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VMware vCenter Operations Manager
Administration Guide
Custom User Interface
vCenter Operations Manager 5.8.5
This document supports the version of each product listed and
supports all subsequent versions until the document is
replaced by a new edition. To check for more recent editions
of this document, see http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs.
EN-000928-01
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You can find the most up-to-date technical documentation on the VMware Web site at:
http://www.vmware.com/support/
The VMware Web site also provides the latest product updates.
If you have comments about this documentation, submit your feedback to:
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Copyright © 2015 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright and trademark information.
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Contents
VMware vCenter Operations Manager Administration Guide 7
1Configuring and Managing vCenter Operations Manager 9
Configuring vCenter Operations Manager 9
Managing vCenter Operations Manager 9
Log In as the admin User 10
Using the Custom User Interface 11
2Configuring Adapters 13
How Adapters Collect and Process Data 13
Defining Adapter Instances 14
Modifying Adapter Instances 16
Customize an Adapter Kind Icon 17
Suppress No Data Receiving Alerts 17
3Configuring Resources 19
Defining Resources 19
Creating and Assigning Resource Tags 23
Grouping Resources by Physical Location 27
Configure Parent-Child Resource Relationships 29
Starting and Stopping Metric Collection 30
Using Maintenance Mode 31
Modifying Resources 33
Modifying Resource Tags 35
Customize a Resource Kind Icon 36
4Configuring Attribute Packages 39
Understanding Data Collection 39
Creating Attribute Packages 42
Creating Super Metric Packages 45
Modifying Attribute Packages 53
Modifying Super Metric Packages 54
Super Metric Use Case 56
Configure Weighted Metric Groups 57
Prioritize Threshold Checking 57
Enable the Combined Dynamic Threshold Plug-in 57
5Configuring Applications 59
Understanding Applications 59
Add an Application 60
Creating and Assigning Application Tags 61
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Use a Tag to Find an Application 62
Modifying Applications 63
Modifying Application Tags 64
6Configuring and Managing Users 67
Create a User Account 67
Importing LDAP Users 68
Configuring User Groups and Access Rights 72
Set Password Policies 75
Maintaining Users and User Groups 75
Run the User Audit Report 77
7Configuring Alert Notifications 79
Configuring and Modifying Alert Handler Instances 79
Configuring Email Alert Notifications 83
Modifying Email Alert Notifications 93
Configuring Mulitilevel Alert Rules 97
Configuring Hint Text for Alerts 99
Configure Alerts for vCenter Server Events 103
Retrieve Keys from the vCenter Operations Manager Database 103
8Performing Basic System Administration Tasks 105
View Performance Information 105
View Status Information 106
vCenter Operations Manager Service Names 107
Start or Stop vCenter Operations Manager Services 108
Viewing and Managing System Log Files 109
Delete Old Data in the File System Database 113
Run the Audit Report 113
Modify Global Settings 114
Modify Global Settings for Virtual Environments 115
Create a Support Bundle 117
9Resolving Administrative System Alerts 119
Analytics FSDB Overloaded 119
Analytics Threshold Checking Overloaded 120
Collector Is Down 120
Controller Is Unable to Connect to MQ 121
DataQueue Is Filling Up 122
Describe Failed 122
Failed to Connect to Replication MQ 123
Failed to Repair Corrupted FSDB Files 123
File Queue Is Full 123
FSDB Files Corrupted for Resources 124
FSDB Storage Drive Free Space Is Less Than 10% 124
No DT Processors Connected 124
One or More Resources Were Not Started 125
Outbound Alert Send Failed 125
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Replication MQ Sender Is Blocked 126
10 Backing Up and Recovering Data 127
Backing Up and Recovering Data Components 127
Backing Up and Recovering Processing Components 134
11 Configuring the Repository Adapter 139
Repository Adapter Requirements and Limitations 139
Repository Adapter Configuration Steps 141
Creating a Database User for the Repository Adapter 141
Configure the Source Database Connection for the Repository Adapter 141
Configure the Output Destination for the Repository Adapter 142
Configuring the Source and Destination Columns for the Repository Adapter 143
Configure Data Export Values for the Repository Adapter 144
Customizing Repository Adapter Operation 146
Start the Repository Adapter 146
12 Using System Tools 149
Summary of System Tools 149
Check the FSDB and Repair Problems 150
Move the FSDB 151
Monitor vCenter Operations Manager Services in JConsole 152
Configuring and Running runvcopsServerConfiguration 152
Eliminating Linearly Correlated Metrics from the DT Calculation 155
13 Using the Database Command Line Interface 157
Run the Database Command Line Interface 157
Managing Dashboards 157
Managing Dashboard Templates 160
Managing Attributes and Super Metrics 163
Managing Resource Kinds 167
Performing Control Operations 168
Index 169
Contents
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VMware vCenter Operations Manager
Administration Guide
The VMware vCenter Operations Manager Administration Guide (Custom User Interface) describes how to
configure and manage the VMware® vCenter™ Operations Manager Custom user interface.
Intended Audience
The information in this document is intended for anyone who must configure or manage
vCenter Operations Manager by using the Custom user interface.
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Configuring and Managing
vCenter Operations Manager 1
Before vCenter Operations Manager can begin collecting and analyzing your data, you must configure it.
After it is configured, you can manage vCenter Operations Manager by performing basic system
administration tasks.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n“Configuring vCenter Operations Manager,” on page 9
n“Managing vCenter Operations Manager,” on page 9
n“Log In as the admin User,” on page 10
n“Using the Custom User Interface,” on page 11
Configuring vCenter Operations Manager
The key to getting the greatest benefit from vCenter Operations Manager is to configure it properly.
vCenter Operations Manager can perform some configuration tasks for you, such as discovering resources,
but you must perform most configuration tasks manually.
The configuration tasks must be performed in a particular order.
1 Define the adapter instances that vCenter Operations Manager uses to collect data. See Chapter 2,
“Configuring Adapters,” on page 13.
2 Define the resources for which vCenter Operations Manager collects data. See Chapter 3, “Configuring
Resources,” on page 19.
3 Specify the information that vCenter Operations Manager stores for each resource, and identify which
types of information are key performance indicators (KPIs). See Chapter 4, “Configuring Attribute
Packages,” on page 39.
4 Define how related resources fit together into groups and how those groups relate to each other. See
Chapter 5, “Configuring Applications,” on page 59.
5 Configure vCenter Operations Manager for your users. See Chapter 6, “Configuring and Managing
Users,” on page 67.
6 (Optional) Set up the alert notification feature to notify users of alerts when they are not using
vCenter Operations Manager. See Chapter 7, “Configuring Alert Notifications,” on page 79.
Managing vCenter Operations Manager
You manage vCenter Operations Manager by performing typical system administration tasks.
nManage your vCenter Operations Manager users. See Chapter 6, “Configuring and Managing Users,”
on page 67.
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nView system performance and status information and examine log messages. See Chapter 8,
“Performing Basic System Administration Tasks,” on page 105.
nView, respond to, and resolve administrative system alerts. See Chapter 9, “Resolving Administrative
System Alerts,” on page 119.
nBack up vCenter Operations Manager data and processing components. See Chapter 10, “Backing Up
and Recovering Data,” on page 127.
nTroubleshoot database and connection issues. See Chapter 12, “Using System Tools,” on page 149.
Log In as the admin User
When vCenter Operations Manager is initially installed, you must log in as the admin user to perform
administrative tasks. During the configuration process, you can create additional administrators by
assigning users to the Administrators group.
NOTE Some vCenter Operations Manager features, such as querying the vCenter Operations Manager
database directly, require you to log in as the admin user.
Procedure
1 In a Web browser, type the URL for the Custom user interface.
Option Description
Standalone version https://ip_address
vApp version https://ip_address/vcops-custom
ip_address is the IP address or fully qualified host name of the vCenter Operations Manager server or
vApp.
2 Type admin in the User name and Password text boxes.
The default admin account password is admin.
3 Click Login.
After you are logged in, your Home page appears in the browser window.
NOTE If your session is inactive for 30 minutes, it times out and you must log in again.
What to do next
If you are using the standalone version of vCenter Operations Manager, change the default admin account
password as soon as possible. To change your password, select User Preferences at the top of your Home
page.
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Using the Custom User Interface
When you log in to the Custom user interface, your Home page appears in the browser window. The Home
page contains the following components.
Dashboards The tabs near the top of the Home page are your dashboards. The user
groups to which your account belongs determine which dashboards are
available to you. You can switch to a different dashboard by clicking its tab
or selecting it from the Dashboards menu. You can click Home at any time
to return to your Home page.
Widgets The panes on a dashboard are called widgets. A widget is a collection of
related information about attributes, resources, applications, or the overall
processes in your environment. Each dashboard contains one or more
widgets. For information about configuring and using widgets, see the
VMware vCenter Operations Manager Getting Started Guide (Custom User
Interface).
Menus You use the menus at the top of your Home page to select and use Custom
user interface features.
Icons You click icons on pages and widgets to perform tasks in the Custom user
interface. When you point to an icon, a tooltip appears that describes the
function of the icon.
Chapter 1 Configuring and Managing vCenter Operations Manager
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Configuring Adapters 2
vCenter Operations Manager uses adapters to exchange information with the data collection landscape.
Configuring adapters involves defining and maintaining adapter instances and credentials.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n“How Adapters Collect and Process Data,” on page 13
n“Defining Adapter Instances,” on page 14
n“Modifying Adapter Instances,” on page 16
n“Customize an Adapter Kind Icon,” on page 17
n“Suppress No Data Receiving Alerts,” on page 17
How Adapters Collect and Process Data
Adapters work with the vCenter Operations Manager Collector to collect and process data.
The Collector acts as a gateway between vCenter Operations Manager and its adapters. The adapters
connect to and collect data from data sources, transform the data into a format that
vCenter Operations Manager can consume, and pass the data to the Collector for final processing.
Depending on the data source and the adapter implementation, an adapter might collect data by making
API calls, using a command-line interface, or sending database queries. Some adapters collect data for each
resource independently and other adapters extract data for all resources based on a specified time range.
vCenter Operations Manager uses embedded adapters and external adapters. Embedded adapters are the
most common type of adapter implementation.
Embedded Adapters
An embedded adapter is a Java component that runs as a plug-in in the Collector. Embedded adapters
actively connect to a data source and pull values from it.
Advantages of embedded adapters include better maintainability, control, and visibility into the
management of the adapter and the data that it collects. Embedded adapters also use common functions,
such as job scheduling, that are already part of the Collector.
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Embedded adapters create resources through manual or auto-discovery. A particular embedded adapter
might support one or both resource creation methods.
Manual discovery You send a request to the data source to return all available resources and
select the resources to add. This method is often referred to as discovering
resources or the discovery process.
Auto-discovery The data collection process discovers new resources and creates the
resources for you. You do not need to manually add new resources.
You configure and manage embedded adapters in the user interface.
External Adapters
External adapters push data from outside sources. The key advantage of an external adapter is flexibility in
how the adapter is created and deployed.
External adapters use vCenter Operations Manager OpenAPI to send information. OpenAPI has a simple
form, which accepts data through an HTTP request, and an advanced form, which uses Java RMI.
External adapters use auto-discovery to create resources. With auto-discovery, the data collection process
discovers new resources and creates the resources for you. You do not need to manually add new resources.
You configure and manage external adapters outside of the user interface.
Defining Adapter Instances
An adapter instance defines the type of adapter to use to connect to a particular data source. It also defines
the information that is required to identify and access that data source. A vCenter Operations Manager
administrator must define an adapter instance for each data source that uses an embedded adapter.
NOTE You do not define adapter instances for external adapters. External adapters push data from outside
sources to vCenter Operations Manager. You manage external adapters outside of the core
vCenter Operations Manager domain.
An adapter instance definition typically includes the data access method and a host, port, and credential.
The exact information in a particular adapter instance definition depends on the type of adapter.
An adapter instance can have one or more credentials. You can add credentials before you create an adapter
instance and select the correct credential when you define the adapter instance, or you can add credentials
when you define the adapter instance.
After you define an adapter instance, you can discover and define resources for it.
View the List of Defined Credentials
Before you add, edit, or modify credentials for an adapter instance, you must list the defined credentials for
the specific adapter kind and credential kind combination.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Configuration > Credentials.
2 Select the adapter kind to list credentials for from the Adapter kind drop-down menu.
3 Select the kind of credentials to list from the Credential kind drop-down menu.
The available credential kinds depend on the adapter kind. For example, if you select Hyperic Adapter,
the credential kind that you select might be Hyperic database credentials.
Existing instances appear for the credential kind that you select.
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Add a Credential
You must define a credential for each adapter instance that provides data to vCenter Operations Manager.
Adapter instances use credentials to sign on to data sources. The information that you provide depends on
the adapter kind and credential kind combination.
Prerequisites
View the list of defined credentials for the adapter kind and credential kind combination. See “View the List
of Defined Credentials,” on page 14.
Procedure
1 At the top of the list of credentials, next to Action, click Add.
2 Type a unique name for the credential instance in the Instance name text box.
3 Type or select additional information for the credentials.
4 Click OK to add the credential for the adapter kind.
The credential appears in the list in the Manage Credentials window.
Add an Adapter Instance
You must add an adapter instance in vCenter Operations Manager for each embedded adapter. The
information that you provide depends on the type of adapter.
Prerequisites
nInstall the adapter. For information about installing a particular adapter, see the installation and
configuration guide for that adapter.
nCreate a credential or, if you plan to create a credential when you add the adapter instance, become
familiar with creating credentials. See “Add a Credential,” on page 15.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Configuration > Adapter Instances.
2 Select the collector to use from the Collector drop-down menu.
Unless you added additional collectors, the only available collector is vCenter Operations Server. You
can change the name of this collector when you install the standalone version.
3 Select the adapter kind to add from the Adapter kind drop-down menu.
4 Click the Add New Adapter Instance icon.
5 Type a name for the adapter in the Adapter Instance Name text box.
6 Type or select additional information for the adapter instance.
7 Select the credential to use to sign on to the data source from the Credential drop-down menu, or click
Add to add a new credential.
8 (Optional) Click Test to test the adapter instance.
9 Click OK to save your configuration.
Chapter 2 Configuring Adapters
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Modifying Adapter Instances
To maintain adapter instances, you might need to edit or delete credentials or adapter instances.
Edit a Credential
When you edit a credential, you can change its user name or password.
The information that you can modify depends on the adapter kind and credential kind combination.
Prerequisites
View the list of defined credentials for the adapter kind and credential kind combination. See “View the List
of Defined Credentials,” on page 14.
Procedure
1 In the list of credentials, click Edit next to the credential.
2 Edit the credential information.
3 Click OK to save your changes.
Delete a Credential
If you do not need a credential, you can delete it. You cannot delete a credential if a resource is using it.
Prerequisites
View the list of defined credentials for the adapter kind and credential kind combination. See “View the List
of Defined Credentials,” on page 14.
Procedure
1 In the list of credentials, click Delete next to the credential.
2 Click Yes to confirm the deletion.
Edit an Adapter Instance
When you edit an adapter instance, you can change any of its attributes. The information that you can
modify depends on the adapter kind.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Configuration > Adapter Instances.
2 (Optional) Filter the list of adapter instances.
a Select the collector to use from the Collector drop-down menu.
Unless you added additional collectors, the only available collector is vCenter Operations Server.
You can change the name of this collector when you install vCenter Operations Manager
Standalone.
b Select the adapter kind of the adapter instance to edit from the Adapter kind drop-down menu.
3 Select the adapter instance to edit and click the Edit Selected Adapter Instance icon.
4 Edit the adapter instance information.
5 Click Test to test the adapter instance.
6 Click OK to save your changes.
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Delete an Adapter Instance
If an adapter instance is no longer needed, you can delete it.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Configuration > Adapter Instances.
2 (Optional) Filter the list of adapter instances.
a Select the collector to use from the Collector drop-down menu.
Unless you added additional collectors, the only available collector is vCenter Operations Server.
You can change the name of this collector when you install vCenter Operations Manager
Standalone.
b Select the kind of the adapter instance to delete from the Adapter kind drop-down menu.
3 Select the adapter instance and click the Remove Selected Adapter Instance icon.
4 Click Yes to confirm the deletion.
Customize an Adapter Kind Icon
vCenter Operations Manager uses icons to represent the kind of adapter through which you access each
resource. For example, icons appear in the Data Source column of widgets that list resources. You can
customize icons to represent any kind of adapter.
Procedure
1 Select Enviroment > Advanced > Adapter Kind Icons.
2 (Optional) To upload your own icon to use, click the Upload Icon icon, browse to and select the file to
use, and click Open.
The icon appears in the icon list.
3 Assign the adapter kind icon.
Option Description
Assign an icon or change an
assigned icon
Select the adapter kind in the list, click the icon to assign, and click the
Assign Icon icon.
Return to the default icon Select the adapter kind in the list and click the Assign Default Icons icon.
4 Click OK.
5 (Optional) If you returned to the default icon and you want to delete your icon from the icon list, delete
the icon file in the vcenter-ops\tomcat\webapps\ROOT\images\adpknd directory.
You cannot remove an icon file from within vCenter Operations Manager.
Suppress No Data Receiving Alerts
You can configure an adapter instance to stop generating alerts when it is not receiving data.
Prerequisites
Become familiar with how to start and stop the Analytics service. See “Start or Stop vCenter Operations
Manager Services,” on page 108.
Chapter 2 Configuring Adapters
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Procedure
1 Open the advanced.properties file in the vcenter-ops\user\conf\analytics directory.
2 Add the property disabledNoDataReceivingAlertIds = resourceID.
resourceID is the resource ID of the adapter instance.
3 Save your changes and close the advanced.properties file.
4 Restart the Analytics service.
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Configuring Resources 3
A resource is any entity in your environment for which vCenter Operations Manager can collect data, such
as a router, switch, firewall, database, application server, or TCP/IP-based application.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n“Defining Resources,” on page 19
n“Creating and Assigning Resource Tags,” on page 23
n“Grouping Resources by Physical Location,” on page 27
n“Configure Parent-Child Resource Relationships,” on page 29
n“Starting and Stopping Metric Collection,” on page 30
n“Using Maintenance Mode,” on page 31
n“Modifying Resources,” on page 33
n“Modifying Resource Tags,” on page 35
n“Customize a Resource Kind Icon,” on page 36
Defining Resources
Before vCenter Operations Manager can collect data for resources in your environment, a
vCenter Operations Manager administrator must define each resource to vCenter Operations Manager. You
define only resources that use embedded adapters. Resources that use external adapters are already defined
in vCenter Operations Manager.
vCenter Operations Manager requires specific information about each resource. You typically obtain this
information by performing resource discovery in vCenter Operations Manager for each adapter instance.
During the resource discovery process, vCenter Operations Manager lists all of the resources for the adapter
instance and you select which resources to track. For adapters that do not support resource discovery, you
must define resources individually.
A resource can be a single entity, such as a database, or a container that holds other resources. For example,
if you have multiple Web servers, you can define a single resource for each Web server and define a
separate container resource to hold all of the Web server resources. Applications and tiers are types of
container resources. See Chapter 5, “Configuring Applications,” on page 59.
If you do not want vCenter Operations Manager to collect all of the available attributes for a resource, you
can define a specific set of attributes to collect, called an attribute package, and assign it to the resource. See
“Creating Attribute Packages,” on page 42.
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Discover Resources
You typically define resources to vCenter Operations Manager through the manual discovery process.
Discovering resources is usually more efficient than adding resources individually.
NOTE You use discovery to define resources for embedded adapters. Resources that use external adapters
are already added to vCenter Operations Manager and do not need to be discovered.
If the adapter type does not support discovery, you must add resources individually. See “Add an
Individual Resource,” on page 21.
Prerequisites
nAdd adapter instances for the resources that you plan to define or, if you plan to add adapter instances
during the discovery process, become familiar with defining adapter instances. See “Add an Adapter
Instance,” on page 15.
nIf you plan to add an attribute package during the discovery process, become familiar with creating
attribute packages. See “Creating Attribute Packages,” on page 42.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Environment Overview.
2 On the List tab, click the Discover Resources icon.
3 Select the collector to use from the Collector drop-down menu.
Unless you added additional collectors, the only available collector is vCenter Operations Server. You
can change the name of this collector when you install the standalone version.
4 Select the adapter kind from the Adapter kind drop-down menu.
5 Select an adapter instance from the Adapter instance drop-down menu, or click Add to create a new
adapter instance.
6 Make any additional selections for the adapter kind.
Depending on the adapter kind that you select, additional menus might appear.
7 (Optional) To omit resources that have already been added from the discovery results, select the Only
New Resources check box.
8 Click OK to start the discovery process.
The discovery process can take several seconds to several minutes.
When the discovery process is finished, the Discovery Results window lists your resource kinds.
9 Double-click each resource kind that contains resources to add.
The resource list shows all of the resources of the specified resource kind. You can sort the resource list
by clicking any column header. To find a specific resource in the list, type all or part of the resource
name in the Search text box and click Search.
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10 Select options for each resource kind.
Option Description
Import Import the resources but do not start collecting data. Resources appear in
the resource list as Not Collecting and data is not stored and analysis is
not performed.
Collect Import the resources and start collecting data. When you select the Collect
check box, the Import check box is also selected.
Attribute Package To use a nondefault attribute package for the resource kind, select an
attribute package from the drop-down menu or click Add to define a new
attribute package.
11 Click OK.
The Discovery Results window closes and the new resources appear on the List tab.
What to do next
If you did not select the option to start metric collection when you defined a resource, you can start metric
collection after the resource is defined. See “Starting and Stopping Metric Collection,” on page 30.
Add an Individual Resource
In some cases, you might want to add an individual resource by providing its information to
vCenter Operations Manager. If an adapter instance does not support resource discovery, you must add
each resource individually.
When you add an individual resource, you must provide specific information about it, including the kind of
adapter to use to make the connection and the connection method. If you do not know this information, use
the discovery process to define the resource. See “Discover Resources,” on page 20.
You can add resources for most devices and application servers that use embedded adapters. You do not
add resources that use external adapters. Resources that use external adapters are already added to
vCenter Operations Manager.
Prerequisites
nAdd an adapter instance for the resource or, if you plan to add an adapter instance when you add the
resource, become familiar with defining adapter instances. See “Add an Adapter Instance,” on page 15.
nIf you plan to add an attribute package for the resource, become familiar with creating attribute
packages. See “Creating Attribute Packages,” on page 42.
nIf you plan to add a super metric package for the resource, become familiar with creating super metric
packages. See “Creating Super Metric Packages,” on page 45.
nFor Hyperic or IM portal server resource kinds, obtain the attribute files from the software supplier and
install them on the vCenter Operations Manager collector.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Environment Overview.
2 On the List tab, click the Add Resource icon.
3 Type a name for the resource in the Resource name text box.
Use only letters and numbers in the resource name. Do not use nonalphanumeric characters or spaces.
The resource description is for informational purposes only.
4 (Optional) Type a description of the resource in the Resource description text box.
5 Select an adapter kind from the Adapter kind drop-down menu.
Chapter 3 Configuring Resources
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6 Select an adapter instance from the Adapter instance drop-down menu, or click Add to add a new
adapter instance.
7 Select a resource kind from the Resource kind drop-down menu.
Additional configuration options might appear, depending on your selection.
8 Type the name of the resource that the adapter monitors in the Target to collect from text box.
The name must be the name of the resource as it appears in the adapter's operating environment. For
example, if the adapter kind is Hyperic and you select MS SQL 2005 Database as the resource kind,
type the name that Hyperic assigns, such as MSSQL 2005 MSSQL.4.
NOTE Depending on the resource kind that you selected, the Target to collect from text box might not
be available and additional text boxes might appear.
9 Accept the default attribute package in the Attribute package drop-down menu, select a different
package, or click Add to define a new package for the resource.
The default attribute package depends on the resource kind.
10 Accept the default super metric package, if any, in the Super metric package drop-down menu, select a
different package, or click Add to define a new package for the resource.
A default super metric package is not available unless you previously defined a default super metric
package for the selected resource kind.
11 Type the collection interval, in minutes, in the Collection Interval (Minutes) text box.
For example, if you expect the resource to generate performance data every 30 minutes, set the
collection interval to 30 minutes.
The collection interval for a resource influences the collection status for that resource. The collection
interval for the adapter instance resource determines how often to collect data. For example, if the
collection interval for the adapter instance resource is set to five minutes, setting the collection interval
for a resource to 30 minutes prevents the resource from having the No Data Receiving collection status
after five collection cycles (25 minutes).
12 Select the Enabled or Disabled check box to enable or disable dynamic thresholding and early warning
smart alerts.
Dynamic thresholding is enabled by default, which is the recommended value. Early warning smart
alerts are enabled by default only for applications. Early warning smart alerts work best for
applications and application-like container resources. Container resources have at least two levels of
resources beneath them, such as an application that contains tiers, which each contain resources.
Early warning smart alerts are generated for a resource only if the resource and its children have at least
the required number of metrics defined. By default, the minimum number of metrics is 40, not
including vCenter Operations Manager generated metrics.
13 (Optional) If you plan to take the resource offline for maintenance at regular intervals, select the
maintenance schedule for it to use from the Maintenance Schedule drop-down menu, or click Add to
define a new maintenance schedule.
14 Click OK to add the resource.
What to do next
When you add an individual resource, vCenter Operations Manager does not begin collecting metrics for
the resource until you start metric collection. See “Starting and Stopping Metric Collection,” on page 30.
For each new resource, vCenter Operations Manager assigns tag values for its collector and its resource
kind. In some cases, you might want to assign other tags. See “Creating and Assigning Resource Tags,” on
page 23.
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Creating and Assigning Resource Tags
A large enterprise can have thousands of resources defined in vCenter Operations Manager. Creating
resource tags and tag values makes it easier to find resources and metrics in vCenter Operations Manager.
With resource tags, you select the tag value assigned to a resource and view the list of resources that are
associated with that tag value.
A tag is a type of information, such as Application or GEO Location. Application and GEO Location are
predefined tags in vCenter Operations Manager. Tag values are individual instances of that type of
information. For example, if your offices are located in New York, London, and Mumbai, you define GEO
Location tag values for those locations.
You can assign any number of resources to each tag value, and you can assign a single resource to tag values
under any number of tags. You typically look for a resource by looking under its application, its location, its
tier, and possibly other tags.
nPredefined Resource Tags on page 23
vCenter Operations Manager includes several predefined resource tags. It creates values for most of
these tags and assigns resources to the values.
nAdd a Resource Tag on page 24
If the predefined resource tags do not meet your needs, you can create your own resource tags to
categorize and manage resources in your environment.
nAdd a Value to a Resource Tag on page 25
A resource tag is a type of information, and a tag value is an individual instance of that type of
information. You can add multiple values to a resource tag. If a resource tag is locked, you cannot add
values to it. vCenter Operations Manager maintains locked resource tags.
nCreate a Resource Kind Tag on page 25
You can create a tag for any resource kind that has existing resources. The tag has a value for each
resource of that kind.
nAssociate a Resource with a Tag Value on page 26
You can assign any number of resources to each tag value, and you can assign a single resource to tag
values under any number of tags.
nUse a Tag to Find a Resource on page 26
The quickest way to find a resource in vCenter Operations Manager is to use tags. Using tags is more
efficient than searching through the entire resource list.
Predefined Resource Tags
vCenter Operations Manager includes several predefined resource tags. It creates values for most of these
tags and assigns resources to the values.
For example, when you add a resource, vCenter Operations Manager assigns it to the tag value for the
collector it uses and the kind of resource that it is. It creates tag values if they do not already exist.
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Table 3‑1. Predefined Tags
Tag Description
Collectors (Full Set) Each defined collector is a tag value. Each resource is
assigned to the tag value for the collector that it uses when
you add the resource to vCenter Operations Manager. The
default collector is vCenter Operations Server.
Application Each defined application is a tag value. When you add a
tier to an application, the tier is assigned to that tag value.
Resources that belong to the tiers are not given the tag
value.
Applications (Full Set) Each defined application is a tag value. When you add a
tier to an application, or a resource 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
resources are assigned to the value when you give them a
schedule by adding or editing them.
Adapter Kinds Each adapter kind is a tag value, and each resource that
uses that adapter kind is given the tag value.
Adapter Instances Each adapter instance is a tag value, each resource is
assigned the tag value for the adapter instance or instances
through which its metrics are collected.
Resource Kinds Each kind of resource is a tag value, and each resource is
assigned to the tag value for its kind when you add the
resource.
Recently Added Resources The last day, seven days, 10 days, and 30 days have tag
values. Resources have this tag value as long as the tag
value applies to them.
Health Ranges Good (green), Abnormal (yellow), Degraded (orange), Bad
(red), and Unknown (blue) health statuses have tag values.
Each resource 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.
GEO Location This tag always exists, but it has no default values. You
must create values and assign resources to them manually.
Tier Each defined tier is a tag value. When you add a resource
to a tier, the resource is assigned to that tag value.
Add a Resource Tag
If the predefined resource tags do not meet your needs, you can create your own resource tags to categorize
and manage resources in your environment.
Prerequisites
Become familiar with the predefined resource tags. See “Predefined Resource Tags,” on page 23.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Environment Overview.
2 Click the Manage Tags icon on the left side of the Environment Overview page.
3 Click the Add Tag icon to add a new row and type the name of the tag in the row.
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4 Click OK to add the tag.
The new tag appears in the tags list.
What to do next
Add a value to the resource tag. See “Add a Value to a Resource Tag,” on page 25.
Add a Value to a Resource Tag
A resource tag is a type of information, and a tag value is an individual instance of that type of information.
You can add multiple values to a resource tag. If a resource tag is locked, you cannot add values to it.
vCenter Operations Manager maintains locked resource tags.
Prerequisites
Add a resource tag. See “Add a Resource Tag,” on page 24.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Environment Overview.
2 Click the Manage Tags icon on the left side of the Environment Overview page.
3 Select the tag to add values to and click the Add Tag Value icon.
4 Type the name of the tag value in the new row.
For example, if the resource group is composed of JBoss servers and you assigned the name JBoss to the
tag, type a name to associate with one of the JBoss servers, such as JBoss1.
5 Click OK to add the tag value.
The tag value appears in the tag list.
Because vCenter Operations Manager considers each tag value to be a resource, it starts collecting metrics
that vCenter Operations Manager generates when you create a tag value. You can view the health score for
any tag value. See “Metrics that vCenter Operations Manager Generates,” on page 40.
What to do next
Associate a resource with the tag value. See “Associate a Resource with a Tag Value,” on page 26.
Create a Resource Kind Tag
You can create a tag for any resource kind that has existing resources. The tag has a value for each resource
of that kind.
For example, if you have a resource kind of AppServers, and resources of that kind named AppServer1,
AppServer2, and so on, you can create a resource kind tag named AppServers and it will have tag values of
AppServer1, AppServer2, and so on.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Environment Overview.
2 Click the Manage Resource Kind Tags icon on the left side of the Environment Overview page.
The Manage Resource Kind Tags window opens.
3 To create a resource kind tag for a resource kind, select the check box in the Show Tag column of its
row.
4 Click OK.
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If resources of the kind that you selected are present, a tag for that kind appears in the tag list on the
Environment Overview page. If you expand the tag, a tag value appears for each resource of that type.
What to do next
Associate resources with the tag values. See “Associate a Resource with a Tag Value,” on page 26.
Associate a Resource with a Tag Value
You can assign any number of resources to each tag value, and you can assign a single resource to tag values
under any number of tags.
Prerequisites
nCreate a resource tag. See “Add a Resource Tag,” on page 24.
nAdd a value to the resource tag. See “Add a Value to a Resource Tag,” on page 25.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Environment Overview.
2 Drag the resource from the list in the right pane of the Environment Overview page onto the tag value
name.
You can press Ctrl+click to select multiple individual resources or Shift+click to select a range of
resources.
The resources that you selected are now associated with the tag value.
Use a Tag to Find a Resource
The quickest way to find a resource in vCenter Operations Manager is to use tags. Using tags is more
efficient than searching through the entire resource list.
