down (or wrong IP/port were used) and Cannot
support TLS_RSA_WITH_AES_256_CBC_SHA with currently installed providers.

Configuring JRE Locations for End Point Operations Management
Components
End Point Operations Management agents require a JRE. The platform-specific
End Point Operations Management agent installers include a JRE. Platform-independent
End Point Operations Management agent installers do not include a JRE.
If you select a non-JRE installation option, you must ensure that your Java package includes Java
Cryptography Extension (JCE) Unlimited Strength Jurisdiction policy files to enable registration of the End
Point Operations Management agent. For more information , see Java Prerequisites for the End Point
Operations Management Agent.
Depending on your environment and the installation package that you use, you might need to define the
location of the JRE for your agents. The following environments require JRE location configuration.
n

Platform-specific agent installation on a machine that has its own JRE that you want to use

Platform-independent agent installation

How the Agent Resolves its JRE
The agent resolves its JRE based on platform type.
UNIX-like Platforms

Linux Platforms

On UNIX-like platforms, the agent determines which JRE to use in the
following order:
1

HQ_JAVA_HOME environment variable

Embedded JRE

JAVA_HOME environment variable

On Linux platforms, you use export HQ_JAVA_HOME=
path_to_current_java_directory to define a system variable.

Windows Platforms

On Windows platforms, the agent resolves the JRE to use in the following
order:
1

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The path defined in the variable must not contain spaces. Consider
using a shortened version of the path, using the tild (~) character. For
example,c:\Program Files\Java\jre7 can become
c:\Progra~1\Java\jre7. The number after the tild depends on the
alphabetical order (where a = 1, b =2, and so on) of files whose name
begins with progra in that directory.
2

Embedded JRE

You define a system variable from the My Computer menu. Select
Properties > Advanced > Environment Variables > System Variables >
New.
Because of a known issue with Windows, on Windows Server 2008 R2 and 2012 R2, Windows services
might keep old values of system variables, even though they have been updated or removed. As a result,
updates or removal of the HQ_JAVA_HOME system variable might not be propagated to the
End Point Operations Management Agent service. In this event, the End Point Operations Management
agent might use an obsolete value for HQ_JAVA_HOME, which will cause it to use the wrong JRE version.

System Prerequisites for the End Point Operations Management Agent
If you do not define localhost as the loopback address, the End Point Operations Management agent
does not register and the following error appears: Connection failed. Server may be down (or
wrong IP/port were used). Waiting for 10 seconds before retrying.
As a workaround, complete the following steps:
Procedure

Open the hosts file /etc/hosts on Linux or C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc\hosts on
Windows.

Modify the file to include a localhost mapping to the IPv4 127.0.0.1 loopback address, using
127.0.0.1 localhost.

Save the file.

Configure the End Point Operations Management Agent to
vRealize Operations Manager Server Communication Properties
Before first agent startup, you can define the properties that enable the agent to communicate with the
vRealize Operations Manager server, and other agent properties, in the agent.properties file of an
agent. When you configure the agent in the properties file you can streamline the deployment for multiple
agents.
If a properties file exists, back it up before you make configuration changes. If the agent does not have a
properties file, create one.
An agent looks for its properties file in AgentHome/conf. This is the default location of
agent.properties.

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If the agent does not find the required properties for establishing communications with the
vRealize Operations Manager server in either of these locations, it prompts for the property values at
initial start up of the agent.
A number of steps are required to complete the configuration.
You can define some agent properties before or after the initial startup. You must always configure
properties that control the following behaviors before initial startup.
n

When the agent must use an SSL keystore that you manage, rather than a keystore that
vRealize Operations Manager generates.

When the agent must connect to the vRealize Operations Manager server through a proxy server.

Prerequisites

Verify that the vRealize Operations Manager server is running.
Procedure
1

Activate End Point Operations Management Agent to vRealize Operations Manager Server Setup
Properties
In the agent.properties file, properties relating to communication between the
End Point Operations Management agent and the vRealize Operations Manager server are inactive
by default. You must activate them.

Specify the End Point Operations Management Agent Setup Properties
The agent.properties file contains properties that you can configure to manage communication.

Configure an End Point Operations Management Agent Keystore
The agent uses a self-signed certificate for internal communication, and a second certificate that is
signed by the server during the agent registration process. By default, the certificates are stored in a
keystore that is generated in the data folder. You can configure your own keystore for the agent to
use.

Configure the End Point Operations Management Agent by Using the Configuration Dialog Box
The End Point Operations Management agent configuration dialog box appears in the shell when
you start an agent that does not have configuration values that specify the location of the
vRealize Operations Manager server. The dialog box prompts you to provide the address and port of
the vRealize Operations Manager server, and other connection-related data.

Overriding Agent Configuration Properties
You can specify that vRealize Operations Manager override default agent properties when they differ
from custom properties that you have defined.

End Point Operations Management Agent Properties
Multiple properties are supported in the agent.properties file for an
End Point Operations Management agent. Not all supported properties are included by default in the
agent.properties file.

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What to do next

Start the End Point Operations Management agent.
Activate End Point Operations Management Agent to vRealize Operations Manager Server
Setup Properties
In the agent.properties file, properties relating to communication between the
End Point Operations Management agent and the vRealize Operations Manager server are inactive by
default. You must activate them.
Procedure

In the agent.properties file, locate the following section.
## Use the following to automate agent setup
## using these properties.
##
## If any properties do not have values specified, the setup
## process prompts for their values.
##
## If the value to use during automatic setup is the default, use the string *default* as the
value for the option.

Remove the hash tag at the beginning of each line to activate the properties.
#agent.setup.serverIP=localhost
#agent.setup.serverSSLPort=443
#agent.setup.serverLogin=username
#agent.setup.serverPword=password

The first time that you start the End Point Operations Management agent, if
agent.setup.serverPword is inactive, and has a plain text value, the agent encrypts the value.
3

(Optional) Remove the hash tag at the beginning of the line
#agent.setup.serverCertificateThumbprint= and provide a thumbprint value to activate preapproval of the server certificate.

Specify the End Point Operations Management Agent Setup Properties
The agent.properties file contains properties that you can configure to manage communication.
Agent-server setup requires a minimum set of properties.
Procedure

Specify the location and credentials the agent must use to contact the vRealize Operations Manager
server.
Property

Property Definition

agent.setup.serverIP

Specify the address or hostname of the vRealize Operations Manager server.

agent.setup.serverSSLPort

The default value is the standard SSL vRealize Operations Manager server listen
port. If your server is configured for a different listen port, specify the port number.

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Property

Property Definition

agent.setup.serverLogin

Specify the user name for the agent to use when connecting to the
vRealize Operations Managerserver. If you change the value from the username
default value, verify that the user account is correctly configured on the
vRealize Operations Manager server.

agent.setup.serverPword

Specify the password for the agent to use, together with the user name specified
in agent.setup.camLogin, when connecting to thevRealize Operations Manager
server. Verify that the password is the one configured in
vRealize Operations Manager for the user account.

(Optional) Specify the vRealize Operations Manager server certificate thumbprint.
Property

Property Definition

agent.setup.serverCertificateThum
bprint

Provides details about the server certificate to trust.
This parameter is required to run a silent installation.
Either the SHA1 or SHA256 algorithm can be used for the thumbprint.
By default, the vRealize Operations Manager server generates a self-signed CA
certificate that is used to sign the certificate of all the nodes in the cluster. In this
case, the thumbprint must be the thumbprint of the CA certificate, to allow for the
agent to communicate with all nodes.
As a vRealize Operations Manager administrator, you can import a custom
certificate instead of using the default. In this instance, you must specify a
thumbprint corresponding to that certificate as the value of this property.
To view the certificate thumbprint value, log into the vRealize Operations Manager
Administration interface at https://IP Address/admin and click the SSL
Certificate icon located on the right of the menu bar. Unless you replaced the
original certificate with a custom certificate, the second thumbprint in the list is the
correct one. If you did upload a custom certificate, the first thumbprint in the list is
the correct one.

(Optional) Specify the location and file name of the platform token file.
This file is created by the agent during installation and contains the identity token for the platform
object.
Property

Property Definition

Windows:
agent.setup.tokenFileWindows

Provides details about the location and name of the platform token file.
The value cannot include backslash (\) or percentage(%) characters, or

Linux: agent.setup.tokenFileLinux

environment variables.
Ensure that you use forward slashes (/) when specifying the Windows path.

(Optional) Specify any other required properties by running the appropriate command.
Operating System

Command

Linux

./bin/ep-agent.sh set-property PropertyKey PropertyValue

Windows

./bin/ep-agent.bat set-property PropertyKey PropertyValue

The properties are encrypted in the agent.properties file.

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Configure an End Point Operations Management Agent Keystore
The agent uses a self-signed certificate for internal communication, and a second certificate that is signed
by the server during the agent registration process. By default, the certificates are stored in a keystore
that is generated in the data folder. You can configure your own keystore for the agent to use.
Important To use your own keystore, you must perform this task before the first agent activation.
Procedure

In the agent.properties file, activate the # agent.keystore.path= and #
agent.keystore.password= properties.
Define the full path to the keystore with agent.keystore.path and the keystore password with
agent.keystore.password.

Add the [agent.keystore.alias] property to the properties file, and set it to the alias of the
primary certificate or private key entry of the keystore primary certificate.

Configure the End Point Operations Management Agent by Using the Configuration Dialog
Box
The End Point Operations Management agent configuration dialog box appears in the shell when you
start an agent that does not have configuration values that specify the location of the
vRealize Operations Manager server. The dialog box prompts you to provide the address and port of the
vRealize Operations Manager server, and other connection-related data.
The agent configuration dialog box appears in these cases:
n

The first time that you start an agent, if you did not supply one or more of the relevant properties in
the agent.properties file.

When you start an agent for which saved server connection data is corrupt or was removed.

You can also run the agent launcher to rerun the configuration dialog box.
Prerequisites

Verify that the server is running.
Procedure

Open a terminal window on the platform on which the agent is installed.

Navigate to the AgentHome/bin directory.

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Run the agent launcher using the start or setup option.
Platform

Command

UNIX-like

ep-agent.sh start

Windows

Install the Windows service for the agent, then run the it: ep-agent.bat
install ep-agent.bat start command.
When you configure an End Point Operations Management agent as a Windows
service, make sure that the credentials that you specify are sufficient for the
service to connect to the monitored technology. For example, if you have
anEnd Point Operations Management agent that is running on Microsoft SQL
Server, and only a specific user can log in to that server, the Windows service
login must also be for that specific user.

Respond to the prompts, noting the following as you move through the process.
Prompt
Enter the server hostname or IP
address

Description
If the server is on the same machine as the agent, you can enter localhost. If a
firewall is blocking traffic from the agent to the server, specify the address of the
firewall.

Enter the server SSL port

Specify the SSL port on the vRealize Operations Manager server to which the
agent must connect. The default port is 443.

The server has presented an untrusted
certificate

If this warning appears, but your server is signed by a trusted certificate or you
have updated the thumbprint property to contain the thumbprint, this agent
might be subject to a man-in-the-middle attack. Review the displayed certificate
thumbprint details carefully.

Enter your server username

Enter the name of a vRealize Operations Manager user with agentManager
permissions.

Enter your server password

Enter the password for the specified vRealize Operations Manager. Do not store
the password in the agent.properties file.

The agent initiates a connection to the vRealize Operations Manager server and the server verifies that
the agent is authenticated to communicate with it.
The server generates a client certificate that includes the agent token. The message The agent has
been successfully registered appears. The agent starts discovering the platform and supported
products running on it.
Overriding Agent Configuration Properties
You can specify that vRealize Operations Manager override default agent properties when they differ from
custom properties that you have defined.
In the Advanced section of the Edit Object dialog, if you set the Override agent configuration data to
false, default agent configuration data is applied. If you set Override agent configuration data to true,
the default agent parameter values are ignored if you have set alternative values, and the values that you
set are applied.

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If you set the value of Override agent configuration data to true when editing an MSSQL object
(MSSQL, MSSQL Database, MSSQL Reporting Services, MSSQL Analysis Service, or MSSQL Agent)
that runs in a cluster, it might result in inconsistent behavior.
End Point Operations Management Agent Properties
Multiple properties are supported in the agent.properties file for an End Point Operations Management
agent. Not all supported properties are included by default in the agent.properties file.
You must add any properties that you want to use that are not included in the default agent.properties
file.
You can encrypt properties in the agent.properties file to enable silent installation.
Encrypt End Point Operations Management Agent Property Values
After you have installed an End Point Operations Management agent, you can use it to add encrypted
values to the agent.properties file to enable silent installation.
For example, to specify the user password, you can run ./bin/ep-agent.sh set-property
agent.setup.serverPword serverPasswordValue to add the following line to the agent.properties
file.
agent.setup.serverPword = ENC(4FyUf6m/c5i+RriaNpSEQ1WKGb4y
+Dhp7213XQiyvtwI4tMlbGJfZMBPG23KnsUWu3OKrW35gB+Ms20snM4TDg==)

The key that was used to encrypt the value is saved in AgentHome/conf/agent.scu. If you encrypt other
values, the key that was used to encrypt the first value is used.
Prerequisites

Verify that the End Point Operations Management agent can access AgentHome/conf/agent.scu.
Following the encryption of any agent-to-server connection properties, the agent must be able to access
this file to start.
Procedure
u

Open a command prompt and run ./bin/ep-agent.sh set-property
agent.setup.propertyName propertyValue.

The key that was used to encrypt the value is saved in AgentHome/conf/agent.scu.
What to do next

If your agent deployment strategy involves distributing a standard agent.properties file to all agents,
you must also distribute agent.scu. See Install Multiple End Point Operations Management Agents
Simultaneously.
Adding Properties to the agent.properties File
You must add any properties that you want to use that are not included in the default agent.properties file.
Following is a list of the available properties.

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agent.keystore.password Property
This property configures the password for an End Point Operations Management agent's SSL
keystore.

agent.keystore.path Property
This property configures the location of a End Point Operations Management agent's SSL keystore.

agent.listenPort Property
This property specifies the port where the End Point Operations Management agent listens to
receive communication from the vRealize Operations Manager server.

agent.logDir Property
You can add this property to the agent.properties file to specify the directory where the
End Point Operations Management agent writes its log file. If you do not specify a fully qualified
path, agent.logDir is evaluated relative to the agent installation directory.

agent.logFile Property
The path and name of the agent log file.

agent.logLevel Property
The level of detail of the messages the agent writes to the log file.

agent.logLevel.SystemErr Property
Redirects System.err to the agent.log file.

agent.logLevel.SystemOut Property
Redirects System.out to the agent.log file.

agent.proxyHost Property
The host name or IP address of the proxy server that the End Point Operations Management agent
must connect to first when establishing a connection to the vRealize Operations Manager server.

agent.proxyPort Property
The port number of the proxy server that the End Point Operations Management agent must connect
to first when establishing a connection to the vRealize Operations Manager server.

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agent.setup.camIP Property
Use this property to define the IP address of the vRealize Operations Manager server for the agent.
The End Point Operations Management agent reads this value only in the event that it cannot find
connection configuration in its data directory.

agent.setup.camLogin Property
At first startup after installation, use this property to define the End Point Operations Management
agent user name to use when the agent is registering itself with the server.

agent.setup.camPort Property
At first startup after installation, use this property to define the End Point Operations Management
agent server port to use for non-secure communications with the server.

agent.setup.camPword Property
Use this property to define the password that the End Point Operations Management agent uses
when connecting to the vRealize Operations Manager server, so that the agent does not prompt a
user to supply the password interactively at first startup.

agent.setup.camSecure
This property is used when you are registering the End Point Operations Management with the
vRealize Operations Manager server to communicate using encryption.

agent.setup.camSSLPort Property
At first startup after installation, use this property to define the End Point Operations Management
agent server port to use for SSL communications with the server.

agent.setup.resetupToken Property
Use this property to configure an End Point Operations Management agent to create a new token to
use for authentication with the server at startup. Regenerating a token is useful if the agent cannot
connect to the server because the token has been deleted or corrupted.

agent.setup.unidirectional Property
Enables unidirectional communications between the End Point Operations Management agent and
vRealize Operations Manager server.

agent.startupTimeOut Property
The number of seconds that the End Point Operations Management agent startup script waits before
determining that the agent has not started up successfully. If the agent is found to not be listening for
requests within this period, an error is logged, and the startup script times out.

autoinventory.defaultScan.interval.millis Property
Specifies how frequently the End Point Operations Management agent performs a default
autoinventory scan.

autoinventory.runtimeScan.interval.millis Property
Specifies how frequently an End Point Operations Management agent performs a runtime scan.

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http.useragent Property
Defines the value for the user-agent request header in HTTP requests issued by the
End Point Operations Management agent.

log4j Properties
The log4j properties for the End Point Operations Management agent are described here.

platform.log_track.eventfmt Property
Specifies the content and format of the Windows event attributes that an
End Point Operations Management agent includes when logging a Windows event as an event in
vRealize Operations Manager.

plugins.exclude Property
Specifies plug-ins that the End Point Operations Management agent does not load at startup. This is
useful for reducing an agent's memory footprint.

plugins.include Property
Specifies plug-ins that the End Point Operations Management agent loads at startup. This is useful
for reducing the agent's memory footprint.

postgresql.database.name.format Property
This property specifies the format of the name that the PostgreSQL plug-in assigns to autodiscovered PostgreSQL Database and vPostgreSQL Database database types.

postgresql.index.name.format Property
This property specifies the format of the name that the PostgreSQL plug-in assigns to autodiscovered PostgreSQL Index and vPostgreSQL Index index types.

postgresql.server.name.format Property
This property specifies the format of the name that the PostgreSQL plug-in assigns to autodiscovered PostgreSQL and vPostgreSQL server types.

postgresql.table.name.format Property
This property specifies the format of the name that the PostgreSQL plug-in assigns to autodiscovered PostgreSQL Table and vPostgreSQL Table table types.

scheduleThread.cancelTimeout Property
This property specifies the maximum time, in milliseconds, that the ScheduleThread allows a metric
collection process to run before attempting to interrupt it.

scheduleThread.fetchLogTimeout Property
This property controls when a warning message is issued for a long-running metric collection
process.

scheduleThread.poolsize Property
This property enables a plug-in to use multiple threads for metric collection. The property can
increase metric throughput for plug-ins known to be thread-safe.

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scheduleThread.queuesize Property
Use this property to limit the metric collection queue size (the number of metrics) for a plug-in.

sigar.mirror.procnet Property
mirror /proc/net/tcp on Linux.

sigar.pdh.enableTranslation Property
Use this property to enable translation based on the detected locale of the operating system.

snmpTrapReceiver.listenAddress Property
Specifies the port on which the End Point Operations Management agent listens for SNMP traps

agent.keystore.alias Property
This property configures the name of the user-managed keystore for the agent for agents configured for
unidirectional communication with the vRealize Operations Manager server.
Example: Defining the Name of a Keystore
Given this user-managed keystore for a unidirectional agent
hq self-signed cert), Jul 27, 2011, trustedCertEntry,
Certificate fingerprint (MD5): 98:FF:B8:3D:25:74:23:68:6A:CB:0B:9C:20:88:74:CE
hq-agent, Jul 27, 2011, PrivateKeyEntry,
Certificate fingerprint (MD5): 03:09:C4:BC:20:9E:9A:32:DC:B2:E8:29:C0:3C:FE:38

you define the name of the keystore like this
agent.keystore.alias=hq-agent

If the value of this property does not match the keystore name, agent-server communication fails.
Default
The default behavior of the agent is to look for the hq keystore.
For unidirectional agents with user-managed keystores, you must define the keystore name using this
property.
agent.keystore.password Property
This property configures the password for an End Point Operations Management agent's SSL keystore.
Define the location of the keystore using the agent.keystore.path Property property.
By default, the first time you start the End Point Operations Management agent following installation, if
agent.keystore.password is uncommented and has a plain text value, the agent automatically
encrypts the property value. You can encrypt this property value yourself, prior to starting the agent.
It is good practice to specify the same password for the agent keystore as for the agent private key.
Default
By default, the agent.properties file does not include this property.

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agent.keystore.path Property
This property configures the location of a End Point Operations Management agent's SSL keystore.
Specify the full path to the keystore. Define the password for the keystore using the
agent.keystore.password property. See agent.keystore.password Property.
Specifying the Keystore Path on Windows
On Windows platforms, specify the path to the keystore in this format.
C:/Documents and Settings/Desktop/keystore

Default
AgentHome/data/keystore.
agent.listenPort Property
This property specifies the port where the End Point Operations Management agent listens to receive
communication from the vRealize Operations Manager server.
The property is not required for unidirectional communication.
agent.logDir Property
You can add this property to the agent.properties file to specify the directory where the
End Point Operations Management agent writes its log file. If you do not specify a fully qualified path,
agent.logDir is evaluated relative to the agent installation directory.
To change the location for the agent log file, enter a path relative to the agent installation directory, or a
fully qualified path.
Note that the name of the agent log file is configured with the agent.logFile property.
Default
By default, the agent.properties file does not include this property.
The default behavior is agent.logDir=log, resulting in the agent log file being written to the
AgentHome/log directory.
agent.logFile Property
The path and name of the agent log file.
Default
In the agent.properties file, the default setting for the agent.LogFile property is made up of a
variable and a string
agent.logFile=${agent.logDir}\agent.log

where
n

agent.logDir is a variable that supplies the value of an identically named agent property. By default,
the value of agent.logDir is log, interpreted relative to the agent installation directory.

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agent.log is the name for the agent log file.

By default, the agent log file is named agent.log, and is written to the AgentHome/log directory.
agent.logLevel Property
The level of detail of the messages the agent writes to the log file.
Permitted values are INFO and DEBUG.
Default
INFO
agent.logLevel.SystemErr Property
Redirects System.err to the agent.log file.
Commenting out this setting causes System.err to be directed to agent.log.startup.
Default
ERROR
agent.logLevel.SystemOut Property
Redirects System.out to the agent.log file.
Commenting out this setting causes System.out to be directed to agent.log.startup.
Default
INFO
agent.proxyHost Property
The host name or IP address of the proxy server that the End Point Operations Management agent must
connect to first when establishing a connection to the vRealize Operations Manager server.
This property is supported for agents configured for unidirectional communication.
Use this property in conjunction with agent.proxyPort and agent.setup.unidirectional.
Default
None
agent.proxyPort Property
The port number of the proxy server that the End Point Operations Management agent must connect to
first when establishing a connection to the vRealize Operations Manager server.
This property is supported for agents configured for unidirectional communication.
Use this property in conjunction with agent.proxyPort and agent.setup.unidirectional.
Default
None

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agent.setup.acceptUnverifiedCertificate Property
This property controls whether an End Point Operations Management agent issues a warning when the
vRealize Operations Manager server presents an SSL certificate that is not in the agent's keystore, and is
either self-signed or signed by a different certificate authority than the one that signed the agent's SSL
certificate.
When the default is used, the agent issues the warning
The authenticity of host 'localhost' can't be established.
Are you sure you want to continue connecting? [default=no]:

If you respond yes, the agent imports the server's certificate and will continue to trust the certificate from
this point on.
Default
agent.setup.acceptUnverifiedCertificate=no
agent.setup.camIP Property
Use this property to define the IP address of the vRealize Operations Manager server for the agent. The
End Point Operations Management agent reads this value only in the event that it cannot find connection
configuration in its data directory.
You can specify this and other agent.setup.* properties to reduce the user interaction required to
configure an agent to communicate with the server.
The value can be provided as an IP address or a fully qualified domain name. To identify an server on the
same host as the server, set the value to 127.0.0.1.
If there is a firewall between the agent and server, specify the address of the firewall, and configure the
firewall to forward traffic on port 7080, or 7443 if you use the SSL port, to the
vRealize Operations Manager server.
Default
Commented out, localhost.
agent.setup.camLogin Property
At first startup after installation, use this property to define the End Point Operations Management agent
user name to use when the agent is registering itself with the server.
The permission required on the server for this initialization is Create, for platforms.
Log in from the agent to the server is only required during the initial configuration of the agent.
The agent reads this value only in the event that it cannot find connection configuration in its data
directory.
You can specify this and other agent.setup.* properties to reduce the user interaction required to
configure an agent to communicate with the server.

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Default
Commented our hqadmin.
agent.setup.camPort Property
At first startup after installation, use this property to define the End Point Operations Management agent
server port to use for non-secure communications with the server.
The agent reads this value only in the event that it cannot find connection configuration in its data
directory.
You can specify this and other agent.setup.* properties to reduce the user interaction required to
configure an agent to communicate with the server.
Default
Commented out 7080.
agent.setup.camPword Property
Use this property to define the password that the End Point Operations Management agent uses when
connecting to the vRealize Operations Manager server, so that the agent does not prompt a user to
supply the password interactively at first startup.
The password for the user is that specified by agent.setup.camLogin.
The agent reads this value only in the event that it cannot find connection configuration in its data
directory.
You can specify this and other agent.setup.* properties to reduce the user interaction required to
configure an agent to communicate with the server.
The first time you start the End Point Operations Management agent after installation, if
agent.keystore.password is uncommented and has a plain text value, the agent automatically
encrypts the property value. You can encrypt these property values prior to starting the agent.
Default
Commented our hqadmin.
agent.setup.camSecure
This property is used when you are registering the End Point Operations Management with the
vRealize Operations Manager server to communicate using encryption.
Use yes=secure, encrypted, or SSL, as appropriate, to encrypt communication.
Use no=unencrypted for unencrypted communication.
agent.setup.camSSLPort Property
At first startup after installation, use this property to define the End Point Operations Management agent
server port to use for SSL communications with the server.

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The agent reads this value only in the event that it cannot find connection configuration in its data
directory.
You can specify this and other agent.setup.* properties to reduce the user interaction required to
configure an agent to communicate with the server.
Default
Commented out 7443.
agent.setup.resetupToken Property
Use this property to configure an End Point Operations Management agent to create a new token to use
for authentication with the server at startup. Regenerating a token is useful if the agent cannot connect to
the server because the token has been deleted or corrupted.
The agent reads this value only in the event that it cannot find connection configuration in its data
directory.
Regardless of the value of this property, an agent generates a token the first time it is started after
installation.
Default
Commented out no.
agent.setup.unidirectional Property
Enables unidirectional communications between the End Point Operations Management agent and
vRealize Operations Manager server.
If you configure an agent for unidirectional communication, all communication with the server is initiated
by the agent.
For a unidirectional agent with a user-managed keystore, you must configure the keystore name in the
agent.properties file.
Default
Commented out no.
agent.startupTimeOut Property
The number of seconds that the End Point Operations Management agent startup script waits before
determining that the agent has not started up successfully. If the agent is found to not be listening for
requests within this period, an error is logged, and the startup script times out.
Default
By default, the agent.properties file does not include this property.
The default behavior of the agent is to timeout after 300 seconds.

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autoinventory.defaultScan.interval.millis Property
Specifies how frequently the End Point Operations Management agent performs a default autoinventory
scan.
The default scan detects server and platform services objects, typically using the process table or the
Windows registry. Default scans are less resource-intensive than runtime scans.
Default
The agent performs the default scan at startup and every 15 minutes thereafter.
Commented out 86,400,000 milliseconds, or one day.
autoinventory.runtimeScan.interval.millis Property
Specifies how frequently an End Point Operations Management agent performs a runtime scan.
A runtime scan may use more resource-intensive methods to detect services than a default scan. For
example, a runtime scan might involve issuing an SQL query or looking up an MBean.
Default
86,400,000 milliseconds, or one day.
http.useragent Property
Defines the value for the user-agent request header in HTTP requests issued by the
End Point Operations Management agent.
You can use http.useragent to define a user-agent value that is consistent across upgrades.
By default, the agent.properties file does not include this property.
Default
By default, the user-agent in agent requests includes the End Point Operations Management agent
version, so changes when the agent is upgraded. If a target HTTP server is configured to block requests
with an unknown user-agent, agent requests fail after an agent upgrade.
Hyperic-HQ-Agent/Version, for example, Hyperic-HQ-Agent/4.1.2-EE.
log4j Properties
The log4j properties for the End Point Operations Management agent are described here.
log4j.rootLogger=${agent.logLevel}, R
log4j.appender.R.File=${agent.logFile}
log4j.appender.R.MaxBackupIndex=1
log4j.appender.R.MaxFileSize=5000KB
log4j.appender.R.layout.ConversionPattern=%d{dd-MM-yyyy HH:mm:ss,SSS z} %-5p [%t] [%c{1}@%L] %m%n
log4j.appender.R.layout=org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout
log4j.appender.R=org.apache.log4j.RollingFileAppender
##
## Disable overly verbose logging
##

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log4j.logger.org.apache.http=ERROR
log4j.logger.org.springframework.web.client.RestTemplate=ERROR
log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.measurement.agent.server.SenderThread=INFO
log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.agent.server.AgentDListProvider=INFO
log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.agent.server.MeasurementSchedule=INFO
log4j.logger.org.hyperic.util.units=INFO
log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.product.pluginxml=INFO
# Only log errors from naming context
log4j.category.org.jnp.interfaces.NamingContext=ERROR
log4j.category.org.apache.axis=ERROR
#Agent Subsystems: Uncomment individual subsystems to see debug messages.
#----------------------------------------------------------------------#log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.autoinventory=DEBUG
#log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.livedata=DEBUG
#log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.measurement=DEBUG
#log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.control=DEBUG
#Agent Plugin Implementations
#log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.product=DEBUG
#Server Communication
#log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.bizapp.client.AgentCallbackClient=DEBUG
#Server Realtime commands dispatcher
#log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.agent.server.CommandDispatcher=DEBUG
#Agent Configuration parser
#log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.agent.AgentConfig=DEBUG
#Agent plugins loader
#log4j.logger.org.hyperic.util.PluginLoader=DEBUG
#Agent Metrics Scheduler (Scheduling tasks definitions & executions)
#log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.agent.server.session.AgentSynchronizer.SchedulerThread=DEBUG
#Agent Plugin Managers
#log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.product.MeasurementPluginManager=DEBUG
#log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.product.AutoinventoryPluginManager=DEBUG
#log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.product.ConfigTrackPluginManager=DEBUG
#log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.product.LogTrackPluginManager=DEBUG
#log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.product.LiveDataPluginManager=DEBUG
#log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.product.ControlPluginManager=DEBUG

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When Windows log tracking is enabled, an entry in the form [Timestamp] Log Message
(EventLogName):EventLogName:EventAttributes is logged for events that match the criteria you
specified on the resource's Configuration Properties page.
Attribute

Description

Timestamp

When the event occurred

Log Message

A text string

EventLogName

The Windows event log type System, Security, or Application

EventAttributes

A colon delimited string made of the Windows event Source and Message attributes

For example, the log entry: 04/19/2010 06:06 AM Log Message (SYSTEM): SYSTEM: Print:
Printer HP LaserJet 6P was paused. is for a Windows event written to the Windows System event
log at 6:06 AM on 04/19/2010. The Windows event Source and Message attributes, are "Print" and
"Printer HP LaserJet 6P was paused.", respectively.
Configuration
Use the following parameters to configure the Windows event attributes that the agent writes for a
Windows event. Each parameter maps to Windows event attribute of the same name.
Parameter

Description

%user%

The name of the user on whose behalf the event occurred.

%computer%

The name of the computer on which the event occurred.

%source%

The software that logged the Windows event.

%event%

A number identifying the particular event type.

%message%

The event message.

%category%

An application-specific value used for grouping events.

For example, with the property setting platform.log_track.eventfmt=%user%@%computer% %source
%:%event%:%message%, the End Point Operations Management agent writes the following data when
logging the Windows event 04/19/2010 06:06 AM Log Message (SYSTEM): SYSTEM:
HP_Admistrator@Office Print:7:Printer HP LaserJet 6P was paused.. This entry is for a
Windows event written to the Windows system event log at 6:06 AM on 04/19/2010. The software
associated with the event was running as "HP_Administrator" on the host "Office". The Windows event's
Source, Event, and Message attributes, are "Print", "7", and "Printer HP LaserJet 6P was paused.",
respectively.
plugins.exclude Property
Specifies plug-ins that the End Point Operations Management agent does not load at startup. This is
useful for reducing an agent's memory footprint.

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Usage
Supply a comma-separated list of plug-ins to exclude. For example,
plugins.exclude=jboss,apache,mysql

plugins.include Property
Specifies plug-ins that the End Point Operations Management agent loads at startup. This is useful for
reducing the agent's memory footprint.
Usage
Supply a comma-separated list of plug-ins to include. For example,
plugins.include=weblogic,apache

postgresql.database.name.format Property
This property specifies the format of the name that the PostgreSQL plug-in assigns to auto-discovered
PostgreSQL Database and vPostgreSQL Database database types.
By default, the name of a PostgreSQL or vPostgreSQL database is Database DatabaseName, where
DatabaseName is the auto-discovered name of the database.
To use a different naming convention, define postgresql.database.name.format. The variable data
you use must be available from the PostgreSQL plug-in.
Use the following syntax to specify the default table name assigned by the plug-in,
Database ${db}

where
postgresql.db is the auto-discovered name of the PostgreSQL or vPostgreSQL database.
Default
By default, the agent.properties file does not include this property.
postgresql.index.name.format Property
This property specifies the format of the name that the PostgreSQL plug-in assigns to auto-discovered
PostgreSQL Index and vPostgreSQL Index index types.
By default, the name of a PostgreSQL or vPostgreSQL index is Index DatabaseName.Schema.Index,
comprising the following variables
Variable

Description

DatabaseName

The auto-discovered name of the database.

Schema

The auto-discovered schema for the database.

Index

The auto-discovered name of the index.

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To use a different naming convention, define postgresql.index.name.format. The variable data you
use must be available from the PostgreSQL plug-in.
Use the following syntax to specify the default index name assigned by the plug-in,
Index ${db}.${schema}.${index}

where
Attribute

Description

Identifies the platform that hosts the PostgreSQL or vPostgreSQL server.

schema

Identifies the schema associated with the table.

index

The index name in PostgreSQL.

Default
By default, the agent.properties file does not include this property.
postgresql.server.name.format Property
This property specifies the format of the name that the PostgreSQL plug-in assigns to auto-discovered
PostgreSQL and vPostgreSQL server types.
By default, the name of a PostgreSQL or vPostgreSQL server is Host:Port, comprising the following
variables
Variable

Description

Host

The FQDN of the platform that hosts the server.

Port

The PostgreSQL listen port.

To use a different naming convention, define postgresql.server.name.format. The variable data you
use must be available from the PostgreSQL plug-in.
Use the following syntax to specify the default server name assigned by the plug-in,
${postgresql.host}:${postgresql.port}

where
Attribute

Description

postgresql.host

Identifies the FQDN of the hosting platform.

postgresql.port

Identifies the database listen port.

Default
By default, the agent.properties file does not include this property.
postgresql.table.name.format Property
This property specifies the format of the name that the PostgreSQL plug-in assigns to auto-discovered
PostgreSQL Table and vPostgreSQL Table table types.

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By default, the name of a PostgreSQL or vPostgreSQL table is Table DatabaseName.Schema.Table,
comprising the following variables
Variable

Description

DatabaseName

The auto-discovered name of the database.

Schema

The auto-discovered schema for the database.

Table

The auto-discovered name of the table.

To use a different naming convention, define postgresql.table.name.format. The variable data you
use must be available from the PostgreSQL plug-in.
Use the following syntax to specify the default table name assigned by the plug-in,
Table ${db}.${schema}.${table}

where
Attribute

Description

Identifies the platform that hosts the PostgreSQL or vPostgreSQL server.

schema

Identifies the schema associated with the table.

table

The table name in PostgreSQL.

Default
By default, the agent.properties file does not include this property.
scheduleThread.cancelTimeout Property
This property specifies the maximum time, in milliseconds, that the ScheduleThread allows a metric
collection process to run before attempting to interrupt it.
When the timeout is exceeded, collection of the metric is interrupted, if it is in a wait(), sleep() or nonblocking read() state.
Usage
scheduleThread.cancelTimeout=5000
Default
5000 milliseconds.
scheduleThread.fetchLogTimeout Property
This property controls when a warning message is issued for a long-running metric collection process.
If a metric collection process exceeds the value of this property, which is measured in milliseconds, the
agent writes a warning message to the agent.log file.
Usage
scheduleThread.fetchLogTimeout=2000

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Default
2000 milliseconds.
scheduleThread.poolsize Property
This property enables a plug-in to use multiple threads for metric collection. The property can increase
metric throughput for plug-ins known to be thread-safe.
Usage
Specify the plug-in by name and the number of threads to allocate for metric collection
scheduleThread.poolsize.PluginName=2

where PluginName is the name of the plug-in to which you are allocating threads. For example,
scheduleThread.poolsize.vsphere=2

Default
1
scheduleThread.queuesize Property
Use this property to limit the metric collection queue size (the number of metrics) for a plug-in.
Usage
Specify the plug-in by name and the maximum metric queue length number:
scheduleThread.queuesize.PluginName=15000

where PluginName is the name of the plug-in on which you are imposing a metric limit.
For example,
scheduleThread.queuesize.vsphere=15000

Default
1000
sigar.mirror.procnet Property
mirror /proc/net/tcp on Linux.
Default
true
sigar.pdh.enableTranslation Property
Use this property to enable translation based on the detected locale of the operating system.
snmpTrapReceiver.listenAddress Property
Specifies the port on which the End Point Operations Management agent listens for SNMP traps

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By default, the agent.properties file does not include this property.
Typically SNMP uses the UDP port 162 for trap messages. This port is in the privileged range, so an
agent listening for trap messages on it must run as root, or as an administrative user on Windows.
You can run the agent in the context of a non-administrative user, by configuring the agent to listen for
trap messages on an unprivileged port.
Usage
Specify an IP address (or 0.0.0.0 to specify all interfaces on the platform) and the port for UDP
communications in the format
snmpTrapReceiver.listenAddress=udp:IP_address/port

To enable the End Point Operations Management agent to receive SNMP traps on an unprivileged port,
specify port 1024 or higher. The following setting allows the agent to receive traps on any interface on the
platform, on UDP port 1620.
snmpTrapReceiver.listenAddress=udp:0.0.0.0/1620

Managing Agent Registration on vRealize Operations Manager Servers
The End Point Operations Management agents identify themselves to the server using client certificates.
The agent registration process generates the client certificate.
The client certificate includes a token that is used as the unique identifier. If you suspect that a client
certificate was stolen or compromised, you must replace the certificate.
You must have AgentManager credentials to perform the agent registration process.
If you remove and reinstall an agent by removing the data directory, the agent token is retained to enable
data continuity. See Understanding Agent Uninstallation and Reinstallation Implications.
Regenerate an Agent Client Certificate
An End Point Operations Management agent client certificate might expire and need to be replaced. For
example, you would replace a certificate that you suspected was corrupt or compromised.
Prerequisites

Verify that you have sufficient privileges to deploy an End Point Operations Management agent. You must
have vRealize Operations Manager user credentials that include a role that allows you to install
End Point Operations Management agents. See Roles and Privileges in vRealize Operations Manager.

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Procedure
u

Start the registration process by running the setup command that is appropriate for the operating
system on which the agent is running.
Operating System

Run Command

Linux

ep-agent.sh setup

Windows

ep-agent.bat setup

The agent installer runs the setup, requests a new certificate from the server, and imports the new
certificate to the keystore.

Securing Communications with the Server
Communication from an End Point Operations Management agent to the vRealize Operations Manager
server is unidirectional, however both parties must be authenticated. Communication is always secured
using transport layer security (TLS).
The first time an agent initiates a connection to the vRealize Operations Manager server following
installation, the server presents its SSL certificate to the agent.
If the agent trusts the certificate that the server presented, the agent imports the server's certificate to its
own keystore.
The agent trusts a server certificate if that certificate, or one of its issuers (CA) already exists in the
agent's keystore.
By default, if the agent does not trust the certificate that the server presents, the agent issues a warning.
You can choose to trust the certificate, or to terminate the configuration process. The
vRealize Operations Manager server and the agent do not import untrusted certificates unless you
respond yes to the warning prompt.
You can configure the agent to accept a specific thumb print without warning by specifying the thumb print
of the certificate for the vRealize Operations Manager server.
By default, the vRealize Operations Manager server generates a self-signed CA certificate that is used to
sign the certificate of all the nodes in the cluster. In this case, the thumbprint must be the thumbprint of
the issuer, to allow for the agent to communicate with all nodes.
As a vRealize Operations Manager administrator, you can import a custom certificate instead of using the
default. In this instance, you must specify a thumbprint corresponding to that certificate as the value of
this property.
Either the SHA1 or SHA256 algorithm can be used for the thumbprint.

Launching Agents from a Command Line
You can launch agents from a command line on both Linux and Windows operating systems.
Use the appropriate process for your operating system.

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If you are deleting the data directory, do not use Windows Services to stop and start an
End Point Operations Management agent. Stop the agent using epops-agent.bat stop. Delete the
data directory, then start the agent using epops-agent.bat start.
Run the Agent Launcher from a Linux Command Line
You can initiate the agent launcher and agent lifecycle commands with the epops-agent.sh script in the
AgentHome/bin directory.
Procedure

Open a command shell or terminal window.

Enter the required command, using the format sh epops-agent.sh command, where command is one
of the following.
Option

Description

start

Starts the agent as a daemon process.

stop

Stops the agent's JVM process.

restart

Stops and then starts the agent's JVM process.

status

Queries the status of the agent's JVM process.

dump

Runs a thread dump for the agent process, and writes the result to the
agent.log file in AgentHome/log.

ping

Pings the agent process.

setup

Re-registers the certificate using the existing token.

Run the Agent Launcher from a Windows Command Line
You can initiate the agent launcher and agent lifecycle commands with the epops-agent.bat script in the
AgentHome/bin directory.
Procedure

Open a terminal window.

Enter the required command, using the format epops-agent.bat command, where command is one of
the following.
Option

Description

install

Installs the agent NT service. You must run start after running install.

start

Starts the agent as an NT service.

stop

Stops the agent as an NT service.

remove

Removes the agent's service from the NT service table.

query

Queries the current status of the agent NT service (status).

dump

Runs a thread dump for the agent process, and writes the result to the
agent.log file in AgentHome/log.

ping

Pings the agent process.

setup

Re-registers the certificate using the existing token.

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Managing an End Point Operations Management Agent on a Cloned Virtual
Machine
When you clone a virtual machine that is running an End Point Operations Management agent that is
collecting data, there are processes that you must complete related to data continuity to ensure data
continuity.
Cloning a Virtual Machine to Delete the Original Virtual Machine
If you are cloning the virtual machine so that you can delete the original virtual machine, you need to
verify that the original machine is deleted from thevCenter Server and from vRealize Operations Manager
so that the new operating system to virtual machine relationship can be created.
Cloning a Virtual Machine to Run Independently of the Original Machine
If you are cloning the virtual machine so that you can run the two machines independently of the other,
the cloned machine requires a new agent because an agent can only monitor a single machine.
Procedure
u

On the cloned machine, delete the End Point Operations Management token and the data folder,
according to the operating system of the machine.
Operating System

Process

Linux

Stop the End Point Operations Management services and
delete the End Point Operations Management token and the
data folder.

Windows

Run epops-agent remove.

Remove the agent token and the data folder.

Run epops-agent install.

Run epops-agent start.

Moving Virtual Machines between vCenter Server Instances
When you move a virtual machine from one vCenter Server to another, you must delete the original
machine from vRealize Operations Manager to enable the new operating system relationship with the
virtual machine to be created.

Understanding Agent Uninstallation and Reinstallation Implications
When you uninstall or reinstall an End Point Operations Management agent, various elements are
affected, including existing metrics that the agent has collected, and the identification token that enables a
reinstalled agent to report on the previously discovered objects on the server. To ensure that you maintain
data continuity, it is important that you aware of the implications of uninstalling and reinstalling an agent.

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There are two key locations related to the agent that are preserved when you uninstall an agent. Before
reinstalling the agent, you must decide whether to retain or delete the files.
n

The /data folder is created during agent installation. It contains the keystore, unless you chose a
different location for it, and other data related to the currently installed agent.

The epops-token platform token file is created before agent registration and is stored as follows:
n

Linux: /etc/vmware/epops-token

Windows: %PROGRAMDATA%/VMware/EP Ops Agent/epops-token

When you uninstall an agent, you must delete the /data folder. This does not affect data continuity.
However, to enable data continuity it is important that you do not delete the epops-token file. This file
contains the identity token for the platform object. Following agent reinstallation, the token enables the
agent to be synchronized with the previously discovered objects on the server.
When you reinstall the agent, the system notifies you whether it found an existing token, and provides its
identifier. If a token is found, the system uses that token. If a token in not found, the system creates a new
one. In the case of an error, the system prompts you to provide either a location and file name for the
existing token file, or a location and file name for a new one.
The method that you use to uninstall an agent depends on how it was installed.
n

Uninstall an Agent that was Installed from an Archive
You can use this procedure to uninstall agents that you installed on virtual machines in your
environment from an archive.

Uninstall an Agent that was Installed Using an RPM Package
You can use this procedure to uninstall agents that you installed on virtual machines in your
environment using an RPM package.

Uninstall an Agent that was Installed Using a Windows Executable
You can use this procedure to uninstall agents that you installed on virtual machines in your
environment from a Windows EXE file.

Reinstall an Agent
If you change the IP address, hostname or port number of the vRealize Operations Manager server,
you need to uninstall and reinstall your agents.

Uninstall an Agent that was Installed from an Archive
You can use this procedure to uninstall agents that you installed on virtual machines in your environment
from an archive.
Prerequisites

Verify that the agent is stopped.
Procedure

(Optional) If you have a Windows operating system, run ep-agent.bat remove to remove the agent
service.

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Select the uninstall option that is appropriate to your situation.
n

If you do not intend to reinstall the agent after you have uninstalled it, delete the agent directory.
The default name of the directory is epops-agent-version.

If you are reinstalling the agent after you have uninstalled it, delete the /data directory.

(Optional) If you do not intend to reinstall the agent after you have uninstalled it, or you do not need to
maintain data continuity, delete the epops-token platform token file.
Depending on your operating system, the file to delete is one of the following, unless otherwise
defined in the properties file.
n

Linux: /etc/epops/epops-token

Windows: %PROGRAMDATA%/VMware/EP Ops Agent/epops-token

Uninstall an Agent that was Installed Using an RPM Package
You can use this procedure to uninstall agents that you installed on virtual machines in your environment
using an RPM package.
When you are uninstalling an End Point Operations Management agent, it is good practice to stop the
agent running, to reduce unnecessary load on the server.
Procedure
u

On the virtual machine from which you are removing the agent, open a command line and run rpm -e
epops-agent.

The agent is uninstalled from the virtual machine.
Uninstall an Agent that was Installed Using a Windows Executable
You can use this procedure to uninstall agents that you installed on virtual machines in your environment
from a Windows EXE file.
When you are uninstalling an End Point Operations Management agent, it is good practice to stop the
agent running, to reduce unnecessary load on the server.
Procedure
u

Double-click unins000.exe in the installation destination directory for the agent.

The agent is uninstalled from the virtual machine.
Reinstall an Agent
If you change the IP address, hostname or port number of the vRealize Operations Manager server, you
need to uninstall and reinstall your agents.
Prerequisites

To maintain data continuity, you must have retained the epops-token platform token file when you
uninstalled your agent. See Uninstall an Agent that was Installed from an Archive.

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When you reinstall an End Point Operations Management agent on a virtual machine, objects that had
previously been detected are no longer monitored. To avoid this situation, do not restart the
End Point Operations Management agent until the plug-in synchronization is complete.
Procedure
u

Run the agent install procedure that is relevant to your operating system.
See Selecting an Agent Installer Package.

What to do next

After you reinstall an agent, MSSQL resources might stop receiving data. If this happens, edit the
problematic resources and click OK.

Install Multiple End Point Operations Management Agents Simultaneously
If you have multiple End Point Operations Management agents to install at one time, you can create a
single standardized agent.properties file that all the agents can use.
Installing multiple agents entails a number of steps. Perform the steps in the order listed.
Prerequisites

Verify that the following prerequisites are satisfied.
1

Set up an installation server.
An installation server is a server that can access the target platforms from which to perform remote
installation.
The server must be configured with a user account that has permissions to SSH to each target
platform without requiring a password.

Verify that each target platform on which an End Point Operations Management agent will be installed
has the following items.
n

A user account that is identical to that created on the installation server.

An identically named installation directory, for example /home/epomagent.

A trusted keystore, if required.

Procedure
1

Create a Standard End Point Operations Management Agent Properties File
You can create a single properties file that contains property values that multiple agents use.

Deploy and Start Multiple Agents One-By-One
You can perform remote installations to deploy multiple agents that use a single agent.properties
file one-by-one.

Deploy and Start Multiple Agents Simultaneously
You can perform remote installations to simultaneously deploy agents that use a single
agent.properties file.

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Create a Standard End Point Operations Management Agent Properties File
You can create a single properties file that contains property values that multiple agents use.
To enable multiple agent deployment, you create an agent.properties file that defines the agent
properties required for the agent to start up and connect with the vRealize Operations Manager server. If
you supply the necessary information in the properties file, each agent locates its setup configuration at
startup, rather than prompting you for the location. You can copy the agent properties file to the agent
installation directory, or to a location available to the installed agent.
Prerequisites

Verify that the prerequisites in Install Multiple End Point Operations Management Agents Simultaneously
are satisfied.
Procedure

Create an agent.properties file in a directory.
You will copy this file later to other machines.

Configure the properties as required.
The minimum configuration is the IP address, user name, password, thumb print, and port of the
vRealize Operations Manager installation server.

Save your configurations.

The first time that the agents are started, they read the agent.properties file to identify the server
connection information. The agents connect to the server and register themselves.
What to do next

Perform remote agent installations. See Deploy and Start Multiple Agents One-By-One or Deploy and
Start Multiple Agents Simultaneously.
Deploy and Start Multiple Agents One-By-One
You can perform remote installations to deploy multiple agents that use a single agent.properties file
one-by-one.
Prerequisites
n

Verify that the prerequisites in Install Multiple End Point Operations Management Agents
Simultaneously are satisfied.

Verify that you configured a standard agent properties file and copied it to the agent installation, or to
a location available to the agent installation.

Procedure

Log in to the installation server user account that you configured with permissions to use SSH to
connect to each target platform without requiring a password.

Use SSH to connect to the remote platform.

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Copy the agent archive to the agent host.

Unpack the agent archive.

Copy the agent.properties file to the AgentHome/conf directory of the unpacked agent archive on
the remote platform.

Start the new agent.

The agent registers with the vRealize Operations Manager server and the agent runs an autodiscovery
scan to discover its host platform and supported managed products that are running on the platform.
Deploy and Start Multiple Agents Simultaneously
You can perform remote installations to simultaneously deploy agents that use a single
agent.properties file.
Prerequisites
n

Verify that the prerequisites in Install Multiple End Point Operations Management Agents
Simultaneously are satisfied.

Verify that you configured a standard agent properties file and copied it to the agent installation, or to
a location available to the agent installation. See Create a Standard End Point Operations
Management Agent Properties File.

Procedure

Create a hosts.txt file on your installation server that maps the hostname to the IP address of each
platform on which you are installing an agent.

Open a command-line shell on the installation server.

Type the following command in the shell, supplying the correct name for the agent package in the
export command.
$ export AGENT=epops-agent-x86-64-linux-1.0.0.tar.gz
$ export PATH_TO_AGENT_INSTALL=
$ for host in `cat hosts.txt`; do scp $AGENT $host:$PATH_TO_AGENT_INSTALL && ssh $host "cd
$PATH_TO_AGENT_INSTALL; tar zxfp $AGENT &&
./epops-agent-1.0.0/ep-agent.sh start"; done

(Optional) If the target hosts have sequential names, for example host001, host002, host003, and so
on, you can skip the hosts.txt file and use the seq command.
$ export AGENT=epops-agent-x86-64-linux-1.0.0.tar.gz
$ for i in `seq 1 9`; do scp $AGENT host$i: && ssh host$i "tar zxfp $AGENT &&
./epops-agent-1.0.0/ep-agent.sh start"; done

The agents register with the vRealize Operations Manager server and the agents run an autodiscovery
scan to discover their host platform and supported managed products that are running on the platform.

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Upgrade the End Point Operations Management Agent
You can upgrade the 6.3 or 6.4 version of an End Point Operations Management agent to a 6.5 version or
later, from the vRealize Operations Manager administration interface.
Prerequisites
n

Download the End Point Operations Management PAK file.

Before you install the PAK file, or upgrade your vRealize Operations Manager instance, clone any
customized content to preserve it. Customized content can include alert definitions, symptom
definitions, recommendations, and views. Then, during the software update, you select the options
named Install the PAK file even if it is already installed and Reset out-of-the-box content.

Procedure

Log into the vRealize Operations Manager administration interface of your cluster at https://IPaddress/admin.

Click Software Update in the left panel.

Click Install a Software Update in the main panel.

From the Add Software Update dialog box, click Browse to select the PAK file.

Click Upload and follow the steps in the wizard to install your PAK file.

After Step 4 of the install is complete, you return to the Software Update page of the
End Point Operations Management administration interface.

A message that indicates that the software update completed successfully appears in the main pane.
If any of the agents have not installed successfully, rerun the upgrade steps and ensure that you have
selected Install the PAK file even if it is already installed in the Add Software Update - Select
Software Update page.

What to do next

You can view the log files from the vRealize Operations Manager administration interface > Support page.
Access and View the Log Files
You can access and view the log files to troubleshoot agent upgrade failure. You can verify the status of
the agents during and after the upgrade process to find out if the agents have upgraded successfully.
You can view the status of the agents during the upgrade from the epops-agent-upgrade-status.txt
file. You can view a final report of the number of agents that have successfully upgraded or failed upgrade
from the epops-agent-bundle-upgrade-summary.txt file.
Procedure

Log into the vRealize Operations Manager administration interface of your cluster at https://IPaddress/admin.

Click Support in the left panel.

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Click the Logs tab in the right pane and double-click EPOPS.

Double-click the log file to view the contents.

Roles and Privileges in vRealize Operations Manager
vRealize Operations Manager provides several predefined roles to assign privileges to users. You can
also create your own roles.
You must have privileges to access specific features in the vRealize Operations Manager user interface.
The roles associated with your user account determine the features you can access and the actions you
can perform.
Each predefined role includes a set of privileges for users to perform create, read, update, or delete
actions on components such as dashboards, reports, administration, capacity, policies, problems,
symptoms, alerts, user account management, and adapters.
Administrator

Includes privileges to all features, objects, and actions in
vRealize Operations Manager.

PowerUser

Users have privileges to perform the actions of the Administrator role
except for privileges to user management and cluster management.
vRealize Operations Manager maps vCenter Server users to this role.

PowerUserMinusReme
diation

Users have privileges to perform the actions of the Administrator role
except for privileges to user management, cluster management, and
remediation actions.

ContentAdmin

Users can manage all content, including views, reports, dashboards, and
custom groups in vRealize Operations Manager.

AgentManager

Users can deploy and configure End Point Operations Management
agents.

GeneralUser-1 through
GeneralUser-4

These predefined template roles are initially defined as ReadOnly roles.
vCenter Server administrators can configure these roles to create
combinations of roles to give users multiple types of privileges. Roles are
synchronized to vCenter Server once during registration.

ReadOnly

Users have read-only access and can perform read operations, but cannot
perform write actions such as create, update, or delete.

Registering Agents on Clusters
You can streamline the process of registering agents on clusters by defining a DNS name for a cluster
and configuring that cluster so that the metrics are shared sequentially in a loop.
You only need to register the agent on the DNS, not on the IP address of each individual machine in the
cluster. If you do register the agent on each node in the cluster, it affects the scale of your environment.

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When you have configured the cluster so that the received metrics are shared in a sequential loop, each
time that the agent queries the DNS server for an IP address, the returned address is for one of the virtual
machines in the cluster. The next time the agent queries the DNS, it sequentially supplies the IP address
of the next virtual machine in the cluster, and so on. The clustered machines are set up in a loop
configuration so that each machine receives metrics in turn, ensuring a balanced load.
After you configure the DNS, it is important to maintain it, ensuring that when machines are added or
removed from the cluster, their IP address information is updated accordingly.

Manually Create Operating System Objects
The agent automatically discovers some of the objects to monitor. You can manually add other objects,
such as files, scripts or processes, and specify the details so that the agent can monitor them.
The Monitor OS Object action only appears in the Actions menu of a object that can be a parent object.
Procedure

In the left pane of vRealize Operations Manager, select the agent adapter object that is to be the
parent under which you are creating an OS object.

Select Actions > Monitor OS Object.
A list of parent object context-sensitive objects appear in the menu.

Choose one of the following options.
n

Click an object type from the list to open the Monitor OS Object dialog for that object type.
The three most popularly selected object types appear in the list.

If the object type that you want to select is not in the list, click More to open the Monitor OS
Object dialog, and select the object type from the complete list of objects that are available for
selection in the Object Type menu.

Specify a display name for the OS object.

Enter the appropriate values in the other text boxes.
The options in the menu are filtered according to the OS object type that you select.
Some text boxes might display default values, which you can overwrite if necessary. Note the
following information about default values.

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Option

Value

Process

Supply the PTQL query in the form: Class.Attribute.operator=value.
For example, Pid.PidFile.eq=/var/run/sshd.pid.
Where:
n

Class is the name of the Sigar class without the Proc prefix.

Attribute is an attribute of the given Class, index into an array or key in a Map class.

operator is one of the following (for String values):
n

eq Equal to value

ne Not Equal to value

ew Ends with value

sw Starts with value

ct Contains value (substring)

re Regular expression value matches

Delimit queries with a comma.
Windows
Service

Monitor an application that runs as a service under Windows.
To configure it, you supply its Service Name in Windows.
To determine the Service Name:
1

Script

Select Run from the Windows Start menu.

Type services.msc in the run dialog and click OK.

In the list of services displayed, right-click the service to monitor and choose Properties.

Locate the Service Name on the General tab.

Configure vRealize Operations Manager to periodically run a script that collects a system or application metric.

Click OK.
You cannot click OK until you enter values for all the mandatory text boxes.

The OS object appears under its parent object and monitoring begins.
Caution If you enter invalid details when you create an OS object, the object is created but the agent
cannot discover it, and metrics are not collected.