Tag values that can also be tags are Applications and Resource Kinds. For example, the Applications tag has
values for each application that is defined in vCenter Operations Manager, such as Online Banking. Each of
these applications is also a tag that has values equal to the tiers that it contains. The Online Banking
application might have tag values for Web Servers, DB Servers, and so on. These tiers might also contain
subvalues. You can expand the tag value list to select the value for which you want to see resources.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Environment Overview.
2 In the tag list on the left side of the page, click a tag for a resource with an assigned value.
When you click a tag, the list of values expands under the tag. The number of resources 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.
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3 Select the tag value.
The resources that have that tag value appear in the pane on the right. If you click the Invert Results
icon, the list includes resources that do not match the tag values that you select. For example, if you
select New York and London, all of the resources that are not in either of those cities appear in the list.
If you select multiple tag values, the resources in the list depend on the values that you select.
Option Action
Select more than one value for the
same tag
The list includes resources that have either value. For example, if you
select two values of the GEO Location tag, such as New York and London,
the list shows resources that have either value.
Select values for two or more
different tags
The list includes only resources that have all of the selected values. For
example, if you select two values of the GEO Location tag, such as New
York and London, and you also select the Tier value of the Resource kind
tag, only tiers that are in New York or London appear in the list. Tiers in
other locations do not appear in the list, nor do resources in those cities
that are not tiers.
4 Select the resource from the list.
Grouping Resources by Physical Location
Depending on your environment, you might want to group some or all of your resources according to their
physical location. When resources are grouped according to their physical location, you can see the health of
all of the resources in a particular place.
To group resources by their physical location, you must activate the geographical location feature, create
values for the GEO Location tag, and assign the resources that you want to track to GEO Location tag
values.
nActivate the Geographical Location Feature on page 27
To group resources by location, you must activate the geographical location feature in
vCenter Operations Manager.
nCreate a GEO Location Tag Value on page 28
Before you can assign resources to a location, you must create that location as a value of the GEO
Location tag and define its position on the map. Create tag values for each of your office locations.
nAssign a Resource to a GEO Location Tag Value on page 28
You define a resource's location by assigning it to a value of the GEO Location tag.
nView the Resource Map on page 29
You can use the world map on the Geographical tab on the Environment Overview page to see the
health of the resources at some or all of your defined locations.
Activate the Geographical Location Feature
To group resources by location, you must activate the geographical location feature in
vCenter Operations Manager.
The Geographical tab on the Environment Overview page and the GEO widget show a world map that
includes the locations of resources that have GEO Location tag values. Because these maps use the Google
Maps API, you must license the Google Maps API to use the geographical location feature.
Prerequisites
Go to the Google support Web site at http://support.google.com, read the license agreement for the Google
Maps API, and follow the procedure to license the API for your use.
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Procedure
1 Select Admin > Global Settings.
2 Select Google from the Geo Panel Provider drop-down menu.
3 In the Google Map Key text box, type the key that you received from Google.
4 Click OK to save your settings.
After you activate the geographical location feature, any user who connects to vCenter Operations Manager
can use the Geographical tab or GEO widget.
What to do next
Create GEO Location tag values. See “Create a GEO Location Tag Value,” on page 28.
Create a GEO Location Tag Value
Before you can assign resources to a location, you must create that location as a value of the GEO Location
tag and define its position on the map. Create tag values for each of your office locations.
Prerequisites
Activate the geographical location feature in vCenter Operations Manager. See “Activate the Geographical
Location Feature,” on page 27.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Environment Overview.
2 Click the Manage Tags icon on the left side of the page.
3 In the tag list, select GEO Location.
4 In the Tag Value pane, click the Add Tag Value icon.
5 Type the name for the location and press ENTER.
6 Select the new tag and click the Manage Location icon.
7 Type the location in the Search text box and click Search.
Your entry does not have to match the tag value exactly. For example, you can create a tag value called
Los Angeles and search for Los Angeles, CA.
8 In the list of search results, click the location.
You must click the location even if it is the only search result.
9 Click Save to save the tag value.
What to do next
Assign resources to the tag value. See “Assign a Resource to a GEO Location Tag Value,” on page 28.
Assign a Resource to a GEO Location Tag Value
You define a resource's location by assigning it to a value of the GEO Location tag.
Prerequisites
nActivate the geographical location feature in vCenter Operations Manager. See “Activate the
Geographical Location Feature,” on page 27.
nCreate GEO Location Tag values for your office locations. See “Create a GEO Location Tag Value,” on
page 28.
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Procedure
1 Select Environment > Environment Overview.
2 Drag the resource from the list in the right pane of the Environment Overview page to the GEO
Location tag value name.
You can press Ctrl+click to select multiple individual resources or Shift+click to select a range of
resources.
The resources that you selected are now associated with the GEO Location tag value.
View the Resource Map
You can use the world map on the Geographical tab on the Environment Overview page to see the health of
the resources at some or all of your defined locations.
The GEO widget shows a map similar to the map on the Geographical tab. You can add the GEO widget to
any dashboard.
Prerequisites
nActivate the geographical location feature in vCenter Operations Manager. See “Activate the
Geographical Location Feature,” on page 27.
nCreate GEO Location tag values for your office locations. See “Create a GEO Location Tag Value,” on
page 28.
nAssign resources to the GEO Location tag values. See “Assign a Resource to a GEO Location Tag
Value,” on page 28.
Procedure
nTo show the world map, select Environment > Environment Overview and select the Geographical tab
in the right pane.
nTo show specific locations on the map, select one or more tag values under the GEO Location tag in the
left pane.
By default, the Geographical tab shows all resources for all locations.
nTo move the map, drag the map or use the direction arrows in the top left corner of the map.
nTo zoom the map, click the plus and minus buttons under the direction arrows.
Configure Parent-Child Resource Relationships
When resources are related, the health score of one resource is based on the metrics of its child resources
and its own metrics. You can define resource relationships so that vCenter Operations Manager analytics
can consider these relationships when it calculates health scores.
Most, if not all, resources in an enterprise environment are related to other resources in that environment.
Resources are either part of a larger resource, or they contain smaller component resources, or both.
The most common resource relationships gather similar resources into tiers and related tiers into
applications. You define those relationships by defining applications. In addition, frequently other
relationships exist between resources. For example, for each application that runs on an application server,
you might define a child resource. You define these types of relationships by configuring resource
relationships.
You must define applications and tiers to add resources to tiers or tiers to applications. See Chapter 5,
“Configuring Applications,” on page 59.
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Procedure
1 Select Environment > Advanced > Resource Relationship.
2 In the Parent Selection column, expand the resource tag and select a tag value that contains the resource
to act as the parent resource.
The resources for the tag value appear in the top pane of the second column.
3 (Optional) If the list of resources is long, filter the list to find the child resource or resources.
Option Description
Navigate the resource tag list for a
resource
Expand the resource tag and select a tag value that contains the resource.
The resources for the tag value appear in the top pane of the List column.
If you select more than one value for the same tag, the list contains
resources that have either value. If you select values for two or more
different tags, the list includes only resources that have all of the selected
values. You can click the Invert Result icon to show the resources that do
not match the tag values that you selected.
Search for a resource by name If you know all or part of the resource name, type it in the Search text box
and press Enter.
4 To make a resource a child resource of the parent resource, select the resource from the list and drag it
to the parent resource in the top pane of the second column, or click the Add All Resources To Parent
icon to make all of the listed resources children of the parent resource.
You can use Ctrl+click to select multiple resources or Shift+click to select a range of resources.
Starting and Stopping Metric Collection
When you add an individual resource to vCenter Operations Manager, vCenter Operations Manager does
not start collecting metrics for the resource until you start metric collection. When you discover a resource,
you can select an option to start metric collection on the discovery results page. If you did not select this
option, you must start metric collection for the resource.
You can start and stop metric collection for specific resources, including tag values, and for adapter
instances.
Start or Stop Metric Collection for a Resource
You can start and stop metric collection for specific resources. When you add an individual resource to
vCenter Operations Manager, vCenter Operations Manager does not begin collecting metrics for the
resource until you start metric collection. When you stop metric collection for a resource,
vCenter Operations Manager retains its metric data in case you restart metric collection at a later time.
Because tag values are stored in vCenter Operations Manager as resources, you can also start and stop
metric collection for tag values. When you start metric collection for a tag value,
vCenter Operations Manager generated metrics are collected for it. With these metrics, you can see the
health score that reflects all of the resources that have that tag value.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Environment Overview.
2 (Optional) On the List tab, select the resource or resources to affect.
You can press Ctrl+click to select multiple individual resources or Shift+click to select a range of
resources. If you do not select any resources, all of the resources in the system are affected.
3 Click the Start Collecting or Stop Collecting icon to start or stop metric collection for the selected
resources.
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Start or Stop Metric Collection for an Adapter Instance
When you start or stop metric collection for an adapter instance, metric collection starts or stops by using
specific adapter instances for the resources that you want to affect. Resources that do not use the adapter
instance are not affected.
If a resource collects metrics through more than one adapter instance, only the metrics that are collected
through the selected instance are stopped are started. Other metrics remain in the same collection state.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Environment Overview.
2 On the List tab, select the resource or resources to affect.
You can press Ctrl+click to select multiple individual resources or Shift+click to select a range of
resources.
3 Click the Perform Multi-Collecting icon.
The Adapter Instance Resources window opens. The window lists all of the adapter instances that the
selected resources use.
4 Click the adapter instance to start or stop metric collection.
You can press Ctrl+click to select multiple individual adapter instances or Shift+click to select a range of
adapter instances. To select all of the listed adapter instances, click the heading row.
5 Click the Start Collecting or Stop Collecting icon to start or stop metric collection.
Using Maintenance Mode
Many resources in the enterprise might be intentionally taken offline. For example, a server might be
deactivated to update software. If vCenter Operations Manager collects metrics when a resource is offline, it
might generate incorrect anomalies and alerts that affect the data for setting dynamic thresholds for the
resource's attributes. When a resource is in maintenance mode, vCenter Operations Manager does not
collect metrics from the resource or generate anomalies or alerts for it.
If a resource undergoes maintenance at fixed intervals, you can create a maintenance schedule and assign it
to the resource. For example, you can put a resource in maintenance mode from midnight until 3 a.m. each
Tuesday night. You can also manually put a resource in maintenance mode, either indefinitely or for a
specified period of time. These methods are not mutually exclusive. You can manually put a resource in
maintenance mode, or take it out of maintenance mode, even it if has an assigned maintenance schedule.
Add a Maintenance Schedule
You can use maintenance schedules to put certain resources into maintenance mode at specified times. The
scheduled maintenance time can be daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly.
To set up a maintenance schedule for a resource, you define the schedule, then you assign the schedule to
the resource, either by adding the resource or by editing it. You can create multiple maintenance schedules,
and you can assign each schedule to multiple resources.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Maintenance Schedules.
2 Click the Add Schedule icon at the top of the list of maintenance schedules.
3 Type a name for the maintenance schedule in the Schedule Name text box.
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4 Select the start and end times that resources assigned to the schedule will be in maintenance mode from
the Start Time and End Time drop-down menus.
5 Configure the recurrence pattern.
Option Description
Daily Set the number of days between maintenance periods or set to every
weekday.
Weekly Set the number of weeks between maintenance periods and the day of the
week.
Monthly Set the number of months between maintenance periods and either the day
of the month or the week and day.
Yearly Set to a specific date or a specific month, day, and week.
6 Click OK to save the maintenance schedule.
The new maintenance schedule appears in the list in the Manage Maintenance Schedules window and is
available when you add or edit resources.
Start Maintenance Mode on a Resource
You can place one or more resources in maintenance mode.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Environment Overview.
2 On the List tab, select the resource or resources to place in maintenance mode.
You can press Ctrl+click to select multiple individual resources or Shift+click to select a range of
resources.
3 Click the Start Maintenance icon.
4 Select how long to keep the resource in maintenance mode.
Option Action
I will come back and end
maintenance myself
Maintenance mode starts for the selected resource when you click OK. You
must manually end maintenance mode for the resource.
End Maintenance in Type the number of minutes that the resource is in maintenance mode.
End Maintenance on nType the date that maintenance mode stops in the text box, or click the
calendar icon and select a date.
nSelect the time that maintenance mode stops from the drop-down
menu.
5 Click OK to save your changes.
The resource is now in maintenance mode. The Collection Status column shows either In Maintenance
(Manual) or In Maintenance till, depending on your selection.
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Stop Maintenance Mode on a Resource
If a resource was in maintenance mode for an unspecified period of time, the only way to remove it and
restart metric collection is to manually stop maintenance mode. You can also stop maintenance mode for a
resource that was in maintenance mode for a specified period of time or that is in maintenance mode
because of its assigned maintenance schedule.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Environment Overview.
2 On the List tab, select the resource or resources on which to stop maintenance.
You can press Ctrl+click to select multiple individual resources or Shift+click to select range of
resources.
3 Click the End Maintenance icon.
Delete a Maintenance Schedule
When you do not need a maintenance schedule, you can delete it.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Maintenance Schedules.
2 Select the maintenance schedule to delete and cilck the Delete Schedule icon.
3 Click Yes on the confirmation window to delete the schedule.
Edit a Maintenance Schedule
When you edit a maintenance schedule, you can change the schedule name, start time and end times, and
recurrence pattern.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Maintenance Schedules.
2 Select the maintenance schedule to edit and click the Edit Schedule icon.
3 Edit the maintenance schedule.
4 Click OK to save your changes.
Modifying Resources
You might need to edit or delete resources to maintain your resources in vCenter Operations Manager. You
can also change the default settings for a resource kind.
Edit a Resource
When you edit a resource, you can modify one or more of its permanent characteristics, such as its collector
or attribute package.
To temporarily change the state of a resource, start or stop collection or place the resource in maintenance
mode. See “Starting and Stopping Metric Collection,” on page 30 or “Using Maintenance Mode,” on
page 31.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Environment Overview.
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2 On the List tab, select the resource to edit.
3 Click the Edit Resource icon on the top of the list.
The Resource Management window opens. The items that appear in the window depend on the type of
resource that you are editing.
4 Edit the resource.
IMPORTANT Modifing some characteristics can have unintended consequences.
5 Click OK to save your changes.
Edit Multiple Resources
You can change the same property for multiple resources at the same time. For example, you can assign a
new attribute package to several resources, or to all resources of a given resource kind, at the same time.
You can change one or more properties and leave other properties unchanged.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Environment Overview.
2 On the List tab, select the resources to edit.
You can press Ctrl+click to select multiple individual resources or Shift+click to select a range of
resources.
3 Click the Edit Resource icon on the top of the list.
The Resource Management window opens. The window contains only the values that you can change
for the selected combination of resources.
NOTE If you select resources of different kinds, the window might include only the Super Metric
package drop-down menu.
4 To change a value, select the check box next to the menu or text box and type or select the new value.
5 Click OK to save your changes.
Only the selected values are changed. If you did not select the check box next to a text box or menu, its
value is not changed.
Delete a Resource
If you do not need a resource, you can delete it.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Environment Overview.
2 On the List tab, select one or more resources to delete.
You can press Ctrl+click to select multiple individual resources or Shift+click to select a range of
resources.
3 Click the Delete Resource icon on the top of the list.
4 Click Yes on the confirmation window to delete the resource.
Each resource that you selected is marked for deletion and locked. Resource deletion occurs in the
background and might take a few seconds or longer, depending on the number of resources that you are
deleting.
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Change the Default Settings for a Resource Kind
Most or all resources of a particular resource kind typically use the same attribute package and super metric
package. You can set the default packages to use for a resource kind and specify whether resources generate
early warning smart alerts and use dynamic thresholds by default.
vCenter Operations Manager uses the default values that you specify when you add a new resource of that
kind, either manually or through resource discovery. In most cases, you can change the default values when
you add or edit a resource. You cannot change the default super metric package for a resource during
resource discovery, but you can edit the resource after it is added.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Configuration > Resource Kind Defaults.
2 Select the adapter kind that contains the resource kind for which you want to set defaults from the
Adapter kind drop-down menu.
3 In the list on the left, select the resource kind.
4 Select the default attribute package from the Attribute package drop-down menu.
5 Select the default super metric package from the Super Metric package drop-down menu.
6 Select the Enable or Disable check box to specify whether resources generate early warning smart
alerts and use dynamic thresholds by default.
7 Click OK to save your changes.
Skip Health Rollup for a Resource
You can configure vCenter Operations Manager to skip the health rollup of a particular resource to the
parent resource.
Procedure
1 Open the analytics.properties file in the vcenter-ops\user\conf\analytics directory.
NOTE The vCenter Operations Manager vApp uses the analytics.properties file on the Analytics
virtual machine.
2 List the resource kinds that you do not want to be dependent on their children's health in the
skipHealthRollupRKList property.
For example: skipHealthRollupRKList = HostSystem
3 Save your changes and close the analytics.properties file.
4 Restart the Analytics service to make your changes take effect.
Modifying Resource Tags
To maintain resource tags, you might need to remove a resource from a tag value, edit or delete a resource
tag, or edit or delete a tag value.
Edit a Resource Tag
When you edit a resource tag, you can change the tag name and the names of its tag values.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Environment Overview.
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2 Click the Manage Tags icon on the left side of the page.
3 Edit the resource tag.
Option Action
Change the resource tag name Double-click the tag name and type a new name.
Change a tag value name Expand the tag to show its values and double-click the value to type a new
name.
4 Click OK to save your changes.
Your changes appear in the tag list on the Environment Overview page.
Delete a Resource Tag or Tag Value
If you do not need a resource tag or tag value, you can delete it.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Environment Overview.
2 Click the Manage Tags icon on the left side of the page.
3 Delete the tag or tag value.
Option Action
Delete a tag Click the tag name and click the Remove Tag icon.
Delete a tag value Expand the tag, select the value, and click the Remove Tag Value icon.
4 Click OK.
The tag or tag value does not appear in the tag list on the Environment Overview page.
Remove a Resource from a Tag Value
If you need to recategorize a resource, you can remove the resource from its current tag value.
If a tag is locked, you cannot add resources to or remove resources from any of its values.
vCenter Operations Manager maintains locked tags.
Procedure
1 Select Enviroment > Environment Overview.
2 Select the tag value from the tag list on the left side of the Environment Overview page.
The assigned resources for the tag value appear on the right side of the Environment Overview page.
3 Drag the resource from the right side of the Environment Overview page to the UnTag line at the end
of the tag list.
Customize a Resource Kind Icon
You can customize the icon to show for any resource kind. In most locations where it shows metric data for
resources, vCenter Operations Manager includes an icon to show the kind of each resource.
You can select from the default icons that vCenter Operations Manager provides, or you can upload your
own graphics files. When you change a resource kind icon, your changes take effect for all users.
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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. The best image size is 256x256 pixels.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Advanced > Resource Kind Icons.
2 To list resource kinds for only one adapter, select the adapter kind from the Adapter kind drop-down
menu.
By default, the list contains all resource kinds appear and their icons.
3 (Optional) To upload your own icon to use, click the Upload Icon icon, browse to and select the file to
use, and click Open.
The icon appears in the icon list.
4 Assign the resource kind icon.
Option Action
Assign an icon or change an
assigned icon
Select the resource kind in the list, click the icon to assign, and click the
Assign Icon icon.
Return to the default icon Select the resource kind and click the Assign Default Icons icon.
5 Click OK to save your changes.
6 If you removed an icon from a resource kind and you want to delete the icon from the icon list, delete
the icon file in the vcenter-ops\tomcat\webapps\ROOT\images\resknd directory.
You cannot remove an icon file from within vCenter Operations Manager.
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Configuring Attribute Packages 4
vCenter Operations Manager can collect several types of data for a single resource. For example, for a
database server, it might receive data on free disk space, CPU use, and the average response time for a
database request. Each type of data is called an attribute in vCenter Operations Manager. A
vCenter Operations Manager administrator creates attribute packages to tell vCenter Operations Manager
which attributes to track for your resources.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n“Understanding Data Collection,” on page 39
n“Creating Attribute Packages,” on page 42
n“Creating Super Metric Packages,” on page 45
n“Modifying Attribute Packages,” on page 53
n“Modifying Super Metric Packages,” on page 54
n“Super Metric Use Case,” on page 56
n“Configure Weighted Metric Groups,” on page 57
n“Prioritize Threshold Checking,” on page 57
n“Enable the Combined Dynamic Threshold Plug-in,” on page 57
Understanding Data Collection
Before you begin creating and modifying attribute packages in vCenter Operations Manager, become
familiar with how vCenter Operations Manager collects data. The key concepts to understand include
attributes, metrics, super metrics, thresholds, and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
Attributes and Metrics
Each type of data that vCenter Operations Manager collects is called an attribute. An attribute package
contains a combination of those attributes. You assign attribute packages to resources to specify the
attributes to collect for the resource.
A metric is an instance of an attribute for a particular resource. For each metric,
vCenter Operations Manager collects and stores multiple instances over time. Each piece of data that
vCenter Operations Manager collects is called a metric observation or value.
If a single metric cannot tell you what you need to know about the behavior of your enterprise, you can
define a super metric. A super metric is a formula that contains a combination of one or more metrics for
one or more resources. Like attributes, super metrics are combined in packages, called super metric
packages. You can assign super metric packages to resources.
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Dynamic and Hard Threshold Calculations
A threshold is a value that marks the boundary between normal and abnormal behavior for a metric. When
a metric crosses one of its thresholds, vCenter Operations Manager generates an anomaly.
vCenter Operations Manager can use dynamic and hard thresholds. It defines dynamic thresholds for a
metric based on historical and incoming data. A dynamic threshold changes, and a hard threshold is static.
A hard threshold changes only when you change it.
With dynamic thresholds, vCenter Operations Manager uses historical data to evaluate the performance of
IT components in the context of previous conditions, and it uses incoming data to adjust dynamic thresholds
to better define what is normal and abnormal for a metric. By determining what is normal in your
environment, vCenter Operations Manager can filter out alerts that are associated with normal behavior,
including alerts that might be triggered by hard thresholds, and instead generate alerts only for abnormal
behaviors that are precursors to real problems.
vCenter Operations Manager uses dynamic thresholds by default for all metrics except system attributes.
You can specify hard thresholds for specific attributes when you create an attribute package. In most
environments, you should use dynamic thresholds.
Configuring Dynamic Threshold Properties
The analytics.properties and advanced.properties files in the vcenter-ops\user\conf\analytics
directory define important configuration settings, including dynamic threshold properties.
For example, one of the properties in the analytics.properties file controls when
vCenter Operations Manager recalculates dynamic thresholds. Its default is 1:00 a.m. Another property
controls whether vCenter Operations Manager checks the integrity of each metrics file in the
vCenter Operations Manager file system database (FSDB) once a week during the recalculation. If it finds a
problem, vCenter Operations Manager can either generate a system alert for that resource, or try to repair
the file and generate the system alert only if it cannot repair the file.
Edit the analytics.properties and advanced.properties files only if you are an advanced user.
Key Performance Indicators
You identify the attributes that are most important in your environment as KPIs.
vCenter 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 for an application or a tier violates a threshold, vCenter Operations Manager examines the
events that preceded the violation. If it finds enough related information, vCenter 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.
Metrics that vCenter Operations Manager Generates
For every resource that you define, vCenter Operations Manager generates and stores metrics in an attribute
package metric group called vCenter Operations Generated. vCenter Operations Manager uses these metrics
when it calculates the health of a resource. The vCenter Operations Generated package appears when you
list the metrics for a resource.
The vCenter Operations Generated metric group is included as part of every attribute package. Because
these metrics are similar to other metrics that you define, you can mark them as KPIs or include them in
other attribute packages, but this is typically not necessary. You cannot remove metrics from the vCenter
Operations Generated attribute package metric group.
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Except for Self - Total, any metric that vCenter Operations Manager generates that begins with Self
includes data only for the resource. Metrics that begin with Full Set include data for all of the resource's
children, but do not include the resource itself.
Table 4‑1. vCenter Operations Generated Attribute Package Metrics
Name Description
Self - Health Score Health score of the resource.
Self - Metric Count Number of metrics defined for the resource.
Self - KPI Count Number of KPI defined for the resource.
Self - Active Anomaly Count Number of currently active anomalies for the resource.
Self - New Anomaly Count Number of new anomalies for the resource. An anomaly is
new if it occurred for the first time in the most recent
collection cycle.
Self - Active KPI Breach Count Number of KPIs for the resource which are currently
violating their thresholds.
Self - New KPI Breach Count Number of KPIs for the resource with new threshold
violations. A breach is new if it occurred for the first time
in the most recent collection cycle.
Full Set - Metric Count Number of metrics defined for the resource’s children.
Full Set - KPI Count Number of KPI defined for the resource’s children.
Full Set - Anomaly Count Number of currently active anomalies for the resource’s
children.
Full Set - New Anomaly Count Number of new anomalies for the resource’s children. An
anomaly is new if it occurred for the first time in the most
recent collection cycle.
Full Set - Active KPI Breach Count Number of KPIs for the resource’s children which are
currently violating their thresholds.
Full Set - New KPI Breach Count Number of KPIs for the resource’s children with new
threshold violations. A breach is new if it occurred for the
first time in the most recent collection cycle.
Self - Total Anomalies Total number of active anomalies for the resource and all
its children. This is the only vCenter Operations Manager
generated metric that includes the resource itself and its
children. If you display the metric graph for this attribute,
it includes the calculated noise line for the resource, which
is the number of anomalies that triggers an early warning
alert.
Availability Can be one of the following values.
n1 (data is being received properly)
n0 (resource is unavailable)
n-1 (adapter resource is not receiving data for this
resource)
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Creating Attribute Packages
An attribute package is a group of attributes that are related to a specific resource. When you assign an
attribute package to a resource, vCenter Operations Manager collects metrics for the attributes in the
attribute package.
nAdd an Attribute Package on page 42
When you add an attribute package, you set a collection interval, specify the attributes to collect for a
resource, configure the type of threshold to use for each attribute, and indicate which attributes are
KPIs.
nSet Hard Thresholds for an Attribute on page 43
By default, vCenter Operations Manager uses dynamic thresholding for attributes. You can override
this behavior by setting hard thresholds for an attribute in an attribute package.
nMetric Data Types on page 44
Most of the data that vCenter Operations Manager stores and analyzes is numeric, but it can also track
other types of data and alert you if the values are unexpected.
nSet the Data Type for an Attribute on page 44
By default, vCenter Operations Manager recognizes the type of data that it receives for each attribute.
You can override this behavior by explicitly setting the data type for an attribute in an attribute
package.
Add an Attribute Package
When you add an attribute package, you set a collection interval, specify the attributes to collect for a
resource, configure the type of threshold to use for each attribute, and indicate which attributes are KPIs.
To set hard thresholds for an attribute in a package, see “Set Hard Thresholds for an Attribute,”
on page 43. To set the metric data type for an attribute in a package, see “Set the Data Type for an
Attribute,” on page 44.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Configuration > Attribute Packages.
2 Select the adapter kind for the attribute package from the Adapter kind drop-down menu.
3 Select the resource kind for the attribute package from the Resource kind drop-down menu.
The list shows attribute packages for your selections.
4 Click the Add New Attribute Package icon.
5 Type a name for the attribute package in the Package name text box.
6 Type a collection interval value, in minutes, in the Collection Interval (mins) text box.
For example, if you expect the resource to generate performance data every 30 minutes, set the
collection interval to 30 minutes.
The collection interval for a resource influences the collection status for that resource. The collection
interval for the adapter instance resource determines how often to collect data. For example, if the
collection interval for the adapter instance resource is set to five minutes, setting the collection interval
for a resource to 30 minutes prevents the resource from having the No Data Receiving collection status
after five collection cycles (25 minutes).
NOTE The collection interval that you set for a resource overrides the collection interval in the attribute
package that you assign to the resource.
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7 Select the check box next to each attribute to include in the package.
8 For each attribute, select whether a violation of the upper or lower dynamic threshold is a KPI.
9 Click OK to return to the Manage Attribute Packages window.
10 Click OK to save the attribute package.
What to do next
After you create an attribute package, you can assign it to a resource. You can assign an attribute package
when you add a resource, either through discovery or individually, and when you edit a resource. See
“Defining Resources,” on page 19.
To make the attribute package the default package for resources of its resource kind, see “Change the
Default Settings for a Resource Kind,” on page 35.
Set Hard Thresholds for an Attribute
By default, vCenter Operations Manager uses dynamic thresholding for attributes. You can override this
behavior by setting hard thresholds for an attribute in an attribute package.
A hard threshold is static. A hard threshold changes only when you change it. In most environments, you
should use dynamic thresholding instead of hard thresholding.
You can set multiple thresholds, each with a different criticality level, for the same attribute. You can also
define the criticality level that a metric must violate for it to be considered a KPI breach. Hard thresholds
that are not set as KPIs generate notification alerts if they are violated.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Configuration > Attribute Packages.
2 Select the adapter kind of the attribute package from the Adapter kind drop-down menu.
3 Select the resource kind of the attribute package from the Resource kind drop-down menu.
The Manage Attribute Package window lists the attribute packages for the resource kind that you
selected.
4 Select the attribute package and click the Edit Selected Attribute Package icon.
The Manage Attribute Package window displays the attribute details for the package.
5 In the directory tree in the left pane, select the check box for the attribute.
Information about the attribute appears in the right pane.
6 Click the arrow on the right side of the Advanced Configuration bar to view additional configuration
options.
7 Configure the hard thresholds options for the attribute.
Option Action
Critical Level Select the criticality level of the threshold.
Threshold Operator Select the threshold operator.
Compare Value Type the value to compare to the threshold.
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Option Action
Wait Cycle Type a value for the wait cycle. vCenter Operations Manager multiplies
the wait cycle value by the collection interval to calculate the number of
minutes that a threshold must be out of bounds before generating an
anomaly.
Cancel Cycle Type a value for the cancel cycle. vCenter Operations Manager multiplies
the cancel cycle value by the collection interval to calculate the number of
minutes the metric must be in bounds before canceling an anomaly.
8 To make a violation of the hard threshold a KPI, select the Violation of the Hard threshold is a Key
Indicator check box and select the criticality level from the Select Criticality Level at which a Hard
Threshold becomes Key Indicator drop-down menu.
The criticality level indicates the level that must be reached for a violation to be considered a KPI
breach.
9 Click OK to save your settings.
10 Click OK to return to the Manage Attribute Packages window.
Metric Data Types
Most of the data that vCenter Operations Manager stores and analyzes is numeric, but it can also track other
types of data and alert you if the values are unexpected.
For example, if a resource sends the string Good when operation is normal and Bad when a problem occurs,
vCenter Operations Manager analytics can learn this information and generate an anomaly when it receives
Bad.
Table 4‑2. Metric Types
Data Type Description
common The attribute data is numeric. This is the most common
type of attribute.
multinomial The attribute data is one of a limited set of possible values,
either string or numeric.
sparse If you know that vCenter Operations Manager will not
receive data for an attribute on a regular basis, use the
sparse data type. Using the sparse data type prevents
vCenter Operations Manager from generating anomalies
when it does not receive the metric as expected.
Set the Data Type for an Attribute
By default, vCenter Operations Manager recognizes the type of data that it receives for each attribute. You
can override this behavior by explicitly setting the data type for an attribute in an attribute package.
IMPORTANT If you do not set the correct the data type, vCenter Operations Manager does not use the proper
analytic algorithms when it evaluates the metric.
Prerequisites
Become familiar with the metric data types. See “Metric Data Types,” on page 44.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Configuration > Attribute Packages.
2 Select the adapter kind of the attribute package from the Adapter kind drop-down menu.
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3 Select the resource kind of the attribute package from the Resource kind drop-down menu.
The Manage Attribute Packages window lists the attribute packages for the resource kind that you
selected.
4 Select the attribute package and click the Edit Selected Attribute Package icon.
The Manage Attribute Packages window displays the attribute details for the package.
5 In the directory tree in the left pane, select the attribute.
Information about the attribute appears in the right pane.