Managing Objects with Missing Configuration Parameters
Sometimes when an object is discovered by vRealize Operations Manager for the first time, the absence
of values for some mandatory configuration parameters is detected. You can edit the object's parameters
to supply the missing values.
If you select Custom Groups > Objects with Missing Configuration (EP Ops) in the Environment
Overview view of vRealize Operations Manager, you can see the list of all objects that have missing
mandatory configuration parameters. In addition, objects with such missing parameters return an error in
the Collection Status data.
If you select an object in the vRealize Operations Manager user interface that has missing configuration
parameters, the red Missing Configuration State icon appears on the menu bar. When you point to the
icon, details about the specific issue appear.
You can add the missing parameter values through the Action > Edit Object menu.

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Mapping Virtual Machines to Operating Systems
You can map your virtual machines to an operating system to provide additional information to assist you
to determine the root cause of why an alert was triggered for a virtual machine.
vRealize Operations Manager monitors your ESXi hosts and the virtual machines located on them. When
you deploy an End Point Operations Management agent, it discovers the virtual machines and the objects
that are running on them. By correlating the virtual machines discovered by the
End Point Operations Management agent with the operating systems monitored by
vRealize Operations Manager you have more details to determine the exact cause of an alert being
triggered.
Verify that you have the vCenter Adapter configured with the vCenter Server that manages the virtual
machines. You also need to ensure that you have VMware Tools that are compatible with the
vCenter Server installed on each of the virtual machines.

User Scenario
vRealize Operations Manager is running but you have not yet deployed the
End Point Operations Management agent in your environment. You configured
vRealize Operations Manager to send you alerts when CPU problems occur. You see an alert on your
dashboard because insufficient CPU capacity is available on one of your virtual machines that is running
a Linux operating system. You deploy another two virtual CPUs but the alert remains. You struggle to
determine what is causing the problem.
In the same situation, if you deployed the End Point Operations Management agent, you can see the
objects on your virtual machines, and determine that an application-type object is using all available CPU
capacity. When you add more CPU capacity, it also uses that. You disable the object and your CPU
availability is no longer a problem.

Viewing Objects on Virtual Machines
After you deploy an End Point Operations Management agent on a virtual machine, the machine is
mapped to the operating system and you can see the objects on that machine.
All the actions and the views that are available to other objects in your vRealize Operations Manager
environment are also available for newly discovered server, service, and application objects, and for the
deployed agent.
You can see the objects on a virtual machine in the inventory when you select the machine by clicking
Environment from the menu, and then from the left pane click vSphere Environment > vSphere Hosts
and Clusters. You can see the objects and the deployed agent under the operating system.
When you select an object, the center pane of the user interface displays data relevant to that objects.

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Customizing How End Point Operations Management Monitors
Operating Systems
End Point Operations Management gathers operating system metrics through agent-based collections. In
addition to the features available after initial configuration of End Point Operations Management, you can
enable remote monitoring, enable or disable plug-ins for additional monitoring, and customize
End Point Operations Management logging.

Configuring Remote Monitoring
With remote monitoring you can monitor the state of an object from a remote location by configuring a
remote check.
You can configure remote monitoring using HTTP, ICMP TCP methods.
When you configure a remote HTTP, ICMP or TCP check, it is created as a child object of the tested
object that you are monitoring and of the monitoring agent.
If the object that you select to remotely monitor does not already have an alert configured, one is created
automatically in the format Remote check type failed on a object type. If the object has an
existing alert, that is used.
Configure Remote Monitoring of an Object
Use this procedure to configure remote monitoring of an object.
Configuration options are defined in HTTP Configuration Options, ICMP Configuration Optionsand TCP
Configuration Options. You might need to refer to this information when you are completing this
procedure.
Procedure

In the vRealize Operations Manager user interface, select the remote object to monitor.

On the details page for the object, select Monitor this Object Remotely from the Actions menu.

In the Monitor Remote Object dialog, select the End Point Operations Management agent that will
remotely monitor the object from the Monitored From menu.

Select the method with which the remote object will be monitored from the Check Method menu.
The relevant parameters for the selected object type appear.

Enter values for all of the configuration options and click OK.

HTTP Configuration Options
Here are the options in the configuration schema for the HTTP resource.
For the HTTP resource, the netservices plug-in descriptor default values are:
n

port: 80

sslport: 443

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HTTP Configuration Options
Table 1‑4. ssl Option
Option Information

Value

Description

Use ssl

Default

false

Optional

true

Type

boolean

Notes

N/A

Parent Schema

ssl

Table 1‑5. hostname Option
Option Information

Value

Description

Hostname

Default

localhost

Optional

false

Type

N/A

Notes

The hostname of system that hosts the service to monitor. For
example: mysite.com

Parent Schema

sockaddr

Table 1‑6. port Option
Option Information

Value

Description

Port

Default

A default value for port is usually set for each type of network
service by properties in the netservices plug-in descriptor.

Optional

false

Type

N/A

Notes

The port on which the service listens.

Parent Schema

sockaddr

Table 1‑7. sotimeout Option
Option Information

Value

Description

Socket Timeout (in seconds)

Default

Optional

true

Type

int

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Table 1‑7. sotimeout Option (Continued)
Option Information

Value

Notes

The maximum length of time the agent waits for a response to a
request to the remote service.

Parent Schema

sockaddr

Table 1‑8. path Option
Option Information

Value

Description

Path

Default

Optional

false

Type

N/A

Notes

Enter a value to monitor a specific page or file on the site. for
example: /Support.html.

Parent Schema

url

Table 1‑9. method Option
Option Information

Value

Description

Request Method

Default

HEAD

Optional

false

Type

enum

Notes

Method for checking availability.
Permitted values: HEAD, GET
HEAD results in less network traffic.
Use GET to return the body of the request response to specify a
pattern to match in the response.

Parent Schema

http

Table 1‑10. hostheader Option
Option Information

Value

Description

Host Header

Default

none

Optional

true

Type

N/A

Notes

Use this option to set a Host HTTP header in the request. This
is useful if you use name-based virtual hosting. Specify the host
name of the Vhost's host, for example, blog.mypost.com.

Parent Schema

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Table 1‑11. follow Option
Option Information

Value

Description

Follow Redirects

Default

enabled

Optional

true

Type

boolean

Notes

Enable if the HTTP request that is generated will be re-directed.
This is important, because an HTTP server returns a different
code for a redirect and vRealize Operations Manager
determines that the HTTP service check is unavailable if it is a
redirect, unless this redirect configuration is set.

Parent Schema

http

Table 1‑12. pattern Option
Option Information

Value

Description

Response Match (substring or regex)

Default

none

Optional

true

Type

N/A

Notes

Specify a pattern or substring for vRealize Operations Manager
to attempt to match against the content in the HTTP response.
This enables you to check that in addition to being available, the
resource is serving the content you expect.

Parent Schema

http

Table 1‑13. proxy Option
Option Information

Value

Description

Proxy Connection

Default

none

Optional

true

Type

N/A

Notes

If the connection to the HTTP service goes through a proxy
server, supply the hostname and port for the proxy server. For
example, proxy.myco.com:3128.

Parent Schema

http

Table 1‑14. requestparams Option
Option Information
Description

Value
Request arguments. For example, arg0=val0, arg1=val1, and
so on.

Default

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Table 1‑14. requestparams Option (Continued)
Option Information

Value

Optional

true

Type

string

Notes

Request parameters added to the URL to be tested.

Parent Schema

http

Table 1‑15. Credential Option
Option Information

Value

Description

Username

Default

N/A

Optional

true

Type

N/A

Notes

Supply the user name if the target site is password-protected.

Parent Schema

credentials

ICMP Configuration Options
Here are the options in the configuration schema for the ICMP resource.
ICMP configuration is not supported in Windows environments. When attempting to run an ICMP check
for remote monitoring from an Agent running on a Windows platform, no data is returned.
Table 1‑16. hostname Option
Option Information

Value

Description

Hostname

Default

localhost

Optional

N/A

Type

N/A

Notes

The hostname of system that hosts the object to monitor. For
example: mysite.com

Parent Schema

netservices plug-in descriptor

Table 1‑17. sotimeout Option
Option Information

Value

Description

Socket Timeout (in seconds)

Default

Optional

N/A

Type

int

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Table 1‑17. sotimeout Option (Continued)
Option Information

Value

Notes

The maximum period of time the agent waits for a response to a
request to the remote service.

Parent Schema

netservices plug-in descriptor

TCP Configuration Options
Here are the options in the configuration schema to enable TCP checking.
Table 1‑18. port Option
Option Information

Value

Description

Port

Default

A default value for port is usually set for each type of network
service by properties in the netservices plug-in descriptor.

Optional

false

Type

N/A

Notes

The port on which the service listens.

Parent Schema

sockaddr

Table 1‑19. hostname Option
Option Information

Value

Description

Hostname

Default

localhost

Optional

N/A

Type

N/A

Notes

The hostname of system that hosts the object to monitor. For
example: mysite.com

Parent Schema

netservices plug-in descriptor

Make sure you use the IP address of the machine on which the remote check is to run, not the host
name.
Table 1‑20. sotimeout Option
Option Information

Value

Description

Socket Timeout (in seconds)

Default

Optional

N/A

Type

int

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Table 1‑20. sotimeout Option (Continued)
Option Information

Value

Notes

The maximum amount of time the agent waits for a response to
a request to the remote service.

Parent Schema

netservices plug-in descriptor

Agent Management
You can add, edit, and delete End Point Operations Management agents and enable or disable the
End Point Operations Management plug-ins from the tabs in the Agent Management page.
Where You Find the Agent Management Page
In the menu, click Administration, and then in the left pane click Configuration > End Point
Operations.
Agents Tab
You can view the End Point Operations Management agents that are installed and deployed in your
environment.
Where You Find the Agents Tab
In the menu, click Administration, and then in the left pane click Configuration > End Point
Operations.
How the Agents Tab Works
You can view all the agents that are installed, the virtual machines on which they are installed, their
operating system and the agent bundle version. You can also view the collection details of each agent.
You can filter the list of agents based on the name of the agent. You add a filter from the upper-right
corner of the toolbar. You can sort the Agent Token, Agent Name, Collection State, and Collection Status
columns by clicking the column name.
Plug-ins Tab
End Point Operations Management agents include plug-ins that determine which objects to monitor, how
they should be monitored, which metrics to collect, and so on. Some plug-ins are included in the default
End Point Operations Management agent installation, and other plug-ins might be added as part of any
management pack solution that you install to extend the vRealize Operations Manager monitoring
process.
You can use the Plug-ins tab from the Agents Management page to disable or enable the agent plug-ins
that are deployed in your environment as part of a solution installation. For example, you might want to
temporarily disable a plug-in so that you can analyze the implication of that plug-in on a monitored virtual
machine. To access the Plug-ins tab, in the menu, click Administration, and then in the left pane click
Configuration > End Point Operations. You can sort all the columns in the tab by clicking the column
name.

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All the default plug-ins and the plug-ins that are deployed when you installed one or more solutions are
listed alphabetically on the tab.
You must have Manage Plug-ins permissions to enable and disable plug-ins.
When you disable a plug-in, it is removed from all the agents on which it has existed, and the agent no
longer collects the metrics and other data related to that plug-in. The plug-in is marked as disabled on the
vRealize Operations Manager server.
You cannot disable the default plug-ins that are installed during the vRealize Operations Manager
installation.
You use the action menu that appears when you click the gear wheel icon to disable or enable plug-ins.
Before you deploy a new version of a plug-in, you must implement a shutdown method. If you do not
implement a shutdown method, the existing plug-in version does not shut down so that a new instance is
created and allocated resources such as static threads are not released. Implement a shutdown method
for these plug-ins.
n

Plug-ins that use third-party libraries

Plug-ins that use native libraries

Plug-ins that use connection pools

Plug-ins that might lock files, which cause issues on Windows operating systems

It is good practice that plug-ins do not use threads, third-party libraries, or static collection.
Configuring Plug-in Loading
At startup, an End Point Operations Management agent loads all the plug-ins in the
AgentHome/bundles/agent-x.y.z-nnnn/pdk/plugins directory. You can configure properties in the
agent.properties file to reduce an agent's memory footprint by configuring it to load only the plug-ins
that you use.
Plug-ins are deployed to all agents when a solution is installed. You might want to use the properties
described here in a situation in which you need to remove one or more plug-ins from a specific machine.
You can either specify a list of plug-ins to exclude, or configure a list of plug-ins to load.
plugins.exclude
Use this property to specify the plug-ins that the End Point Operations Management agent must not load
at startup.
You supply a comma-separated list of plugins to exclude. For example,
plugins.exclude=jboss,apache,mysql.
plugins.include
Use this property to specify the plug-ins that the End Point Operations Management agent must load at
startup.
You supply a comma-separated list of plugins to include. For example,
plugins.include=weblogic,apache.

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Understanding the Unsynchronized Agents Group
An unsynchronized agent is an agent that is not synchronized with the vRealize Operations Manager
server in terms of its plug-ins. The agent might be missing plug-ins that are registered on the server,
include plug-ins that are not registered on the server, or include plug-ins that have a different version to
that registered on the server.
Each agent must be synchronized with the vRealize Operations Manager server. During the time that an
agent is not synchronized with the server, it appears in the Unsynchronized Agents list. The list is located
in the vRealize Operations Manager user interface on the Groups tab in the Environment view.
The first time an agent is started, a status message is sent to the server. The server compares the status
sent by the agent with that on the server. The server sends commands to the agent to synchronize,
download or delete plug-ins, as required by the differences that it detects.
When a plug-in is deployed, disabled, or enabled as part of a management pack solution update, the
vRealize Operations Manager server detects that change and sends a new command to the agents so
that synchronization occurs.
Commonly, multiple agents are affected at the same time when a plug-in is deployed, disabled or
enabled. All agents have an equal need to be updated so, to avoid overloading the server and creating
performance issues that might occur if many agents were all synchronized at the same time,
synchronization is performed in batches and is staggered in one-minute periods. You will notice that the
list of unsynchronized agents decrements over time.

Configuring Agent Logging
You can configure the name, location, and logging level for End Point Operations Management agent
logs. You can also redirect system messages to the agent log, and configure the debug log level for an
agent subsystem.
Agent Log Files
The End Point Operations Management agent log files are stored in the AgentHome/log directory.
Agent log files include the following:
agent.log
agent.operations.log

This log is applicable to Windows-based agents only.
This is an audit log that records the commands that were run on the agent,
together with the parameters that the agent used to action them.

wrapper.log

The Java service wrapper-based agent launcher writes messages to the
wrapper.log file. For a non-JRE agent, this file is located in
agentHome/wrapper/sbin.
In the event that the value was changed ifr the agent.logDir property, the
file is also located in agentHome/wrapper/sbin.

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Configuring the Agent Log Name or Location
Use these properties to change the name or location of the agent log file.
agent.logDir
You can add this property to the agent.properties file to specify the directory where the
End Point Operations Management agent will write its log file. If you do not specify a fully qualified path,
agent.logDir is evaluated relative to the agent installation directory.
This property does not exist in the agent.properties file unless you explicitly add it. The default
behavior is equivalent to the agent.logDir=log setting, resulting in the agent log file being written to the
AgentHome/log directory.
To change the location for the agent log file, add agent.logDir to the agent.properties file and enter
a path relative to the agent installation directory, or a fully qualified path.
The name of the agent log file is configured with the agent.logFile property.
agent.logFile
This property specifies the path and name of the agent log file.
In the agent.properties file, the default setting for the agent.LogFile property is made up of a
variable and a string, agent.logFile=${agent.logDir}\agent.logDir.
n

agent.logDir is a variable that supplies the value of an identically named agent property. By default,
the value of agent.logDir is log, interpreted relative to the agent installation directory.

agent.log is the name for the agent log file.

By default, the agent log file is named agent.log and is written to the AgentHome/log directory.
To configure the agent to log to a different directory, you must explicitly add the agent.logDir property to
the agent.properties file.
Configuring the Agent Logging Level
Use this property to control the severity level of messages that the End Point Operations Management
agent writes to the agent log file.
agent.logLevel
This property specifies the level of detail of the messages that the End Point Operations Management
agent writes to the log file.
Setting the agent.logLevel property value to DEBUG level is not advised. This level of logging across all
subsystems imposes overhead, and can also cause the log file to roll over so frequently that log
messages of interest are lost. It is preferable to configure debug level logging only at the subsystem level.
The changes that you make to this property become effective approximately five minutes after you save
the properties file. It is not necessary to restart the agent to initiate the change.

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Redirecting System Messages to the Agent Log
You can use these properties to redirect system-generated messages to the
End Point Operations Management agent log file.
agent.logLevel.SystemErr
This property redirects System.err to agent.log. Commenting out this setting causes System.err to
be directed to agent.log.startup.
The default value is ERROR.
agent.logLevel.SystemOut
This property redirects System.out to agent.log. Commenting out this setting causes System.out to
be directed to agent.log.startup.
The default value is INFO.
Configuring the Debug Level for an Agent Subsystem
For troubleshooting purposes, you can increase the logging level for an individual agent subsystem.
To increase the logging level for an individual agent subsystem, uncomment the appropriate line in the
section of the agent.properties file that is labelled Agent Subsystems: Uncomment individual
subsystems to see debug messages.
Agent log4j Properties
This is the log4j properties in the agent.properties file.
log4j.rootLogger=${agent.logLevel}, R
log4j.appender.R.File=${agent.logFile}
log4j.appender.R.MaxBackupIndex=1
log4j.appender.R.MaxFileSize=5000KB
log4j.appender.R.layout.ConversionPattern=%d{dd-MM-yyyy HH:mm:ss,SSS z} %-5p [%t] [%c{1}@%L] %m%n
log4j.appender.R.layout=org.apache.log4j.PatternLayout
log4j.appender.R=org.apache.log4j.RollingFileAppender
##
## Disable overly verbose logging
##
log4j.logger.org.apache.http=ERROR
log4j.logger.org.springframework.web.client.RestTemplate=ERROR
log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.measurement.agent.server.SenderThread=INFO
log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.agent.server.AgentDListProvider=INFO
log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.agent.server.MeasurementSchedule=INFO
log4j.logger.org.hyperic.util.units=INFO
log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.product.pluginxml=INFO
# Only log errors from naming context
log4j.category.org.jnp.interfaces.NamingContext=ERROR
log4j.category.org.apache.axis=ERROR

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#Agent Subsystems: Uncomment individual subsystems to see debug messages.
#----------------------------------------------------------------------#log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.autoinventory=DEBUG
#log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.livedata=DEBUG
#log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.measurement=DEBUG
#log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.control=DEBUG
#Agent Plugin Implementations
#log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.product=DEBUG
#Server Communication
#log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.bizapp.client.AgentCallbackClient=DEBUG
#Server Realtime commands dispatcher
#log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.agent.server.CommandDispatcher=DEBUG
#Agent Configuration parser
#log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.agent.AgentConfig=DEBUG
#Agent plugins loader
#log4j.logger.org.hyperic.util.PluginLoader=DEBUG
#Agent Metrics Scheduler (Scheduling tasks definitions & executions)
#log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.agent.server.session.AgentSynchronizer.SchedulerThread=DEBUG
#Agent Plugin Managers
#log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.product.MeasurementPluginManager=DEBUG
#log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.product.AutoinventoryPluginManager=DEBUG
#log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.product.ConfigTrackPluginManager=DEBUG
#log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.product.LogTrackPluginManager=DEBUG
#log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.product.LiveDataPluginManager=DEBUG
#log4j.logger.org.hyperic.hq.product.ControlPluginManager=DEBUG

VMware vRealize Application Management Pack
The VMware vRealize Application Management Pack enables application monitoring from Wavefront.
Do not add, edit, or modify operations. For information about adding an application proxy, see Add and
Configure an Application Proxy.

View the Configuration Details
You can view configuration details of the VMware vRealize Application Management Pack.
To access and view the configuration details, complete the following steps:
1

In the menu, select Administration, and then from the left pane, select Solutions.

From the Solutions pane in the right pane, select VMware vRealize Application Management Pack.

Click the Configure icon.

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Table 1‑21. Configuration Details
Options

Description

Instance Name

Displays the vCenter servers that have been mapped with the
VMware Application Proxy.

Display Name

Displays the IP address of the VMware Application Proxy and
the vCenter Server.

UCP Host

Displays the IP address of the VMware Application Proxy you
have configured.

Mapped vCenter(s)

Displays the IP address of the vCenter Server you mapped to
the VMware Application Proxy.

Credentials

Displays the name of the credential, which is the IP address of
the VMware Application Proxy.
To add credentials, click the plus sign.

Collectors/Groups

Credential Name: The name by which you are identifying
and managing the configured credentials.

Application Proxy Username: The user account details
used in VMware Application Proxy.

Application Proxy Password: Password of the user
account in VMware Application Proxy.

Select the collector that is used to manage the adapter
processes.

Log Insight
When vRealize Operations Manager is integrated with Log Insight, you can view the Log Insight page, the
Troubleshoot with Logs dashboard, and the Logs tab. You can collect and analyze log feeds. You can
filter and search for log messages. You can also dynamically extract fields from log messages based on
customized queries.

Log Insight Page
When vRealize Operations Manager is integrated with vRealize Log Insight, you can search and filter log
events. From the Interactive Analytics tab in the Log Insight page, you can create queries to extract
events based on timestamp, text, source, and fields in log events . vRealize Log Insight presents charts of
the query results.
To access the Log Insight page from vRealize Operations Manager, you must either:
n

Configure the vRealize Log Insight adapter from the vRealize Operations Manager interface, or

Configure vRealize Operations Manager in vRealize Log Insight.
For more information about configuring, see Configuring vRealize Log Insight with vRealize
Operations Manager.

For information about vRealize Log Insight interactive analytics, see the vRealize Log Insight
documentation.

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Logs Tab
When vRealize Operations Manager is integrated with vRealize Log Insight, you can view the logs for a
selected object from the Logs tab. You can troubleshoot a problem in your environment by correlating the
information in the logs with the metrics. You can then most likely determine the root cause of the problem.

How the Logs Tab Works
By default, the Logs tab displays different event types for the last hour. For vSphere objects, the logs are
filtered to show the event types for the specific object you select. For more information on the different
filtering and querying capabilities, see the vRealize Log Insight documentation.

Where You Find the Logs Tab
In the menu, select Environment and then from the left pane select an inventory object. Click the Logs
tab. To view the Logs tab, you have to configure vRealize Operations Manager in vRealize Log Insight.
For more information, see Configuring vRealize Log Insight with vRealize Operations Manager.
After integrating vRealize Operations Manager with vRealize Log Insight, refresh the browser to see the
Logs tab.

Configuring vRealize Log Insight with
vRealize Operations Manager
To use the Log Insight page, the Troubleshoot with Logs dashboard, and Logs tab in
vRealize Operations Manager, you must configure vRealize Log Insight with
vRealize Operations Manager.

Configuring the vRealize Log Insight Adapter in vRealize Operations Manager
To access the Log Insight page and the Troubleshoot with Logs dashboard from
vRealize Operations Manager, you must configure the vRealize Log Insight adapter in
vRealize Operations Manager.
vRealize Operations Manager accesses the first instance of the vRealize Log Insight adapter that is
configured.
Prerequisites
n

Verify that vRealize Log Insight and vRealize Operations Manager are installed.

Verify that you know the IP address, user name, and password of the vRealize Log Insight instance
you have installed.

Procedure
1

In the menu, click Administration, and then in the left pane click Solutions.

From the Solutions page, click VMware vRealize Log Insight.

Click the Configure icon. You see the Manage Solution-VMware vRealize Log Insight dialog box.

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In the Manage Solutions dialog box perform the following steps:
n

Enter a name in the Display Name text box.

Enter the IP address in the Log Insight server text box of the vRealize Log Insight you have
installed and want to integrate with.

Click Test Connection to verify that the connection is successful.

Click Save Settings.

Click Close.

From the vRealize Operations Manager Home page, click Troubleshoot > Using Logs from the left
pane. If you see a statement at the bottom of the page, click the link and accept the certificate
exception in vRealize Log Insight or contact your IT support for more information.

From the vRealize Operations Manager Home page, click Troubleshoot > Using Logs from the left
pane and enter the user name and password of the vRealize Log Insight instance you have installed.

Configuring vRealize Operations Manager in vRealize Log Insight
You configure vRealize Operations Manager in vRealize Log Insight in the following scenarios:
n

To access the Logs tab in vRealize Operations Manager.

To access the Troubleshoot with Logs dashboard and the Log Insight page from
vRealize Operations Manager.

Prerequisites
n

Verify that vRealize Log Insight and vRealize Operations Manager are installed.

Verify that you know the IP address, hostname, and password of the vRealize Operations Manager
instance you want to integrate with.

Procedure
1

From the Administration page of vRealize Log Insight, click the vRealize Operations icon from the
left pane. You see the vRealize Operations Integration pane.

In the Hostname and Username text boxes, enter the IP address and hostname of the
vRealize Operations Manager instance you want to integrate with.

In the Password text box, select Update Password and enter the password of the
vRealize Operations Manager instance you want to integrate with.

Select the Enable launch in context option.

Click Test Connection to verify that the connection is successful.

Click Save.
You can now view the log details for an object in vRealize Operations Manager.

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Log Forwarding
For troubleshooting in the product UI, you can send the logs to an external log server or a
vRealize Log Insight server.
If you have configured log forwarding from Administration > Support > Logs in earlier versions of
vRealize Operations Manager, VMware recommends that you reconfigure in this version of
vRealize Operations Manager.

Where You Find the Log Forwarding Page
In the menu, select Administration and then from the left pane select Management > Log Forwarding.
Table 1‑22. Log Forwarding Page Options
Options

Description

Output logs to the external log server

Forwards the logs to an external log server.

Forwarded Logs

You can select the set of logs you want to forward to the external
log server or the vRealize Log Insight server.

Log Insight Servers

You can select an available vRealize Log Insight server IP.
If there is no available vRealize Log Insight server IP, select
Other from the drop-down menu and manually enter the
configuration details.

Host

IP address of the external log server where logs have to be
forwarded.

Port

The default port value depends on whether or not SSL has been
set up for each protocol. The following are the possible default
port values:
Protocol

SSL

Default Port

cfapi

9000

cfapi

Yes

9543

syslog

514

syslog

Yes

6514

Use SSL

Allows the vRealize Log Insight agent to send data securely.

Certificate Path

You can enter the path to the trusted root certificates bundle file.
If you do not enter a certificate path, the vRealize Log Insight
Windows agent uses system root certificates and the
vRealize Log Insight Linux agent attempts to load trusted
certificates from /etc/pki/tls/certs/ca-bundle.crt
or /etc/ssl/certs/ca-certificates.crt.

Protocol

You can select either cfapi or syslog from the drop-down
menu to send event logging messages.

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Modifying Existing Log Types
If you manually modified the existing entries or logs sections and then modify the log forwarding settings
from vRealize Operations Manager, you lose the changes that you made.
The following server entries are overwritten by the vRealize Operations Manager log forwarding settings.
port
proto
hostname
ssl
reconnect
ssl_ca_path

The following [common | global] tags are being added or overwritten by the
vRealize Operations Manager log forwarding settings.
vmw_vr_ops_appname
vmw_vr_ops_clustername
vmw_vr_ops_clusterrole
vmw_vr_ops_hostname
vmw_vr_ops_nodename

Note Cluster role changes do not change the value of the vmw_vr_ops_clusterrole tag. You can
either manually modify or ignore it.

Business Management
When vRealize Operations Manager is integrated with vRealize Business for Cloud, you can display
infrastructure performance and cost information in the Business Management page.
To display infrastructure performance and cost information, you must configure the
vRealize Business for Cloud adapter. For information about configuring this adapter, refer to Configure
the vRealize Business for Cloud Adapter.
After you have configured the adapter, you can click the link at the bottom of the Business Management
page to log in to vRealize Business for Cloud, and accept the certificate exception.
You must accept the certificate exception each time you log in to vRealize Business for Cloud to see data
in the Business Management page.

Configure the vRealize Business for Cloud Adapter
Integrate VMware vRealize Business for Cloud with vRealize Operations Manager to view your
infrastructure performance, cost information, and also troubleshooting tips.
You can connect vRealize Operations Manager to a single instance of vRealize Business for Cloud.

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Procedure

On the menu, click Administration and in the left pane click Solutions.

Select VMware vRealize Business for Cloud, and click the Configure icon.

Enter a name for the adapter instance.

In the vRealize Business for Cloud Server text box, enter the IP address of the vRealize Business
for Cloud server to which you want to connect.

Click Test Connection to verify that the connection is successful.

Click Advanced Settings, and in the Collectors/Groups text box, select the
vRealize Operations Manager collector used to manage the adapter process.
If you have one adapter instance, select Default collector group. If you have multiple collectors in
your environment, to distribute the workload and optimize performance, select the collector to
manage the adapter processes for this instance.

Click Save Settings to finish configuration of the adapter, and click Close.

What to do next

To view data in the Business Management page:
1

On the menu, click Administration and in the left pane click Business Management.

Click the link at the bottom of the Business Management page and log into vRealize Business for
Cloud.

Accept the certificate exception.

Cost Settings for Financial Accounting Model
You can configure Server Hardware cost driver and resource utilization parameters to calculate the
accurate cost and improve the efficiency of your environment.
Cost Drivers analyzes the resources and the performance of your virtual environment. Based on the
values you define, Cost Drivers can identify reclamation opportunities and can provide recommendations
to reduce wastage of resources and cost.

Configuring Depreciation Preferences
To compute the amortized cost of the Server Hardware cost driver, you can configure the depreciation
method and the depreciation period. Cost Drivers supports two yearly depreciation methods and you can
set the depreciation period from two to seven years.
Note Cost Drivers calculates the yearly depreciation values and then divides the value by 12 to arrive at
the monthly depreciation.

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Method

Calculation

Straight line

Yearly straight line depreciation = [(original cost - accumulated depreciation) /
number of remaining depreciation years]

Max of Double or
Straight

Yearly max of Double or Straight = Maximum (yearly depreciation of double declining
balance method, yearly depreciation of straight line method)
Yearly depreciation of double declining method= [(original cost - accumulated
depreciation) * depreciation rate].
Depreciation rate = 2 / number of depreciation years.
Note Double declining depreciation for the last year = original cost - accumulated
depreciation

Example: Example for Straight Line Depreciation Method
Year

Original Cost

Accumulated Depreciation

Year 1

10000

Year 2

10000

2000

Year 3

10000

4000

Year 4

10000

6000

Year 5

10000

8000

Straight Line Depreciation Cost
[(10000-0)/5] =

2000

[(10000-2000)/4] = 2000

[(10000-2000)/3] = 2000

[(10000-2000)/2] = 2000

[(10000-2000)/1] = 2000

Example: Example for Max of Double and Straight Line Depreciation Method
Year

Original Cost

Depreciation Rate

Accumulated
Depreciation

Year 1

10000

0.4

Straight Line Depreciation Cost
Maximum([(10000-0)*0.4],[(10000-0)/5])
= Maximum(4000, 2000) = 4000
which is 333.33 per month.

Year 2

10000

0.4

4000

Maximum([(10000-4000)*0.4],[(10000-4000)/4])
= Maximum (2400, 1500) = 2400
which is 200 per month.

Year 3

10000

0.4

6400

Maximum([(10000-6400)*0.4],[(10000-6400)/3])
= Maximum (1440, 1200) = 1440
which is 120 per month.

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Year

Original Cost

Depreciation Rate

Accumulated
Depreciation

Year 4

10000

0.4

7840

Straight Line Depreciation Cost
Maximum([(10000-7840)*0.4],[(10000-7840)/2])
= Maximum (864, 1080) = 1080
which is 90 per month.

Year 5

10000

0.4

8920

Maximum([(10000-8920)*0.4],[(10000-8920)/1])
= Maximum (432, 1080) = 1080
which is 90 per month.

Overview of Cost Drivers
Cost Drivers are the aspect that contributes to the expense of your business operations. Cost drivers
provide a link between a pool of costs. To provide a granular cost visibility and to track your expenses of
virtual machines accurately in a private cloud, vRealize Operations Manager has identified eight key cost
drivers. You can see the total projected expense on your private cloud accounts for the current month and
the trend of cost over time.
According to the industry standard, vRealize Operations Manager maintains a reference cost for these
cost drivers. This reference cost helps you for calculating the cost of your setup, but might not be
accurate. For example, you might have received some special discounts during a bulk purchase or you
might have an ELA with VMware that may not match the socket-based pricing available in the reference
database. To get accurate values, you can modify the reference cost of cost drivers in
vRealize Operations Manager, which overrides the values in reference database. Based on your inputs,
vRealize Operations Manager recalculates the total amount of private cloud expenses. After you add a
private cloud into vRealize Operations Manager, vRealize Operations Manager automatically discovers
one or more vCenter Servers that are part of your Private Cloud. In addition, it also retrieves the inventory
details from each vCenter Server. The details include:
n

Associated clusters: Count and names

ESXi hosts: Count, model, configuration, and so on.

Data stores: Count, storage, type, capacity

VMs: Count, OS type, tags, configuration, utilization

Based on these configuration and utilizations of inventory, and the available reference cost,
vRealize Operations Manager calculates the estimated monthly cost of each cost driver. The total cost of
your private cloud is the sum of all these cost driver expenses.
You can modify the expense of your data center. These costs can be in terms of percentage value or unit
rate, and might not always be in terms of the overall cost. Based on your inputs, the final amount of
expense is calculated. If you do not provide inputs regarding expenses, the default values are taken from
the reference database.

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You can see the projected cost of private cloud for the current month and the trend of total cost over time.
For all the expenses, cost drivers invRealize Operations Manager display the monthly trend of the cost
variations, the actual expense, and a chart that represents the actual expense and the reference cost of
the expense.
Note If the vCenter Server was added from more than six months, the trend displays the total cost for
the last six months only. Otherwise, the trend displays the total cost from the month the vCenter Server
was added into vRealize Operations Manager.
Table 1‑23. Expense Types
Cost Drivers

Description

Server
Hardware

The Server Hardware cost driver tracks all the expenses for purchasing of hardware servers that are part of
vCenter Servers. You see the server cost based on CPU age and server cost details.

Storage

You can calculate the storage cost at the level of a datastore based on tag category information collected from
vCenter Server. You see the storage total distribution based on category and the uncategorized cost details.

License

You see the licenses cost distribution for the operating systems cost and VMware license of your cloud
environment.
Note For Non-ESX physical servers, VMware license is not applicable.

Maintenance

You see the maintenance cost distribution for the server hardware and operating system maintenance. You can
track your total expense with hardware and operating system vendors.

Labor

You see the labor cost distribution for the servers, virtual infrastructure, and operating systems. You can view
the total administrative cost for managing physical servers, operating systems and virtual machines. You can
track all expenses spent on human resources to manage the datacenters.
Note

Network

Labor cost includes expenses on backup appliance virtual machine (VDP virtual appliance).

For physical servers, operating system labor cost and servers labor costs are applicable, virtual
infrastructure cost is not considered.

You see the networks costs by NIC type. You can track a network expense based on different types of NICs
attached to the ESX server. You can view the total cost of physical network infrastructure that includes internet
bandwidth, and is is estimated by count and type of network ports on the ESXi Servers.
Note For physical servers, the network details are not captured. So, the network cost is considered as zero.

Facilities

You see the cost distribution for the facilities such as real estate costs, such as rent or cost of data center
buildings, power, cooling, racks, and associated facility management labor cost. You can point to the chart to
see the cost details for each facility type.

Additional Cost

You can see the additional expenses such as backup and restore, high availability, management, licensing,
VMware software licensing.

You can select a data center to view the information specific to the data center.

Editing Cost Drivers
You can manually edit monthly cost of all the eight expense types from the current month onwards.
The configuration used for cost drivers determines how vRealize Operations Manager calculates and
displays the cost.

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Editing Server Hardware
You can view, add, edit, or delete the cost of each server group, based on their configuration and the
purchase date of a batch server running in your cloud environment. After you update the server hardware
cost, cost drivers updates the total monthly cost and average monthly cost for each server group. You can
also see the details about the list of storage arrays that the EMC SRM identifies in the server.
Procedure

Click Administration and in the left pane click Configuration > Cost Drivers.

Click Server Hardware tab.

Click any server from the list of Server Group Description.
The cost drivers groups all server hardware from all data centers in your inventory based on their
hardware configuration.

Category

Description

Server Group Description

Displays the name of the server in your inventory.

Number of Servers

Displays the total number of servers of any particular hardware configuration in your inventory.

Monthly Cost

Displays the average monthly cost for server. This value is calculated as a weighted average of
prices of purchased and leased batches.

After selecting a server group, you can manually enter the required fields.
a

Click Split Batch to enter your purchase date, cost, and type. Click split batch to enter multiple
batch details of the purchase or lease of server hardware.

Enter the Number of Servers and select the Purchase Type.

Click Save.

Edit Monthly Cost of Storage
The storage hardware is categorized according to the datastore tag category. You can edit the monthly
cost per storage GB for the datastores based on their storage category (using tags) and storage type
(NAS, SAN, Fiber Channel or Block).
Prerequisites

To edit the cost based on storage category, you must create tags and apply them to the datastores on the
vCenter Server user interface. For more information, see the VMware vSphere Documentation.
Procedure

Click Administration and in the left pane click Configuration > Cost Drivers.

Click Storage tab.

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(Optional) Select a tag category.
Assume that you have two tag categories (for example, Profile and Tiers) with three tags in each
category, you can select either Profile or Tiers from Tag Category to categorize the datastores based
on tags.
Category

Description

Tag Category

Category displays the tag categories for datastores and also the tags associated with the category.
Note If you have performed a fresh installation of vCenter Server 6.0, and not assigned tags to
the datastores, cost drivers displays tag category for datastores as uncategorized.

Datastores

Displays the total number of datastores for a specific category or type. You can click the datastore
value to see list of datastores and its details such as monthly cost, total GB for each datastore.

Total Storage (GB)

Displays the total storage for a specific category or type.

Monthly Cost Per
GB

Displays the monthly cost per GB for a specific category or type. You can edit this value for defining the
monthly cost per GB for datastores.

Monthly Cost

Displays the total monthly cost for a specific category or type.

Click Save.

Edit Monthly Cost of License
You can edit the total operating system licensing cost and VMware license cost of your cloud
environment. You can edit the license cost by either selecting the ELA charging policy or selecting the per
socket value.
Procedure

Click Administration and in the left pane click Configuration > Cost Drivers.

Click License tab.
The Cost drivers display all the licenses in your cloud environment.

Category

Description

Name

Displays the category of the operating system. If the operating system is not Windows or Linux, cost drivers
categorize the operating system under Other Operating Systems.

VMs

Displays the number of virtual machines that are running on the specific operating system.

Sockets

Displays the number of sockets on which the specific operating system is running.

Charged by

Displays whether a cost is charged by socket or ELA.

Total Cost

Displays the total cost of the specific operating system.

Click Save.

According to your inputs, vRealize Operations Manager calculates and displays the total cost and
updates the Charged by column with the option that you have selected.

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Edit Monthly Cost of Maintenance
You can edit the monthly cost of maintaining your cloud environment. Maintenance cost is categorized
into hardware maintenance cost and operating system maintenance cost. Hardware maintenance cost is
calculated as a percentage of the purchase cost of servers. Operating system maintenance cost is
calculated as a percentage of the Windows licensing costs.
Procedure

Click Administration and in the left pane click Configuration > Cost Drivers.

Click Maintenance tab.

Edit the monthly maintenance cost.

Edit the percentage value of the hardware maintenance cost.

Edit the percentage value of the operating system maintenance cost.

Click Save.

Edit Monthly Cost of Labor
You can edit the monthly cost of labor for your cloud environment. The labor cost is combination of the
total cost of the server administrator, virtual infrastructure administrator, and the operating system
administrator.
Procedure

Click Administration and in the left pane click Configuration > Cost Drivers.

Select the Labor tab.
The monthly labor cost is displayed.

Category

Description

Category

Displays the categories of labor cost, servers, virtual infrastructure, and operating system

Calculated by

Displays whether the cost is calculated hourly or monthly

Total Monthly Cost

Displays the total monthly cost of the particular category

Reference Cost

Displays the reference cost for the category from the cost drivers database

Click Save.

The total monthly cost is updated. The hourly rate option or the monthly cost option that you select is
updated in the Calculated by column.

Edit Monthly Cost of the Network
You can edit the monthly cost for each Network Interface Controller (NIC) type or can edit the total cost of
all the networking expenses associated with the cloud.

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Procedure

Click Administration and in the left pane click Configuration > Cost Drivers.

Click Network tab.

Edit the monthly cost of network.

Modify the values for 1 Gigabit NIC and the 10 Gigabit NIC.

Modify the total monthly cost of all network expenses associated with the cloud.

Click Save.

The total monthly network expenses are updated.

Edit Monthly Cost of Facilities
For your cloud environment, you can specify the total monthly cost of facilities or edit the facilities cost for
real estate, power, and cooling requirements.
Procedure

Click Administration and in the left pane click Configuration > Cost Drivers.

Click Facilities tab.

Edit the monthly facilities cost.

Modify the cost of rent or real estate per rack unit and modify the monthly cost of power and
cooling per kilowatt-hour.

Modify the total monthly cost of facilities.

Click Save to save to update the changes.

The monthly facilities cost is updated.

Editing Additional Costs
The additional cost lets you add any additional or extra expense that is not covered by other expenses
categorized by vRealize Operations Manager. No reference value is present for this expense.
Procedure

Click Administration and in the left pane click Configuration > Cost Drivers.

Click Additonal Costs tab.

Select the monthly cost type for the expenses.

Select the Entity Type and Entity Selection.

Enter the Monthly Cost per entity and Total Cost per month.

Click Save.

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Cost Calculation Status Overview
You can check the ongoing status of manually triggered cost calculation process.
Cost calculation by default, occurs daily and whenever there is a change in the inventory or cost drivers
values. You can trigger the cost calculation manually so that changes in the inventory and cost driver
values reflect accordingly on the VM cost without having to wait there for any failures in the cost
calculation process. It also shows default schedules time for next cost calculation process.

Cluster Cost Overview
vRealize Operations Manager calculates the base rates of CPU and memory so that they can be used for
virtual machine cost computation. Base rates are determined for each cluster, which are homogeneous
provisioning groups. Hence, base rates might change across clusters, but are the same within a cluster.
Unclustered hosts in a vCenter Server are grouped according to their vendor, model, and configuration. If
you have enabled the data center mode, unclustered hosts are grouped under data centers.
1

vRealize Operations Manager first arrives at the fully loaded cost of the cluster from the cost drivers.
After the cost of a cluster is determined, this cost is split into CPU and memory costs based on the
industry standard cost ratios for the different models of the server.

The CPU base rate is first computed by dividing the CPU cost of the cluster by the CPU capacity of
the cluster. CPU base rate is then prorated by dividing the CPU base rate by expected CPU utilization
percentage to arrive at true base rate for charging the virtual machines.

The memory base rate is first computed by dividing the memory cost of the cluster by the memory
capacity of the cluster. Memory base rate is then prorated by dividing the memory base rate by
expected memory utilization percentage to arrive at true base rate for charging the virtual machines.

You can either provide the expected CPU and memory utilization or can derive the expected CPU and
memory utilization based on 3-month utilization average of ESXi hosts.

Cluster Cost Elements

Calculation

Total Compute Cost

Total Compute Cost = (Total Infrastructure cost, which is sum of all cost drivers) – (Storage cost) –
(Direct VM cost, which is sum of OS labor, VM labor and any Windows Desktop licenses)

Expected CPU and Memory
utilization

Expected CPU and Memory utilization = These percentages are arrived based on historical actual
utilization of clusters

Per gHZ CPU base rate

Per gHZ CPU base rate = (Cost attributed to CPU out of Total compute cost) / (Expected CPU
Utilization * Cluster CPU Capacity in gHZ)

Per GB RAM base rate

Per GB RAM base rate = (Cost attributed to RAM out of Total compute cost) / (Expected Memory
Utilization * Cluster RAM Capacity in GB)

vRealize Automation Solution
The vRealize Automation solution extends operational management capabilities of the
vRealize Operations Manager platform to provide tenant-aware operational visibility of the cloud
infrastructure.

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The vRealize Automation solution enables you as a cloud provider to monitor the health and capacity risk
of your cloud infrastructure in the context of the tenant's business groups.
You can use the vRealize Automation solution to perform some of the following key tasks:
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To gain visibility into the performance and health of the tenant’s business groups that the underlying
cloud infrastructure supports.

To minimize the time taken to troubleshoot, if there is a tenant workload or an underlying
infrastructure problem. The vRealize Automation solution provides visibility into the impact to
performance, health, and capacity risk of the business groups because of an operational problem in
the underlying cloud infrastructure layer.

To manage the placements of VMs that are part of the clusters managed by vRealize Automation.

Supported vRealize Automation Versions
The vRealize Automation solution is supported with vRealize Automation 7.0 versions. Workload
placement is supported from vRealize Automation 7.3 onwards with vRealize Operations Manager 6.6
and above.
If you upgrade from a previous version to vRealize Operations Manager 6.7, that has the
vRealize Automation Management Pack 3.0 installed, the following behavior is observed:
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vRealize Automation Management Pack 3.0 is upgraded to 4.0.

Object Types and Relationships
The vRealize Automation solution brings in cloud constructs and their relationships from
vRealize Automation into vRealize Operations Manager for operational analysis.
You can use the following items in the virtual infrastructure as object types in
vRealize Operations Manager.
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Tenant

Reservation

Business Group

Deployment

Blueprint

Managed Resources

Reservation Policy

Virtual Machine

Datastore

vRealize Automation World

vRealize Automation Management Pack Instance

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Objects types in an enterprise environment are related to other objects types in that environment. Object
types are either part of a larger object type, or they contain smaller component objects, or both. When
you select a parent object type, vRealize Operations Manager shows any related child objects types.
Table 1‑24. Relationship Model
Relationship View

Parent-Child Relationship Between Objects

Application View

Tenant > Deployment > Virtual Machine

Infrastructure View

Tenant > Business Group > Reservation > Cluster and Datastore

Blueprint View

Tenant > Business Group > Blueprint > Deployment > Virtual Machine

Deployment View

Tenant > Deployment > Virtual Machine

Reservation Policy View

Reservation Policy > Reservation > Cluster

vRealize Automation Workload Placement
You can enable workload placement when you add vRealize Operations Manager 6.6 as an endpoint in
vRealize Automation 7.3. You cannot enable workload placement by adding a version of
vRealize Operations Manager that is previous to version 6.6, as an endpoint in vRealize Automation 7.3.
To add vRealize Operations Manager as an endpoint in vRealize Automation 7.3, complete the following
steps.
Procedure

Select Infrastructure > Endpoint > Endpoints.

Select New > Management > vRealize Operations Manager.

Enter the general information for the vRealize Operations Manager endpoint.

Click OK.

Port Information
In environments where strict firewalls are in place, specific ports must be open for the
vRealize Automation solution to retrieve data from vRealize Operations Manager.
n

vRealize Automation CAFÉ Appliance/VIP URL on port 443

vRealIze Automation IAAS URL on port 443

vRealize Automation SSO URL on port 7444

Note The vRealize Automation solution supports only vCenter objects used and managed by
vRealize Automation. No other object kinds such as AWS or Openstack resources are supported at this
time.

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Security Guidelines
Solutions in vRealize Operations Manager execute independently. They execute within a common
runtime environment within the vRealize Operations Manager collector host.
Java language security protects the adapters from interference with other adapters. All adapters execute
within the common JRE process trust zone. You must only load and use adapters that you obtain from a
publisher you trust and only after you verify the adapter's code integrity before loading into
vRealize Operations Manager.
Even though adapters execute independently, they can make configuration changes to the collector host
or Java runtime environment that may affect the security of other adapters. For example, at installation
time an adapter can modify the list of trusted certificates. During execution an adapter can change the
TLS/SSL certificate validation scheme and thereby change how other adapters validate certificates. The
vRealize Operations Manager system and collector hosts do not isolate adapters beyond the natural
isolation provided by Java execution. The system trusts all adapters equally.
Adapters are responsible for their own data security. When they collect data or make configuration
changes to data sources, each adapter provides its own mechanisms and guarantees with regard to the
confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity of the collected data.
The vRealize Automation solution enforces certificate checks when communicating with the
vRealize Automation servers. These certificates are presented when the user clicks the Test button on
the Adapter Instance setup page. Once these certificates are accepted by the user, they will be
associated with that adapter instance. Any communication to the vRealize Automation servers will ensure
that the certificates presented by the servers match the ones accepted by the user.

Configuring vRealize Automation
You can configure an instance of the vRealize Automation from which you are collecting data.
Prerequisites
n

The super user must have the following privileges:
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Infrastructure administrator rights for all tenants.

Infrastructure architect rights for all tenants.

Tenant administrator rights for all tenants.

Software architect roles for all tenants.

Fabric group administrator rights for all fabric groups, in all tenants.

Configure the vCenter adapter instance for the same vCenter that is added as an endpoint in the
vRealize Automation system.

Use only DNS names and not IP addresses when you configure the vRealize Automation solution in a
vRealize Automation distributed setup. Add host file entries on all vRealize Operations Manager
nodes in the /etc/hosts location if the DNS is not reachable using vRealize Operations Manager.

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The super user account must be created for all the tenants by using an identical user name and
password with the required permissions for successful data collection.

Procedure

In the menu, click Administration, and then from the left pane click Solutions.

Select VMware vRealize Automation and click the Configure icon.

Configure the solution.
Option

Description

Display Name

The name for the adapter instance.

Description

(Optional) The description of the adapter instance.

vRealize Automation Appliance URL

The URL of the vRealize Automation CAFÉ appliance from which you are
collecting data. Enter the host name, https://HostName, or the IP address,
https://IP.
If there is a load balancer for the CAFÉ appliances, the URL must have
HostName or IP address of the load balancer in the format https://HostName or
https://IP.

Credential

To add the credentials to access the vRealize Automation environment, click the
plus sign.
n

Credential name. The name by which you are identifying the configured
credentials.

SysAdmin Username. The user name of the vRealize Automation system
administrator.
For information on the System Administrator, see System-Wide Role
Overview.

SysAdmin Password. The password of the vRealize Automation system
administrator.

SuperUser Username. The user name of the vRealize Automation super
user. Create a user in vRealize Automation with specific privileges mentioned
in the following note.

SuperUser Password. The password of the vRealize Automation super user.

Advanced Settings

To configure the advanced settings, click the drop-down menu.

Collectors/Groups

The collector on which the vRealize Automation solution runs.

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For one collector instance, select Automatically select collector.

For multiple collectors, to distribute the workload and optimize performance,
select the collector to manage the adapter process for this instance.

vRealize Operations Manager Configuration Guide

Option

Description

Tenants

Collects data for specific tenants associated with vRealize Automation. To collect
data, configure the tenants in the following manner:
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* (by default). Data is collected for all tenants.
Note

vRealize Automation Endpoint
Monitoring

Tenant test is attempted for the first two tenants that are sorted based on
alphabetical order. If some tenants do not have the required privileges,
then the vRealize Automation solution continues to collect data for the
other tenants. Failure in collecting data for a tenant that does not have
the required privileges is logged in the adapter.log file.

If any of the tenants do not have the required privileges, data is not
collected for that tenant.

Comma separated list. Data is collected for the specific tenants that are
listed and separated by comma.

!. Data is collected for all tenants except the ones listed after !.

Enabled: Collects and monitors data for all the vRealize Automation object
types with the compute clusters under managed resources.

Disabled: Collects and monitors data for only the reservation object type with
the compute clusters under managed resources.

vRealize Automation Enabled
Intelligent Placement

Default is On. Allows vRealize Automation to manage the placements of VMs that
are part of the clusters managed by vRealize Automation. This mode is always
On and used for work-load placement (WLP).

vRealize Automation adapter collection
interval (minutes)

The time interval between data collections by the vRealize Automation solution.
Default is 15 minutes. You can increase or decrease the amount of time between
data collections. It is recommended that you do not change this value in largescale environments.
To change this value to less than 5 minutes, you must change the collection
interval value in the adapter.

Tenant resource collection interval
(minutes)

The time interval between the data collected by the tenants in the
vRealize Automation solution.
Default is 240 minutes. You can increase or decrease the amount of time
between data collections. It is recommended that you do not change this value in
large-scale environments.
To change this value to less than 5 minutes, you must change the collection
interval value in the adapter.

Business group resource collection
interval (minutes)

The time interval between the data collected by the business groups in the
vRealize Automation.
Default is 60 minutes. You can increase or decrease the amount of time between
data collections. It is recommended that you do not change this value in largescale environments.
To change this value to less than 5 minutes, you must change the collection
interval value in the adapter.

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Option

Description

Blueprint resource collection interval
(minutes)

The time interval between the data collected by the blueprints in the
vRealize Automation solution.
Default is 60 minutes. You can increase or decrease the amount of time between
data collections. It is recommended that you do not change this value in largescale environments.
To change this value to less than 5 minutes, you must change the collection
interval value in the adapter.

Autodiscovery

Discover objects automatically.
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To set automatic discovery for objects, select True.

To set the automatic discovery off, select False.

Click Test Connection to validate the connection.
If one of the tenant connections is successful, Test Connection is successful.

Click Save Settings.

Configuration Properties
In large scale environments, multiple simultaneous API calls might cause performance problems in
vRealize Automation. When an adapter sends multiple parallel requests to WAPI in particular, it severely
impacts the database. Configuration properties are used to configure the settings with appropriate values.
Table 1‑25. Configuration Properties
Property Name

Description

Default Value

wapiCollectionMaxSeconds

The upper limit for the amount of time that
the adapter needs to try and retrieve the
data from API calls. This property must be
increased in large-scale environments, in
addition to increasing the adapter's
collection time interval.

60 (1 minute)

wapiThreadCount

The number of threads that are querying
WAPI at a time.

This property may be increased or
decreased based on speed or
performance requirements.
querySuiteAPIPageSize

The number of the items to fetch in a suite
API call.

100

queryVraAPIPageSize

The number of the items to fetch in a
single CAFE query.

100
Note It is recommended that you keep the
maximum value as 100.
Refer to the sizing guidelines for large scale
environment guidelines: Sizing Guidelines

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Alert Definitions
Alert definitions are combinations of symptoms and recommendations that identify problem areas in your
environment and generate alerts on which you can act. Symptom and alert definitions are defined for
vRealize Automation objects. The alerts are population-based alerts based on the risk or health of a
certain percentage of child objects.
The health and risk thresholds are as follows:
Health
n

When 25%-50% of the child objects have health issues, the parent object triggers an alert with a
Warning health level.

When 50%-75% of the child objects have health issues, the parent object triggers an alert with an
Immediate health level.

When 75%-100% of the child objects have health issues, the parent object triggers an alert with a
Critical health level.

Risk
n

When 25%-50% of the child objects have risk issues, the parent object triggers an alert with a
Warning risk level.

When 50%-75% of the child objects have risk issues, the parent object triggers an alert with an
Immediate risk level.

When 75%-100% of the child objects have risk issues, the parent object triggers an alert with a
Critical risk level.

vSAN
You can make vSAN operational in a production environment by using dashboards to evaluate, manage,
and optimize the performance of vSAN objects and vSAN-enabled objects in your vCenter Server system.
vSAN extends the following features:
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Discovers vSAN disk groups in a vSAN datastore.

Identifies the vSAN-enabled cluster compute resource, host system, and datastore objects in a
vCenter Server system.

Automatically adds related vCenter Server components that are in the monitoring state.

Configure a vSAN Adapter Instance
When configuring an adapter instance for vSAN, you add credentials for a vCenter Server.

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Prerequisites

Only vCenter Server systems that are configured for both the vCenter adapter and the vSAN adapter
appear in the inventory tree under the vSAN and Storage Devices. Verify that the vCenter Server that you
use to configure the vSAN adapter instance is also configured as a vCenter adapter instance for the
®
VMware vSphere solution. If not, add a vCenter adapter instance for that vCenter Server.
You must open port 5989 between the host and any vRealize Operations Manager node on which the
vSAN adapter resides. This is applicable when the vSAN version in vSphere is 6.6 or lower.
Procedure

In the vCenter Server text box, enter the FQDN or IP address of the vCenter Server instance to which
you are connecting.
The vCenter Server FQDN or IP address must be reachable from all nodes in the
vRealize Operations Manager cluster.

To add credentials on the Manage Solution page, click the plus sign.
a

In the Credential name text box, enter the name by which you are identifying the configured
credentials.

Type the User name and Password for the vCenter Server instance.

Click OK.

You configured credentials to connect to a vCenter Server instance.
3

Click Advanced Settings.

For Collection Interval, select a value of five minutes or greater.
The vSAN adapter collects Health Check Service and Performance Service metrics from vSphere
objects. The Health Check Service interval is configured in the vSphere interface and is 60 minutes
by default. If the Health Check Service interval is 60 minutes and the vSAN adapter collection interval
is 5 minutes, the vSAN adapter reports:
n

Most recent Performance Service metrics for each cycle.

Click Test Connection to validate the connection with your vCenter Server instance.

Accept the vCenter Server security certificate.

Click Save Settings.

The adapter is added to the Adapter Instance list and is active.
What to do next

To verify that the adapter is configured and collecting data from vSAN objects, wait a few collection
cycles, then view application-related data.
n

Inventory Explorer. Verify that all the objects related to the vSAN instance are listed. Objects should
be in the collecting state and receiving data.

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Dashboards. Verify that vSAN Capacity Overview, Migrate to vSAN, vSAN Operations Overview, and
Troubleshoot vSAN, are added to the default dashboards.

Under Environment > vSAN and Storage Devices, verify that the vSAN hierarchy includes the
following related vCenter Server system objects:
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vSAN World

Cache Disk

Capacity Disk

vSAN-enabled vCenter Server clusters

vSAN Fault Domains (optional)

vSAN-enabled Hosts

vSAN Datastores

vSAN Disk Groups

vSAN Datastore related VMs

vSAN Witness Hosts (optional)

Verify that the Adapter Instance is Connected and Collecting Data
You configured an adapter instance of vSAN with credentials for a vCenter Server. Now you want to verify
that your adapter instance can retrieve information from vSAN objects in your environment.
To view the object types, in the menu, click Administration > Configuration > Inventory Explorer >
Adapter Instances > vSAN Adapter Instance > .
Table 1‑26. Object Types that vSAN Discovers
Object Type

Description

vSAN Adapter Instance

The vRealize Operations Management Pack for vSAN instance.

vSAN Cluster

vSAN clusters in your data center.

vSAN Datastore

vSAN datastores in your data center.

vSAN Disk Group

A collection of SSDs and magnetic disks used by vSAN.

vSAN Fault Domain

A tag for a fault domain in your data center.

vSAN Host

vSAN hosts in your data center.

vSAN Witness Host

A tag for a witness host of a stretched cluster, if the stretched cluster feature is enabled on the vSAN
cluster.

vSAN World

A vSAN World is a group parent resource for all vSAN adapter instances. vSAN World displays
aggregated data of all adapter instances and a single root object of the entire vSAN hierarchy.