6 Click the arrow on the right side of the Advanced Configuration bar to show additional configuration
options.
7 Select the data type for the attribute from the DT Type drop-down menu.
If you do not make a selection, vCenter Operations Manager detects the metric type. If the metric type is
sparse, you must set it. vCenter Operations Manager cannot detect a sparse data metric.
8 Click OK to save your settings.
9 Click OK to return to the Manage Attribute Packages window.
Creating Super Metric Packages
You can combine different metrics by using mathematical formulas to define a super metric. Super metrics
are useful when you need to track combinations of metrics, either from a single resource or, more
commonly, from multiple resources. A super metric is a formula that contains a combination of one or more
metrics for one or more resources. A super metric package contains one or more super metrics.
For example, consider the transfer of packets along a network. The ratio of packets out should stay
approximately equal to 1, and a slight deviation can indicate an abnormality. This abnormality cannot be
detected if packets in and packets out are studied separately. You must be able to track the ratio of these two
metrics.
You cannot assign a super metric directly to a resource. Instead, you create a super metric package that
contains the super metric and assign the package to the resource. The same super metric can be part of more
than one package. For example, if you create one super metric package that contains the super metrics for
WebServer1 and another package that contains all of the super metrics for all Web servers, the super metrics
for WebServer1 can be in both packages.
nDesign a Super Metric on page 46
Because super metric formulas can be complex, design a super metric before you use the
vCenter Operations Manager user interface to create it. The key to creating a super metric that alerts
you to the right situations is knowing your own enterprise and your data.
nSuper Metric Specifications on page 47
A super metric formula can consist of one or more metric specifications. You can specify a particular
resource and metric, such as CPU use for Database Server 2, or you can specify a metric and use This
Resource, which indicates the resource to which the super metric is assigned.
nSuper Metric Functions on page 47
vCenter Operations Manager includes functions that you can use in super metric formulas. The
functions are either looping functions or single functions.
nBuild a Super Metric Formula on page 49
A super metric formula can include one or more metric specifications, super metric functions,
arithmetic operators (such as the plus or minus sign), and constants. You can enter any number of
constants as part of the formula.
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nAdd a Super Metric on page 50
You create a super metric when only a combination of metrics can let you know if your systems are
behaving normally.
nAdd a Super Metric Package on page 51
When you create a super metric package, you specify the metrics that it contains, configure threshold
characteristics for each super metric, and indicate which threshold violations should be considered
KPIs. If you include the same super metric in more than one package, you can set different
characteristics for it in each package.
nAssigning Super Metric Packages on page 52
You can assign a super metric package to any resource, regardless of whether any metrics from the
resource are used in the super metric package. In most cases, you assign each super metric package to
a related resource.
nExport a Super Metric on page 52
You can export a super metric from one vCenter Operations Manager instance and import it to
another vCenter Operations Manager instance.
nImport a Super Metric on page 53
You can import a super metric that was exported from another instance of
vCenter Operations Manager.
Design a Super Metric
Because super metric formulas can be complex, design a super metric before you use the
vCenter Operations Manager user interface to create it. The key to creating a super metric that alerts you to
the right situations is knowing your own enterprise and your data.
Procedure
1 Determine the resources that are involved in the behavior to track.
When you define the metrics to use, you can select either specific resources or resource kinds. For
example, you can select the specific resources Database Server 2 and Database Server 4, or you can
select the resource kind Database Servers. When you select a resource kind, the super metric uses all of
the resources of that kind that are children of the resource to which you assign the super metric.
2 Determine the metrics to include in the super metric.
If you are tracking the transfer of packets along a network, the metrics are packets in and packets out
because you are interested in the ratio of those metrics. In another common use of super metrics, the
metrics might be the average CPU use or average memory use of the resource kind that you select
3 Decide how to combine or compare the metrics.
For example, to find the ratio of packets in to packets out, you must divide the two metrics. If you are
tracking CPU use for a resource kind, you might want to determine the average use, or you might want
to determine what the highest or lowest use is for any any resource of that kind. In more complex
scenarios, you might need a formula that uses constants or trigonometric functions.
4 Decide where to assign the super metric.
You place super metrics in a package and assign the package to a resource. For many super metrics, you
assign the super metric package to an application to have it monitor all of the resources of the specified
kind in that application. In other cases, you define the resources to track in the super metric, but the
resource that you assign the super metric to determines where alerts occur if the super metric shows
abnormal behavior. You typically assign super metrics to a tier or application.
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Super Metric Specifications
A super metric formula can consist of one or more metric specifications. You can specify a particular
resource and metric, such as CPU use for Database Server 2, or you can specify a metric and use This
Resource, which indicates the resource to which the super metric is assigned.
For example, if you select the transaction time metric and instruct vCenter Operations Manager to use this
resource, when the super metric is in a package assigned to Web Server 1, it uses the transaction time for
Web Server 1. If you assign the package to Web Server 2, it uses the transaction time for Web Server 2.
Assign any package that contains the super metric only to resources for which the metric is collected. You
can combine specific resource metrics and This Resource metrics in the same formula.
Super Metric Functions
vCenter Operations Manager includes functions that you can use in super metric formulas. The functions
are either looping functions or single functions.
Looping Functions
Looping functions work on more than one value.
Table 4‑3. Looping Functions
Function Description
avg Average of the collected values.
combine Combines all of the values of the metrics of the included
resources into a single metric timeline.
count Number of values collected.
max Maximum of the collected values.
min Minimum of the collected values.
sum Total of the collected values.
Looping Function Formats
All looping functions have four possible formats.
Table 4‑4. Looping Function Formats
Format Description
funct(res:met) Checks one level below the indicated resource and acts on the values of the metric
for all of the resource's children.
For example, avg(Tier1;CPUuse) returns the average of the CPUuse metric for all
of the children of the Tier1 resource.
funct(reskind:met) Checks down the resource tree and acts on the values of the metric for all of the
resources of the indicated resource kind that are below the resource to which the
super metric is assigned. The metric might be a specific metric or an attribute kind.
For example, sum(DomCont:BytesReadSec) totals the value of all instances of the
BytesReadSec attributes for all resources of DomCont kind below the resource to
which you assign the super metric.
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Table 4‑4. Looping Function Formats (Continued)
Format Description
functN(res:met,n) Similar to funct(res:met), except that it checks down or up the number of levels
indicated by n instead of working on only the immediate children. This behavior is
inclusive.
For example, avgN(App1:CPUuse,3) averages the CPUuse metric for the children,
grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of the App1 resource. If n is negative, the
function checks the resource's parents instead of its children. If n is 1, this format is
the same as funct(res:met).
funct([val1,val2,val3...]) Array format of a looping function. It can include any number of of the following
values, separated by commas.
nA resource:metric or resource kind:metric pair. The function takes the value of
the specified resource, not its children, unless you include a resource kind. If
you use a resource kind, you must specify a single metric for it, not a metric
kind. The function checks all resources of that type below the resource to which
it is assigned and acts on the value of the specified metric for those resources.
nA constant.
nA function or expression that returns a single value, such as
floor($This:AvgTransTime) or 100-(DBServer3:MemoryUsed).
For example, max([$This:CPUavg,Host3:CPUavg,VM:CPUavg]) finds the value of the CPUavg metric for the
resource to which the super metric is assigned, for the resource called Host3, and for all resources of type
VM that are below the resource to which the super metric is assigned in the resource tree.
Although this example uses the same metric in all three res:met pairs, you do not need to use the same
metric. For example, you can have one function take the average of the physical memory used for one
attribute, and the virtual memory used for a second attribute for one or more defined resources.
Single Functions
Single functions work on only a single value or a single pair of values.
Table 4‑5. Single Functions
Function Format Description
abs abs(x) Absolute value of x. x can be any floating point number.
acos acos(x) Arccosine of x.
asin asin(x) Arcsine of x.
atan atan(x) Arctangent of x.
ceil ceil(x) The smallest integer that is greater than or equal to x.
cos cos(x) Cosine of x.
cosh cosh(x) Hyperbolic cosine of x.
exp exp(x) e raised to the power of x.
floor floor(x) The largest integer that is less than or equal to x.
log log(x) Natural logarithm (base x) of x.
log10 log10(x) Common logarithm (base 10) of x.
pow pow(x,y) Raises x to the y power.
rand rand(x:y) Generates a random number between x and y.
sin sin(x) Sine of x.
sinh sinh(x) Hyperbolic sine of x.
sqrt sqrt(x) Square root of x.
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Table 4‑5. Single Functions (Continued)
Function Format Description
tan tan(x) Tangent of x.
tanh tanh(x) Hyperbolic tangent of x.
Build a Super Metric Formula
A super metric formula can include one or more metric specifications, super metric functions, arithmetic
operators (such as the plus or minus sign), and constants. You can enter any number of constants as part of
the formula.
You must follow certain procedures and rules when you build a super metric formula in the
vCenter Operations Manager user interface.
Prerequisites
nBecome familiar with how to construct super metric specifications. See “Super Metric Specifications,”
on page 47.
nBecome familiar with the super metric functions that vCenter Operations Manager provides. See “Super
Metric Functions,” on page 47.
Procedure
nTo use a function, select it in from the Function drop-down menu and select the resource or resource
kind and metric or attribute kind to use in its argument.
nFor looping functions that are in functN format, type the comma and value of n in the function
argument.
nTo select a resource and metric, click the resource in the Resource pane and double-click the metric in
the Metrics pane.
The database IDs of the resource and metric appear in the formula line at the top of the window.
nDefine a metric for the resource to which the super metric is assigned.
a In the Resources pane, click any resource that contains the metric to use.
b Click the This Resource icon or type $This on the formula line.
If the This Resource icon is already selected, do not click it again. After you click the This
Resource icon, you must click it again to turn it off before you can add a specific resource to the
formula.
c In the Metrics pane, double-click the metric.
nTo select a resource kind and attribute kind as an argument for a looping function, click the kind in the
Resource Kinds pane and double-click the kind in the Attribute Kinds list.
The database IDs of the resource kind and attribute kind appear in the formula line.
nTo shorten the resource kinds list, type all or part of the resource kind in the Search text box and click
the arrow next to the text box.
nTo use looping functions in array mode, type brackets to enclose the array and type commas between
each value.
nUse values that are the same type, either single values or arrays.
Arrays are defined when you select a resource kind and attribute kind instead of a particular metric.
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nSelect a resource kind and single metric only as part of the argument for a looping function.
If you select a resource kind, you must select an attribute kind.
nTo see the formula with resource and metric names instead of IDs, click the Show Formula Description
icon in the area beneath the formula line.
nTo select function names and formats and arithemetic operators, either type them directly on the
formula line or select them from the drop-down menus.
nTo use parentheses to specify the order of operations in the formula, either type them directly on the
formula line or select them from the Operators drop-down menu.
nTo clear the metrics or attribute kinds lists, click the Clear Selection icon in the Resources or Resources
kind pane at any time.
Add a Super Metric
You create a super metric when only a combination of metrics can let you know if your systems are
behaving normally.
When you add a super metric, you might find it helpful to open two vCenter Operations Manager browser
tabs. For example, you can create the super metric in one tab and view a dashboard that shows the Resource
Selector, Metric Selector, and Metric Graph widgets in the other tab. When you use two tabs, you can also
see the metric graph of a metric and verify that it is correct before you use it in a super metric.
Prerequisites
nDesign your super metric formula. See “Design a Super Metric,” on page 46.
nBecome familiar with the user interface for building super metric formulas. See “Build a Super Metric
Formula,” on page 49.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Super Metrics and click the Super Metric Editor tab.
2 Click the Add New Super Metric icon.
3 Type a name for the super metric in the Super Metric Name text box.
4 Define the formula for the super metric.
Select, in order, each function or operator to use and the metrics or attribute kinds to use in each
function or with each operator.
5 To verify the formula, display a metric graph that shows what its value was during a past time period.
a Click the Visualize Supermetric icon.
The metric graph pane replaces the Metrics and Attribute Kinds panes.
b If you are prompted to select a resource, select the resource to which to assign the super metric in
the Resources pane.
c Click the Data Controls icon and select the date range for the data.
d If the formula uses resource kinds, and you want the graph to use only resources that are current
being collected, select the Only Monitoring Resources check box.
e Click the Show Graph icon.
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6 Click OK.
vCenter Operations Manager checks the syntax of your formula. For example, it verifies that the
number of opening and closing parentheses are the same and that single values and arrays are not
mixed. If your formula is not valid, an error message appears that describes the cause of the problem.
You must correct the formula before you can save the super metric.
What to do next
Add the super metric to an existing super metric package, or create a new super metric package. See “Edit a
Super Metric Package,” on page 55 or “Add a Super Metric Package,” on page 51.
Add a Super Metric Package
When you create a super metric package, you specify the metrics that it contains, configure threshold
characteristics for each super metric, and indicate which threshold violations should be considered KPIs. If
you include the same super metric in more than one package, you can set different characteristics for it in
each package.
You can also add a super metric package when you add an individual resource or edit a resource. See “Add
an Individual Resource,” on page 21 or “Edit a Resource,” on page 33.
Prerequisites
Create one or more super metrics. See “Add a Super Metric,” on page 50.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Super Metrics and click the Package Editor tab.
2 Click the Add New Attribute Package icon.
3 Type a name for the super metric package in the Package name text box.
4 Select a super metric to add to the package from the list on the left side of the window.
The characteristics that you can set for the super metric appear in the right pane.
5 (Optional) To set the upper dynamic threshold violation for a super metric as a KPI, select the Violation
of the Upper Dynamic threshold is a Key Indicator check box.
6 (Optional) To set the lower dynamic threshold violation for a super metric as a KPI, select the Violation
of the Lower Dynamic threshold is a Key Indicator check box.
7 (Optional) To set and use hard thresholds for a super metric, click the down arrow to the right of
Advanced Configuration and configure the hard threshold options.
Option Action
Critical Level Select the criticality level of the hard threshold.
Threshold Operator Select the threshold operator.
Compare Value Type the value to compare to the hard threshold.
Wait Cycle Type a value for the wait cycle. vCenter Operations Manager multiples the
wait cycle value by the collection interval to calculate the number of
minutes that the hard threshold must be out of bounds before generating
an anomaly.
Cancel Cycle Type a value for the cancel cycle. vCenter Operations Manager multiplies
the cancel cycle value by the collection interval to calculate the number of
minutes that the hard threshold must be in bounds before canceling an
anomaly.
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8 To make a violation of a hard threshold a KPI, select the Violation of the Hard threshold is a Key
Indicator check box and select the criticality level from the Select Criticality Level at which a Hard
Threshold becomes Key Indicator drop-down menu.
The criticality level indicates the level that must be reached for a violation to be considered a KPI
breach.
9 Click OK to save the super metric package.
What to do next
After you create the super metric package, you can assign it to a resource. See “Assigning Super Metric
Packages,” on page 52.
To make the super metric package the default package for a resource kind, see “Change the Default Settings
for a Resource Kind,” on page 35.
Assigning Super Metric Packages
You can assign a super metric package to any resource, regardless of whether any metrics from the resource
are used in the super metric package. In most cases, you assign each super metric package to a related
resource.
For example, if a super metric package includes the average free space for all database servers, you assign
the package to the database server tier. If another super metric package includes all of the super metrics that
are defined for a particular application, you assign it to the application. Super metrics are the only attributes
that you can assign directly to a tier or an application.
To make vCenter Operations Manager generate problem fingerprints for your applications, you must assign
super metrics to an application or its tiers and designate the super metrics as KPI. Fingerprints can help you
predict problems with applications.
If you use looping functions that have resource kinds or This Resource metrics in a super metric, the
resource to which you assign the super metric determines which of the resource's metrics are included in the
super metric.
When you use resource discovery to define a resource, vCenter Operations Manager assigns the default
super metric package, if any, for its resource kind. When you add a resource individually, you can accept
the default super metric package or assign a different package. A default super metric package is not
available unless you previously defined a default super metric package for the selected resource kind. To
change the super metric package for one or more resources, see “Modifying Resources,” on page 33.
Export a Super Metric
You can export a super metric from one vCenter Operations Manager instance and import it to another
vCenter Operations Manager instance.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Super Metrics and click the Super Metric Editor tab.
2 Select the super metric to export and click the Export icon.
vCenter Operations Manager creates a super metric file, for example, SuperMetric.bin.
3 Select Save File and click OK to download the super metric file to your computer.
What to do next
Import the super metric file to another instance of vCenter Operations Manager. See “Import a Super
Metric,” on page 53.
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Import a Super Metric
You can import a super metric that was exported from another instance of vCenter Operations Manager.
If the super metric to import contains a reference to an object that does not exist in the target instance, the
import fails. vCenter Operations Manager returns a brief error message and writes detailed information to
the log file.
Prerequisites
Export a super metric from another vCenter Operations Manager instance. See “Export a Super Metric,” on
page 52.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Super Metrics and click the Super Metric Editor tab.
2 Click the Import icon.
3 Click Browse, select the super metric file to import, and click Open.
4 Click Import to import the super metric file.
If the target instance has a super metric with the same name as the super metric you are importing, you
can click Yes to create a super metric with the same name or No to cancel the import.
After the import is finished, the super metric appears in the Manage Super Metric window.
Modifying Attribute Packages
To maintain your attribute packages in vCenter Operations Manager, you might need to edit, clone, or
delete an attribute package.
Edit an Attribute Package
When you edit an attribute package, you can change the package name, change the collection interval, and
add or remove attributes from the package.
To change hard threshold settings for an attribute in a package, see “Set Hard Thresholds for an Attribute,”
on page 43. To change the metric data type for an attribute in a package, see “Set the Data Type for an
Attribute,” on page 44.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Configuration > Attribute Packages.
2 (Optional) Select the adapter kind of the attribute package to edit from the Adapter kind drop-down
menu.
3 (Optional) Select the resource kind of the attribute package to edit from the Resource kind drop-down
menu.
4 Select the attribute package to edit and click the Edit Selected Attribute Package icon.
5 Edit the attribute package.
Option Action
Change the package name Type a new name in the Package name text box.
Change the collection interval Type a new value in the Collection interval (mins) text box.
Add or remove an attribute from the
package
Select or deselect the check box next to the attribute name.
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6 Click OK to save your changes.
Clone an Attribute Package
You can make a copy of an attribute package by cloning it.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Configuration > Attribute Packages.
2 (Optional) Select the adapter kind and resource kind of the attribute package to clone.
3 Select the attribute package to clone and click the Clone Selected Attribute Package icon.
4 Type a name for the cloned attribute package.
5 Click OK to create the attribute package.
Delete an Attribute Package
If you do not need an attribute package, you can delete it.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Configuration > Attribute Packages.
2 (Optional) Select the adapter kind and resource kind of the attribute package to delete.
3 Select the attribute package to delete and click the Remove Selected Attribute Package icon.
4 Click Yes on the confirmation window to delete the package.
Modifying Super Metric Packages
To maintain your super metric packages in vCenter Operations Manager, you might need to edit or remove
a super metric package.
Edit a Super Metric
When you edit a super metric, you can change its name and edit the super metric formula.
Prerequisites
If you plan to change the super metric formula, see “Design a Super Metric,” on page 46 and “Build a Super
Metric Formula,” on page 49 for information on designing your formula and using the
vCenter Operations Manager user interface to build it.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Super Metrics and click the Super Metric Editor tab.
2 Select the super metric to edit.
You can use the Search box to search for the super metric.
The packages to which the super metric belongs appear in the Packages pane.
3 Click the Edit Selected Super Metric icon.
4 To change the super metric name, type a new name in the Super Metric Name text box.
5 To change the formula for the super metric, select, in the order in which they will be used, each function
or operator to use and the metrics or attributes kinds to use in each function or with each operator.
6 To save your changes, click OK.
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vCenter Operations Manager checks the syntax of your formula. For example, it verifies that the number of
opening and closing parentheses are the same and that single values and arrays are not mixed. If your
formula is not valid, an error message appears that describes the cause of the problem. You must correct the
formula before you can save your changes.
Edit a Super Metric Package
When you edit a super metric package, you can change the name of the package, add or remove super
metrics from the package, and change threshold settings for super metrics in the package.
You can also edit a super metric package when you add an individual resource or edit a resource. See “Add
an Individual Resource,” on page 21 or “Edit a Resource,” on page 33.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Super Metrics and click the Package Editor tab.
2 Select the super metric package to modify.
You can use the Search box to search for the super metric package.
The resources to which the super metric package is applied appear in the Resources pane.
3 Click the Edit Selected Attribute Package icon.
4 To change the package name, type a new name in the Package name text box.
5 To add or remove a super metric from the package, select or deselect the check box next to the super
metric name.
6 (Optional) To set the upper dynamic threshold violation for a super metric as a KPI, select the Violation
of the Upper Dynamic threshold is a Key Indicator check box.
7 (Optional) To set the lower dynamic threshold violation for a super metric as a KPI, select the Violation
of the Lower Dynamic threshold is a Key Indicator check box.
8 (Optional) To set and use hard thresholds for a super metric, click the down arrow to the right of
Advanced Configuration and configure the hard threshold options.
Option Action
Critical Level Select the criticality level of the hard threshold.
Threshold Operator Select the threshold operator.
Compare Value Type the value to compare to the hard threshold.
Wait Cycle Type a value for the wait cycle. vCenter Operations Manager multiples the
wait cycle value by the collection interval to calculate the number of
minutes that the hard threshold must be out of bounds before generating
an anomaly.
Cancel Cycle Type a value for the cancel cycle. vCenter Operations Manager multiplies
the cancel cycle value by the collection interval to calculate the number of
minutes that the hard threshold must be in bounds before canceling an
anomaly.
9 To make a violation of a hard threshold a KPI, select the Violation of the Hard threshold is a Key
Indicator check box and select the criticality level from the Select Criticality Level at which a Hard
Threshold becomes Key Indicator drop-down menu.
The criticality level indicates the level that must be reached for a violation to be considered a KPI
breach.
10 Click OK to save your changes.
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Delete a Super Metric
If you do not need a super metric, you can delete it.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Super Metrics and click the Super Metric Editor tab.
2 Select the super metric to delete.
You can use the Search box to search for the super metric.
The packages to which the super metric belongs appear in the Packages pane.
3 Click the Remove Selected Super Metric icon.
Delete a Super Metric Package
If you do not need a super metric package, you can delete it.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Super Metrics and click the Package Editor tab.
2 Select the super metric package to delete.
You can use the Search box to search for the super metric package.
The resources to which the super metric package is applied appear in the Resources pane.
3 Click the Remove Selected Attribute Package icon.
Super Metric Use Case
Consider an application, such as a Web-based business, where all of the servers in a tier perform a similar
activity, such as processing transactions. In this use case, it might be useful to know the average of a metric,
such as CPU usage, for all of the servers. You can define a super metric to track this number and assign it to
the tier.
Prerequisites
nBecome familiar with creating or editing super metric packages. See “Add a Super Metric Package,” on
page 51 or “Edit a Super Metric Package,” on page 55.
nBecome familiar with assigning super metric packages. See “Assigning Super Metric Packages,” on
page 52.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Super Metrics and click the Super Metric Editor tab.
2 Click the Add New Super Metric icon.
3 Type a name for the super metric in the Super Metric Name text box.
For example, Average CPU Use.
4 Select avg from the Functions drop-down menu.
5 In the Resource Kinds pane, select the resource kind, or type all or part of the name of the resource type
for the transaction servers in the Search text box, for example, AppServ, and click the arrow next to the
text box.
The attributes for the resource kind appear in the Attribute Kinds pane.
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6 Double-click the AvgCPUtil attribute.
The database ID of the resource and metric appear in the formula line at the top of the window.
7 (Optional) To see the resource name and metric name, click below the formula line.
8 Click OK to save the super metric.
9 Add the super metric to an existing super metric package, or create a new super metric package.
10 Assign the super metric package to the tier.
Configure Weighted Metric Groups
With the weighted metric groups feature, vCenter Operations Manager calculates the weight of individual
metrics based on the number of metrics in the group so that every top-level group has equal weight in the
health calculation.
When the weighted metric groups feature is enabled, the total anomalies metric shows the weighted total
anomalies that are related to the total number of metrics. When the weighted metric group feature is
disabled, each metric has equal weight when vCenter Operations Manager calculates health, for example,
two CPU metrics have the same effect on health as two memory metrics.
Procedure
1 Open the analytics.properties file in the vcenter-ops\user\conf\analytics directory.
The vCenter Operations Manager vApp uses the analytics.properties file on the Analytics virtual
machine.
2 To enable or disable weighted metric groups, set the useMetricGroupWeightingForHealth property to
true or false.
3 Save your changes and close the analytics.properties file.
4 Restart the Analytics service to make your changes take effect.
Prioritize Threshold Checking
You can pause dynamic threshold calculation when the data queue size exceeds a certain value. This feature
enables you to prioritize threshold checking over the dynamic threshold calculation.
Procedure
1 Open the advanced.properties file in the vcenter-ops\user\conf\analytics directory.
2 Set the dtBlockIfDataQueueSizeOver property to the data queue size.
For example: dtBlockIfDataQueueSizeOver = 200
NOTE Setting the dtBlockIfDataQueueSizeOver property to 0 disables the feature.
3 Save your changes and close the advanced.properties file.
4 Restart the Analytics service.
Enable the Combined Dynamic Threshold Plug-in
The combined dynamic threshold plug-in provides faster and more accurate dynamic threshold calculations
by combining the information learned from all previous dynamic threshold algorithms.
Procedure
1 Open the advanced.properties file in the vcenter-ops\user\conf\analytics directory.
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2 Set the useCombinedDTPlugin property to true.
For example: useCombinedDTPlugin = true
3 Save your changes and close the advanced.properties file.
4 Restart the Analytics service.
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Configuring Applications 5
An application is a type of container resource that defines an interdependent set of hardware and software
components that delivers a specific capability that supports your business. A vCenter Operations Manager
administrator builds application topologies to determine how applications are affected when one or more of
the resources that they contain experience problems.
After you configure an application, you can view real-time analysis for any or all of the affected resources in
the application, understand where in the application problems arise, and determine how problems spread to
other resources.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n“Understanding Applications,” on page 59
n“Add an Application,” on page 60
n“Creating and Assigning Application Tags,” on page 61
n“Use a Tag to Find an Application,” on page 62
n“Modifying Applications,” on page 63
n“Modifying Application Tags,” on page 64
Understanding Applications
In vCenter Operations Manager, applications are three-level hierarchies. Each application contains one or
more tiers, and each tier contains one or more resources.
A tier is a group of resources that performs a specific task in an application. For example, you can group all
of your database servers together in a tier. The resources that make up a tier can also contain other
resources, but they do not have to.
When you define application hierarchies for your resources, vCenter Operations Manager can calculate and
store fingerprints for your applications. When a KPI for an application or tier violates a threshold,
vCenter Operations Manager examines the events that preceded the violation. If it finds enough related
information, such as other anomalies, it captures the set of events that preceded the violation. This captured
series of events is called a fingerprint.
With fingerprints, vCenter Operations Manager can monitor events in the future and, if it finds a similar
series of events, issue a predictive alert to warn you that a KPI violation is likely to occur. The information
that vCenter Operations Manager obtains after it generates the fingerprint assists you in correcting the
problem.
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vCenter Operations Manager generates fingerprints only for applications. Because the only type of attribute
that you can assign directly to an application or tier is a super metric, vCenter Operations Manager
generates fingerprints only if you assign super metrics to a tier or application and mark them as KPIs. See
“Creating Super Metric Packages,” on page 45.
To maintain the highest possible server performance, vCenter Operations Manager tracks each captured
fingerprint to determine if the set of conditions it represents recurs and if those conditions help to predict
future problems. If a fingerprint is not useful in predicting problems, vCenter Operations Manager
deactivates it and stops checking for its recurrence.
Add an Application
You build an application topology by adding an application. When you add an application, you can select
from a list of predefined templates, or create your own custom template, to define the tiers in the
application.
Configured application tags appear in the left pane of the Application Overview page and the list of
configured applications appears in the right pane. For each application, a graph shows the application
health over the last 24 hours, the current health score, icons that indicate the health of each tier, and the
number of Smart Alerts and Classic Alerts.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Applications Overview.
2 Click the Add New Application icon.
3 Select a template, or select Custom to define your own application from a blank template, and click Go.
The default tiers for each template appear next to the template name. The tiers for the selected template
also appear at the bottom of the window.
4 Type a name for the application in the Application text box.
5 (Optional) To add a tier to the application, click the Add New Tier icon and type the tier name in the
row that appears.
For example, if you are configuring a tier of Web servers, you might type Web Servers.
6 Select a tier in the Tiers pane.
7 Filter the resources to add to the tier.
You can select a resource tag and tag value in the Resource-Tags list to show only the resources that
have that tag value. If you click the Invert Result icon, the list includes resources that do not match the
tag values that you selected. For example, if you select New York and London, all of the resources that
are not in either of the cities appear in the list. If you select multiple tags, the resources in the list
depend on the values that you select.
Option Description
Select more than one value for the
same tag
The list includes resources that have either value.
Select values for two or more
different tags
The list includes only resources that have all of the selected values.
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8 Select the resources to add to the tier from the List tab and drag them to the tier Resources pane.
You can select one resource, press Shift+click to select a range of resources, press Ctrl+click to select
multiple individual resources, or click the Select All to icon to select all of the listed resources.
You can also add all listed resources to a tier by clicking the Add All Resources To Tier icon.
NOTE You can add the same resource to more than one tier.
9 Continue to select tiers, filter resources, and add resources to tiers until the application topology is
finished.
10 Click Save to save the application.
The new application appears in the list of applications in the Application Overview page.
Creating and Assigning Application Tags
You can use application tags to categorize and manage applications in your environment. Creating
application tags and tag values makes it easier to find applications in vCenter Operations Manager. Rather
than searching through thousands of applications in a long list, you can easily use tags to find the
applications you want.
nAdd an Application Tag on page 61
With application tags, you can index applications for ease of manageability. Defining tags appropriate
to your environment makes it easier to find applications in vCenter Operations Manager.
nAdd a Value to an Application Tag on page 62
You can assign any number of applications to each tag value, and you can assign a single application
to tag values under any number of application tags.
nAssociate an Application with a Tag Value on page 62
When an application is associated with a tag value, you can use the application tag hierarchy to select
it in vCenter Operations Manager.
Add an Application Tag
With application tags, you can index applications for ease of manageability. Defining tags appropriate to
your environment makes it easier to find applications in vCenter Operations Manager.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Applications Overview.
2 Click the Manage Tags icon.
3 Click the Add Tag icon to add a new row and enter the name of the tag in the row.
4 Click OK to save the tag.
The new tag appears in the tags list on the Application Overview page.
What to do next
Add a value to the application tag. See “Add a Value to an Application Tag,” on page 62.
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Add a Value to an Application Tag
You can assign any number of applications to each tag value, and you can assign a single application to tag
values under any number of application tags.
Prerequisites
Add an application tag. See “Add an Application Tag,” on page 61.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Applications Overview.
2 Click the Manage Tags icon on the left side of the Application Overview page.
3 Select the tag to which to add values and click the Add Tag Value icon.
4 Type a name for the tag value in the new row.
5 Click OK to add the tag value.
The tag value appears in the tag list.
What to do next
Associate an application with the tag value. See “Associate an Application with a Tag Value,” on page 62.
Associate an Application with a Tag Value
When an application is associated with a tag value, you can use the application tag hierarchy to select it in
vCenter Operations Manager.
Prerequisites
nCreate an application tag. See “Add an Application Tag,” on page 61.
nAdd a value to the application tag. See “Add a Value to an Application Tag,” on page 62.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Applications Overview.
2 Drag the application from the list in the right pane of the Application Overview page onto the tag value
name.
You can select one application, press Ctrl+click to select multiple individual applications, or press Shift
+click to select a range of applications.
The applications that you selected are now associated with the tag value.
Use a Tag to Find an Application
Rather than searching through the entire application list, you can use tags to find the applications you want
more easily.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Applications Overview.