Cache Disk

A local physical device on a host used for storing VM files in vSAN.

Capacity Disk

A local physical device on a host used for read or write caching in vSAN

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The vSAN adapter also monitors the following objects discovered by the VMware vSphere adapter.
n

Cluster Compute Resources

Host System

Datastore

Procedure

In the menu, clickAdministration and then in the left pane, click Configuration > Inventory
Explorer.

In the list of tags, expand Adapter Instances and expand vSAN Adapter Instance.

Select the adapter instance name to display the list of objects discovered by your adapter instance.

Slide the display bar to the right to view the object status.

Object Status

Description

Collection State

If green, the object is connected.

Collection Status

If green, the adapter is retrieving data from the object.

Deselect the adapter instance name and expand the Object Types tag.
Each Object Type name appears with the number of objects of that type in your environment.

What to do next

If objects are missing or not transmitting data, check to confirm that the object is connected. Then check
for related alerts.
To ensure that the vSAN adapter can collect all performance data, the Virtual SAN performance service
must be enabled in vSphere. For instructions on how to enable the service, see Turn on Virtual SAN
Performance Service in the VMware Virtual SAN documentation.
If the Virtual SAN performance service is disabled or experiencing issues, an alert is triggered for the
vSAN adapter instance and the following errors appear in the adapter logs.
ERROR com.vmware.adapter3.vsan.metricloader.VsanDiskgroupMetricLoader.collectMetrics
- Failed to collect performance metrics for Disk Group
com.vmware.adapter3.vsan.metricloader.VsanDiskgroupMetricLoader.collectMetrics
- vSAN Performance Service might be turned OFF.
com.vmware.adapter3.vsan.metricloader.VsanDiskgroupMetricLoader.collectMetrics
- (vim.fault.NotFound)
{
faultCause = null,
faultMessage = (vmodl.LocalizableMessage)
[
com.vmware.vim.binding.impl.vmodl.LocalizableMessageImpl@98e1294
]
}

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Installing Optional Solutions in
vRealize Operations Manager
You can extend the monitoring capabilities of vRealize Operations Manager by installing optional
solutions from VMware or third parties.
VMware solutions include adapters for Storage Devices, Log Insight, NSX for vSphere, Network Devices,
and VCM. Third-party solutions include AWS, SCOM, EMC Smarts, and many others. To download
software and documentation for optional solutions, visit the VMware Solution Exchange at
https://marketplace.vmware.com/vsx/.
Solutions can include dashboards, reports, alerts and other content, and adapters. Adapters are how
vRealize Operations Manager manages communication and integration with other products, applications,
and functions. When a management pack is installed and the solution adapters are configured, you can
use the vRealize Operations Manager analytics and alerting tools to manage the objects in your
environment.
If you upgrade from an earlier version of vRealize Operations Manager, your management pack files are
copied to the /usr/lib/vmware-vcops/user/plugins/.backup file in a folder with the date and time
as the folder name. Before migrating your data to your new vRealize Operations Manager instance, you
must configure the adapter instances again. If you have customized the adapter, your adapter
customizations are not included in the migration, and you must reconfigure the customizations.
If you update a management pack in vRealize Operations Manager to a newer version, and you have
customized the adapter, your adapter customizations are not included in the upgrade, and you must
reconfigure them.

Managing Solution Credentials
Credentials are the user accounts that vRealize Operations Manager uses to enable one or more
solutions and associated adapters, and to establish communication with the target data sources. The
credentials are supplied when you configure each adapter. You can add or modify the credential settings
outside the adapter configuration process to accommodate changes to your environment.
For example, if you are modifying credentials to accommodate changes based on your password policy,
the adapters configured with these credentials begin using the new user name and password to
communicate between vRealize Operations Manager and the target system.
Another use of credential management is to remove misconfigured credentials. If you delete valid
credentials that were in active use by an adapter, you disable the communication between the two
systems.
If you need to change the configured credential to accommodate changes in your environment, you can
edit the credential settings without being required to configure a new adapter instance for the target
system. You can edit credential settings by clicking Administration on the menu, and then clicking
Credentials.

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Any adapter credential you add is shared with other adapter administrators and
vRealize Operations Manager collector hosts. Other administrators might use these credentials to
configure a new adapter instance or to move an adapter instance to a new host.

Manage Credentials
To configure or reconfigure credentials that you use to enable an adapter instance, you must provide the
collection configuration settings, for example, user name and password, that are valid on the target
system. You can also modify the connection settings for an existing credential instance.
Where You Manage Credentials
On the menu, click Administration and in the left pane click Management > Credentials.
Manage Credentials Options
The Manage Credentials dialog box is used to add new or modifies existing adapter credentials. The
dialog box varies depending on the type of adapter and whether you are adding or editing. The following
options describe the basic options. Depending on the solution, the options other than the basic ones vary.
Caution Any adapter credentials you add are shared with other adapter administrators and
vRealize Operations Manager collector hosts. Other administrators might use these credentials to
configure a new adapter instance or to move an adapter instance to a new host.
Table 1‑27. Manage Credential Add or Edit Options
Option

Description

Adapter Type

Adapter type for which you are configuring the credentials.

Credential Kind

Credentials associated with the adapter. The combination of
adapter and credential type affects the additional configuration
options.

Credential Name

Descriptive name by which you are managing the credentials.

User Name

User account credentials that are used in the adapter
configuration to connect vRealize Operations Manager to the
target system.

Password

Password for the provided credentials.

Managing Collector Groups
vRealize Operations Manager uses collectors to manage adapter processes such as gathering metrics
from objects. You can select a collector or a collector group when configuring an adapter instance.
If there are remote collectors in your environment, you can create a collector group, and add remote
collectors to the group. When you assign an adapter to a collector group, the adapter can use any
collector in the group. Use collector groups to achieve adapter resiliency in cases where the collector
experiences network interruption or becomes unavailable. If this occurs, and the collector is part of a
group, the total workload is redistributed among all the collectors in the group, reducing the workload on
each collector.

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Configuring Alerts and Actions

In VMware vRealize Operations Manager, alerts and actions play key roles in monitoring the objects.
This chapter includes the following topics:
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Types of Alerts

Configuring Alerts

Configuring Actions

Types of Alerts
Different types of alerts are triggered on a certain object.
The alerts are of three types:
n

Health Alerts

Risk Alerts

Efficiency Alerts

Configuring Alerts
Whenever there is a problem in the environment, the alerts are generated. You can create the alert
definitions so that the generated alerts tell you about the problems in the monitored environment.

Defining Alerts in vRealize Operations Manager
An alert definition comprises one or more symptom definitions, and the alert definition is associated with a
set of recommendations and actions that help you resolve the problem. Alert definitions include triggering
symptom definitions and actionable recommendations. You create the alert definitions so that the
generated alerts tell you about problems in the monitored environment. You can then respond to the
alerts with effective solutions that are provided in the recommendations.
Predefined alerts are provided in vRealize Operations Manager as part of your configured adapters. You
can add or modify alert definitions to reflect the needs of your environment.

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Symptoms in Alert Definitions
Symptom definitions evaluate conditions in your environment that, if the conditions become true, trigger a
symptom and can result in a generated alert. You can add symptom definitions that are based on metrics
or super metrics, properties, message events, fault events, or metric events. You can create a symptom
definition as you create an alert definition or as an individual item in the appropriate symptom definition
list.
When you add a symptom definition to an alert definition, it becomes a part of a symptom set. A symptom
set is the combination of the defined symptom with the argument that determines when the symptom
condition becomes true.
A symptom set combines one or more symptom definitions by applying an Any or All condition, and
allows you to choose the presence or absence of a particular symptom. If the symptom set pertains to
related objects rather than to Self, you can apply a population clause to identify a percentage or a specific
count of related objects that exhibit the included symptom definitions.
An alert definition comprises one or more symptom sets. If an alert definition requires all of the symptom
sets to be triggered before generating an alert, and only one symptom set is triggered, an alert is not
generated. If the alert definition requires only one of several symptom sets to be triggered, then the alert
is generated even though the other symptom sets were not triggered.

Recommendations in Alert Definitions
Recommendations are the remediation options that you provide to your users to resolve the problems
that the generated alert indicates.
When you add an alert definition that indicates a problem with objects in your monitored environment, add
a relevant recommendation. Recommendations can be instructions to your users, links to other
information or instruction sources, or vRealize Operations Manager actions that run on the target
systems.

Modifying Alert Definitions
If you modify the alert impact type of an alert definition, any alerts that are already generated will have the
previous impact level. Any new alerts will be at the new impact level. If you want to reset all the generated
alerts to the new level, cancel the old alerts. If they are generated after cancellation, they will have the
new impact level.

Defining Symptoms for Alerts
Symptoms are conditions that indicate problems in your environment. You define symptoms that you add
to alert definitions so that you know when a problem occurs with your monitored objects.
As data is collected from your monitored objects, the data is compared to the defined symptom condition.
If the condition is true, then the symptom is triggered.
You can define symptoms based on metrics and super metrics, properties, message events, fault events,
and metric events.

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Defined symptoms in your environment are managed in the Symptom Definitions. When the symptoms
that are added to an alert definition are triggered, they contribute to a generated alert.

Define Symptoms to Cover All Possible Severities and Conditions
Use a series of symptoms to describe incremental levels of concern. For example, Volume nearing
capacity limit might have a severity value of Warning while Volume reached capacity limit
might have a severity level of Critical. The first symptom is not an immediate threat. The second symptom
is an immediate threat.

About Metrics and Super Metrics Symptoms
Metric and super metric symptoms are based on the operational or performance values that
vRealize Operations Manager collects from target objects in your environment. You can configure the
symptoms to evaluate static thresholds or dynamic thresholds.
You define symptoms based on metrics so that you can create alert definitions that let you know when the
performance of an object in your environment is adversely affected.
Static Thresholds
Metric symptoms that are based on a static threshold compare the currently collected metric value against
the fixed value you configure in the symptom definition.
For example, you can configure a static metric symptom where, when the virtual machine CPU workload
is greater than 90, a critical symptom is triggered.
Dynamic Thresholds
Metric symptoms that are based on dynamic thresholds compare the currently collected metric value
against the trend identified by vRealize Operations Manager, evaluating whether the current value is
above, below, or generally outside the trend.
For example, you can configure a dynamic metric symptom where, when the virtual machine CPU
workload is above the trended normal value, a critical symptom is triggered.

Property Symptoms
Property symptoms are based on the configuration properties that vRealize Operations Manager collects
from the target objects in your environment.
You define symptoms based on properties so that you can create alert definitions that let you know when
changes to properties on your monitored objects can affect the behavior of the objects in your
environment.

Message Event Symptoms
Message event symptoms are based on events received as messages from a component of
vRealize Operations Manager or from an external monitored system through the system's REST API. You
define symptoms based on message events to include in alert definitions that use these symptoms. When
the configured symptom condition is true, the symptom is triggered.

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The adapters for the external monitored systems and the REST API are inbound channels for collecting
events from external sources. Adapters and the REST server both run in the
vRealize Operations Manager system. The external system sends the messages, and
vRealize Operations Manager collects them.
You can create message event symptoms for the supported event types. The following list is of supported
event types with example events.
n

System Performance Degradation. This message event type corresponds to the
EVENT_CLASS_SYSTEM and EVENT_SUBCLASS_PERFORM_DEGRADATION type and subtype
in the vRealize Operations Manager API SDK.

Change. The VMware adapter sends a change event when the CPU limit for a virtual machine is
changed from unlimited to 2 GHz. You can create a symptom to detect CPU contention issues as a
result of this configuration change. This message event type corresponds to the
EVENT_CLASS_CHANGE and EVENT_SUBCLASS_CHANGE type and subtype in the
vRealize Operations Manager API SDK.

Environment Down. The vRealize Operations Manager adapter sends an environment down event
when the collector component is not communicating with the other components. You can create a
symptom that is used for internal health monitoring. This message event type corresponds to the
EVENT_CLASS_ENVIRONMENT and EVENT_SUBCLASS_DOWN type and subtype in the
vRealize Operations Manager API SDK.

Notification. This message event type corresponds to the EVENT_CLASS_NOTIFICATION and
EVENT_SUBCLASS_EXTEVENT type and subtype in the vRealize Operations Manager API SDK.

Fault Symptoms
Fault symptoms are based on events published by monitored systems. vRealize Operations Manager
correlates a subset of these events and delivers them as faults. Faults are intended to signify events in
the monitored systems that affect the availability of objects in your environment. You define symptoms
based on faults to include in alert definitions that use these symptoms. When the configured symptom
condition is true, the symptom is triggered.
You can create fault symptoms for the supported published faults. Some object types have multiple fault
definitions from which to choose, while others have no fault definitions.
If the adapter published fault definitions for an object type, you can select one or more fault events for a
given fault while you define the symptom. The symptom is triggered if the fault is active because of any of
the chosen events. If you do not select a fault event, the symptom is triggered if the fault is active
because of a fault event.

Metric Event Symptoms
Metric event symptoms are based on events communicated from a monitored system where the selected
metric violates a threshold in a specified manner. The external system manages the threshold, not
vRealize Operations Manager.

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Metric event symptoms are based on conditions reported for selected metrics by an external monitored
system, as compared to metric symptoms, which are based on thresholds that
vRealize Operations Manager is actively monitoring.
The metric event thresholds, which determine whether the metric is above, below, equal to, or not equal
to the threshold set on the monitored system, represent the type and subtype combination that is
specified in the incoming metric event.
n

Above Threshold. Corresponds to type and subtype constants EVENT_CLASS_HT and
EVENT_SUBCLASS_ABOVE defined in the vRealize Operations Manager API SDK.

Below Threshold. Corresponds to type and subtype constants EVENT_CLASS_HT and
EVENT_SUBCLASS_BELOW defined in the vRealize Operations Manager API SDK.

Equal Threshold. Corresponds to type and subtype constants EVENT_CLASS_HT and
EVENT_SUBCLASS_EQUAL defined in the vRealize Operations Manager API SDK.

Not Equal Threshold. Corresponds to type and subtype constants EVENT_CLASS_HT and
EVENT_SUBCLASS_NOT_EQUAL defined in the vRealize Operations Manager API SDK.

Understanding Negative Symptoms for vRealize Operations Manager Alerts
Alert symptoms are conditions that indicate problems in your environment. When you define an alert, you
include symptoms that generate the alert when they become true in your environment. Negative
symptoms are based on the absence of the symptom condition. If the symptom is not true, the symptom
is triggered.
To use the absence of the symptom condition in an alert definition, you negate the symptom in the
symptom set.
All defined symptoms have a configured criticality. However, if you negate a symptom in an alert
definition, it does not have an associated criticality when the alert is generated.
All symptom definitions have a configured criticality. If the symptom is triggered because the condition is
true, the symptom criticality will be the same as the configured criticality. However, if you negate a
symptom in an alert definition and the negation is true, it does not have an associated criticality.
When negative symptoms are triggered and an alert is generated, the effect on the criticality of the alert
depends on how the alert definition is configured.
The following table provides examples of the effect negative symptoms have on generated alerts.

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Table 2‑1. Negative Symptoms Effect on Generated Alert Criticality
Alert Definition Criticality

Negative Symptom
Configured Criticality

Standard Symptom Configured
Criticality

Alert Criticality When
Triggered

Warning

One Critical Symptom

One Immediate Symptom

Warning. The alert criticality
is based on the defined alert
criticality.

Symptom Based

One Critical Symptom

One Warning Symptom

Warning. The negative
symptom has no associated
criticality and the criticality of
the standard symptom
determines the criticality of
the generated alert.

Symptom Based

One Critical Symptom

No standard symptom included

Info. Because an alert must
have a criticality and the
negative alert does not have
an associated criticality, the
generated alert has a
criticality of Info, which is the
lowest possible criticality
level.

Defining Recommendations for Alert Definitions
Recommendations are instructions to your users who are responsible for responding to alerts. You add
recommendations to vRealize Operations Manager alerts so that your users can maintain the objects in
your environment at the required levels of performance.
Recommendations provide your network engineers or virtual infrastructure administrators with information
to resolve alerts.
Depending on the knowledge level of your users, you can provide more or less information, including the
following options, in any combination.
n

One line of instruction.

Steps to resolve the alert on the target object.

Hyperlink to a Web site, runbook, wiki, or other source.

Action that makes a change on the target object.

When you define an alert, provide as many relevant action recommendations as possible. If more than
one recommendation is available, arrange them in priority order so that the solution with the lowest effect
and highest effectiveness is listed first. If no action recommendation is available, add text
recommendations. Be as precise as possible when describing what the administrator should do to fix the
alert.

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Create a New Alert Definition
Based on the root cause of the problem, and the solutions that you used to fix the problem, you can
create a new alert definition for vRealize Operations Manager to alert you. When the alert is triggered on
your host system, vRealize Operations Manager alerts you and provides recommendations on how to
solve the problem.
To alert you before your host systems experience critical capacity problems, and have
vRealize Operations Manager notify you of problems in advance, you create alert definitions, and add
symptom definitions to the alert definition.
Procedure

In the menu, click Alerts and then in the left pane, select Alert Settings > Alert Definitions.

Enter capacity in the search text box.
Review the available list of capacity alert definitions. If a capacity alert definition does not exist for
host systems, you can create one.

Click the plus sign to create a new capacity alert definition for your host systems.
a

In the alert definition workspace, for the Name and Description, enter
Hosts - Alert on Capacity Exceeded.

For the Base Object Type, select vCenter Adapter > Host System

For the Alert Impact, select the following options.

Option

Selection

Impact

Select Risk.

Criticality

Select Immediate.

Alert Type and Subtype

Select Application : Capacity.

Wait Cycle

Select 1.

Cancel Cycle

Select 1.

For Add Symptom Definitions, select the following options.
Option

Selection

Defined On

Select Self.

Symptom Definition Type

Select Metric / Supermetric.

Quick filter (Name)

Enter capacity.

From the Symptom Definition list, click Host System Capacity Remaining is moderately low
and drag it to the right pane.
In the Symptoms pane, make sure that the Base object exhibits criteria is set to All by default.

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For Add Recommendations, enter virtual machine in the quick filter text box.

Click Review the symptoms listed and remove the number of vCPUs from the virtual
machine as recommended by the system, and drag it to the recommendations area in the right
pane.
This recommendation is set to Priority 1.

Click Save to save the alert definition.
Your new alert appears in the list of alert definitions.

You have added an alert definition to have vRealize Operations Manager alert you when the capacity of
your host systems begins to run out.

Alert Definition Best Practices
As you create alert definitions for your environment, apply consistent best practices so that you optimize
alert behavior for your monitored objects.

Alert Definitions Naming and Description
The alert definition name is the short name that appears in the following places:
n

In data grids when alerts are generated

In outbound alert notifications, including the email notifications that are sent when outbound alerts
and notifications are configured in your environment

Ensure that you provide an informative name that clearly states the reported problem. Your users can
evaluate alerts based on the alert definition name.
The alert definition description is the text that appears in the alert definition details and the outbound
alerts. Ensure that you provide a useful description that helps your users understand the problem that
generated the alert.

Wait and Cancel Cycle
The wait cycle setting helps you adjust for sensitivity in your environment. The wait cycle for the alert
definition goes into effect after the wait cycle for the symptom definition results in a triggered symptom. In
most alert definitions you configure the sensitivity at the symptom level and configure the wait cycle of
alert definition to 1. This configuration ensures that the alert is immediately generated after all of the
symptoms are triggered at the desired symptom sensitivity level.
The cancel cycle setting helps you adjust for sensitivity in your environment. The cancel cycle for the alert
definition goes into affect after the cancel cycle for the symptom definition results in a cancelled symptom.
In most definitions you configure the sensitivity at the symptom level and configure the cancel cycle of
alert definition to 1. This configuration ensures that the alert is immediately cancelled after all of the
symptoms conditions disappear after the desired symptom cancel cycle.

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Create Alert Definitions to Generate the Fewest Alerts
You can control the size of your alert list and make it easier to manage. When an alert is about a general
problem that can be triggered on a large number of objects, configure its definition so that the alert is
generated on a higher level object in the hierarchy rather than on individual objects.
As you add symptoms to your alert definition, do not overcrowd a single alert definition with secondary
symptoms. Keep the combination of symptoms as simple and straightforward as possible.
You can also use a series of symptom definitions to describe incremental levels of concern. For example,
Volume nearing capacity limit might have a severity value of Warning while Volume reached
capacity limit might have a severity level of Critical. The first symptom is not an immediate threat, but
the second one is an immediate threat. You can then include the Warning and Critical symptom definitions
in a single alert definition with an Any condition and set the alert criticality to be Symptom Based. These
settings cause the alert to be generated with the right criticality if either of the symptoms is triggered.

Avoid Overlapping and Gaps Between Alerts
Overlaps result in two or more alerts being generated for the same underlying condition. Gaps occur
when an unresolved alert with lower severity is canceled, but a related alert with a higher severity cannot
be triggered.
A gap occurs in a situation where the value is <=50% in one alert definition and >=75% in a second alert
definition. The gap occurs because when the percentage of volumes with high use falls between 50
percent and 75 percent, the first problem cancels but the second does not generate an alert. This
situation is problematic because no alert definitions are active to cover the gap.

Actionable Recommendations
If you provide text instructions to your users that help them resolve a problem identified by an alert
definition, precisely describe how the engineer or administrator should fix the problem to resolve the alert.
To support the instructions, add a link to a wiki, runbook, or other sources of information, and add actions
that you run from vRealize Operations Manageron the target systems.

Creating and Managing vRealize Operations Manager Alert
Notifications
When alerts are generated in vRealize Operations Manager, they appear in the alert details and object
details, but you can also configure vRealize Operations Manager to send your alerts to outside
applications using one or more outbound alert options.
You configure notification options to specify which alerts are sent out for the Standard Email, REST,
SNMP, and Log File outbound alert plug-ins. For the other plug-in types, all the alerts are sent when the
target outbound alert plug-in is enabled.
The most common outbound alert plug-in is the Standard Email plug-in. You configure the Standard Email
plug-in to send notifications to one or more users when an alert is generated that meets the criteria you
specify in the notification settings.

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List of Outbound Plug-Ins in vRealize Operations Manager
vRealize Operations Manager provides outbound plug-ins. This list includes the name of the plug-in and
whether you can filter the outbound data based on your notification settings.
If the plug-in supports configuring notification rules, then you can filter the messages before they are sent
to the target system. If the plug-in does not support notifications, all messages are sent to the target
system, and you can process them in that application.
If you installed other solutions that include other plug-in options, they appear as a plug-in option with the
other plug-ins.
Messages and alerts are sent only when the plug-in is enabled.
Table 2‑2. Notification Support for Outbound Plug-Ins
Outbound Plug-In

Configure Notification Rules

Automated Action Plug-in

No
The Automated Action plug-in is enabled by default. If automated actions stop working, check the
Automated Action plug-in and enable it if necessary. If you edit the Automated Action plug-in, you
only need to provide the instance name.

Log File Plug-In

Yes
To filter the log file alerts, you can either configure the file named TextFilter.xml or configure
the notification rules.

Smarts SAM Notification PlugIn

REST Notification Plug-In

Yes

Network Share Plug-In

Standard Email Plug-In

Yes

SNMP Trap Plug-In

Yes

Add Outbound Notification Plug-Ins in vRealize Operations Manager
You add outbound plug-in instances so that you can notify users about alerts or capture alert data outside
of vRealize Operations Manager.
You can configure one or more instances of the same plug-in type if you need to direct alert information to
multiple target systems.
The Automated Action plug-in is enabled by default. If automated actions stop working, check the
Automated Action plug-in and enable it if necessary. If you edit the Automated Action plug-in, you only
need to provide the instance name.
n

Add a Standard Email Plug-In for vRealize Operations Manager Outbound Alerts
You add a Standard Email Plug-In so that you can use Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) to
email vRealize Operations Manager alert notifications to your virtual infrastructure administrators,
network operations engineers, and other interested individuals.

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Add a REST Plug-In for vRealize Operations Manager Outbound Alerts
You add a REST Plug-In so that you can send vRealize Operations Manager alerts to another
REST-enabled application where you built a REST Web service to accept these messages.

Add a Log File Plug-In for vRealize Operations Manager Outbound Alerts
You add a Log File plug-in when you want to configure vRealize Operations Manager to log alerts to
a file on each of your vRealize Operations Manager nodes. If you installed
vRealize Operations Manager as a multiple node cluster, each node processes and logs the alerts
for the objects that it monitors. Each node logs the alerts for the objects it processes.

Add a Network Share Plug-In for vRealize Operations Manager Reports
You add a Network Share plug-in when you want to configure vRealize Operations Manager to send
reports to a shared location. The Network Share plug-in supports SMB version 2.0.

Add an SNMP Trap Plug-In for vRealize Operations Manager Outbound Alerts
You add an SNMP Trap plug-in when you want to configure vRealize Operations Manager to log
alerts on an existing SNMP Trap server in your environment.

Add a Smarts Service Assurance Manager Notification Plug-In for vRealize Operations Manager
Outbound Alerts
You add a Smarts SAM Notification plug-in when you want to configure
vRealize Operations Manager to send alert notifications to EMC Smarts Server Assurance Manager.

Add a Standard Email Plug-In for vRealize Operations Manager Outbound Alerts
You add a Standard Email Plug-In so that you can use Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) to email
vRealize Operations Manager alert notifications to your virtual infrastructure administrators, network
operations engineers, and other interested individuals.
Prerequisites

Ensure that you have an email user account that you can use as the connection account for the alert
notifications. If you choose to require authentication, you must also know the password for this account.
Procedure

In the menu, click Administration and then in the left pane, click Management.

Click Outbound Settings and click the plus sign to add a plug-in.

From the Plug-In Type drop-down menu, select Standard Email Plugin.
The dialog box expands to include your SMTP settings.

Enter an Instance Name.
This is the name that identifies this instance that you select when you later configure notification
rules.

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Configure the SMTP options appropriate for your environment.
Option

Description

Use Secure Connection

Enables secure communication encryption using SSL/TLS. If you select this
option, you must select a method in the Secure Connection Type drop-down
menu.

Requires Authentication

Enables authentication on the email user account that you use to configure this
SMTP instance. If you select this option, you must provide a password for the
user account.

SMTP Host

URL or IP address of your email host server.

SMTP Port

Default port SMTP uses to connect with the server.

Secure Connection Type

Select either SSL/TLS as the communication encryption method used in your
environment from the drop-down menu. You must select a connection type if you
select Use Secure Connection.

User Name

Email user account that is used to connect to the email server.

Password

Password for the connection user account. A password is required if you select
Requires Authentication.

Sender Email Address

Email address that appears on the notification message

Sender Name

Displayed name for the sender email address.

Click Save.

To start the outbound alert service for this plug-in, select the instance in the list and click Enable on
the toolbar.

This instance of the standard email plug-in for outbound SMTP alerts is configured and running.
What to do next

Create notification rules that use the standard email plug-in to send a message to your users about alerts
requiring their attention. See User Scenario: Create a vRealize Operations Manager Email Alert
Notification.
Add a REST Plug-In for vRealize Operations Manager Outbound Alerts
You add a REST Plug-In so that you can send vRealize Operations Manager alerts to another RESTenabled application where you built a REST Web service to accept these messages.
The REST Plug-In supports enabling an integration, it does not provide an integration. Depending on your
target application, you might need an intermediary REST service or some other mechanism that will
correlate the alert and object identifiers included in the REST alert output with the identifiers in your target
application.
Determine which content type you are delivering to your target application. If you select application/json,
the body of the POST or PUT calls that are sent have the following format. Sample data is included.
{
"startDate":1369757346267,
"criticality":"ALERT_CRITICALITY_LEVEL_WARNING",
"Risk":4.0,

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"resourceId":"sample-object-uuid",
"alertId":"sample-alert-uuid",
"status":"ACTIVE",
"subType":"ALERT_SUBTYPE_AVAILABILITY_PROBLEM",
"cancelDate":1369757346267,
"resourceKind":"sample-object-type",
"alertName":"Invalid IP Address for connected Leaf Switch",
"attributeKeyID":5325,
"Efficiency":1.0,
"adapterKind":"sample-adapter-type",
"Health":1.0,
"type":"ALERT_TYPE_APPLICATION_PROBLEM",
"resourceName":"sample-object-name",
"updateDate":1369757346267,
"info":"sample-info"
}

If you select application/xml, the body of the POST or PUT calls that are sent have the following format:

1369757346267
ALERT_CRITICALITY_LEVEL_WARNING
4.0
sample-object-uuid
sample-alert-uuid
ACTIVE
ALERT_SUBTYPE_AVAILABILITY_PROBLEM
1369757346267
sample-object-type
Invalid IP Address for connected Leaf Switch
5325
1.0
sample-adapter-type
1.0
ALERT_TYPE_APPLICATION_PROBLEM
sample-object-name
1369757346267
sample-info

Note If the alert is triggered by a non-metric violation, the attributeKeyID is omitted from the REST
output and is not sent.
If the request is processed as POST, for either JSON or XML, the Web service returns an HTTP status
code of 201, which indicates the alert was successfully created at the target. If the request is processed
as PUT, the HTTP status code of 202, which indicates the alert was successfully accepted at the target.
Prerequisites

Ensure that you know how and where the alerts sent using the REST plug-in are consumed and
processed in your environment, and that you have the appropriate connection information available.

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Procedure

In the left pane of vRealize Operations Manager, click the Administration icon.

Click Outbound Settings and click the plus sign to add a plug-in.

From the Plug-In Type drop-down menu, select Rest Notification Plugin.
The dialog box expands to include your REST settings.

Enter an Instance Name.
This is the name that identifies this instance that you select when you later configure notification
rules.

Configure the Rest options appropriate for your environment.
Option

Description

URL

URL to which you are sending the alerts. The URL must support HTTPS. When
an alert is sent to the REST Web server, the plug-in appends /{alertID} to the
POST or PUT call.

User Name

User account on the target REST system.

Password

User account password.

Content Type

Specify the format for the alert output.
n

application/json. Alert data is transmitted using JavaScript Object Notation as
human-readable text.

application/xml. Alert data is transmitted using XML that is human-readable
and machine-readable content.

Certificate thumbprint

Thumbprint for the public certificate for your HTTPS service. Either the SHA1 or
SHA256 algorithm can be used.

Connection count

Limits the number of simultaneous alerts that are sent to the target REST server.
Use this number to ensure that your REST server is not overwhelmed with
requests.

Click Save.

To start the outbound alert service for this plug-in, select the instance in the list and click Enable on
the toolbar.

This instance of the REST plug-in for outbound alerts is configured and running.
What to do next

Create notification rules that use the REST plug-in to send alerts to a REST-enabled application or
service in your environment. See User Scenario: Create a vRealize Operations Manager REST Alert
Notification.
Add a Log File Plug-In for vRealize Operations Manager Outbound Alerts
You add a Log File plug-in when you want to configure vRealize Operations Manager to log alerts to a file
on each of your vRealize Operations Manager nodes. If you installed vRealize Operations Manager as a
multiple node cluster, each node processes and logs the alerts for the objects that it monitors. Each node
logs the alerts for the objects it processes.

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All alerts are added to the log file. You can use other applications to filter and manage the logs.
Prerequisites

Ensure that you have write access to the file system path on the target vRealize Operations Manager
nodes.
Procedure

In the menu, click Administration and then in the left pane, click Management.

Click Outbound Settings and click the plus sign to add a plug-in.

From the Plug-In Type drop-down menu, select Log File.
The dialog box expands to include your log file settings.

In the Alert Output Folder text box, enter the folder name.
If the folder does not exist in the target location, the plug-in creates the folder in the target location.
The default target location is: /usr/lib/vmware-vcops/common/bin/.

Click Save.

To start the outbound alert service for this plug-in, select the instance in the list and click Enable on
the toolbar.

This instance of the log file plug-in is configured and running.
What to do next

When the plug-in is started, the alerts are logged in the file. Verify that the log files are created in the
target directory as the alerts are generated, updated, or canceled.
Add a Network Share Plug-In for vRealize Operations Manager Reports
You add a Network Share plug-in when you want to configure vRealize Operations Manager to send
reports to a shared location. The Network Share plug-in supports SMB version 2.0.
Prerequisites

Verify that you have read, write, and delete permissions to the network share location.
Procedure

In the menu, click Administration and then in the left pane, click Management > Outbound
Settings.

From the toolbar, click the Add icon.

From the Plug-In Type drop-down menu, select Network Share Plug-in.
The dialog box expands to include your plug-in instance settings.

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Enter an Instance Name.
This is the name that identifies this instance that you select when you later configure notification
rules.

Configure the Network Share options appropriate for your environment.
Option

Description

Domain

Your shared network domain address.

User Name

The domain user account that is used to connect to the network.

Password

The password for the domain user account.

Network share root

The path to the root folder where you want to save the reports. You can specify
subfolders for each report when you configure the schedule publication.
You must enter an IP address. For example, \\IP_address\ShareRoot. You can
use the host name instead of the IP address if the host name is resolved to an
IPv4 when accessed from the vRealize Operations Manager host.
Note Verify that the root destination folder exists. If the folder is missing, the
Network Share plug-in logs an error after 5 unsuccessful attempts.

Click Test to verify the specified paths, credentials, and permissions.
The test might take up to a minute.

Click Save.
The outbound service for this plug-in starts automatically.

(Optional) To stop an outbound service, select an instance and click Disable on the toolbar.

This instance of the Network Share plug-in is configured and running.
What to do next

Create a report schedule and configure it to send reports to your shared folder.
Add an SNMP Trap Plug-In for vRealize Operations Manager Outbound Alerts
You add an SNMP Trap plug-in when you want to configure vRealize Operations Manager to log alerts on
an existing SNMP Trap server in your environment.
You can provide filtering when you define a Notification using an SNMP Trap destination.
Prerequisites

Ensure that you have an SNMP Trap server configured in your environment, and that you know the IP
address or host name, port number, and community that it uses.
Procedure

In the menu, click Administration and then in the left pane, click Management.

Click Outbound Settings and click the plus sign to add a plug-in.

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From the Plug-In Type drop-down menu, select SNMP Trap.
The dialog box expands to include your SNMP trap settings.

Type an Instance Name.

Configure the SNMP trap settings appropriate to your environment.
Option

Description

Destination Host

IP address or fully qualified domain name of the SNMP management system to
which you are sending alerts.

Port

Port used to connect to the SNMP management system. Default port is 162.

Community

Text string that allows access to the statistics. SNMP Community strings are used
only by devices that support SNMPv3 protocol.

Username

Username to configure SNMP trap settings in your environment. If the username
is specified, SNMPv3 is considered as the protocol by the plugin.
If left blank, SNMPv2c is considered as the protocol by the plugin.

Authentication Protocol

Authentication algorithms available are SHA-224, SHA-256, SHA-384, SHA-512.

Authentication Password

Authentication password.

Privacy Protocol

Privacy algorithms available are AES192, AES2564.

Privacy Password

Privacy password.

Click Save.

This instance of the SNMP Trap plug-in is configured and running.
What to do next

When the plug-in is added, Configuring Notifications for receiving the SNMP traps.
Add a Smarts Service Assurance Manager Notification Plug-In for
vRealize Operations Manager Outbound Alerts
You add a Smarts SAM Notification plug-in when you want to configure vRealize Operations Manager to
send alert notifications to EMC Smarts Server Assurance Manager.
This outbound alert option is useful when you manage the same objects in Server Assurance Manager
and in vRealize Operations Manager, and you added the EMC Smarts management pack and configured
the solution in vRealize Operations Manager. Although you cannot filter the alerts sent to Service
Assurance Manager in vRealize Operations Manager, you can configure the Smarts plug-in to send the
alerts to the Smarts Open Integration server. You then configure the Open Integration server to filter the
alerts from vRealize Operations Manager, and send only those that pass the filter test to the Smarts
Service Assurance Manager service.
Prerequisites
n

Verify that you configured the EMC Smarts solution. For documentation regarding EMC Smarts
integration, see https://solutionexchange.vmware.com/store.

Ensure that you have the EMC Smarts Broker and Server Assurance Manager instance host name or
IP address, user name, and password.

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Procedure

In the menu, click Administration and then in the left pane, click Management.

Click Outbound Settings and click the plus sign to add a plug-in.

From the Plug-In Type drop-down menu, select Smarts SAM Notification.
The dialog box expands to include your Smarts settings.

Enter an Instance Name.
This is the name that identifies this instance that you select when you later configure notification
rules.

Configure the Smarts SAM notification settings appropriate for your environment.
Option

Description

Broker

Type the host name or IP address of the EMC Smarts Broker that manages
registry for the Server Assurance Manager instance to which you want the
notifications sent.

Broker Username

If the Smarts broker is configured as Secure Broker, type the user name for the
Broker account.

Broker Password

If the Smarts broker is configured as Secure Broker, type the password for the
Broker user account.

SAM Server

Type the host name or IP address of the Server Assurance Manager server to
which you are sending the notifications.

User Name

Type the user name for the Server Assurance Manager server instance. This
account must have read and write permissions for the notifications on the Smarts
server as specified in the SAM Server.

Password

Type the password for the Server Assurance Manager server account.

Click Save.

Modify the Smarts SAM plug-in properties file.

Open the properties file at: /usr/lib/vmware-vcops/user/plugins/outbound/vcopssmartsalert-plugin/conf/plugin.properties

Add the following string to the properties file: #
sendByType=APPLICATION::AVAILABILITY,APPLICATION::PERFORMANCE,APPLICATION::CA
PACITY,APPLICATION::COMPLIANCE,VIRTUALIZATION::AVAILABILITY,VIRTUALIZATION::P
ERFORMANCE,VIRTUALIZATION::CAPACITY,VIRTUALIZATION::COMPLIANCE,HARDWARE::AVAI
LABILITY,HARDWARE::PERFORMANCE,HARDWARE::CAPACITY,HARDWARE::COMPLIANCE,STORAG
E::AVAILABILITY,STORAGE::PERFORMANCE,STORAGE::CAPACITY,STORAGE::COMPLIANCE,NE
TWORK::AVAILABILITY,NETWORK::PERFORMANCE,NETWORK::CAPACITY,NETWORK::COMPLIANC
E

Save the properties file.

To start the outbound alert service for this plug-in, select the instance in the list and click Enable on
the toolbar.

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This instance of the Smarts SAM Notifications plug-in is configured and running.
What to do next

In Smarts Service Assurance Manager, configure your Notification Log Console to filter the alerts from
vRealize Operations Manager. To configure the filtering for Service Assurance Manager, see the EMC
Smarts Service Assurance Manager documentation.

Configuring Notifications
Notifications are alert notifications that meet the filter criteria in the notification rules before they are sent
outside vRealize Operations Manager. You configure notification rules for the supported outbound alerts
so that you can filter the alerts that are sent to the selected external system.
You use the notifications list to manage your rules. You then use the notification rules to limit the alerts
that are sent to the external system. To use notifications, the supported outbound alert plug-ins must be
added and running.
With notification rules, you can limit the data that is sent to the following external systems.
n

Standard Email. You can create multiple notification rules for various email recipients based on one or
more of the filter selections. If you add recipients but do not add filter selections, all the generated
alerts are sent to the recipients.

REST. You can create a rule to limit alerts that are sent to the target REST system so that you do not
need to implement filtering on that target system.

SNMP Trap. You can configure vRealize Operations Manager to log alerts on an existing SNMP Trap
server in your environment.

Log File. You can configure vRealize Operations Manager to log alerts to a file on each of your
vRealize Operations Manager nodes.

User Scenario: Create a vRealize Operations Manager Email Alert Notification
As a virtual infrastructure administrator, you need vRealize Operations Manager to send email
notifications to your advanced network engineers when critical alerts are generated for mmbhost object,
the host for many virtual machines that run transactional applications, where no one has yet taken
ownership of the alert.
Prerequisites
n

Ensure that you have at least one alert definition for which you are sending a notification. For an
example of an alert definition, see Create an Alert Definition for Department Objects.

Ensure that at least one instance of the standard email plug-in is configured and running. See Add a
Standard Email Plug-In for vRealize Operations Manager Outbound Alerts.

Procedure

In the menu, click Alerts and then in the left pane, click Alert Settings.

Click Notification Settings and click the plus sign to add a notification rule.

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In the Name text box type a name similar to Unclaimed Critical Alerts for mmbhost.

In the Method area, select Standard Email Plug-In from the drop-down menu, and select the
configured instance of the email plug-in.

Configure the email options.

In the Recipients text box, type the email addresses of the members of your advance
engineering team, separating the addresses with a semi-colon (;).

To send a second notification if the alert is still active after a specified amount of time, type the
number of minutes in the Notify again text box.

Type number of notifications that are sent to users in the Max Notifications text box.

Configure the scope of filtering criteria.
a

From the Scope drop-down menu, select Object.

Click Click to select Object and type the name of the object.
In this example, type mmbhost.

c
7

Locate and select the object in the list, and click Select.

Configure the Notification Trigger.
a

From the Notification Trigger drop-down menu, select Impact.

From the adjacent drop-down menu, select Health.

In the Criticality area, click Critical.

Expand the Advanced Filters and from the Alert States drop-down menu, select Open.
The Open state indicates that no engineer or administrator has taken ownership of the alert.

10 Click Save.
You created a notification rule that sends an email message to the members of your advance network
engineering team when any critical alerts are generated for the mmbhost object and the alert is not
claimed by an engineer. This email reminds them to look at the alert, take ownership of it, and work to
resolve the triggering symptoms.
What to do next

Respond to alert email notifications. See vRealize Operations Manager User Guide.
User Scenario: Create a vRealize Operations Manager REST Alert Notification
As a virtual infrastructure administrator, you need vRealize Operations Manager to send alerts in JSON or
XML to a REST-enabled application that has REST Web service that accepts these messages. You want
only alerts where the virtualization alerts that affect availability alert types go to this outside application.
You can then use the provided information to initiate a remediation process in that application to address
the problem indicated by the alert.

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The notification configuration limits the alerts sent to the outbound alert instance to those matching the
notification criteria.
Prerequisites
n

Verify that you have at least one alert definition for which you are sending a notification. For an
example of an alert definition, see Create an Alert Definition for Department Objects.

Verify that at least one instance of the REST plug-in is configured and running. See Add a REST
Plug-In for vRealize Operations Manager Outbound Alerts.

Procedure

In the menu, click Alerts and then in the left pane, click Alert Settings.

Click Notifications and click the plus sign to add a notification rule.

In the Name text box type a name similar to Virtualization Alerts for Availability.

In the Method area, select REST Plug-In from the drop-down menu, and select the configured
instance of the email plug-in.

Configure the Notification Trigger.
a

From the Notification Trigger drop-down menu, select Alert Type.

Click Click to select Alert type/subtype and select Virtualization/Hypervisor Alerts
Availability.

In the Criticality area, click Warning.

Expand the Advanced Filters and from the Alert Status drop-down menu, select New.
The New status indicates that the alert is new to the system and not updated.

Click Save.

You created a notification rule that sends the alert text to the target REST-enabled system. Only the alerts
where the configured alert impact is Virtualization/Hypervisor Availability and where the alert is configured
as a warning are sent to the target instance using the REST plug-in.

Create an Alert Definition for Department Objects
As a virtual infrastructure administrator, you are responsible for the virtual machines and hosts that the
accounting department uses. You can create alerts to manage the accounting department objects.
You received several complaints from your users about delays when they are using their accounting
applications. Using vRealize Operations Manager, you identified the problem as related to CPU
allocations and workloads. To better manage the problem, you create an alert definition with tighter
symptom parameters so that you can track the alerts and identify problems before your users encounter
further problems.
Using this scenario, you create a monitoring system that monitors your accounting objects and provides
timely notifications when problems occur.

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Add Description and Base Object to Alert Definition
To create an alert to monitor the CPUs for the accounting department virtual machines and monitor host
memory for the hosts on which they operate, you begin by describing the alert.
When you name the alert definition and define alert impact information, you specify how the information
about the alert appears in vRealize Operations Manager. The base object is the object around which the
alert definition is created. The symptoms can be for the base object and for related objects.
Procedure

In the menu, click Alerts and then in the left pane, click Alert Settings > Alert Definitions.

Click the plus sign to add a definition.

Type a name and description.
In this scenario, type Acct VM CPU early warning as the alert name, which is a quick overview of
the problem. The description, which is a detailed overview. should provide information that is as
useful as possible. When the alert is generated, this name and description appears in the alert list
and in the notification.

Click Base Object Type.

From the drop-down menu, expand vCenter Adapter and select Host System.
This alert is based on host systems because you want an alert that acts as an early warning to
possible CPU stress on the virtual machines used in the accounting department. By using host
systems as the based object type, you can respond to the alert symptom for the virtual machines with
bulk actions rather than responding to an alert for each virtual machine.

Click Alert Impact and configure the metadata for this alert definition.
a

From the Impact drop-down menu, select Risk.
This alert indicates a potential problem and requires attention in the near future.

From the Criticality drop-down menu, select Immediate.
As a Risk alert, which is indicative of a future problem, you still want to give it a high criticality so
that it is ranked for correct processing. Because it is designed as an early warning, this
configuration provides a built-in buffer that makes it an immediate risk rather than a critical risk.

From the Alert Type and Subtype drop-down menu, expand Virtualization/Hypervisor and
select Performance.

To ensure that the alert is generated during the first collection cycle after the symptoms become
true, set the Wait Cycle to 1.

To ensure that the an alert is removed as soon as the symptoms are no longer triggered, set the
Cancel Cycle to 1.
The alert is canceled in the next collection cycle if the symptoms are no long true.

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These alert impact options help you identify and prioritize alerts as they are generated.
You started an alert definition where you provided the name and description, selected host system as the
base object type, and defined the data that appears when the alert generated.
What to do next

Continue in the workspace, adding symptoms to your alert definition. See Add a Virtual Machine CPU
Usage Symptom to the Alert Definition.

Add a Virtual Machine CPU Usage Symptom to the Alert Definition
To generate alerts related to CPU usage on your accounting virtual machines, you add symptoms to your
vRealize Operations Manager alert definition after you provide the basic descriptive information for the
alert. The first symptom you add is related to CPU usage on virtual machines. You later use a policy and
group to apply alert to the accounting virtual machines.
This scenario has two symptoms, one for the accounting virtual machines and one to monitor the hosts
on which the virtual machines operate.
Prerequisites

Begin configuring the alert definition. See Add Description and Base Object to Alert Definition.
Procedure

In the Alert Definition Workspace window, after you configure the Name and Description, Base
Object Type, and Alert Impact, click Add Symptom Definitions and configure the symptoms.

Begin configuring the symptom set related to virtual machines CPU usage.

From the Defined On drop-down menu, select Child.

From the Filter by Object Type drop-down menu, select Virtual Machine.

From the Symptom Definition Type drop-down menu, select Metric / Supermetric.

Click the Add button to open the Add Symptom Definition workspace window.

Configure the virtual machine CPU usage symptom in the Add Symptom Definition workspace
window.
a

From the Base Object Type drop-down menu, expand vCenter Adapter and select Virtual
Machine.
The collected metrics for virtual machines appears in the list.

In the metrics list Search text box, which searches the metric names, type usage.

In the list, expand CPU and drag Usage (%) to the workspace on the right.

From the threshold drop-down menu, select Dynamic Threshold.
Dynamic thresholds use vRealize Operations Manager analytics to identify the trend metric
values for objects.

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In the Symptom Definition Name text box, type a name similar to
VM CPU Usage above trend.

From the criticality drop-down menu, select Warning.

From the threshold drop-down menu, select Above Threshold.

Leave the Wait Cycle and Cancel Cycle at the default values of 3.
This Wait Cycle setting requires the symptom condition to be true for 3 collection cycles before
the symptom is triggered. This wait avoids triggering the symptom when there is a short spike in
CPU usage.

Click Save.

The dynamic symptom, which identifies when the usage is above the tracked trend, is added to the
symptom list.
4

In the Alert Definition Workspace window, drag VM CPU Usage above trend from the symptom
definition list to the symptom workspace on the right.
The Child-Virtual Machine symptom set is added to the symptom workspace.

In the symptoms set, configure the triggering condition so that when the symptom is true on half of
the virtual machines in the group to which this alert definition is applied, the symptom set is true.
a

From the value operator drop-down menu, select >.

In the value text box, enter 50.

From the value type drop-down menu, select Percent.

You defined the first symptom set for the alert definition.
What to do next

Add the host memory usage symptom to the alert definition. See Add a Host Memory Usage Symptom to
the Alert Definition.

Add a Host Memory Usage Symptom to the Alert Definition
To generate alerts related to CPU usage on your accounting virtual machines, you add a second
symptom to your vRealize Operations Manager alert definition after you add the first symptom. The
second symptom is related to host memory usage for the hosts on which the accounting virtual machines
operate.
Prerequisites

Add the virtual machine CPU usage symptom. See Add a Virtual Machine CPU Usage Symptom to the
Alert Definition.
Procedure

In the Alert Definition Workspace window, after you configure the Name and Description, Base
Object Type, and Alert Impact, click Add Symptom Definitions.

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Configure the symptom related to host systems for the virtual machines.
a

From the Defined On drop-down menu, select Self.

From the Symptom Definition Type drop-down menu, select Metric / Supermetric.

Click the Add button to configure the new symptom.

Configure the host system symptom in the Add Symptom Definition workspace window.
a

From the Base Object Type drop-down menu, expand vCenter Adapters and select Host
System.

In the metrics list, expand Memory and drag Usage (%) to the workspace on the right.

From the threshold drop-down menu, select Dynamic Threshold.
Dynamic thresholds use vRealize Operations Manager analytics to identify the trend metric
values for objects.

In the Symptom Definition Name text box, enter a name similar to
Host memory usage above trend.

From the criticality drop-down menu, select Warning.

From the threshold drop-down menu, select Above Threshold.

Leave the Wait Cycle and Cancel Cycle at the default values of 3.
This Wait Cycle setting requires the symptom condition to be true for three collection cycles
before the symptom is triggered. This wait avoids triggering the symptom when a short spike
occurs in host memory usage.

Click Save.

The dynamic symptom identifies when the hosts on which the accounting virtual machines run are
operating above the tracked trend for memory usage.
The dynamic symptom is added to the symptom list.
4

In the Alert Definition Workspace window, drag Host memory usage above trend from the
symptoms list to the symptom workspace on the right.
The Self-Host System symptom set is added to the symptom workspace.

On the Self-Host System symptom set, from the value type drop-down menu for This Symptom set
is true when, select Any.
With this configuration, when any of the hosts running accounting virtual machines exhibit memory
usage that is above the analyzed trend, the symptom condition is true.

At the top of the symptom set list, from the Match {operator} of the following symptoms drop-down
menu, select Any.
With this configuration, if either of the two symptom sets, virtual machine CPU usage or the host
memory, are triggered, an alert is generated for the host.

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You defined the second symptom set for the alert definition and configured how the two symptom sets are
evaluated to determine when the alert is generated.
What to do next

Add recommendations to your alert definition so that you and your engineers know how to resolve the
alert when it is generated. See Add Recommendations to the Alert Definition.

Add Recommendations to the Alert Definition
To resolve a generated alert for the accounting department's virtual machines, you provide
recommendations so that you or other engineers have the information you need to resolve the alert
before your users encounter performance problems.
As part of the alert definition, you add recommendations that include actions that you run from
vRealize Operations Manager and instructions for making changes in vCenter Server that resolve the
generated alert.
Prerequisites

Add symptoms to your alert definition. See Add a Host Memory Usage Symptom to the Alert Definition.
Procedure

In the Alert Definition Workspace window, after you configure the Name and Description, Base
Object Type, Alert Impact, and Add Symptom Definitions, click Add Recommendations and add
the recommended actions and instructions.

Click Add and select an action recommendation to resolve the virtual machine alerts.

In the New Recommendation text box, enter a description of the action similar to
Add CPUs to virtual machines.

From the Actions drop-down menu, select Set CPU Count for VM.

Click Save.

Click Add and provide an instructive recommendation to resolve host memory problems similar to this
example.
If this host is part of a DRS cluster, check the DRS settings to verify that the
load balancing setting are configured correctly. If necessary, manually vMotion
the virtual machines.

Click Add and provide an instructive recommendation to resolve host memory alerts.
a

Enter a description of the recommendation similar to this example.
If this is a standalone host, add more memory to the host.

To make the URL a hyperlink in the instructions, copy the URL, for example,
https://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vsphere-esxi-vcenter-server-pubs.html, to your clipboard.

Highlight the text in the text box and click Create a hyperlink.

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Paste the URL in the Create a hyperlink text box and click OK.

Click Save.

In the Alert Definition Workspace, drag Add CPUs to virtual machines, If this host is part of a
DRS cluster, and the If this is a standalone host recommendations from the list to the
recommendation workspace in the order presented.

Click Save.

You provided the recommended actions and instructions to resolve the alert when it is generated. One of
the recommendations resolves the virtual machine CPU usage problem and the other resolves the host
memory problem.
What to do next

Create a group of objects to use to manage your accounting objects. See Create a Custom Accounting
Department Group.

Create a Custom Accounting Department Group
To manage, monitor, and apply policies to the accounting objects as a group, you create a custom object
group.
Prerequisites

Verify that you completed the alert definition for this scenario. See Add Recommendations to the Alert
Definition.
Procedure

In the menu, click Environment and click the Custom Groups tab.

Click the New Custom Group icon to create a new custom group.

Type a name similar to Accounting VMs and Hosts.

From the Group Type drop-down menu, select Department.

From the Policy drop-down menu, select Default Policy.
When you create a policy, you apply the new policy to the accounting group.

In the Define membership criteria area, from the Select the Object Type that matches the
following criteria drop-down menu, expand vCenter Adapter, select Host System, and configure
the dynamic group criteria.
a

From the criteria drop-down menu, select Relationship.

From the relationships options drop-down menu, select Parent of.

From the operator drop-down menu, select contains.

In the Object name text box, enter acct.

From the navigation tree drop-down list, select vSphere Hosts and Clusters.

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You created a dynamic group where host objects that are the host for virtual machines with acct in the
virtual machine name are included in the group. If a virtual machine with acct in the object name is
added or moved to a host, the host object is added to the group.
7

Click Preview in the lower-left corner of the workspace, and verify that the hosts on which your virtual
machines that include acct in the object name appear in the Preview Group window.

Click Close.

Click Add another criteria set.
A new criteria set is added with the OR operator between the two criteria sets.

10 From the Select the Object Type that matches the following criteria drop-down menu, expand
vCenter Adapter, select Virtual Machine, and configure the dynamic group criteria.
a

From the criteria drop-down menu, select Properties.

From the Pick a property drop-down menu, expand Configuration and double-click Name.

From the operator drop-down menu, select contains.

In the Property value text box, enter acct.

You created a dynamic group where virtual machine objects with acct in the object name are included
in the group that depends on the presence of those virtual machines. If a virtual machine with acct in
the name is added to your environment, it is added to the group.
11 Click Preview in the lower-left corner of the workspace, and verify that the virtual machines with acct
in the object name are added to the list that also includes the host systems.
12 Click Close.
13 Click OK.
The Accounting VMs and Hosts group is added to the Groups list.
You created a dynamic object group that changes as virtual machines with acct in their names are added,
removed, and moved in your environment.
What to do next

Create a policy that determines how vRealize Operations Manager uses the alert definition to monitor
your environment. See Create a Policy for the Accounting Alert.

Create a Policy for the Accounting Alert
To configure how vRealize Operations Manager evaluates the accounting alert definition in your
environment, you configure a policy that determines behavior so that you can apply the policy to an object
group. The policy limits the application of the alert definition to only the members of the selected object
group.

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When an alert definition is created, it is added to the default policy and enabled, ensuring that any alert
definitions that you create are active in your environment. This alert definition is intended to meet the
needs of the accounting department, so you disable it in the default policy and create a new policy to
govern how the alert definition is evaluated in your environment, including which accounting virtual
machines and related hosts to monitor.
Prerequisites
n

Verify that you completed the alert definition for this scenario. See Add Recommendations to the Alert
Definition.

Verify that you created a group of objects that you use to manage you accounting objects. See Create
a Custom Accounting Department Group.

Procedure

In the menu, click Administration and then in the left pane, click Policies.

Click the Policy Library tab.

Click Add New Policy.

Type a name similar to Accounting Objects Alerts Policy and provide a useful description
similar to the following example.
This policy is configured to generate alerts when
Accounting VMs and Hosts group objects are above trended
CPU or memory usage.

Click Select Base Policies and select Default Policy from the Start with drop-down menu.

On the left, click Customize Alert / Symptom Definitions and disable all the alert definitions except
the new Acct VM CPU early warning alert.
a

In the Alert Definitions area, click Actions and select Select All.
The alerts on the current page are selected.

Click Actions and select Disable.
The alerts indicate Disabled in the State column.

Repeat the process on each page of the alerts list.

Select Acct VM CPU early warning in the list, click Actions and select Enable.
The Acct VM CPU early warning alert is now enabled.

On the left, click Apply Policy to Groups and select Accounting VMs and Hosts.

Click Save.

You created a policy where the accounting alert definition exists in a custom policy that is applied only to
the virtual machines and hosts for the accounting department.

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What to do next

Create an email notification so that you learn about alerts even you when you are not actively monitoring
vRealize Operations Manager. See Configure Notifications for the Department Alert.

Configure Notifications for the Department Alert
To receive an email notification when the accounting alert is generated, rather than relying on your ability
to generally monitor the accounting department objects in vRealize Operations Manager, you create
notification rules.
Creating an email notification when accounting alerts are triggered is an optional process, but it provides
you with the alert even when you are not currently working in vRealize Operations Manager.
Prerequisites
n

Verify that you completed the alert definition for this scenario. See Add Recommendations to the Alert
Definition.

Verify that standard email outbound alerts are configured in your system. See Add a Standard Email
Plug-In for vRealize Operations Manager Outbound Alerts.

Procedure

In the menu, click Alerts and then in the left pane, click Alert Settings.

Click Notification Settings and click the plus sign to add a notification rule.

Configure the communication options.
a

In the Name text box, type a name similar to Acct Dept VMs or Hosts Alerts.

From the Select Plug-In Type drop-down menu, select StandardEmailPlugin.

From the Select Instance drop-down menu, select the standard email instance that is configured
to send messages.

In the Recipients text box, type your email address and the addresses of other recipients
responsible for the accounting department alerts. Use a semicolon between recipients.

Leave the Notify again text box blank.
If you do not provide a value, the email notice is sent only once. This alert is a Risk alert and is
intended as an early warning rather than requiring an immediate response.