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2 In the tag list on the left side of the page, click the tag for which the application was assigned a value.
When you click a tag, the list of values expands below the tag. The number of applications associated
with each value appears next to the tag value. You can collapse and expand a tag by clicking it again.
You can also use the toolbar buttons above the tag list to collapse and expand application tag branches,
clear all selected application tags, and manage tags.
3 Click the tag value.
The applications with that tag value appear in the right pane.
4 Select the application from the list.
Modifying Applications
To maintain your applications in vCenter Operations Manager, you might need to add or delete tiers, add or
delete resources from tiers, change the names of tiers, or delete applications.
Edit an Application
When you edit an application, you can add and delete tiers, add and delete resources from tiers, and change
the names of tiers.
IMPORTANT Do not delete a tier that contains resources for which metrics are being collected. If metrics are
being collected when you delete a tier, vCenter Operations Manager generates alerts regarding the negative
performance of the individual resources that correspond with their respective applications. In addition,
metric collection might malfunction.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Applications Overview.
2 Select the application to edit.
3 Click the Edit Selected Application icon.
4 Edit the application.
Option Action
Add a tier to the application Click the Add New Tier icon and type the tier name in the row that
appears. For example, if you are configuring a tier of Web servers, you
might type Web Servers.
Remove a tier from the application Select the tier in the list and click the Remote Selected Tier icon.
Change the name of a tier Double-click the existing name and type a new name.
Add a resource to a tier a Select the tier in the Tiers pane.
b Select the resources to add to the tier from the resource list.
c Drag the selected resources from the tier Resources pane.
Delete a resource from a tier a Select the tier in the Tiers pane.
b Select the resources to remove from the tier in the resource list.
c Click the Remote Selected Resources From Tier icon.
5 Click Save to save your changes.
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Delete an Application
If you do not need an application, you can delete it. When you delete an application, the fingerprints, alerts,
and anomalies associated with the application are also deleted.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Applications Overview.
2 Select the application to delete.
3 Click the Remove Selected Application icon.
4 Click Yes on the confirmation window to delete the application.
Modifying Application Tags
To maintain application tags, you might need to remove an application from a tag value, edit or delete an
application tag, or edit or delete a tag value.
Edit an Application Tag
When you edit an application tag, you can change the tag name and the names of its tag values.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Applications Overview.
2 Click the Manage Tags icon on the left side of the page.
3 Edit the application tag.
Option Description
Change the tag name Double-click the tag name and type a new name.
Change a tag value name Expand the tag to show its values and double-click the value to type a new
name.
4 Click OK to save your changes.
Your changes appear in the tag list in the Application Overview page.
Delete an Application Tag or Tag Value
If you do not need an application tag or tag value, you can delete it.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Applications Overview.
2 Click the Manage Tags icon on the left side of the page.
3 Delete the tag or tag value.
Option Description
Delete a tag Click the tag name and click Remove Tag.
Delete a tag value Expand the tag, select the value, and click Remove Tag Value.
4 Click Close.
The tag or tag value does not appear in the tag list in the Application Overview page.
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Remove an Application from a Tag Value
If you need to recategorize an application, you can remove it from its current tag value.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Applications Overview.
2 Select the tag value from the list on the left side of the Application Overview page.
The assigned applications for the tag value appear in the tag list.
3 Drag the application from the list on the right to the UnTag line at the end of the tag list on the left.
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Configuring and Managing Users 6
To use vCenter Operations Manager, a user must have a user account. If your organization uses an LDAP
user database, a vCenter Operations Manager administrator can import some or all of the LDAP users to
vCenter Operations Manager.
vCenter Operations Manager provides user group-based security. You can place each user in one or more
user groups, and you can assign access rights to user groups. For example, one user group might be able to
view only the resource integrity levels, another user group might be able to configure resources, and a third
user group might have root permissions to administer other users.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n“Create a User Account,” on page 67
n“Importing LDAP Users,” on page 68
n“Configuring User Groups and Access Rights,” on page 72
n“Set Password Policies,” on page 75
n“Maintaining Users and User Groups,” on page 75
n“Run the User Audit Report,” on page 77
Create a User Account
You must create a user account for each person who uses vCenter Operations Manager. You can create users
from the vCenter Operations Manager user interface.
If you use an LDAP user database, you can also import some or all of your LDAP users into
vCenter Operations Manager. See “Importing LDAP Users,” on page 68.
NOTE In a vApp installation, users that you create from the Custom user interface do not have access to the
vSphere user interface.
Procedure
1 Select Admin > Security.
2 Click the User Management tab and click the Add New User Account icon in the User Accounts pane.
3 Type the user's first and last names, the user name and password for the user account, and the user's
email address.
4 (Optional) Type information about the user in the Description text box, such as the purpose of the
user's interaction with vCenter Operations Manager.
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5 Select the Is Enabled check box to activate the user profile.
If you do not select this check box, the user account is inactive and the user cannot log in to
vCenter Operations Manager.
6 Deselect the Is Locked check box.
If you select this check box, the user account is locked and the user cannot use
vCenter Operations Manager.
7 Select Change Pswd At Next Login to force the user to change his or her password at the next login.
8 Click OK to save your configuration.
After vCenter Operations Manager creates the user account, the account appears in the User Accounts pane.
By default, new users are set to use the light color scheme, the local browser time, and to have no
administrative privileges.
What to do next
Assign the user to a user group. See “Assign a User to a User Group,” on page 74.
Importing LDAP Users
If you use an LDAP database to manage users and groups, you can import users from one or more groups to
vCenter Operations Manager. When you import LDAP users, you can create user records and assign them
to vCenter Operations Manager groups in one operation.
When you import LDAP users to vCenter Operations Manager, only the user name is imported. The user
password is not imported. When an LDAP user logs in, vCenter Operations Manager queries the LDAP
database to validate the password. LDAP users cannot change their passwords in
vCenter Operations Manager.
You can import LDAP users manually or with autosynchronization. When you import LDAP users
manually, vCenter Operations Manager retrieves the users that match your criteria. With
autosynchronization, you map LDAP groups to vCenter Operations Manager groups. Autosynchronization
runs at specified intervals. You can import LDAP users manually at any time.
Before you can import LDAP users, you must define the LDAP host in vCenter Operations Manager. To use
SSL to communicate securely with the LDAP server, you must import a security certificate on the
vCenter Operations Manager server.
nAdd or Modify an LDAP Host Definition on page 69
To import LDAP users, you must define the LDAP host in vCenter Operations Manager. You can also
modify existing LDAP host definitions.
nConfigure Secure Communication for LDAP Import on page 70
You can import a security certificate to the vCenter Operations Manager server truststore file to
communicate securely with an LDAP host.
nImport LDAP Users Manually on page 70
When you import LDAP users manually, vCenter Operations Manager retrieves the LDAP users that
match your criteria. You can import all users, or select specific users, and assign users to
vCenter Operations Manager groups. You can manually import users at any time.
nImport LDAP Users with Autosynchronization on page 71
With autosynchronization, you map LDAP groups to vCenter Operations Manager groups. The
import retrieves all members of the LDAP groups and adds them to the mapped
vCenter Operations Manager groups.
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nStop Importing LDAP Users on page 72
You can configure the autosynchronization feature to stop importing LDAP users to a
vCenter Operations Manager group.
Add or Modify an LDAP Host Definition
To import LDAP users, you must define the LDAP host in vCenter Operations Manager. You can also
modify existing LDAP host definitions.
Procedure
1 Select Admin > Security.
2 In the User Accounts pane, click the Import From LDAP icon.
3 Add, edit, or delete an LDAP host.
Option Action
Add a new LDAP host Click Add.
Modify an LDAP host definition Select an LDAP host definition and click Edit.
Remove an LDAP host definition Click Delete
4 Define or modify the LDAP host settings.
Option Action
LDAP Description Type a unique description for the LDAP host.
LDAP Host Name Type the LDAP host name or IP address.
Port Type the port number to connect to the LDAP host.
SSL Select if you imported an SSL certificate for LDAP import. You can use SSL
only if you imported a security certificate in the
vCenter Operations Manager server trust store.
Username Field Select or type the LDAP field to use as the user name in
vCenter Operations Manager.
Base DN Type the base distinguished name for the user search. Only users under
this base will be found.
Username Type the user name to connect to the LDAP database.
Password Type the password to connect to the LDAP database.
5 (Optional) To limit the users that vCenter Operations Manager finds on the LDAP host when you
import LDAP users, type values in the search criteria and attribute text boxes.
All of the text boxes are optional.
Option Description
Group Search Criteria The LDAP search criteria for finding groups. If you do not specify group
search criteria, vCenter Operations Manager uses the default search
parameters (|(objectClass=group)(objectClass=groupOfNames)).
Member Attribute The name of the attribute of a group object that contains the list of
members. If you do not specify a member attribute,
vCenter Operations Manager uses member by default.
User Search Criteria The LDAP search criteria for finding and caching specific users that the
member field looks up. Type sets of key=value pairs, for example, (|
(key1=value1)(key2=value2)). If you do not specify search criteria,
vCenter Operations Manager searches for each user separately and the
search operation might be time consuming.
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Option Description
Member Match Field The attribute name of a User object to be matched with the Member entry
from the Group object. If you do not specify an attribute name,
vCenter Operations Manager treats the Member entry as a DN.
LDAP Context Attributes Additional attributes to apply to the LDAP context environment. Type sets
of key=value pairs separated by commas, for example,
java.naming.referral=ignore,java.naming.ldap.deleteRDN-
false.
6 Click OK to save the LDAP host definition.
What to do next
If you configured SSL for the LDAP host, import a security certificate. See “Configure Secure
Communication for LDAP Import,” on page 70.
Configure Secure Communication for LDAP Import
You can import a security certificate to the vCenter Operations Manager server truststore file to
communicate securely with an LDAP host.
Prerequisites
nObtain a security certificate.
nBecome familiar with how to start and stop the vCenter Operations Manager Web service. See “Start or
Stop vCenter Operations Manager Services,” on page 108.
Procedure
1 Open a command prompt on the vCenter Operations Manager server.
2 Use the keytool utility to import the security certificate to the server truststore file.
For example:
"vcenter-ops\jre\bin\keytool.exe" -import -alias NDSCERT -file certificate.cer -keystore
"vcenter-ops\user\conf\truststore" -storepass oxygen
certificate.cer is the name of the security certificate.
3 Restart the vCenter Operations Manager Web service.
Import LDAP Users Manually
When you import LDAP users manually, vCenter Operations Manager retrieves the LDAP users that match
your criteria. You can import all users, or select specific users, and assign users to
vCenter Operations Manager groups. You can manually import users at any time.
Prerequisites
nDefine the LDAP host in vCenter Operations Manager. See “Add or Modify an LDAP Host Definition,”
on page 69.
nVerify that you have the Import From LDAP access right.
Procedure
1 Select Admin > Security.
2 In the User Accounts pane, click the Import from LDAP icon.
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3 Select the LDAP host from the Ldap Host drop-down menu.
vCenter Operations Manager populates the user name and password text boxes by using values from
the LDAP host definition.
4 Click Lookup.
vCenter Operations Manager searches the LDAP data and lists all of the users that it finds. If the search
returns a user who is already imported to vCenter Operations Manager, that row is dimmed and
locked. You cannot reimport users.
5 Select the users to import.
Option Description
Import all of the users in an LDAP
group
Check Import All for that group.
Import an individual user in an
LDAP group
Click in the Import column and select true.
6 For each user that you selected to import, select the vCenter Operations Manager group to which to add
the user in the Groups column.
7 Click Import.
If you try to import a user who has the same name as a user in vCenter Operations Manager, a message
states that one or more users could not be imported and the row for the user is yellow.
After the LDAP users are imported, their user accounts appear in the User Accounts pane.
Import LDAP Users with Autosynchronization
With autosynchronization, you map LDAP groups to vCenter Operations Manager groups. The import
retrieves all members of the LDAP groups and adds them to the mapped vCenter Operations Manager
groups.
By default, autosynchronization runs at one hour intervals. If you are an advanced user, you can change the
autosynchronization interval by editing the ldapSyncInterval property in the vcenter-
ops\user\conf\web\web.properties file.
Prerequisites
nDefine the LDAP host in vCenter Operations Manager. See “Add or Modify an LDAP Host Definition,”
on page 69.
nVerify that you have the Import From LDAP access right.
Procedure
1 Select Admin > Security.
2 In the User Accounts pane, click the Import from LDAP icon.
3 Select the LDAP host from the Ldap Host drop-down menu and click Edit.
4 Select the Auto Sync check box to enable autosynchronization.
The Account Groups and LDAP Groups lists appear at the bottom of the window.
5 Click Load LDAP Groups.
vCenter Operations Manager populates the LDAP Groups list.
6 In the Account Groups pane, select a vCenter Operations Manager group.
7 Click the Add Group icon.
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8 Select the LDAP group to import to the vCenter Operations Manager group that you selected.
9 Repeat Step 6 through Step 8 for each LDAP group to import.
10 Click OK to save your configuration.
The next time that autosynchronization runs, vCenter Operations Manager retrieves the members of the
LDAP groups that you selected and adds them to the mapped vCenter Operations Manager groups.
Stop Importing LDAP Users
You can configure the autosynchronization feature to stop importing LDAP users to a
vCenter Operations Manager group.
Prerequisites
Verify that you have the Import From LDAP access right.
Procedure
1 Select Admin > Security.
2 In the User Accounts pane, click the Import from LDAP icon.
3 Select the LDAP host and click Edit.
4 Select the Auto Sync check box to enable autosynchronization.
The Account Groups and LDAP Groups lists appear at the bottom of the window.
5 Click Load LDAP Groups.
vCenter Operations Manager populates the LDAP Groups list.
6 In the Account Groups pane, select the vCenter Operations Manager group.
7 Click the Remove Groups icon.
The LDAP Groups list shows all of the LDAP groups that were imported to the selected
vCenter Operations Manager group.
8 Select the LDAP group to stop importing to the selected vCenter Operations Manager group.
9 Click OK to save your configuration.
vCenter Operations Manager stops importing LDAP users to the vCenter Operations Manager group that
you selected. The next autosynchronization also removes any existing users from the selected
vCenter Operations Manager group.
Configuring User Groups and Access Rights
You can place each user in one or more user groups, and you can assign access rights to user groups. The
access rights that you assign to a user group determine the vCenter Operations Manager features that
members of the user group can use. vCenter Operations Manager provides several predefined user groups.
You can also create your own custom user groups.
Perform access rights-related tasks only when you are logged in as a user who has administrative privileges.
nPredefined User Groups on page 73
vCenter Operations Manager includes several predefined user groups.
nAdd a User Group on page 73
If the predefined user groups do not meet your needs, you can create your own user groups.
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nConfigure Access Rights for a User Group on page 74
To enable users to perform certain actions in vCenter Operations Manager, you must assign access
rights to each user group. You define which menus users within a user group can access and the
actions that the users can perform.
nAssign a User to a User Group on page 74
You can assign any number of users to a user group, and each user can belong to any number of
groups. You can create administrators in addition to the default admin user by assigning users to the
Administrators group.
Predefined User Groups
vCenter Operations Manager includes several predefined user groups.
Table 6‑1. Predefined User Groups
Group Description
Administrators Have full access to the system.
Operators Can manage the environment, but cannot manage users and user groups or edit the
password policy.
Users Can view the environment, including the Environment Overview, Applications Overview,
Alerts Overview, Cross-Silo Analysis, and Problem Fingerprint Library pages. Members of
this group can also view the support Status tab and run performance, behavior, and
anomaly correlation reports.
Add a User Group
If the predefined user groups do not meet your needs, you can create your own user groups.
Prerequisites
Become familiar with the predefined user groups. See “Predefined User Groups,” on page 73.
Procedure
1 Select Admin > Security.
2 On the User Management tab, click the Add New Group icon in the Account Groups pane.
3 Type a name for the user group in the Group name text box.
4 (Optional) Type a description for the user group in the Description text box.
The description can include information about the group, such as the purpose of the group's interaction
with vCenter Operations Manager.
5 Click OK to save your configuration.
The new user group appears in the Account Groups pane.
What to do next
Assign access rights to the user group. See “Configure Access Rights for a User Group,” on page 74.
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Configure Access Rights for a User Group
To enable users to perform certain actions in vCenter Operations Manager, you must assign access rights to
each user group. You define which menus users within a user group can access and the actions that the
users can perform.
Prerequisites
Add user groups to vCenter Operations Manager. See “Add a User Group,” on page 73.
Procedure
1 Select Admin > Security.
2 On the Access Rights tab, select the user group under Account Groups.
3 In the Access Rights pane on the right, select the check box for each menu and menu option that group
members can access.
The Access Rights pane contains an expandable list of access rights for actions that you can perform in
the vCenter Operations Manager menus. The Administrative Access right provides access to the Admin
menu. If the check box for an access right is deselected, group members cannot perform the associated
action.
4 Click the Save Changes icon to save the access rights for the user group.
What to do next
Add users to the user group. See “Assign a User to a User Group,” on page 74.
Assign a User to a User Group
You can assign any number of users to a user group, and each user can belong to any number of groups.
You can create administrators in addition to the default admin user by assigning users to the Administrators
group.
NOTE Only by the admin user can perform some vCenter Operations Manager features, such as querying
the vCenter Operations Manager database.
Prerequisites
nBecome familiar with the predefined user groups. See “Predefined User Groups,” on page 73.
nIf the predefined user groups do not meet your needs, create new user groups. See “Add a User
Group,” on page 73.
Procedure
1 Select Admin > Security.
2 On the User Management tab, select a user in the User Accounts pane.
You can press Ctrl+click to select multiple individual users or Shift+click to select a range of users.
3 Drag the user to the Account Groups pane and drop it into the user group.
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Set Password Policies
You can configure the account lockout, password strength, and password change policy settings for
vCenter Operations Manager user passwords.
NOTE vCenter Operations Manager sessions time out after 30 minutes of inactivity and require users to log
in again. You cannot change this timeout value.
Procedure
1 Select Admin > Security.
2 Select the Password Policy tab.
3 In the Account Lockout Policy group, configure the account lockout settings.
Option Description
Active Locks users out of vCenter Operations Manager after the number of failed
login attempts specified in Allowed Login Attempts.
Allowed Login Attempts The number of login attempts that a user can attempt before being locked
out of vCenter Operations Manager.
4 In the Password Strength Policy group, configure the password strength policy settings.
Option Description
Active Select this check box to set password strength requirements.
Password Min Length The minimum number of characters that a password can contain.
Password Must Have Letters and
Numbers
Select this check box to require passwords to contain at least one letter and
at least one number.
Password Must Not Equal To User Select this check box to prevent users from using their user name as their
password.
5 In the Password Change Policy group, configure the password change policy settings.
Option Description
Active Forces users to change their passwords after the number of days specified
in Password Expiration Period.
Password Expiration Period (days) Number of days before users are forced to change their passwords.
Password Prior Expiration Warn
Period (days)
Number of days before a password expires that users are warned that their
passwords are about to expire.
6 Click the Save Policy icon to save your configuration.
Maintaining Users and User Groups
To maintain users and user groups in vCenter Operations Manager, you might need to add, remove, or edit
user accounts and user groups.
Edit a User Account
When you edit a user account, you can change user and password information. You can also activate,
deactivate, lock out, or unlock a user account.
If you imported a user from LDAP, you cannot change user name or password-related information, but you
can edit other user information.
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Procedure
1 Select Admin > Security.
2 On the User Management tab, select the user and click the Edit Selected User Account icon.
3 Type different values in the appropriate text boxes to modify the user's first and last name, user name,
password, email address, or description.
4 Change the user account options to modify the behavior of the user account.
Option Action
Enable or disable the user account Select or deselect the Is Enabled check box. When a user account is
disabled, it becomes inactive and the user cannot log in to
vCenter Operations Manager.
Lock or unlock the user account Select or deselect the Is Locked check box. When a user account is locked,
the user cannot use vCenter Operations Manager.
Change the password change
policy
Select or deselect the Change Pswd At Next Login check box.
5 Click OK to save your changes.
Remove a User Account
You can remove a user account from vCenter Operations Manager.
Procedure
1 Select Admin > Security.
2 On the User Management tab, select the user account in the User Accounts pane and click the Remove
Selected User Account icon.
3 Click Yes in the confirmation window to delete the user account.
Edit a User Group
When you edit a user group, you can change its name and description.
Procedure
1 Select Admin > Security.
2 On the User Management tab, select the user group in the Account Groups pane and click the Edit
Selected Group icon.
3 Modify the user group information.
You can change the user group name and description.
4 Click OK to save your changes.
Remove a User Group
If you do not need a user group, you can remove it.
Procedure
1 Select Admin > Security.
2 On the User Management tab, select the user group in the Account Groups pane and click the Remove
Selected Group icon.
3 Click Yes in the confirmation window to remove the user group.
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Run the User Audit Report
The User Audit report shows information about the users, groups, and access rights configuration of a
vCenter Operations Manager system. For each user, it shows the groups that the user belongs to and the
access rights that are granted to each group. The access rights are arranged by group.
Procedure
1 Select Admin > User Audit Report.
2 Select the report format from the Report type drop-down menu.
3 Click Submit.
The User Audit Report window appears.
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Configuring Alert Notifications 7
vCenter Operations Manager generates an anomaly when a metric violates its threshold. If
vCenter Operations Manager determines that the current combination of anomalies indicates a real problem,
it generates an alert. An alert is a notification to inform you of an abnormal condition that might require
attention.
Alerts appear in the vCenter Operations Manager user interface on the Alerts Overview page, in the alert
watch list, and in the Alerts widget. If a vCenter Operations Manager administrator sets up the alert
notification feature, users can find out about alerts even when they are not using
vCenter Operations Manager.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n“Configuring and Modifying Alert Handler Instances,” on page 79
n“Configuring Email Alert Notifications,” on page 83
n“Modifying Email Alert Notifications,” on page 93
n“Configuring Mulitilevel Alert Rules,” on page 97
n“Configuring Hint Text for Alerts,” on page 99
n“Configure Alerts for vCenter Server Events,” on page 103
n“Retrieve Keys from the vCenter Operations Manager Database,” on page 103
Configuring and Modifying Alert Handler Instances
An alert handler sends alert notifications. You can configure alert handler instances to send alert
notifications as email messages or SNMP traps, or to save alert notifications in a log file. If you use EMC
Smarts, you can configure an alert handler instance to send notifications to the SAMS Global Console. You
can create an unlimited number of alert handler instances.
An alert handler instance sends alert notifications for all new, updated, and canceled alerts. If an attempt to
send an alert notification fails, the handler continually retries the notification. After five minutes, if all alert
notification attempts fail, the handler generates an administrative system alert and continues to retry the
notification until it succeeds.
nAdd or Edit an Email Alert Handler Instance on page 80
To send alert notifications to users in email messages, you must create an alert handler that sends alert
notifications to an email filter.
nAdd or Edit an SNMP Trap Alert Handler Instance on page 81
An SNMP trap alert handler instance sends all alerts, of all types, as SNMP traps to a destination host
that you specify. Any filtering, by alert type or any other critieria, must be done on the destination
host.
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nAdd or Edit a Log File Alert Handler Instance on page 81
A log file alert handler instance saves alert nominations to a log file on the
vCenter Operations Manager server.
nAdd or Edit an EMC Smarts Alert Handler Instance on page 82
If you use vCenter Operations Manager with EMC Smarts, you can configure an alert handler instance
to send alerts directly to the EMC Smarts SAM Global Console.
nStart or Stop an Alert Handler Instance on page 83
You can start and stop alert handler instances from the vCenter Operations Manager user interface.
nDelete an Alert Handler Instance on page 83
If you do not need an alert handler instance, you can delete it.
Add or Edit an Email Alert Handler Instance
To send alert notifications to users in email messages, you must create an alert handler that sends alert
notifications to an email filter.
Prerequisites
Set up filtering rules, define email templates, and configure email alert notification settings. See
“Configuring Email Alert Notifications,” on page 83.
Procedure
1 Select Admin > Configure Outbound Alert.
2 Add or edit an email alert handler instance.
Option Action
Add an email alert handler instance a Click the Add Alert Handler icon.
b Select Email from the Outbound Alert Type drop-down menu.
c Type a name for the alert handler instance in the Instance Name text
box.
Edit an email alert handler instance Select the alert handler instance and click the Edit Alert Handler icon. You
cannot change the outbound alert type.
3 Configure or modify the email alert handler settings.
Option Description
SMTP_HOST Type the IP address of the SMTP server. The SMTP server delivers email
messages to the recipients of the alert notifications.
SMTP_PORT Type the SMTP port number. The default value is 25.
4 Click Test to test the filter.
vCenter Operations Manager verifies that the SMTP host and port you specified are valid and checks
the syntax and data of the emailFilter.xml file.
5 Click OK to save your configuration.
vCenter Operations Manager starts the alert handler instance.
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Add or Edit an SNMP Trap Alert Handler Instance
An SNMP trap alert handler instance sends all alerts, of all types, as SNMP traps to a destination host that
you specify. Any filtering, by alert type or any other critieria, must be done on the destination host.
The MIB file vcenter-ops\user\plugins\outbound\snmp_alertplugin\mibs\VMWARE-VCOPS-EVENT-MIB.mib
contains the information that you need to enable the receiving party to interpret the traps.
Procedure
1 Select Admin > Configure Outbound Alert.
2 Add or edit an SNMP trap alert handler instance.
Option Action
Add an SNMP trap alert handler
instance
a Click the Add Alert Handler icon.
b Select SNMP Trap from the Outbound Alert Type drop-down menu.
c Type a name for the alert handler instance in the Instance Name text
box.
Edit an SNMP trap alert handler
instance
Select the alert handler and click the Edit Alert Handler icon. You cannot
change the outbound alert type.
3 Configure or modify the alert handler settings.
Option Action
Instance Name Type a name for the alert handler instance.
destination_host Type the IP address of the SNMP trap receiving host.
port Type the port number to use. The default port number for SNMP traps is
162.
community Type the community name of the SNMP trap receiver. The default is
public.
4 Click Test to send a test trap with test data to the configured destination.
If the attempt fails, vCenter Operations Manager generates an error message.
5 Click OK to save your configuration.
vCenter Operations Manager starts the alert handler instance.
Add or Edit a Log File Alert Handler Instance
A log file alert handler instance saves alert nominations to a log file on the vCenter Operations Manager
server.
Procedure
1 Select Admin > Configure Outbound Alert.
2 Add or edit a log file alert handler instance.
Option Action
Add a log file alert handler instance a Click the Add Alert Handler icon.
b Select Log File from the Outbound Alert Type drop-down menu.
c Type a name for the alert handler instance in the Instance Name text
box.
Edit a log file alert handler instance Select the alert handler instance and click the Edit Alert Handler icon. You
cannot change the outbound alert type.
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3 Configure or modify the alert handler settings.
Option Action
Instance Name Type a name for the alert handler instance.
Alert Output Folder Type the log file path. The path must be on the
vCenter Operations Manager Server. The complete path must be no longer
than 50 characters. If the path is too long, vCenter Operations Manager
cannot update the alert instance.
4 Click OK to save your configuration.
NOTE You cannot use the Test button to test a log file alert handler instance.
vCenter Operations Manager starts the alert handler instance.
Add or Edit an EMC Smarts Alert Handler Instance
If you use vCenter Operations Manager with EMC Smarts, you can configure an alert handler instance to
send alerts directly to the EMC Smarts SAM Global Console.
When you use an EMC Smarts alert handler, EMC Smarts users can see vCenter Operations Manager alert
information and can open vCenter Operations Manager to see alert details from their EMC Smarts display.
Prerequisites
Obtain the broker name, SAM server name, and user name and password for your EMC Smarts
configuration. See the Integration Guide for VMware vCenter Operations Manager and EMC Smarts.
Procedure
1 Select Admin > Configure Outbound Alert.
2 Add or edit an EMC Smarts alert handler instance.
Option Action
Add an EMC Smarts alert handler
instance
a Click the Add Alert Handler icon.
b Select Email from the Outbound Alert Type drop-down menu.
c Type a name for the alert handler instance in the Instance Name text
box.
Edit an EMC Smarts alert handler
instance
Select the alert handler instance and click the Edit Alert Handler icon.
When you edit an alert handler instance, you cannot change the outbound
alert type.
3 Configure the alert handler settings.
Option Action
Instance Name Type a name for the alert handler instance.
Broker Type the broker name, SAM server name, and user credentials for your
Smarts configuration.
SAM Server Type the name of the SAM server.
User Name Type the user name.
Password Type the password.
4 Click Test to test the alert handler instance.
vCenter Operations Manager verifies that all required fields contain values and tries to connect to EMC
Smarts.
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5 Click OK to save your configuration.
vCenter Operations Manager starts the alert handler instance.
Start or Stop an Alert Handler Instance
You can start and stop alert handler instances from the vCenter Operations Manager user interface.
NOTE When you create an alert handler instance, vCenter Operations Manager starts it for you.
Procedure
1 Select Admin > Configure Outbound Alert.
2 Select the alert handler instance.
Option Action
Start the alert handler instance Click the Start button on the toolbar at the top of the page. The Alert
Handler Status column shows Started when the instance is activated.
Stop the alert handler instance Click the Stop button on the toolbar at the top of the page. The Alert
Handler Status column shows Stopped when the instance is deactivated.
Delete an Alert Handler Instance
If you do not need an alert handler instance, you can delete it.
Procedure
1 Select Admin > Configure Outbound Alert.
2 Select the alert handler instance and click the Delete Alert Handler icon.
3 Click Yes to confirm the deletion.
Configuring Email Alert Notifications
Configuring email alert notifications involves adding filtering rules, defining email templates, and
configuring email alert notification settings.
A filtering rule is a set of conditions and email addresses. The vCenter Operations Manager email plug-in
uses filtering rules to send email alert notifications to the proper users based on the affected application,
resource kind, alert level, and other criteria.
An email template definition specifies which email template file to use for a given alert type, subtype, and
status. An email template file defines the body text of an email alert notification.
vCenter Operations Manager provides several default email template files. You can also create your own
custom email template files. In general, you use the default email template files for most notifications and
create custom email template files for users that require different information in their notifications. You can
create custom email template files before or after you configure email template definitions.
You typically have more email template file definitions than email template files. Most email template
definitions point to the same email template file, even though they are for different combinations of alert
types and recipients.
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emailFilter.xml File
emailFilter.xml is an XML file that defines the filtering rules and template files to use for email alert
notifications. The file also contains general settings that apply to all email alert notifications.
IMPORTANT Do not edit emailFilter.xml directly unless you are familiar with XML structure and syntax. A
formatting mistake might prevent email alert notifications from working. If you edit emailFilter.xml
directly, make a backup copy of the file before you change it.
After you edit the emailFilter.xml file, you must restart the email filter plug-in instance in
vCenter Operations Manager to make your changes take effect.
Sample emailFilter.xml File
This sample emailFilter.xml file shows the entire content of emailFilter.xml contained within the
<EmailFilter> and </EmailFilter> tags. None of the entries are case-sensitive.
<EmailFilter >
<Templates>
<Template alert_type="Administrative" alert_subtype="Environment"
status="New">New-Administrative-Environment.html</Template>
<Template alert_type="Administrative" alert_subtype="Environment"
status="Cancel">Cancel-Administrative-Environment.html</Template>
<Template alert_type="Administrative" alert_subtype="System"
status="New">New-Administrative-System.html</Template>
<Template alert_type="Administrative" alert_subtype="System"
status="Cancel">Cancel-Administrative-System.html</Template>
...