You configured the name of the notification when it is sent to you and the method that is used to send
the message.
4

In the Filtering Criteria area, configure the accounting alert notification trigger.
a

From the Notification Trigger drop-down menu, select Alert Definition.

Click Click to select Alert Definition.

Select Acct VM CPU early warning and click Select.

Click Save.

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You created a notification rule that sends you and your designated engineers an email message when
this alert is generated for your accounting department alert definition.
What to do next

Create a dashboard with alert-related widgets so that you can monitor alerts for the accounting object
group. See Create a Dashboard to Monitor Department Objects.

Create a Dashboard to Monitor Department Objects
To monitor all the alerts related to the accounting department object group, you create a dashboard that
includes the alert list and other widgets. The dashboard provides the alert data in a single location for all
related objects.
Creating a dashboard to monitor the accounting virtual machines and related hosts is an optional
process, but it provides you with a focused view of the accounting object group alerts and objects.
Prerequisites

Create an object group for the accounting department virtual machines and related objects. See Create a
Custom Accounting Department Group.
Procedure

In the menu, click Dashboards > Actions > Create Dashboard.

In the Dashboard Configuration definition area, type a tab name similar to
Accounting VMs and Hosts and configure the layout options.

Click Widget List and drag the following widgets to the workspace.
n

Alert List

Efficiency

Health

Risk

Top Alerts

Alert Volume

The blank widgets are added to the workspace. To change the order in which they appear, you can
drag them to a different location in the workspace.
4

On the Alert List widget title bar, click Edit Widget and configure the settings.
a

In the Title text box, change the title to Acct Dept Alert List.

For the Refresh Content option, select On.

Type Accounting in the Search text box and click Search.
The Accounting value corresponds to the name of the object group for the accounting department
virtual machines and related hosts.

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In the filtered resource list, select the Accounting VMs and Hosts group.
The Accounting VMs and Hosts group is identified in the Selected Resource text box.

Click OK.

The Acct Dept Alert List is now configured to display alerts for the Accounting VMs and Hosts group
objects.
5

Click Widget Interactions and configure the following interactions.
a

For Acct Dept Alert List, leave the selected resources blank.

For Top Alerts, Health, Risk, Efficiency, and Alert Volume select Acct Dept Alert List from the
Selected Resources drop-down menu.

Click Apply Interactions.

With the widget interaction configured in this way, the select alert in the Acct Dept Alert List is the
source for the data in the other widgets. When you select an alert in the alert list, the Health, Risk,
and Efficiency widgets display alerts for that object, Top Alerts displays the topic issues affecting the
health of the object, and Alert Volume displays an alert trend chart.
6

Click Save.

You created a dashboard that displays the alerts related to the accounting virtual machines and hosts
group, including the Risk alert you created.

Alerts Group
For easy and better management of alerts, you can arrange them as a group as per your requirement.
It is complicated to identify a problem in large environments as you receive different kind of alerts. To
manage alerts easily, group them by their definitions.
For example, there are 1000 alerts in your system. To identify different types of alerts, group them based
on their alert definitions. It is also easy to detect the alert having the highest severity in the group.
When you group alerts, you can see the number of times the alerts having the same alert definition are
triggered. By grouping alerts, you can perform the following tasks easily and quickly:
n

Find the noisiest alert: The alert that has triggered maximum number of times is known as the noisiest
alert. Once you find it, you can disable it to avoid further noise.

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Filter alerts: You can filter alerts based on a substring in alert definitions. The result shows the group
of alerts that contain the substring.

Note
n

If you cancel or disable an alert group, the alerts are not canceled instantly. It might take some time if
the group is large.

Only one group can be expanded at a time.

The number next to the group denotes the number of alerts in that particular group.

The criticality sign

indicates the highest level of severity of an alert in a group.

Grouping Alerts
You can group alerts by time, criticality, definition, and object type.
To group alerts:
Procedure

In the menu, click Alerts.

Select from the various options available from the Group By drop-down menu.

Disable Alerts
In an alerts group, you can disable an alert by a single click.
To disable an alert, in the menu, click Alerts and then in the left pane, click All Alerts. Select the alert
name from the data grid, and click Actions > Disable.
The alerts can be disabled by two methods:
n

Disable Alert in All Policies: You disable the alert for all the objects for all the policies.

Disable Alert in Selected Policies: You disable the alert for the objects having the selected policy.
Note that this method will work only for objects with alerts.

Configuring Actions
Actions are the ability to update objects or read data about objects in monitored systems, and are
commonly provided in vRealize Operations Manager as part of a solution. The actions added by solutions
are available from the object Actions menu, list and view menus, including some dashboard widgets, and
can be added to alert definition recommendations.
The possible actions include read actions and update actions.
The read actions retrieve data from the target objects.

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The update actions modifies the target objects. For example, you can configure an alert definition to notify
you when a virtual machine is experiencing memory issues. Add an action in the recommendations that
runs the Set Memory for Virtual Machine action. This action increases the memory and resolves the likely
cause of the alert.
To see or use the actions for your vCenter Server objects, you must enable actions in the vCenter
Adapter for each monitored vCenter Server instance. Actions can only be viewed and accessed if you
have the required permissions.

List of vRealize Operations Manager Actions
The list of actions includes the name of the action, the objects that each one modifies, and the object
levels at which you can run the action. You use this information to ensure that you correctly apply the
actions as alert recommendations and when the actions are available in the Actions menu.

Actions and Modified Objects
vRealize Operations Manager actions make changes to objects in your managed vCenter Server
instances.
When you grant a user access to actions in vRealize Operations Manager, that user can take the granted
action on any object that vRealize Operations Manager manages, and not only on objects that the user
can access outside of vRealize Operations Manager.

Action Object Levels
The actions are available when you work with different object levels, but they modify only the specified
object. If you are working at the cluster level and select Power On VM, all the virtual machines in the
cluster for which you have access permission are available for you to run the action. If you are working at
the virtual machine level, only the selected virtual machine is available.
Table 2‑3. vRealize Operations Manager Actions Affected Objects
Action

Modified Object

Object Levels

Rebalance Container

Virtual Machines

Data Center

Custom Data Center

Clusters

Host Systems

Virtual Machines

Delete Idle VM

Virtual Machines

Set DRS Automation

Cluster

Clusters

Move VM

Virtual Machine

Virtual Machines

Power Off VM

Virtual Machine

Shut Down Guest OS for VM

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Clusters

Host Systems

Virtual Machines

Virtual Machine

Clusters

VMware Tools must be installed and running on the
target virtual machines to run this action.

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Virtual Machines

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Table 2‑3. vRealize Operations Manager Actions Affected Objects (Continued)
Action

Modified Object

Object Levels

Power On VM

Virtual Machine

Clusters

Host Systems

Virtual Machines

Delete Powered Off VM

Set Memory for VM

Virtual Machine

Clusters
Host Systems

Virtual Machines

Clusters

and

Host Systems

Set Memory for VM Power Off
Allowed

Virtual Machines

Clusters

Host Systems

Virtual Machines

Set Memory Resources for VM

Set CPU Count for VM

Virtual Machine

n
n

Virtual Machine

Clusters

and

Host Systems

Set CPU Count for VM Power Off
Allowed

Virtual Machines

Clusters

Host Systems

Virtual Machines

Set CPU Resources for VM

Set CPU Count and Memory for VM

Virtual Machine

Clusters

and

Host Systems

Set CPU Count and Memory for VM
Power Off Allowed

Virtual Machines

Clusters

Host Systems

Virtual Machines

Clusters

Datastores

Host Systems

Delete Unused Snapshots for VM

Delete Unused Snapshots for
Datastore

Virtual Machine

Snapshot

Actions Supported for Automation
Recommendations can identify ways to remediate problems indicated by an alert. Some of these
remediations can be associated with actions defined in your vRealize Operations Manager instance. You
can automate several of these remediation actions for an alert when that recommendation is the first
priority for that alert.
You enable actionable alerts in your policies. By default, automation is disabled in policies. To configure
automation for your policy, in the menu, click Administration > Policies > Policy Library. Then, you edit
a policy, access the Alert / Symptom Definitions workspace, and select Local for the Automate setting
in the Alert / Symptom Definitions pane.

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When an action is automated, you can use the Automated and Alert columns in Administration >
History > Recent Tasks to identify the automated action and view the results of the action.
n

vRealize Operations Manager uses the automationAdmin user account to trigger automated
actions. For these automated actions that are triggered by alerts, the Submitted By column displays
the automationAdmin user.

The Alert column displays the alert that triggered the action. When an alert is triggered that is
associated to the recommendation, it triggers the action without any user intervention.

The following actions are supported for automation:
n

Delete Powered Off VM

Delete Idle VM

Move VM

Power Off VM

Power On VM

Set CPU Count And Memory for VM

Set CPU Count And Memory for VM Power Off Allowed

Set CPU Count for VM

Set CPU Count for VM Power Off Allowed

Set CPU Resources for VM

Set Memory for VM

Set Memory for VM Power Off Allowed

Set Memory Resources for VM

Shut Down Guest OS for VM

Roles Needed to Automate Actions
To automate actions, your role must have the following permissions:
n

Create, edit, and import policies in Administration > Policies > Policy Library.

Create, clone, edit, and import alert definitions in Alerts > Alert Settings > Alert Definitions.

Create, edit, and import recommendation definitions in Alerts > Alert Settings >
Recommendations.

Important You set the permissions used to run the actions separately from the alert and
recommendation definition. Anyone who can modify alerts, recommendations, and policies can also
automate the action, even if they do not have permission to run the action.

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For example, if you do not have access to the Power Off VM action, but you can create and modify alerts
and recommendations, you can see the Power Off VM action and assign it to an alert recommendation.
Then, if you automate the action in your policy, vRealize Operations Manager uses the automationAdmin
user to run the action.

Example Action Supported for Automation
For the Alert Definition named Virtual machine has chronic high CPU workload leading to
CPU stress, you can automate the action named Set CPU Count for VM.
When CPU stress on your virtual machines exceeds a critical, immediate, or warning level, the alert
triggers the recommended action without user intervention.

Integration of Actions with vRealize Automation
vRealize Operations Manager restricts actions on objects that vRealize Automation manages, so that the
actions do not violate any constraints set forth by vRealize Automation.
When objects in your environment are managed by vRealize Automation, actions in
vRealize Operations Manager are not available on those objects. For example, if a host or parent object
is being managed by vRealize Automation, actions are not available on that object.
This behavior is true for all actions, including Power Off VM, Move VM, Rebalance Container, and so
on.
You cannot turn on or turn off the exclusion of actions on vRealize Automation managed objects.

Actions Determine Whether Objects Are Managed
Actions check the objects in the vRealize Automation managed resource container to determine which
objects are being managed by vRealize Automation.
n

Actions such as Rebalance Container check the child objects of the data center container or custom
data center container to determine whether the objects are managed by vRealize Automation. If the
objects are being managed, the action does not appear on those objects.

The Move VM action checks whether the virtual machine to be moved is being managed by
vRealize Automation.
Is the Virtual
Machine
Managed?

Result of Move VM Action

Yes

The Move VM action does not appear in the vRealize Operations Manager user interface for that virtual
machine.

The Move VM action moves the virtual machine to a new host, datastore, or new host and datastore. The
Move VM action does not check whether the new host or datastore is being managed by
vRealize Automation.

The Delete Snapshots action checks whether the virtual machine or datastore is being managed by
vRealize Automation.

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Actions on Objects that vRealize Automation Does Not Manage
For a host or parent object that is not managed by vRealize Automation, only the virtual machines that
are not being managed by vRealize Automation appear in the action dialog, and you can only take action
on the virtual machines that are not being managed by vRealize Automation. If all child objects are being
managed by vRealize Automation, the user interface displays the message No objects are eligible
for the selected action.

If You Attempt to Run an Action on Multiple Objects
If you select multiple objects and attempt to run an action, such as Power Off VM, only the objects that
are not being managed by vRealize Automation, which might include a subset of the virtual machines,
appear in the Power Off VM action dialog box.

Working With Actions That Use Power Off Allowed
Some of the actions provided with vRealize Operations Manager require the virtual machines to shut
down or power off, depending on the configuration of the target machines, to run the actions. You should
understand the impact of the Power Off Allowed option before running the actions so that you select the
best options for your target virtual machines.

Power Off and Shut Down
The actions that you can run on your vCenter Server instances include actions that shut down virtual
machines and actions that power off virtual machines. It also includes actions where the virtual machine
must be in a powered off state to complete the action. Whether the virtual machine is shut down or
powered off depends on how it is configured and what options you select when you run the action.
The shut down action shuts down the guest operating system and then powers off the virtual machine. To
shut down a virtual machine from vRealize Operations Manager, the VMware Tools must be installed and
running on the target objects.
The power off action turns the virtual machine off without regard for the state of the guest operating
system. In this case, if the virtual machine is running applications, your user could lose data. After the
action is finished, for example, modifying the CPU count, the virtual machine is returned to the power
state it was in when the action began.

Power Off Allowed and VMware Tools
For the actions where you are increasing the CPU count or the amount of memory on a virtual machine,
some operating systems support the actions if the Hot Plug is configured on the virtual machine, but for
other operating systems, the virtual machine must be in a powered off state to change the configuration.
To accommodate this need where the VMware Tools are not running, the Set CPU Count, Set Memory,
and Set CPU Count and Memory actions include the Power Off Allowed option.

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If you select Power Off Allowed, and the machine is running, the action verifies whether VMware Tools is
installed and running.
n

If VMware Tools are installed and running, the virtual machine is shut down before completing the
action.

If VMware Tools are not running or not installed, the virtual machine is powered off without regard for
the state of the operating system.

If you do not select Power Off Allowed and you are decreasing the CPU count or memory, or the hot plug
is not enabled for increasing the CPU count or memory, the action does not run and the failure is reported
in Recent Tasks.

Power Off Allowed When Changing CPU Count or Memory
When you run the actions that change the CPU count and the amount of memory, you must consider
several factors to determine if you want to use the Power Off Allowed option. These factors include
whether you are increasing or decreasing the CPU or memory and whether the target virtual machines
are powered on. If you increasing the CPU or memory values, whether hot plug is enabled also affects
how you apply the option when you run the action.
How you use Power Off Allowed when you are decreasing the CPU count or the amount of memory
depends on the power state of the target virtual machines.
Table 2‑4. Decreasing CPU Count and Memory Behavior Based On Options
Virtual Machine Power State

Power Off Allowed Selected

Results

Yes

If VMware Tools is installed and running,
the action shuts down the virtual machine,
decreases the CPU or memory, and
powers the machine back on.
If VMware Tools is not installed, the action
powers off the virtual machine, decreases
the CPU or memory, and powers the
machine back on.

The action does not run on the virtual
machine.

Off

Not applicable. The virtual machine is
powered off.

The action decreases the value and
leaves the virtual machine in a powered
off state.

How you use Power Off Allowed when you are increasing the CPU count or the amount of memory
depends on several factors, including the state of the target virtual machine and whether hot plug is
enabled. Use the following information to determine which scenario applies to your target objects.
If you are increasing the CPU count, you must consider the power state of the virtual machine and
whether CPU Hot Plug is enabled when determining whether to apply Power Off Allowed.

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Table 2‑5. Increasing CPU Count Behavior.
Virtual Machine Power State

CPU Hot Plug Enabled

Power Off Allowed Selected

Results

Yes

The action increases the CPU
count to the specified amount.

Yes

If VMware Tools is installed
and running, the action shuts
down the virtual machine,
increases the CPU count, and
powers the machine back on.
If VMware Tools is not
installed, the action powers off
the virtual machine, increases
the CPU count, and powers the
machine back on.

Off

Not applicable. The virtual
machine is powered powered
off.

Not required.

The action increases the CPU
count to the specified amount.

If you are increasing the memory, you must consider the power state of the virtual machine, whether
Memory Hot Plug is enabled, and whether there is a Hot Memory Limit when determining how to apply
Power Off Allowed.
Table 2‑6. Increasing Memory Amount Behavior
Virtual Machine Power
State

Memory Hot Plug
Enabled

Yes

New memory value ≤
hot memory limit

The action increases the
memory the specified
amount.

Yes

New memory value >
hot memory limit

Yes

If VMware Tools is
installed and running,
the action shuts down
the virtual machine,
increases the memory,
and powers the machine
back on.

Hot Memory Limit

Power Off Allowed
Selected

Results

If VMware Tools is not
installed, the action
powers off the virtual
machine, increases the
memory, and powers the
machine back on.

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Table 2‑6. Increasing Memory Amount Behavior (Continued)
Virtual Machine Power
State

Memory Hot Plug
Enabled

Hot Memory Limit
Not applicable. The hot
plug is not enabled.

Power Off Allowed
Selected
Yes

Results
If VMware Tools is
installed and running,
the action shuts down
the virtual machine,
increases the memory,
and powers the machine
back on.
If VMware Tools is not
installed, the action
powers off the virtual
machine, increases the
memory, and powers the
machine back on.

Off

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Not applicable. The
virtual machine is
powered off.

Not applicable.

Not required

The action increases the
memory the specified
amount.

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Configuring and Using
Workload Optimization

Workload Optimization provides for moving virtual compute resources and their file systems dynamically
across datastore clusters within a data center or custom data center.
Using Workload Optimization, you can rebalance virtual machines and storage across clusters, relieving
demand on an overloaded individual cluster and maintaining or improving cluster performance.
Workload Optimization further enables you potentially to automate a significant portion of your data center
compute and storage optimization efforts. With properly defined policies determining the threshold at
which resource contention triggers an alert and automatically runs an action, a data center performs at
optimum.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n

Configuring Workload Optimization

Using Workload Optimization

Configuring Workload Optimization
Workload Optimization offers you the potential to automate fully a significant portion of your cluster
workload rebalancing tasks. The tasks to accomplish workload automation are as follows:
1

Set the policies that define demand limits for cluster CPU and memory. See Workload Policy Settings.

Configure the Workload Automation Details to complement the policies, including tagging VMs for
cluster placement. See Workload Automation Details and Tag-Based VM Placement

Configure the two Workload Optimization alerts to be triggered when cluster CPU/memory limits are
breached, and configure them as automated. When the alerts are automated, the actions calculated
by Workload Optimization are run automatically. See Configuring Workload Optimization Alerts

Prerequisites
Workload Optimization acts on objects associated with the VMware vSphere Solution that connects
vRealize Operations Manager to one or more vCenter Server instances. The virtual objects in this
environment include a vCenter Server, data centers and custom data centers, cluster compute and
storage resources, host systems, and virtual machines. Specific requirements:
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A vCenter Adapter configured with the actions enabled for each vCenter Server instance.

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A vCenter Server instance with at least two datastore clusters with sDRS enabled and fully
automated.

Any non-datastore clusters must have DRS enabled and fully automated

Storage vMotion must be set to ON at Workload Automation Details. The default is On.

You must have permission to access all objects in the environment.

Design Considerations
The following rules constrain the possible computer and storage resource moves that can be performed.
Note When vRealize Operations Manager suggests that you optimize clusters in a data center, the
system does not guarantee it can run an optimization action. vRealize Operations Manager analytics can
determine that optimization is desirable and can create a rebalancing plan. However, the system cannot
automatically identify all the architectural constraints that may be present. Such constraints may prevent
an optimization action, or cause an action in progress to fail.
n

Moving compute and storage resources is allowed only within, not across data centers or custom
data centers.

Storage resources cannot be moved across non-datastore clusters. Storage can move only across
datastore clusters that have sDRS fully automated.

Compute-resource-only moves are permitted through shared storage.

Virtual machines defined with affinity rules or anti-affinity rules are not to be moved.

Virtual machines cannot be moved when residing on a local datastore, unless a storage swap exists
on the local datastore.

Virtual machines cannot be moved if they have data residing across multiple datastore clusters.
Compute-only moves with similar shared storage are not permitted.

A virtual machine cannot have data that resides across different storage types. For example, if a
virtual machine has a VM disk on a datastore and a second VM disk on a datastore cluster, the virtual
machine does not move, even when the datastore is shared with the destination or has swap on it.

A virtual machine can use RDM so long as the destination datastore cluster can access the RDM
LUN.

A virtual machine can implement VM disks on multiple datastores inside a single datastore cluster.

Virtual machines cannot be placed inside clusters managed by vRealize Automation.

Workload Optimization may suggest moving virtual machines that are protected by vSphere
Replication or Array Based Replication. You must ensure that all the clusters within a selected data
center or custom data center have replication available. You can set up DRS affinity rules on virtual
machines that you do not want moving across clusters.

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Workload Policy Settings
The key element in effecting workload optimization is appropriately setting the policies that determine
when alerts are fired to signal that performance issues are detected. The issues are alleviated through
the optimization of system resources. For information on setting policies in vRealize Operations Manager
see the following:
n

Policies

Default Policy in vRealize Operations Manager

Policy Library Tab for Policies

Policy Alert Definitions

Using the Monitoring Policy Workspace to Create and Modify Operational Policies

Key among various settings relevant to the cluster workload is acceptable demand for CPU and memory.
Disk space demand is not considered as part of the workload optimization equation.
In setting policies at the Add/Edit Monitoring Policy workspace, you arrive at a workload score. These
policies determine when demands on computing and memory are within an acceptable zone (green),
moving toward contention (orange) or unacceptably high (red).
Note If a cluster CPU or memory use has reached the maximum configured capacity, there is no room
left to move compute resources, and optimization is not possible. Set workload scores to values that
trigger an alert well before absolute maximum capacity is reached.

Cluster Headroom Policy and Storage vMotion
The Add/Edit Monitoring Policy workspace includes additional options that more generally define how and
when optimization actions occur. Display the Workload Automation Details page to set:
n

Workload Optimization to Balance, Relieve Stress, or Consolidate

Cluster Headroom to 0-50%

Tag-Based VM Placement

Advanced Settings - you must ensure Storage vMotion is set to ON - the default

The Headroom option can potentially act more directly on optimizing actions than the Balance or
Consolidate workload options, because it sets a value that directly impacts the cluster workload limit
policy. Headroom sets a buffer, that is, a workload limit separate from the workload score you defined as
within the green zone in your policy settings. If your headroom buffer is, for example, 20 percent, the
workload limit is effectively 80 percent. That percentage holds even if you set a workload score in the
policy settings that permits the green zone to reach 90 percent. When Workload Balance calculates an
optimization plan, it abides by the more restrictive metric.

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Tag-Based VM Placement
You can use vCenter Server tagging to tag VMs and clusters with specific tags. These tags define - for a
given cluster - the set of VMs that is placed in that cluster and remains within the cluster. When the
system runs an optimization action, it uses VM-to-cluster tag matching to ensure that VMs are moved to or stay with - the appropriate cluster.

Using Tags for Cluster Flexibility
When configuring custom data centers and clusters without tags, you configure CDCs as relatively
homogeneous. All cluster resources must support, for example, the same OS or the same security
requirements so that optimization actions do not place VMs in an incompatible cluster.
The tagging approach enables you to define zones of infrastructure within cluster boundaries. For
example, you can ensure that during workload optimization actions, Windows VMs are moved only to
Windows-licensed clusters and Oracle VMs are moved only to Oracle-licensed clusters. Similarly, you can
enable tiers of service in an application, where "Tier 1" VMs are moved only to Tier 1 clusters. Other
examples include separating VMs according to OS, or creating network boundaries.
VMs and clusters can be tagged with more than one tag. VMs with multiple tags are placed only on
clusters with all matching tags.
vCenter Server tags are implemented as key:value labels that enable operators to add meta-data to
vCenter Server objects. In vCenter Server terminology, the key is the tag category and the value is the tag
name. Using this construct, the tag OS: Linux can indicate a cluster or VM that is assigned to the
category OS with a tag name of Linux. For complete information on vCenter Server tagging capabilities,
refer to the vCenter Server and Host Management guide.
In vRealize Operations Manager, you assign category and name tags in Policies, at the Workload
Automation Details page. You can also set priorities for optimization moves, dictating which VMs are
moved first.

Tag Implementation Example: Zones of Service and Licensing
The following example shows how an administrator assigned tags to clusters and VMs to create zones
within a data center:

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Gold

Silver

Oracle

Production

Staging

Dev

Clusters
Data Center A

Using vCenter Server, the administrator sets up these tag categories and associated tag names:
n

Environment: Production, Staging, Dev

Service Tier: Gold, Silver

Licensing: Oracle

Data Center A includes 15 clusters. The administrator tags the clusters and VMs in those clusters as
follows:
Cluster

Environment

Service Tier

Production

Gold

2, 3

Production

Silver

4, 5

Production

Staging

Gold

7, 8

Staging

Silver

9, 10

Staging

Dev

Gold

12, 13

Dev

Silver

14, 15

Dev

Licensing

Oracle

Opening the vRealize Operations Manager policies to Tag-Based VM Placement in Workload Automation
Details, the administrator prioritizes the Environment: Production and Service Tier: Gold category-tag
combinations. Because the Optimization policies emphasize balance, clusters with those tags are
balanced first.

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Configuring Workload Optimization Alerts
vRealize Operations Manager provides two preconfigured alerts designed to work with the Workload
Optimization feature. You must take additional action in the Policies area to turn on the alerts and
automate them so that recommended actions are executed when the alerts fire.
The following preconfigured alerts are designed to work with the Workload Optimization feature:
n

Datacenter performance can potentially be optimized in one or more clusters.

Custom Datacenter performance can potentially be optimized in one or more clusters.

Prerequisites

Ensure you have all required permissions to access the Workload Optimization UI pages and manage
vCenter Server objects.
Procedure

Select Administration from the menu, then Policies from the left pane.

Click Policy Library and select the policy that includes settings for the relevant datacenters and
custom datacenters, for example, vSphere Solution’s Default Policy.

Click Edit.

Click the object grouping containing the relevant datacenters, for example, vCenter Adapter Cluster
Compute Resource:

Click #6 on the lower left, Alert/Symptom Definitions.

Search on "can potentially be optimized" to locate the two alerts you want.

The alerts are turned ON by default/inheritance (State column).

The alerts are not automated by default/inheritance (Automate column). To automate the alerts, click
the menu symbol to the right of the inherited value and select the green check mark.

Workload Optimization should be fully automated for your environment.
What to do next

Monitor rebalance activity at the Workload Optimization screen to confirm that actions are taken
automatically.

Using Workload Optimization
Use the Workload Optimization UI pages to monitor optimizing moves in a fully automated system. If your
system is not fully automated, you can use the UI to conduct research and execute actions directly.

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vRealize Operations Manager monitors virtual objects and collects and analyzes related data that is
presented to you in graphical form at the Workload Optimization screen. Depending on what appears on
the screen, you may determine that you need to use optimization functions to distribute workload
differently in a datacenter or custom datacenter. Or you may decide to perform more research, including
checking the Alerts page to determine if any alerts have been generated for objects of interest.
For comprehensive general instructions on responding to alerts and analyzing problems related to objects
in your environment, see .
For comprehensive general instructions on responding to alerts and analyzing problems related to objects
in your environment, see the vRealize Operations Manager User Guide.
The following examples demonstrate the primary ways you can use Workload Optimization to keep your
datacenters balanced and performing their best.

Example: Run Workload Optimization
As a virtual infrastructure administrator or other IT professional, you use Workload Optimization functions
to identify points of resource contention or imbalance. In this example, you manually run an optimization
action to consolidate demand.
When you log into vRealize Operations Manager, you see the Quick Start page. In the left-most column,
Optimize Performance, is the alert 3 DATACENTERS REQUIRING OPTIMIZATION.
Prerequisites

Ensure that you have all required permissions to access the Workload Optimization UI and manage
vCenter Server objects.
Procedure

Click Workload Optimization in the Optimize Performance column.
The Workload Optimization page appears. Datacenters are grouped by Criticality, with the three
troubled datacenters appearing in a carousel across the top of the page: DC-Bangalore-18, DCBangalore-19, DC-Bangalore-20. A Not Optimized badge appears in the lower right-hand corner of
each graphic.

If no datacenter is preselected, select DC-Bangalore-18 from the carousel.
Comprehensive data about the state of the datacenter appears below.

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Based on the available data, you determine an optimization action is required.
CPU workloads can be consolidated such that a host in Cluster 3 can be freed up.
Table 3‑1. Panes and Widgets
Pane

Contents

Workload Optimization

Status shows as Not Optimized. A system message states,
"You can consolidate workloads to maximize utilization and
potentially free up 1 host."
The message reflects that you have set policies to emphasize
consolidation as a goal in optimization moves. The system is
saying you can free up a host through consolidation.

Settings

The current policy is Consolidate. The system advises: Avoid
Performance Issues, Consolidate Workloads.

vMotion in last 24 hours

There have been no vMotions in the last day.

Cluster Workloads

Cluster 1 CPU Workload is 16%. Cluster 2 CPU Workload is
29%. Cluster 3 CPU Workload is 14%. Cluster 4 CPU
Workload is 22%.

Click OPTIMIZE NOW in the Workload Optimization pane.
The system creates a optimization plan, which depicts BEFORE and (projected) AFTER workload
statistics for the optimization action.

If you are satisfied with the projected results of the optimization action, click NEXT.
The dialog box updates to show the planned moves.

Review the optimization moves, then click BEGIN ACTION.
The system runs the compute and storage resource moves.

The optimization action moved compute and storage resources from some clusters to other clusters in the
data center, thus freeing up a host on one cluster.
Note The Workload Optimization page refreshes every five minutes. Depending on when you run an
optimization action, the system might not reflect the result for up to five minutes, or longer when longerrunning actions extend the processing time.

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What to do next

To confirm that your optimization action was completed, go to the Recent Tasks page by selecting
Administration on the top menu, and clicking History > Recent Tasks in the left pane. In the Recent
Tasks page, use the Status function on the menu bar to locate your action by its status. You can also
search using a range of filters. For example, first filter on Starting Time and scroll to the time when you
began the action, then select the Object Name filter and enter the name of one of the VMs in the
rebalance plan.
Note Sometimes an optimizing action may be recommended, for example to consolidate two hosts, but
when you run the optimization, the generated placement plan does not show any potential consolidation.
The seeming inconsistency results from the fact that recommended optimization actions are based on
current conditions, whereas the placement plan logic includes forecasting. If forecasting predicts that
consolidation would incur stress in the future, then consolidation is not recommended.

Example: Schedule a Repeating Optimization Action
As a virtual infrastructure administrator or other IT professional, you determine that compute and storage
resources in a given datacenter are volatile and a regularly scheduled optimization action would address
the problem.
vRealize Operations Manager monitors virtual objects and collects and analyzes related data that is
presented to you in graphical form at the Workload Optimization page. Depending on what appears, you
may determine that you need to schedule optimization functions to distribute workload more evenly in a
datacenter or custom datacenter.
Prerequisites

Ensure you have all required permissions to access the Workload Optimization UI and manage vCenter
Server objects.
Procedure

From the Home screen, click Optimize Capacity > Workload Optimization in the left pane.

From the carousel of datacenters across the top of the page, select a datacenter for which you want
to schedule repeated optimization actions.

In the Workload Optimization pane, click SCHEDULE.

Give the schedule a name and choose a time zone.

Determine how often you want to repeat the optimization action and click the relevant radio button
under Recurrence.
Depending on your selection under Recurrence, additional options appear to the right. In this
instance, you choose to repeat the optimization daily.

Leave the current date and time.

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Select the Repeat every day radio button.

Select the Expire after radio button and tick the counter up to 6.

Click Save.

The optimization action repeats for six days, then stops.
At the Workload Optimization page, the Scheduled button appears in the upper right of the Workload
Optimization pane as long as optimization actions are scheduled for the selected datacenter. If you want
to edit or delete a schedule, click the Scheduled button. The Optimization Schedules page appears,
where you can perform those actions.
Note If you schedule a number of optimization actions close together, and the optimization plans of two
or more actions include overlapping functions, that is, they impact the same set of resources, the system
shifts the actions into a queue. As a result, some actions may complete later than expected, with longer
running actions and other potential system constraints extending the lag time. Optimization actions that
do not overlap can run concurrently.
What to do next

To confirm that your optimization action was finished, go to the Recent Tasks screen by selecting
Administration on the top menu, and clicking History > Recent Task in the left pane. In the Recent
Tasks screen, use the Status function on the menu bar to locate your action by its status. You can also
search using a range of filters. For example, filter on Event Source and enter the name of the scheduled
optimization plan.
Note Because real-time datacenter resource contention is dynamic, the system calculates a new
optimization plan each time the scheduled optimization action starts, but before it executes. If the system
determines that the datacenter container is balanced at this moment, then the action is not executed. On
the Recent Tasks page, the name of the affected datacenter appears in the Object Name column, and the
Message “The optimization of the selected container cannot be improved” appears under Details. Another
possibility is that a scheduled optimization plan is attempted, but does not go forward. In this event which is not the same as a "failed" action - the name of the affected datacenter also appears in the Object
Name column.

Example: Run Workload Optimization from Recommended
Actions
From the Home screen, click Recommendations under Optimize Performance - first column on the left.
The Recommended Actions screen appears, with data center and custom data center errors highlighted.
If a suggested optimization action is available, it appears in the bottom third of the screen, with details.
To execute the action, click the blue Run Action arrow.

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Prerequisites

Ensure you have all required permissions to access the Workload Optimization UI and manage vCenter
Server objects.
The system executes the proposed rebalancing action.
What to do next

The Workload Optimization screen appears, where you can review the results of the rebalancing actions.
Additional information is available at the Recent Tasks page: in the menu, select Administration, then
click History > Recent Tasks in the left pane. Choose the Event Source filter and enter part of the alert
name to search on. If the action succeeded, the Event Source column shows Alert: .

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Configuring Policies

To create a policy, you can inherit the settings from an existing policy, and you can modify the settings in
existing policies if you have adequate permissions. After you create a policy, or edit an existing policy, you
can apply the policy to one or more groups of objects.
This chapter includes the following topics:
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Policies

Operational Policies

Types of Policies

Using the Monitoring Policy Workspace to Create and Modify Operational Policies

Policies
A policy is a set of rules that you define for vRealize Operations Manager to use to analyze and display
information about the objects in your environment. You can create, modify, and administer policies to
determine how vRealize Operations Manager displays data in dashboards, views, and reports.

How Policies Relate to Your Environment
vRealize Operations Manager policies support the operational decisions established for your IT
infrastructure and business units. With policies, you control what data vRealize Operations Manager
collects and reports on for specific objects in your environment. Each policy can inherit settings from other
policies, and you can customize and override various analysis settings, alert definitions, and symptom
definitions for specific object types, to support the service Level agreements and business priorities
established for your environment.
When you manage policies, you must understand the operational priorities for your environment, and the
tolerances for alerts and symptoms to meet the requirements for your business critical applications. Then,
you can configure the policies so that you apply the correct policy and threshold settings for your
production and test environments.

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Policies define the settings that vRealize Operations Manager applies to your objects when it collects
data from your environment. vRealize Operations Manager applies policies to newly discovered objects,
such as the objects in an object group. For example, you have an existing VMware adapter instance, and
you apply a specific policy to the group named World. When a user adds a new virtual machine to the
vCenter Server instance, the VMware adapter reports the virtual machine object to
vRealize Operations Manager. The VMware adapter applies the same policy to that object, because it is a
member of the World object group.
To implement capacity policy settings, you must understand the requirements and tolerances for your
environment, such as CPU use. Then, you can configure your object groups and policies according to
your environment.
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For a production environment policy, a good practice is to configure higher performance settings, and
to account for peak use times.

For a test environment policy, a good practice is to configure higher utilization settings.

vRealize Operations Manager applies policies in priority order, as they appear on the Active Policies tab.
When you establish the priority for your policies, vRealize Operations Manager applies the configured
settings in the policies according to the policy rank order to analyze and report on your objects. To change
the priority of a policy, you click and drag a policy row. The default policy is always kept at the bottom of
the priority list, and the remaining list of active policies starts at priority 1, which indicates the highest
priority policy. When you assign an object to be a member of multiple object groups, and you assign a
different policy to each object group, vRealize Operations Manager associates the highest ranking policy
with that object.
Table 4‑1. Configurable Policy Rule Elements
Policy Rule Elements

Thresholds, Settings, Definitions

Workload

Configure symptom thresholds for the Workload badge score.

Anomalies

Configure symptom thresholds for the Anomalies badge score.

Faults

Configure symptom thresholds for the Faults badge score.

Time Remaining

Configure thresholds for the Time Remaining badge scores.

Capacity Remaining

Configure thresholds for the Capacity Remaining badge scores.

Reclaimable Capacity

Configure symptom thresholds for the Reclaimable Capacity badge score.

Density

Configure symptom thresholds for the Density badge score.

Maintenance Schedule

Sets a time to perform maintenance tasks.

Attributes

An attribute is a collectible data component. You can enable or disable metric, property, and super
metric attributes for collection, and set attributes as key performance indicators (KPIs). A KPI is the
designation of an attribute that indicates that the attribute is important in your own environment.
vRealize Operations Manager treats KPIs differently from other attributes. Threshold violations by a
KPI generate different types of alerts from non-KPI attributes.
When a KPI violates a threshold, vRealize Operations Manager examines the events that preceded
the violation. If it finds enough related information, vRealize Operations Manager captures the set of
events that preceded the violation as a fingerprint. If it finds a similar series of events in the future, it
can issue a predictive alert warning that the KPI violation is likely to occur.

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Table 4‑1. Configurable Policy Rule Elements (Continued)
Policy Rule Elements

Thresholds, Settings, Definitions

Alert Definitions

Enable or disable combinations of symptoms and recommendations to identify a condition that
classifies as a problem.

Symptom Definitions

Enable or disable test conditions on properties, metrics, or events.

Privileges to Create, Modify, and Prioritize Policies
You must have privileges to access specific features in the vRealize Operations Manager user interface.
The roles associated with your user account determine the features you can access and the actions you
can perform.
To set the policy priority, on the Active Policies tab, click the policy row and drag it to place it at the
desired priority in the list. The priority for the Default Policy is always designated with the letter D.

How Upgrades Affect Your Policies
After you upgrade vRealize Operations Manager from a previous version, you might find newly added or
updated default settings of policies such as, new alerts and symptoms. Hence, you must analyze the
settings and modify these settings to optimize them for your current environment. If you apply the policies
used with a previous version of vRealize Operations Manager, the manually modified policy settings
remain unaltered.

Policy Decisions and Objectives
Implementing policy decisions in vRealize Operations Manager is typically the responsibility of the
Infrastructure Administrator or the Virtual Infrastructure Administrator, but users who have privileges can
also create and modify policies.
You must be aware of the policies established to analyze and monitor the resources in your IT
infrastructure.
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As a Virtual Infrastructure Administrator who manages and troubleshoots an IT infrastructure, you
must understand how policies associated with objects affect the scores that appear in
vRealize Operations Manager, so that you can configure the approved policies based on your
company decisions and requirements.

If you are a Network Operations engineer, you must understand how policies affect the data that
vRealize Operations Manager reports on objects, and which policies assigned to objects report alerts
and issues.

If you are the person whose role is to recommend an initial setup for policies, you typically edit and
configure the policies in vRealize Operations Manager.

If your primary role is to assess problems that occur in your environment, but you do not have the
responsibility to change the policies, you must still understand how the policies applied to objects
affect the data that appears in vRealize Operations Manager. For example, you might need to know
which policies apply to objects that are associated with particular alerts.

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If you are a typical application user who receives reports from vRealize Operations Manager, you
must have a high-level understanding of the operational policies so that you can understand the
reported data values.

Active Policies Tab for Policies
The Active Policies tab displays the policies associated with groups of objects. You can manage the
active policies for the objects in your environment so that you can have vRealize Operations Manager
analyze and display specific data about those objects in dashboards, views, and reports.

How the Active Policies Tab Works
Use the Active Policies tab to associate a policy with one or more object groups, and to set the default
policy. You can view the locally defined settings for a policy, and the complete list of settings, which
includes those that are inherited from the base policies that you select in the Add or Edit Policy
workspace. You can assign any policy to be the default policy.
vRealize Operations Manager applies policies in priority order, as they appear on the Active Policies tab.
When you establish the priority for your policies, vRealize Operations Manager applies the configured
settings in the policies according to the policy rank order to analyze and report on your objects. To change
the priority of a policy, you click and drag a policy row. The default policy is always kept at the bottom of
the priority list, and the remaining list of active policies starts at priority 1, which indicates the highest
priority policy. When you assign an object to be a member of multiple object groups, and you assign a
different policy to each object group, vRealize Operations Manager associates the highest ranking policy
with that object.
To display the details for a selected policy, click the split bar to expand the pane. The Details and Related
Items tabs and options for the policy appear in the lower pane. On the Related Items tab, you can also
apply the selected policy to object groups.
You can use the far right column of the Active Policies tab to reorder and therefore reprioritize the
policies by dragging them to a new position. However, even though it seems like you can drag a custom
policy below the default policy, you cannot. The default policy is always the last policy in the list after the
view is refreshed.

How to Prioritize Policies
To set the policy priority, on the Active Policies tab, click the policy row and drag it to place it at the
desired priority in the list. The priority for the Default Policy is always designated with the letter D.

Where You Manage the Active Policies
To manage the active policies, in the menu, click Administration, and then in the left pane click Policies.
The Active Policies tab appears and lists the policies that are active for the objects in your environment.

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Table 4‑2. Active Policies Tab Options
Option
Toolbar

Description
Use the toolbar selections to take action on the active policies.
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Show Association. Opens the Related Items tab so that you can associate the policy with
groups.

Set Default Policy. You can set any policy to be the default policy, which applies the
settings in that policy to all objects that do not have a policy applied. When you set a
policy to be the default policy, the priority is set to D, which gives that policy the highest
priority.

Active Policies Tab data grid

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vRealize Operations Manager displays the priority and high-level details for the active policies.
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Priority. Ranking of the priority of the policy. The default policy is marked with a check
mark in the Is Default column.

Name. Name of the policy as it appears in the Add or Edit Monitoring Policy wizard, and in
areas where the policy applies to objects, such as in Custom Groups.

Description. Meaningful description of the policy, such as which policy is inherited, and any
specific information users need to understand the relationship of the policy to one or more
groups of objects.

Groups. Indicates the number of object groups to which the policy is assigned.

Affected Objects. Displays the object name, type, and adapter to which the active policy is
assigned, and the direct parent group, when applicable.

Last Modified. Date and time that the policy was last modified.

Modified By. User who last modified the policy settings.

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Table 4‑2. Active Policies Tab Options (Continued)
Option

Description

Active Policies Tab > Details Tab

The Details tab displays the name and description of the policy from which the settings are
inherited, the policy priority, who last modified the policy, and the number of object groups
associated with the policy. From the Details tab, you can view the settings that are locally
defined in your policy, and the complete group of settings that include both customized
settings and the settings inherited from the base policies selected when the policy was
created.

Active Policies Tab > Related
Objects Tab

Locally Defined Settings. Displays the locally changed policy element settings for each
object type in the policy. For example, if you changed the Memory Demand settings in the
Cluster Compute Object Stress policy element, you can see the update to your local policy
in the list of locally defined settings.

Complete Settings Including Inherited. Displays all of the policy element settings for each
object type in the policy, including locally changed settings and settings that are inherited.
A summary of the enabled and disabled alert definitions, symptom definitions, and
attributes appear indicate the number of changes in the policy. The policy element settings
include badge score symptom thresholds, and indicate changes made to the Workload,
Anomaly, Fault, Capacity and Time Remaining, Stress, Reclaimable Capacity, Density,
Usable Capacity, and Time settings. For example, if you changed the Cluster Compute
Object Usable Capacity policy element settings, you can see the updates to your local
policy in the complete list of settings, and the high availability configuration setting. If you
have various adapters installed, such as the vRealize Configuration Manager Adapter, you
will also see specific policy elements for the adapter. For example, for
vRealize Configuration Manager you will see the Compliance policy element setting and
badge score symptom threshold.

Summarizes the related groups and objects, and details about the selected object group and
objects.
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Groups. Displays the groups of objects associated with the selected active policy, and
provides options to add and release an association.
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Add Association. Opens the Apply the policy to groups dialog box where you select
object groups to associate with the selected policy.

Release Association. Opens a confirmation dialog box to confirm the release of the
object group that is associated with the selected policy.

Data grid. Displays the groups assigned to this policy, the object types associated with
the group, and the number of objects in the group.

Details for the selected object group. Displays the object group name, type, and
number of members associated with the selected policy, and the type of association
with the policy. An object group can have a direct association with a policy, and
inherited policy associations based on the base policies that you selected when you
created a local policy. For example, if the Base Settings policy appears in the list, with
an inherited association, the Base Settings policy was included in the base policies
selected when this policy was created.

Affected Objects. Displays the names of the objects in your environment, their object
types, and associated adapters. When a parent group exists for an object, it appears in
this data grid.

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Policy Library Tab for Policies
The Policy Library tab displays the base settings, default policy, and other best practice policies that
vRealize Operations Manager includes. You can use the library policies to create your own policies. The
policy library includes all the configurable settings for the policy elements, such as workload, anomaly,
faults, capacity and time remaining, stress, reclaimable capacity, density, usable capacity, and time.

How the Policy Library Works
Use the options on the Policy Library tab to create your own policy from an existing policy, or to override
the settings from an existing policy so that you can apply the new settings to groups of objects. You can
also import and export a policy.
To display the details for a selected policy, click the split bar to expand the pane. The Details and Related
Items tabs and options for the policy appear in the lower pane. On the Related Items tab, you can also
apply the selected policy to object groups.
When you add or edit a policy, you access the policy workspace where you select the base policies and
override the settings for analysis, metrics, properties, alert definitions, and symptom definitions. In this
workspace, you can also apply the policy to object groups. To update the policy association with an object
group, the role assigned to your user account must have the Manage Association permission enabled for
policy management.

Where You Manage the Policy Library
To manage the policy library, in the menu, click Administration, and then in the left pane click Policies.
The Policy Library tab appears and lists the policies available to use for your environment.

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Table 4‑3. Policy Library Tab Options
Option

Description

Toolbar

Use the toolbar selections to take action in the policy library.
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Add New Policy. Create a policy from an existing policy.

Edit Selected Policy. Customize the policy so that you can override settings for
vRealize Operations Manager to analyze and report data about the associated objects.

Policy Library Tab data grid

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Import Policy and Export Policy. You can import or export a policy in XML format. To
import or export a policy, the role assigned to your user account must have the Import or
Export permissions enabled for policy management.

Delete Selected Policy. Remove a policy from the list.

vRealize Operations Manager displays the high-level details for the policies.
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Name. Name of the policy as it appears in the Add or Edit Monitoring Policy wizard, and in
areas where the policy applies to objects, such as in Custom Groups.

Last Modified. Date and time that the policy was last modified.

Modified By. User who last modified the policy settings.

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Table 4‑3. Policy Library Tab Options (Continued)
Option

Description

Policy Library Tab > Details Tab

Related Objects Tab

Summarizes the related groups and objects, and details about the selected object group and
objects.
n

Groups. Displays the groups of objects associated with the selected active policy, and
provides options to add and release an association.
n

Add Association. Opens the Apply the policy to groups dialog box where you select
object groups to associate with the selected policy.

Release Association. Opens a confirmation dialog box to confirm the release of the
object group that is associated with the selected policy.

Data grid. Displays the groups assigned to this policy, the object types associated with
the group, and the number of objects in the group.

Affected Objects. Displays the names of the objects in your environment, their object
types, and associated adapters. When a parent group exists for an object, it appears in
this data grid.

Operational Policies
Determine how to have vRealize Operations Manager monitor your objects, and how to notify you about
problems that occur with those objects.

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vRealize Operations Manager Administrators assign policies to object groups and applications to support
Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and business priorities. When you use policies with object groups, you
ensure that the rules defined in the policies are quickly put into effect for the objects in your environment.
With policies, you can:
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Enable and disable alerts.

Control data collections by persisting or not persisting metrics on the objects in your environment.

Configure the product analytics and thresholds.

Monitor objects and applications at different service levels.

Prioritize policies so that the most important rules override the defaults.

Understand the rules that affect the analytics.

Understand which policies apply to object groups.

vRealize Operations Manager includes a library of built-in active policies that are already defined for your
use. vRealize Operations Manager applies these policies in priority order.
When you apply a policy to an object group, vRealize Operations Manager collects data from the objects
in the object group based on the thresholds, metrics, super metrics, attributes, properties, alert definitions,
and problem definitions that are enabled in the policy.
The following examples of policies might exist for a typical IT environment.
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Maintenance: Optimized for ongoing monitoring, with no thresholds or alerts.
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Critical Production: Production environment ready, optimized for performance with sensitive alerting.

Important Production: Production environment ready, optimized for performance with medium
alerting.

Batch Workloads: Optimized to process jobs.

Test, Staging, and QA: Less critical settings, fewer alerts.

Development: Less critical settings, no alerts.

Low Priority: Ensures efficient use of resources.

Default Policy: Default system settings.

Types of Policies
There are three types of policies such as default policies, custom policies, and policies that are offered
with vRealize Operations Manager.

Custom Policies
You can customize the default policy and base policies included with vRealize Operations Manager for
your own environment. You can then apply your custom policy to groups of objects, such as the objects in
a cluster, or virtual machines and hosts, or to a group that you create to include unique objects and
specific criteria.

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You must be familiar with the policies so that you can understand the data that appears in the user
interface, because policies drive the results that appear in the vRealize Operations Manager dashboards,
views, and reports.
To determine how to customize operational policies and apply them to your environment, you must plan
ahead. For example:
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Must you track CPU allocation? If you overallocate CPU, what percentage must you apply to your
production and test objects?

Will you overallocate memory or storage? If you use High Availability, what buffers must you use?

How do you classify your logically defined workloads, such as production clusters, test or
development clusters, and clusters used for batch workloads? Or, do you include all clusters in a
single workload?

How do you capture peak use times or spikes in system activity? In some cases, you might need to
reduce alerts so that they are meaningful when you apply policies.

When you have privileges applied to your user account through the roles assigned, you can create and
modify policies, and apply them to objects. For example:
n

Create a policy from an existing base policy, inherit the base policy settings, then override specific
settings to analyze and monitor your objects.

Use policies to analyze and monitor vCenter Server objects and non-vCenter Server objects.

Set custom thresholds for analysis settings on all object types to have vRealize Operations Manager
report on workload, anomalies, faults, capacity, stress, and so on.

Enable specific attributes for collection, including metrics, properties, and super metrics.

Enable or disable alert definitions and symptom definitions in your custom policy settings.

Apply the custom policy to object groups.

When you use an existing policy to create a custom policy, you override the policy settings to meet your
own needs. You set the allocation and demand, the overcommit ratios for CPU and memory, and the
thresholds for capacity risk and buffers. To allocate and configure what your environment is actually using,
you use the allocation model and the demand model together. Depending on the type of environment you
monitor, such as a production environment versus a test or development environment, whether you over
allocate at all and by how much depends on the workloads and environment to which the policy applies.
You might be more conservative with the level of allocation in your test environment and less conservative
in your production environment.
vRealize Operations Manager applies policies in priority order, as they appear on the Active Policies tab.
When you establish the priority for your policies, vRealize Operations Manager applies the configured
settings in the policies according to the policy rank order to analyze and report on your objects. To change
the priority of a policy, you click and drag a policy row. The default policy is always kept at the bottom of

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the priority list, and the remaining list of active policies starts at priority 1, which indicates the highest
priority policy. When you assign an object to be a member of multiple object groups, and you assign a
different policy to each object group, vRealize Operations Manager associates the highest ranking policy
with that object.
Your policies are unique to your environment. Because policies direct vRealize Operations Manager to
monitor the objects in your environment, they are read-only and do not alter the state of your objects. For
this reason, you can override the policy settings to fine-tune them until vRealize Operations Manager
displays the results that are meaningful and that affect for your environment. For example, you can adjust
the capacity buffer settings in your policy, and then view the data that appears in the dashboards to see
the effect of the policy settings.

Default Policy in vRealize Operations Manager
The default policy is a set of rules that applies to the majority of your objects.
The Default policy appears on the Active Policies tab, and is marked with the letter D in the Priority
column. The Default policy can apply to any number of objects.
The Default policy always appears at the bottom in the list of policies, even if that policy is not associated
with an object group. When an object group does not have a policy applied,
vRealize Operations Manager associates the Default policy with that group.
A policy can inherit the Default policy settings, and those settings can apply to various objects under
several conditions.
The policy that is set to Default always takes the lowest priority. If you attempt to set two policies as the
Default policy, the first policy that you set to Default is initially set to the lowest priority. When you set the
second policy to Default, that policy then takes the lowest priority, and the earlier policy that you set to
Default is set to the second lowest priority.
You can use the Default policy as the base policy to create your own custom policy. You modify the
default policy settings to create a policy that meets your analysis and monitoring needs. When you start
with the Default policy, your new policy inherits all of the settings from the Default base policy. You can
then customize your new policy and override these settings.
The data adapters and solutions installed in vRealize Operations Manager provide a collective group of
base settings that apply to all objects. In the policy navigation tree on the Policy Library tab, these
settings are called Base Settings. The Default policy inherits all of the base settings by default.

Policies Provided with vRealize Operations Manager
vRealize Operations Manager includes sets of policies that you can use to monitor your environment, or
as the starting point to create your own policies.
Verify that you are familiar with the policies provided with vRealize Operations Manager so that you can
use them in your own environment, and to include settings in new policies that you create.

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Where You Find the Policies Provided with vRealize Operations Manager
Policies
In the menu, click Administration, and then in the left pane click Policies. Click the Policy Library tab.
To see the policies provided with vRealize Operations Manager, expand the Base Settings policy.

Policies That vRealize Operations Manager Includes
All policies exist under the Base Settings, because the data adapters and solutions installed in your
vRealize Operations Manager instance provide a collective group of base settings that apply to all
objects. In the policy navigation tree on the Policy Library tab, these settings are called Base Settings.
The Base Settings policy is the umbrella policy for all other policies, and appears at the top of the policy
list in the policy library. All of the other policies reside under the Base Settings, because the data adapters
and solutions installed in your vRealize Operations Manager instance provide a collective group of base
settings that apply to all objects.
The Config Wizard Based Policy set includes policies provided with vRealize Operations Manager that
you use for specific settings on objects to report on your objects. The Config Wizard Based Policy set
includes several types of policies:
n

Capacity Management policies for Network I/O and Storage I/O

Efficiency alerts policies for infrastructure objects and virtual machines

Health alerts policies for infrastructure objects and virtual machines

Overcommit policies for CPU and Memory

Risk alerts policies for infrastructure objects and virtual machines

The Default Policy includes a set of rules that applies to the majority of your objects.
The VMware Management Policies set includes policies that you use for your type of environment, such
as production as opposed to test and development. These policies contain settings that monitor for peak
periods, batch and interactive workloads, and demand and allocation models. The VMware Management
Policies set provided with vRealize Operations Manager include the following policies:
Table 4‑4. Functions of VMware Management Policies
VMware Management Policy

What it does

VMware Excludes over-sized analysis

Does not calculate reclaimable capacity from oversized virtual
machines

VMware Optimized for 15-minute peak periods

Configured to cause capacity alerts for workloads that spike for
15 minutes.

VMware Optimized for 30-minute peak periods

Configured to cause capacity alerts for workloads that spike for
30 minutes.

VMware Policy for Batch workloads

Optimized for batch workloads that run less than four hours.

VMware Policy for Interactive workloads

Configured to be sensitive toward interactive workloads, such as
a desktop or Web server, based on 15-minute peaks with large
buffers.

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Table 4‑4. Functions of VMware Management Policies (Continued)
VMware Management Policy

What it does

VMware Production Policy (Demand only)

Optimized for production loads, without using allocation limits, to
obtain the most capacity.

VMware Production Policy (with Allocation)

Optimized for production loads that require the demand and
allocation capacity models.

VMware Production Policy (without Allocation)

Optimized for production loads that require demand capacity
models, and provides the highest overcommit without
contention.

VMware Test and Dev Policy (without Allocation).

Optimized for Dev and Test environments to maximize capacity
without causing significant contention, because it does not
include capacity planning at the virtual machine level.

Using the Monitoring Policy Workspace to Create and
Modify Operational Policies
You can use the workflow in the monitoring policy workspace to create local policies quickly, and update
the settings in existing policies. Select a base policy to use as the source for your local policy settings,
and modify the thresholds and settings used for analysis and collection of data from groups of objects in
your environment. A policy that has no local settings defined inherits the settings from its base policy to
apply to the associated object groups.
Prerequisites

Verify that objects groups exist for vRealize Operations Manager to analyze and collect data, and if they
do not exist, create them. See Managing Custom Object Groups in VMware vRealize Operations
Manager.
Procedure

In the menu, click Administration, and then in the left pane click Policies.

Click Policy Library, and click the Add New Policy icon to add a policy, or select the policy and click
the Edit Selected Policy icon to edit an existing policy.
You can add and edit policies on the Policy Library tab, and remove certain policies. You can use
the Base Settings policy or the Default Policy as the root policy for the settings in other policies that
you create. You can set any policy to be the default policy.

In the Getting Started workspace, assign a name and description to the policy.
Give the policy a meaningful name and description so that all users know the purpose of the policy.

Click Select Base Policies, and in the workspace, select one or more policies to use as a baseline to
define the settings for your new local policy.
When you create a policy, you can use any of the policies provided with
vRealize Operations Manager as a baseline source for your new policy settings.

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Click Override Analysis Settings, and in the workspace, filter the object types to customize your
policy for the objects to associate with this policy.
Filter the object types, and modify the settings for those object types so that
vRealize Operations Manager collects and displays the data that you expect in the dashboards and
views.

Click Override Attributes, and in the workspace, select the metric, property, or super metric
attributes to include in your policy.
vRealize Operations Manager collects data from the objects in your environment based on the metric,
property, or super metric attributes that you include in the policy.

Click Override Alert / Symptom Definitions, and in the workspace, enable or disable the alert
definitions and symptom definitions for your policy.
vRealize Operations Manager identifies problems on objects in your environment and triggers alerts
when conditions occur that qualify as problems.

Click Apply Policy to Groups, and in the workspace, select one or more groups to which the policy
applies.
VMware vRealize Operations Manager monitors the objects according to the settings in the policy
that is applied to the object group, triggers alerts when thresholds are violated, and reports the results
in the dashboards, views, and reports. If you do not assign a policy to one or more object groups,
VMware vRealize Operations Manager does not assign the settings in that policy to any objects, and
the policy is not active. For an object group that dos not have a policy assigned,
VMware vRealize Operations Manager associates the object group with the Default Policy.

Click Save to retain the settings defined for your local policy.

What to do next

After vRealize Operations Manager analyzes and collects data from the objects in your environment,
review the data in the dashboards and views. If the data is not what you expected, edit your local policy to
customize and override the settings until the dashboards display the data that you need.

Policy Workspace in vRealize Operations Manager
The policy workspace allows you to quickly create and modify policies. To create a policy, you can inherit
the settings from an existing policy, and you can modify the settings in existing policies if you have
adequate permissions. After you create a policy, or edit an existing policy, you can apply the policy to one
or more groups of objects.

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How the Policy Workspace Works
Every policy includes a set of packages, and uses the defined problems, symptoms, metrics, and
properties in those packages to apply to specific object groups in your environment. You can view details
for the settings inherited from the base policy, and display specific settings for certain object types. You
can override the settings of other policies, and include additional policy settings to apply to object types.
For example, a critical production policy includes settings to track use, available resources and the time
remaining on them, resource demands on the object group that determine how much stress is applied,
and reclaimable capacity amounts for CPU, disk I/O, and network I/O.
Use the Add and Edit options to create policies and edit existing policies.

Where You Create and Modify a Policy
To create and modify policies, in the menu, click Administration, and then in the left pane click Policies.
Click the Policy Library tab, and click the Add New Policy icon to add a policy or click the Edit Selected
Policy icon to edit a policy. The policy workspace is where you select the base policies, and customize
and override the settings for analysis, metrics, properties, alert definitions, and symptom definitions. In
this workspace, you can apply the policy to object groups.
To remove a policy from the list, select the policy and click the red X.

Policy Workspace Options
The policy workspace includes a step-by-step workflow to create and edit a policy, and apply the policy to
custom object groups.
n

Getting Started Details
When you create a policy, you must give the policy a meaningful name and description so that users
know the purpose of the policy.

Workload Automation Details
You can set the workload automation options for your policy, so that vRealize Operations Manager
can optimize the workload in your environment per your definition.

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Getting Started Details
When you create a policy, you must give the policy a meaningful name and description so that users
know the purpose of the policy.
Where You Assign the Policy Name and Description
To add a name and description to a policy, in the menu, click Administration, and then in the left pane
click Policies. Click the Policy Library tab, and click the Add New Policy icon to add a policy or click the
Edit Selected Policy icon to edit a policy. In the Add or Edit Monitoring policy workspace, on the left click
Getting Started. The name and description appear in the workspace.
Table 4‑5. Name and Description Options in the Add or Edit Monitoring Policy Workspace
Option

Description

Name

Name of the policy as it appears in the Add or Edit Monitoring Policy wizard, and in areas
where the policy applies to objects, such as Custom Groups.

Description

Meaningful description of the policy. For example, use the description to indicate which policy
is inherited, and any specific information that users need to understand the relationship of the
policy to one or more groups of objects.

Start with

The base policy that will be used as a starting point. All settings from the base policy will be
inherited as default settings in your new policy. You can override these settings to customize
the new policy.
Select a base policy to inherit the base policy settings as a starting point for your new policy.

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Select Base Policy Details
You can use any of the policies provided with vRealize Operations Manager as a baseline source for your
policy settings when you create a new policy. In the policy content area, you can view the packages and
elements for the base policy and additional policies that you selected to override the settings, and
compare the differences in settings highlighted between these policies. You select the settings and
objects types to display.
How the Select Base Policies Workspace Works
To create a policy, select a base policy from which your new custom policy inherits settings. To override
some of the settings in the base policy according to the requirements for the service level agreement for
your environment, you can select and apply a separate policy for a management pack solution. The
override policy includes specific settings defined for the types of objects to override, either manually or
that an adapter provides when it is integrated with vRealize Operations Manager. The settings in the
override policy overwrite the settings in the base policy that you selected.
When you select and apply a policy in the left pane to use to overwrite the settings that your policy
inherits from the base policy, the policy that you select appears in the applied policy history list in the right
pane.
The right pane displays tabs for the inherited policy configuration, and your policy, and displays a preview
of the selected policy tab in the Policy Preview pane. When you select one of the policy tabs, you can
view the number of enabled and disabled alert definitions, symptom definitions, metrics and properties,
and the number of enabled and disabled changes.
In the right pane, you select the objects to view so that you can see which policy elements apply to the
object type. For example, when you select the StorageArray object type, and you click the tab to display
the configuration settings for your policy, the Policy Preview pane displays the local packages for the
policy and the object group types with the number of policy elements in each group.
You can preview the policy settings for all object types, only the object types that have settings changed
locally, or settings for new object types that you add to the list, such as Storage Array storage devices.
Where You Select and Override Base Policies Settings
To select a base policy to use as a starting point for your own policy, and to select a policy to override one
or more settings that your policy inherits from the base policy, in the menu, select Administration, and
then in the left pane click Policies. Click the Policy Library tab, and click the Add New Policy icon to
add a policy or click the Edit Selected Policy icon to edit a policy. In the Add or Edit Monitoring policy
workspace, on the left add a name for the policy and click Select Base Policy. The policy configuration,
objects, and preview appear in the workspace.

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Table 4‑6. Base Policy and Override Settings in the Add or Edit Monitoring Policy
Workspace
Option

Description

Show changes for

Select the objects to view changes.
n

All object types. Displays the number of enabled and disabled alert definitions, symptom
definitions, and metrics and properties, the number of enabled and disabled changes, and
the object type groups and the number of local policy elements for each group.

All object types with overrides. Displays the object types that have changes applied, with
the objects types selected for override. Use the drop-down menu to select object types.
Click the filter button to add the selected object type to the list so that you can preview and
configure the settings.

Add settings for new set of objects. Provides a list of the object types so that you can
select an object type, such as Storage Devices > SAN, and add the selected object to the
Object types list.

Override settings from additional
policies

Select and apply one or more policies to override the settings that your policy inherits from the
base policy.

Apply

Applies the override policy to your policy, and lists the override policy in the applied policy
history.

Applied policy template history

Displays the policies that you selected to override the settings in your policy.

Configuration inherited from base
policy

When selected, displays a preview of the inherited policy configuration in the Policy Preview
pane.

Configuration settings defined in
this policy

When selected, displays a preview of your policy configuration in the Policy Preview pane.

Policy Preview

Displays summary information about the local packages and object group types.
n

Packages (Local). Displays the number of enabled and disabled alert definitions, symptom
definitions, metrics and properties, and the number of policy elements for each object
group.

Object Type groups. Displays the associated object groups.

Drop down arrows on packages and settings. Displays the packages and settings for the
displayed policies.

Analysis Settings Details
You can filter the object types, and modify the settings for those object types so that
vRealize Operations Manager applies these settings. The data that you expect then appears in the
dashboards and views.
How the Analysis Settings Workspace Works
When you turn on and configure the analysis settings for a policy, you can override the settings for the
policy elements that vRealize Operations Manager uses to trigger alerts and display data. These types of
settings include badge score symptom thresholds based on alerts, situational settings such as committed
projects to calculate capacity and time remaining, and other detailed settings.
You expand a policy element setting and configure the values to make your policy specific. For example,
to reclaim capacity, you can set percentages to have vRealize Operations Manager indicate when a
resource is oversized, idle, or powered off.

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Policies focus on objects and object groups. When you configure policy element settings for your local
policy, you must consider the object type and the results that you expect to see in the dashboards and
views. If you do not make any changes to the settings, your local policy retains the settings that your
policy inherited from the base policy that you selected.
Where You Set the Policy Analysis Settings
To set the analysis settings for your policy, in the menu, click Administration, and then in the left pane
click Policies. Click the Policy Library tab, and click the Add New Policy icon to add a policy or click the
Edit Selected Policy icon to edit a policy. In the Add or Edit Monitoring policy workspace, on the left click
Analysis Settings. The analysis settings for host systems, virtual machines, and other object types that
you select appear in the workspace.
Table 4‑7. Analysis Settings in the Add or Edit Monitoring Policy Workspace
Option

Description

Show changes for

Select the objects to view changes.

Right pane - Analysis Settings for
object types

Add settings for new set of objects. Provides a list of the object types so that you can
select an object type, such as Storage Devices > SAN, and add the selected object to the
Object types list.

The right pane displays a list of the object types that you selected in the left pane.
Expand a view of the policy elements and settings for the object type so that you can have
vRealize Operations Manager analyze the object type.
Expand the view for the object type so that you can view and modify the threshold settings for
the following policy elements:
n

Workload

Time Remaining

Capacity Remaining

Compliance

Maintenance Schedule

Click the lock icon on the right of each element to override the settings and change the
thresholds for your policy.
Time Remaining Calculations

You can set the risk level for the time that is remaining when the forecasted total need of a
metric reaches usable capacity.
n

Conservative. Select this option for production and mission critical workloads.

Aggressive. Select this option for non-critical workloads.

Policy Workload Element
Workload is a measurement of the demand for resources on an object. You can turn on and configure the
settings for the Workload element for the object types in your policy.

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How the Workload Element Works
The Workload element determines how vRealize Operations Manager reports on the resources that the
selected object group uses. The resources available to the object group depend on the amount of
configured and usable resources.
n

A specific amount of physical memory is a configured resource for a host system, and a specific
number of CPUs is a configured resource for a virtual machine.

The usable resource for an object or an object group is a subset of, or equal to, the configured
amount.

The configured and usable amount of a resource can vary depending on the type of resource and the
amount of virtualization overhead required, such as the memory that an ESX host machine requires
to run the host system. When accounting for overhead, the resources required for overhead are not
considered to be usable, because of the reservations required for virtual machines or for the high
availability buffer.

Where You Override the Policy Workload Element
To view and override the policy workload analysis setting, in the menu, click Administration, and then in
the left pane click Policies. Click the Policy Library tab. Click the Add New Policy icon to add a policy
or click the Edit Selected Policy icon to edit a policy. In the Add or Edit Monitoring policy workspace,
click Analysis Settings, then select one or more objects in the left pane. The workload settings for the
object types that you selected appear in the right pane.
View the Workload policy element, and configure the settings for your policy.
If you do not configure the policy element, your policy inherits the settings from the selected base policy.
Table 4‑8. Policy Workload Element Settings in the Add or Edit Monitoring Policy
Workspace
Option

Description

Lock icon

Enables you to override the policy element settings so that you can customize the policy to
monitor the objects in your environment.

Workload Score Threshold

Allows you to set the number of collection cycles it takes to trigger or clear an alert.

Policy Time Remaining Element
The Time remaining element is a measure of the amount of time left before your objects run out of
capacity.
How the Time Remaining Element Works
The Time Remaining element determines how vRealize Operations Manager reports on the available time
until capacity runs out for a specific object type group.
n

The time remaining indicates the amount of time that remains before the object group consumes the
capacity available. vRealize Operations Manager calculates the time remaining as the number of
days remaining until all the capacity is consumed.

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To keep the Time Remaining more than the critical threshold setting or to keep it green, your objects
must have more days of capacity available.

Where You Override the Policy Time Remaining Element
To view and override the policy Time Remaining analysis setting, in the menu, click Administration, and
then in the left pane click Policies. Click the Policy Library tab. Click the Add New Policy icon to add a
policy or click the Edit Selected Policy icon to edit a policy. In the Add or Edit Monitoring policy
workspace, click Analysis Settings, then select one or more objects in the left pane. The time remaining
settings for the object types that you selected in the workspace appear in the right pane.
View the Time Remaining policy element and configure the settings for your policy.
If you do not configure the policy element, your policy inherits the settings from the selected base policy.
Table 4‑9. Policy Time Remaining Element Settings in the Add or Edit Monitoring Policy
Workspace
Option

Description

Lock icon

Enables you to override the policy element settings so that you can customize the policy to
monitor the objects in your environment.

Time Remaining Score Threshold

Allows you to set the number of days until capacity is projected to run out based on your
current consumption trend.

Policy Capacity Remaining Element
Capacity is a measurement of the amount of memory, CPU, and disk space for an object. You can turn on
and configure the settings for the Capacity Remaining element for the object types in your policy.
How the Capacity Remaining Element Works
The Capacity Remaining element determines how vRealize Operations Manager reports on the available
capacity until resources run out for a specific object type group.
n

The capacity remaining indicates the capability of your environment to accommodate workload.

Usable capacity is a measurement of the percentage of capacity available, minus the capacity
affected when you use high availability.

Where You Override the Policy Capacity Remaining Element
To view and override the policy Capacity Remaining analysis setting, in the menu, click Administration,
and then in the left pane click Policies. Click the Policy Library tab. Click the Add New Policy icon to
add a policy or click the Edit Selected Policy icon to edit a policy. In the Add or Edit Monitoring policy
workspace, click Analysis Settings, then select one or more objects in the left pane. The capacity
remaining settings for the object types that you selected in the workspace appear in the right pane.
View the Capacity Remaining policy element and configure the settings for your policy.
If you do not configure the policy element, your policy inherits the settings from the selected base policy.

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Table 4‑10. Policy Capacity Remaining Element Settings in the Add or Edit Monitoring Policy
Workspace
Option

Description

Lock icon

Enables you to override the policy element settings so that you can customize the policy to
monitor the objects in your environment.

Capacity Remaining Score
Threshold

Allows you to set the percentage at which the capacity remaining alerts must be triggered.

Policy Compliance Element
Compliance is a measurement that ensures that the objects in your environment meet industrial,
governmental, regulatory, or internal standards. You can unlock and configure the settings for the
Compliance element for the object types in your policy.
Where You Override the Policy Compliance Element
To view and override the policy Compliance analysis setting, in the menu, click Administration, and then
in the left pane click Policies. Click the Policy Library tab. Click the Add New Policy icon to add a policy
or click the Edit Selected Policy icon to edit a policy. In the Add or Edit Monitoring policy workspace,
click Analysis Settings, then select one or more objects in the left pane. The compliance settings for the
object types that you selected appear in the right pane.
View the Compliance policy element and configure the settings for your policy.
If you do not configure the policy element, your policy inherits the settings from the selected base policy.
Table 4‑11. Policy Compliance Element Settings in the Add or Edit Monitoring Policy
Workspace
Option

Description

Lock icon

Enables you to override the policy element settings so that you can customize the policy to
monitor the objects in your environment.

Compliance Score Threshold

Allows you to set the compliance score threshold based on the number of violations against
those standards.

Policy Maintenance Schedule Element
You can set a time to perform maintenance tasks for each policy.
Where You Override the Policy Maintenance Schedule Element
To view and override the policy Maintenance Schedule analysis setting, in the menu, click
Administration, and then in the left pane, click Policies. Click the Policy Library tab. Click the Add New
Policy icon to add a policy or click the Edit Selected Policy icon to edit a policy. In the Add or Edit
Monitoring policy workspace, click Analysis Settings, then select one or more objects in the left pane.
The maintenance schedule settings for the object types that you selected appear in the right pane.
View the maintenance schedule policy element.
If you do not configure the policy element, your policy inherits the settings from the selected base policy.

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Table 4‑12. Policy Maintenance Schedule Element Settings in the Add or Edit Monitoring
Policy Workspace
Option

Description

Lock icon

Enables you to override the policy element settings so that you can customize the policy to
monitor the objects in your environment.

Maintenance Schedule

Sets a time to perform maintenance tasks. During maintenance, vRealize Operations Manager
does not calculate analytics.

Workload Automation Details
You can set the workload automation options for your policy, so that vRealize Operations Manager can
optimize the workload in your environment per your definition.
How the Workload Automation Workspace Works
You click the lock icon to unlock and configure the workload automation options specific for your policy.
When you click the lock icon to lock the option, your policy inherits the parent policy settings.
Where You Set the Policy Workload Automation
To set the workload automation for your policy, in the menu, click Administration, and then in the left
pane click Policies. Click the Policy Library tab, and click the Add New Policy icon to add a policy or
click the Edit Selected Policy icon to edit a policy. In the Add or Edit Monitoring policy workspace, on the
left click Workload Automation.
Table 4‑13. Workload Automation in the Add or Edit Monitoring Policy Workspace
Option

Description

Workload Optimization

Select a goal for workload optimization.
Select Balance when workload performance is your first goal. This approach proactively
moves workloads so that the resource utilization is balanced, leading to maximum headroom
for all resources.
Select Relieve stress when you want to be reactive by moving workloads to minimize the
workload contention.
Select Consolidate to proactively minimize the number of clusters used by workloads. You
might be able to repurpose resources that are freed up. This approach is good for cost
optimization, while making sure that performance goals are met. This approach might reduce
licensing and power costs.

Cluster Headroom

Headroom establishes a required capacity buffer, for example, 20 percent. It provides you with
an extra level of control and ensures that you have extra space for growth inside the cluster
when required. Defining a large headroom setting limits the systems opportunities for
optimization.

Tag Based VM Placement

Assign a category and name tag to the workload placement policy. See Tag-Based VM
Placement and Workload Policy Settings for more information.

Advanced Settings

Click Advanced Settings to select what type of virtual machines
vRealize Operations Manager moves first to address workload. You can set Storage vMotion
on or off. The default is ON.

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Collect Metrics and Properties Details
You can select the attribute type to include in your policy so that vRealize Operations Manager can collect
data from the objects in your environment. Attribute types include metrics, properties, and super metrics.
You enable or disable each metric, and determine whether to inherit the metrics from base policies that
you selected in the workspace.
How the Collect Metrics and Properties Workspace Works
When you create or customize a policy, you can override the base policy settings to have
vRealize Operations Manager collect the data that you intend to use to generate alerts, and report the
results in the dashboard scores.
To define the metric and super metric symptoms, metric event symptoms, and property symptoms, in the
menu, click Alerts and then in the left pane click Alert Settings > Symptom Definitions.
Where You Override the Policy Attributes
To override the attributes and properties settings for your policy, in the menu, click Administration, and
then in the left pane click Policies. Click the Policy Library tab, and click the Add New Policy icon to
add a policy or click the Edit Selected Policy icon to edit a policy. In the Add or Edit Monitoring policy
workspace, on the left click Collect Metrics and Properties. The attributes and properties settings for the
selected object types appear in the workspace.
Table 4‑14. Collect Metrics and Properties Options
Option

Description

Actions

Select one or more attributes and select enable, disable, or inherit to change the state and KPI for this
policy.

Filter options

Deselect the options in the Attribute Type, State, KPI, and DT drop-down menus, to narrow the list of
attributes.
n

Enabled. Indicates that an attribute will be calculated.

Enabled (Force). Indicates state change due to a dependency.

Disabled. Indicates that an attribute will not be calculated.

Inherited. Indicates that the state of this attribute is inherited from the base policy and will be
calculated.

Inherited. Indicates that the state of this attribute is inherited from the base policy and will not be
calculated.

The KPI determines whether the metric, property, or super metric attribute is considered to be a key
performance indicator (KPI) when vRealize Operations Manager reports the collected data in the
dashboards. Filter the KPI states to display attributes with KPI enabled, disabled, or inherited for the
policy.
Object Type

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Filters the attributes list by object type.

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Table 4‑14. Collect Metrics and Properties Options (Continued)
Option

Description

Page Size

The number of attributes to list per page.

Attributes data grid

Display the attributes for a specific object type.
n

Name. Identifies the name of the metric or property for the selected object type.

Type. Distinguishes the type of attribute to be either a metric, property, or super metric.

Adapter Type. Identifies the adapter used based on the object type selected, such as Storage
Devices.

Object Type. Identifies the type of object in your environment, such as StorageArray.

State. Indicates whether the metric, property, or super metric is inherited from the base policy.

KPI. Indicates whether the key performance indicator is inherited from the base policy. If a violation
against a KPI occurs, vRealize Operations Manager generates an alert.

DT. Indicates whether the dynamic threshold (DT) is inherited from the base policy.

Alert and Symptom Definitions Details
You can enable or disable alert and symptom definitions to have vRealize Operations Manager identify
problems on objects in your environment and trigger alerts when conditions occur that qualify as
problems. You can automate alerts.
How the Alert and Symptom Definitions Workspace Works
vRealize Operations Manager collects data for objects and compares the collected data to the alert
definitions and symptom definitions defined for that object type. Alert definitions include associated
symptom definitions, which identify conditions on attributes, properties, metrics, and events.
You can configure your local policy to inherit alert definitions from the base policies that you select, or you
can override the alert definitions and symptom definitions for your local policy.
Before you add or override the alert definitions and symptom definitions for a policy, familiarize yourself
on the available alerts and symptoms.
n

To view the available alert definitions, in the menu, click Alerts and then in the left pane click Alert
Settings > Alert Definitions.

To view the available symptom definitions, in the menu, click Alerts and then in the left pane click
Alert Settings > Symptom Definitions. Symptom definitions are available for metrics, properties,
messages, faults, smart early warnings, and external events.

A summary of the number of problem and symptoms that are enabled and disabled, and the difference in
changes of the problem and symptoms as compared to the base policy, appear in the Analysis Settings
pane of the policies workspace.

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Where You Override the Alert Definitions and Symptom Definitions
To override the alert definitions and symptom definitions for your policy, in the menu, click
Administration, and then in the left pane click Policies. Click the Policy Library tab, and click the Add
New Policy icon to add a policy or click the Edit Selected Policy icon to edit a policy. In the Add or Edit
Monitoring policy workspace, on the left click Alert / Symptom Definitions. The definitions appear in the
workspace.
Policy Alert Definitions and Symptom Definitions
You can override the alert definitions and symptom definitions for each policy.
n

Policy Symptom Definitions
Each policy includes a package of symptom definitions. Each symptom represents a distinct test
condition on a property, metric, or event. You can enable or disable the symptom definitions in your
policy.

Policy Alert Definitions
Each policy includes alert definitions. Each alert uses a combination of symptoms and recommendations
to identify a condition that classifies as a problem, such as failures or high stress. You can enable or
disable the alert definitions in your policy, and you can set actions to be automated when an alert triggers.
How the Policy Alert Definitions Work
vRealize Operations Manager uses problems to trigger alerts. A problem manifests when a set of
symptoms exists for an object, and requires you to take action on the problem. Alerts indicate problems in
your environment. vRealize Operations Manager generates alerts when the collected data for an object is
compared to alert definitions for that object type and the defined symptoms are true. When an alert
occurs, vRealize Operations Manager presents the triggering symptoms for you to take action.
Some of the alert definitions include predefined symptoms. When you include symptoms in an alert
definition, and enable the alert, an alert is generated when the symptoms are true.
The Alert Definitions pane displays the name of the alert, the number of symptoms defined, the adapter,
object types such as host or cluster, and whether the alert is enabled as indicated by Local, disabled as
indicated by not Local, or inherited. Alerts are inherited with a green checkmark by default, which means
that they are enabled.
You can automate an alert definition in a policy when the highest priority recommendation for the alert has
an associated action.
To view a specific set of alerts, you can select the badge type, criticality type, and the state of the alert to
filter the view. For example, you can set the policy to send fault alerts for virtual machines.

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Where You Modify the Policy Alert Definitions
To modify the alerts associated with policies, in the menu, click Administration, and then in the left pane
click Policies. Click the Policy Library tab, and click the Add New Policy icon to add a policy or click the
Edit Selected Policy icon to edit a policy. In the Add or Edit Monitoring policy workspace, on the left click
Alert / Symptom Definitions. The alert definitions and symptom definitions for the selected object types
appear in the workspace.
Table 4‑15. Alert Definitions in the Add or Edit Monitoring Policy Workspace
Option

Description

Actions

Select one or more alert definitions and select enable, disable, or inherit to change the state
for this policy.

Filter options

Deselect the options in the Type and State drop-down menus, to narrow the list of symptom
definitions.
Impact indicates the health, risk, and efficiency badges to which the alerts apply.
Criticality indicates the information, critical, immediate, warning, or automatic criticality types to
which the alert definition applies.
Automate indicates the actions that are enabled for automation when an alert triggers, or
actions that are disabled or inherited. Actions that are enabled for automation might appear as
inherited with a green checkmark, because policies can inherit settings from each other. For
example, if the Automate setting in the base policy is set to Local with a green checkmark,
other policies that inherit this setting will display the setting as inherited with a green
checkmark.

Object Type

Filters the alert definitions list by object type.

Page Size

The number of alert definitions to list per page.

Filter

Locates data in the alert definition list.

Alert Definitions data grid

Displays information about the alert definitions for the object types. The full name for Alert
definition and the criticality icon appear in a tooltip when you hover the mouse over the Alert
Definition name.
n

Name. Meaningful name for the alert definition.

Symptom Definitions. Number of symptoms defined for the alert.

Actionable Recommendations. Only recommendations with actions in the first priority, as
they are the only ones you can automate.

Automate. When the action is set to Local, the action is enabled for automation when an
alert triggers. Actions that are enabled for automation might appear as inherited with a
green checkmark, because policies can inherit settings from each other. For example, if
the Automate setting in the base policy is set to Local with a green checkmark, other
policies that inherit this setting will display the setting as inherited with a green checkmark.

Adapter. Data source type for which the alert is defined.

Object Type. Type of object to which the alert applies.

State. Alert definition state, either enabled as indicated by Local, disabled as indicated by
not Local, or inherited from the base policy.

If you do not configure the package, the policy inherits the settings from the selected base policy.
Policy Symptom Definitions
Each policy includes a package of symptom definitions. Each symptom represents a distinct test condition
on a property, metric, or event. You can enable or disable the symptom definitions in your policy.

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How the Policy Symptom Definitions Work
vRealize Operations Manager uses symptoms that are enabled to generate alerts. When the symptoms
used in an alert definition are true, and the alert is enabled, an alert is generated.
When a symptom exists for an object, the problem exists and requires that you take action to solve it.
When an alert occurs, vRealize Operations Manager presents the triggering symptoms, so that you can
evaluate the object in your environment, and with recommendations for how to resolve the alert.
To assess objects for symptoms, you can include symptoms packages in your policy for metrics and
super metrics, properties, message events, and faults. You can enable or disable the symptoms to
determine the criteria that the policy uses to assess and evaluate the data collected from the objects to
which the policy applies. You can also override the threshold, criticality, wait cycles, and cancel cycles.
The Symptoms pane displays the name of the symptom, the associated management pack adapter,
object type, metric or property type, a definition of the trigger such as for CPU usage, the state of the
symptom, and the trigger condition. To view a specific set of symptoms in the package, you can select the
adapter type, object type, metric or property type, and the state of the symptom.
When a symptom is required by an alert, the state of the symptom is enabled, but is dimmed so that you
cannot modify it. The state of a required symptom includes an information icon that you can hover over to
identify the alert that required this symptom.
Where You Modify the Policy Symptom Definitions
To modify the policy package of symptoms, in the menu, click Administration, and then in the left pane
click Policies. Click the Policy Library tab, and click the Add New Policy icon to add a policy or click the
Edit Selected Policy icon to edit a policy. In the Add or Edit Monitoring policy workspace, on the left, click
Alert / Symptom Definitions. The alert definitions and symptom definitions for the selected object types
appear in the workspace.
Table 4‑16. Symptom Definitions in the Add or Edit Monitoring Policy Workspace
Option

Description

Actions

Select one or more symptom definitions and select enable, disable, or inherit to change the
state for this policy.

Filter options

Deselect the options in the Type and State drop-down menus, to narrow the list of symptom
definitions.
n

Enabled. Indicates that a symptom definition will be included.

Enabled (Force). Indicates state change due to a dependency.

Disabled. Indicates that a symptom definition not be included.

Inherited. Indicates that the state of this symptom definition is inherited from the base
policy and will be included.

Inherited. Indicates that the state of this symptom definition is inherited from the base
policy and will not be included.

Type determines whether symptom definitions that apply to HT and DT metrics, properties,
events such as message, fault, and metric, and smart early warnings appear in the list.
State determines whether enabled, disabled, and inherited symptom definitions appear in the
symptom definition list.

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Table 4‑16. Symptom Definitions in the Add or Edit Monitoring Policy Workspace
(Continued)
Option

Description

Object Type

Filters the symptom definitions list by object type

Page Size

The number of symptom definitions to list per page.

Filter

Locate data in the symptom definition list.

Symptom Definitions data grid

Displays information about the symptom definitions for the object types. The full name for
Symptom Definition appears in a tooltip when you hover the mouse over the Symptom
Definition name.
n

Name. Symptom definition name as defined in the list of symptom definitions in the
Content area.

Adapter. Data source type for which the alert is defined.

Object Type. Type of object to which the alert applies.

Type. Object type on which the symptom definition must be evaluated.

Trigger. Static or dynamic threshold, based on the number of symptom definitions, the
object type and metrics selected, the numeric value assigned to the symptom definition,
the criticality of the symptom, and the number of wait and cancel cycles applied to the
symptom definition.

State. Symptom definition state, either enabled, disabled, or inherited from the base policy.

Condition. Enables action on the threshold. When set to Override, you can change the
threshold. Otherwise set to default.

Threshold. To change the threshold, you must set the State to Enabled, set the condition
to Override, and set the new threshold in the Override Symptom Definition Threshold
dialog box.

If you do not configure the package, the policy inherits the settings from the selected base policy.

Apply Policy to Groups Details
You can assign your local policy to one or more groups of objects to have
VMware vRealize Operations Manager analyze those objects according to the settings in your policy,
trigger alerts when the defined threshold levels are violated, and display the results in your dashboards,
views, and reports.
How the Apply Policy to Groups Workspace Works
When you create a policy, or modify the settings in an existing policy, you apply the policy to one or more
object groups. VMware vRealize Operations Manager uses the settings in the policy to analyze and
collect data from the associated objects, and displays the data in dashboards, views, and reports.
Where You Apply a Policy to Groups
To apply the policy to object groups, in the menu, click Administration, and then in the left pane click
Policies. Click the Policy Library tab, and click the Add New Policy icon to add a policy or click the Edit
Selected Policy icon to edit a policy. In the Add or Edit Monitoring policy workspace, on the left click
Apply Policy to Groups.

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Apply Policy to Groups Options
To apply the policy to groups of objects, select the check box for the object group in the workspace.
You can then view the details about each object group associated with the policy. In the menu, click
Administration, and then in the left pane click Policies. Click Active Policies > Related Objects. Click
an object group in the list of groups, and view the summary in the Details pane.

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Configuring Super Metrics

The super metric is a mathematical formula that contains one or more metrics. It is a custom metric that
you design to help track combinations of metrics, either from a single object or from multiple objects. If a
single metric does not inform you about the behavior of your environment, you can define a super metric.
After you define it, you assign the super metric to one or more object types. This action calculates the
super metric for the objects in that object type and simplifies the metrics display. For example, you define
a super metric that calculates the average CPU usage on all virtual machines, and you assign it to a
cluster. The average CPU usage on all virtual machines in that cluster is reported as a super metric for
the cluster.
When the super metric attribute is enabled in a policy, you can also collect super metrics from a group of
objects associated with a policy.
Because super metric formulas can be complex, plan your super metric before you build it. The key to
creating a super metric that alerts you to the expected behavior of your objects is knowing your own
enterprise and data. Use this checklist to help identify the most important aspects of your environment
before you begin to configure a super metric.
Table 5‑1. Designing a Super Metric Checklist
Determine the objects that are involved in the behavior to
track.

Determine the metrics to include in the super metric.

Decide how to combine or compare the metrics.

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When you define the metrics to use, you can select either
specific objects or object types. For example, you can select the
specific objects VM001 and VM002, or you can select the object
type virtual machine.
If you are tracking the transfer of packets along a network, use
metrics that refer to packets in and packets out. In another
common use of super metrics, the metrics might be the average
CPU usage or average memory usage of the object type you
select.
For example, to find the ratio of packets in to packets out, you
must divide the two metrics. If you are tracking CPU usage for
an object type, you might want to determine the average use.
You might also want to determine what the highest or lowest use
is for any object of that type. In more complex scenarios, you
might need a formula that uses constants or trigonometric
functions.

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Table 5‑1. Designing a Super Metric Checklist (Continued)
Decide where to assign the super metric.

Determine the policy to which you add the super metric.

You define the objects to track in the super metric, then assign
the super metric to the object type that contains the objects
being tracked. To monitor all the objects in a group, enable the
super metric in the policy, and apply the policy to the object
group.
After you create the super metric, you add it to a policy. For
more information, refer to Policy Workspace in vRealize
Operations Manager.

What Else Can You Do with Super Metrics
n

To see the super metrics in your environment, generate a system audit report. For more information,
refer to the System Audit section in the Information Center.

To create alert definitions to notify you of the performance of objects in your environment, define
symptoms based on super metrics. For more information, refer to About Metrics and Super Metrics
Symptoms.

Learn about the use of super metrics in policies. For more information, refer to Policy Workspace in
vRealize Operations Manager.

Use OPS CLI commands to import, export, configure, and delete super metrics. For more information,
refer to the OPS CLI documentation.

To display metric-related widgets, create a custom set of metrics. You can configure one or more files
that define different sets of metrics for a particular adapter and object types. This ensures that the
supported widgets are populated based on the configured metrics and selected object type. For more
information, refer to Manage Metric Configuration.

This chapter includes the following topics:
n

Create a Super Metric

Enhancing Your Super Metrics

Exporting and Importing a Super Metric

Create a Super Metric
Create a super metric when you want to check the health of your environment, but cannot find a suitable
metric to perform the analysis.
Procedure

On the menu, click Administration and in the left pane click Configuration > Super Metrics.

Click the Add icon.

Enter a meaningful name for the super metric such as SM-AvgVMCPUUsage% in the Name text box.

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Define the formula for the super metric.
Select the function or operator. Select the metrics or attribute types that you want to use in each
function or with each operator. For example, to add a super metric that captures average CPU usage
across all virtual machines, perform the following tasks.
a

For Function, select avg.

In the Operators text box, select the left parenthesis, then select the right parenthesis. Click
between the two parentheses to position the cursor.

In the Adapter Type text box of the Object Types pane, select vCenter Adapter.

Click the This object icon, and from the list of object types, select Virtual Machine.
If the This object icon is not selected, the super metric function displays the object with a long
description.

In the Attribute Types pane, expand the CPU category, scroll down, and double-click the Usage
(%) metric.

The formula appears as a mathematical function. To view the formula in a textual format, click the
Show Formula Description icon. If the formula syntax is wrong, an error message appears. The
formula ends with depth=1. With depth=1, you assign the super metric to an object type that is one
level above virtual machines in the relationship chain. The super metric appears as a metric for that
object type. With depth=2, you assign the super metric to an object type that is two levels above
virtual machines, for example a Cluster.
5

To assign the super metric to an object type at depth=1, type 2 instead of 1, so that depth=2 is
displayed.

Verify that the super metric formula has been created correctly.
a

Click the Visualize Super Metric icon.

In the Objects pane, double-click one of the objects listed.
A metric graph is displayed showing values of the metric collected for the object. Verify that the
graph shows values over time.

Click Save.

Associate the super metric with an object. vRealize Operations Manager calculates the super metric
for the target objects and displays it as a metric for the object type.
a

In the Super Metrics workspace, select the super metric.

In the Object Types tab, click the Add icon.

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In the Select Object Type text box, select the required object. For example, if you created your
super metric for Host Systems under the vCenter Adapter, expand vCenter Adapter, and select
Host Systems.

Click Select.
After one collection cycle, the super metric appears on each of the objects of the specified object
type. For example, you defined the super metric to calculate average CPU usage across all
virtual machines and assigned it to the Host System object type. After one collection cycle, the
super metric appears as a super metric on each host.

What to do next

In the Policies > Edit Policy > Attributes workspace, you must select and enable each super metric.
See Custom Policies. Wait at least one collection cycle for the super metric to begin collecting and
processing data. Then review your super metric in the All Metrics tab.

Enhancing Your Super Metrics
You can enhance your super metrics by using clauses and resource entry aliasing.

Where Clause
The where clause verifies whether a particular metric value can be used in the super metric. Use this
clause to point to a different metric of the same object, such as
where = "metric_group|my_metric > 0.
For example:
count(${adaptertype = ExampleAdapter, objecttype = ExampleObject, metric =
ExampleGroup|Rating, depth=2, where = "==1"})

Resource Entry Aliasing
Resource entries are used to retrieve metric data from vRealize Operations Manager for computing super
metrics. A resource entry is the part of an expression which begins with $ followed by a {..} block.
When computing a super metric, you might have to use the same resource entry multiple times. If you
have to change your computation, you must change every resource entry, which might lead to errors. You
can use resource entry aliasing to rewrite the expression.
The following example, shows a resource entry that has been used twice.
(min(${adapterkind=VMWARE, resourcekind=HostSystem, attribute= cpu|demand|
active_longterm_load, depth=5, where=”>=0”}) + 0.0001)/(max(${adapterkind=VMWARE,
resourcekind=HostSystem, attribute=cpu|demand|active_longterm_load, depth=5,
where=”>=0”}) + 0.0001)"
The following example shows how to write the expressing using resource entry aliasing. The output of
both expressions is the same.

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(min(${adapterkind=VMWARE, resourcekind=HostSystem, attribute= cpu|demand|
active_longterm_load, depth=5, where=”>=0”} as cpuload) + 0.0001)/(max(cpuload)
+ 0.0001)"
Follow these guidelines when you use resource entry aliasing:
n

When you create an alias, make sure that after the resource entry you write as and then
alias:name. For example: ${…} as alias_name.

The alias cannot contain the ()[]+-*/%|&!=<>,.?:$ special characters, and cannot begin with a digit.

An alias name, like all names in super metric expressions, is case-insensitive.

Use of an alias name is optional. You can define the alias, and not use it in an expression.

Each alias name can be used only once. For example:
${resource1,…} as r1 + ${resource2,…} as R1.

You can specify multiple aliases for the same resource entry. For example: ${…} as a1 as a2.

Conditional Expression ?: Ternary Operators
You can use a ternary operator in an expression to run conditional expressions.
For example: expression_condition ? expression_if_true : expression_if_false.
The result of the conditional expression is converted to a number. If the value is not 0, then the condition
is assumed as true.
For example: -0.7 ? 10 : 20 equals 10. 2 + 2 / 2 - 3 ? 4 + 5 / 6 : 7 + 8 equals 15 (7 + 8).
Depending on the condition, either expression_if_true or expression_if_false is run, but not both
of them. In this way, you can write expressions such as,
${this, metric=cpu|demandmhz} as a != 0 ? 1/a : -1. A ternary operator can contain other
operators in all its expressions, including other ternary operators.
For example: !1 ? 2 ? 3 : 4 : 5 equals 5.

Exporting and Importing a Super Metric
You can export a super metric from one vRealize Operations Manager instance and import it to another
vRealize Operations Manager instance. For example, after developing a super metric in a test
environment, you can export it from the test environment and import it use in a production environment.
If the super metric to import contains a reference to an object that does not exist in the target instance,
the import fails. vRealize Operations Manager returns a brief error message and writes detailed
information to the log file.

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Procedure

Export a super metric.
a

On the menu, select Administration and in the left pane select Configuration > Super Metrics.

Select the super metric to export, click the Actions icon and select Export Selected Super
Metric icon.
vRealize Operations Manager creates a super metric file, for example, SuperMetric.json.

c
2

Download the super metric file to your computer.

Import a super metric.
a

On the menu, select Administration and in the left pane select Configuration > Super Metrics.

Click the Actions icon and select Import Super Metric.

(Optional). If the target instance has a super metric with the same name as the super metric you
are importing, you can either overwrite the existing super metric or skip the import, which is the
default.

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Configuring Objects

Using the power of object management - including metrics and alerts - you can monitor objects,
applications, and systems that must stay up and running. Some metrics and alerts are prepackaged into
dashboards and policies; others you combine into custom tools
vRealize Operations Manager discovers objects in your environment and makes them available to you.
With the information that vRealize Operations Manager provides, you can quickly access and configure
any object. For example, you can determine if a datastore is connected or providing data, or you can
power on a virtual machine.

Object Discovery
Its ability to monitor and collect data on objects in your systems environment makes
vRealize Operations Manager a critical tool in maintaining system uptime and ensuring ongoing good
health for all system resources from virtual machines to applications to storage - across physical, virtual
and cloud infrastructures.
Following are examples of objects that can be monitored.
n

vCenter Server

Virtual machines

Servers/hosts

Compute resources

Resource pools

Data centers

Storage components

Switches

Port groups

Datastores

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Adapters – Key to Object Discovery
vRealize Operations Manager collects data and metrics from objects using adapters, the central
components of management packs, which in turn make up vRealize Operations Manager solutions. When
you configure the vSphere Solution, for example, you create adapter instances customized for your
environment with unique names, port numbers, and so on. You must create an adapter instance for each
vCenter Server in your deployment.
Locate existing adapters in the UI as follows: in the menu, click Administration, then click Solutions in
the left pane.
As shown in the screenshot, the Solutions screen lists available solutions at the top of the screen. When
you select a solution, the available adapters appear in the lower half of the screen. Existing adapter
instances related to each adapter are listed in the second column.

For complete information on configuring management packs and adapters, see Chapter 1 Connecting
vRealize Operations Manager to Data Sources
When you create a new adapter instance, it begins discovering and collecting data from the objects
designated by the adapter, and notes the relationships between them. Now you can begin to manage
your objects.

About Objects
Objects are the structural components of your mission-critical IT applications: virtual machines,
datastores, virtual switches and port groups are examples of objects.
Because downtime equals cost - in unused resources and lost business opportunities - it's crucial that you
successfully identify, monitor and track objects in your environment. The goal is to proactively isolate,
troubleshoot and correct problems even before users are aware that anything is wrong.
When a user actually reports an issue, the solution should be quick and comprehensive.
For a complete list of objects that can be defined in vRealize Operations Manager refer to Object
Discovery.
vRealize Operations Manager gives you visibility into objects including applications, storage and networks
across physical, virtual and cloud infrastructures through a single interface that relates performance
information to positive or negative events in the environment.

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Managing Objects
When you monitor a large infrastructure, the number of objects and corresponding metrics in
vRealize Operations Manager grows rapidly, especially as you add solutions that extend dynamic
monitoring and alerts to more parts of your infrastructure. vRealize Operations Manager gives you ample
tools to stay abreast of events and issues.

Adding Objects and Configuring Object Relationships
vRealize Operations Manager automatically discovers objects and their relationships once you create an
adapter instance. You have the added ability to manually add any objects that you want monitored and to
configure object relationships using abstract concepts rather than the connections recorded by
vRealize Operations Manager. Where vRealize Operations Manager might discover the classic parentchild relationships between objects, you can create relationships between objects that might not normally
be related. For example, you could configure all the datastores supporting a company department to be
related.
When objects are related, a problem with one object appears as an anomaly on related objects. So object
relationships can help you to identify problems in your environment quickly. The object relationships that
you create are called custom groups.

Custom Groups
To create an automated management system you need some way to organize objects so that you can
quickly gain insights. You can achieve a high level of automation using custom groups. You have multiple
options for tailoring group attributes to support your monitoring strategy.
For example, you can designate a group either to be static or to be updated automatically with
membership criteria that you designate. Consider a non-static group of all virtual machines that are
powered on and have OS type Linux. When you power on a new Linux VM, it is automatically added to
the group and the policy is applied.
For additional flexibility, you can also specify individual objects to be always included or excluded from a
given custom group. Or you can have a different set of alerts and capacity calculations for your production
environment versus your testing environments.

Managing Applications
vRealize Operations Manager allows you to create containers or objects that can contain a group of
virtual machines or other objects in different structural tiers. This new application can then be managed as
a single object, and have health badges and alarms aggregated from the child objects of the group.
For example, the system administrator of an online training system might request that you monitor
components in the Web, application and database tiers of the training environment. You build an
application that groups related training objects together in each tier. If a problem occurs with one of the
objects, it is highlighted in the application display and you can investigate the source of the problem

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The Power of Object Management
Using the power of object management, including metrics and alerts - some prepackaged into
dashboards and policies, others that you combine into custom monitoring tools - you'll keep a close watch
on the objects, applications and systems that must stay up and running.

Managing Objects in Your Environment
An object is the individual managed item in your environment for which vRealize Operations Manager
collects data, such as a router, switch, database, virtual machine, host, and vCenter Server instances.
The system requires specific information about each object. When you configure an adapter instance,
vRealize Operations Manager performs object discovery to start collecting data from the objects with
which the adapter communicates.
An object can be a single entity, such as a database, or a container that holds other objects. For example,
if you have multiple Web servers, you can define a single object for each Web server and define a
separate container object to hold all of the Web server objects. Groups and applications are types of
containers.
Categorize your objects using tags, so that you can easily find, group, or filter them later. A tag type can
have multiple tag values. You or vRealize Operations Manager assigns objects to tag values. When you
select a tag value, vRealize Operations Manager displays the objects associated with that tag. For
example, if a tag type is Lifecycle and tag values are Development, Test, Pre-production, and Production,
you might assign virtual machine objects VM1, VM2, or VM3 in your environment to one or more of these
tag values, depending on the virtual machine function.

Adding an Object to Your Environment
You might want to add an object by providing its information to vRealize Operations Manager. For
example, some solutions cannot discover all the objects that might be monitored. For these solutions, you
must either use manual discovery or manually add the object.
When you add an individual object, you provide specific information about it, including the kind of adapter
to use to make the connection and the connection method. For example, a vSAN adapter does not know
the location of the vSAN devices that you want to monitor.
Prerequisites

Verify that an adapter is present for the object you plan to add. See the vRealize Operations Manager
vApp Deployment and Configuration Guide.
Procedure

In the menu, click Administration, then select Configuration > Inventory Explorer from the left
pane.

On the toolbar, click the plus sign.

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Use the topic menus to reveal all fields and provide the required information.
Option

Description

Display name

Enter a name for the object. For example, enter vSAN-Host1.

Description

Enter any description. For example, enter
vSAN-Host monitored with vSAN adapter

Adapter type

Select an adapter type. For example, select vSAN Adapter.

Adapter instance

Select an adapter instance.

Object type

Select an object type. For a vSAN adapter, you might select vSAN-Host. When
you select the object type, the dialog box selections change to include information
you provide so that vRealize Operations Manager can find and connect with the
selected object type.

Host IP address

Enter the host IP. For example, enter the IP address of vSAN-Host1.

Port number

Accept the default port number or enter a new value.

Credential

Select the Credential, or click the plus sign to add new login credentials for the
object.

Collection interval

Enter the collection interval, in minutes. For example, if you expect the host to
generate performance data every 5 minutes, set the collection interval to 5
minutes.

Dynamic Thresholding.

Accept the default, Yes.

Click OK to add the object.

vSAN-Host1 appears in the Inventory Explorer as a host object type for the vSAN adapter type.
What to do next

For each new object, vRealize Operations Manager assigns tag values for its collector and its object type.
Sometimes, you might want to assign other tags.

Configuring Object Relationships
vRealize Operations Manager shows the relationship between objects in your environment. Most
relationships are automatically formed when the objects are discovered by an installed adapter. In
addition, you can use vRealize Operations Manager to create relationships between objects that might
not normally be related.
Objects are related physically, logically, or structurally.
n

Physical relationships represent how objects connect in the physical world. For example, virtual
machines running on a host are physically related.

Logical relationships represent business silos. For example, all the storage objects in an environment
are related to one another.

Structural relationships represent a business value. For example, all the virtual machines that support
a database are structurally related.

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Solutions use adapters to monitor the objects in your environment so that physical relationship changes
are reflected in vRealize Operations Manager. To maintain logical or structural relationships, you can use
vRealize Operations Manager to define the object relationships. When objects are related, a problem with
one object appears as an anomaly on related objects. So object relationships can help you to identify
problems in your environment quickly.
Adding an Object Relationship
Parent-child relationships normally occur between interrelated objects in your environment. For example,
a data center object for a vCenter Adapter instance might have datastore, cluster, and host system child
objects.
The most common object relationships gather similar objects into groups. When you define a custom
group with parent objects, a summary of that group shows alerts for that object and for any of its
descendants. You can create relationships between objects that might not normally be related. For
example, you might define a child object for an object in the group. You define these types of relationships
by configuring object relationships.
Procedure

Select Administration > Object Relationships.

In the Parent Selection column, expand the object tag and select a tag value that contains the object
to act as the parent object.
The objects for the tag value appear in the top pane of the second column.

Select a parent object.
Current child objects appear in the bottom pane of the second column.

In the column to the right of the List column, expand the object tag and select a tag value that
contains the child object to relate to the parent.

(Optional) If the list of objects is long, filter the list to find the child object or objects.

Option

Action

Navigate the object tag list for an
object

Expand the object tag in the pane to the right of the List column and select a tag
value that contains the object. The objects for the tag value appear in the List
column. If you select more than one value for the same tag, the list contains
objects that have either value. If you select values for two or more different tags,
the list includes only objects that have all of the selected values.

Search for an object by name

If you know all or part of the object name, enter it in the Search text box and
press Enter.

To make an object a child object of the parent object, select the object from the list and drag it to the
parent object in the top pane of the second column, or click the Add All Objects To Parent icon to
make all of the listed objects children of the parent object.
You can use Ctrl+click to select multiple objects or Shift+click to select a range of objects.

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Example: Custom Group with Child Objects
If you want vRealize Operations Manager to monitor objects in your environment to ensure that service
level capacity requirements for your IT department are met, you add the objects to a custom group, apply
a group policy, and define criteria that affect the membership of objects in the group. If you want to
monitor the capacity of an object that does not affect the service level requirements, you can add the
object as a child of a parent object in the group. If a capacity problem exists for the child object, the
summary of the group shows an alert for the parent object.

Creating and Assigning Tags
A large enterprise can have thousands of objects defined in vRealize Operations Manager. Creating
object tags and tag values makes it easier to find objects and metrics. With object tags, you select the tag
value assigned to an object and view the list of objects that are associated with that tag value.
A tag is a type of information, for example, Adapter Types. Adapter Types is a predefined tag. Tag values
are individual instances of that type of information. For example, when the system discovers objects using
the vCenter Adapter, it assigns all the objects to the vCenter Adapter tag value under the Adapter Types
tag.
You can assign any number of objects to each tag value, and you can assign a single object to tag values
under any number of tags. You typically look for an object by looking under its adapter type, its object
type, and possibly other tags.
If an object tag is locked, you cannot add objects to it. vRealize Operations Manager maintains locked
object tags.
n

Predefined Object Tags
vRealize Operations Manager includes several predefined object tags. It creates values for most of
these tags and assigns objects to the values.

Add an Object Tag and Assign Objects to the Tag
An object tag is a type of information, and a tag value is an individual instance of that type of
information. If the predefined object tags do not meet your needs, you can create your own object
tags to categorize and manage objects in your environment. For example, you can add a tag for
cloud objects and add tag values for different cloud names. Then you can assign objects to the
cloud name.

Use a Tag to Find an Object
The quickest way to find an object in vRealize Operations Manager is to use tags. Using tags is
more efficient than searching through the entire object list.

Predefined Object Tags
vRealize Operations Manager includes several predefined object tags. It creates values for most of these
tags and assigns objects to the values.
For example, when you add an object, the system assigns it to the tag value for the collector it uses and
the kind of object that it is. vRealize Operations Manager creates tag values if they do not already exist.

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If a predefined tag has no values, there is no object of that tag type. For example, if no applications are
defined, the applications tag has no tag values.
Each tag value appears with the number of objects that have that tag. Tag values that have no objects
appear with the value zero. You cannot delete the predefined tags or tag values.
Table 6‑1. Predefined Tags
Tag

Description

Collectors (Full Set)

Each defined collector is a tag value. Each object is assigned to
the tag value for the collector that it uses when you add the
object to vRealize Operations Manager. The default collector is
vRealize Operations Manager Collector-vRealize.

Applications (Full Set)

Each defined application is a tag value. When you add a tier to
an application, or an object to a tier in an application, the tier is
assigned to that tag value.

Maintenance Schedules (Full Set)

Each defined maintenance schedule is a tag value, and objects
are assigned to the value when you give them a schedule by
adding or editing them.

Adapter Types

Each adapter type is a tag value, and each object that uses that
adapter type is given the tag value.

Adapter Instances

Each adapter instance is a tag value, and each object is
assigned the tag value for the adapter instance or instances
through which its metrics are collected.

Object Types

Each type of object is a tag value, and each object is assigned
to the tag value for its type when you add the object.

Recently Added Objects

The last day, seven days, 10 days, and 30 days have tag values.
Objects have this tag value as long as the tag value applies to
them.

Object Statuses

Tag value assigned to objects that are not receiving data.

Collection States

Tag value assigned to indicate the object collection state, such
as collecting or not collecting.

Health Ranges

Good (green), Warning (yellow), Immediate (orange), Critical
(red), and Unknown (blue) health statuses have tag values.
Each object is assigned the value for its current health status.

Entire Enterprise

The only tag value is Entire Enterprise Applications. This tag
value is assigned to each application.

Licensing

Tag values are License Groups found under Home >
Administration > Mangement > Licensing. Objects are
assigned to the license groups during
vRealize Operations Manager installation.

Untag

Drag an object to this tag to delete the tag assignment.

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Add an Object Tag and Assign Objects to the Tag
An object tag is a type of information, and a tag value is an individual instance of that type of information.
If the predefined object tags do not meet your needs, you can create your own object tags to categorize
and manage objects in your environment. For example, you can add a tag for cloud objects and add tag
values for different cloud names. Then you can assign objects to the cloud name.
Prerequisites

Become familiar with the predefined object tags.
Procedure

Click Administration in the menu, then click Configuration > Inventory Explorer in the left pane.

Click the Manage Tags icon above the list of tags.

Click the Add New Tag icon to add a new row and type the name of the tag in the row.
For example, type Cloud Objects and click Update.

With the new tag selected, click the Add New Tag Value icon to add a new row and type the name of
the value in the row.
For example, type Video Cloud and click Update.

Click OK to add the tag.

Click the tag to which you want to add objects to display the list of object tag values.
For example, click Cloud Objects to display the Video Cloud object tag value.

Drag objects from the list in the right pane of the Inventory Explorer onto the tag value name.
You can press Ctrl+click to select multiple individual objects or Shift+click to select a range of objects.
For example, if you want to assign datacenters that are connected through the vCenter Adapter, type
vCenter in the search filter and select the datacenter objects to add.

Use a Tag to Find an Object
The quickest way to find an object in vRealize Operations Manager is to use tags. Using tags is more
efficient than searching through the entire object list.
Tag values that can also be tags are Applications and Object Types. For example, the Object Types tag
has values for each object that is in vRealize Operations Manager, such as Virtual Machine, which
includes all the virtual machine objects in your environment. Each of these virtual machines is also a tag
value for the Virtual Machine tag. You can expand the tag value list to select the value for which you want
to see objects.
Procedure

In the menu, click Administration, then click Configuration > Inventory Explorer in the left pane.

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In the tag list in the center pane, click a tag for an object with an assigned value.
When you click a tag, the list of values expands under the tag. The number of objects that is
associated with each value appears next to the tag value.
A plus sign next to a tag value indicates that the value is also a tag and that it contains other tag
values. You can click the plus sign to see the subvalues.

Select the tag value.
The objects that have that tag value appear in the pane on the right. If you select multiple tag values,
the objects in the list depend on the values that you select.

Tag Value Selection

Objects Displayed

More than one value for the
same tag

The list includes objects that have either value. For example, if you select two values of the
Object Types tag, such as Datacenter and Host System, the list shows objects that have
either value.

Values for two or more different
tags

The list includes only objects that have all of the selected values. For example, if you select
two values of the Object Types tag, such as Datacenter and Host System, and you also
select an adapter instance such as vC-1 of the vCenter Adapter instance tag, only
Datacenter or Host System objects associated with vC-1 appear in the list. Datacenter or
Host System objects associated with other adapter instances do not appear in the list, nor do
objects that are not Datacenter or Host System objects.

Select the object from the list.

Managing Custom Object Groups in
VMware vRealize Operations Manager
A custom object group is a container that includes one or more objects. vRealize Operations Manager
uses custom groups to collect data from the objects in the group, and report on the data collected.

Why Use Custom Object Groups?
You use groups to categorize your objects and have the system collect data from the groups of objects
and display the results in dashboards and views according to the way you define the data to appear.
You can create static groups of objects, or dynamic groups with criteria that determine group membership
as vRealize Operations Manager discovers and collects data from new objects added to the environment.
vRealize Operations Manager provides commonly used object group types, such as World, Environment,
and Licensing. The system uses the object group types to categorize groups of objects. You assign a
group type to each group so that you can categorize and organize the groups of objects that you create.

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Types of Custom Object Groups
When you create custom groups, you can use rules to apply dynamic membership of objects to the
group, or you can manually add the objects to the group. When you add an adapter, the groups
associated with the adapter become available in vRealize Operations Manager.
n

Dynamic group membership. To dynamically update the membership of objects in a group, define
rules when you create a group. vRealize Operations Manager adds objects to the group based on the
criteria that you define.

Mixed membership, which includes dynamic and manual.

Manual group membership. From the inventory of objects, you select objects to add as members to
the group.

Groups associated with adapters. Each adapter manages the membership of the group. For example,
the vCenter Server adapter adds groups such as datastore, host, and network, for the container
objects in the vSphere inventory. To modify these groups, you must do so in the adapter.

Administrators of vRealize Operations Manager can set advanced permissions on custom groups. Users
who have privileges to create groups can create custom groups of objects and have
vRealize Operations Manager apply a policy to each group to collect data from the objects and report the
results in dashboards and views.
When you create a custom group, and assign a policy to the group, the system uses the criteria defined in
the applied policy to collect data from and analyze the objects in the group. vRealize Operations Manager
reports on the status, problems, and recommendations for those objects based on the settings in the
policy.
Note Only custom groups defined explicitly by users can be exported from or imported to vRealize
Operations Manager. Users are able to export or import multiple custom groups. Once an import function
has been executed, the user must check to determine if a policy or policies should be associated with the
imported group. Export-import operations are available for user defined (created explicitly by user) custom
groups only.

How Policies Help vRealize Operations Manager Report On Object Groups
vRealize Operations Manager analyzes the objects in the object group and reports on the workload,
capacity, stress, anomalies, and faults of the object group, among other attributes.
When you apply a policy to an object group, vRealize Operations Manager uses threshold settings,
metrics, super metrics, attributes, properties, alert definitions, and problem definitions that you enabled in
the policy to collect data from the objects in the group, and report the results in dashboards and views.
When you create a new object group, you have the option to apply a policy to the group.
n

To associate a policy with the custom object group, select the policy in the group creation wizard.

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To not associate a specific policy with the object group, leave the policy selection blank. The custom
object group will be associated with the default policy. If the default policy changes, this object group
will be associated with the new default policy.