</Templates>
<SendFromEmail>name1@example.com</SendFromEmail>
<FilterRule name="WebTierAlerts">
<Conditions>
<condition type="Application">Online Trading</condition>
<condition type="Tier">Online Trading:Web</condition>
<condition type="Tier">Online Trading:Web</condition>
<condition type="Level">Critical</condition>
</Conditions>
<Addresses>
<sendTo type="email">name2@example.com</sendTo>
<sendTo type="sms">9495554444@vtext.com </sendTo>
</Addresses>
</FilterRule>
<FilterRule name="ResourceKindAlerts">
<Conditions>
<condition type="ResourceKind">OPEN_API:DEMO</condition>
<condition type="Status">New</condition>
<condition type="Tag">Location:NewYork</condition>
</Conditions>
<Addresses>
<sendTo type="email">name3@example.com</sendTo>
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<sendTo type="sms">9495551212@vtext.com</sendTo>
</Addresses>
</FilterRule>
</EmailFilter>
<Templates> Element
The first part of the emailFilter.xml file is a <Templates> element, which contains a series of <Template>
elements. Each element specifies the template file to use for alert email messages of a particular type,
subtype, and status. You can use the following types of template files.
Default templates Default template files, which are included with
vCenter Operations Manager, are designed to use with an alert type,
subtype, and status if a custom file is not specified for the recipient.
emailFilter.xml includes a <template> element for each default template. Do
not change these elements. To change the messages sent to all users for a
particular alert type, modify the default message template.
Custom templates Custom template files are unique to your installation and are designed for
particular users. The <template> element for a custom template includes a
<sendTo> attribute that specifies the recipient.
The following sample element is a default template.
<Template alert_type="ADMINISTRATIVE" alert_subtype="ENVIRONMENT" status="NEW">
New-Administrative-Environment.html</Template>
The following sample element is a custom template.
<Template sendTo="abc@example.com" alert_type="ADMINISTRATIVE" alert_subtype="ENVIRONMENT"
status="NEW">abc-New-Administrative-Environment.html</Template>
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Table 7‑1. <template> Element Attributes
Attribute Description and Values
alert_type Alert type. Valid values are as follows:
nRESOURCE
nTIER
nAPPLICATION
nFINGERPRINT_PREDICTION
nFINGERPRINT_GENERATION
nSMART
nCLASSIC
nADMINISTRATIVE
nHEALTH
nRISK
nEFFICIENCY
alert_subtype Alert subtype.
Valid values for SMART alerts are as follows:
nEARLYWARNING
nKPI_BREACH
nKPI_PREDICTION
Valid values for CLASSIC alerts are as follows:
nKPI_HT_BREACH
nNOTIFICATION
nABNORMALITY
Valid values for ADMINISTRATIVE alerts are as follows:
nSYSTEM
nENVIRONMENT
Valid values for HEALTH alerts are as follows:
nWORKLOAD
nANOMALY
nFAULT
Valid values for RISK alerts are as follows:
nTIME
nCAPACITY
nSTRESS
nCOMPLIANCE
Valid values for EFFICIENCY alerts are as follows:
nWASTE
nDENSITY
status Change in alert condition that generated the notification. Valid values are
NEW, UPDATE, and CANCEL.
sendTo Email address of the intended recipient. This attribute is used only with
custom templates.
The content of the <template> element is the file name of the template file.
Elements for General Settings
Email alert notifications use general settings.
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Table 7‑2. Elements for General Options
Element Description
<SendFromEmail> (Optional) Sets the address to use as the from address for all email alert
notifications. If you do not include this element,
vCenter Operations Manager sends messages from the default email
sender address in the vcenter-ops\user\conf\email.properties
configuration file.
<FilterRule> Element
The rest of the emailFilter.xml file contains one or more <FilterRule> elements. Each <FilterRule> element
defines a set of conditions for an alert and one or more email addresses to which to send notifications for all
alerts that meet those conditions. <FilterRule> should have a name attribute. The name attribute can be any
text that describes the filter rule.
Each <FilterRule> has one or more conditions, which are contained in a <Conditions> tag. Each <condition>
element includes a type setting and a value to match. In the sample file, the following conditions are used in
the first rule:
<Conditions>
<condition type="Application">Online Trading</condition>
<condition type="Tier">Online Trading:Web</condition>
<condition type=Level">Critical</condition>
</Conditions>
In this example, the rule contains three conditions. The first condition is of type Application and it checks
for the value Online Trading. The type setting defines the type of data to check for the matching value to
determine if the condition is met.
Table 7‑3. Valid Type Settings
Type Description
AlertType Type of alert. For a list of alert types, see Table 7-1.
For example: <condition type="AlertType">ADMINISTRATIVE</condition>
AlertSubType Subtype of the alert. For the subtypes that you can use with each alert type, see Table 7-1.
For example: <condition type="AlertSubType">ENVIRONMENT</condition>
Application Name of a vCenter Operations Manager application. The condition matches if the alert is
for any resource in the application.
For example: <condition type="Application">OnlineTrading</condition>
Collector Unique name of a vCenter Operations Manager collector.
For example: <condition type="Collector">vCenter Operations
Collector</condition>
Level Minimum alert criticality level. Alerts of this level or above match this condition. Valid
types are NONE, INFO, WARNING, IMMEDIATE, and CRITICAL.
For example: <condition type="Level">immediate</condition>
ResourceKind Name of a resource kind in the format AdapterKind:ResourceKind.
For example: <condition type="ResourceKind">OPEN_API:DEMO</condition>
RootCauseTier Tier in an application. It is a match if one of the root causes of the alert is on the tier. You
must include the application name and the tier name in the format Application:Tier.
For example: <condition type="RootCauseTier">Online
Trading:Network</condition>
State State of the alert. Valid values are OPEN, ASSIGNED, SUSPENDED, and SUPPRESSED.
For example: <condition type="State">Open</condition>
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Table 7‑3. Valid Type Settings (Continued)
Type Description
Status Status of the alert. Valid values are ACTIVE, NEW, or CANCEL.
For example: <condition type="Status">Cancel</condition>
Tag Tag name and value pair in the format TagName:TagValue.
For example: <condition type="Tag">Geo Location:Chicago</condition>
Tier Tier within an application. You must include the application name and the tier name in
the format Application:Tier. The condition matches if the alert is for any resource in the
tier.
For example: <condition type="Tier">Online Trading:Network</condition>
If the filter contains multiple conditions, an alert must meet all of the conditions to be considered a match
for the filter.
Following the conditions, each rule contains an <Addresses> element that contains one or more <sendto>
subelements, each of which specifies a single email address, the type of message to send, and a delay time
and resend time. The delay time and resend time are optional.
type Specifies the type of message to send, which is either email or sms. sms sends
the full alert message and sms sends only header information. The address is
the email address to which to send the notification.
resend Sets the repeat interval for the notification. For example, if the resend
interval is set to 60, vCenter Operations Manager sends a notification to the
address every hour for as long as the alert condition is met.
delay Interval between when an alert that meets the conditions of the filtering rule
occurs and when vCenter Operations Manager sends the first message to the
address. For example, you might want to delay the message if the recipient
should be notified only if the condition is not corrected within a specified
time period.
For example, the following element sends a notification to the email address name3@example.com.
<sendTo type="email" delay="120" resend="60">name3@example.com</sendTo>
In this example, the first message is sent two hours after the alert condition occurs and the message repeats
every hour until the condition is resolved.
You can enter as many <FilterRule> elements as necessary to filter alert notifications and send each
notification to the correct members of your organization. If an alert matches the conditions for more than
one filter, it is sent to the address for each condition that it matches.
Email Template File Format
An email template file can be in text (.txt) or HTML (.html) format. The default email template files are
HTML files.
Formatting Rules
Email template files must follow specific formatting rules.
nIf you create an email template in HTML format, it must contain standard HTML formatting tags.
nAn email template file can contain a single line for the message subject and any amount of text for the
message body.
nThe subject line in an email template file must start with $$Subject=. The text that follows the equals
sign is the message subject. If you do not include a subject line, the message uses a default subject.
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nYou must store custom email template files in the vcenter-
ops\user\plugins\outbound\filter_alertplugin\conf\custom_templates directory.
Placeholders
All email template files can include placeholders, which are replaced with information from the alert. A
placeholder can be a replaced by a single value, such as an alert type, or it can represent multiple values,
such as the health of the parent or child resources. Placeholders must be enclosed in double braces ({{}}).
The subject line can contain only single-value placeholders.
Table 7‑4. Placeholders
Single-Value Placeholders Multiple-Value Placeholders
{{AlertId}} {{KPIFiring}}
{{AlertStatus}} {{Anomalies}}
{{AlertType}} {{ChildrenHealth}}
{{AlertSubType}} {{ParentsHealth}}
{{AlertCriticality}} {{AlertRootCause}}
{{AffectedResourceName}} {{AlertRootCauseDetails}}
{{AffectedResourceKind}} {{AlertTrigger}}
{{AlertGenerateTime}}
{{AlertUpdateTime}}
{{AlertCancelTime}}
{{AlertMessage}}
{{AlertOwner}}
{{AlertSummaryLink}}
{{AlertDetailLink}}
{{vcopsServerName}}
{{FilterRuleName}}
{{ConsolidatedAffectedResourcesCount}}
{{ConsolidatedAffectedResourcesAddedCount}}
{{ConsolidatedAffectedResourcesRemovedCount}}
{{ConsolidatedAffectedResourcesCountChange}}
{{ConsolidatedAffectedResourcesList}}
{{AlertHints}}
Add a Filtering Rule
A filtering rule is a set of conditions and email addresses. The vCenter Operations Manager email plug-in
uses filtering rules to send email alert notifications to the proper users based on the affected application,
resource kind, alert level, and other criteria.
You define filtering rules in the emailFilter.xml file, which is in the vcenter-
ops\user\plugins\outbound\filter_alertplugin\conf directory.
If you are using the vCenter Operations Manager vApp, edit the emailFilter.xml file on the second virtual
machine.
For vCenter Operations Manager Standalone, you can edit emailFilter.xml directly or you can use the
Configuration File editor. This procedure describes how to use the Configuration File editor.
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For the vCenter Operations Manager vApp, you must edit emailFilter.xml directly. You cannot use the
Configuration File editor with the vCenter Operations Manager vApp. For descriptions of the XML
elements in emailFilter.xml, see “emailFilter.xml File,” on page 84.
Procedure
1 To start the Configuration File editor, use any standard Windows method to run the file
FilterPluginConfEditor.jar.
FilterPluginConfEditor.jar is in the vcenter-ops\user\plugins\outbound\filter_alertplugin\conf
directory.
2 Select Actions > Open to open emailFilter.xml or another XML file, or select Actions > New to create a
new XML file.
To review your changes before they take effect, you can create and modify other XML files.
3 Click the Add icon near the top right of the window to add a filtering rule.
4 Type a name for the filtering rule in the Rule name text box.
5 Click the Add icon near the top center of the window.
6 Select the condition type and condition value and click OK.
An alert must meet all of the conditions that you enter to be considered a match for the filter. You can
add any number of conditions for a filtering rule.
7 Click the Add icon near the top right of the window.
You can add any number of addresses for a filtering rule.
a From the Address type drop-down menu, select email to send the message subject and text, or
select SMS to send only the message subject to the email address.
b Type the destination email address in the Address value text box.
c (Optional) If the email address should receive messages at intervals while the alert condition
remains in effect, type a value in the Resend value text box.
For example, type 60 to send an alert notification email message every hour as long as the alert
condition is met.
d (Optional) To specify a delay between the time an alert meets the conditions of the filtering rule
and when vCenter Operations Manager sends the first message to the email address, type a value
in the Delay value text box.
For example, you might want to delay sending the message if the recipient should be notified only
if the condition is not corrected within a specific period of time.
e Click OK.
8 Click OK to close the Filtering Rule window.
9 Save your changes.
Option Action
Save your changes to the currently
open file
Select Actions > Save.
Save your changes to a different file Select Actions > Save As. The plug-in only reads emailFilter.xml.
10 Select Actions > Close to close the Configuration File editor.
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11 To make your changes take effect, restart the email filter plug-in.
a In vCenter Operations Manager, select Admin > Configure Outbound Alert.
b Select the email filter plug-in instance and click the Stop icon.
c Select the email filter plug-in instance and click the Start icon.
Add an Email Template Definition
An email template definition specifies which email template file to use for a given alert type, subtype, and
status. An email template file defines the body text of an email alert notification.
You configure email template definitions in the emailFilter.xml file, which is located in the vcenter-
ops\user\plugins\outbound\filter_alertplugin\conf directory.
If you are using the vCenter Operations Manager vApp, edit the emailFilter.xml file on the second virtual
machine.
For vCenter Operations Manager Standalone, you can edit emailFilter.xml directly or you can use the
Configuration File editor. This procedure describes how to use the Configuration File editor.
For the vCenter Operations Manager vApp, you must edit emailFilter.xml directly. You cannot use the
Configuration File editor with the vCenter Operations Manager vApp. For descriptions of the XML
elements in emailFilter.xml, see “emailFilter.xml File,” on page 84.
vCenter Operations Manager provides several default email template files in the vcenter-
ops\user\plugins\outbound\filter_alertplugin\conf\default_templates directory. If the default template
files do not meet your needs, you can create custom template files. For formatting requirements, see “Email
Template File Format,” on page 88. You can create custom email template files before or after you configure
email template definitions.
Procedure
1 To start the Configuration File editor, use any standard Windows method to run the file
FilterPluginConfEditor.jar.
FilterPluginConfEditor.jar is in the vcenter-ops\user\plugins\outbound\filter_alertplugin\conf
directory.
2 Select Actions > Open to open emailFilter.xml or another XML file, or select Actions > New to create
an XML file.
To review your changes before they take effect, you can create or modify other XML files.
3 Click the Add icon near the top center of the window.
4 Define the alerts for which the template definition should be used.
Option Action
Alert Type Select the alert type.
Alert Sub-type Select the alert subtype.
Status Select the change in alert condition that generates the notification. Active
indicates that the existing alert was updated.
5 (Optional) To use the template definition for email alert notifications sent to a specific email address,
type the email address in the Send to text box.
This setting is an additional condition for the use of the template.
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6 In the Template text box, type the name of the email template file to use for the email alert notifications
that meet the conditions in the template definition.
The email template file does not have to exist. You can define the template and create the actual email
template file later.
7 Click OK to close the Email Template window.
8 Save your changes.
Option Action
Save your changes to the currently
open file
Select Actions > Save.
Save your changes to a different file Select Actions > Save As. The plug-in only reads the emailFilter.xml.
9 Click Actions > Close to close the Configuration File Editor.
10 To make your changes take effect, restart the email filter plug-in.
a In vCenter Operations Manager, select Admin > Configure Outbound Alert.
b Select the email filter plug-in instance and click the Stop icon.
c Select the email filter plug-in instance and click the Start icon.
Configure General Settings for Email Alert Notifications
You can configure the subject for generic email messages, the email address from which alert notification
email messages are sent, and the number of minutes that vCenter Operations Manager waits before
checking the emailFilter.xml file for changes. These settings apply to all email alert notification messages.
You configure general settings for email alert notifications in the emailFilter.xml file, which is located in
the vcenter-ops\user\plugins\outbound\filter_alertplugin\conf directory.
If you are using the vCenter Operations Manager vApp, edit the emailFilter.xml file on the second virtual
machine.
For vCenter Operations Manager Standalone, you can edit emailFilter.xml directly or you can use the
Configuration File editor. This procedure describes how to use the Configuration File editor.
For the vCenter Operations Manager vApp, you must edit emailFilter.xml directly. You cannot use the
Configuration File editor with the vCenter Operations Manager vApp. For descriptions of the XML
elements in emailFilter.xml, see “emailFilter.xml File,” on page 84.
Procedure
1 To start the Configuration File editor, use any standard Windows method to run the file
FilterPluginConfEditor.jar.
FilterPluginConfEditor.jar is in the vcenter-ops\user\plugins\outbound\filter_alertplugin\conf
directory.
2 In the Subject text box, type the subject line to use for generic messages.
If vCenter Operations Manager cannot find a valid email template to use to send a particular alert
message, it sends a generic message to the defined recipient.
3 In the Email sender text box, type the email address from which to send alert notification email
messages.
NOTE Do not type a value in the File reload time (minutes) text box. The file reload feature is obsolete.
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4 Select Actions > Save to save your changes to the currently open file, or select Actions > Save As to
save your changes to a different file.
The plug-in only reads the emailFilter.xml file.
5 Select Actions > Close to close the Configuration File editor.
6 To make your changes take effect, restart the email filter plug-in.
a In vCenter Operations Manager, select Admin > Configure Outbound Alert.
b Select the email filter plug-in instance and click the Stop icon.
c Select the email filter plug-in instance and click the Start icon.
Modifying Email Alert Notifications
You can edit and delete filtering rules and email template definitions.
Edit a Filtering Rule
When you edit a filtering rule, you can modify the condition type, condition value, and email address values
for specific conditions.
You define filtering rules in the emailFilter.xml file, which is in the vcenter-
ops\user\plugins\outbound\filter_alertplugin\conf directory.
If you are using the vCenter Operations Manager vApp, edit the emailFilter.xml file on the second virtual
machine.
For vCenter Operations Manager Standalone, you can edit emailFilter.xml directly or you can use the
Configuration File editor. This procedure describes how to use the Configuration File editor.
For the vCenter Operations Manager vApp, you must edit emailFilter.xml directly. You cannot use the
Configuration File editor with the vCenter Operations Manager vApp. For descriptions of the XML
elements in emailFilter.xml, see “emailFilter.xml File,” on page 84.
Procedure
1 To start the Configuration File editor, use any standard Windows method to run the file
FilterPluginConfEditor.jar.
FilterPluginConfEditor.jar is in the vcenter-ops\user\plugins\outbound\filter_alertplugin\conf
directory.
2 Select Actions > Open to open emailFilter.xml or another XML file, or select Actions > New to create a
new XML file.
To review your changes before they take effect, you can create and modify other XML files.
3 Select the filtering rule from the list on the right.
4 Click the Edit icon near the top right of the window.
The list on the left shows the existing conditions for the filtering rule. The list on the right shows where
to send alert notifications if they meet the conditions for the rule.
5 To edit a condition, select the condition and click the Edit icon.
You can change the condition type or condition value.
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6 To edit an email address for a condition, select the address and click the Edit icon.
Option Description
Address type Select email to send both the message subject and text, or SMS to send
only the message subject to the email address.
Address value Type the destination email address.
Resend value (Optional) If the email address should receive messages at intervals while
the alert condition remains in effect, type a value in the Resend value text
box. For example, type 60 to send an alert notification email message every
hour as long as the alert condition is met.
Delay value (Optional) To specify a delay between the time an alert meets the
conditions of the filtering rule and when vCenter Operations Manager
sends the first message to the email address, type a value in the Delay
value text box. For example, you might want to delay sending the message
if the recipient should be notified only if the condition is not corrected
within a specific period of time.
7 Save your changes.
Option Action
Save your changes to the currently
open file
Select Actions > Save.
Save your changes to a different file Select Actions > Save As. The plug-in only reads emailFilter.xml.
8 Select Actions > Close to close the Configuration File editor.
9 To make your changes take effect, restart the email filter plug-in.
a In vCenter Operations Manager, select Admin > Configure Outbound Alert.
b Select the email filter plug-in instance and click the Stop icon.
c Select the email filter plug-in instance and click the Start icon.
Delete a Filtering Rule
If you do not need a filtering rule, you can delete it.
You define filtering rules in the emailFilter.xml file, which is in the vcenter-
ops\user\plugins\outbound\filter_alertplugin\conf directory.
If you are using the vCenter Operations Manager vApp, edit the emailFilter.xml file on the second virtual
machine.
For vCenter Operations Manager Standalone, you can edit emailFilter.xml directly or you can use the
Configuration File editor. This procedure describes how to use the Configuration File editor.
For the vCenter Operations Manager vApp, you must edit emailFilter.xml directly. You cannot use the
Configuration File editor with the vCenter Operations Manager vApp. For descriptions of the XML
elements in emailFilter.xml, see “emailFilter.xml File,” on page 84.
Procedure
1 To start the Configuration File editor, use any standard Windows method to run the file
FilterPluginConfEditor.jar.
FilterPluginConfEditor.jar is in the vcenter-ops\user\plugins\outbound\filter_alertplugin\conf
directory.
2 Select Actions > Open and open emailFilter.xml.
3 Select the filtering rule from the list on the right.
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4 Click the Delete icon.
5 Select Actions > Save to save your changes to emailFilter.xml.
6 Select Actions > Close to close the Configuration File editor.
7 To make your changes take effect, restart the email filter plug-in.
a In vCenter Operations Manager, select Admin > Configure Outbound Alert.
b Select the email filter plug-in instance and click the Stop icon.
c Select the email filter plug-in instance and click the Start icon.
Edit an Email Template Definition
When you edit an email template definition, you can change the alerts and email address for which the
template is used and specify a different email template file.
You configure email template definitions in the emailFilter.xml file, which is located in the vcenter-
ops\user\plugins\outbound\filter_alertplugin\conf directory.
If you are using the vCenter Operations Manager vApp, edit the emailFilter.xml file on the second virtual
machine.
For vCenter Operations Manager Standalone, you can edit emailFilter.xml directly or you can use the
Configuration File editor. This procedure describes how to use the Configuration File editor.
For the vCenter Operations Manager vApp, you must edit emailFilter.xml directly. You cannot use the
Configuration File editor with the vCenter Operations Manager vApp. For descriptions of the XML
elements in emailFilter.xml, see “emailFilter.xml File,” on page 84.
vCenter Operations Manager provides several default email template files in the vcenter-
ops\user\plugins\outbound\filter_alertplugin\conf\default_templates directory. If the default template
files do not meet your needs, you can create custom template files. For formatting requirements, see “Email
Template File Format,” on page 88. You can create custom email template files before or after you edit email
template definitions.
Procedure
1 To start the Configuration File editor, use any standard Windows method to run the file
FilterPluginConfEditor.jar.
FilterPluginConfEditor.jar is in the vcenter-ops\user\plugins\outbound\filter_alertplugin\conf
directory.
2 Select Actions > Open to open emailFilter.xml or another XML file, or select Actions > New to create
an XML file.
To review your changes before they take effect, you can create or modify other XML files.
3 Select the template definition in the list on the left.
4 Click the Edit icon near the top center of the window.
5 To change the alerts for which the template is used, select a different option from the appropriate drop-
down menu.
Option Action
Alert Type Select the alert type.
Alert Sub-type Select the alert subtype.
Status Select the change in alert condition that generates the notification. Active
indicates that the existing alert was updated.
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6 To change the email address for the template definition, type a different email address in the Send to
text box.
The template definition is used for email alert notifications sent to this email address.
7 To change the email template file to use, type the name of a different template file in the Template text
box.
The email template file does not have to exist. You can define the template and create the actual email
template file later.
8 Click OK to close the Email Template window.
9 Save your changes.
Option Action
Save your changes to the currently
open file
Select Actions > Save.
Save your changes to a different file Select Actions > Save As. The plug-in only reads the emailFilter.xml.
10 Click Actions > Close to close the Configuration File Editor.
11 To make your changes take effect, restart the email filter plug-in.
a In vCenter Operations Manager, select Admin > Configure Outbound Alert.
b Select the email filter plug-in instance and click the Stop icon.
c Select the email filter plug-in instance and click the Start icon.
Delete an Email Template Definition
If you do not need an email template definition, you can delete it.
You configure email template definitions in the emailFilter.xml file, which is located in the vcenter-
ops\user\plugins\outbound\filter_alertplugin\conf directory.
If you are using the vCenter Operations Manager vApp, edit the emailFilter.xml file on the second virtual
machine.
For vCenter Operations Manager Standalone, you can edit emailFilter.xml directly or you can use the
Configuration File editor. This procedure describes how to use the Configuration File editor.
For the vCenter Operations Manager vApp, you must edit emailFilter.xml directly. You cannot use the
Configuration File editor with the vCenter Operations Manager vApp. For descriptions of the XML
elements in emailFilter.xml, see “emailFilter.xml File,” on page 84 for descriptions of the XML elements in
emailFilter.xml.
Procedure
1 To start the Configuration File editor, use any standard Windows method to run the file
FilterPluginConfEditor.jar.
FilterPluginConfEditor.jar is in the vcenter-ops\user\plugins\outbound\filter_alertplugin\conf
directory.
2 Select Actions > Open and open emailFilter.xml.
3 Select the email template definition from the list on the left.
4 Click the Delete icon.
5 Select Actions > Save to save your changes to emailFilter.xml.
6 Click Actions > Close to close the Configuration File Editor.
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7 To make your changes take effect, restart the email filter plug-in.
a In vCenter Operations Manager, select Admin > Configure Outbound Alert.
b Select the email filter plug-in instance and click the Stop icon.
c Select the email filter plug-in instance and click the Start icon.
Configuring Mulitilevel Alert Rules
You can configure complex alert rules that evaluate multiple conditions on related resources. For example,
you can write a multilevel alert rule that generates an alert if the workload on a virtual machine exceeds A
for B cycles, health is below C, and the host's CPU use is above the dynamic threshold.
Because the hard threshold conditions in multilevel alert rules do not generate additional alerts, the
multilevel alert feature reduces the number of alerts and lets you focus only on important alerts.
Multilevel alert rules do not have a specific alert type in the vCenter Operations Manager user interface. The
user interface shows a multilevel alert as KPI HT alerts, but the alert description identifies the alert as Multi
Level Rule. Rule details and triggers appear in the Reason pane on the Alert Details page. Multilevel alerts
are also visible as KP HT Breach in the mashup chart for the alert and the INFO field shows the rule details.
Multilevel Alert Rules XML File Format
The multi-level-alert-rules.xml file contains elements and attributes that define multilevel alert rules.
The following sample multi-level-alert-rules.xml file contains a multilevel alert rule that includes nested
conditions and dynamic threholds.
<rules>
<rule tag="some text here" alert="VirtualMachine" attributeKey="System Attributes|health"
criticality="critical">
<cond operator="and">
<cond type="ht" operator="&lt;=" cancelCycles="5" waitCycles="3">
<token resourceKind="VirtualMachine" attributeKey="System Attributes|health" />
<value>100</value>
</cond>
<cond operator="and">
<cond type="ht" operator="&gt;" cancelCycles="5" waitCycles="3">
<token resourceKind="HostSystem" attributeKey="summary|workload" />
<value>0</value>
</cond>
<cond type="dt" operator="below">
<token resourceKind="VirtualMachine" attributeKey="cpu|usage_average" />
</cond>
</cond>
</cond>
</rule>
</rules>
<rule> Element
The <rule> element defines a multilevel alert rule. The <rule> element contains several attributes.
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Table 7‑5. <rule> Element Attributes
Attribute Description
tag Specifies a text string. vCenter Operations Manager adds this text to the information string of
alerts that the rule triggers.
alert Specifies the resource kind on which the alert is defined. vCenter Operations Manager checks all
resources of the specified resource kind if the resource or its parents satisfy the rule. For example,
the rule VirtualMachine cpu_usage > 50 AND HostSystem cpu_usage 50 defines an alert
on VirtualMachine.
attributeKey The attribute key of an attribute. You can obtain attribute keys from the
vCenter Operations Manager database. See “Retrieve Keys from the vCenter Operations Manager
Database,” on page 103.
criticality Criticality level of the alert. Valid values are critical, immediate, info, none, and warning.
<cond> Element
The <rule> element can contain one or more <cond> elements. Each <cond> element defines a condition. You
can nest <cond> elements.
The <cond> element contains several attributes.
Table 7‑6. <cond> Element Attributes
Attribute Description
operator Arithmetic operator. Valid values are and and or. You can nest operators.
type Threshold type. Valid values are ht for hard threshold and dt for dynamic threshold.
Operators for ht are >, >=, <=, =, and !=. You must escape operators, for example, < is &lt.
Operators for dt are above, below, and abnormal.
Add a Multilevel Alert Rule
To add a multilevel alert rule, you define a rule in the multi-level-alert-rules.xml file.
Leaving the multi-level-alert-rules.xml file empty disables the multilevel alert rule feature.
Prerequisites
Become familiar with the syntax of the multi-level-alert-rules.xml file. See “Multilevel Alert Rules XML
File Format,” on page 97.
Procedure
1 Open the multi-level-alert-rules.xml file in the vcenter-ops\user\conf\analytics directory.
In a vApp installation, the multi-level-alert-rules.xml file is in the Analytics virtual machine.
2 Add the rule to the multi-level-alert-rules.xml file.
3 Save your changes and close the multi-level-alert-rules.xml file.
Your changes take effect the next time vCenter Operations Manager reads the multi-level-alert-rules.xml
file. By default, vCenter Operations Manager reads the multi-level-alert-rules.xml every 30 minutes. You
can change this interval by modifying the multiLevelAlertRulesUpdateInterval property in the vcenter-
ops\user\conf\analytics\advanced.properties file.
Each time vCenter Operations Manager parses the multi-level-alert-rules.xml file, it cancels alerts that
do not have corresponding rules.
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Configuring Hint Text for Alerts
You can configure hint text for all types of alerts. Alert hint text can appear on the Alert Detail page in the
Custom user interface or in email alert notifications.
You configure hint text that appears in the user interface in the alert-hints.xml file.
You use the {{AlertHints}} placeholder in an email template file to configure alert hint text for email alert
notifications. For more information, see “Configuring Email Alert Notifications,” on page 83.
Alert Hint Text XML File Format
The alert-hints.xml file contains elements and attributes that define alert hint text. An alert hint text
definition is composed of a condition and alert hint text. For the hint text to appear in the user interface for
an alert, the alert must meet the defined condition.
<condition> Element
The <condition> element defines the conditions that an alert must meet for the hint text to appear in the user
interface for the alert. If an alert satisfies more than one condition, all of the associated hint text appears for
the alert.
The <condition> element contains several attributes. None of the attributes are required.
Table 7‑7. <condition> Element Attributes
Attribute Description
attributeKey Matches an attribute key associated with the alert. You can obtain attribute keys from the
vCenter Operations Manager database. See “Retrieve Keys from the vCenter Operations
Manager Database,” on page 103 .
NOTE Specify all metrics by attribute key, except for super metrics. Specify super metrics by
name.
resourceKind Matches the resource kind key associated with the alert.
minDuration Duration of the alert, in minutes, must be greater than or equal to this value.
criticality Matches the criticality level of the alert. Valid values are critical, immediate, info, none, and
warning.
alertType Matches the type of the alert. Valid values are as follows:
nResource Alerts
nTier Alerts
nBusiness Service Alerts
nFingerprint Prediction Alerts
nFingerprint Generation Alerts
nNotification Alerts
nSystem Alerts
nSmart Alerts
nClassic Alerts
nAdministrative Alerts
nHealth Alerts
nRisk Alerts
nEfficiency Alerts
nConsolidated Alerts
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Table 7‑7. <condition> Element Attributes (Continued)
Attribute Description
alertSubtype Matches the subtype of the alert. Valid values are as follows:
nSmart Early Warning
nSmart KPI Breach
nSmart KPI Prediction
nClassic KPI HT Breach
nClassic Notification
nAdministrative System
nAdministrative Environment
nAbnormality
nWorkload
nAnomalies
nFaults
nTime Remaining
nCapacity Remaining
nStress
nWaste
nDensity
infoRegEx Regular expression that matches the info of the alert.
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Table 7‑7. <condition> Element Attributes (Continued)
Attribute Description
eventClass Class of an event that is part of the alert. Valid values are as follows:
nempty
ndt
nht
nfailure
nsystem
ncusum
nnoise
nprediction
nenvironment
nchange
nnotification
nfault
nmultilevel ht
For this attribute to be evaluated, you must also specify attributeKey.
vCenter Operations Manager checks only events that have a matching attributeKey value.
eventSubclass Subclass of an event that is part of the alert. Valid values are as follows:
nabove
nbelow
ndown
nexception
nextevent
noutofrange
nrateabove
nratebelow
nnot collected
ncollector down
nabnormal dt
nfingerprint
nperform degradation
nchange
nequal
nnot equal
ncorrupt
For this attribute to be evaluated, you must also specify attributeKey.
vCenter Operations Manager checks only those events that have a matching attributeKey
value.
<text> Element
The <text> element defines the hint text that appears in the user interface when the alert meets the condition
defined in the associated <condition> element. The following example defines the hint text Some text here.
<text>Some text here</text>
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Alert Hint Text Definition Examples
In the following example, the first alert hint text definition matches alerts that have the attribute key Super
Metric|test and are assigned to resources that have the resource kind Tier. The second definition uses the
eventClass and eventSubclass attributes to match all HT above alerts.
<root>
<kbItem>
<condition attributeKey="Super Metric|test" resourceKind="Tier" minDuration=""
criticality="critical" alertType="" alertSubtype="" infoRegEx="" eventClass="" eventSubclass=""/>
<text>Some text here</text>
</kbItem>
<kbItem>
<condition attributeKey="" resourceKind="" minDuration="" criticality="critical"
alertType="" alertSubtype="" infoRegEx="" eventClass="ht" eventSubclass="above"/>
<text>Some text here</text>
</kbItem>
</root>
Configure Hint Text for Alerts
You can configure hint text for any type of alert in the alert-hints.xml file. The text appears on the HINT
field in the Reason pane on the Alert Detail page in the Custom user interface.
NOTE The alertsKb.xml file is no longer supported. If you configured alert hint text for KPI alerts in the
alertsKb.xml file, you can import the definitions into the alert-hints.xml file.
Prerequisites
Become familiar with the syntax of the alert-hints.xml file. See “Alert Hint Text XML File Format,” on
page 99.
Procedure
1 Open the alert-hints.xml file in the vcenter-ops/user/conf/analytics directory.
In a vApp, the alert-hints.xml file is in the Analytics virtual machine.
2 Define the condition that the alert must satisfy for the hint to appear.
For example:
<condition attributeKey="Super Metric|test"
resourceKind="Tier" minDuration="" criticality="critical"
alertType="" alertSubtype="" infoRegEx="" eventClass=""
eventSubclass=""/>
3 Define the alert hint.
For example: <text>Some text here</text>
4 Save your changes and close the alert-hints.xml file.
vCenter Operations Manager reads the alert-hints.xml file every 30 minutes by default. You can
change this interval by editing the alertHintsReloadInterval property in the advanced.properties file
in the vcenter-ops/user/conf/analytics directory.
If an alert satisfies the condition that you configured, the hint text appears in the HINT field in the Reason
pane on the Alert Detail page.
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Configure Alerts for vCenter Server Events
You can configure vCenter Server events to generate alerts.
Procedure
1 Open the eventlist.txt file in the vcenter-ops\user\plugins\inbound\vmwarevi_adapter3\conf
directory.
The eventlist.txt file defines the list of events that the vCenter adapter collects from vCenter Server.
2 Type the event ID of the event to generate an alert and set it to alert.
For example: vim.event.AlarmActionTriggeredEvent = alert
3 Save your changes and close the eventlist.txt file.
When the vCenter adapter collects an event that is marked as an alert, it sends a notification message to the
vCenter Operations Manager server and the Analytics service generates an alert.
Retrieve Keys from the vCenter Operations Manager Database
You can obtain keys and identifiers for data fields by accessing the vCenter Operations Manager database
and running SQL queries.
NOTE If you are using version 1.0.1 or later, you can also use the HTTP Post Adapter interface to retrieve
keys and identifiers for data fields.
Procedure
1 In a Web browser, type http://ip_address/dbAccessQuery.action where ip_address is the IP address
of the vCenter Operations Manager server.
2 Type your SQL query in the top right window.
For example:
select a.ADAPTER_KIND_ID, a.ADAPTER_KEY, b.RESKND_ID, b.RESKND_KEY, e.ATTRKEY_ID,
e.ATTR_KEY from AdapterKind a
inner join ResourceKind b on (b.ADAPTER_KIND_ID = a.ADAPTER_KIND_ID)
inner join AliveResource c on (c.RESKND_ID = b.RESKND_ID)
inner join ResourceAttributeKey d on (d.RESOURCE_ID = c.RESOURCE_ID)
inner join AttributeKey e on (e.ATTRKEY_ID = d.ATTRKEY_ID)
where a.ADAPTER_KEY = 'something' or b.RESKND_KEY = 'something'
3 Click the Execute SQL icon.
The results appear in the lower right window.
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Performing Basic System
Administration Tasks 8
vCenter Operations Manager administrators monitor system operations and perform basic system
maintenance tasks, such as starting and stopping vCenter Operations Manager services. If a problem occurs
that requires VMware assistance, an administrator can create a support bundle and send it to VMware
technical support for analysis.
System administrators are also responsible for monitoring and responding to administrative alerts. See
Chapter 9, “Resolving Administrative System Alerts,” on page 119.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n“View Performance Information,” on page 105
n“View Status Information,” on page 106
n“vCenter Operations Manager Service Names,” on page 107
n“Start or Stop vCenter Operations Manager Services,” on page 108
n“Viewing and Managing System Log Files,” on page 109
n“Delete Old Data in the File System Database,” on page 113
n“Run the Audit Report,” on page 113
n“Modify Global Settings,” on page 114
n“Modify Global Settings for Virtual Environments,” on page 115
n“Create a Support Bundle,” on page 117
View Performance Information
You can view performance information related to vCenter Operations Manager operation.
Procedure
1 Select Admin > Support.
2 Click the Status tab.
The performance information on the Status tab is divided into multiple panes.
What to do next
Interpret the information on the Status tab. See “Interpreting Performance Information,” on page 106.
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Interpreting Performance Information
vCenter Operations Manager provides performance information related to its own operation. Performance
information is divided into multiple panes on the Status tab.
Health Status
Shows the health graph and the current health score. To see the exact health score from a time on the graph,
point to that time. You can point to the More icon to see its collector and other information.
Root Cause Ranking
Shows the root causes of any current health degradation. Double-click a symptom group to list specific
resources that show that symptom. You can also double-click a specific symptom resource to open a pop-up
window that shows details about the specific threshold violations.
Metric Selector
Shows the metric groups that are selected in the Health Tree pane. Expand a metric group to see the
individual metrics. To see a graph for a metric in the Metric Graphs pane, double-click it or select it and click
the Move to Graph icon.
Health Tree
Shows the section of the health tree around vCenter Operations Manager. You can select a resource to list its
metrics, select a resource and click the Show Detail icon to show the Resource Detail page, or select a
resource and click the Show Alerts icon to list current alerts.
Metric Graph
Shows graphs for the selected metrics.
View Status Information
You can view status information for vCenter Operations Manager collectors, adapters, and dynamic
threshold calculations. Dynamic threshold calculations are part of vCenter Operations Manager analytics.
Procedure
1 Select Admin > Support.
2 Click the Info tab.
The status information on the Info tab is divided into multiple panes.
Interpret the information on the Info tab. See “Interpreting Status Information,” on page 106.
Interpreting Status Information
vCenter Operations Manager reports status information for collectors, adapters, and dynamic threshold
calculations. Status information is divided into multiple panes on the Info tab.
Describe Info
Shows the status of the describe process, which sends information about the data that can be collected from
each adapter to the vCenter Operations Manager server. The describe status for individual adapters appears
in the Adapter Info pane.
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Collectors Info
Shows the status of the synchronize process that vCenter Operations Manager runs for each collector. The
synchronize process sends any updated configuration information from the controller to each adapter. The
describe process sends information about the data that can be collected from each adapter to the
vCenter Operations Manager server.
Adapter Info
Shows the status of the describe process, the adapter version, and any messages from the adapter for each
installed adapter. The adapter version consists of major and minor versions and the build number.
NOTE The describe.xml file contains an additional adapter version number. This version number changes
only if you must rerun the describe process because of an adapter change, for example, when the metrics
that the adapter collects change, or when the format of the adapter's credentials change.
The synchronize and describe processes usually run only when the vCenter Operations Manager server
process starts. If you make changes and want to run these processes without restarting
vCenter Operations Manager, click the Describe icon in the Adapter Info pane.
Replication Info
If you are using a replication server to back up the primary vCenter Operations Manager server, this pane
indicates whether synchronization is on, when it started, and the percentage completed.
DT Calculation Info
Shows statistics for dynamic threshold calculations. You can click the Generate Dynamic Thresholds icon
in this pane to manually generate dynamic thresholds on all collected metrics.
The regular schedule for calculating dynamic thresholds is set by the updateTime property in the
analytics.properties file. When updateTime is set to a positive number, vCenter Operations Manager
calculates thresholds once a day, starting at the hour specified, in military time. For example, updateTime=23
starts threshold calculation at 11:00 p.m. When updateTime is set to a negative number,
vCenter Operations Manager calculates dynamic thresholds every x hours. For example, updateTime=-6
starts threshold calculation every six hours.
Slowest DT Objects
The five resources for which vCenter Operations Manager spent the most time calculating dynamic
thresholds appear on this pane. This information might help VMware technical support diagnose certain
types of problems.
vCenter Operations Manager Service Names
The services and service names are different for vCenter Operations Manager Standalone and the
vCenter Operations Manager vApp.
vCenter Operations Manager Standalone
For vCenter Operations Manager Standalone, the services are the same on Windows and Linux servers but
the service names are different.
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Table 8‑1. vCenter Operations Manager Standalone Services
Windows Server Name
Linux Server
Name Description
vcopsWebService vcopsserver vCenter Operations Manager Web service. Runs on the
vCenter Operations Manager server.
AnalyticsService analytics Analytics service. Runs on the vCenter Operations Manager server.
ActiveMQ activemq ActiveMQ service. Runs on the vCenter Operations Manager server.
CollectorService collector Collector service. Runs on the vCenter Operations Manager server.
DTProcessorService dtprocessor DT Processor service. Runs on the server where the analytics processor
is installed.
ReplicationServerService replication Replication Server service. Runs only on a vCenter Operations Manager
replication server.
vCenter Operations Manager vApp
The vCenter Operations Manager vApp includes these services.
Table 8‑2. vCenter Operations Manager vApp Services
Service Description
vCenter Operations Service Meta service that starts and stops the Collector, Analytics, and ActiveMQ
services. Runs on the UI virtual machine in the vApp.
vCenter Operations Collector Service Collector service. Runs on the Analytics virtual machine in the vApp.
vCenter Operations Analytics Service Analytics Service. Runs on the Analytics virtual machine in the vApp.
vCenter Operations ActiveMQ Broker
Service
ActiveMQ service. Runs on the Analytics virtual machine in the vApp.
vCenter Operations Web Service Server for the Advanced Web application. Runs on the UI virtual machine in the
vApp.
vCenter Operations Web Enterprise
Service
Server for the Enterprise Web application. Runs on the UI virtual machine in the
vApp.
vCenter Operations Admin Service Server for the Admin Web application. Runs on the UI virtual machine in the
vApp.
Start or Stop vCenter Operations Manager Services
You might need to start or stop one or more of the vCenter Operations Manager services.
Prerequisites
For the names of the vCenter Operations Manager services, see “vCenter Operations Manager Service
Names,” on page 107.
Procedure
nTo start or stop all vCenter Operations Manager services on a Windows server, select Start > All
Programs > VMware > vCenter Operations Enterprise and select Start all services or Stop all services.
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nTo start or stop individual vCenter Operations Manager services on a Windows server, use the
Windows Services dialog box or open a command prompt and type the sc command.
For example:
sc start service_name
sc stop service_name
service_name is the name of the service on Windows.
nTo start or stop vCenter Operations Manager services on a Linux server, use the Background Services
tab of the Service Configuration dialog box or open a terminal window and type the service vcops
command.
For example:
service vcops start [service_name]
service vcops stop [service_name]
service_name is the name of the service on Linux. If you do not include a service name, the command
starts or stops all vCenter Operations Manager services.
NOTE To use vcops.sh, the shell script form of the service vcops command, you must be in the
common/bin directory.
nTo list the vCenter Operations Manager environment variables on a Linux server, type the service
vcops env command.
Viewing and Managing System Log Files
You can view vCenter Operations Manager system log files in the vCenter Operations Manager user
interface. System log files are organized in log type folders.
The software component log type folders, which include the vCenter Operations Web, Apache Tomcat, and
vCenter Operations Analytics folders, contain log files related to those components. The Admin Log folder
contains the Action log file, which logs user actions.
Each installed collector has a separate log type folder, which contains subfolders for each adapter. Each
adapter folder contains a subfolder for each instance. The instance folders contain the instance log files.
nEnable Logging for Widgets on page 110
You can enable logging for widgets by editing the log4.properties file.
nView System Log Files in vCenter Operations Manager on page 110
Viewing log files in vCenter Operations Manager is similar to opening the log files in an external text
viewer.
nUsing an External Log Monitoring Tool on page 111
If you use an external log file monitoring tool to search for significant messages in
vCenter Operations Manager log files, you might want to check for specific message strings in specific
log files.
nModify Logging Levels on page 112
You can modify logging levels for the vCenter Operations Web, vCenter Operations Analytics, and
vCenter Operations Collector logs.
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Enable Logging for Widgets
You can enable logging for widgets by editing the log4.properties file.
Procedure
1 Open the log4.properties file.
For vCenter Operations Manager Standalone, log4.properties is in the vcenter_ops\user\conf
directory. For the vCenter Operations Manager vApp, it is in the vcenter-ops\user\conf\web directory.
2 Add the following line after the line log4j.rootLogger=ERROR.
log4j.logger.com.integrien.alive.ui=debug
3 Save your changes and close the log4.properties file.
View System Log Files in vCenter Operations Manager
Viewing log files in vCenter Operations Manager is similar to opening the log files in an external text
viewer.
Prerequisites
By default, vCenter Operations Manager does not create log files for widgets. To view log files for widgets
in vCenter Operations Manager, enable logging for widgets. See “Enable Logging for Widgets,” on
page 110.
Procedure
nTo list all viewable log files, select Admin > Support and click the Logs tab.
The log type folders appear in the Logs pane.
nTo view the log files in a folder, double-click the folder.
nTo view the contents of a log file, double-click the log file.
The contents of the log file appear in the Log Content pane.
nTo view a specific part of a log file, type line numbers in the Line Position and Row Limit text boxes.
The line position value determines the starting line and the row limit value determines the maximum
lines to show in the Log Content pane.
nTo delete a log file, select the file and click the Delete Selected File icon.
nIf the data source for any of your resources changes, click the Recalculate Data Source icon.
vCenter Operations Manager recalculates the data sources for all resources.
nTo reload the log tree information and collapse all open log type folders, click the Reload Tree icon.
What to do next
You can use an external log file monitoring tool to search for significant messages in
vCenter Operations Manager log files. See “Using an External Log Monitoring Tool,” on page 111.
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Using an External Log Monitoring Tool
If you use an external log file monitoring tool to search for significant messages in
vCenter Operations Manager log files, you might want to check for specific message strings in specific log
files.
Analytics Log File Messages
These messages in the analytics.log file might indicate that an Oracle database is down.
ERROR [Thread-10]
com.integrien.alive.common.hibernate.util.OracleConnectionProvider.getConnection - Exception
trying to set up connection
java.sql.SQLException: Io exception: Connection reset by peer: socket write error
ERROR [Thread-10] com.integrien.alive.common.hibernate.dao.BaseDAO.executeSingle -
org.hibernate.HibernateException: org.hibernate.exception.GenericJDBCException: Cannot open
connection
ERROR [Thread-10]
com.integrien.alive.common.availability.AvailabilityChecker.isDBConnectionAvailable -
org.hibernate.HibernateException: org.hibernate.exception.GenericJDBCException: Cannot open
connection
These messages indicate that the AnalyticsService service started successfully.
INFORMATION [WrapperListener_start_runner] com.integrien.analytics.AnalyticsMain.start -
AnalyticsService has been started 10.1.11.40
INFORMATION [Thread-1] com.integrien.analytics.AnalyticsMain.doRun – Ready
Controller Log File Messages
These messages in the controller.log file might indicate a problem with an SQL Server database.
ERROR [Thread-1] com.integrien.alive.ui.util.MainPortalListener.contextInitialized -
org.hibernate.exception.GenericJDBCException: Cannot open connection
ERROR [Thread-5] com.integrien.alive.common.hibernate.dao.BaseDAO.executeInTransaction - Cannot
open connection
org.hibernate.exception.GenericJDBCException: Cannot open connection
These messages indicate that the ActiveMQ service is not available.
ERROR [http-80-3]
com.integrien.alive.common.rmi.MetricDataDistributorClient.getCurrentHealthsFromMemory -
MetricDataDistributorClient -- Failed to Receive Metric Data. Re-initializing Failed. Null
ERROR [Communicator] com.integrien.alive.controller.collector.CommunicatorThread.connect - Can
not connect to the MQ Broker. The reason is Could not connect to broker URL:
tcp://localhost:61616?wireFormat.maxInactivityDuration=0. Reason: java.net.ConnectException:
Connection refused: connect
These messages indicate that the vcopsWebService service started successfully.
INFORMATION [Thread-1] com.integrien.alive.ui.util.MainPortalListener.contextInitialized -
AliveService has been started 10.1.11.40
INFORMATION [Describe thread] com.integrien.alive.controller.collector.DescribeThread.describe -
Staring describe
INFORMATION [Describe thread]
com.integrien.alive.controller.collector.DescribeUtils.constructAdapterDescribes - Beginning
Describe on Controller
INFORMATION [Describe thread] com.integrien.alive.controller.collector.DescribeThread.describe -
Finished describe in 2281 ms
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Collector Log File Messages
These messages in the collector.log file indicate that the ActiveMQ service is down.
2010-04-12 19:04:10,715 ERROR [ActiveMQ Task]
org.apache.activemq.transport.failover.FailoverTransport.doReconnect - Failed to connect to
transport after: 5 attempt(s)
2010-04-12 19:04:10,715 ERROR [Communicator]
com.integrien.alive.collector.CommunicatorThread.connect - Can not connect to the MQ Broker. The
reason is Connection refused: connect
These messages indicate that the CollectorServer service started successfully.
INFORMATION [WrapperListener_start_runner] com.integrien.alive.collector.CollectorMain.start -
CollectorService has been started 10.1.11.40
INFORMATION [Communicator] com.integrien.alive.collector.CommunicatorThread.connect - Collector
by id 1 successfully connected to MQ.
INFORMATION [Thread-5] com.integrien.alive.collector.Collector.describe - Beginning Describe on
Collector
INFORMATION [Thread-5] com.integrien.alive.collector.Collector.describe - Describe succeeded
Modify Logging Levels
You can modify logging levels for the vCenter Operations Web, vCenter Operations Analytics, and vCenter
Operations Collector logs.
The available logging levels are ALL, DEBUG, ERROR, FATAL, INFO, OFF, and WARN. The logging level
is set to ERROR by default. To troubleshoot problems, set the logging level to INFO. To view detailed
messages, including micro steps, queries, and returned results, set the logging level to DEBUG.
NOTE If you set the logging level to DEBUG, log files can become large very quickly. Set the logging level to
DEBUG only for short periods of time.
Procedure
1 Select Admin > Support.
2 On the Logs tab, select the log type folder and click the Edit Properties icon.
You can select vCenter Operations Web, vCenter Operations Analytics, or any vCenter Operations
Collector folder.
3 Edit the logging level settings.
Option Action
To set the root logging level Select a level from the Root Logger Level drop-down menu.
To specify how long to keep log
files
Type the number of days in the Maximum backup days text box.
To set the logging level for a
component group
Click the component group and select a logging level from the Group Log
Level drop-down menu.
To set the logging level for a
specific component
Expand the component group, select the current logging level or Please
Select for the component, and select a new logging level from the drop-
down menu.
4 Click OK to save your configuration.
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Delete Old Data in the File System Database
You can configure how often vCenter Operations Manager removes old data from the file system database
(FSDB) by modifying properties in the advanced.properties file.
IMPORTANT Always make a backup copy of the advanced.properties file. Changes you make to the file
might cause errors that can adversely affect vCenter Operations Manager operations.
Prerequisites
Become familiar with how to start and stop the Analytics service. See “Start or Stop vCenter Operations
Manager Services,” on page 108.
Procedure
1 Make a backup copy of the advanced.properties file in the vcenter_ops\user\conf\analytics directory
on the vCenter Operations Manager server.
2 Open the original advanced.properties file.
3 Change the oldDataCleanerExecutionFrequency property to how often, in days, to erase old data.
For example, to erase old data once a week, set oldDataCleanerExecutionFrequency to 7. A value of 0
causes old data not to be erased.
4 Change the oldDataCleanerDateRange property to how old, in days, data must be before it is erased.
For example, to erase data that is 900 or more days old, set oldDataCleanerDateRange to 900.
5 Save your changes and close the advanced.properties file.
6 Restart the Analytics service.
vCenter Operations Manager deletes old data for the first time when the frequency that you specified
elapses. For example, if you set the frequency to 7, the first data purge occurs one week later.
Run the Audit Report
The Audit report shows the number of resources configured, resources that are having data collected,
resource kinds, resources for each defined adapter, metrics configured and being collected, super metrics,
metrics generated by vCenter Operations Manager, and applications.
You can also run a report to view information about users, groups, and access rights. See “Run the User
Audit Report,” on page 77.
Procedure
1 Select Admin > Audit Report.
2 Select the report type format.
3 Click Submit.
The Audit Report window appears.
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Modify Global Settings
You can customize certain vCenter Operations Manager user interface behaviors by modifying global
settings. Global settings control the ranges for health color indicators, the interaction metrics count, and the
number of root cause groups. These settings affect all users.
Modify Health Ranges
One of the ways that vCenter Operations Manager indicates the health of a resource is to show a colored
indicator. The color is based on the range of the health score. You can change the range for all colors except
for blue.
You can also choose whether the health chart that appears on many vCenter Operations Manager windows
is colored according to the health score for each time period.
Table 8‑3. Default Health Color Ranges
Color Range
Green 76 to 100
Yellow 51 to 75
Orange 26 to 50
Red 1 to 25
Blue 0
Procedure
1 Select Admin > Global Settings.
2 Modify the health range settings.
Option Action
Change the range for a color Type different values in the From and To text boxes.
Change whether the health chart is
colored
Select or deselect the Health Chart Colored check box.
3 Click OK to save your changes.
Set the Interaction Metrics Count
In several locations in vCenter Operations Manager, you can select an object to see related items of another
type. For example, you can click a resource in the Resources widget to see its metrics in the Metric
Sparklines widget. You can select how many related items appear when you perform an interaction of this
kind.
Procedure
1 Select Admin > Global Settings.
2 Select a number from the Important Metrics Count drop-down menu.
3 Click OK to save your changes.
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Set the Number of Root Cause Groups
When vCenter Operations Manager shows root cause information, for example, in the Root Cause widget or
on the Alert Summary page, it breaks the causes into groups. You can set the maximum number of first-
level root cause groups that vCenter Operations Manager shows for any condition.
The number of first-level groups that vCenter Operations Manager stores when it captures root cause
information is set in the advanced.properties file. The default is 50. If you set the number of root cause
groups to show a higher number than the number of groups captured, the setting has no effect.
Procedure
1 Select Admin > Global Settings.
2 Type the maximum number of first-level root cause groups to show in the Root Cause Groups To
Show text box.
3 Click OK to save your changes.
Modify Global Settings for Virtual Environments
You can change the way vCenter Operations Manager displays information for objects that are part of your
virtual environment by modifying virtual machine global settings. These settings affect all users.
nCustomize the Workload Icon on page 115
You can specify whether the Workload icon spins on the Resource Detail page.
nCustomize the Performance Graph on page 116
You can specify whether change events appear in the performance graph on the Resource Detail page.
nSet the Time Period for History Graphs on page 116
You can specify the time period to include in the health, workload, and capacity history graphs that
appear in the upper-left pane of the Resource Detail page.
nModify Level Ranges on page 116
vCenter Operations Manager uses colored indicators for the health, workload, anomalies, faults, risk,
time remaining, capacity, stress, efficiency, waste, and density levels that appear in the VC
Relationship widget and on the Resource Detail page. You can modify the default values and define
your own ranges for these levels.
nConfigure the Hierarchy Sort Order on page 116
You can set the order in which objects appear in the VC Relationship widget.
Customize the Workload Icon
You can specify whether the Workload icon spins on the Resource Detail page.
Procedure
1 Select Admin > VM Global Settings.
2 To specify whether the Workload icon spins, select a Spin Workload option.
If you select Yes, the icon spins when users view the Resource Detail page.
3 Click OK to save your changes.
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Customize the Performance Graph
You can specify whether change events appear in the performance graph on the Resource Detail page.
NOTE The performance graph is named Events and Performance or Events and Health, depending on
whether Health is selected.
Procedure
1 Select Admin > VM Global Settings.
2 To specify whether to show change events, select a Show Change Events option.
If you select Yes, change events appear as labels in the performance graph.
3 Click OK to save your changes.
Set the Time Period for History Graphs
You can specify the time period to include in the health, workload, and capacity history graphs that appear
in the upper-left pane of the Resource Detail page.
Procedure
1 Select Admin > VM Global Settings.
2 Select a time period from the History Duration drop-down menu.
3 Click OK to save your changes.
Modify Level Ranges
vCenter Operations Manager uses colored indicators for the health, workload, anomalies, faults, risk, time
remaining, capacity, stress, efficiency, waste, and density levels that appear in the VC Relationship widget
and on the Resource Detail page. You can modify the default values and define your own ranges for these
levels.
Procedure
1 Select Admin > VM Global Settings.
2 For each level to modify, slide the triangular icons on the axis to the new values.
3 Click OK to save your changes.
The ranges are updated the next time the vCenter Operations Manager client refreshes.
Configure the Hierarchy Sort Order
You can set the order in which objects appear in the VC Relationship widget.
Procedure
1 Select Admin > VM Global Settings.
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2 Select a Hierarchy Sort Order option.
Option Description
Parent Name/Self Name Group all child objects of a parent object.
Self Name Sort objects alphabetically by object name.
Value Sort object icons according to the currently selected metric, from worst
range to best range.
3 Click OK to save your changes.
Create a Support Bundle
You can package all log and configuration files into one compressed ZIP file and send it to VMware
technical support. You can download the support bundle ZIP file to your local hard drive or upload it to an
FTP server location that you configure.
vCenter Operations Manager creates support bundles in the vcenter-ops\tomcat\webapps\ROOT\support
directory on the vCenter Operations Manager server. It creates the directory the first time you create a
support bundle.
Procedure
1 Select Admin > Support.
2 Click the Create Support Bundle icon.
The name of the ZIP file for the support bundle appears. The file name contains the creation date, for
example, VCOpsSupport2008.03.07-16.52.28-0400.zip.
3 Download the support bundle ZIP file to your local hard drive or upload it to an FTP server.
Option Action
Download the support bundle to
your local hard drive
a Select the support bundle and click the Download Support Bundle
icon.
b Attach the support bundle ZIP file to an email message and send it to
VMware technical support.
Upload the support bundle to an
FTP server
a Select the support bundle and click the Upload Support Bundle to Ftp
server icon.
b Type the host name, user name, and password of the FTP server.
c (Optional) Click Test to test the connection to the FTP server.
d Click OK to upload the support bundle ZIP file to the FTP server.
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Resolving Administrative System
Alerts 9
An administrative system alert indicates a problem with one of the vCenter Operations Manager
components. When you resolve an administrative system alert, follow certain recommended procedures.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n“Analytics FSDB Overloaded,” on page 119
n“Analytics Threshold Checking Overloaded,” on page 120
n“Collector Is Down,” on page 120
n“Controller Is Unable to Connect to MQ,” on page 121
n“DataQueue Is Filling Up,” on page 122
n“Describe Failed,” on page 122
n“Failed to Connect to Replication MQ,” on page 123
n“Failed to Repair Corrupted FSDB Files,” on page 123
n“File Queue Is Full,” on page 123
n“FSDB Files Corrupted for Resources,” on page 124
n“FSDB Storage Drive Free Space Is Less Than 10%,” on page 124
n“No DT Processors Connected,” on page 124
n“One or More Resources Were Not Started,” on page 125
n“Outbound Alert Send Failed,” on page 125
n“Replication MQ Sender Is Blocked,” on page 126
Analytics FSDB Overloaded
The vCenter Operations Manager file system database (FSDB) is overloaded.
Problem
The message Analytics FSDB Overloaded appears in the Reason pane of the Alert Summary page for the
alert.
Cause
No more FSDB savings threads are available.
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Solution
1 Increase the number of FSDB savings threads by modifying the FSDBSaveThreads property in the
vcenter-ops\user\conf\analytics\advanced.properties file.
The default value for the FSDBSaveThreads property is 3. You can increase the value up to the number of
CPU cores on the host.
2 Use the FSDBHomeChanger tool to create additional mount points for the FSDB so that files are
distributed on multiple file systems.
3 Use the FSDBHomeChanger tool to move the FSDB home to a larger or faster drive.
4 Reduce the number of resources and metrics that are collected to reduce the demand on the drive.
Analytics Threshold Checking Overloaded
No more threshold checking threads are available.
Problem
The message Analytics Threshold Checking Overloaded appears in the Reason pane of the Alert Summary
page for the alert.
Cause
Threshold checking threads can become depleted when the vCenter Operations Manager Analytics server is
CPU bound or when the database access has reached its limit.
Solution
1 If the Analytics server has unused CPU cycles, increase the number of dynamic threshold processing
threads by changing the ThresholdProcessingThreads property in the vcenter-
ops\user\conf\analytics\advanced.properties file.
The default setting for the ThresholdProcessingThreads property is 10. The maximum value is 25, or the
number of CPU cores, whichever is higher.
2 Reduce the number of resources and metrics that are collected to reduce the demand on the
vCenter Operations Manager server host CPU.
3 If database access is causing the problem, check the latency between the vCenter Operations Manager
server and the database server.
Latency should be less than two milliseconds.
4 If necessary, upgrade the database server so that it can handle the load from
vCenter Operations Manager.
Collector Is Down
A heartbeat message was not received from a collector.
Problem
The message Collector is Down appears in the Reason pane of the Alert Summary page for the alert.
Cause
By default, each collector sends a heartbeat message to the controller or Web service every three seconds to
indicate that it is up and running. This alert indicates that a one of the collectors did not send a heartbeat for
five minutes.
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Solution
1 Verify that the collector service is running.
2 If the collector service is not running, check the collector (vcenter-ops\user\log\collector.log) and
Java service wrapper (vcenter-ops\user\log\collector-wrapper.log) log files.
3 Verify that the network connection is available between the collector and the
vCenter Operations Manager server.
For example, you can try to Telnet from the collector to the vCenter Operations Manager server on the
RMI port that is used for communication, which is 1199 by default.
Controller Is Unable to Connect to MQ
The controller cannot connect to ActiveMQ.
Problem
The message Controller is Unable to Connect to MQ appears in the Reason pane of the Alert Summary
page for the alert.
Cause
The controller cannot connect to ActiveMQ either during or after installation.
Solution
1 If the problem occurs during installation, determine if a port conflict is preventing the service from
starting.
a Check the vcenter-ops\user\log\activemq-wrapper.log log file for messages that indicate a port
conflict.
b Run the netstat -ano command and look for the process ID that is using ports 1099 and 61616,
which are the ports that ActiveMQ uses.
2 (Optional) If the ActiveMQ service is running, use the jconsole ipaddress:1099 command to determine
if the sendQueue, receiveQueue, and dataQueue queues are running.
NOTE The JConsole tool is part of the Java SDK and is not included with vCenter Operations Manager.
3 (Optional) If the ActiveMQ service is not running, check the sendQueue setting, log files, and memory
allocation.
a Use the jconsole ipaddress:1099 command to determine if a sendQueue ConsumerCount attribute is
greater than one.
A value that is greater than one indicates that the ActiveMQ service is attempting to communicate
with more than one Web service.
b If a ConsumerCount attribute is greater than one, restart the vCenter Operations Manager service.
c Check the vcenter-ops\user\log\activemq-wrapper.log log file for a message that indicates the
database behind ActiveMQ is corrupted.
d Check the vcenter-ops\user\log\activemq-wrapper.log log file for an out-of-memory error.
e If an out-of-memory error has occurred, increase the memory allocation in vcenter-
ops\user\conf\activemq\wrapper.com and restart the ActiveMQ service.