User Scenario: Creating Custom Object Groups
As a system administrator, you must monitor the capacity for your clusters, hosts, and virtual machines.
vRealize Operations Manager monitors them at different service levels to ensure that these objects
adhere to the policies established for your IT department, and discovers and monitors new objects added
to the environment. You have vRealize Operations Manager apply policies to the object groups to
analyze, monitor, and report on the status of their capacity levels.
To have vRealize Operations Manager monitor the capacity levels for your objects to ensure that they
adhere to your policies for your service levels, you categorize your objects into Platinum, Gold, and Silver
object groups to support the service tiers established.
You create a group type, and create dynamic object groups for each service level. You define
membership criteria for each dynamic object group to have vRealize Operations Manager keep the
membership of objects current. For each dynamic object group, you assign the group type, and add
criteria to maintain membership of your objects in the group. To associate a policy with the custom object
group, you can select the policy in the group creation wizard.
Prerequisites
n

Know the objects that exist in your environment, and the service levels that they support.

Understand the policies required to monitor your objects.

Verify that policies are available to monitor the capacity of your objects.

Procedure

To create a group type to identify service level monitoring, click Administration in the menu, then
click Configuration > Group Types.

On the Group Types toolbar, click the plus sign and type Service Level Capacity for the group
type.
Your group type appears in the list.

Click Environment in the menu, then click the Custom Groups tab.

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To create a new object group, click the plus sign on the Groups toolbar.
The New Group workspace appears where you define the data and membership criteria for the
dynamic group.
a

In the Name text box, type a meaningful name for the object group, such as Platinum_Objects.

In the Group Type drop-down menu, select Service Level Capacity.

(Optional) In the Policy drop-down menu, select your service level policy that has thresholds set
to monitor the capacity of your objects.
To associate a policy with the custom object group, select the policy in the group creation wizard.
To not associate a specific policy with the object group, leave the policy selection blank. The
custom object group will be associated with the default policy. If the default policy changes, this
object group will be associated with the new default policy.

d
5

Select the Keep group membership up to date check box so that vRealize Operations Manager
can discover objects that meet the criteria, and add those objects to the group.

Define the membership for virtual machines in your new dynamic object group to monitor them as
platinum objects.
a

From the Select Object drop-down menu, select vCenter Adapter, and select Virtual Machine.

From the empty drop-down menu for the criteria, select Metrics.

From the Pick a metric drop-down menu, select Disk Space and double-click Current Size.

From the conditional value drop-down menu, select is less than.

From the Metric value drop-down menu, type 10.

Define the membership for host systems in your new dynamic object group to monitor them as
platinum objects.
a

Click Add another criteria set.

From the Select Object drop-down menu, select vCenter Adapter, and select Host System.

From the empty drop-down menu for the criteria, select Metrics.

From the Pick a metric drop-down menu, select Disk Space and double-click Current Size.

From the conditional value drop-down menu, select is less than.

From the Metric value drop-down menu, type 100.

Define the membership for cluster compute resources in your new dynamic object group.
a

Click Add another criteria set.

From the Select Object drop-down menu, select vCenter Adapter, and select Cluster Compute
Resources.

From the empty drop-down menu for the criteria, select Metrics.

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From the Pick a metric drop-down menu, select Disk Space and double-click
capacityRemaining.

From the conditional value drop-down menu, select is less than.

From the Metric value drop-down menu, type 1000.

Click Preview to determine whether objects already match this criteria.

Click OK to save your group.
When you save your new dynamic group, the group appears in the Service Level Capacity folder, and
in the list of groups on the Groups tab.

Wait five minutes for vRealize Operations Manager to collect data from the objects in your
environment.

vRealize Operations Manager collects data from the cluster compute resources, host systems, and virtual
machines in your environment, according to the metrics that you defined in the group and the thresholds
defined in the policy that is applied to the group, and displays the results about your objects in
dashboards and views.
What to do next

To monitor the capacity levels for your platinum objects, create a dashboard, and add widgets to the
dashboard. See Dashboards.

Managing Application Groups
An application is a container construct that represents a collection of interdependent hardware and
software components that deliver a specific capability to support your business.
vRealize Operations Manager builds an application to determine how your environment is affected when
one or more components in an application experiences problems, and to monitor the overall health and
performance of the application. Object membership in an application is not dynamic. To change the
application, you manually modify the objects in the container.

Reasons to Use Applications
vRealize Operations Manager collects data from components in the application and displays the results in
a summary dashboard for each application with a real-time analysis for any or all of the components. If a
component experiences problems, you can see where in the application the problems arise, and
determine how problems spread to other objects.

User Scenario: Adding an Application
As the system administrator of an online training system, you must monitor components in the Web,
application, and database tiers of your environment that can affect the performance of the system. You
build an application that groups related objects together in each tier. If a problem occurs with one of the
objects, it is reflected in the application display and you can open a summary to investigate the source of
the problem further.

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In your application, you add the DB-related objects that store data for the training system in a tier, Webrelated objects that run the user interface in a tier, and application-related objects that process the data
for the training system in a tier. The network tier might not be needed. Use this model to develop your
application.
Procedure

In the menu, click Environment, then click Groups and Applications in the left pane.

Click the Applications tab and click the plus sign.

Click Basic n-tier Web App and click OK.
The Application Management page that appears has two rows. Select objects from the bottom row to
populate the tiers in the top row.

Type a meaningful name such as Online Training Application in the Application text box.

For each of the Web, application and database tiers listed, add the objects to the Tier Objects section.
a

Select a tier name. This is the tier that you populate.

To the left of the object row, select object tags to filter for objects that have that tag value. Click
the tag name once to select the tag from the list and click the tag name again to deselect the tag
from the list. If you select multiple tags, objects displayed depend on the values that you select.
You can also search for the object by name.

To the right of the object row, select the objects to add to the tier.

Drag the objects to the Tier Objects section.

Click Save to save the application.

The new application appears in the list of applications on the Environment Overview Applications page. If
any of the components in any of the tiers develops a problem, the application displays a yellow or red
status.
What to do next

To investigate the source of the problem, click the application name and evaluate the object summary
information. See the vRealize Operations Manager User Guide.

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Configuring Data Display

You configure the content in vRealize Operations Manager to suit your information needs, using views,
reports, dashboards, and widgets.
Views display data, based on an object type. You can select from various view types to see your data
from a different perspective. Views are reusable components that you can include in reports and
dashboards. Reports can contain predefined or custom views and dashboards in a specified order. You
build the reports to represent objects and metrics in your environment. You can customize the report
layout by adding a cover page, a table of contents, and a footer. You can export the report in a PDF or
CSV file format for further reference.
You use dashboards to monitor the performance and state of objects in your virtual infrastructure.
Widgets are the building blocks of dashboards and display data about configured attributes, resources,
аpplications, or the overall processes in your environment. You can also incorporate views in dashboards
using the vRealize Operations Manager View Widget.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n

Widgets

Dashboards

Views

Reports

Widgets
Widgets are the panes on your dashboards. You add widgets to a dashboard to create a dashboard.
Widgets show information about attributes, resources, applications, or the overall processes in your
environment.
You can configure widgets to reflect your specific needs. The available configuration options vary
depending on the widget type. You must configure some of the widgets before they display any data.
Many widgets can provide or accept data from one or more widgets. You can use this feature to set the
data from one widget as filter and display related information on a single dashboard.

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Widget Interactions
Widget interactions are the configured relationships between widgets in a dashboard where one widget
provides information to a receiving widget. When you are using a widget in the dashboard, you select
data on one widget to limit the data that appears in another widget, allowing you to focus on a smaller
subset data.

How Interactions Work
If you configured interactions between widget at the dashboard level, you can then select one or more
objects in the providing widget to filter the data that appears in the receiving widget, allowing you to focus
on data related to an object.
To use the interaction option between the widgets in a dashboard, you configure interactions at the
dashboard level. If you do not configure any interactions, the data that appears in the widgets is based on
how the widget is generally configured.
When you configure widget interaction, you specify the providing widget for the receiving widget. For
some widgets, you can define two providing widgets, each of which can be used to filter data in the
receiving widget.
For example, if you configured the Object List widget to be a provider widget for the Top-N widget, you
can select one or more objects in the Object List widget and the Top-N displays data only for the selected
objects.
For some widgets, you can define more than one providing widget. For example, you can configure the
Metric Chart widget to receive data from a metrics provider widget and an objects providing widget. In
such case, the Metric Chart widget shows data for any object that you select in the two provider widgets.

Manage Metric Configuration
You can create a custom set of metrics to display the widgets. You can configure one or more files that
define different sets of metrics for a particular adapter and object types so that the supported widgets are
populated based on the configured metrics and selected object type.

How the Metric Configuration Works
From the Metric Configuration page, you create an XML file that displays a set of metrics at a supported
widget. The widgets are Metric Chart, Property List, Rolling View Chart, Scoreboard, Sparkline Chart, and
Topology Graph. To use the metric configuration, you must set the widget Self Provider to Off and create
a widget interaction with a provider widget.

Where You Find the Metric Configuration
To manage metric configurations, in the menu, click Administration, and then in the left pane click
Configuration > Metric Configurations.

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Table 7‑1. Manage Metric Config Toolbar Options
Option

Description

Create Configuration

Creates an empty XML file in a selected folder.

Edit Configuration

Activates a selected XML file for edit in the text box on the right.

Delete Configuration

Deletes a selected XML file.

Text box

Displays a selected XML file. You must select an XML file and
click Edit to edit it.

Add a Resource Interaction XML File
A resource interaction file is a custom set of metrics that you want to display in widgets that support the
option. You can configure one or more files that define different sets of metrics for particular object types
so that the supported widgets are populated based the configured metrics and selected object type.
The following widgets support the resource interaction mode:
n

Metric Chart

Property List

Rolling View Chart

Scoreboard

Sparkline Chart

Topology Graph

To use the metric configuration, which displays a set of metrics that you defined in an XML file, the
dashboard and widget configuration must meet the following criteria:
n

The dashboard Widget Interaction options are configured so that another widget provides objects to
the target widget. For example, an Object List widget provides the object interaction to a chart widget.

The widget Self Provider option is set to Off.

The custom XML file in the Metric Configuration drop-down menu is in the/usr/lib/vmwarevcops/tools/opscli directory and has been imported into the global storage using the import
command.

If you add an XML file and later modify it, the changes might not take effect.
Prerequisites
n

Verify that you have the necessary permissions to access the installed files for
vRealize Operations Manager and add files.

Create a new files based on the existing examples. Examples are available in the following location:
n

vApp. The XML file is in /usr/lib/vmware-vcops/tomcat-web-app/webapps/vcops-webent/WEB-INF/classes/resources/reskndmetrics.

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Procedure

Create an XML file that defines the set of metrics.
For example:

In this example, the displayed data for the host system based on the specified metrics.
2

Save the XML file in one of the following directories base on the operating system of your
vRealize Operations Manager instance.
Operating System

File Location

vApp

/usr/lib/vmware-vcops/tools/opscli

Run the import command.
Operating System

File Location

vApp

./ops-cli.sh file import reskndmetric YourCustomFilename.xml

The file is imported into global storage and is accessible from the supported widgets.
4

If you update an exisiting file and must re-import the file, append --force to the above import
command and run it.
For example, ./vcops-cli.sh file import reskndmetric YourCustomFilename.xml -force.

What to do next

To verify that the XML file is imported, configure one of the supported widgets and ensure that the new file
appears in the drop-down menu.
You can also create a custom set of metrics to display the widgets, from the Manage Metric Configuration.

Widget Definitions List
A widget is a pane on a dashboard that contains information about configured attributes, resources,
applications, or the overall processes in your environment. Widgets can provide a holistic, end-to-end
view of the health of all of the objects and applications in your enterprise. If your user account has the
necessary access rights, you can add and remove widgets from your dashboards.

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Table 7‑2. Summary of Widgets
Widget Name

Description

Alert List

Shows a list of alerts for the objects that the widget is configured to monitor. If no objects are
configure, the list displays all alerts in your environment.

Alert Volume

Shows a trend report for the last seven days of alerts generated for the objects it is configured to
monitor.

Anomalies

Shows a chart of the anomalies count for the past 6 hours.

Anomaly Breakdown

Shows the likely root causes for symptoms for a selected resource.

Capacity

Shows a chart of the Capacity values for a specific resources over the past 7 days.

Capacity Utilization

Shows the capacity or workload utilization for objects so that you can identify problems with
capacity and workload. Indicates objects that are underutilized, optimal, and overutilized, and
indicates why they are constrained.

Container Details

Shows the health and alert counts for each tier in a single selected container.

Container Object List

Shows a list of all defined resources and object types.

Container Overview

Shows the overall health and the health of each tier for one or more containers.

Current Policy

Shows the highest priority policy applied to a custom group.

Data Collection Results

Shows a list of all supported actions specific for a selected object.

Density

Shows the density breakdown as charts for the past 7 days for a specific resource.

DRS Cluster Settings

Shows the workload of the available clusters and the associated hosts.

Efficiency

Shows the status of the efficiency-related alerts for the objects that it is configured to monitor.
Efficiency is based on generated efficiency alerts in your environment.

Environment

Lists the number of resources by object or groups them by object type.

Environment Overview

Shows the performance status of objects in your virtual environment and their relationships. You
can click an object to highlight its related objects and double-click an object to view its Resource
Detail page.

Environment Status

Shows statistics for the overall monitored environment.

Faults

Shows a list of availability and configuration issues for a selected resource.

Forensics

Shows how often a metric had a particular value, as a percentage of all values, within a given time
period. It can also compare percentages for two time periods.

Geo

Shows where your objects are located on a world map, if your configuration assigns values to the
Geo Location object tag.

Health

Shows the status of the health-related alerts for the objects that it is configured to monitor. Health
is based on generated health alerts in your environment.

Health Chart

Shows health information for selected resources, or all resources that have a selected tag.

Heat Map

Shows a heat map with the performance information for a selected resource.

Mashup Chart

Brings together disparate pieces of information for a resource. It shows a health chart, an anomaly
count graph, and metric graphs for key performance indicators (KPIs). This widget is typically
used for a container.

Metric Chart

Shows a chart with the workload of the object over time based on the selected metrics.

Metric Picker

Shows a list of available metrics for a selected resource. It works with any widget that can provide
resource ID.

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Table 7‑2. Summary of Widgets (Continued)
Widget Name

Description

Object List

Shows a list of all defined resources.

Object Relationship

Shows the hierarchy tree for the selected object.

Object Relationship
(Advanced)

Shows the hierarchy tree for the selected objects. It provides advanced configuration options.

Property List

Shows the properties and their values of an object that you select.

Reclaimable Capacity

Shows a percentage chart representing the amount of reclaimable capacity for a specific resource
that has consumers.

Recommended Actions

Displays recommendations to solve problems in your vCenter Server instances. With
recommendations, you can run actions on your data centers, clusters, hosts, and virtual
machines.

Risk

Shows the status of the risk-related alerts for the objects that it is configured to monitor. Risk is
based on generated risk alerts in your environment.

Rolling View Chart

Cycles through selected metrics at an interval that you define and shows one metric graph at a
time. Miniature graphs, which you can expand, appear for all selected metrics at the bottom of the
widget.

Scoreboard

Shows values for selected metrics, which are typically KPIs, with color coding for defined value
ranges.

Scoreboard Health

Shows color-coded health or workload scores for selected resources.

Sparkline Chart

Shows graphs that contain metrics for an object . If all of the metrics in the Sparkline Chart widget
are for an object that another widget provides, the object name appears at the top right of the
widget.

Stress

Shows a weather map of the average stress over the past 6 weeks for a specific resource.

Tag Picker

Lists all defined resource tags.

Text Display

Reads text from a Web page or text file and shows the text in the user interface.

Time Remaining

Shows a chart of the Time Remaining values for a specific resources over the past 7 days.

Top Alerts

Lists the alerts most likely to negatively affect your environment based on the configured alert type
and objects.

Top-N

Shows the top or bottom N number metrics or resources in various categories, such as the five
applications that have the best or worth health score.

Topology Graph

Shows multiple levels of resources between nodes.

View

Shows a defined view depending on the configured resource.

Weather Map

Uses changing colors to show the behavior of a selected metric over time for multiple resources.

Workload

Shows workload information for a selected resource.

For more information about the widgets, see the vRealize Operations Manager help.

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Dashboards
Dashboards present a visual overview of the performance and state of objects in your virtual
infrastructure. You use dashboards to determine the nature and timeframe of existing and potential issues
with your environment. You create dashboards by adding widgets to a dashboard and configuring them.
vRealize Operations Manager collects performance data from monitored software and hardware
resources in your enterprise and provides predictive analysis and real-time information about problems.
The data and analysis are presented through alerts, in configurable dashboards, on predefined pages,
and in several predefined dashboards.
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You can start with several predefined dashboards in vRealize Operations Manager.

You can create extra ones that meet your specific needs using widgets, views, badges, and filters to
change the focus of the information.

You can clone and edit the predefined dashboards or start from scratch.

To display data that shows dependencies, you can add widget interactions in dashboards.

You can provide role-based access to various dashboards for better collaboration in teams.

Table 7‑3. Menu Options
Menu

Description

All Dashboards

Lists the dashboards that are enabled. You can use this menu
for a quick navigation through your dashboards. When you
navigate to a dashboard using the All Dashboards option, the
dashboard is listed in the left pane of the Dashboards page.

Actions

Available dashboard actions, such as create, edit, delete, and
set as default. These actions are applied directly to the
dashboard that you are on.

Types Of Dashboards
You can use the predefined dashboards or create your own custom dashboard in
vRealize Operations Manager.

Custom Dashboards
vRealize Operations Manager has predefined dashboards. You can also create dashboards that meet
your environment needs.
To manage your dashboards, in the menu, click Dashboards.
Depending on your access rights, you can add, delete, and arrange widgets on your dashboards, clone
and create dashboards, import or export dashboards from other instances, edit widget configuration
options, and configure widget interactions.

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Table 7‑4. Dashboards Options
Option

Description

Usage

Save as Template

Contains all the information in a
dashboard definition.

You can use any dashboard to create a template.

Export Dashboard

When you export a dashboard,
vRealize Operations Manager
creates a dashboard file in JSON
format.

You can export a dashboard from one
vRealize Operations Manager instance and import it to
another.

Import Dashboard

A PAK or JSON file that contains
dashboard information from
vRealize Operations Manager.

You can import a dashboard that was exported from
another vRealize Operations Manager instance.

Remove Dashboard(s) from Home

Removes a dashboard from the
vRealize Operations Manager
home page.

You can add any dashboard to the
vRealize Operations Manager home page.

Reorder/Autoswitch Dashboards

Changes the order of the
dashboard tabs on
vRealize Operations Manager
home page.

You can configure vRealize Operations Manager to
switch from one dashboard to another.

Manage Summary Dashboards

Provides you with an overview of
the state of the selected object,
group, or application.

You can change the Summary tab with a dashboard to
get information specific to your needs.

Manage Tab Groups

Groups dashboards in folders.

You can create dashboard folders to group the
dashboards in a way that is meaningful to you.

Share Dashboards

Makes a dashboard available to
other users or user groups.

You can share a dashboard or dashboard template
with one or more user groups.

The dashboard list depends on your access rights.

Predefined Dashboards
vRealize Operations Manager has predefined dashboards that address several key questions including
how you can troubleshoot your VMs, the workload distribution of your hosts, clusters, and datastores, the
capacity of your data center, and information about the VMs. You can also view log details.
In the menu, click Dashboards, and then in the left pane you can access a list of predefined dashboards.
To enable dashboards to appear in the left pane of the Dashboards page, in the menu, click Dashboards,
and then from the All Dashboards drop-down menu select the check-box against the required
dashboard.
The default dashboard that appears when you click Dashboards in the menu is the Getting Started
dashboard. You can close a dashboard from the left pane by selecting the dashboard and clicking the X
icon. The dashboard you last opened is displayed the next time you navigate to Dashboards in the
menu. If there is only one dashboard left in the left pane, you cannot close it.

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The following predefined dashboards can be accessed by clicking Dashboards in the menu, and then
clicking All Dashboards:
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Capacity and Utilization
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Capacity Allocation Overview

Cluster Utilization

Datastore Utilization

Heavy Hitter VMs

Host Utilization

Utilization Overview

VM Utilization

vSAN Capacity Overview

Configuration and Compliance
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Cluster Configuration

Distributed Switch Configuration

Host Configuration

VM Configuration

vSphere Hardening Compliance

Operations
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Datastore Usage Overview

Host Usage Overview

Migrate to vSAN

Operations Overview

vSAN Operations Overview

Optimize
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Assess Cost

Optimization History

Optimize Performance

Performance Troubleshooting
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Troubleshoot a Cluster

Troubleshoot a Datastore

Troubleshoot a Host

Troubleshoot a VM

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Troubleshoot vSAN

Troubleshoot with Logs

vRealize Assessments
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Hybrid Cloud Assessment

vSphere Optimization Assessment

vRealize Automation
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Application Overview

Environment Overview

Resource Consumption Overview

Top-N

vRealize Operations
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MP Statistics

Self Cluster Statistics

Self Health

Self Performance Details

Self Services Communications

Self Services Summary

Self Troubleshooting

vCenter Adapter Details

Getting Started

Getting Started Dashboard
The Getting Started dashboard is a guide to answering the most frequent questions of your IT staff. The
dashboard breaks tasks into broad categories including Capacity and Utilization, Configuration and
Compliance, Operations, Performance Troubleshooting, and Optimize.
Using each of these categories you can drill down to the specific use cases and problems you are trying
to solve. Each problem statement is associated with a predefined dashboard that you can access through
this page. To view a dashboard, click the dashboard name listed on the right side of the Getting Started
dashboard.
Capacity and Utilization Dashboards
The dashboards in the Capacity and Utilization category cater to the teams responsible for tracking the
utilization of the provisioned capacity in their virtual infrastructure. The dashboards within this category
allow you to take capacity procurement decisions, reduce wastage through reclamation, and track usage
trends to avoid performance problems due to capacity shortfalls.

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Key questions these dashboards help you answer are as follows:
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How much capacity exists, how much is used, and the usage trends for a specific vCenter, data
center, or cluster?

How much disk, vCPU, or memory you can reclaim from large VMs in your environment to reduce
wastage and improve performance?

Which clusters have the highest resource demands?

Which hosts are being heavily utilized and why?

Which datastores are running out of disk space and who are the top consumers?

The storage capacity and utilization of your vSAN environment along with the savings achieved by
enabling deduplication and compression.

Capacity Allocation Overview Dashboard
This dashboard provides an overview of allocation ratios for virtual machines, vCPUs, and memory for a
specific data center or cluster.
Cluster Utilization Dashboard
The Cluster Utilization dashboard helps you identify vSphere clusters that are extensively consumed from
a CPU, memory, disk, and network perspective.
You can use this dashboard to identify the clusters that cannot serve the virtual machine demand.
You can select a cluster with high CPU, memory, disk, or network demand. The dashboard lists the ESXi
hosts that are a part of the given cluster. If there is an imbalance in the use of hosts within the selected
clusters, you can balance the hosts by moving the VMs within the cluster.
You can use this dashboard to view the historical cluster demand. If the situation is critical, use Workload
Balance and move the VMs out of the clusters to avoid potential performance issues. For more
information, see Chapter 3 Configuring and Using Workload Optimization. If all the clusters in a given
environment display the same pattern, you might have to add new capacity to cater to the increase in
demand.
Datastore Utilization Dashboard
The Datastore Utilization dashboard helps you identify storage provisioning and utilization patterns in a
virtual infrastructure.
As a best practice, ensure that the datastores are of standard size, to manage storage in your virtual
environments. The heat map on this dashboard displays all the datastores monitored by
vRealize Operations Manager and groups them by clusters.
The dashboard uses colors to depict the utilization pattern of the datastores. Grey represents an
underutilized datastore, red represents a datastore that has run out of disk space, and green represents
an optimally used datastore. You can select a datastore from the dashboard to see the past utilization
trends and forecasted usage. The dashboard lists all the VMs that run on the selected datastore. You can
reclaim storage used by large VM snapshots or powered off VMs.

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You can use the vRealize Operations Manager action framework to reclaim resources by deleting the
snapshots or unwanted powered off VMs.
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Datastore Capacity and Utilization: Use this widget to find out which datastores are overused and
which ones are underused. You can also find out whether the datastores are of equal size. When you
select a datastore from this widget, the dashboard is automatically populated with the relevant data.

VMs in the Selected Datastore: Use this widget to view a list of VMs based on the datastore you
select. You can also view relevant details such as whether the VMs are powered on and the size of
the snapshot if any.

Usage Trend of Selected Datastore: Use this widget to find out the trends in capacity used by a
selected datastore as against the total capacity available.

All Shared Datastores in the Environment: Use this widget to view a list of datastores that are
shared in your environment. The information displayed in this widget helps you make an informed
decision about whether you have to rebalance the capacity of the datastores based on usage.

Heavy Hitter VMs
The Heavy Hitter VMs dashboard helps you identify virtual machines which are consistently consuming a
large amount of resources from your virtual infrastructure. In heavily over-provisioned environments, this
might create resource bottlenecks resulting in potential performance issues.
You can use this dashboard to identify the resource utilization trends of each of your vSphere clusters.
With the utilization trends, you can also view a list of VMs within those clusters based on their resource
demands from the CPU, memory, disk, and network within your environment. You can also analyze the
workload pattern of these VMs over the past week to identify heavy hitter VMs which might be running a
sustained, heavy workload that is measured over a day, or bursty workloads that is measured using peak
demand.
You can export a list of offenders and take appropriate action to distribute this demand and reduce
potential bottlenecks.
You can use the dashboard widgets in several ways.
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Select a Cluster: Use this widget to select a cluster. You can use the filter to narrow your list based
on several parameters. After you identify the cluster you want to view, select it. The dashboard is
automatically populated with the relevant data.

Cluster CPU and Cluster Memory: Use these widgets to view the CPU and memory for the cluster.

Cluster IOPS and Cluster Network Throughput: Use these widgets to view the IOPS and network
throughput for the cluster.

Use the other widgets in the dashboard to view which VMs in the cluster generated the highest
network throughput and IOPS. You can also view which VMs in the cluster generated the highest
CPU demand and the highest memory demand. You can compare the information for the VM with the
results for the cluster and correlate the trends. You can manually set the time to the time period for
which you want to view data.

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Host Utilization Dashboard
The Host Utilization dashboard helps you identify hosts that are extensively consumed from a CPU,
memory, disk, and network perspective.
You can use this dashboard to identify hosts that cannot serve the virtual machine demand. The
dashboard provides a list of the top 10 virtual machines. You can identify the source of this unexpected
demand and take appropriate actions.
You can use the dashboard to view demand patterns over the last 24 hours and identify hosts that have a
history of high demand. You must move the virtual machines out of these hosts to avoid potential
performance issues. If all the hosts of a given cluster display the same pattern, you might have to add
new capacity to cater to the increase in demand.
Utilization Overview Dashboard
The Utilization Overview dashboard helps you view the available capacity in the virtual infrastructure.
The Utilization Overview dashboard allows you to assess the utilization at each resource group level such
as vCenter, data center, custom data center, or vSphere cluster. You can quickly select an object and
view the total capacity, used capacity, and usable capacity of the object to understand the current
capacity situation.
You can use the dashboard widgets in several ways.
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Total Environment Summary: Use this widget to view the total available capacity in the environment
including information about the number of hosts and datastores. You can also view storage, memory,
and CPU capacity, and the number of physical CPUs.

Select an Environment: Use this widget to select a data center, a cluster compute resource, or a
vCenter Server. You can use the filter to narrow your list based on several parameters. After you
identify the data center you want to view, select it. The dashboard is populated with the relevant data.

Inventory: Use this widget to view the number of running VMs and hosts. You can also view the
number of datastores and the consolidation ratio in the environment.

Usable Capacity (Exclude HA Buffers): Use this widget to view the capacity that is available in the
virtual infrastructure.

Used Capacity: Used this widget to view how the capacity is used in various data centers and
clusters.

Capacity Remaining: Use this widget to view the capacity remaining in terms of memory, storage,
and CPU capacity remaining.

Predicted Time Remaining: Use this widget to view the predicted time remaining based on the use
patterns in the environment.

Cluster Capacity Details: Use this widget to view detailed capacity information for each cluster.

VM Utilization Dashboard
The VM Utilization dashboard helps you as an administrator to capture the utilization trends of any VM in
your environment. You can list the key properties of a VM and the resource utilization trends for a specific
time period. You can share the details with the VM or application owners.

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The dashboard displays resource utilization trends so that the VM or application owners can view these
trends when they expect a high load on applications. For example, activities like batch jobs, backup
schedules, and load testing. Application owners must ensure that the VMs do not consume 100% of the
provisioned resources during these periods. Excessive consumption of the provisioned resources can
lead to resource contention within the applications and can cause performance issues.
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Search for a VM to Report its Usage: Use this widget to select the VM you want to troubleshoot.
You can use the filter to narrow your list based on several parameters. After you identify the VM that
you want to view, select it. The dashboard is automatically populated with the relevant data.

About the VM: Use this widget to view the VM you selected and its details. You select the VM in the
Search for a VM to Report its Usage widget.

VM Utilization Trend: CPU, Memory, IOPS, Network: Use this widget to view information about the
utilization and allocation trends for CPU demand, memory workload, disk commands per second, and
the network usage rate.

vSAN Capacity Overview
The vSAN Capacity Overview dashboard provides an overview of vSAN storage capacity and savings
achieved by enabling deduplication and compression across all vSAN clusters.
You can view current and historical use trends, and future procurement requirements from the dashboard.
You can view details such as capacity remaining, time remaining, and storage reclamation opportunities
to make effective capacity management decisions.
You can view the distribution of use among vSAN disks from the dashboard. You can view these details
either as an aggregate or at an individual cluster level.
Configuration and Compliance Dashboards
The dashboards in the Configuration and Compliance category cater to administrators who are
responsible for managing configuration drifts within a virtual infrastructure. Since most of the issues in a
virtual infrastructure are a result of inconsistent configurations, dashboards in this category highlight the
inconsistencies at various levels such as VMs, hosts, clusters, and virtual networks. You can view a list of
configuration improvements that helps you avoid problems that are caused because of misconfigurations.
Your IT security teams can also measure your environment against the vSphere hardening best practices
to ensure that your environment is fully secured and meets all the compliance standards.
Key questions these dashboards help you answer are as follows:
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Are the vSphere clusters consistently configured for high availability (HA) and optimal performance?

Are the ESXi hosts consistently configured and available to use?

Are the VMs sized and configured as per the recommended best practices?

Are virtual switches configured optimally?

Is the environment configured in accordance with the vSphere Hardening Guide?

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Cluster Configuration Dashboard
The Cluster Configuration dashboard provides a quick overview of your vSphere cluster configurations.
The dashboard highlights the areas that are important in delivering performance and availability to your
virtual machines. The dashboard also highlights if there are clusters which are not configured for DRS,
High Availability (HA), or admission control to avoid any resource bottlenecks or availability issues when a
host fails.
The heat map in this dashboard helps you to identify if you have hosts where vMotion was not enabled as
this may not allow the VMs to move from or to that host. This may cause potential performance issues for
the VMs on that host if the host gets too busy. You can also view how consistently your clusters are sized
and whether the hosts on each of those clusters are consistently configured.
The Cluster Properties widget in this dashboard allows you to report on all these parameters by exporting
the data. You can share the data with the relevant stakeholders within your organization.
You can use the dashboard widgets in several ways.
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vSphere DRS Status, vSphere HA Status, and HA Admission Control Status: Use these widgets
to view if there are clusters that are not configured for DRS, HA, or admission control. With the
information, you can avoid resource bottlenecks or availability issues when a host fails.

Is vMotion enabled on hosts in a cluster: Use this widget to identify if you have hosts where
vMotion was not enabled. If vMotion is not enabled, the VMs do not move from or to the host and
causes potential performance issues in the VMs on that host if the host gets too busy.

Host Count across Clusters: Use this widget to view all the clusters in your environment. If the
clusters have a consistent number of hosts, the boxes displayed are of equal size. This
representation helps you determine whether there is a large deviation among cluster sizes, whether
there is a small cluster with fewer than four hosts, or whether there is a large cluster. Operationally,
keep your clusters consistent and of moderate size.

Attributes of ESXi Hosts in the Selected Cluster: Use this widget to view the configuration details
for the hosts within a cluster.

All Clusters Properties: Use this widget to view the properties for all the clusters in the widget.

Distributed Switch Configuration Dashboard
The Distributed Switch Configuration dashboard allows you to view details of virtual switch configuration
and utilization. When you select a virtual switch, you can see the list of ESXi hosts, distributed port
groups, and virtual machines that use or are on the selected switch. You can also find out which ESXi
hosts and VMs use a specific switch.
You can identify misconfigurations within various network components by reviewing the properties listed
in the views within the dashboard. You can track important information such as the IP address and the
MAC address assigned to the virtual machines.
As a network administrator, you can use this dashboard to get visibility into the virtual infrastructure
network configuration.

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You can use the dashboard widgets in several ways.
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Select a Distributed Switch: Use this widget to select the switch for which you want to view details.
You can use the filter to narrow your list based on several parameters. After you identify the switch
that you want to view, select it. The dashboard is automatically populated with the relevant data.

Distributed Port Groups on the Switch: Use this widget to view the port groups on the switch, how
many ports each switch has, and the usage details.

ESXi Hosts/VMs Using the Selected Switch: Use these widgets to find out which ESXi hosts and
VMs use the selected switch. You can also view configuration details about the ESXi hosts and VMs
that use the selected switch.

Host Configuration Dashboard
The Host Configuration dashboard provides an overview of your ESXi host configurations, and displays
inconsistencies so that you can take corrective action.
The dashboard also measures the ESXi hosts against the vSphere best practices and indicates
deviations that can impact the performance or availability of your virtual infrastructure. Although you can
view this type of data in other dashboards, in this dashboard you can export the ESXi configuration view
and share it with other administrators.
VM Configuration Dashboard
The VM dashboard focuses on highlighting the key configurations of the virtual machines in your
environment. You can use this dashboard to find inconsistencies in configuration within your virtual
machines and take quick remedial measures. You can safeguard the applications which are hosted on
these virtual machines by avoiding potential issues due to misconfigurations.
Some of the basic problems the dashboard focuses on includes identifying VMs running on older VMware
tools versions, VMware tools not running, or virtual machines running on large disk snapshots. VMs with
such symptoms can lead to potential performance issues and hence it is important that you ensure that
they do not deviate from the defined standards. This dashboard includes a predefined Virtual Machine
Inventory Summary report which you can use to report the configurations highlighted in this dashboard for
quick remediation.
You can use the dashboard widgets in several ways.
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Use the Large VMs widgets to view graphical representations of VMs that have a large CPU, RAM,
and disk space.

Guest OS Distribution: Use this widget to view a break up of the different flavors of operating
systems you are running.

Guest Tools Version and Guest Tools Status: Use these widgets to identify if you have inconsistent
or older version of VMware tools which might lead to performance issues.

View the VMs with limits, large snapshots, orphaned VMs, VMs with more than one NIC, and VMs
with a nonstandard operating system. These VMs have a performance impact on the rest of the VMs
in your environment even though they do not fully use their allocated resources.

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You can customize the views in the widgets.
1

Click the Edit Widget icon from title bar of the widget. The Edit widget dialog box is displayed.

From the Views section, click the Edit View icon. The Edit View dialog box is displayed.

Click the Presentation option in the left pane and make the required modifications.

vSphere Hardening Compliance Dashboard
The vSphere Hardening Compliance dashboard measures your environment against the vSphere
Hardening Guide and lists any objects which are non-compliant.
This dashboard displays the trend of high risk, medium risk, and low risk violations and shows the overall
compliance score of your virtual infrastructure. Using heat maps, you can investigate various components
to check the compliance for your ESXi hosts, clusters, port groups, and virtual machines. Each noncompliant object is listed in the dashboard with recommendations on the remediation required to secure
your environment.
Operations Dashboards
The dashboards in the Operations category are most helpful to personnel within an organization that
require a summary of important data to take quick decisions. As a member of the network operations
center (NOC) team, you may want to identify problems and take action or as an executive, you may want
a quick overview of your environments to keep track of important KPIs.
Key questions these dashboards help you answer are as follows:
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What does the infrastructure inventory look like?

What is the alert volume trend in the environment?

Are virtual machines being served well?

Are there areas in the data center you have to worry about?

What does the vSAN environment look like and are there optimization opportunities by migrating VMs
to vSAN?

Datastore Usage Overview Dashboard
The Datastore Usage Overview dashboard provides a view of all the virtual machines in your environment
in a heat map. The dashboard is suitable for an NOC environment.
The heat map contains a box for each virtual machine in your environment. You can identify the virtual
machines that are generating excessive IOPS because the boxes are sized by the number of IOPS they
generate.
The colors of the boxes represent the latency experienced by the virtual machines from the underlying
storage. An NOC administrator can investigate the cause of this latency and resolve it to avoid potential
performance problems.
Host Usage Overview Dashboard
The Host Usage Overview dashboard provides a view of all the ESXi hosts in your environment in a heat
map. The dashboard is suitable for an NOC environment.

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Using this dashboard an NOC administrator can easily find resource bottlenecks created due to
excessive Memory Demand, Memory Consumption or CPU Demand.
The heat map displays hosts grouped by clusters to help you locate clusters that are using excessive
CPU or memory. You can also identify if you have ESXi hosts within the clusters that are not evenly
utilized. An administrator can then trigger activities such as workload balance or set DRS to ensure that
hot spots are eliminated.
Migrate to vSAN
The Migrate to vSAN dashboard provides you with an easy way to move virtual machines from existing
storage to newly deployed vSAN storage.
You can use this dashboard to select non-vSAN datastores that might not serve the virtual machine IO
demand. By selecting the virtual machines on a given datastore, you can identify the historical IO demand
and the latency trends of a given virtual machine. You can then find a suitable vSAN datastore which has
the space and the performance characteristics to serve the demand of this VM. You can move the virtual
machine from the existing non-vSAN datastore to the vSAN datastore. You can continue to watch the use
patterns to see how the VM is served by vSAN after you move the VM.
Operations Overview Dashboard
The Operations Overview dashboard provides you with a high-level view of objects which make up your
virtual environment. You can view an aggregate of the virtual machine growth trends across the different
data centers that vRealize Operations Manager monitors.
You can also view a list of all your data centers with inventory information about how many clusters,
hosts, and virtual machines you are running in each of your data centers. By selecting a particular data
center, you can narrow down on the areas of availability and performance. The dashboard provides a
trend of known issues in each of your data centers based on the alerts which have triggered in the past.
You can also view a list of the top 15 virtual machines in the selected data center which might be
contending for resources.
You can use the dashboard widgets in several ways.
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Environment Summary: Use this widget to view a summary of the overall inventory of your
environment.

Select a Datacenter: Use this widget to select the data center for which you want to view operational
information. You can use the filter to narrow your list based on several parameters. After you identify
the data center you want to view, select it. The dashboard is automatically populated with the relevant
data.

Cumulative Up-time of all Clusters: Use this widget to view the overall health of the clusters in the
data center you selected. The metric value is calculated based on the uptime of each ESXi host,
when you take into account one host as the HA host. If the number displayed is less than 100%, it
means that at least two hosts within the cluster were not operational for that period.

Alert Volume (in selected DC): Use this widget to view the breakdown of alert trends based on their
criticality.

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Top-N: You can also view a list of 15 VMs that had the highest average CPU contention, the highest
use of memory, and the highest disk latency for the last 24 hours. To obtain specific data, you can
manually set the time to the time of the problem. To set the time, click the Edit Widget icon from the
title bar of the widget and edit the Period Length drop-down menu.

vSAN Operations Overview
The vSAN Operations Overview dashboard provides an aggregated view of the health and performance
of your vSAN clusters.
You can use this dashboard to get a complete view of your vSAN environment and what components
make up the environment. You can also view the growth trend of virtual machines served by vSAN.
You can use the dashboard to understand the utilization and performance patterns for each of your vSAN
clusters by selecting one from the list that is provided. You can use this dashboard to track vSAN
properties such as hybrid or all flash, deduplication and compression, or a stretched vSAN cluster.
You can view the historic performance, utilization, growth trends, and events related to vSAN, with the
current state.
Optimize Dashboards
The Optimize group of dashboards include the Optimize Performance, Access Cost, and Optimization
History dashboards.
Optimize Performance Dashboard
The Optimize Performance dashboard helps you identify virtual machines that can be configured to
improve overall performance.
The capacity analytics engine intelligently calculates the settings for CPU and memory for virtual
machines to give you the best performance and accurate resource allocation for all workloads.
The dashboard organizes virtual machines by undersized - or virtual machines that are not being served
well - and oversized - which are virtual machines that are not using all allocated resources. Both
categories consider CPU and memory usage and provide recommendations for optimal sizing.
Access Cost Dashboard
The Assess Cost dashboard gives you cost and reclaimable resources for your data centers and clusters.
The Access Cost dashboard belongs to the Optimize group of dashboards. This dashboard is ideal for
executives, finance, or others who are accountable for overall IT spend. It is also helpful for identifying
and planning cost optimization initiatives.
Any cost information shown in this dashboard is using the currency settings you select during
vRealize Operations Manager configuration.
The dashboard provides an overview of the cost and inventory for your environment, including total cost
of ownership and a total of the potential cost savings based on vRealize Operations capacity engine
recommendations.
Individual data centers are listed showing population details, cost information, and reclaimable resources.

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At the bottom of the dashboard, you can find the top 10 lists for the most expensive and least expensive
clusters in your environment. These lists include the total monthly cost and count of hosts, datastores,
and virtual machines. These lists can be helpful in identification of under-utilized clusters by noting the
number of virtual machines hosted relative to the monthly cluster cost.
Optimization History Dashboard
The Optimization History dashboard displays the results of optimization activity.
The Optimization History dashboard belongs to the Optimize group of dashboards. The dashboard covers
three optimization benefits; optimize performance, optimize capacity, and optimize virtual machine
placement.
Optimizing performance can be performed in vRealize Operations Manager using Workload Optimization,
or started on demand. The charts on this row show a box for each data center or custom data center and
the optimization recommendation. Green indicates an optimized data center or custom data center. A red
box means that optimization might be required, and a white box means that optimization is not configured
for that object.
For capacity optimization, this row provides a summary of the average VM cost per month, the savings
that can be achieved through reclaiming idle or powered off virtual machines, or deleting old snapshots.
Virtual Machine Happiness is a term used to describe VMs that are getting the resources they need, when
they need them. You can also see recent vMotion activity related to vSphere's Distributed Resource
Scheduler, which together with vRealize Operations predictive DRS feature makes sure your VMs are
getting the resources they need. Workload placement vMotions are also shown as Non-DRS Moves in the
graph.
Performance Troubleshooting Dashboards
The dashboards in the Performance Troubleshooting category cater to the administrators responsible for
managing the performance and availability of the virtual machines running in the virtual infrastructure.
This category runs you through a guided workflow to answer questions that help you with the
troubleshooting process. The dashboards in this category identify and isolate problems that may impact
your applications. They provide insight into the full stack to isolate and identify the root cause quickly.
Key questions these dashboards help you answer are as follows:
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Is the application performance impacted due to virtual infrastructure?

Are noisy neighbors impacting multiple virtual machines and corresponding applications?

Are there active alerts which require action?

Are there any known issues impacting the performance and availability of a vSAN cluster?

Troubleshoot a Cluster
The Troubleshoot a Cluster dashboard allows you to identify clusters that have issues and isolate them
easily.
You can use the search option to identify a cluster that has an issue. You can also sort the clusters based
on the number of active alerts.

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After you select the cluster you want to work with, you can view a quick summary of the number of hosts
in that cluster and the VMs served by the cluster. The dashboard provides you with current and past
utilization trends and also known issues in the cluster in the form of alerts.
You can view the hierarchy of objects related to the cluster and review the status to identify if the objects
are impacted because of the current health of the cluster. You can quickly identify any contention issues
by looking at the maximum and average contention faced by the VMs on the selected cluster. You can
narrow down and view those VMs that have resource contention and take specific steps to troubleshoot
and resolve issues.
You can use the dashboard widgets in several ways.
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Search for a cluster: Use this widget to select the cluster for which you want to view performance
details. You can use the filter to narrow your list based on several parameters. After you identify the
cluster you want to view, select it. The dashboard is automatically populated with the relevant data.

Is your cluster busy?: Use this widget to view the CPU and memory demand.

Are there active alerts on your cluster: Use this widget to view only the critical alerts.

Are the relatives healthy?: Use this widget to view the hierarchy of the objects related to the cluster
and if any of the objects are impacted.

View the maximum and average CPU, memory, and disk latency for the VMs. If the VM faces
contention, it might mean that the underlying infrastructure does not have enough resources to meet
the needs of the VMs.

View a list of VMs that face CPU, memory, and disk latency contention. You can then troubleshoot
and take steps to resolve the problem.

Troubleshoot a Datastore
The Troubleshoot a Datastore dashboard allows you to identify storage issues and act on them.
You can use the search option to identify a datastore that has an issue or you can identify a datastore that
has high latency as seen in red on the heat map. You can also sort all the datastores with active alerts
and troubleshoot the datastore with known issues.
You can select a datastore to see its current capacity and utilization with the number of VMs served by
that datastore. The metric charts help you view historical trends of key storage metrics such as latency,
outstanding IOs, and throughput.
The dashboard also lists the VMs served by the selected datastore and helps you analyze the utilization
and performance trends of those VMs. You can migrate the VMs to other datastores to even out the IO
load.
You can use the dashboard widgets in several ways.
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Search for a datastore: Use this widget to select the datastore for which you want to view
performance details. You can use the filter to narrow your list based on several parameters. After you
identify the datastore you want to view, select it. The dashboard is automatically populated with the
relevant data.

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Are there active alerts on your datastore: Use this widget to view only the critical alerts.

Are the relatives healthy?: Use this widget to view the hierarchy of the objects related to the
datastore and if any of the objects are impacted.

Is your datastore experiencing high latency? and Any outstanding disk I/Os?: Use these
widgets to view those datastores with high latency and outstanding disk I/O trends. Ideally, your
datastores must not have outstanding disk I/O.

How many IOPS is your datastore serving and Latency trend for the I/Os done by the VM: Use
these widgets to view the current IOPS and latency of the VMs in the selected datastore.

Use the other widgets in the dashboard to view trends for the selected datastore regarding disk
latency, IOPS, and throughput, VMs served by the datastore and I/O pattern of the selected VM.

Troubleshoot a Host
The Troubleshoot a Host dashboard allows you to search for specific hosts or sort hosts with active alerts.
ESXi hosts are the main source of providing resources to a VM and are critical for performance and
availability.
To view the key properties of each host, select a host from the dashboard. You can ensure that the host is
configured according to the virtual infrastructure design. Any deviation from standards might cause
potential issues. You can use the dashboard to answer key questions about current and past utilization
and workload trends over the last week. You can also view if the VMs served by the host are healthy.
Since the dashboard lists all the critical events that might affect the availability of the hosts, you can view
hardware faults associated with the host. You can view a list of the top 10 VMs that demand CPU and
memory resources from the identified host.
Troubleshoot a VM Dashboard
The Troubleshoot a VM dashboard helps an administrator to troubleshoot everyday issues in a virtual
infrastructure. While most of the IT issues in an organization are reported at the application layer, you can
use the guided workflow in this dashboard to help investigate an ongoing or a suspected issue with the
VMs supporting the impacted applications.
You can search for a VM by its name or you can sort the list of VMs with active alerts on them to start
your troubleshooting process. When you select a VM, you can view its key properties to ensure that the
VM is configured as per your virtual infrastructure design. Any deviation from standards may cause
potential issues. You can view known alerts and the workload trend of the VM over the past week. You
can also view if any of the resources serving the virtual machine have an ongoing issue.
The next step in the troubleshooting process allows you to eliminate the major symptoms which might
impact the performance or availability of a VM. You can use key metrics to find out if the utilization
patterns of the VMs are abnormal or if the VM is contending for basic resources such as CPU, memory, or
disk.

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You can use the dashboard widgets in several ways.
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Search for a VM: Use this widget to view all the VMs in the environment. You can select the VM you
want to troubleshoot. You can use the filter to narrow your list based on several parameters, such as
name, folder name, associated tag, host, or vCenter Server. After you identify the VM you want to
troubleshoot, select it. The dashboard is automatically populated with the relevant data.

About the VM: Use this widget to understand the context of the VM. This widget also lends insights
to analyze the root cause of the problem or potential mitigations.

Are there active alerts on the VM?: Use this widget to view active alerts. To see noncritical alerts,
click the VM object.

Is the VM working hard over the last week?: Use this widget to view the workload trend of the VM
for the last week.

Are the relatives healthy?: Use this widget to view the ESXi host where the VM is now running. This
host might not be the ESXi host where the VM was running in the past. You can view the remaining
related objects and see whether they might contribute to the problem.

Is the VMs demand spiking or abnormal?: Use this widget to identify spikes in the VM demand for
any of the resources such as CPU, memory, and network. Spikes in the demand might indicate an
abnormal behavior of the VM or that the VM is undersized. The memory utilization is based on the
Guest OS metric. It requires VMware Tools 10.0.0 or later and vSphere 6 Update 1 or later. If you do
not have these products, the metric remains blank.

Is the VM facing contention?: Use this widget to identify whether the VM is facing contention. If the
VM is facing contention, the underlying infrastructure might not have enough resources to meet the
needs of the VM.

Does the cluster serving the VM have contention?: Use this widget to view the trend for the
maximum CPU contention for a VM within the cluster. The trend might indicate a constant contention
within the cluster. If there is contention, you must troubleshoot the cluster as the problem is no longer
with the VM.

Does the datastore serving the VM have latency?: Use this widget to help you correlate the
latency at the datastore level with the total latency of the VM. If the VM has latency spikes, but the
datastore does not have such spikes, it might indicate a problem with the VM. If the datastore faces
latency as well, you can troubleshoot to find out why the datastore has these spikes.

Parent Host and Parent Cluster: Use these widgets to view the host and the cluster on which the
VM resides.

Troubleshoot vSAN Dashboard
The Troubleshoot vSAN dashboard helps you view the properties of your vSAN cluster and the active
alerts on the cluster components. The cluster components include hosts, disk groups, or the vSAN
datastores.
You can select a cluster from the dashboard and then list all the known problems with the objects
associated with the cluster. The objects include clusters, datastores, disk groups, physical disks, and VMs
served by the selected vSAN cluster.

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You can view the key use and performance metrics from the dashboard. You can also view the usage and
performance trend of the cluster for the last 24 hours. You can also view historical issues and analyze the
host, disk group, or physical disk.
You can use the heat maps within the dashboard to answer questions about write buffer usage, cache hit
ratio, and host configurations. You can also use the heat maps to answer questions about physical issues
with capacity and cache disks, such as drive wear out, drive temperature, and read-write errors.
You can use the dashboard widgets in several ways.
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Search for a vSAN cluster: Use this widget to search vSAN clusters. You can view the details of
each vSAN cluster including the number of hosts, VMs, cache disks, capacity disks, and cluster type
are provided. You can also view if the vSAN cluster is dedupe and compression enabled, and
stretched.

Any alerts on the cluster, hosts, VMs or disks?: Use this widget to view alerts on the cluster, VMs,
or disks in your environment.

Are the relatives healthy?: Use this widget to view the health, risk, and efficiency of the relatives.
This widget also allows you to view the health of the datastore in a host and disks in each disk group.

Are outstanding I/Os high?: Use this widget to view the key performance metrics. The widget
indicates outstanding I/Os within 24 hours time period.

Are VMs facing read latency?: Use this widget to view the read latency of VMs.

Are VMs facing write latency?: Use this widget to view the write latency of VMs.

Is the write buffer low?: Use this widget to view the usage of the write buffer on diskgroups in a
cluster.

Are the hosts consistently configured?: Use this widget to view the participating hosts in the
selected cluster and to determine if the hosts are consistently configured.

Cache Disks: Any hardware issues?: Use this widget to view the individual cache disks measured
against various metrics.

Capacity Disks: Any hardware issues?: Use this widget to view the individual capacity disks
measured against various metrics.

Troubleshoot with Logs Dashboard
When vRealize Operations Manager is integrated with vRealize Log Insight, you can access the custom
dashboards and content pack dashboards from the Troubleshoot with Logs dashboard. You can view
graphs of log events in your environment, or create custom sets of widgets to access the information that
matters most to you.
You can investigate an ongoing issue within your virtual infrastructure using the logs. You can view
predefined views created within vRealize Log Insight to answer questions from predefined queries within
vRealize Log Insight.
You can correlate metrics and queries within vRealize Operations Manager to troubleshoot issues across
applications and infrastructure.

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For more information about the Troubleshoot with Logs dashboard, see the vRealize Log Insight
documentation.
To access the Troubleshoot with Logs dashboard from vRealize Operations Manager, you must either:
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Configure the vRealize Log Insight adapter from the vRealize Operations Manager interface, or

Configure vRealize Operations Manager in vRealize Log Insight.
For more information on configuring, see Configuring vRealize Log Insight with vRealize Operations
Manager.

vRealize Automation Dashboards
With the vRealize Automation dashboards, you can monitor and troubleshoot objects in your cloud
infrastructure.
The following vRealize Automation solution dashboards are added to the predefined
vRealize Operations Manager dashboards:
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vRealize Automation Environment Overview

vRealize Automation Top-N

Application Overview Dashboard
You can use the widgets in the Application Overview dashboard to view the blueprint objects and the
blueprint deployment details.
You can use the Application Overview dashboard to view the hierarchy, the properties of the blueprint and
deployments, and the metric information.
You can use the dashboard widgets in several ways.
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Blueprint List: Use this widget to view the blueprint objects in the environment.

Blueprint Overview: Use this widget to view the relationship between the blueprint objects and the
deployment, virtual machines, cluster compute resources, and the datastore objects. To find the
deployment, virtual machine, and other related details, click the blueprint object.

Blueprint Property List: Use this widget to view the properties of the blueprint object such as the
total cost, average deployment time, and the average cost of the blueprint object .

Deployment List: Use this widget to view the blueprint objects deployed in the environment.

Deployment Property List: Use this widget to view the properties for the deployment object such as
the cost until date and the approval time for each deployment.

Blueprint Deployment Info: Use this widget to select a metric. You can view the details in the Metric
Chart widget.

Metric Chart: Use this widget to view the relevant data based on the metric you select in the
Blueprint Deployment Info widget.

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Environment Overview Dashboard
You can use the Environment Overview dashboard to view information about the tenants and the related
alerts.
You can use the Environment Overview dashboard to perform some of the following tasks:
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To view the active alerts on vCenter resources that are managed by vRealize Automation.

You can use the dashboard widgets in several ways.
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Environment Summary. Use this widget to view the health of tenants, business groups, virtual
machines, blueprints, reservations, deployments, cluster compute resources and the relationships
between these objects. If you double-click an object in the Environment Overview widget, you can
view detailed information for the object.

Tenant List. Use this widget to view the tenant objects available in the environment. You can see a
data grid with a list of objects in the inventory on which you can sort and search.

Business Group List. Use this widget to view the business group objects available in the
environment. You can see a data grid with a list of objects in the inventory on which you can sort and
search. You can see a data grid with a list of objects in the inventory on which you can sort and
search.

Configured Users. Use this widget to view the business group name and the user configured for the
business group.

vRealize Automation Inventory. Use this widget to view the objects available for each
vRealize Automation solution that is deployed in the environment.

vRealize Automation Managed Clusters. Use this widget to view the vCenter clusters which are
managed by vRealize Automation. You can see a data grid with a list of objects in the inventory on
which you can sort and search.

Top Alerts. Alerts with the greatest significance on the selected objects it is configured to monitor.
The top alerts include a short description of alerts configured for the widget. The alert name opens a
secondary window from which you can link to the alert details. In the alert details, you can begin
resolving the alerts.

Resource Consumption Overview Dashboard
You can use the widgets in the Resource Consumption Overview dashboard to view the resources
consumed by vRealize Automation on a vCenter Server.
You can use the Resource Consumption Overview dashboard widgets in several ways.
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Tenant List: Use this widget to view the tenant objects available in the environment. You can see a
data grid with a list of tenants objects in the inventory on which you can sort and search.

Business Group List: Use this widget to view the business group objects available in the
environment. You can see a data grid with a list of objects in the inventory on which you can sort and
search.

Reservation List: Use this widget to view the reservation objects available in the environment. You
can see a data grid with a list of objects in the inventory on which you can sort and search.

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Tenant Capacity: Use this widget to analyze the capacity of the tenant object.

Business Group Capacity: Use this widget to view the memory, storage, and quota capacity that is
allocated, reserved, and free for each business group object.

Reservation Capacity: Use this widget to view the memory, storage, and quota capacity that is
allocated, reserved, and free for each reservation object.

Tenant Memory Trend: Use this widget to view and analyze a seven-day trend for the memory
allocated, reserved, and free for a tenant object.

Tenant Storage Trend: Use this widget to view and analyze a seven-day trend for the storage
allocated, reserved, and free for a tenant object.

Top-N Dashboard
You can use the widgets in the Top-N dashboard to view the top results from analysis of blueprints,
business groups, and tenants that you select.
You can use the Top-N dashboard to perform some of the following tasks:
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To view the most popular blueprints, business groups, and tenants.

To view the business groups that have the most critical alerts.

You can use the dashboard widgets in several ways.
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Tenant with most critical alerts. Use this widget to view the top- five tenant objects that have the
most critical alerts.

Business Groups with most Critical Alerts. Use this widget to view the top-five business group
objects that have the most critical alerts.

Tenant with most failed requests. Use this widget to view the top-five tenant objects that have the
most failed requests.

Most popular deployed Tenant. Use this widget to view the top-five most popular deployed tenant
objects in the environment.

Most popular deployed Business Group. Use this widget to view the top-five most popular
deployed business group objects in the environment.

Most Popular Deployed Blueprints. Use this widget to view the top-five most popular deployed
blueprint objects in the environment.

Most Popular Deployed Business Group (7 day trend). Use this widget to view graphical trends
that contain metrics for the virtual machine count that has been deployed the most for the business
group object over a seven-day period.

Most Popular Deployed Blueprints (7 day trend). Use this widget to view graphical trends that
contain metrics for the virtual machine count that has been deployed the most for the blueprint object
over a seven-day period.

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Create and Configure Dashboards
To view the status of all objects in vRealize Operations Manager, create a dashboard by adding widgets.
You can create and modify dashboards and configure them to meet your environment needs.
Procedure

In the menu, click Dashboards.

Click Actions > Create Dashboard to create and configure a dashboard.

Complete the steps in the left pane to:
a

Enter a name for the dashboard.
Name and Description Details

Add widgets to the dashboard.
Widget List Details

Configure widget interactions.
Widget Interactions Details

Create dashboard navigation.
Dashboard Navigation Details

Click Save.