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DataQueue Is Filling Up
The data queue has reached the maximum limit.
Problem
The message DataQueue is Filling Up appears in the Reason pane of the Alert Summary page for the alert.
Cause
The size of the data queue has sequentially reached the predefined maximum limit.
Solution
nIf the Analytics service is not running, restart it.
nIf the Analytics service is running, select Admin > Support and examine the DT Calculation setting in
the DT Calculation Info panel.
Option Action
If DT Calculation: On The dynamic threshold processing engine is running, but the queue might
be filling up because of contention when the DT processing engine tries to
read FSDB files. To reduce the number of DT threads and reduce the I/O
load, modify the DTProcessingThreads property in the vcenter-
ops\user\conf\analytics\advanced.properties file. The minimum
setting is 1.
If DT Calculation: Off The dynamic threshold processing engine is not running, which might
mean that the drive system is not fast enough for the number of resources
and metrics being processed.
nUse the FSDBHomeChanger tool to create additional mount points for
the FSDB so that files are distributed on multiple file systems.
nUse the FSDBHomeChanger tool to move the FSDB to a larger or faster
drive.
nReduce the number of resources and metrics being collected to reduce
the demands on the drive.
Describe Failed
A describe failed for one of the adapters.
Problem
The message Describe Failed appears in the Reason pane of the Alert Summary page for the alert.
Cause
This problem can occur when you make changes to an adapter and try to update it. This alert is generated
only when the vCenter Operations Manager Web resource already exits. If the first describe for an adapter
fails, vCenter Operations Manager writes an error to the log file and sends a Describe failed email message.
Solution
1 Verify the changes to the adapter and try the update again.
2 If the update fails again, roll back the changes and revert to the older version of the adapter.
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Failed to Connect to Replication MQ
vCenter Operations Manager cannot connect to the replication queue.
Problem
The message Failed to Connect to Replication MQ appears in the Reason pane of the Alert Summary page
for the alert.
Cause
The connection to the replication queue failed.
Solution
1 Open the replication.properties file and verify that the replication queue is configured properly.
2 Verify that the ActiveMQ service configured in the replication.properties file is running.
You can use JConsole to connect to port 1099.
3 Verify that the connection to the replication server on ports 61616 and 1099 is available from the
machine that is running the Analytics service.
Failed to Repair Corrupted FSDB Files
The FSDB check was unable to repair one or more corrupted files.
Problem
The message Failed to repair corrupted FSDB file(s) for resource(s): resource_ID_list appears in
the Reason pane of the Alert Summary page for the alert.
Cause
The FSDB repair option was enabled for the analytics process, but the FSDB check cannot repair one or more
corrupted files.
Solution
This alert indicates a significant problem with FSDB files for the resources listed in the alert message. Metric
data for these resources might not be recorded until the problem is resolved.
File Queue Is Full
The file queue has reached its maximum limit.
Problem
The message The File queue is full, replication MQ is no longer available. Data replication has
been disabled. appears in the Reason pane of the Alert Summary page for the alert.
Cause
The number of data points in the replication file queue reached its maximum limit. The hard drive is full
because the replication service cannot retrieve data from the queue quickly enough.
Solution
1 Increase the size of the disk drive where the MQ resides.
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2 Increase the network bandwidth between the vCenter Operations Manager server and the replication
server or increase the processing capacity of the replication server.
Increasing replication server performance enables the server to retrieve data from the queue more
quickly, which prevents the queue from filling the disk.
FSDB Files Corrupted for Resources
One or more FSDB files are corrupted.
Problem
The message FSDB file(s) corrupted for resource(s): resource_ID_list appears in the Reason pane of
the Alert Summary page for the alert.
Cause
The analytics process has the FSDB check enabled, and it found one or more corrupted FSDB files. The FSDB
repair option was disabled.
Solution
Use the FSDBCheck tool to repair the corrupted files.
FSDB Storage Drive Free Space Is Less Than 10%
One of the FSDB drives has less than 10 percent free space.
Problem
The message FSDB Storage Drive Free Space is Less Than 10% appears in the Reason pane of the Alert
Summary page for the alert.
Cause
The available free space on one of the FSDB drives is less than 10 percent of capacity.
Solution
1 Add storage capacity to the existing drive system or use the FSDBHomeChanger tool to move the FSDB
location to a drive system that has more capacity.
2 Purge old metric data from vCenter Operations Manager.
The minimum data that vCenter Operations Manager analytics requires is three times the length of
your normal business cycle or data pattern. The business cycle might be weekly, monthly, quarterly, or
yearly.
No DT Processors Connected
No data requests have been received from the dynamic threshold calculation process within the configured
time period.
Problem
The message No DT Processors Connected appears in the Reason pane of the Alert Summary page for the
alert.
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Cause
The vCenter Operations Manager server did not receive data requests from the remote dynamic threshold
calculation process, the DT Processor service, for at least the time period specified by the
externalDTAlertGenerationTime property in the vcenter-ops\user\conf\analytics\advanced.properties
file.
Solution
1 If the DT Processor service is not running on the remote server where it was installed, try to start it.
2 Select Admin > Support, click the Logs tab, open the vCenter Operations Analytics folder, and look
for the cause of the problem in the log for the analytics process.
3 If the DT Processor service was stopped for maintenance, or if a network outage occurs between the
vCenter Operations Manager server and the remove server, change the configuration so that dynamic
thresholds are processed on the vCenter Operations Manager server.
One or More Resources Were Not Started
One or more resource or metric limits were reached.
Problem
One of the following messages appears in the Reason pane of the Alert Summary page for the alert.
nOne or more resources were not started because the maximum number of collecting
resources/metrics was not reached.
nOne or more resources/metrics were not started/created because the maximum number of
resources/metrics was reached.
Cause
One of the following problems has occurred.
nvCenter Operations Manager analytics reached the maximum number of resources or metrics and did
not load caches for one or more resources. The resources are stopped.
nThe controller did not create a resource because it reached the maximum number of resources or
metrics in the database.
Solution
1 If the analytics process failed, remove recently added resources and restart the Analytics service.
2 Upgrade vCenter Operations Manager to a more powerful server host.
You can increase the resource and metric limits based on the new server host.
Outbound Alert Send Failed
One of the alert handler plug-ins failed to send an outbound alert.
Problem
The message Outbound Alert Send Failed for alert-plug-in appears in the Reason pane of the Alert
Summary page for the alert.
Cause
This problem can occur with email filter, SNMP trap, log file, and EMC Smarts console handlers.
Solution
1 Check the alert handler for errors.
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2 Verify that the alert destination is available.
For example, verify that the disk is not full. For email alerts, verify that the SMTP server is running.
Replication MQ Sender Is Blocked
The replication queue has reached its maximum size and cannot accept any more data from the
vCenter Operations Manager server.
Problem
The message Replication MQ sender is blocked, data replication has been disabled appears in the
Reason pane of the Alert Summary page for the alert.
Cause
The replication server cannot keep up, either because of a lack of resources or a slow network connection.
Solution
1 Check for possible bottlenecks.
a Increase network capacity.
The most likely cause of a bottleneck is lack of network capacity between the
vCenter Operations Manager server and the replication server.
b If the disk drive on the replication server is slow, replace it with a disk drive that has faster I/O.
c If the replication server CPU is the limiting factor, replace the CPU with a faster processor.
2 Decrease the amount of data that is replicated, either by decreasing the number of resources that are
monitored or increasing the monitoring interval between metric data collection samples.
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Backing Up and Recovering Data 10
You can configure vCenter Operations Manager to handle backup and recovery options, including high-
availability clustering and remote failover. The appropriate amount of component redundancy varies from
organization to organization.
At a minimum, include vCenter Operations Manager data components in the standard backup procedures
of your organization. Perform a complete backup of vCenter Operations Manager data before you upgrade
the vCenter Operations Manager software.
NOTE The vCenter Operations Manager vApp does not support replication, remote collectors, or
distributed analytics.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n“Backing Up and Recovering Data Components,” on page 127
n“Backing Up and Recovering Processing Components,” on page 134
Backing Up and Recovering Data Components
vCenter Operations Manager stores data in the file system database (FSDB), its relational database (RDB),
and its system files. Follow certain guidelines when you back up and recover these data components.
nBacking Up the FSDB on page 128
All metric values that vCenter Operations Manager collects are stored in its file system database
(FSDB). This implementation enables the vCenter Operations Manager analytics software high access
rates to the large amounts of data that vCenter Operations Manager stores.
nBacking Up the RDB on page 131
The vCenter Operations Manager RDB contains configuration and state information, such as dynamic
threshold results, anomalies, alerts, and data correlation results that vCenter Operations Manager
analytics and the vCenter Operations Manager user interface use.
nBacking Up System Files on page 132
vCenter Operations Manager uses system files for configuration, integration, and logging. These files
are located in the vCenter Operations Manager software directory tree.
nRecovering Data Components on page 133
No data components depend on other components, and they do not need to be absolutely in sync
relative to backup and recovery times. Keep the RDB and the vCenter Operations Manager system
files as up-to-date as possible because they contain the configuration of the
vCenter Operations Manager system, integration adapters, and monitored environment.
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Backing Up the FSDB
All metric values that vCenter Operations Manager collects are stored in its file system database (FSDB).
This implementation enables the vCenter Operations Manager analytics software high access rates to the
large amounts of data that vCenter Operations Manager stores.
The FSDB is located on the vCenter Operations Manager server in either internal hard drives or a high-
speed storage area network (SAN) device. vCenter Operations Manager does not support NAS or NFS file
systems.
The default location for the FSDB is vcenter-ops\data, which is suitable for smaller environments. In larger
environments, place the FSDB in a different file system than the vCenter Operations Manager software. You
can store the FSDB in one path location, or split it into multiple locations.
Each resource has its own folder within the FSDB. The resource ID is the folder name. Each resource folder
contains one data file for each month's data. Each file contains all metric values for all metrics for that
resource for that month. While vCenter Operations Manager is collecting data, the current month's files in
the FSDB are continually being updated.
FSDB Backup Guidelines
Back up all files in the vCenter Operations Manager FSDB folder regularly. You define these folders during
installation, and you can find them by looking at the FSDB_HOME folder specification in the Configure
VMware vCenter Operations Enterprise utility.
You can copy the FSDB at any time without stopping any vCenter Operations Manager services. The timing
of the backup does not depend on other file backups. Performing incremental backups can reduce backup
time and storage requirements, because only the most recent month's files are updated at any given time.
Over time, the FSDB can grow to be over 100GB. An efficient way to make incremental backups is to take
advantage of the FSDB Replication Sync capability, which is provided to enable disaster recovery failover.
The FSDB Replication Sync capability requires a separate vCenter Operations Manager server and FSDB
data store, which runs in a warm or passive mode.
Set Up FSDB Replication
You can use the FSDB Replication Sync capability to make incremental backups of the FSDB. The FSDB
Replication Sync capability requires a separate vCenter Operations Manager server and FSDB data store,
which runs in a warm or passive mode.
NOTE The vCenter Operations Manager vApp does not support replication, remote collectors, or
distributed analytics.
Prerequisites
nBecome familiar with how to start and stop the Analytics service. See “Start or Stop vCenter Operations
Manager Services,” on page 108.
nContact VMware technical support before you change any replication settings.
Procedure
1 Create two vCenter Operations Manager servers, one primary and one backup.
2 Install the same version and build number of vCenter Operations Manager on both servers.
3 Open the replication.properties file in the vcenter-ops\user\conf\analytics directory on the
vCenter Operations Manager server.
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4 Set enabled=true to enable replication of FSDB content.
NOTE Because the synchronization process is independent from the replication process, you do not
need to enable replication to run the synchronization process.
5 Save your changes and close the replication.properties file.
6 Restart the Analytics service on the primary vCenter Operations Manager server.
If a resource file is deleted on the primary vCenter Operations Manager server, it is also deleted on the
replication server.
Switch the Primary and Backup Replication Servers
You can use the Configure VMware vCenter Operations utility to switch the replication server configuration
from primary to backup, and the reverse.
NOTE The vCenter Operations Manager vApp does not support replication, remote collectors, or
distributed analytics.
Prerequisites
nSet up FSDB replication. See “Set Up FSDB Replication,” on page 128.
nIn a clustered environment, verify that the cluster resources are offline.
Procedure
1 From the Start menu, select All Programs > VMware > vCenter Operations Enterprise > Configure
VMware vCenter Operations to start the Configure VMware vCenter Operations utility on each server.
nOn the primary vCenter Operations Manager server, on the Analytics page, select the Enable
Replication check box and set the host to the backup vCenter Operations Manager server.
nOn the backup vCenter Operations Manager server, on the Replication Server page, set the host to
be the local server.
2 Click Finish to save the configuration.
NOTE Because the vCenter Operations Manager services are reinstalled and restarted when you click
Finish, click Exit, not Finish, to close the utility if you do not make any changes.
Enable FSDB Synchronization
Enable synchronization of FSDB content between the primary and backup vCenter Operations Manager
servers only if missing or different data must be updated on the backup vCenter Operations Manager
server. For example, if you configure and start the backup server after vCenter Operations Manager was
already collecting data.
When synchronization is enabled, the task is sent to the replication server on the backup
vCenter Operations Manager server. If the replication server is running, it returns a response to the primary
Analytics service, which sends all missing and different data to the replication server.
If replication is enabled, the Analytics service continues to send real-time incoming data to the backup
server, but not data from the FSDB.
NOTE The vCenter Operations Manager vApp does not support replication, remote collectors, or
distributed analytics.
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Prerequisites
nCreate a replicaton server. Because the synchronization process is independent from the replication
process, you do not need to enable replication to run the synchronization process. See “Set Up FSDB
Replication,” on page 128.
nBecome familiar with how to start and stop the Analytics service. See “Start or Stop vCenter Operations
Manager Services,” on page 108.
nContact VMware technical support before you change any FSDB synchronization settings.
Procedure
1 Open the replication.properties file in the vcenter-ops\user\conf\analytics directory on the
vCenter Operations Manager server.
2 Set synchronize=true.
3 Specify the resource ID from which to start synchronization.
4 Save your changes and close the replication.properties file.
5 Restart the Analytics service on the primary vCenter Operations Manager server.
Manage the Replication Process
If you use a replication server to back up the primary vCenter Operations Manager server, you can use the
Custom user interface to manage the replication process.
Prerequisites
Create and configure a replication server. See “Set Up FSDB Replication,” on page 128.
Procedure
1 Select Admin > Support and click the Info tab.
Replication information appears in the Replication Info pane.
2 Use the icons at the top of the Replication Info pane to manage the replication process.
Option Description
Start the replication process a Click the Start Replication icon.
b Click Yes in the Start Replication dialog box to start the replication
process.
Stop the replication process a Click the Stop Replication icon.
b Click Yes in the Stop Replication dialog box to stop the replication
process.
When the replication process begins, the Replication status changes to Running. If an error occurs
during the replication process, an error message appears in the Replication Info pane.
3 (Optional) Click the Refresh icon to update the status information.
The status information refreshes every five minutes by default.
Manage the Synchronization Process
If you have a replication server, you can manage synchronization from the Custom user interface.
Prerequisites
Create a replication server. Because the synchronization process is independent from the replication process,
you do not need to enable replication to run the synchronization process. See “Set Up FSDB Replication,” on
page 128.
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Procedure
1 Select Admin > Support and click the Info tab.
The status of the synchronization process appears in the Replication Info pane.
2 Use the icons at the top of the Replication Info pane to manage the synchronization process.
Option Action
Start the synchronization process a Click the Start Synchronization icon.
b (Optional) Select the Restart synchronization check box to restart the
synchronization process for all resources that have already
synchronized their data.
c Select the start date and time of the data to be synchronized.
d Click OK to save your configuration.
Pause the synchronization process a Click the Pause Synchronization icon.
b Click Yes in the Pause Synchonization dialog box to pause the
synchronization process.
When the synchronization process begins, the Synchronization status changes to Running. If an error
occurs during the synchronization process, an error message appears in the Replication Info pane.
3 (Optional) Click the Reload icon to refresh the status information in the Replication Info pane.
Status information refreshes every five minutes by default.
Backing Up the RDB
The vCenter Operations Manager RDB contains configuration and state information, such as dynamic
threshold results, anomalies, alerts, and data correlation results that vCenter Operations Manager analytics
and the vCenter Operations Manager user interface use.
In most cases, you put the RDB on a dedicated database server that is separate from the
vCenter Operations Manager server but that is in close network proximity, such as in the same data center
within the same firewall. In smaller environments, it might be suitable to host the RDB on the
vCenter Operations Manager server.
Backing up the vCenter Operations Manager database has no special requirements. Your organization's
database administrator can use standard corporate RDB procedures to back up the
vCenter Operations Manager RDB on a regular basis.
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Backing Up System Files
vCenter Operations Manager uses system files for configuration, integration, and logging. These files are
located in the vCenter Operations Manager software directory tree.
Table 10‑1. System File Backup Guidelines
System File Directory Description Backup Guidelines
vcenter-ops\user\conf\analytics Analytics configuration directory. It
includes files that contain parameters for
the analytics algorithms, including which
algorithms are enabled.
Back up this directory after
vCenter Operations Manager is installed
and configured and again if you make
any configuration changes.
This directory and its files are copied
from the vcenter-ops\save directory
during vCenter Operations Manager
software upgrades.
vcenter-ops\user\conf\plugins Analytics plug-ins directory. It contains
algorithms that
vCenter Operations Manager analytics
uses, including files delivered with the
software and any future algorithms that
might become available. It contains a
subdirectory for each installed Dynamic
Threshold algorithm.
Each plug-in directory includes a plug-in
properties file, vcenter-
ops\user\conf\plugins\plugin_nam
e\conf\plugin_name.properties, that
contains parameters for the algorithms.
Files in this directory are rarely updated
after vCenter Operations Manager is in
production. Back up the directory after
vCenter Operations Manager is installed
and configured and again if you change
the configuration.
vcenter-ops\user\plugins\outbound Outbound alert plug-ins directory. It
contains alert notification formats that
vCenter Operations Manager uses.
Files in this directory are rarely updated
after vCenter Operations Manager is in
production. Back up the directory after
vCenter Operations Manager is installed
and configured and again if you make
any changes to the notification
configuration.
vcenter-ops\collector vCenter Operations Manager collector
adapters directory. It contains all of the
currently installed and configured collector
adapters and their configurations.
Files and subdirectories in this directory
are updated whenever you add or
remove adapters. Back up this directory,
on the vCenter Operations Manager
server and any remote server, after
installation and after installing any new
adapters.
The installer does not overwrite these
files and directories during software
upgrades unless adapter code has
changed.
vcenter-ops\user\config\collector vCenter Operations Manager collector
configuration directory. It contains files
that include parameters for the
CollectorService and the trap listener.
Files in this directory are rarely updated
after vCenter Operations Manager is in
production. Back up this directory, on
the vCenter Operations Manager server
and any remote server, after installation
and after installing any new adapters.
This directory and its files are copied to
the vcenter-ops\save directory during
vCenter Operations Manager software
upgrades.
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Table 10‑1. System File Backup Guidelines (Continued)
System File Directory Description Backup Guidelines
vcenter-
ops\uninstall_vcops\installvariab
les.properties
Install variables file. It contains key data
from the initial install, which is reused for
upgrades and the vCenter Operations
adapter.
Rarely updated after
vCenter Operations Manager is in
production. Back up this file after
installation. This file is overwritten
during vCenter Operations Manager
software upgrades.
vcenter-
ops\activemq\conf\log4j.propertie
s
ActiveMQ logging properties file. It
contains log4j parameters for ActiveMQ
logging.
Rarely updated after
vCenter Operations Manager is in
production. Back up this file after
installation. Ths file is overwritten
during vCenter Operations Manager
software upgrades.
vcenter-ops\user\logs vCenter Operations Manager log files,
which include the optional
vCenter Operations Manager Logs and the
vCenter Operations Manager Collector
Logs.
Files in this directory are rolled over on
a daily basis. By default,
vCenter Operations Manager is
configured to keep up to seven daily log
files of each type, but you can adjust this
limit. To retain a copy of these files, you
can back up this directory regularly on
the vCenter Operations Manager server
and remote servers.
You can copy log files at any time
without stopping
vCenter Operations Manager services.
To restore these log files, you must stop
vCenter Operations Manager services.
Recovering Data Components
No data components depend on other components, and they do not need to be absolutely in sync relative to
backup and recovery times. Keep the RDB and the vCenter Operations Manager system files as up-to-date
as possible because they contain the configuration of the vCenter Operations Manager system, integration
adapters, and monitored environment.
If you need to restore the RDB, follow the guidelines provided by your database administrator.
For information about how to recover the FSDB or vCenter Operations Manager system files, see “Recover
the FSDB or System Files,” on page 133.
Recover the FSDB or System Files
You can recover the FSDB or vCenter Operations Manager system files.
Procedure
1 Stop the vCenter Operations Manager processes.
vCenter Operations Manager processes lock some files, particularly log files. You cannot restore them
until the associated process stops. The vCenter Operations Manager processes include
vcopsWebService, AnalyticsServer, ActiveMQ, and CollectorService.
2 Copy and paste the backup files back to their live locations.
3 After restoring all files, restart the vCenter Operations Manager processes.
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Backing Up and Recovering Processing Components
You must follow certain guidelines when you back up and recover the vCenter Operations Manager
processing components. The processing components include the vCenter Operations Manager server, the
vCenter Operations Manager Remote Collector server, the DT processor server, and the database server.
nSelecting a Backup and Recovery Strategy for the Server on page 134
The vCenter Operations Manager server runs the services that make up the
vCenter Operations Manager application. These services include the vCenter Operations Manager
Web service, Collector service, ActiveMQ service , and Analytics service. Because it is a high-
performance and resource-intensive application, vCenter Operations Manager usually requires a
dedicated server.
nBacking Up and Recovering the RDB Server on page 136
vCenter Operations Manager uses commercially available relational databases. If the
vCenter Operations Manager RDB is unavailable, vCenter Operations Manager becomes unavailable.
If you require a high availability or remote failover capability, configure the RDB server to use
clustering or a remote warm backup.
nBacking Up and Recovering a Remote Collector Server on page 136
The vCenter Operations Manager remote collector is a remote host that has only the
vCenter Operations Manager collector installed. A remote collector does not store data. You might
want to install one or more remote collectors to navigate firewalls, reduce bandwidth across data
centers, and reduce the load on the vCenter Operations Manager server.
nBacking Up and Recovering a Remote DT Processor Server on page 136
A remote DT processor is a vCenter Operations Manager Server process that performs analytics
calculations. It does not store data. You can distribute the load by starting a separate analytics process
on one or more remote hosts to perform just the dynamic threshold (DT) portion of analytics
processing.
Selecting a Backup and Recovery Strategy for the Server
The vCenter Operations Manager server runs the services that make up the vCenter Operations Manager
application. These services include the vCenter Operations Manager Web service, Collector service,
ActiveMQ service , and Analytics service. Because it is a high-performance and resource-intensive
application, vCenter Operations Manager usually requires a dedicated server.
Many organizations use the vCenter Operations Manager server, and by extension the FSDB, as a mission-
critical application. You can implement vCenter Operations Manager as a set of clustered servers for high
availability, or as a set of remote servers for disaster recovery or failover purposes, or both.
Implementing High Availability for the Server
You can implement high availability for the vCenter Operations Manager server by using shared disks and
clustering software. When a server that hosts vCenter Operations Manager becomes unavailable, the
clustering software maps the shared disk and vCenter Operations Manager services to the backup server
and brings them online.
High availability capability has the following hardware and software requirements.
nA shared disk (SAN) to install the vCenter Operations Manager software and
vCenter Operations Manager FSDB.
nTwo separate servers on which to deploy vCenter Operations Manager services and environment
variables.
nCluster software on both servers to manage vCenter Operations Manager services.
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nA virtual IP address representing the cluster, for end users and remote collectors that point to the
vCenter Operations Manager server to use.
When a server that hosts vCenter Operations Manager becomes unavailable and is remapped by the
clustering software, any users that are logged in to vCenter Operations Manager are logged out and the
vCenter Operations Manager system becomes unavailable for about 15 seconds. Because it is installed on the
shared disk, the FSDB is not affected. The RDB remains accessible from both servers because it is installed
on a different server than the vCenter Operations Manager software.
For more information about how to install and configure of a clustered environment, see your specific
clustering documentation.
Implementing Disaster Recovery for the Server
vCenter Operations Manager has built-in abilities to enable a quick transition to a completely separate
backup vCenter Operations Manager server or cluster if the primary server or cluster is unavailable. You
must manually switch the vCenter Operations Manager software to use the backup server or cluster as the
primary server or cluster.
The separate backup server typically resides in a different location than the primary system for disaster
recovery purposes. The remote backup server or cluster contains a vCenter Operations Manager instance
that serves as a backup replication server. This instance keeps a warm, updated copy of the FSDB.
Disaster recovery has the following hardware and software requirements.
nA separate remote vCenter Operations Manager instance that is configured as a backup server.
nA vCenter Operations Manager FSDB replication server that is running the replication service. After the
remote FSDB is synchronized with the local FSDB, the data should be identical.
nA vCenter Operations Manager database that is synchronized with the appropriate vendor software.
nA scheduled batch file that copies key vCenter Operations Manager files to the backup server. For
information about the vCenter Operations Manager files that are required on the backup server, see
“Backing Up System Files,” on page 132.
When the primary server or cluster that hosts vCenter Operations Manager becomes unavailable, the
vCenter Operations Manager database should failover to the backup database by using the appropriate
vendor software. Users who were logged in to vCenter Operations Manager are logged out. The
vCenter Operations Manager system is unavailable until you configure the backup server to be the primary
server and all services are turned back on. See “Switch the Primary and Backup Servers,” on page 135.
The typical critical path timing item is the restoration of the RDB. All alerts in the new
vCenter Operations Manager system at the time of the most recent RDB backup are active, but
vCenter Operations Manager analytics should reset all alerts to the appropriate state after 15 minutes.
Switch the Primary and Backup Servers
If the primary server or cluster is unavailable, you must manually switch the vCenter Operations Manager
software to use the backup server or cluster as the primary server or cluster.
Prerequisites
Implement disaster recovery. See “Implementing Disaster Recovery for the Server,” on page 135.
Procedure
1 From the Start menu, select All Programs > VMware > vCenter Operations Enterprise > Configure
VMware vCenter Operations to start the Configure VMware vCenter Operations utility on the backup
server.
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2 On the Full Configuration page, change the Server Configuration setting from Backup to Primary.
This setting converts the vCenter Operations Manager system on the backup server to serve as the new
primary server.
3 Update the server IP address, or the virtual IP address that represents the cluster, to the correct IP
address for the new primary server or cluster.
End users and remote collectors that point to the vCenter Operations Manager server must use the new
IP address.
4 Click Finish to save the configuration.
NOTE Because the vCenter Operations Manager services are reinstalled and restarted when you click
Finish, click Exit, not Finish, to close the utility if you do not make any changes.
What to do next
If you need to switch a vCenter Operations Manager replication server to the primary server, you might
need to make additional changes. See “Switch the Primary and Backup Replication Servers,” on page 129.
Backing Up and Recovering the RDB Server
vCenter Operations Manager uses commercially available relational databases. If the
vCenter Operations Manager RDB is unavailable, vCenter Operations Manager becomes unavailable. If you
require a high availability or remote failover capability, configure the RDB server to use clustering or a
remote warm backup.
Instances that are configured against a single database are unavailable if that database becomes unavailable.
If this situation occurs, a high availability strategy that includes a clustered database environment enables
the cluster to immediately switch the shared disks and the vCenter Operations Manager instance to the
backup server if one database becomes unavailable.
Backing Up and Recovering a Remote Collector Server
The vCenter Operations Manager remote collector is a remote host that has only the
vCenter Operations Manager collector installed. A remote collector does not store data. You might want to
install one or more remote collectors to navigate firewalls, reduce bandwidth across data centers, and
reduce the load on the vCenter Operations Manager server.
If a remote collector server becomes unavailable, the primary vCenter Operations Manager server does not
receive data from the portion of the monitored environment that is configured for that particular remote
collector.
Although you can install a remote collector on a cluster, typical implementations install a separate collector
on another server. This backup remote collector should have the same vCenter Operations Manager
collector adapters folder and the same vCenter Operations Manager collector configuration folder as the
primary remote collector. If the primary remote collector becomes unavailable, you can bring the backup
remote collector online.
Backing Up and Recovering a Remote DT Processor Server
A remote DT processor is a vCenter Operations Manager Server process that performs analytics
calculations. It does not store data. You can distribute the load by starting a separate analytics process on
one or more remote hosts to perform just the dynamic threshold (DT) portion of analytics processing.
If a remote processor server goes down, vCenter Operations Manager continues to collect and store data,
but dynamic thresholds are not recalculated based on the new data.
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You do not need to have a backup of a remote DT processor. If the remote DT processor becomes
unavailable, you can configure the analytics process on the vCenter Operations Manager server to perform
the dynamic threshold calculations. See “Configure the Analytics Process to Perform DT Calculations,” on
page 137.
You can also install the remote DT analytics process on a different host. See the VMware vCenter Operations
Installation Guide.
Configure the Analytics Process to Perform DT Calculations
If the remote DT processor becomes unavailable, you can configure the analytics process on the
vCenter Operations Manager server to perform dynamic threshold calculations.
IMPORTANT Always make a backup copy of the advanced.properties file. Changes that you make might
cause errors in the file that can adversely affect vCenter Operations Manager operations.
Prerequisites
Become familiar with how to start and stop the Analytics service. See “Start or Stop vCenter Operations
Manager Services,” on page 108.
Procedure
1 Make a backup copy of the advanced.properties file in the vcenter-ops\user\conf\analytics directory
on the vCenter Operations Manager server.
2 Open the original advanced.properties file and find the distributedDTCalculationsEnabled property.
3 Change distributedDTCalculationsEnabled to false.
4 Save your changes and close the advanced.properties file.
5 Restart the Analytics service.
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Configuring the Repository Adapter 11
You can use the Repository adapter to export metrics from vCenter Operations Manager on a schedule that
you set. The destination can be a relational database or a comma-separated value (CSV) file.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n“Repository Adapter Requirements and Limitations,” on page 139
n“Repository Adapter Configuration Steps,” on page 141
n“Creating a Database User for the Repository Adapter,” on page 141
n“Configure the Source Database Connection for the Repository Adapter,” on page 141
n“Configure the Output Destination for the Repository Adapter,” on page 142
n“Configuring the Source and Destination Columns for the Repository Adapter,” on page 143
n“Configure Data Export Values for the Repository Adapter,” on page 144
n“Customizing Repository Adapter Operation,” on page 146
n“Start the Repository Adapter,” on page 146
Repository Adapter Requirements and Limitations
The Repository adapter has certain requirements and limitations.
Connection Requirements
You must configure a connection to the vCenter Operations Manager relational database for the Repository
adapter.
You do not configure a connection to the FSDB. The Repository adapter uses the local RMI configuration
(rmi.properties file) to connect to the Analytics service and retrieve FSDB data.
Database Requirements
If you plan to use the Repository adapter to export data to an output database rather than a CSV file, you
must create a table on the destination database server. You must also configure the source database and
destination database columns. The vcenter-ops\tools\RepositoryAdapter\conf directory contains several
sample creation scripts.
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The following sample creation script is for SQL server.
CREATE TABLE TestTable
( RID1 int,
RNAME1 nvarchar(1000),
MID1 int,
MNAME1 nvarchar(900),
RKNAME1 nvarchar(50),
MKNAME1 nvarchar(1000),
AKNAME1 nvarchar(50),
timestamp1 datetime,
min_threshold1 nvarchar(50),
value1 nvarchar(50),
max_threshold1 nvarchar(50)
)
The following sample creation script is for Oracle.