Click Actions > Edit Dashboard to modify the dashboard.

Name and Description Details
The name and visualization of the dashboard as it appears on the vRealize Operations Manager Home
page.
Where You Configure a Dashboard
To create or edit your dashboard, in the menu, click Dashboards. Click Actions > Create Dashboard to
add a dashboard or Actions > Edit Dashboard to edit the selected dashboard. In the workspace, on the
left, click Dashboard Configuration.

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Table 7‑5. Dashboard Configuration Options in the Dashboard Workspace
Option

Description

Name

Name of the dashboard as it appears on top of the tab on the
Home page and in the dashboard's lists.
If you use a forward slash while entering a name, the forward
slash acts as a group divider and creates a folder with the
specified name in the dashboards list if the name does not
exist. For example, if you name a dashboard
clusters/hosts, the dashboard is named hosts under the
group clusters.

Description

Description of the dashboard.

Is default

If you select Yes, the dashboard appears on the Home page
when you log in.

Widget List Details
vRealize Operations Manager provides a list of widgets that you can add to your dashboard to monitor
specific metrics and properties of objects in your environment.
Where You Add Widgets to a Dashboard
To create or edit your dashboard, in the menu, click Dashboards. Click Actions > Create Dashboard to
add a dashboard or Actions > Edit Dashboard to edit the selected dashboard. In the workspace, on the
left, click Widget List. If you create a dashboard, complete the required previous steps of the workspace.
How to Add Widgets to a Dashboard
In the workspace, on the left, you see a list with all the predefined vRealize Operations Manager widgets.
To add a widget to the dashboard, drag the widget to the content area on the right.
To locate a widget, you can type the name or part of the name of a widget in the Filter option. For
example, when you enter cap, the list is filtered to display the Capacity Remaining, Capacity Utilisation,
and Reclaimable Capacity widgets. You can then select the widget you require.
Most widgets must be configured individually to display information. For more information about how to
configure each widget, see Widgets.
How to Arrange Widgets in a Dashboard
You can modify your dashboard layout to suit your needs. By default, the first widgets that you add are
automatically arranged horizontally wherever you place them. The widgets move up to the highest
position in the dashboard based on their width.
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To position a widget, drag the widget to the desired location in the layout. Other widgets automatically
rearrange to make room.

To resize a widget, drag the bottom right corner of the widget.

Widget Interactions Details
You can connect widgets so that the information they show depends on each other.

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Where You Create Widget Interactions
To create a widget interaction for widgets in a dashboard, in the menu, click Dashboards. Click Actions
> Create Dashboard to add a dashboard or Actions > Edit Dashboard to edit the selected dashboard.
In the workspace, on the left, click Widget Interactions. If you create a new dashboard, complete the
required previous steps of the workspace.
How to Create Widget Interactions
The list of available widget interactions depends on the widgets in the dashboard. Widgets can provide,
receive, and do both. Some widgets can have more than one provider.
To create interactions, click the Selected Object(s) drop-down menu for the specified widget and select
the provider widget. There are widgets that provide alerts, metrics, or tags. Click the Selected Alert(s),
Selected Metric(s), or Selected Tag(s) drop-down menu to select the alert, metric, or tag specific
provider widget. When you are ready with all interactions, click Apply Interactions. For more information
about how interactions work, see Widget Interactions.

Dashboard Navigation Details
You can use dashboard navigation to move from one dashboard to another, and to apply sections or
context from one dashboard to another. You can connect a widget to widgets on other dashboards to
investigate problems or better analyze the provided information.
Where You Add Dashboard Navigation
To create a dashboard navigation to a dashboard, in the menu, click Dashboards. Click Actions >
Create Dashboard to add a dashboard or Actions > Edit Dashboard to edit the selected dashboard. In
the workspace, on the left, click Dashboard Navigation. If you create a dashboard, complete the
required previous steps of the workspace.
How Dashboard Navigation Works
You can create dashboard navigation only for provider widgets. The provider widget sends information to
the destination widget. When you create dashboard navigation, the destination widgets are filtered based
on the information type they can receive.
How to Add a Dashboard Navigation to a Dashboard
The list of available dashboard navigation depends on the available dashboards and the widgets in the
current dashboard. To add navigation, click the Destination Dashboards drop-down menu for the
specified widget and select the dashboard and the widget to navigate to. You can select more than one
applicable widget. Click Apply Navigations to apply the connections.
Note If a dashboard is unavailable at the Home page, it is unavailable for dashboard navigation.
The Dashboard Navigation icon (
) appears in the top menu of each widget when a dashboard
navigation is available. You can select multiple objects to apply selections or context from one dashboard
to another. Press Ctrl+click to select multiple individual objects or Shift+click to select a range of objects.

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Managing Dashboards
You can change the order of the dashboard tabs, configure vRealize Operations Manager to switch from
one dashboard to another, create dashboard folders to group the dashboards in a way that is meaningful
to you, and share a dashboard or dashboard template with one or more user groups.

Reorder and Switch Dashboards
You can change the order of the dashboard tabs on your home page. You can configure
vRealize Operations Manager to switch from one dashboard to another. This feature is useful if you have
several dashboards that show different aspects of your enterprise's performance and you want to look at
each dashboard in turn.
Where You Configure a Dashboard Order and Automatic Switch
To reorder and configure a dashboard switch, in the menu, click Dashboards. Select Actions > Manage
Dashboards. Click the gear icon and select Reorder/Autoswitch Dashboards.
How You Reorder the Dashboards
The list shows the dashboards as they are ordered. Drag the dashboards up and down to change their
order on the home page.
How You Configure an Automatic Dashboard Switch
1

Double-click a dashboard from the list to configure.

From the Auto Transition drop-down menus, select On.

Select the switch time interval in seconds.

Select the dashboard to switch to and click Update.

Click Save to save your changes.

On the home page, the current dashboard will switch to the dashboard that is defined after the specified
time interval.

Manage Summary Dashboards
The Summary tab provides you with an overview of the state of the selected object, group, or application.
You can change the Summary tab with a dashboard to get information specific to your needs.
Where You Configure a Summary Tab Dashboard
To manage the summary dashboards, in the menu, click Dashboards. Select Actions > Manage
Dashboards. Click the gear icon and select Manage Summary Dashboards.

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How You Manage the Summary Tab Dashboard
Table 7‑6. Manage Summary Dashboards Options
Option

Description

Adapter Type

Adapter type for which you configure a summary dashboard.

Filter

Use a word search to limit the number of adapter types that
appear in the list.

Name

List with all available objects.

Use Default icon

Click to use vRealize Operations Manager default Summary
tab.

Detail Page

Shows what kind of Summary tab you use for the selected
object.

Assign a Dashboard icon

Click to view the Dashboard List dialog box that lists all the
available dashboards.

To change the Summary tab for an object, select the object in the left panel, click the Assign a
Dashboard icon. Select a dashboard for it from the Dashboard List dialog box and click OK. From the
Manage Summary Dashboards dialog box click Save. You see the dashboard you have associated to the
object type when you navigate to the Summary tab of the object details page.

Manage Dashboard Groups
You can create dashboard folders to group the dashboards in a way that is meaningful to you.
Where You Configure a Dashboard Group
To manage the dashboard groups, in the menu, click Dashboards. Select Actions > Manage
Dashboards. Click the gear icon and select Manage Dashboard Groups.
How You Manage the Dashboard Groups
Table 7‑7. Manage Dashboard Groups Options
Option

Description

Dashboard Groups

A hierarchy tree with all available group folders.

Dashboards List

A list with all available dashboards.

To create a dashboard group folder, right-click the Dashboard Groups folder or another folder and click
Add. To add a dashboard, drag one from the Dashboards list to the folder.

Share Dashboards
You can share a dashboard or dashboard template with one or more user groups. When you share a
dashboard, it becomes available to all of the users in the user group that you select. The dashboard
appears the same to all of the users who share it. If you edit a shared dashboard, the dashboard changes
for all users. Other users can only view a shared dashboard. They cannot change it.

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Where You Share a Dashboard From
To share a dashboard, in the menu, click Dashboards. Select Actions > Manage Dashboards. Click the
gear icon and select Share Dashboards.
Table 7‑8. Share Dashboards Options
Option

Description

Accounts Group

All available groups with which you can share a dashboard.

Shared Dashboards

All available dashboards and templates that you can share. You
can switch between dashboard tabs and dashboard templates
by clicking the Share Dashboard Tabs/Templates icon.

How You Manage a Shared Dashboard Tab
To share a dashboard tab, navigate to the dashboard in the list of Shared Dashboards and drag it to the
group to share it with on the left.
To stop sharing a dashboard with a group, click that group on the left panel, navigate to the dashboard in
the right panel, and click the Stop Sharing icon above the list.
To stop sharing a dashboard with more than one group, click the Not Grouped name on the left panel,
navigate to the dashboard in the right panel, and click the Stop Sharing icon above the list.

Views
vRealize Operations Manager provides several types of views. Each type of view helps you to interpret
metrics, properties, policies of various monitored objects including alerts, symptoms, and so on, from a
different perspective. vRealize Operations Manager Views also show information that the adapters in your
environment provide.
You can configure vRealize Operations Manager views to show transformation, forecast, and trend
calculations.
n

The transformation type determines how the values are aggregated.

The trend option shows how the values tend to change, based on the historical, raw data. The trend
calculations depend on the transformation type and roll up interval.

The forecast option shows what the future values can be, based on the trend calculations of the
historical data.
Create Views (http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid2296383276001?
bctid=ref:video_create_view_vrop)

You can use vRealize Operations Manager views in different areas of vRealize Operations Manager.
n

To manage all views, in the menu, click Dashboards, and then in the left pane click Views.

To see the data that a view provides for a specific object, navigate to that object, click the Details tab,
and click Views.

To see the data that a view provides in your dashboard, add the View widget to the dashboard.

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To have a link to a view in the Further Analysis section, select the Further Analysis option on the view
workspace visibility step.

Views and Reports Ownership
The default owner of all predefined views and templates is System. If you edit them, you become the
owner. If you want to keep the original predefined view or template, you have to clone it. After you clone
it, you become the owner of the clone.
The last user who edited a view, template, or schedule is the owner. For example, if you create a view
you are listed as its owner. If another user edits your view, that user becomes the owner listed in the
Owner column.
The user who imports the view or template is its owner, even if the view is initially created by someone
else. For example, User 1 creates a template and exports it. User 2 imports it in back, the owner of the
template becomes User 2.
The user who generated the report is its owner, regardless of who owns the template. If a report is
generated from a schedule, the user who created the schedule is the owner of the generated report. For
example, if User 1 creates a template and User 2 creates a schedule for this template, the generated
report owner is User 2.

Views Overview
A view presents collected information for an object in a certain way depending on the view type. Each
type of view helps you to interpret metrics, properties, policies of various monitored objects including
alerts, symptoms, and so on, from a different perspective.
In the menu, click Dashboards, and then in the left pane click Views to access the Views page.
On the Views page you can create, edit, delete, clone, export, and import views.
You can order the listed views by name, type, description, subject, or owner.
You can limit the views list by adding a filter from the upper-right corner of the panel.
Table 7‑9. Filter Groups
Filter Group

Description

Name

Filter by the view name. For example, type my view to list all
views that contain the my view phrase in their name.

Type
Description

Filter by the view type.
Filter by the view description. For example, type my view to list
all views that contain the my view phrase in their description.

Subject

Filter by the subject.

Owner

Filter by the owner.

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Views and Reports Ownership
The owner of views, reports, or templates might change over time.
The default owner of all predefined views and templates is System. If you edit them, you become the
owner. If you want to keep the original predefined view or template, you have to clone it. After you clone
it, you become the owner of the clone.
The last user who edited a view, template, or schedule is the owner. For example, if you create a view
you are listed as its owner. If another user edits your view, that user becomes the owner listed in the
Owner column.
The user who imports the view or template is its owner, even if the view is initially created by someone
else. For example, User 1 creates a template and exports it. User 2 imports it in back, the owner of the
template becomes User 2.
The user who generated the report is its owner, regardless of who owns the template. If a report is
generated from a schedule, the user who created the schedule is the owner of the generated report. For
example, if User 1 creates a template and User 2 creates a schedule for this template, the generated
report owner is User 2.

Create and Configure a View
To collect and display information for a specific object, you can create a custom view.
Procedure

In the menu, click Dashboards, and then in the left pane click Views.

Click the Create View icon to create a view.

Complete the steps in the left pane to:
a

Enter a name and description for the view.
Name and Description Details

Change the presentation of a view.
Presentation Details

Select the base object type for a view.
Subjects Details

Add data to a view.
Data Details

Change the visibility of a view.
Visibility Details

Click Save.

From the Views page, click the Edit View icon to modify the view.

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Name and Description Details
The name and description of the view as they appear in the list of views on the Views page.
To add a name and description to a view, in the menu, click Dashboards, and then in the left pane click
Views. On the Views toolbar, click the plus sign to add a view or the pencil to edit the selected view. In
the workspace, on the left, click Name and Description.
Table 7‑10. Name and Description Options in the View Workspace
Option

Description

Name

Name of the view as it appears on the Views page.

Description

Description of the view.

Presentation Details
A presentation is a way the collected information for the object is presented. Each type of view helps you
to interpret metrics and properties from a different perspective.
To change the presentation of a view, in the menu, click Dashboards, and then in the left pane click
Views. On the Views toolbar, click the plus sign to add a view or the pencil to edit the selected view. In
the workspace, on the left, click Presentation. If you create a view, complete the required previous steps.
Table 7‑11. Presentation Options in the View Workspace
View Type

Description

List

Provides tabular data about specific objects in the monitored
environment.

Summary

Provides tabular data about the use of resources in the
monitored environment.

Trend

Uses historic data to generate trends and forecasts for
resource use and availability in the monitored environment.

Distribution

Provides aggregated data about resource distribution in the
monitored environment.

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Table 7‑11. Presentation Options in the View Workspace (Continued)
View Type

Description

Text

Inserts the provided text. The text can be dynamic and contain
metrics and properties.
You can format text to increase or decrease the font size,
change the font color, highlight text, and align text to the left,
right, or center. You can also make the selected text appear
bold, in italics, or underlined.
By default the text view is available only for report template
creation and modification. You can change this on the
Visibility step of the view workspace.

Image

Inserts a static image.
By default the image view is available only for report template
creation and modification. You can change this on the
Visibility step of the view workspace.

You can see a live preview of the view type when you select a subject and data, and Select preview
source.
How to Configure the Presentation of a View
Some of the view presentations have specific configuration settings.
Table 7‑12. Presentation Configuration Options in the View Workspace
View Type

Configuration Description

List

Select the number of items per page. Each item is one row and
its metrics and properties are the columns.

Summary

Select the number of items per page. Each row is an aggregated
metric or property.

Trend

Enter the maximum number of plot lines. Limits the output in
terms of the objects displayed in the live preview of the view
type on the left upper pane. The number you set as the
maximum number of plot lines determines the plot lines.
For example, if you plot historical data and set the maximum at
30 plot lines, then 30 objects are displayed. If you plot historical,
trend, and forecast lines, and set the maximum to 30 plot lines,
then only 10 objects are displayed as each object has three plot
lines.

Distribution

Select the visualization of the distribution information in a pie
chart or a bar chart.
Select the distribution type, and configure the buckets count and
size.
To understand vRealize Operations Manager distribution type,
see View Distribution Type.

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Coloring
Configuration Option

Description

Colorize

The colors of the slices in the pie chart are displayed in the
order of the colors in the color palette.

Select Color

Select the color that you want the chart to appear in. If there is
more than one slice in a pie chart, the colors are chosen
sequentially from the color palette. In a bar chart, the bars are all
the same color.

Distribution Type
vRealize Operations Manager view distribution type provides aggregated data about resource distribution
in the monitored environment.
Dynamic distribution

You specify in details how vRealize Operations Manager distributes the
data in the buckets.
Table 7‑13. Dynamic Distribution Configuration Options
Configuration Option

Description

Buckets Count

The number of buckets to use in the data
distribution.

Buckets Size Interval

The bucket size is determined by the defined
interval divided by the specified number of
buckets.

Buckets Size Logarithmic bucketing

The bucket size is calculated to
logarithmically increasing sizes. This
provides a continuous coverage of the whole
range with the specified number of buckets.
The base of the logarithmic sizing is
determined by the given data.

Buckets Size Simple Max/Min bucketing

The bucket size is divided equally between
the measured min and max values. This
provides a continuous coverage of the whole
range with the specified number of buckets.

Manual distribution

You specify the number of buckets and the minimum and maximum values
of each bucket.

Discrete distribution

You specify the number of buckets in which vRealize Operations Manager
distribute the data.

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View Distribution Type
vRealize Operations Manager view distribution type provides aggregated data about resource distribution
in the monitored environment.
Visualization

You can choose to view the data as a pie chart or a bar chart. You can
select the display colors for single or multi-colored charts.

Dynamic distribution

You specify in details how vRealize Operations Manager distributes the
data in the buckets.
Table 7‑14. Dynamic Distribution Configuration Options
Configuration Option

Description

Buckets Count

The number of buckets to use in the data
distribution.

Buckets Size Interval

The bucket size is determined by the defined
interval divided by the specified number of
buckets.

Buckets Size Logarithmic bucketing

Buckets Size Simple Max/Min bucketing

The bucket size is divided equally between
the measured min and max values. This
provides a continuous coverage of the whole
range with the specified number of buckets.

Manual distribution

You specify the number of buckets and the minimum and maximum values
of each bucket.

Discrete distribution

You specify the number of buckets in which vRealize Operations Manager
distribute the data.

If you increase the number of buckets, you can see more detailed data.

Subjects Details
The subject is the base object type for which the view shows information.
To specify a subject for a view, in the menu, click Dashboards, and then in the left pane click Views. On
the Views toolbar, click the plus sign to add a view or the pencil to edit the selected view. In the
workspace, on the left, click Subjects. If you create a new view, complete the required previous steps.
The subject you specify determines where the view is applicable. If you select more than one subject, the
view is applicable for each of them. You can limit the level where the view appears with the Blacklist
option in the Visibility step.
View availability depends on the view configuration subject, inventory view, user permissions, and view
Visibility settings.

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For list views with Symptom as a subject, the following columns can be sorted: Criticality Level, Status,
Object Type, Object Name, Created on, and Canceled on. You cannot sort the Triggered On and Violation
Info columns. If other symptom metrics exist, you cannot sort any of the columns.
Views Applicability
List View

When you navigate through the environment tree, you can see the List view
at the subjects that you specify during the view configuration and at their
object containers. Depending on the inventory view, the List view might be
missing at the object containers. For example, you create a List view with
subject Host System. In the menu, click Environment, and then in the left
pane click vSphere Environment > vSphere Hosts and Clusters >
vSphere World. Select a vCenter Server, and click the Details tab, you
can see your List view. In the menu, click Environment, and then in the left
pane click vSphere Environment > vSphere Storage > vSphere World.
Select the same vCenter Server, and click the Details tab, your List view is
missing. Your List view with subject Host System is missing because the
object Host System is not included in the vSphere Storage inventory view.

Summary View

When you navigate through the environment tree, you can see the
Summary view at the subjects that you specify during the view
configuration and at their object containers. Depending on the inventory
view, the Summary view might be missing at the object containers. For
example, you create a Summary view with subject Datastore. In the menu,
click Environment, and then in the left pane click vSphere Environment >
vSphere Storage > vSphere World. Select a vCenter Server, and click the
Details tab, you can see your List view. In the menu, click Environment,
and then in the left pane click vSphere Environment > vSphere
Networking > vSphere World. Select the same vCenter Server, and click
the Details tab, your Summary view is missing. Your Summary view with
subject datastore is missing because the object Datastore is not included in
the vSphere Networking inventory view.

Trend View

When you navigate through the environment tree, you can see the Trend
view only at the subjects that you specify during the view configuration. For
example, you create a Trend view with subject Virtual Machine. When you
navigate to a virtual machine in the navigation tree, you see your view.

Distribution View

When you navigate through the environment tree, you can see the
Distribution view only at the object containers of the subjects that you
specify during the view configuration. Depending on the inventory view, the
Distribution view might be missing at the object containers. For example,
you create a Distribution view with subject Host System. In the menu, click
Environment, and then in the left pane click vSphere Environment >
vSphere Hosts and Clusters > vSphere World. Select a vCenter Server,
and click the Details tab, you can see your Distribution view. In the menu,

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click Environment, and then in the left pane click vSphere Environment >
vSphere Networking > vSphere World. Select the same vCenter Server,
and click the Details tab, your Distribution view is missing. Your Distribution
view with subject Host System is missing because the object Host System
is not included in the vSphere Networking inventory view.
Text View

When you navigate through the environment tree, you can see the Text
view only at the subjects that you specify during the view configuration. For
example, you create a Text view with subject vCenter Server. When you
navigate to a vCenter Server in the navigation tree, you see your view. If
you did not specify a subject, you see your view for every subject in the
environment.

Image View

The Image view is applicable for every object in the environment.

Note Views applicability depends also on your user permissions and the view Visibility configuration.
Views Applicability
Views might not always appear where you expect them to. The main applicability of views depends on the
view subject and the inventory view.
List View

When you navigate through the environment tree, you can see the List view
at the subjects that you specify during the view configuration and at their
object containers. Depending on the inventory view, the List view might be
missing at the object containers. For example, you create a List view with
subject Host System. When you go to Environment > vSphere Hosts and
Clusters > vSphere World, select a vCenter Server, and click the Details
tab, you can see your List view. If you go to Environment > vSphere
Storage > vSphere World, select the same vCenter Server, and click the
Details tab, your List view is missing. Your List view with subject Host
System is missing because the object Host System is not included in the
vSphere Storage inventory view.

Summary View

When you navigate through the environment tree, you can see the
Summary view at the subjects that you specify during the view
configuration and at their object containers. Depending on the inventory
view, the Summary view might be missing at the object containers. For
example, you create a Summary view with subject Datastore. When you go
to Environment > vSphere Storage > vSphere World, select a
vCenter Server, and click the Details tab, you can see your List view. If you
go to Environment > vSphere Networking > vSphere World, select the
same vCenter Server, and click the Details tab, your Summary view is
missing. Your Summary view with subject datastore is missing because the
object Datastore is not included in the vSphere Networking inventory view.

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Trend View

Distribution View

When you navigate through the environment tree, you can see the
Distribution view only at the object containers of the subjects that you
specify during the view configuration. Depending on the inventory view, the
Distribution view might be missing at the object containers. For example,
you create a Distribution view with subject Host System. When you go to
Environment > vSphere Hosts and Clusters > vSphere World, select a
vCenter Server, and click the Details tab, you can see your Distribution
view. If you go to Environment > vSphere Networking > vSphere World,
select the same vCenter Server, and click the Details tab, your Distribution
view is missing. Your Distribution view with subject Host System is missing
because the object Host System is not included in the vSphere Networking
inventory view.

Text View

Image View

The Image view is applicable for every object in the environment.

Note Views applicability depends also on your user permissions and the view Visibility configuration.

Data Details
The data definition process includes adding properties, metrics, policies, or data that adapters provide to
a view. These are the items by which vRealize Operations Manager collects, calculates, and presents the
information for the view.
To add data to a view, in the menu, click Dashboards, and then in the left pane click Views. On the
Views toolbar, click the plus sign to add a view or the pencil to edit the selected view. In the workspace,
on the left, click Data. If you create a new view, complete the required previous steps.
How to Add Data to a View
If you selected more than one subject, specify the subject for which you add data. Double-click the data
from the tree in the left panel to add it to the view. For each subject the data available to add might be
different.

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How to Configure the Data Transformation
The data configuration options depend on the view and data type that you select. Most of the options are
available for all views.
Table 7‑15. Data Configuration Options
Configuration Option

Description

Metric name

Default metric name.
Available for all views.

Metric label

Customizable label as it appears in the view or report.
Available for all views.

Units

Depends on the added metric or property. You can select in
what unit to display the values. For example, for CPU|
Demand(MHz) from the Units drop-down menu, you can change
the value to Hz, KHz, or GHz. If you select Auto, the scaling is
set to a meaningful unit.
Available for all views.

Sort order

Orders the values in ascending or descending order.
Available for List view and Summary view.

Transformation

Determines what calculation method is applied on the raw data.
You can select the type of transformation:
n

Minimum. The minimum value of the metric over the
selected time range.

Maximum. The maximum value of the metric over the
selected time range.

Average. The mean of all the metric values over the
selected time range.

Sum. The sum of the metric values over the selected time
range.

First. The first metric value for the selected time range.

Last. The last value of a metric within the selected time
range. If you have selected Last as the transformation in
versions before vRealize Operations Manager 6.7, and the
end of specified time range is not before the last five
minutes, use the Current transformation.

Current. The last available value of a metric if it was last
updated not before five collection cycles were complete,
otherwise it is null.

Standard Deviation. The standard deviation of the metric
values.

Metric Correlation. Displays the value when another metric
is at the minimum or maximum. For example, displays the
value for memory.usage when cpu.usage is at a maximum.

Forecast. Performs a regressive analysis and predicts future
values. Displays the last metric value of the selected range.

Percentile. Calculates the specified percentile for the data
range. For example, you can view the 95th percentile, 99th
percentile, and so on.

Available for all views, except Trend.

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Table 7‑15. Data Configuration Options (Continued)
Configuration Option

Description

Ranges for metric coloring

You can associate colors to metrics by entering a percentage,
range, or specific state. For example, you can enter Powered Off
in the Red Bound field when you select virtual machine as an
object. You can set the colors only for views and not for csv or
pdf formats.

Data Series

You can select whether to include historical data, trend of
historical data, and forecast for future time in the trend view
calculations.
Available for Trend view.

Series Roll up

The time interval at which the data is rolled up. You can select
one of the available options. For example, if you select Sum as a
Transformation and 5 minutes as the roll-up interval, then the
system selects 5-minute interval values and adds them.
This option is applicable to the Transformation configuration
option.
Available for all views.

Projects

A project contains scenarios and is a supposition about how
capacity and load change if certain conditions are changed
without making actual changes to your virtual infrastructure. If
you implement the project, you know in advance what your
capacity requirements are.
Available for all views. Depends on the selected metrics and
properties.

How to Configure Time Settings
Use the time settings to select the time interval of data transformation. These options are available for all
view types, except Image.
You can set a time range for a past period or set a future date for the end of the time period. When you
select a future end date and no data is available, the view is populated by forecast data.
Table 7‑16. Time Settings Options
Configuration Option

Description

Time Range Mode

In Basic mode you can select date ranges.
In Advanced mode you can select any combination of relative or
specific start and end dates.

Relative Date Range

Select a relative date range of data transformation.
Available in Basic mode.

Specific Date Range

Select a specific date range of data transformation.
Available in Basic mode.

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Table 7‑16. Time Settings Options (Continued)
Configuration Option

Description

Absolute Date Range

Select a date or time range to view data for a time unit such as a
complete month or a week. For example, you can run a report
on the third of every month for the previous month. Data from
the first to the end of the previous month is displayed as against
data from the third of the previous month to the third of the
current month.
The units of time available are: Hours, Days, Weeks, Months,
and Years.
The locale settings of the system determine the start and end of
the unit. For example, weeks in most of the European countries
begin on Monday while in the United States they begin on
Sunday.
Available in Basic mode.

Relative Start Date

Select a relative start date of data transformation.
Available in Advanced mode.

Relative End Date

Select a relative end date of data transformation.
Available in Advanced mode.

Specific Start Date

Select a specific start date of data transformation.
Available in Advanced mode.

Specific End Date

Select a specific end date of data transformation.
Available in Advanced mode.

Currently selected date range

Displays the date or time range you selected. For example, if
you select a specific date range from 5/01/2016 to 5/18/2016,
the following information is displayed: May 1, 2016 12:00:00
AM to May 18, 2016 11:55:00 PM.

How to Break Down Data
You can break down data in List views by adding interval or instance breakdown columns from the Group
By tab.

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Table 7‑17. Group By Options
Option

Description

Add interval breakdown column (see data for column settings)

Select this option to see the data for the selected resources
broken down in time intervals.
In the Data tab, select Interval Breakdown to configure the
column. You can enter a label and select a breakdown interval
for the time range.

Add instance breakdown column (see data for column settings)

Select this option to see the data for all instances of the selected
resources.
In the Data tab, select Instance Name to configure the column.
You can enter a label and select a metric group to break down
all the instances in that group. Deselect Show non-instance
aggregate metric to display only the separate instances.
Deselect Show only instance name to display the metric group
name and instance name in the instance breakdown column.
For example, you can create a view to display CPU usage by
selecting the metric CPU:0|Usage. If you add an instance
breakdown column, the column CPU:0|Usage displays the
usage of all CPU instances on separate rows (0, 1 and so on).
To avoid ambiguity, you can change the metric label of CPU:0|
Usage to Usage.

How to Add a Filter
The filter option allows you to add additional criteria when the view displays too much information. For
example, a list view shows information about the health of virtual machines. From the Filter tab you add a
risk metric less than 50%. Then the view will show the health of all virtual machines with risk less than
50%.
To add filter to a view, select Content > Views in the left pane. On the Views toolbar, click the plus sign to
add a view or the pencil to edit the selected view. In the workspace, on the left, click Data and click the
Filter tab in the main panel. If you create a new view, complete the required previous steps.
Each subject has a separate filter box. For Alerts Rollup, Alert, and Symptom subjects not all applicable
metrics are supported for filtering.
Table 7‑18. Filter Add Options
Option

Description

Add

Adds another criteria to the criteria set. The filter returns results
that match all of the specified criteria.

Add another criteria

Adds another criteria set. The filter returns results that match
one criteria set or another.

How to Add a Summary Row or Column to a View
The summary option is available only for List and Summary views. It is mandatory for the Summary
views. You can add more than one summary row or column and configure each to show different
aggregations. In the summary configuration panel, you select the aggregation method and what data to
include or exclude from the calculations.

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To add a summary row or column to a view, select Content > Views in the left pane. On the Views
toolbar, click the plus sign to add a view or the pencil to edit the selected view. In the workspace, on the
left, click Data and click the Summary tab in the main panel. If you create a new view, complete the
required previous steps.
For the List view, the summary row shows aggregated information by the specified subjects.
For the Summary view, the summary column shows aggregated information by the items provided on the
Data tab.

Visibility Details
The view visibility defines where you can see a view in vRealize Operations Manager.
To change the visibility of a view, in the menu, click Dashboards, and then in the left pane click Views.
On the Views toolbar, click the plus sign to add a view or the pencil to edit the selected view. In the
workspace, on the left, click Visibility. If you create a new view, complete the required previous steps.
Table 7‑19. View Workspace Visibility Options
Option

Description

Availability

Select where in vRealize Operations Manager you want to see
this view. If you want to have the view available in a dashboard,
select the check box, add the View widget, and configure it. You
can also make the view available in report templates and in the
Detail tab of a specific object when you select the specific check
box.

Further Analysis

Select the Compliance check box to make the view available in
the Compliance tab for a specific object.

Blacklist

Select a subject level where you do not want to see this view.
For example, you have a list view with subject virtual machines.
It is visible when you select any of its parent objects. You add
datacenter in the blacklist. The view is not visible anymore on
datacenter level.

Editing, Cloning, and Deleting a View
You can edit, clone, and delete a view. Before you do, familiarize yourself with the consequences of these
actions.
When you edit a view, all changes are applied to the report templates that contain it.
When you clone a view, the changes that you make to the clone do not affect the source view.
When you delete a view, it is removed from all the report templates that contain it.

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User Scenario: Create, Run, Export, and Import a
vRealize Operations Manager View for Tracking Virtual Machines
As a virtual infrastructure administrator, you use vRealize Operations Manager to monitor several
environments. You must know the number of virtual machines on each vCenter Server instance. You
define a view to gather the information in a specific order and use it on all vRealize Operations Manager
environments.
Prerequisites

Verify that you have the necessary access rights to perform this task. Your vRealize Operations Manager
administrator can tell you which actions you can perform.
You will create a distribution view and run it on the main vRealize Operations Manager environment. You
will export the view and import it in another vRealize Operations Manager instance.
Procedure
1

Create a vRealize Operations Manager View for Supervising Virtual Machines
To collect and display data about the number of virtual machines on a vCenter Server, you create a
custom view.

Run a vRealize Operations Manager View
To verify the view and capture a snapshot of information at any point, you run the view for a specific
object.

Export a vRealize Operations Manager View
To use a view in another vRealize Operations Manager, you export a content definition XML file.

Import a vRealize Operations Manager View
To use views from other vRealize Operations Manager environments, you import a content definition
XML file.

Create a vRealize Operations Manager View for Supervising Virtual Machines
To collect and display data about the number of virtual machines on a vCenter Server, you create a
custom view.
Procedure

In the menu, click Dashboards, and then in the left pane click Views.

Click the plus sign to create a new view.

Enter Virtual Machines Distribution, the name for the view.

Enter a meaningful description for the view.
For example, A view showing the distribution of virtual machines per hosts.

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Click Presentation and select the Distribution view type.
The view type is the way the information is displayed.
a

From the Visualization drop-down menu, select Pie Chart.

From the Distribution Type configurations, select Discrete distribution.
Leave Max number of buckets deselected because you do not know the number of hosts on
each vCenter Server instance. If you specify a number of buckets and the hosts are more than
that number, one of the slices shows unspecified information labeled Others.

Click Subjects to select the object type that applies to the view.
a

From the drop-down menu, select Host System.
The Distribution view is visible at the object containers of the subjects that you specify during the
view configuration.

Click Data and in the filter text box enter Total Number of VMs.

Select Summary > Total Number of VMs and double-click to add the metric.

Retain the default metric configurations and click Save.

Run a vRealize Operations Manager View
To verify the view and capture a snapshot of information at any point, you run the view for a specific
object.
Prerequisites

Verify that you have the necessary access rights to perform this task. Your vRealize Operations Manager
administrator can tell you which actions you can perform.
Procedure

In the menu, click Environment.

In the left pane, navigate to a vCenter Server instance and click the Details tab.
All listed views are applicable for the vCenter Server instance.

From the All Filters drop-down menu on the left, select Type > Distribution.
You filter the views list to show only distribution type views.

Navigate to and click the Virtual Machines Distribution view.
The bottom pane shows the distribution view with information about this vCenter Server. Each slice
represents a host and the numbers on the far left show the number of virtual machines.

Export a vRealize Operations Manager View
To use a view in another vRealize Operations Manager, you export a content definition XML file.

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If the exported view contains custom created metrics, such as what-if, supermetrics, or custom adapter
metrics, you must recreate them in the new environment.
Prerequisites

Verify that you have the necessary access rights to perform this task. Your vRealize Operations Manager
administrator can tell you which actions you can perform.
Procedure

In the menu, click Dashboards, and then in the left pane click Views.

Click the gear icon and select Export View.

In the list of views, navigate to and click the Virtual Machines Distribution view .

Select All Actions > Export view.

Select a location on your local system to save the XML file and click Save.

Import a vRealize Operations Manager View
To use views from other vRealize Operations Manager environments, you import a content definition XML
file.
Prerequisites

Verify that you have the necessary access rights to perform this task. Your vRealize Operations Manager
administrator can tell you which actions you can perform.
Procedure

In the menu, click Dashboards, and then in the left pane click Views.

Click the gear icon and select Import View.

Browse to select the Virtual Machines Distribution content definition XML file and click Import.
If the imported view contains custom created metrics, such as what-if, supermetrics, or custom
adapter metrics, you must recreate them in the new environment.
Note The imported view overwrites if a view with the same name exists. All report templates that
use the existing view are updated with the imported view.

Reports
A report is a scheduled snapshot of views and dashboards. You can create it to represent objects and
metrics. It can contain table of contents, cover page, and footer.
With the vRealize Operations Manager reporting functions, you can generate a report to capture details
related to current or predicted resource needs. You can download the report in a PDF or CSV file format
for future and offline needs.

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Create Reports (http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid2296383276001?
bctid=ref:video_reports_vrops)

Report Templates Tab
On the Report Templates tab you can create, edit, delete, clone, run, schedule, export, and import
templates.
In the menu, click Environment, and then in the left pane select an object and click Reports > Report
Templates to access the Reports Templates tab.
All templates that are applicable for the selected object are listed on the Report Templates tab. You can
order them by report name, subject, date they were modified, last run, or owner.
You can filter the templates list by adding a filter from the right side of the panel.
Table 7‑20. Predefined Filter Groups
Filter Group

Description

Name

Filter by the template name. For example, you can list all reports
that contain my template in their name by typing my template.

Subject

Filter by another object. If the report contains more than one
view applicable for another type of object, you can filter by those
objects.

vSphere users must be logged in until the report generation is complete. If you log out or your session
expires, the report generation fails.
Note The maximum number of reports per template is 10. With every new generated report,
vRealize Operations Manager deletes the oldest report.

Generated Reports Tab
All reports that are generated for a selected object are listed on the Generated Reports tab.
In the menu, click Environment, and then in the left pane select an object and click Reports >
Generated Reports to access the Generated Reports tab.
You can order the reports by the date and time that they were created, the report name, the owner, or
their status. If the report is generated through a schedule, the owner is the user who created the
schedule.
Note The maximum number of reports per template is 10. With every new generated report,
vRealize Operations Manager deletes the oldest report.
You can filter the reports list by adding a filter from the right side of the panel.

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Table 7‑21. Predefined Filter Groups
Filter Group

Description

Report Name

Filter by the report template name. For example, you can list all
reports that contain my template in their name by typing
my template.

Template

Filter by the report template. You can select a template from a
list of templates applicable for this object.

Completion Date/Time

Filter by the date, time, or time range.

Status

Filter by the status of the report.

Subject

Filter by another object. If the report contains more than one
view applicable for another type of object, you can filter by those
objects.

You can download a report in a PDF or CSV format. You define the format that a report is generated in
the report template.

Create and Modify a Report Template
You create a report to generate a scheduled snapshot of views and dashboards. You can track current
resources and predict potential risks to the environment. You can schedule automated reports at regular
intervals.
Procedure

In the menu, click Dashboards, and then in the left pane click Reports.

On the Report Templates tab, click the New Template icon to create a template.

Complete the steps in the left pane to:
a

Enter a name and description for the report template.
Name and Description Details

Add a view or a dashboard.
Views and Dashboards Details

Select an output for the report.
Formats Details

Select the layout options.
Layout Options Details

Click Save.

From the Report Templates tab, click Edit Template to modify the report template.

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Name and Description Details
The name and description of the report template as they appear in the list of templates on the Report
Templates tab.
Where You Add Name and Description
To create or edit report templates, in the menu, click Dashboards, and then in the left pane click
Reports. On the Report Templates toolbar, click the New Template icon to add a template or the Edit
Template icon to edit the selected template. From the New Template or Edit Report Template dialog box,
in the workspace, on the left, click Name and Description.
Table 7‑22. Name and Description Options in the Report Template Workspace
Option

Description

Name

Name of the template as it appears on the Report Templates
tab.

Description

Description of the template.

Views and Dashboards Details
The report template contains views and dashboards. Views present collected information for an object.
Dashboards give a visual overview of the performance and state of objects in your virtual infrastructure.
You can combine different views and dashboards and order them to suit your needs.
Where You Add Views and Dashboards
To create or edit report templates, in the menu, click Dashboards, and then in the left pane click
Reports. On the Report Templates toolbar, click the New Template icon to add a template or the Edit
Template icon to edit the selected template. From the New Template or Edit Report Template dialog box,
in the workspace, on the left, click Views and Dashboards. If you create a template, complete the
required previous steps of the workspace.
How You Add Views and Dashboards
To add a view or a dashboard to your report template, select it from the list on the left pane and drag it to
the main panel. You can drag the views and dashboards in the main panel to reorder them. You can
select a portrait or landscape orientation for each view or dashboard from the drop-down menu next to its
title.
Table 7‑23. Views and Dashboards Options in the Report Template Workspace
Option

Description

Data type

Select Views or Dashboards to display a list of available views
or dashboards that you can add to the template.

Create View

Create a view directly from the template workspace. This option
is available when you select Views from the Data type dropdown menu.

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Table 7‑23. Views and Dashboards Options in the Report Template Workspace (Continued)
Option

Description

Edit View

Edit a view directly from the template workspace. This option is
available when you select Views from the Data type drop-down
menu.

Create Dashboard

Create a dashboard directly from the template workspace. This
option is available when you select Dashboards from the Data
type drop-down menu.

Edit Dashboard

Edit a dashboard directly from the template workspace. This
option is available when you select Dashboards from the Data
type drop-down menu.

Search for views or dashboards by name. To see the complete
list of views or dashboards, delete the search box contents and
press Enter.

List of views

List of the views that you can add to the template. This list is
available when you select Views from the Data type drop-down
menu.

List of dashboards

List of the dashboards that you can add to the template. This list
is available when you select Dashboards from the Data type
drop-down menu.

Preview of views and dashboards

In the main panel, you see a preview of the views and
dashboards that you add.
When you create a template in the context of an object from the
environment, you see a live preview of the views and
dashboards.

Formats Details
The formats are the outputs in which you can generate the report.
Where You Add Formats
To create or edit report templates, in the menu, click Dashboards, and then in the left pane click
Reports. On the Report Templates toolbar, click the New Template icon to add a template or the Edit
Template icon to edit the selected template. From the New Template or Edit Report Template dialog box,
in the workspace, on the left, click Formats to select a format for the report template. If you create a
template, complete the required previous steps of the workspace.
Table 7‑24. Formats Options in the Report Template Workspace
Option

Description

PDF

With the PDF format, you can read the reports, either on or off
line. This format provides a page-by-page view of the reports, as
they appear in printed form.

CSV

In the CSV format, the data is in a structured table of lists.

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Layout Options Details
The report template can contain layout options such as a cover page, table of contents, and footer.
Where You Add Layout Options
To create or edit report templates, in the menu, click Dashboards, and then in the left pane click
Reports. On the Report Templates toolbar, click the New Template icon to add a template or the Edit
Template icon to edit the selected template. From the New Template or Edit Report Template dialog box,
in the workspace, on the left, click Layout Options. If you create a template, complete the required
previous steps of the template.
Table 7‑25. Layout Options in the Report Template Workspace
Option

Description

Cover Page

Can contain an image up to 5 MB.
The default report size is 8.5 inches by 11 inches. The image is
resized to fit the report front page.

Table of contents

Provides a list of the template parts, organized in the order of
their appearance in the report.

Footer

Includes the date when the report is created, a note that the
report is created by VMware vRealize Operations Manager, and
page number.

Add a Network Share Plug-In for vRealize Operations Manager
Reports
You add a Network Share plug-in when you want to configure vRealize Operations Manager to send
reports to a shared location. The Network Share plug-in supports SMB version 2.0.
Prerequisites

Verify that you have read, write, and delete permissions to the network share location.
Procedure

In the menu, click Administration and then in the left pane, click Management > Outbound
Settings.

From the toolbar, click the Add icon.

From the Plug-In Type drop-down menu, select Network Share Plug-in.
The dialog box expands to include your plug-in instance settings.

Enter an Instance Name.
This is the name that identifies this instance that you select when you later configure notification
rules.

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Configure the Network Share options appropriate for your environment.
Option

Description

Domain

Your shared network domain address.

User Name

The domain user account that is used to connect to the network.

Password

The password for the domain user account.

Network share root

Click Test to verify the specified paths, credentials, and permissions.
The test might take up to a minute.

Click Save.
The outbound service for this plug-in starts automatically.

(Optional) To stop an outbound service, select an instance and click Disable on the toolbar.

This instance of the Network Share plug-in is configured and running.
What to do next

Create a report schedule and configure it to send reports to your shared folder.

User Scenario: Handling Reports to Monitor Virtual Machines
As a virtual infrastructure administrator, you use vRealize Operations Manager to monitor several
environments. You must present to your team a report with your corporate logo for all oversized and
stressed virtual machines, and their current and trend memory use. You use predefined report templates
to gather and format the information in a specific order.
You will create a report template with predefined views and dashboards. You will generate the report to
test the template and create a schedule for generating the report once every two weeks.
Prerequisites

Verify that you have the necessary access rights to perform this task. Your vRealize Operations Manager
administrator can tell you which actions you can perform.
Procedure
1

Create a Report Template for Monitoring Virtual Machines
To monitor oversized and stressed virtual machines, and their memory use, you create a report
template.

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Generate a Report
To generate a report, you use the Virtual Machines Report template for a vCenter Server system that
shows information for oversized and stressed virtual machines, and their memory use.

Download a Report
To verify that the information appears as expected, you download the generated report from the
Virtual Machines Report template.

Schedule a Report
To generate a report on a selected date, time, and recurrence, you create a schedule for the Virtual
Machines Report template. You set the email options to send the generated report to your team.

Create a Report Template for Monitoring Virtual Machines
To monitor oversized and stressed virtual machines, and their memory use, you create a report template.
You create a report template with PDF and CSV output and add views, dashboards, and layout options to
it.
Prerequisites
n

Understand the concept of vRealize Operations Manager views. See Views.

Know the location of your corporate logo.

Procedure

In the menu, click Dashboards, and then in the left pane click Reports.

On the Report Templates tab, click the New Template icon to create a template.

Enter Virtual Machines Report, the name for the template.

Enter a meaningful description for the template.
For example,
A template for oversized and stressed virtual machines, and their memory use.

Click Views and Dashboards. On the Data type drop-down menu, leave Views selected.
The currently configured views are available in the list below the Data type drop-down menu. Views
present collected information for an object in a certain way depending on the view type.

In the search box, enter Virtual Machine.
The list is now limited to views where the name contains Virtual Machine.

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Double-click the views to add them to the template.
Option

Description

Virtual Machine Rightsizing CPU,
Memory, and Disk Space

Monitors oversized VMs

Virtual Machine Recommended CPU
and Memory Size

Monitors stressed VMs

The views appear in the main panel of the workspace with a preview of sample data.
8

In the search box, enter VM.
The list is now limited to views where the name contains VM.

Navigate to VMs Memory Usage (%) Distribution view, and double-click the view to add it to the
template.
The view appears in the main panel of the workspace with a preview of sample data.

10 (Optional) In the main panel of the workspace, drag the views up and down to reorder them.
11 From the Data type drop-down menu, select Dashboards.
The currently configured dashboards appear in the list below the Data type drop-down menu.
Dashboards give a visual overview of the performance and state of objects in your virtual
infrastructure.
12 Double-click vSphere VMs Memory, vSphere VMs CPU, and vSphere VMs Disk and Network
dashboards to add them to the template.
The dashboards appear in the main panel of the workspace.
13 Click Formats and leave the PDF and CSV check boxes selected.
14 Click Layout Options and select the Cover Page and Footer check boxes.
The corresponding panes appear in the main panel of the workspace.
15 In the Cover Page panel, click Browse and navigate to an image on your computer.
The default report size is 8.5 inches by 11 inches. The image is resized to fit the report front page.
The image uploads to a database. It is used for the cover page every time you generate a report from
this template.
16 Click Save.
Your report template is saved and listed on the Report Templates tab.
What to do next

Generate and download the report to verify the output. See Generate a Report

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Prerequisites

Create a report template. See Create a Report Template for Monitoring Virtual Machines.
Procedure

In the menu, click Environment.

In the left pane, navigate to a vCenter Server system.

Click the Reports tab and click Report Templates.
The listed report templates are associated with the current object.

Navigate to the Virtual Machines Report template and click the Run Template icon.

The report is generated and listed on the Generated Reports tab.
What to do next

Download the generated report and verify the output. See Download a Report.

Download a Report
To verify that the information appears as expected, you download the generated report from the Virtual
Machines Report template.
Prerequisites

Generate a report from the Virtual Machines Report template. See Generate a Report.
Procedure

In the menu, click Environment.

In the left pane, navigate to the object for which you want to download a report.

Click the Reports tab and click Generated Reports.
The listed reports are generated for the current object.

Click the PDF (

) and CSV (

) icon to save the report in the relevant file format.

vRealize Operations Manager saves the report file to the location you selected.
What to do next

Schedule a report generation and set the email options, so your team receives the report. See Schedule
a Report.

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The date range for the generated report is based on the time when vRealize Operations Manager
generates the report and not on the time when you schedule the report or when
vRealize Operations Manager places the report in the queue.
Prerequisites
n

Download the generated report to verify the output.

To enable sending email reports, you must have configured Outbound Alert Settings.

Procedure

In the menu, click Environment.

In the left pane, navigate to the object vCenter Server.

Click the Reports tab and click Report Templates.

Select the Virtual Machines Report template from the list.

5
6

Click the gear icon (

) and select Schedule report.

Select the time zone, date, and hour to start the report generation.
vRealize Operations Manager generates the scheduled reports in sequential order. Generating a
report can take several hours. This process might delay the start time of a report when the previous
report takes an extended period of time.

From the Recurrence drop-down menu, select Weekly and set the report generation for every two
weeks on Monday.

Select the Email report check box to send an email with the generated report.
a

In the Email addresses text box, enter the email addresses that must receive the report.

Select an outbound rule.

An email is sent according to this schedule every time a report is generated.
9

Click Ok.

What to do next

You can edit, clone, and delete report templates. Before you do, familiarize yourself with the
consequences of these actions.
When you edit a report template and delete it, all reports generated from the original and the edited
templates are deleted. When you clone a report template, the changes that you make to the clone do not
affect the source template. When you delete a report template, all generated reports are also deleted.

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Configuring Application
Monitoring with Wavefront

You can monitor application services supported by VMware Application Proxy in Wavefront. You can also
manage the life cycle of agents and application services on virtual machines.
For example, as an administrator, you might need to ensure that the infrastructure provided for running
the application services are sufficient and that there are no problems. If you receive a complaint that a
particular application service is not working properly or is slow, you can troubleshoot by looking at the
infrastructure on which the application is deployed. You can view important metrics related to the
applications and share the information with the team managing the applications. You can use
vRealize Operations Manager to deploy the agents and send the related application data to Wavefront.
You can view the data in the relevant Wavefront dashboard and share it with the team so that they can
troubleshoot the application service.
To monitor your application services and collect metrics for applications services supported by
VMware Application Proxy, follow these steps in vRealize Operations Manager:
1

Provide configuration details to activate your Wavefront account. If you do not have a Wavefront
account, you can create a free 30-day trial Wavefront account.
For more information, see the Configure Wavefront Account Tab.

Download the VMware Application Proxy by clicking the Download link in Step 2 of the Application
Monitoring with VMware Wavefront page.
For information about deploying the VMware Application Proxy, see Deploy VMware Application
Proxy.

Configure an application proxy.
For information about configuring the VMware Application Proxy, see the Configure VMware
Application Proxy Tab.

Install agents on selected VMs and discover and manage application services.
For more information, see the Agent Management Tab.

Monitor the metrics in Wavefront.
For more information, see the Wavefront documentation.

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This chapter includes the following topics:
n

Configure Wavefront Account Tab

Deploy VMware Application Proxy

Configure VMware Application Proxy Tab

Agent Management Tab

Monitor Metrics in Wavefront

Configure Wavefront Account Tab
Use the Configure Wavefront Account tab to configure a Wavefront account to monitor and collect
metrics of applications supported by VMware Application Proxy.
You can also create a 30-day free trial account from the Configure Wavefront Account tab. For more
details, see Create a Wavefront Trial Account.
Where You Configure the Wavefront Account
To configure the Wavefront account, in the menu, select Home, and then from the left pane select the
Application Monitoring (Wavefront). Click the Configure Wavefront Account tab in the right pane.

Configure the Wavefront Account
You must have a Wavefront account. If you do not have a Wavefront account, you can sign up for a 30day trial by clicking Create Account from the Configure Wavefront Account tab.
Procedure

Enter your Wavefront service URL, for example, http://longboard.wavefront.com.

Enter your API token for the Wavefront account.
You receive the Wavefront URL and the API token in an email.

Create a Wavefront Trial Account
If you do not have a Wavefront account, you can create a free 30-day trial account.
Procedure

Click Create Account in the Configure Wavefront Account tab in vRealize Operations Manager.
You are redirected to the Wavefront free trial website

Enter your first name, last name, work email, and company name in the text boxes provided.

Select the size of your company and your country of residence.

Select Sign Up Now.

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You receive an email with the Wavefront URL and the API token. Use these details to configure the
Wavefront account in vRealize Operations Manager. For more information about configuring the
Wavefront account, see Configure the Wavefront Account.

Deploy VMware Application Proxy
Use a vSphere client to deploy VMware Application Proxy. You can deploy the VMware Application Proxy
OVA template from a URL or from a file.
Prerequisites

You must have the URL to the VMware Application Proxy OVA template before you proceed. Alternately,
you can download the VMware Application Proxy OVA file after you log in to
vRealize Operations Manager. Navigate to the Application Monitoring with VMware Wavefront page
from the Quick Start page and click the download link in step 2.
Procedure

Right-click any inventory object that is a valid parent object of a virtual machine, such as a data
center, folder, cluster, resource pool, or host, and select Deploy OVF Template.
The Deploy OVF Template wizard opens.

Select Deploy OVF Template.
The Deploy OVF Template wizard opens.

On the Deploy OVF template page do one of the following and click Next:
u

If you have a URL to the OVA template which is located on the Internet, type the URL in the URL
field. Supported URL sources are HTTP and HTTPS

If you have downloaded the VMware Application Proxy OVA file, click Local file and browse to
the location of the file and select it.

On the Select a name and folder page, enter a unique name for the virtual machine or vAPP, select
a deployment location, and click Next.
The default name for the virtual machine is the same as the name of the selected OVF or OVA
template. If you change the default name, choose a name that is unique within each vCenter Server
virtual machine folder.
The default deployment location for the virtual machine is the inventory object where you started the
wizard.

On the Select a resource page, select a resource where to run the deployed VM template, and click
Next.

On the Review details page, verify the OVF or OVA template details and click Next.
Option

Description

Product

VMware Application Proxy.

Version

Version number of the VMware Application Proxy.

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Option

Description

Vendor

VMWare.

Publisher

Publisher of the OVF or OVA template, if a certificate included in the OVF or OVA
template file specifies a publisher.

Download size

Size of the OVF or OVA file.

Size on disk

Size on disk after you deploy the OVF or OVA template.

On the Accept license agreements page, click Accept and then Next.

In the Select configuration page, select the size of the deployment.

On the Select storage page, define where and how to store the files for the deployed OVF or OVA
template.
a

Select a VM Storage Policy.
This option is available only if storage policies are enabled on the destination resource.

(Optional) Enable the Show datastores from Storage DRS clusters check box to choose
individual datastores from Storage DRS clusters for the initial placement of the virtual machine.

Select a datastore to store the deployed OVF or OVA template.
The configuration file and virtual disk files are stored on the datastore. Select a datastore large
enough to accommodate the virtual machine or vApp and all associated virtual disk files.

10 On the Select networks page, select a source network and map it to a destination network. Click
Next. The source network must have a static FQDN name or static DNS.
The Source Network column lists all networks that are defined in the OVF or OVA template.
11 In the Customize template page, provide inputs to configure the VMware Application Proxy
deployment.
Configuration

Description

API Admin User's Password

Enter a password for the VMware Application Proxy API admin. The username is
admin@ucp.local. This password should be used when configuring this
Application Proxy in vRealize Operations Manager.

Networking Properties

Verify the networking properties.

12 On the Ready to complete page, review the page and click Finish.
13 After the OVA deployment is complete, you can log in to the virtual appliance from vCenter Server.
Right click the virtual appliance that you installed. Click Open Console. Use the following credentials
to log in:
Log In Details

Value

Username

root

Password

vmware

14 Change the root user password.

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15 Start the sshd service to access the virtual machine through ssh
What to do next

Configure VMware Application Proxy Tab
The Application proxies you add and configure are displayed in the Configure VMware Application
Proxy tab.
You can view the name of the VMware Application Proxy added and the number of vCenters managed, in
the Configure VMware Application Proxy tab.
Where You Can Configure the Application Proxy
To configure an application proxy, from the menu, select Home, and then from the left pane select
Application Monitoring (Wavefront). From the right pane, select the VMware Application Proxy tab.
Table 8‑1. Tab Options
Options

Description

Edit

Allows you to modify the VMware Application Proxy
configuration details or the details of the vCenter Servers that
are managed

Delete

Allows you to delete the application proxy. Data will not be sent
to Wavefront. Ensure that you uninstall the agents from the VMs
that are monitored before you delete the application proxy.

Add an Application Proxy

Allows you to map a vCenter Server with a
VMware Application Proxy.

You can also view specific details from the options in the data grid.
Table 8‑2. Data Grid Options
Option

Description

Name

Displays the FQDN of the VMware Application Proxy.

vCenters Managed

Displays the number of vCenter Servers mapped to the
VMware Application Proxy.

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Table 8‑2. Data Grid Options (Continued)
Option

Description

Proxy Server Health

Indicates the health of the VMware Application Proxy.
n

Green. Indicates that the VMware Application Proxy is healthy.

Red. Indicates that the VMware Application Proxy is not healthy.
Point to this cell to view a tooltip that displays the cause if the health
status is red.

Wavefront Forwarder Status

Indicates the health of the VMware Application Proxy's connection to
Wavefront.
n

Green. Indicates a healthy connection.

Red. Indicates that the connection is not healthy.
Point to this cell to view a tooltip that displays the cause if the health
status is red.

Add and Configure an Application Proxy
You can add and configure application proxies from the Configure VMware Application Proxy tab to
manage the life cycle of agents and application services.
To add and configure a VMware Application Proxy, in the menu, click Home, and then in the left pane
select Application Monitoring (Wavefront). From the right pane, select the Configure VMware
Application Proxy tab.
Prerequisites
n

Verify that you have configured a vCenter adapter.

Download and deploy VMware Application Proxy.
You can download VMware Application Proxy by clicking the Download link in Step 2 of the
Application Monitoring with VMware Wavefront page.
For information about deploying the VMware Application Proxy, see Deploy VMware Application
Proxy.

Procedure

To configure a VMware Application Proxy, select Add an Application Proxy from the Configure
VMware Application Proxy tab.

In the Configure Application Proxy page, enter the following details:
a

FQDN of the VMware Application Proxy you have configured during the installation of
VMware Application Proxy.

You cannot modify the user name which is admin.

The API password of the VMware Application Proxy you have configured during the installation of
VMware Application Proxy.

Click Next.

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From the Map vCenters page, complete the following steps:
a

Select the vCenter Servers to which you want to map the VMware Application Proxy.
If you have mapped a vCenter Server to a VMware Application Proxy, it is not displayed in the
drop-down menu.

The vCenter Servers that are mapped to the VMware Application Proxy are displayed on the
page.

Click Test Connection, to validate the connection.
If the mapped vCenter Server turns red, it signifies that the vCenter Server cannot communicate
with the VMware Application Proxy. If the mapped vCenter Server turns green, it signifies that the
vCenter Server can communicate to the VMware Application Proxy.

d
4

Click Next.

From the Summary page, you view details such as the FQDN, user name, and the vCenter Servers
that are mapped to an instance of the VMware Application Proxy.
a

Click Finish.

What to do next

Install agents on the VMs you prefer and manage the application services.

Agent Management Tab
After you have configured the VMware Application Proxy and mapped it to a vCenter Server, you can
manage the agents on the VMs from the Agent Management tab. You can view the data centers, hosts,
and clusters available in the vCenter Servers you have mapped to VMware Application Proxy. You can
install, uninstall, start, and stop the agents on the VMs. You can also discover and manage the services
on each agent that you install.

Where You Manage the Agents
To manage the agents and application services, in the menu, select Home, and then from the left pane
select Application Monitoring (Wavefront). From the right pane, select the Agent Management tab.

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Table 8‑3. Tab Options
Options

Description

Virtual Machine Filter

Lists the data centers, hosts, and clusters available in the vCenter Servers you have
mapped to VMware Application Proxy. You can filter the VMs for each object that you
select.

Manage Agent

Allows you to install, uninstall, start, and stop the agent.
n

Install. Installs the agents on the selected VM. Select the VMs on which you want to
install the agent and select Manage Agent > Install.

Uninstall. Uninstalls the agent. Select the VMs on which you want to uninstall the
agent and select Manage Agent > Uninstall.

Start. If you have temporarily stopped sending metrics to Wavefront, you can use this
option to start data collection for the application service.

Stop. During a maintenance period, you can temporarily stop sending application
service metrics to Wavefront. Select the VMs on which you want to stop the agent
and select Manage Agent > Stop.

Manage Services

You can manage the application services that are discovered on the virtual machines
where the agents are installed.

All Filters

Filters the VMs based on the name of the VM, the operating system it runs on, and the
application service discovered.

You can also view specific details from the options in the data grid.
Table 8‑4. Data Grid Options
Option

Description

VM Name

Name of the virtual machine.

vCenter Name

Name of the vCenter Adapter instance to which that VM resource
belongs.

Operating System

Operating system installed on the VM.

Agent Status

Status of the agent at the end point. The possible values are:

Last Operation Status

Services Discovered

Not installed

Agent running

Agent stopped

Status of the last operation. The possible values are:
n

Install Success

Install Failed

Start Success

Start Failed

Stop Success

Stop Failed

List of the supported services discovered on the VM.

To manage the agent, follow these steps:
1

Install the agent.
For more information, see Install an Agent.

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Manage the application services on each agent.
For more information, see Manage Application Services.

Stop and start the agents on the VMs.

Uninstall the agent.
For more information, see Uninstall an Agent.

Install an Agent
You must select the VMs on which you want to install the agent.
Prerequisites
n

Time synchronization between VMware Application Proxy and Windows and Linux target VMs is
mandatory for secure communication.

Account Privilege Prerequisites
n

Windows end points. To install agents,
n

The user must be either an administrator, or

A non-administrator who belongs to the administrator group with UAC disabled on the
operating system.
To disable UAC (previously known as LAU) on Windows, complete the following step:
n

In the registry path
HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System, set the
value for the key EnableLUA to 0.

Linux end points. To install agents,
n

The user must be a root user, or

A non-root user with the following capability:
n

Password-less sudo elevation access for a non-root user or a non-root user group.
To enable password-less sudo elevation access for a user called NRU, add NRU
ALL=(ALL:ALL) NOPASSWD: ALL to /etc/sudoers.
To enable password-less sudo elevation access for a user group called NRUG, add
%NRUG ALL=(ALL:ALL) NOPASSWD: ALL to /etc/sudoers.

Procedure

From the Agent Management tab, select Manage Agent > Install. You see the Manage Agent
dialog box.

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From the How do you want to provide VM Credentials page, complete the following steps:
a

If you have a common user name and password for all the VMs, select the Common username
and password option.

If you have different user names and passwords for all the VMs, select the Enter virtual
machine credentials option.

Click Next.

From the Provide Credentials page, depending on whether you have a common credential for all
VMs or different credentials for all VMs, enter the following details:
a

If the selected VMs have a common user name and password, enter the common user name and
password.

For different user names and passwords for each VM, download the CSV template and add the
required details such as the user name, password for each VM. Use the Browse button to select
the template.

Click Next.

From the Summary page, you can view the list of VMs on which the agent will be deployed.

Click Deploy Agent. Refresh the UI to view the agents that are installed.
The agent discovers the application services that are installed on the VMs and the application
services are displayed in the Services Discovered column in the Agent Management tab. You can
view the status of agent installation from the Agent Status and Last Operation Status columns in
the Agent Management tab.

What to do next

You can manage the services on each agent.

Manage Application Services
You can manage the application services supported by VMware Application Proxy, on the VMs where the
agents are installed.
Procedure

Select a VM on which the agent has been installed and the application services have been
discovered, from the Agent Management tab.

Select Manage Service and then from the drop-down menu select the service name. You see the
Plugin Activation dialog box.

By default, all metrics are collected for the activated application service.

Activate data collection for the application service.

Enter the relevant settings for the application service.

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Click Confirm.
Fields with a star are mandatory.
The green dot against the service in the Services Discovered column in the Agent Management
tab indicates that the agent has accepted the configuration details. It does not indicate that the agent
is collecting data.
For information about supported application services and their properties, see Supported Application
Services in the VMware Application Proxy Guide on Solution Exchange.

What to do next

You can view the metrics collected for each application service in the Wavefront dashboards.

Activate and Deactivate an Application Service
You can deactivate and activate application services that are monitored by VMware Application Proxy.
After you have installed the agent and configured the application services so that data is collected and
sent to Wavefront, you can choose to deactivate an application service. You can later reactivate the
application services.
Deactivate an Application Service
To deactivate an application service that is sending data to Wavefront, from the Agent Management tab,
select the VM on which the agent that has the relevant application service is installed. Select Manage
Service and then from the drop-down menu select the service name. Deactivate the application service
from the PluginActivation dialog box and click Confirm. The configuration details are deleted.
Activate an Application Service
To activate an application service that was deactivated, from the Agent Management tab, select the VM
on which the agent that has the relevant service is installed. Select Manage Service and then from the
drop-down menu select the service name. Activate the application service from the PluginActivation
dialog box. Enter the password and click Confirm.
A red dot against the application service in the Services Discovered column in the Agent Management
tab indicates that the activation or deactivation of the application service has failed. A gray dot indicates
successful deactivation of the application service. A green dot indicates successful activation of the
application service.

Uninstall an Agent
You must select the VMs on which you want to uninstall the agent.
Procedure

From the Agent Management tab, select Manage Agent > Uninstall. You see the Manage Agent
dialog box.

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From the How do you want to provide VM Credentials page, complete the following steps:
a

If you have a common user name and password for all the VMs, select the Common username
and password option.

If you have different user names and passwords for all the VMs, select the Enter virtual
machine credentials option.

Click Next.

From the Provide Credentials page, depending on whether you have a common credential for all
VMs or different credentials for all VMs, enter the following details:
a

If your VM has a single user name and password, enter the common user name and password.

For multiple user names and passwords for each VM, download the CSV template and add the
details. Use the Browse button to select the template.

Click Next.

From the Summary page, you can view the list of VMs on which the agent is deployed.

Click Remove Agent. Refresh the UI to view the progress of agent uninstallation.
The Installation Progress and Services Discovered columns in the workspace indicate that
uninstallation is complete and that there are no application services discovered on each agent.

Monitor Metrics in Wavefront
To monitor metrics for the application services you have activated, open Wavefront and view the
dashboards that are populated with data.
From the Wavefront home page, select Integrations and click the application service you have
activated. From the Dashboard tab, click the application link. Select View > Source and enter the and the in the search field in the format _.
For example, 0e6304a2-df1f-4043-ae40-0d891d443387_vm-99.
For more information, see the Wavefront documentation.

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Configuring Administration
Settings

After vRealize Operations Manager is installed and configured, you can use administration settings to
manage your environment. You find most administration settings under the Administration selection of the
vRealize Operations Manager interface.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n

Managing Users and Access Control in vRealize Operations Manager

vRealize Operations Manager Passwords and Certificates

Modifying Global Settings

Create a vRealize Operations Manager Support Bundle

Customizing Icons

Managing Users and Access Control in
vRealize Operations Manager
To ensure security of the objects in your vRealize Operations Manager instance, as a system
administrator you can manage all aspects of user access control. You create user accounts, assign each
user to be a member of one or more user groups, and assign roles to each user or user group to set their
privileges.
Users must have privileges to access specific features in the vRealize Operations Manager user
interface. Access control is defined by assigning privileges to both users and objects. You can assign one
or more roles to users, and enable them to perform a range of different actions on the same types of
objects. For example, you can assign a user with the privileges to delete a virtual machine, and assign
the same user with read-only privileges for another virtual machine.

User Access Control
You can authenticate users in vRealize Operations Manager in several ways.
n

Create local user accounts in vRealize Operations Manager.

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Use VMware vCenter Server users. After the vCenter Server is registered with
vRealize Operations Manager, configure the vCenter Server user options in the
vRealize Operations Manager global settings to enable a vCenter Server user to log in to
vRealize Operations Manager. When logged into vRealize Operations Manager, vCenter Server
users access objects according to their vCenter Server-assigned permissions.

Add an authentication source to authenticate imported users and user group information that resides
on another machine.
n

Use LDAP to import users or user groups from an LDAP server. LDAP users can use their LDAP
credentials to log in to vRealize Operations Manager.

Create a single sign-on source and import users and user groups from a single sign-on server.
Single sign-on users can use their single sign-on credentials to log in to
vRealize Operations Manager and vCenter Server. You can also use Active Directory through
single sign-on by configuring the Active Directory through single sign-on and adding the single
sign-on source to vRealize Operations Manager.

User Preferences
To determine the display options for vRealize Operations Manager, such as colors for the display and
health chart, the number of metrics and groups to display, and whether to synchronize system time with
the host machine, you configure the user preferences on the top toolbar.

Users of vRealize Operations Manager
Each user has an account to authenticate them when they log in to vRealize Operations Manager.
The accounts of local users and LDAP users are visible in the vRealize Operations Manager user
interface when they are set up. The accounts of vCenter Server and single sign-on users only appear in
the user interface after a user logs in for the first time. Each user can be assigned one or more roles, and
can be an authenticated member of one or more user groups.

Local Users in vRealize Operations Manager
When you create user accounts in a local vRealize Operations Manager instance,
vRealize Operations Manager stores the credentials for those accounts in its global database, and
authenticates the account user locally.
Each user account must have a unique identity, and can include any associated user preferences.
If you are logging in to vRealize Operations Manager as a local user, and on occasion receive an
invalid password message, try the following workaround. In the Login page, change the Authentication
Source to All vCenter Servers, change it back to Local Users, and log in again.

vCenter Server Users in vRealize Operations Manager
vRealize Operations Manager supports vCenter Server users. To log in to vRealize Operations Manager,
vCenter Server users must be valid users in vCenter Server.

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Roles and Associations
A vCenter Server user must have either the vCenter Server Admin role or one of the
vRealize Operations Manager privileges, such as PowerUser which assigned at the root level in
vCenter Server, to log in to vRealize Operations Manager. vRealize Operations Manager uses only the
vCenter privileges, meaning the vRealize Operations Manager roles, at the root level, and applies them to
all the objects to which the user has access. After logging in, vCenter Server users can view all the
objects in vRealize Operations Manager that they can already view in vCenter Server.
Logging in to vCenter Server Instances and Accessing Objects
vCenter Server users can access either a single vCenter Server instance or multiple vCenter Server
instances, depending on the authentication source they select when they log in to
vRealize Operations Manager.
n

If users select a single vCenter Server instance as the authentication source, they have permission to
access the objects in that vCenter Server instance. After the user has logged in, an account is
created in vRealize Operations Manager with the specific vCenter Server instance serving as the
authentication source.

If users select All vCenter Servers as the authentication source, and they have identical credentials
for each vCenter Server in the environment, they see all the objects in all the vCenter Server
instances. Only users that have been authenticated by all the vCenter Servers in the environment can
log in. After a user has logged in, an account is created in vRealize Operations Manager with all
vCenter Server instances serving as the authentication source.

vRealize Operations Manager does not support linked vCenter Server instances. Instead, you must
configure the vCenter Server adapter for each vCenter Server instance, and register each vCenter Server
instance to vRealize Operations Manager.
Only objects from a specific vCenter Server instance appear in vRealize Operations Manager. If a
vCenter Server instance has other linked vCenter Server instances, the data does not appear.
vCenter Server Roles and Privileges
You cannot view or edit vCenter Server roles or privileges in vRealize Operations Manager.
vRealize Operations Manager sends roles as privileges to vCenter Server as part of the vCenter Server
Global privilege group. A vCenter Server administrator must assign vRealize Operations Manager roles to
users in vCenter Server.
vRealize Operations Manager privileges in vCenter Server have the role appended to the name. For
example, vRealize Operations Manager ContentAdmin Role, or vRealize Operations Manager PowerUser
Role.

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Read-Only Principal
A vCenter Server user is a read-only principal in vRealize Operations Manager, which means that you
cannot change the role, group, or objects associated with the role in vRealize Operations Manager.
Instead, you must change them in the vCenter Server instance. The role applied to the root folder applies
to all the objects in vCenter Server to which a user has privileges. vRealize Operations Manager does not
apply individual roles on objects. For example, if a user has the PowerUser role to access the
vCenter Server root folder, but has read-only access to a virtual machine, vRealize Operations Manager
applies the PowerUser role to the user to access the virtual machine.
Refreshing Permissions
When you change permissions for a vCenter Server user in vCenter Server, the user must log out and log
back in to vRealize Operations Manager to refresh the permissions and view the updated results in
vRealize Operations Manager. Alternatively, the user can wait for vRealize Operations Manager to
refresh. The permissions refresh at fixed intervals, as defined in the
$ALIVE_BASE/user/conf/auth.properties file. The default refreshing interval is half an hour. If
necessary, you can change this interval for all nodes in the cluster.
Single Sign-On and vCenter Users
When vCenter Server users log into vRealize Operations Manager by way of single sign-on, they are
registered on the vRealize Operations Manager User Accounts page. If you delete the account of a
vCenter Server user that has logged into vRealize Operations Manager by way of single sign-on, or
remove the user from a single sign-on group, the user account entry still appears on the User Account
page and you must delete it manually.
Generating Reports
vCenter Server users cannot create or schedule reports in vRealize Operations Manager.

Backward Compatibility for vCenter Server Users in
vRealize Operations Manager
vRealize Operations Manager provides backward compatibility for users of the earlier version of
vRealize Operations Manager, so that users of vCenter Server who have privileges in the earlier version
in vCenter Server can log in to vRealize Operations Manager.
When you register vRealize Operations Manager in vCenter Server, certain roles become available in
vCenter Server.
n

The Administrator account in the previous version of vRealize Operations Manager maps to the
PowerUser role.

The Operator account in the previous version of vRealize Operations Manager maps to the ReadOnly
role.

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During registration, all roles in vRealize Operations Manager, except for vRealize Operations Manager
Administrator, Maintenance, and Migration, become available dynamically in vCenter Server.
Administrators in vCenter Server have all of the roles in vRealize Operations Manager that map during
registration, but these administrator accounts only receive a specific role on the root folder in
vCenter Server if it is specially assigned.
Registration of vRealize Operations Manager with vCenter Server is optional. If users choose not to
register vRealize Operations Manager with vCenter Server, a vCenter Server administrator can still use
their user name and password to log in to vRealize Operations Manager, but these users cannot use the
vCenter Server session ID to log in. In this case, typical vCenter Server users must have one or more
vRealize Operations Manager roles to log in to vRealize Operations Manager.
When multiple instances of vCenter Server are added to vRealize Operations Manager, user credentials
become valid for all of the vCenter Server instances. When a user logs in to
vRealize Operations Manager, if the user selects all vCenter Server options during login,
vRealize Operations Manager requires that the user's credentials are valid for all of the vCenter Server
instances. If a user account is only valid for a single vCenter Server instance, that user can select the
vCenter Server instance from the login drop-down menu to log in to vRealize Operations Manager.
vCenter Server users who log in to vRealize Operations Manager must have one or more of the following
roles in vCenter Server:
n

vRealize Operations Content Admin Role

vRealize Operations General User Role 1

vRealize Operations General User Role 2

vRealize Operations General User Role 3

vRealize Operations General User Role 4

vRealize Operations Power User Role

vRealize Operations Power User without Remediation Actions Role

vRealize Operations Read Only Role

For more information about vCenter Server users, groups, and roles, see the vCenter Server
documentation.

External User Sources in vRealize Operations Manager
You can obtain user accounts from external sources so that you can use them in your
vRealize Operations Manager instance.
There are two types of external user identity sources:
n

Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP): Use the LDAP source if you want to use the Active
Directory or LDAP servers as authentication sources. The LDAP source does not support multidomains even when there is a two-way trust between Domain A and Domain B.

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Single Sign-On (SSO): Use a single sign-on source to perform single sign-on with any application that
supports vCenter single sign-on, including vRealize Operations Manager. For example, you can
install a standalone vCenter Platform Services Controller (PSC) and use it to communicate with an
Active Directory server. Use a PSC if the Active Directory has a setup that is too complex for the
simple LDAP source in vRealize Operations Manager, or if the LDAP source is experiencing slow
performance.

Includes privileges to all features, objects, and actions in
vRealize Operations Manager.

PowerUser

PowerUserMinusReme
diation

Users have privileges to perform the actions of the Administrator role
except for privileges to user management, cluster management, and
remediation actions.

ContentAdmin

Users can manage all content, including views, reports, dashboards, and
custom groups in vRealize Operations Manager.

AgentManager

Users can deploy and configure End Point Operations Management
agents.

GeneralUser-1 through
GeneralUser-4

ReadOnly

Users have read-only access and can perform read operations, but cannot
perform write actions such as create, update, or delete.

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User Scenario: Manage User Access Control
As a system administrator or virtual infrastructure administrator, you manage user access control in
vRealize Operations Manager so that you can ensure the security of your objects. Your company just
hired a new person, and you must create a user account and assign a role to the account so that the new
user has permission to access specific content and objects in vRealize Operations Manager.
In this scenario you will learn how to create user accounts and roles, and assign roles to the user
accounts to specify access privileges to views and objects. You will then demonstrate the intended
behavior of the permissions on these accounts.
You will create a new user account, named Tom User, and a new role that grants administrative access to
objects in the vRealize Operations Clusters. You will apply the new role to the user account.
Finally, you will import a user account from an external LDAP user database that resides on another
machine to vRealize Operations Manager, and assign a role to the imported user account to configure the
user's privileges.
Prerequisites

Verify that the following conditions are met:
n

vRealize Operations Manager is installed and operating properly, and contains objects such as
clusters, hosts, and virtual machines.

One or more user groups are defined.

What to do next

Create a new role.

Create a New Role
You use roles to manage access control for user accounts in vRealize Operations Manager.
In this procedure, you will add a new role and assign administrative permissions to the role.
Prerequisites

Verify that you understand the context of this scenario. See User Scenario: Manage User Access Control.
Procedure

In the menu, click Administration, and then in the left pane click Access > Access Control.

Click the Roles tab.

Click the Add icon on the toolbar to create a new role.
The Create Role dialog box appears.

For the role name, type admin_cluster, then type a description and click OK.
The admin_cluster role appears in the list of roles.

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Click the admin_cluster role.

In the Details grid below, on the Permissions pane, click the Edit icon.
The Assign Permissions to Role dialog box appears.

Select the Administrative Access - all permissions check box.

Click Update.
This action gives this role administrative access to all the features in the environment.

What to do next

Create a user account, and assign this role to the account.

Create a User Account
As an administrator you assign a unique user account to each user so that they can use
vRealize Operations Manager. While you set up the user account, you assign the privileges that
determine what activities the user can perform in the environment, and upon what objects.
In this procedure, you will create a user account, assign the admin_cluster role to the account, and
associate the objects that the user can access while assigned this role. You will assign access to objects
in the vRealize Operations Cluster. Then, you will test the user account to confirm that the user can
access only the specified objects.
Prerequisites

Create a new role. See Create a New Role.
Procedure

In the menu, click Administration, and then in the left pane click Access > Access Control.

Click the User Accounts tab.

Click the Add icon to create a new user account, and provide the information for this account.
Option

Description

User Name

Type the user name to use to log in to vRealize Operations Manager.

Password

Type a password for the user.

Confirm Password

Type the password again to confirm it.

First Name

Type the user's first name. For this scenario, type Tom.

Last Name

Type the user's last name. For this scenario, type User.

Email Address

(Optional). Type the user's email address.

Description

(Optional). Type a description for this user.

Disable this user

Do not select this check box, because you want the user to be active for this
scenario.

Require password change at next login

Do not select this check box, because you do not need to change the user's
password for this scenario.

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Click Next.
The list of user groups appears.

Select a user group to add the user account as a member of the group.

Click the Objects tab.

Select the admin_cluster role from the drop-down menu.

Select the Assign this role to the user check box.

In the Object Hierarchies list, select the vRealize Operations Cluster check box.

10 Click Finish.
You created a new user account for a user who can access all the vRealize Operations Cluster
objects. The new user now appears in the list of user accounts.
11 Log out of vRealize Operations Manager.
12 Log in to vRealize Operations Manager as Tom User, and verify that this user account can access all
the objects in the vRealize Operations Cluster hierarchy, but not other objects in the environment.
13 Log out of vRealize Operations Manager.
You used a specific role to assign permission to access all objects in the vRealize Operations Cluster to a
user account named Tom User.
What to do next

Import a user account from an external LDAP user database that resides on another machine, and assign
permissions to the user account.

Import a User Account and Assign Permissions
You can import user accounts from external sources, such as an LDAP database on another machine, or
a single sign-on server, so that you can give permission to those users to access certain features and
objects in vRealize Operations Manager.
Prerequisites
n

Configure an authorization source. See the vRealize Operations Manager Information Center.

Procedure

Log out of vRealize Operations Manager, then log in as a system administrator.

In the menu, click Administration, and then in the left pane click Access > Access Control.

On the toolbar, click the Import Users icon.

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Specify the options to import user accounts from an authorization source.
a

On the Import Users page, from the Import From drop-down menu, select an authentication
source.

In the Domain Name drop-down menu, type the domain name from which you want to import
users, and click Search.

Select the users you want to import, and click Next.

On the Groups tab, select the user group to which you want to add this user account.

Click the Objects tab, select the admin_cluster role, and select the Assign this role to the
user check box.

In the Object Hierarchies list, select the vRealize Operations Cluster check box, and click
Finish.

Log out of vRealize Operations Manager.

Verify that the imported user can access only the objects in the vRealize Operations Cluster.

You imported a user account from an external user database or server to vRealize Operations Manager,
and assigned a role and the objects the user can access while holding this role to the user.
You have finished this scenario.

Configure a Single Sign-On Source in
vRealize Operations Manager
As a system administrator or virtual infrastructure administrator, you use single sign-on to enable SSO
users to log in securely to your vRealize Operations Manager environment.
After the single sign-on source is configured, users are redirected to an SSO identity source for
authentication. When logged in, users can access other vSphere components such as the vCenter Server
without having to log in again.
Prerequisites
n

Verify that the server system time of the single sign-on source and vRealize Operations Manager are
synchronized. If you need to configure the Network Time Protocol (NTP), see information about
cluster and node maintenance in the vRealize Operations Manager vApp Deployment and
Configuration Guide.

Verify that you have access to a Platform Services Controller through the vCenter Server. See the
VMware vSphere Information Center for more details.

Procedure

In the menu, click Administration, then in the left pane click Access > Authentication Sources.

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Click Add.

In the Add Source for User and Group Import dialog box, provide information for the single sign-on
source.

Option

Action

Source Display Name

Type a name for the import source.

Source Type

Verify that SSO SAML is displayed.

Host

Enter the IP address or FQDN of the host machine where the single sign-on
server resides. If you enter the FQDN of the host machine, verify that every nonremote collector node in the vRealize Operations Manager cluster can resolve the
single sign-on host FQDN.

Port

Set the port to the single sign-on server listening port. By default, the port is set to
443.

User Name

Enter the user name that can log into the SSO server.

Password

Enter the password.

Grant administrator role to
vRealize Operations Manager for future
configuration?

Select Yes so that the SSO source is reregistered automatically if you make
changes to the vRealize Operations Manager setup. If you select No, and the
vRealize Operations Manager setup is changed, single sign-on users will not be
able to log in until you manually reregister the single sign-on source.

Automatically redirect to vRealize
Operations single sign-on URL?

Select Yes to direct users to the vCenter single-sign on log in page. If you select
No, users are not redirected to SSO for authentication. This option can be
changed in the vRealize Operations Manager Global Settings.

Import single sign-on user groups after
adding the current source?

Select Yes so that the wizard directs you to the Import User Groups page when
you have completed the SSO source setup. If you want to import user accounts,
or user groups at a later stage, select No.

Advanced options

If your environment uses a load balancer, enter the IP address of the load
balancer.

Click Test to test the source connection, and then click OK.
The certificate details are displayed.

Select the Accept this Certificate check box, and click OK.

In the Import User Groups dialog box, import user accounts from an SSO server on another machine.

Option

Action

Import From

Select the single sign-on server you specified when you configured the single
sign-on source.

Domain Name

Select the domain name from which you want to import user groups. If Active
Directory is configured as the LDAP source in the PSC, you can only import
universal groups and domain local groups if the vCenter Server resides in the
same domain.

Result Limit

Enter the number of results that are displayed when the search is conducted.

Search Prefix

Enter a prefix to use when searching for user groups.

In the list of user groups displayed, select at least one user group, and click Next.

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In the Roles and Objects pane, select a role from the Select Role drop-down menu, and select the
Assign this role to the group check box.

10 Select the objects users of the group can access when holding this role.
To assign permissions so that users can access all the objects in vRealize Operations Manager,
select the Allow access to all objects in the system check box.
11 Click OK.
12 Familiarize yourself with single-sign on and confirm that you have configured the single sign-on
source correctly.
a

Log out of vRealize Operations Manager.

In a new browser tab, enter the IP address of your vRealize Operations Manager environment.

If the single sign-on server is configured correctly, you are logged in to
vRealize Operations Manager without having to enter your user credentials.

Edit a Single Sign-On Source
Edit a single sign-on source if you need to change the administrator credentials used to manage the
single sign-on source, or if you have changed the host of the source.
When you configure an SSO source, you specify either the IP address or the FQDN of the host machine
where the single sign-on server resides. If you want to configure a new host, that is, if the single sign-on
server resides on a different host machine than the one configured when the source was set up,
vRealize Operations Manager removes the current SSO source, and creates a new source. In this case,
you must reimport the users you want to associate with the new SSO source.
If you want to change the way the current host is identified in vRealize Operations Manager, for example,
change the IP address to the FQDN and the reverse, or update the IP address of the PSC if the IP
address of the configured PSC has changed, vRealize Operations Manager updates the current SSO
source, and you are not required to reimport users.
Procedure

In the menu, click Administration, and then in the left pane click Access > Authentication
Sources.

Select the single sign-on source and click the Edit icon.

Make changes to the single sign-on source, and click OK.
If you are configuring a new host, the New Single Sign-On Source Detected dialog box appears.

Enter the administrator credentials that were used to set up the single sign-on source, and click OK.
The current SSO source is removed, and a new one created.

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Click OK to accept the certificate.

Import the users you want to associate with the SSO source.

Audit Users and the Environment in vRealize Operations Manager
At times you might need to provide documentation as evidence of the sequence of activities that took
place in your vRealize Operations Manager environment. Auditing allows you to view the users, objects,
and information that is collected. To meet audit requirements, such as for business critical applications
that contain sensitive data that must be protected, you can generate reports on the activities of your
users, the privileges assigned to users to access objects, and the counts of objects and applications in
your environment.
Auditing reports provide traceability of the objects and users in your environment.
User Activity Audit

Run this report to understand the scope of user activities, such as logging
in, actions on clusters and nodes, changes to system passwords, activating
certificates, and logging out.

User Permissions Audit

Generate this report to understand the scope of user accounts and their
roles, access groups, and access privileges.

System Audit

Run this report to understand the scale of your environment. This report
displays the counts of configured and collecting objects, the types and
counts of adapters, configured and collecting metrics, super metrics,
applications, and existing virtual environment objects. This report can help
you determine whether the number of objects in your environment exceeds
a supported limit.

System Component
Audit

Run this report to display a version list of all the components in your
environment.

Reasons for Auditing Your Environment
Auditing in vRealize Operations Manager helps data center administrators in the following types of
situations.
n

You must track each configuration change to an authenticated user who initiated the change or
scheduled the job that performed the change. For example, after an adapter changes an object,
which is associated with a specific object identifier at a specific time, the data center administrator
can determine the principal identifier of the authenticated user who initiated the change.

You must track who made changes to your data center during a specific range of time, to determine
who changed what on a particular day. You can identify the principal identifiers of authenticated users
who were logged in to vRealize Operations Manager and running jobs, and determine who initiated
the change.

You must determine which objects were affected by a particular user during a time specific range of
time.

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You must correlate events that occurred in your data center, and view these events overlayed so that
you can visualize relationships and the cause of the events. Events can include login attempts,
system startup and shutdown, application failures, watchdog restarts, configuration changes of
applications, changes to security policy, requests, responses, and status of success.

You must validate that the components installed in your environment are running the latest version.

System Component Audit
A system component audit report provides a version list of every component installed in the system.
Where You Audit System Components
1

To audit system components, in the menu, click Administration, and then in the left pane click
History > Audit.

Click the System Component Audit tab.

A list of components installed in the environment appears on the page.
Table 9‑1. System Component Audit Actions
Option

Description

Download

Display the version information in a new browser window.

vRealize Operations Manager Passwords and Certificates
For secure vRealize Operations Manager operation, you might need to perform maintenance on
passwords or authentication certificates.
n

Passwords are for user access to the product interfaces or to console sessions on cluster nodes.

Authentication certificates are for secure machine-to-machine communication within
vRealize Operations Manager itself or between vRealize Operations Manager and other systems.

Change the vRealize Operations Manager Administrator Password
You might need to change the vRealize Operations Manager administrator password as part of securing
or maintaining your deployment.
Procedure

In a Web browser, navigate to the vRealize Operations Manager administration interface at
https://master-node-name-or-ip-address/admin.

In the upper right, click the admin drop-down menu, and click Change Administrator Password.

Enter the current password, and enter the new password twice to ensure its accuracy.
Note You cannot change the administrator username of admin.

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Click OK.

Generate a vRealize Operations Manager Passphrase
When users need to add a node to the vRealize Operations Manager cluster, you can generate a
temporary passphrase instead of giving them the master administrator login credentials, which might be a
security issue.
A temporary passphrase is good for one use only.
Prerequisites

Create and configure the master node.
Procedure

In a Web browser, navigate to the vRealize Operations Manager administration interface at
https://master-node-name-or-ip-address/admin.

In the list of cluster nodes, select the master node.

From the toolbar above the list, click the option to generate a passphrase.

Enter a number of hours before the passphrase expires.

Click Generate.
A random alphanumeric string appears, which you can send to a user who needs to add a node.

What to do next

Have the user supply the passphrase when adding a node.

Custom vRealize Operations Manager Certificates
By default, vRealize Operations Manager includes its own authentication certificates. The default
certificates cause the browser to display a warning when you connect to the
vRealize Operations Manager user interface.
Your site security policies might require that you use another certificate, or you might want to avoid the
warnings caused by the default certificates. In either case, vRealize Operations Manager supports the
use of your own custom certificate. You can upload your custom certificate during initial master node
configuration or later.

Custom vRealize Operations Manager Certificate Requirements
A certificate used with vRealize Operations Manager must conform to certain requirements. Using a
custom certificate is optional and does not affect vRealize Operations Manager features.

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Requirements for Custom Certificates
Custom vRealize Operations Manager certificates must meet the following requirements.
n

The certificate file must include the terminal (leaf) server certificate, a private key, and all issuing
certificates if the certificate is signed by a chain of other certificates.

In the file, the leaf certificate must be first in the order of certificates. After the leaf certificate, the
order does not matter.

In the file, all certificates and the private key must be in PEM format. vRealize Operations Manager
does not support certificates in PFX, PKCS12, PKCS7, or other formats.

In the file, all certificates and the private key must be PEM-encoded. vRealize Operations Manager
does not support DER-encoded certificates or private keys.
PEM-encoding is base-64 ASCII and contains legible BEGIN and END markers, while DER is a
binary format. Also, file extension might not match encoding. For example, a generic .cer extension
might be used with PEM or DER. To verify encoding format, examine a certificate file using a text
editor.

The file extension must be .pem.

The private key must be generated by the RSA or DSA algorithm.

The private key must not be encrypted by a pass phrase if you use the master node configuration
wizard or the administration interface to upload the certificate.

The REST API in this vRealize Operations Manager release supports private keys that are encrypted
by a pass phrase. Contact VMware Technical Support for details.

The vRealize Operations Manager Web server on all nodes will have the same certificate file, so it
must be valid for all nodes. One way to make the certificate valid for multiple addresses is with
multiple Subject Alternative Name (SAN) entries.

SHA1 certificates creates browser compatibility issues. Therefore, ensure that all certificates that are
created and being uploaded to vRealize Operations Manager are signed using SHA2 or newer.

The vRealize Operations Manager supports custom security certificates with key length up to 8192
bits. An error is displayed when you try to upload a security certificate generated with a stronger key
length beyond 8192 bits.

Verifying a Custom vRealize Operations Manager Certificate
When you upload a custom certificate file, the vRealize Operations Manager interface displays summary
information for all certificates in the file.
For a valid custom certificate file, you should be able to match issuer to subject, issuer to subject, back to
a self-signed certificate where the issuer and subject are the same.

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In the following example, OU=MBU,O=VMware\, Inc.,CN=vc-ops-slice-32 is issued by
OU=MBU,O=VMware\, Inc.,CN=vc-ops-intermediate-32, which is issued by OU=MBU,O=VMware\,
Inc.,CN=vc-ops-cluster-ca_33717ac0-ad81-4a15-ac4e-e1806f0d3f84, which is issued by itself.
Thumbprint: 80:C4:84:B9:11:5B:9F:70:9F:54:99:9E:71:46:69:D3:67:31:2B:9C
Issuer Distinguished Name: OU=MBU,O=VMware\, Inc.,CN=vc-ops-intermediate-32
Subject Distinguished Name: OU=MBU,O=VMware\, Inc.,CN=vc-ops-slice-32
Subject Alternate Name:
PublicKey Algorithm: RSA
Valid From: 2015-05-07T16:25:24.000Z
Valid To: 2020-05-06T16:25:24.000Z
Thumbprint: 72:FE:95:F2:90:7C:86:24:D9:4E:12:EC:FB:10:38:7A:DA:EC:00:3A
Issuer Distinguished Name: OU=MBU,O=VMware\, Inc.,CN=vc-ops-cluster-ca_33717ac0-ad81-4a15-ac4ee1806f0d3f84
Subject Distinguished Name: OU=MBU,O=VMware\, Inc.,CN=vc-ops-intermediate-32
Subject Alternate Name: localhost,127.0.0.1
PublicKey Algorithm: RSA
Valid From: 2015-05-07T16:25:19.000Z
Valid To: 2020-05-06T16:25:19.000Z
Thumbprint: FA:AD:FD:91:AD:E4:F1:00:EC:4A:D4:73:81:DB:B2:D1:20:35:DB:F2
Issuer Distinguished Name: OU=MBU,O=VMware\, Inc.,CN=vc-ops-cluster-ca_33717ac0-ad81-4a15-ac4ee1806f0d3f84
Subject Distinguished Name: OU=MBU,O=VMware\, Inc.,CN=vc-ops-cluster-ca_33717ac0-ad81-4a15-ac4ee1806f0d3f84
Subject Alternate Name: localhost,127.0.0.1
PublicKey Algorithm: RSA
Valid From: 2015-05-07T16:24:45.000Z
Valid To: 2020-05-06T16:24:45.000Z

Sample Contents of Custom vRealize Operations Manager Certificates
For troubleshooting purposes, you can open a custom certificate file in a text editor and inspect its
contents.
PEM Format Certificate Files
A typical PEM format certificate file resembles the following sample.
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----MIIF1DCCBLygAwIBAgIKFYXYUwAAAAAAGTANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQ0FADBhMRMwEQYK
CZImiZPyLGQBGRYDY29tMRUwEwYKCZImiZPyLGQBGRYFdm13Y3MxGDAWBgoJkiaJ

vKStQJNr7z2+pTy92M6FgJz3y+daL+9ddbaMNp9fVXjHBoDLGGaLOvyD+KJ8+xba
aGJfGf9ELXM=
-----END CERTIFICATE---------BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY----MIIEowIBAAKCAQEA4l5ffX694riI1RmdRLJwL6sOWa+Wf70HRoLtx21kZzbXbUQN
mQhTRiidJ3Ro2gRbj/btSsI+OMUzotz5VRT/yeyoTC5l2uJEapld45RroUDHQwWJ

DAN9hQus3832xMkAuVP/jt76dHDYyviyIYbmxzMalX7LZy1MCQVg4hCH0vLsHtLh
M1rOAsz62Eht/iB61AsVCCiN3gLrX7MKsYdxZcRVruGXSIh33ynA

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-----END RSA PRIVATE KEY---------BEGIN CERTIFICATE----MIIDnTCCAoWgAwIBAgIQY+j29InmdYNCs2cK1H4kPzANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQ0FADBh
MRMwEQYKCZImiZPyLGQBGRYDY29tMRUwEwYKCZImiZPyLGQBGRYFdm13Y3MxGDAW

ukzUuqX7wEhc+QgJWgl41mWZBZ09gfsA9XuXBL0k17IpVHpEgwwrjQz8X68m4I99
dD5Pflf/nLRJvR9jwXl62yk=
-----END CERTIFICATE-----

Private Keys
Private keys can appear in different formats but are enclosed with clear BEGIN and END markers.
Valid PEM sections begin with one of the following markers.
-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY---------BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----

Encrypted private keys begin with the following marker.
-----BEGIN ENCRYPTED PRIVATE KEY-----

Bag Attributes
Microsoft certificate tools sometimes add Bag Attributes sections to certificate files.
vRealize Operations Manager safely ignores content outside of BEGIN and END markers, including Bag
Attributes sections.
Bag Attributes
Microsoft Local Key set:
localKeyID: 01 00 00 00
Microsoft CSP Name: Microsoft RSA SChannel Cryptographic Provider
friendlyName: le-WebServer-8dea65d4-c331-40f4-aa0b-205c3c323f62
Key Attributes
X509v3 Key Usage: 10
-----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY----MIICdwIBADANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQEFAASCAmEwggJdAgEAAoGBAKHqyfc+qcQK4yxJ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-----END PRIVATE KEY----Bag Attributes
localKeyID: 01 00 00 00

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1.3.6.1.4.1.311.17.3.92: 00 04 00 00
1.3.6.1.4.1.311.17.3.20: 7F 95 38 07 CB 0C 99 DD 41 23 26 15 8B E8
D8 4B 0A C8 7D 93
friendlyName: cos-oc-vcops
1.3.6.1.4.1.311.17.3.71: 43 00 4F 00 53 00 2D 00 4F 00 43 00 2D 00
56 00 43 00 4D 00 35 00 37 00 31 00 2E 00 76 00 6D 00 77 00 61 00
72 00 65 00 2E 00 63 00 6F 00 6D 00 00 00
1.3.6.1.4.1.311.17.3.87: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 02 00 00 00 20 00
00 00 02 00 00 00 6C 00 64 00 61 00 70 00 3A 00 00 00 7B 00 41 00
45 00 35 00 44 00 44 00 33 00 44 00 30 00 2D 00 36 00 45 00 37 00
30 00 2D 00 34 00 42 00 44 00 42 00 2D 00 39 00 43 00 34 00 31 00
2D 00 31 00 43 00 34 00 41 00 38 00 44 00 43 00 42 00 30 00 38 00
42 00 46 00 7D 00 00 00 70 00 61 00 2D 00 61 00 64 00 63 00 33 00
2E 00 76 00 6D 00 77 00 61 00 72 00 65 00 2E 00 63 00 6F 00 6D 00
5C 00 56 00 4D 00 77 00 61 00 72 00 65 00 20 00 43 00 41 00 00 00
31 00 32 00 33 00 33 00 30 00 00 00
subject=/CN=cos-oc-vcops.eng.vmware.com
issuer=/DC=com/DC=vmware/CN=VMware CA
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----MIIFWTCCBEGgAwIBAgIKSJGT5gACAAAwKjANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQUFADBBMRMwEQYK
CZImiZPyLGQBGRYDY29tMRYwFAYKCZImiZPyLGQBGRYGdm13YXJlMRIwEAYDVQQD
EwlWTXdhcmUgQ0EwHhcNMTQwMjA1MTg1OTM2WhcNMTYwMjA1MTg1OTM2WjAmMSQw

Modifying Global Settings
The global settings control the system settings for vRealize Operations Manager, including data retention
and system timeout settings. You can modify one or more of the settings to monitor your environment
better. These settings affect all your users.
The global settings do not affect metric interactions, color indicators, or other object management
behaviors. These behaviors are configured in your policies.
Settings related to managing objects with vRealize Operations Manager are available on the Inventory
Explorer page.
You can view tooltips for each option in the Edit Global Settings dialog box.

Global Settings Best Practices
Most of the settings pertain to how long vRealize Operations Manager retains collected and process data.
The default values are common retention periods. You might need to adjust the time periods based on
your local policies or disk space.

List of Global Settings
The global settings determine how vRealize Operations Manager retains data, keeps connection sessions
open, and other settings. These are system settings that affect all users.

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Table 9‑2. Global Setting Default Values and Descriptions
Setting

Default Value

Description

Action History

30 days

Number of days to retain the recent task data for actions.
The data is purged from the system after the specified number of
days.

Deleted Objects

168 hours

Number of hours to retain objects that are deleted from an adapter
data source or server before deleting them from
vRealize Operations Manager.
An object deleted from an adapter data source is identified by
vRealize Operations Manager as not existing and
vRealize Operations Manager can no longer collect data about the
object. Whether vRealize Operations Manager identifies deleted
objects as not existing depends the adapter. This feature is not
implemented in some adapters.
For example, if the retention time is 360 hour and a virtual machine is
deleted from a vCenter Server instance, the virtual machine remains
as an object in vRealize Operations Manager for 15 days before it is
deleted.
This setting applies to objects deleted from the data source or server,
not to any objects you delete from vRealize Operations Manager on
the Inventory Explorer page.
A value of -1 deletes objects immediately.

Deletion Schedule Interval

24 hours

Determines the frequency to schedule deletion of resources. This
setting works with the Deleted Objects setting to remove objects that
no longer exist in the environment. vRealize Operations Manager
transparently marks objects for removal that have not existed for the
length of time specified under Deleted Objects.
vRealize Operations Manager then removes the marked objects at
the frequency specified under Deletion Scheduling Interval.

Object History

90 days

Number of days to retain the history of the object configuration,
relationship, and property data.
The configuration data is the collected data from the monitored
objects on which the metrics are based. The collected data includes
changes to the configuration of the object.
The data is purged from the system after the specified number of
days.

Session Timeout

30 minutes

If your connection to vRealize Operations Manager is idle for the
specified amount of time, you are logged out of the application.
You must provide credentials to log back in.

Symptoms/Alerts

45 days

Number of days to retain canceled alerts and symptoms.
The alerts and symptoms are either canceled by the system or by a
user.

Time Series Data Retention

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6 months

Number of months that you want to retain the collected and
calculated metric data for the monitored objects. This setting is set to
6 months by default for 5 minutes interval data retention.

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Table 9‑2. Global Setting Default Values and Descriptions (Continued)
Setting

Default Value

Description

Additional Time Series Data Retention

36 months

The Additional Time Series Retention is the number of months that
the roll-up data extends beyond the Regular period, which is much
clearer than “is always larger than”. The roll-up data is available
starting from the end of the regular period and until the end of the rollup data retention period. If 0 value is specified, then this will
effectively disable Additional Time Series Retention and only data
specified in Time Series Retention is stored. This setting ensures that
after 6 months of normal retention for 5 minutes, the seventh month
data is rolled up into a one Hour roll up. You can set up this option up
to 120 months for data roll ups.

Maintain Relationship History

Dynamic Threshold Calculation

You can maintain a history of all the relationships of all the monitored
objects in vRealize Operations Manager.
enabled

Determines whether to calculate normal levels of threshold violation
for all objects.
If the setting is disabled, the following area of
vRealize Operations Manager does not work or are not displayed:
n

Anomalies badge is not calculated

Alert symptom definitions based on dynamic thresholds will not
work

Metric charts that display normal behavior are not present

Disable this setting only if you have no alternative options for
managing resource constraints for your vRealize Operations Manager
system.
Cost Calculation

The host time at which cost calculations are run.

Allow vCenter users to log in to individual
vCenters using the vRealize Operations
Manager UI

Determine how users of vCenter Server login to
vRealize Operations Manager.
n

In the vRealize Operations Manager user interface,
vCenter Server users can log in to individual vCenter Server
instances. Disabled by default.

vCenter Server users can log in from vCenter Server clients.
Enabled by default.

In the vRealize Operations Manager user interface,
vCenter Server users can log in to all vCenter Server instances.
Enabled by default.

Allow vCenter users to log in from vCenter
clients
Allow vCenter users to log in to all
vCenters using the vRealize Operations
Manager UI
Automated Actions

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enabled or
disabled

Determines whether to allow vRealize Operations Manager to
automate actions. When an alert triggered, the alert provides
recommendations for remediation. You can automate an action to
remediate an alert when the recommendation is the first priority for
that alert. You enable actionable alerts in your policies.

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Table 9‑2. Global Setting Default Values and Descriptions (Continued)
Setting

Default Value

Enable Standard Certification Validation

Description
This option enables certificate verification to Test Connection in the
Create or Modify AI screen, using a standard verification flow.
The option checks CA authority.
n

Certificate Subject DN

Subject alternative name

Certificate validity period

Revocation list

This option also presents dialogs to user if one of those checks fail. It
is up to the adapter implementation on how the adapter checks
source certificate validity during a normal collection cycle. On a usual
scenario, adapters just perform a thumb-print verification. However, in
case this flag is enabled, Test connection validates certificates in full
scale and accepts certificates that are matching all criteria without
any user dialogs.
Currency

Customer Experience Improvement
Program

You can specify the currency unit that is used for all the cost
calculations. You can select the type of currency from the list of
currency types by clicking Choose Currency. From the Set
Currency, select the required currency and confirm your action by
clicking the check box, and set the currency.
enabled

Determines whether to participate in the Customer Experience
Improvement Program by having vRealize Operations Manager send
anonymous usage data to https://vmware.com.

Global Settings
To manage how vRealize Operations Manager retains data, keeps connection sessions open, and other
settings, you can modify the values for the global settings. These system settings affect all users.
You can also choose to participate in the customer experience improvement program. For more
information on accessing Global settings, see Access Global Settings.

Access Global Settings
With global settings, you set times to delete objects, set timeouts, store historical data, use dynamic
threshold and capacity calculations, and determine how vCenter Server users log in. For automated
actions, you can select whether to allow actions to be triggered from alert recommendations
automatically.
Procedure

In the menu, click Administration, and then in left pane click Management > Global Settings.

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To edit the global settings, click the Edit icon.
Table 9‑3. Global Settings Options
Option

Description

Edit Global Settings

Use the toolbar option to modify setting values.

Setting

Setting name.

Value

Current value for the setting.
To change the setting value, click Edit Global Settings.

Description

Information about the setting. Place your mouse over the
setting to display additional information about the setting.

Create a vRealize Operations Manager Support Bundle
You create a vRealize Operations Manager support bundle to gather log and configuration files for
analysis when troubleshooting a vRealize Operations Manager issue.
When you create a support bundle, vRealize Operations Manager gathers files from cluster nodes into
ZIP files for convenience.
Procedure

In the menu, click Administration, and then in the left pane, click Support > Supoort Bundles.

From the toolbar, click the Create a Support Bundle icon.

Select the option to create a Light or Full support bundle.

Select the cluster nodes that need to be evaluated for support.
Only logs from the selected nodes are included in the support bundle.

Click OK, and click OK to confirm support bundle creation.
Depending on the size of the logs and number of nodes, it might take time for
vRealize Operations Manager to create the support bundle.

What to do next

Use the toolbar to download the support bundle ZIP files for analysis. For security,
vRealize Operations Manager prompts you for credentials when you download a support bundle.
You can review the log files for error messages or, if you need troubleshooting assistance, send the
diagnostic data to VMware Technical Support. When you resolve or close the issue, use the toolbar to
delete the outdated support bundle to save disk space.

Customizing Icons
Every object or adapter in your environment has an icon representation. You can customize how the icon
appears.

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vRealize Operations Manager assigns a default icon to each object type and adapter type . Taken
collectively, object types and adapter types are known as objects in your environment. Icons represent
objects in the UI and help you to identify the type of object. For example, in the Topology Graph widget on
a dashboard, labeled icons show how objects are connected to one other. You can quickly identify the
type of object from the icon.
If you want to differentiate objects, you can change the icon. For example, a virtual machine icon is
generic. If you want to pictorially distinguish the data that a vSphere virtual machine provides from the
data that a Hypervisor virtual machine provides, you can assign a different icon to each.

Customize an Object Type Icon
You can use the default icons that vRealize Operations Manager provides, or you can upload your own
graphics file for an object type. When you change an icon, your changes take effect for all users.
Prerequisites

If you plan to use your own icon files, verify that each image is in PNG format and has the same height
and width. For best results, use a 256x256 pixel image size.
Procedure

In the menu, click Administration, and then in the left pane, click Configuration > Icons.

Click the Object Type Icons tab.

Assign the Object Type icon.
a

Select the object type in the list with the icon to change.
By default, object types for all adapter types are listed. To limit the selection to the object types
that are valid for a single adapter type, select the adapter type from the drop-down menu.

Click the Upload icon.

Browse to and select the file to use and click Done.

(Optional) To return to the default icon, select the object type and click the Assign Default Icons
icon.
The original default icon appears.

Customize an Adapter Type Icon
You can use the default icons that vRealize Operations Manager provides, or you can upload your own
graphics file for an adapter type. When you change an icon, your changes take effect for all users.
Prerequisites

If you plan to use your own icon files, verify that each image is in PNG format and has the same height
and width. For best results, use a 256x256 pixel image size.

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Procedure

In the menu, click Administration, and then in the left pane, click Configuration > Icons.

Click Adapter Type Icons tab.

Assign the Adapter Type icon.

Select the adapter type in the list with the icon to change.

Click the Upload icon.

Browse to and select the file to use and click Done.

(Optional) To return to the default icon, select the adapter type and click the Assign Default Icons
icon.
The original default icon appears.

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OPS-CLI Command-Line Tool

The OPS-CLI tool is a Java application that you can use to manipulate the vRealize Operations Manager
database. It replaces the VCOPS-CLI and DBCLI tools.
The product includes the executable file in the tools directory or in /tools/opscli/.
Operating System

File Name

Linux

ops-cli.sh

Python

ops-cli.py

All OPS-CLI commands use the -h parameter for interactive and localized help.
When you add the control command to the post_install.sh script, it triggers the redescribe process
after an adapter is installed or upgraded.
control -h | redescribe --force

Related Command-Line Documentation
In addition to the OPS-CLI, the VMware PowerCLI provides an easy-to-use Windows PowerShell
interface for command-line access to administration tasks or for creating executable scripts.
Documentation for all VMware PowerCLI versions is available from VMware PowerCLI.

Supported Operations
The OPS-CLI tool supports the following database operations.
n

dashboard Command Operations
You use the dashboard command to import, export, share, unshare, delete, reorder, show, hide, and
set the default summary for dashboards.

template Command Operations
You use the template command to import, export, share, unshare, delete, and reorder templates.

supermetric Command Operations
You use the supermetric command to import, export, configure, and delete super metrics.

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attribute Command Operations
You use the attribute command to configure properties of a specific metric in one or more
packages. The metric is the object attribute.

report Command Operations
You use the report command to import, export, configure, and delete super metrics.

view Command Operations
You use the view command to import, export, or delete view definitions.

file Command Operations
You use the file command to import, export, list or delete database files. The command operates
on metric, text widget, and topology widget files.

Table 10‑1. dashboard Command Options
Command
Name

Description

dashboard

Import a dashboard from a

import

file and assign the
ownership to a user account.

dashboard
export

Export an existing
dashboard to a file.

dashboard
defsummary

Import a dashboard from a
file and assign the
ownership to a user account.

dashboard
share

Share an existing dashboard
with one or multiple user
groups.

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Syntax
dashboard import -h | user-name|all|group:group_name inputfile [--force]
[--share all|group-name[{,group-name}]]
[--retry maxRetryMinutes]
[--set rank] [--default] [--create]

dashboard export -h | user-name dashboard-name [output-dir]

dashboard defsummary -h | input-file|default
--adapterKind adapterKind -resourceKind resourceKind

dashboard share -h | user-name dahsboard-name all|groupname[{,group-name}]

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Table 10‑1. dashboard Command Options (Continued)
Command
Name

Description

dashboard
unshare

Stop sharing a dashboard
with specified groups.

dashboard
delete

Permanently delete a
dashboard.

dashboard
reorder

Set the order rank for a
dashboard, with an option to
make it the default.

dashboard show

Show a dashboard.

dashboard hide

Hide a dashboard.

Syntax
dashboard unshare -h | user-name dashboard-name all|groupname[{,group-name}]

dashboard delete -h | user-name|all|group:group_name
dashboard-name

dashboard reorder -h | user-name|all|group:group_name
dashboard-name
[--set rank] [--default]

dashboard show -h | user-name|all|group:group_name
{,dashbaordname}|all

dashboard hide -h | user-name|all|group:group_name
{,dashboardname}|all

Table 10‑2. template Command Operations
Command
Name

Description

template

Import a

import

template from a
file.

template
export

Export an
existing template
to a template
file.

template
share

Share an
existing template
with one or
multiple user
groups.

template
unshare

Stop sharing a
template with
specified groups.

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Syntax
template import -h | input-file
[--force] [--share all|group-name[{,group-name}]]
[--retry maxRetryMinutes] [--set rank] [--create]

template export -h | template-name [output-dir]

template share -h | template-name all|group-name[{,group-name}]

template unshare -h | template-name all|group-name[{,group-name}]

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Table 10‑2. template Command Operations (Continued)
Command
Name

Description

template
delete

Permanently
delete a
template.

template
reorder

Set the order
rank for a
template. The
order rank
controls the
order of
templates
created based
on shared
templates.

Syntax
template delete -h | template-name

template reorder -h | template-name [--set rank]

supermetric Command Operations
You use the supermetric command to import, export, configure, and delete super metrics.
The supermetric command uses the following syntax.
supermetric -h | import|export|configure|delete [parameters]

Table 10‑3. supermetric Command Operations
Comman
d Name

Description

supermetri
c import

Import a super metric from a file and
assign the ownership to the
specified user account.

supermetri
c export

Export an existing super metric to a
template file.

supermetri
c
configure

Configure properties of a super
metric in one or more super metrics
packages.

supermetri
c delete

Permanently delete a super metric.

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Syntax
supermetric import -h | input-file
[--force] [--policies all|policyname[{,policy-name}]]
[--check (true|false)] [--retry
maxRetryMinutes] [--create]

supermetric export -h | supermetric-name [output-dir]

supermetric configure -h | supermetric-name
--policies all|policyname[{,policy-name}]]
--check (true|false) --ht (true|
false) --htcriticality level-name
--dtabove (true|false) --dtbelow
(true|false)
--thresholds thresholddef[{,threshold-def}]

supermetric delete -h | supermetric-name

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attribute Command Operations
You use the attribute command to configure properties of a specific metric in one or more packages.
The metric is the object attribute.
The attribute command uses the following syntax.
attribute configure -h | adapterkind-key:resourcekind-key attribute-key
--packages all|package-name[{,package-name}] --check (true|false)
--ht (true|false) --htcriticality level-name
--dtabove (true|false) --dtbelow (true|false)
--thresholds threshold-def[{,threshold-def}]

reskind Command Operations for Object Types
You use the reskind command to configure the default settings in your object type as defined by the
ResourceKind model element. The command sets the default attribute or supermetric package, enables
or disables dynamic thresholds, and enables or disables early warning smart alerts.
The reskind command uses the following syntax.
reskind configure -h | adapterkind-key:resourcekind-key
--package package-name --smpackage smpackagename
--dt (true|false) --smartalert (true|false)

report Command Operations
You use the report command to import, export, configure, and delete super metrics.
The report command uses the following syntax.
report -h | import|export|delete [parameters]

Table 10‑4. report Command Options
Command Name

Description

report import

Import a report definition from a
file.

report export

Export one or more report
definitions to a file.

report delete

Permanently delete one or
more report definitions.

Syntax
report import -h | input-file [--force]

report export -h | all|report-name[{,report-name}]
[output-dir]

report delete -h | all|report-name[{,report-name}]

view Command Operations
You use the view command to import, export, or delete view definitions.

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The view command uses the following syntax.
view -h | import|export|delete [parameters]

Table 10‑5. view Command Operations
Command Name

Description

view import

Import a view definition from a file.

view export

Export one or more view definitions to a
file.

view delete

Permanently delete one or more view
definitions.

Syntax
view import -h | input-file [--force]

view export -h | all|view-name[{,view-name}]
[output-dir]

view delete -h | all|view-name[{,view-name}]

file Command Operations
You use the file command to import, export, list or delete database files. The command operates on
metric, text widget, and topology widget files.
The file command uses the following syntax.
file -h | import|export|delete|list [parameters]

Table 10‑6. file Command Operations
Command Name

Description

file import

Import a metric or widget from a file.

file export

Export one or more metrics or text widgets, or
export the toplogy widget to a file.

file delete

Permanently delete a metric or a widget.

file list

List all metric or a widget files.

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Syntax
file import -h | reskndmetric|textwidget|
topowidget
input-file [--title
title] [--force]

file export -h | reskndmetric|textwidget|
topowidget
all|title[{,title}]
[output-dir]

file delete -h | reskndmetric|textwidget|
topowidget
all|title[{,title}]

file list -h | reskndmetric|textwidget|
topowidget

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