CREATE TABLE TestTable (
RID1 INTEGER,
RNAME1 NVARCHAR2(1000),
MID1 INTEGER,
MNAME1 NVARCHAR2(900),
RKNAME1 NVARCHAR2(50),
MKNAME1 NVARCHAR2(1000),
AKNAME1 NVARCHAR2(50),
timestamp1 TIMESTAMP,
min_threshold1 NVARCHAR2(50),
value1 NVARCHAR2(50),
max_threshold1 NVARCHAR2(50)
);
The following sample creation script is for Postgres.
CREATE TABLE TestTable
( RID1 int2 ,
RNAME1 varchar(1000),
MID1 int2,
MNAME1 varchar(900),
RKNAME1 varchar(50),
MKNAME1 varchar(1000),
AKNAME1 varchar(50),
timestamp1 timestamp,
min_threshold1 varchar(20) null,
value1 varchar(20),
max_threshold1 varchar(20) null
)
Limitations
The Repository adapter is designed to extract only a small subset of data for specific purposes. Exporting a
large amount data can result in a significant load on the system.
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Repository Adapter Configuration Steps
You must perform certain steps to configure the Repository adapter.
1 (Optional) If you have a vApp installation, create a Postgres database user for the Repository adapter to
use. See “Creating a Database User for the Repository Adapter,” on page 141.
2 Configure the connection to the vCenter Operations Manager relational database . See “Configure the
Source Database Connection for the Repository Adapter,” on page 141.
3 Configure the connection to the output database or CSV file. See “Configure the Output Destination for
the Repository Adapter,” on page 142.
4 (Optional) If you use the Repository adapter to export data to an output database, configure the source
and destination columns. See “Configuring the Source and Destination Columns for the Repository
Adapter,” on page 143.
5 Configure the resources and metrics for which the Repository adapter exports values. See “Configure
Data Export Values for the Repository Adapter,” on page 144.
6 (Optional) Customize Repository adapter operation. See “Customizing Repository Adapter Operation,”
on page 146.
7 Start the Repository adapter. See “Start the Repository Adapter,” on page 146.
Creating a Database User for the Repository Adapter
In a vApp installation, the relational database is the Postgres instance on the Analytics virtual machine. If
you have a Postgres instance, you should create a read-only user for the Repository adapter to use and
configure that user to have access to select tables.
For example:
su postgres
psql -d alivevm
create user repouser with password 'my_password';
grant select on aliveresource to repouser;
grant select on resourceattributekey to repouser;
grant select on attributekey to repouser;
grant select on resourcekind to repouser;
grant select on adapterkind to repouser;
grant select on resourcekindattribute to repouser;
Configure the Source Database Connection for the Repository
Adapter
You must configure a connection to the vCenter Operations Manager relational database for the Repository
adapter.
Prerequisites
In a vApp installation, the relational database is the Postgres instance in the Analytics virtual machine. If
your relational database is the Postgres instance, create a read-only user for the Repository adapter to use
and configure the user to have access to select tables. See “Creating a Database User for the Repository
Adapter,” on page 141.
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Procedure
1 Open the conf.properties file in a text editor.
The conf.properties file is in the vcenter-ops\tools\RepositoryAdapter\conf directory. In a vApp
installation, edit the conf.properties file on the Analytics virtual machine.
2 Use the sourcedb properties to define the connection to the source database.
The following example is an SQL Server source database definition.
sourcedbDriver = com.microsoft.sqlserver.jdbc.SQLServerDriver
sourcedbUrl = jdbc:sqlserver://host:port
sourcedbName = databasename
sourcedbUserName = username
sourcedbPassword = password
The following example is an Oracle source database definition.
sourcedbDriver = oracle.jdbc.driver.OracleDriver
sourcedbUrl = jdbc:oracle:thin:@host:port:sid
sourcedbUserName = username
sourcedbPassword = password
The following example is a Postgres source database definition.
sourcedbDriver = org.postgresql.Driver
sourcedbUrl = jdbc:postgresql://host:port
sourcedbName = alivevm
sourcedbUserName = username
sourcedbPassword = password
3 Verify that the encrypted property is set to false.
When the Repository adapter runs, it encrypts the sourcedbName and sourcedbUserName values and sets
the encrypted property to true.
IMPORTANT If you set the encrypted property to true before the Repository adapter runs for the first
time, the adapter fails because vCenter Operations Manager expects the credentials to be in an
encrypted state. If you need to change the user name and password values, type them in plain text and
set encrypted to false.
4 Save your changes and close the conf.properties file.
Configure the Output Destination for the Repository Adapter
You must configure a connection to an output destination for the Repository adapter. The output
destination can be a relational database or a CSV file.
Procedure
1 Open the conf.properties file in a text editor.
The conf.properties file is in the vcenter-ops\tools\RepositoryAdapter\conf directory. In a vApp
installation, edit the conf.properties file on the Analytics virtual machine.
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2 Define the output destination method.
You can define only one output destination method.
Option Action
Send output to a database Set exportToCsv to false.
Send output to a CSV file Set exportToCsv to true.
3 If you set exportToCsv to false, use the destdb properties to define the connection to the output
database.
The following example is an SQL Server output database definition.
destdbDriver = com.microsoft.sqlserver.jdbc.SQLServerDriver
destdbUrl = jdbc:sqlserver://host:port
destdbName = databasename
destdbuserName = username
destdbPassword = password
The following example is an Oracle output database definition.
destdbDriver = oracle.jdbc.driver.OracleDriver
destdbUrl = jdbc:oracle:thin:@host:port:sid
destdbuserName = username
destdbPassword = password
The following example is a Postgres output database definition.
destdbDriver = org.postgresql.Driver
destdbUrl = jdbc:postgresql://host:port
destdbName = databasename
destdbuserName = username
destdbPassword = password
4 If you set exportToCsv to true, use the csvFilePath and csvDelimiter properties to specify the location
of the CSV file.
For example:
csvFilePath = /path/filename.csv
csvDelimiter = \,
5 Save your changes and close the conf.properties file.
Configuring the Source and Destination Columns for the Repository
Adapter
If you use the Repository adapter to export data to an output database, you must use the insertCommand
statement in the conf.properties file to define where the Repository adapter puts the data that it exports.
The conf.properties file is in the vcenter-ops\tools\RepositoryAdapter\conf directory on the
vCenter Operations Manager server. In a vApp installation, edit the conf.properties file on the Analytics
virtual machine.
insertCommand Format
The insertCommand statement contains two sets of values in parentheses, for example:
insertCommand=INSERT INTO TestTable (column1; column2) values(field1; field2)
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The first set of values defines the columns in the output database. You change TestTable to the name of
your output table. The second set of values, which appears after values in the statement, defines the source
fields in the vCenter Operations Manager data model to export to the output database columns.
Source Fields
The sample conf.properties file includes all of the possible source fields. You can change the order of the
source fields or remove fields, but you cannot add source fields. If you change the source fields, you must
also change the output column list.
Field names that start with alive are from the vCenter Operations Manager relational database.
Table 11‑1. Relational Database Fields
Field Description
alive.RID Resource ID.
alive.RNAME Resource name.
alive.MID Metric ID.
alive.MNAME Metric key, hierarchical format, including group keys, instance names, and attribute
kind keys. For example, cpu:0|utilization_pct.
alive.RKNAME Resource kind key.
alive.MKNAME Attribute kind key, one level (the last item in the metric key).
alive.AKNAME Adapter kind key.
Field names that start with fsdb are from the vCenter Operations Manager FSDB.
Table 11‑2. FSDB Fields
Field Description
fsdb.timestamp Metric time stamp.
fsdb.min_threshold Minimum threshold for the metric.
fsdb.value Metric value.
fsdb.max_threshold Maximum threshold for the metric.
insertCommand Statement Example
The following insertCommand statement exports the alive.RID field from the vCenter Operations Manager
relational database to the RID1 column of the output database and the alive.RNAME field from the
vCenter Operations Manager relational database to the RNAME1 column of the output database.
insertCommand=INSERT INTO TestTable (RID1; RNAME1) values(alive.RID; alive.RNAME)
Configure Data Export Values for the Repository Adapter
You can use the conditions.properties file to filter the resources and metrics for which the Repository
adapter exports values. If you do not use the conditions.properties file, the Repository adapter exports all
data.
The conditions.properties file can contain multiple conditions. Each condition specifies the name of an
output column in the destination database or CSV file and one or more values.
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A condition defines either a white list of values (equals operator) or a black list of values (not equals
operator). If you define both a white list and a black list, the Repository adapter applies AND logic to the
lists. For example, the following conditions cause the Repository adapter to export data if resource ID equals
1, 21, or 54 and metric ID is not equal to 1, 2, or 3.
RID1=1;21;154
MID=<>1;2;3
If you do not specify an output column in the conditions.properties file, the Repository adapter does not
filter on that column and exports all of its values.
Follow these rules when you add or edit values in the conditions.properties file:
nEnclose string values in single quotes.
nDo not quote numeric values, such as resource or attribute IDs.
nUse an asterisk (*) to specify a wildcard character. A wildcard matches any number of characters,
including no characters. You cannot use wildcards in numeric values.
Procedure
1 Open the conditions.properties file in the vcenter-ops\tools\RepositoryAdapter\conf directory.
In a vApp installation, edit the conditions.properties file on the Analytics virtual machine.
2 Use an equals operator (=) to define the values to include in an output column.
For example:
Column=value1;value2
The Repository adapter exports the value only if the value for the corresponding field in the
vCenter Operations Manager database matches one of the listed values.
3 Use a not equals operator (=<>) to define the values to exclude from an output column.
For example:
Column=<>value1;value2
The Repository adapter exports the value only if the value for the corresponding field in the
vCenter Operations Manager database does not match any of the listed values.
4 Save your changes and close the conditions.properties file.
Example: conditions.properties File
The following example maps the resource name field to the RNAME1 output column and the metric name field
to the MKNAME1 output column. The Repository adapter exports data for the Collector, Web, and Analytics
resources, and for any resource that has a name that begins with Business. The adapter does not export data
for the health metric or for any metric that has a name that begins with avail.
RKNAME1='Collector';'Web';'Analytics';'Business*'
MKNAME1=<>'health';'avail*'
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Customizing Repository Adapter Operation
You can modify properties in the vcenter-ops\tools\RepositoryAdapter\conf\conf.properties file to
customize Repository adapter operation. In a vApp installation, edit the conf.properties file on the
Analytics virtual machine.
Table 11‑3. Repository Adapter Properties
Property Description Default
runOnce Set to true to run the adapter once, or set to false to sleep and run the
adapter again after scheduleTime.
true
scheduleTime Time to run the adapter, in hours. Set this property to a positive
number to run the adapter at a particular time of day, or set it to a
negative number to run the adapter at specific intervals. For example, if
you set this property to 23, the adapter runs at 11:00 p.m. each day. If
you set this property to -1, the adapter runs once per hour.
24
dtEnabled Enables or disables retrieval of dynamic thresholds for metrics.
NOTE Enabling this property can affect performance. Enable this
property only when required and only if the adapter selectively exports
metrics
false
readResourceDataAtOnce Set to true to read all of the data for a resource at one time. Enabling
this property improves retrieval performance because the number of
read operations is decreased.
You must set dtEnabled to false for this property to be effective.
true
incremental Set to true to retrieve only metric values collected after the last adapter
run.
true
maxDays Specifies the number of days to retrieve data. For example, if you set
this property to 365, the adapter retrieves data for the past year.
1
retryConnectCount Number of times that the adapter retries the database connection. 5
delayBetweenRetries Amount of time, in milliseconds, between retries. 10000
Start the Repository Adapter
You can start the Repository adapter on a Windows or Linux host.
Procedure
nStart the Repository adapter on a Windows host.
a Open a command prompt on the Windows host.
b Change the directory to vcenter-ops\tools\RepositoryAdapter.
c Run the batch file.
For example: run.bat
nStart the Repository adapter on a Linux host or on the Analytics virtual machine.
a Open a terminal window on the Linux host or Analytics virtual machine.
b Change the directory to vcenter-ops/tools/RepositoryAdapter.
c Run the shell script.
For example: ./run.sh
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After the Repository adapter starts, it runs according to the schedule that you configured in the
conf.properties file.
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Using System Tools 12
vCenter Operations Manager includes several system tools. You can use these tools to manage and
troubleshoot the file system database (FSDB), monitor and troubleshoot vCenter Operations Manager
performance, check communication between the vCenter Operations Manager server host and remote or
local collectors, configure and run the Repository Adapter, and estimate how many resources a host can
support.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n“Summary of System Tools,” on page 149
n“Check the FSDB and Repair Problems,” on page 150
n“Move the FSDB,” on page 151
n“Monitor vCenter Operations Manager Services in JConsole,” on page 152
n“Configuring and Running runvcopsServerConfiguration,” on page 152
n“Eliminating Linearly Correlated Metrics from the DT Calculation,” on page 155
Summary of System Tools
For each system tool, vCenter Operations Manager provides a batch (.bat) file version for Windows hosts
and a shell script (.sh) file version for Linux hosts.
Table 12‑1. Summary of System Tools
Tool Description
dbcli Database command line interface. You can use this tool to perform
operations in the vCenter Operations Manager database, including
importing and exporting dashboards, dashboard templates, and
super metrics. See Chapter 13, “Using the Database Command Line
Interface,” on page 157.
FilterPluginConfEditor Configuration File editor. You can use the Configuration File editor
to edit the emailFilter.xml file. See Chapter 7, “Configuring Alert
Notifications,” on page 79.
FSDBCheck Checks for and repairs problems, such as data corruption caused by a
power failure, in the vCenter Operations Manager FSDB.
FSDBHomeChanger Moves the vCenter Operations Manager FSDB to a new location and
updates all properties associated with its location.
PCA Eliminates linearly correlated metrics from the dynamic threshold
calculation.
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Table 12‑1. Summary of System Tools (Continued)
Tool Description
run-jconsole Starts the Java JConsole tool to open the Java application console.
You can use this tool to troubleshoot certain
vCenter Operations Manager performance issues.
NOTE You must install the Java SDK, which includes JConsole, to
use run-jconsole. JConsole is not shipped with
vCenter Operations Manager.
Reporting Repository Adapter Copies a defined subset of data from the
vCenter Operations Manager FSDB to another database where you
can use the data for reporting purposes.
runvcopsServerConfiguration Estimates how many resources a server can support based on the
server CPU, memory, disk space, and file I/O specifications.
Check the FSDB and Repair Problems
You can use the FSDBCheck tool to check for and repair problems, such as data corruption caused by a
power failure, in the vCenter Operations Manager FSDB. FSDBCheck stores a corrected copy of the FSDB in
an output directory that you specify.
Prerequisites
nBecome familiar with how to start and stop the Analytics service. See “Start or Stop vCenter Operations
Manager Services,” on page 108.
nBecome familiar with the FSDBHomeChanger tool. See “Move the FSDB,” on page 151.
Procedure
1 Stop the Analytics service.
2 Start the FSDBCheck tool.
Option Action
Windows host Open a command prompt and type
vcenter-ops\tools\FSDBCheck\fsdbcheck.bat .
Linux host Open a terminal window and type
vcenter-ops/tools/SDBCheck/sdbcheck.sh .
For example:
path_fsdbcheck fsdb_dir [-out fsdb_outdir] [-5 count]
npath_fsdbcheck is the path to the .bat or .sh file.
nfsdb_dir is the path the FSDB home directory to check.
nfsdb_outdir is the path to the output directory for the checked files. If the output directory does not
exist, FSDBCheck creates it. If you do not include the -out option, the output directory is vcenter-
ops\data_backup_yyyy_mm_dd_hh_mm_ss. The final lines of the output file specify whether any files
were fixed.
ncount is the number of threads to use for the command. The thread count can be 1 to 100. The
default thread count is 1. For best load balancing, set the thread count to the number of cores in the
server where you are running the command.
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3 If FSDBCheck fixes any files, change the home directory or continue using the current directory.
Option Action
Switch vCenter Operations Manager
to use the new copy of the FSDB
Use FSDBHomeChanger to change the FSDB home directory to use the
corrected files, for example, FSDBHomeChanger homedir -out
FSDBCheck_output_dir.
Do not include the -o option. Do not overwrite the files in the new
directory.
Continue using the current FSDB
home directory
Use Windows Explorer to copy the files from the FSDBCheck output
directory back to the home directory, overwriting the files there.
4 Restart the Analytics service.
Move the FSDB
You can use the FSDBHomeChanger tool to copy all of the files in the vCenter Operations Manager FSDB to
a new disk drive or file system. FSDBHomeChanger also updates all of the vCenter Operations Manager
properties that are associated with the FSDB location to use the new location. You might need to use
FSDBHomeChanger after you use FSDBCheck to correct problems in the database.
Prerequisites
Become familiar with how to stop and start the Analytics service. See “Start or Stop vCenter Operations
Manager Services,” on page 108.
Procedure
1 Stop the Analytics service.
2 Start FSDBHomeChanger.
Option Action
Start FSDBHomeChanger on a
Windows host
Open a command prompt and type
vcenter-ops\tools\FSDBHomeChanger\fsdbhomechanger.bat.
Start FSDBHomeChanger on a
Linux host
Open a terminal window and type
vcenter-ops/tools/FSDBHomeChanger/fsdebhomechanger.sh.
For example:
path_fsdbhomechanger fsdbd-indir -out fsdb_outdir [-o] [-s]
npath_fsdbhomechanger is the path to the .bat or .sh file.
nfsdbd-indir is the path to the source FSDB home directory.
nfsdb_outdir is the path to the output directory for the copied files. If the output directory does not
already exist, FSDBHomeChanger creates it.
The -o option causes FSDBHomeChanger to overwrite files if they already exist in the output directory.
By default, existing files are not overwritten. The -s option puts all data for each resource in a single file
instead of a separate file for each month's data for each resource. Using -s reduces I/O operations, but it
slows the calculation of dynamic thresholds.
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3 (Optional) If you are using FSDBHomeChanger after using FSDBCheck, and FSDBCheck corrects any
files, you might want to change the FSDB home directory to the FSDBCheck output directory so that it
uses the corrected files.
For example:
FSDBHomeChanger homedir -out FSDBCheck_output-dir
In the example, homedir is the currently defined FSDB home directory and FSDBCheck_output_dir is the
output directory from the FSDBCheck command. Because you do not want to overwrite the corrected
files in the new location, do not include the -o option. The example assumes that you are using a
Windows server and that you changed to the directory that contains fsdbhomechanger.bat.
4 Restart the Analytics service.
Monitor vCenter Operations Manager Services in JConsole
You can use the run-jconsole tool to monitor vCenter Operations Manager services and troubleshoot
performance issues. run-jconsole starts the Java JConsole tool to open the Java application console.
Prerequisites
Install the Java SDK, which includes JConsole. JConsole must be installed to use run-jconsole. JConsole is
not included with vCenter Operations Manager. For more information about JConsole, see the Java Web site
(http://java.sun.com).
Procedure
1 Start run-jconsole.
Option Action
Start run-jconsole on a Windows
host
Open a command prompt and type
vcenter-ops\tools\run-jconsole.bat.
Start run-jconsole on a Linux host Open a terminal window and type
vcenter-ops/tools/run-jconsole.sh.
2 Type the name of the service to monitor.
You can type all, web, analytics, collector, or mq.
Configuring and Running runvcopsServerConfiguration
The runvcopsServerConfiguration tool calculates the resources that a vCenter Operations Manager server
host can support with acceptable performance based on the host's available CPU, memory, disk space, and
file I/O and your vCenter Operations Manager configuration.
Before you can use runvcopsServerConfiguration, you must set values in the vcops_parameters.properties
and vcops_server_configuration.properties files. Both files are located in the vcenter-
ops\vcopsServerConfiguration\vcops_server_configuration\conf directory.
vcops_parameters.properties File
runvcopsServerConfiguration uses values in the vcops_parameters.properties file to estimate the
maximum number of resources that a vCenter Operations Manager server host can support.
The vcops_parameters.properties file is located in the vcenter-
ops\vcopsServerConfiguration\vcops_server_configuration\conf directory.
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Table 12‑2. vcops_parameters.properties File Properties
Property Description
NUMBER_INBOUND_ADAPTERS_ON_ALIVE_SERVER Number of inbound adapters that
vCenter Operations Manager uses.
NUMBER_CONTAINERS Estimated number of container resources that will be
configured.
NUMBER_RESOURCES Number of resources for the tool to use as a starting point
for the estimation. Set this number to approximately twice
the maximum number of resources that you estimate this
installation needs to support.
NUMBER_METRICS_PER_RESOURCE Average number of metrics to track for each resource.
NUMBER_APPLIED_SUPERMETRICS_PER_CONTAINER Average number of super metrics for each container
resource.
MINUTE_COLLECTION_PERIOD How often metric values are collected, in minutes.
DAYS_DATA_RETENTION Number of days metric data is retained.
CONCURRENT_USERS Estimated average number of concurrent
vCenter Operations Manager users.
REMOTE_COLLECTORS Number of installed remote collectors.
OUTBOUND_ADAPTERS Number of outbound adapters.
NUMBER_FSDB_WRITE_CYCLES Number of times to write data to the FSDB during the file
I/O test. The higher the number, the more accurate the
estimation, but the longer the test takes.
GOAL_HOURS_DT_CALCULATION Maximum number of hours dynamic threshold
calculations should take to complete.
NUMBER_DT_PLUGINS Average number of dynamic threshold processors that are
used for dynamic threshold calculations.
vcops_server_configuration.properties File
The vcops_server_configuration.properties file contains connection information for the
vCenter Operations Manager server on the host. runvcopsServerConfiguration uses the values in this file to
connect to a host.
You set the properties in vcops_server_configuration.properties only on a Windows host. You do not
need to modify this file on a Linux host.
Table 12‑3. vcops_server_configuration.properties Properties
Property Description
ALIVE_SERVER_HOSTNAME Host name or IP address of the host. If you are using
runvcopsServerConfiguration on the host, you can set this
property to localhost.
ALIVE_SERVER_USERNAME User name to use to connect to the host.
ALIVE_SERVER_PASSWORD_ENCRYPTED Leave this property set to false. When you first run the
runvcopsServerConfiguration, the tool encrypts the
password value and change this value to true.
ALIVE_SERVER_PASSWORD Password for the user named in
ALIVE_SERVER_USER_NAME. This property is encrypted
when you run runvcopsServerConfiguration.
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Set Properties for runvcopsServerConfiguration
runvcopsServerConfiguration uses values in the vcops_parameters.properties file to estimate the
maximum number of resources that the vCenter Operations Manager server host can support. The
vcops_server_configuration.properties file contains connection information for the
vCenter Operations Manager server on the host. runvcopsServerConfiguration uses the values in this file to
connect to a host.
Prerequisites
Become familiar with the properties in the vcops_parameters.properties and
vcops_server_configuration.properties files. See “vcops_parameters.properties File,” on page 152 and
“vcops_server_configuration.properties File,” on page 153.
Procedure
1 Open the vcops_parameters.properties file and set each property to the correct value, or the best
estimate of the correct value, for the vCenter Operations Manager server host.
2 Save your changes and close the vcops_parameters.properties file.
3 (Windows host only) Open the vcops_server_configuration.properties file and configure connection
information for the vCenter Operations Manager server host.
4 Save your changes and close the vcops_server_configuration.properties file.
What to do next
Run runvcopsServerConfiguration. See “Run runvcopsServerConfiguration,” on page 154.
Run runvcopsServerConfiguration
On a Windows host, you start runvcopsServerConfiguration by running a batch (.bat) file. On a Linux host,
you start runvcopsServerConfiguration by running a shell script.
Prerequisites
Configure runvcopsServerConfiguration. See “Configuring and Running runvcopsServerConfiguration,” on
page 152.
Procedure
nOn a Windows host, open a command prompt and type the following command.
vcenter-ops\tools\vcopsServerConfiguration\runvcopsServerConfiguration.bat [-print | -test]
nOn a Linux host, open a terminal window and type the following command.
vcenter-ops\tools\vcopsServerConfiguration\runvcopsServerConfiguration.sh [-print | -test ]
When you run runvcopsServerConfiguration in print mode using the -print option, it returns a summary
that shows the number of CPU cores, total physical memory, available free space on drives or file systems
where the vCenter Operations Manager FSDB is located, and the estimated number of resources that the
host can support.
When you run runvcopsServerConfiguration in test mode using the -test option, it returns the same
information, but it also runs a file I/O test. The file I/O test writes data to the defined FSDB home directory
and uses the measured speed of the writes in its estimation of the maximum number of resources. The value
of the NUMBER_FSDB_WRITE_CYCLES property in the vcops_parameters.properties file determines the number
of times to writes to the FSDB. For information on the NUMBER_FSDB_WRITE_CYCLES property, see
“vcops_parameters.properties File,” on page 152. Test mode takes longer than print mode, but it generally
returns a more accurate estimate.
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If FSDB home directories exist on more than one Windows drive or Linux file system,
runvcopsServerConfiguration uses the minimum amount of available space on any of the defined drives or
file systems and multiplies it by the defined number of drives or file systems. If the drives or files systems
have very different amounts of available space, runvcopsServerConfiguration might underestimate the
amount of available space. For example, if FSDB home directories exist on two drives and one drive has
40GB available and the other drive has 300GB available, runvcopsServerConfiguration estimates the disk
space as 80GB (40GB multiplied by 2).
The maximum number of resources that runvcopsServerConfiguration calculates is an approximation. In
many cases, the server host might be able to support a slightly higher number of resources. For example, if
runvcopsServerConfiguration estimates that the host can support 1485 resources, the host might be able to
support 1500 resources.
Eliminating Linearly Correlated Metrics from the DT Calculation
In certain circumstances, you might want to eliminate linearly correlated metrics from the dynamic
threshold calculation. For example, if the CPU | Usage (%) metric is outside of normal bounds for a virtual
machine, the CPU | Usage (MHz) metric also will be outside of normal bounds because the metrics are
correlated. In this case, calculating dynamic thresholds on both metrics is not necessary.
The PCA tool eliminates linearly correlated metrics from the dynamic threshold calculation. You use the
pca.properties file to identify the resource kinds on which to run the PCA tool, specify the number of days
of data to include in the PCA calculation, and configure other properties.
pca.properties File
The pca.properties file in the vcenter-ops\tools\pca\conf folder contains configuration information for
the PCA tool. In a vApp installation, you edit the pca.properties file on the Analytics virtual machine.
Table 12‑4. pca.properties File Properties
Property Description
pcaRKList Comma-separated list of resource kind keys. This list determines the resource kinds
on which to run the PCA tool.
pcaDaysToProcess Number of days of data to include in the PCA calculation.
pcaDaysAgoEnd End date for the metric data to include in the PCA calculation, counted in number of
days from the current date.
pcaTimeWindowIncrement Size of the interval between data windows, expressed as a number of samples.
pcaTimeWindowSize Size of each data window, expressed as a number of samples.
pcaPFraction Value of the p fraction variable to use in the PCA calculation.
pcaDataSetSamplePercent Percentage, from 0 to 100, of the data set to use as a random sample when
determining the monitoring cycle.
pcaConstantPercentile Percentile to take when determining when data sets are constant.
pcaEpsilon Rounding error for determining when data sets are constant.
The following example is a sample pca.properties file.
pcaRKList = Tier
pcaDaysToProcess = 1
pcaDaysAgoEnd = 0
pcaTimeWindowIncrement = 10.0
pcaTimeWindowSize = 20.0
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pcaPFraction = 0.9
pcaDataSetSamplePercent = 10.0
pcaConstantPercentile = 90.0
pcaEpsilon = 0.00001
Run the PCA Tool
You can use the PCA tool to eliminate linearly correlated metrics from the dynamic threshold calculation.
Prerequisites
Become familiar with the pca.properties file. See “pca.properties File,” on page 155.
Procedure
1 Configure the resource kinds on which to run the PCA tool and the number of days to include in the
PCA calculation.
a Open the pca.properties file in a text editor.
The pca.properties file is in the vcenter-ops\tools\pca\conf directory. In a vApp installation, edit
the pca.properties file on the Analytics virtual machine.
b Set the pcaRKList property to a comma-separated list of resource kind keys.
This list determines the resource kinds on which to run the PCA tool.
c Set the pcaDaysToProcess property to the number days of data to include in the PCA calculation.
d Save your changes and close the pca.properties file.
2 Start the PCA tool.
Option Description
Windows host Open a command prompt and type vcenter-ops\tools\pca\run-
pca.bat.
Linux host Open a terminal window and type vcenter-ops/tools/pca/run-
pca.sh.
A PCA results file appears in the vcenter-ops\user\conf\analytics directory. The PCA log file contains the
statistics of how many metrics were eliminated. The Analytics service stops calculating dynamic thresholds
for the eliminated metrics.
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Using the Database Command Line
Interface 13
The database command line interface, dbcli, is a command line Java application that you can use to perform
operations in the vCenter Operations Manager database. With dbcli commands, you can manage
dashboards, dashboard templates, attributes, super metrics, and resources. You can also perform certain
control operations.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n“Run the Database Command Line Interface,” on page 157
n“Managing Dashboards,” on page 157
n“Managing Dashboard Templates,” on page 160
n“Managing Attributes and Super Metrics,” on page 163
n“Managing Resource Kinds,” on page 167
n“Performing Control Operations,” on page 168
Run the Database Command Line Interface
You can run the database command line interface on Windows and Linux systems.
vCenter Operations Manager provides a batch (.bat) file version for Windows and a shell script (.sh) file
version for Linux.
Procedure
uStart the database command line interface.
Option Action
Windows host Open a command prompt and type
vcenter-ops\tools\dbcli\dbcli.bat command.
Linux host Open a terminal window and type
vcenter-ops/tools/dbcli/dbcli.sh command.
vcenter-ops represents the vCenter Operations Manager installation directory and command represents a
dbcli command.
Managing Dashboards
You can use dbcli commands to efficiently create, modify, and maintain dashboards for multiple users and
vCenter Operations Manager instances.
You can also use the Custom user interface to perform many dashboard operations. For more information,
see the VMware vCenter Operations Manager Getting Started Guide (Custom User Interface).
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Export a Dashboard
You can use the dbcli dashboard export command to export a dashboard from a
vCenter Operations Manager instance. When you export a dashboard, vCenter Operations Manager creates
a dashboard file in XML format.
The dashboard export command has the following syntax.
dashboard export user-name "dashboard-name" [output-dir]
user-name Name of the user account that owns the dashboard.
dashboard-name Name of the dashboard to export.
output-dir Directory where the command exports the dashboard file. If you do not
provide an output directory name, the command exports the dashboard file
to the current directory.
If the user account or dashboard does not exist, the command fails.
The following dashboard export command exports a dashboard named MyDashboard that belongs to the
MyUser user account to the MyDashboard.xml file in the tools\dbcli\dashboards directory.
dbcli.sh dashboard export MyUser "MyDashboard" dashboards
Import a Dashboard
You can use the dbcli dashboard import command to import a dashboard that you exported from another
instance of vCenter Operations Manager. You can import XML format and Java binary object (.bin) format
dashboard files.
The dashboard import command has the following syntax.
dashboard import user-name "input-file" [--force] [--share all | group-name[,group-name]...] [--
retry maxRetryMinutes] [--default]
user-name Name of the user account to own the imported dashboard on the target
system.
input-file Name of a previously exported dashboard file.
If the user name or dashboard file does not exist, the command fails.
The dashboard import command has certain options.
Table 13‑1. dashboard import Command Options
Option Description
--force Use this option to import the dashboard even if a dashboard that has
the same name already exists on the target system.
NOTE This option can cause the command to create a duplicate
dashboard on the target system.
--share all | group-name [,group-
name]...
List of user groups that can share the dashboard on the target system.
Separate multiple names with a comma. To share the dashboard with
all user groups, type all instead of individual user group names.
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Table 13‑1. dashboard import Command Options (Continued)
Option Description
--retry maxRetryMinutes Maximum amount of time, in minutes, that the command retries the
import operation. The command retries the import operation at one-
minute intervals until it reaches this time limit.
NOTE This option is useful if data is missing from the dashboard
when you initiate the command.
--default Makes the imported dashboard the default dashboard for the specified
user account or user groups. The default dashboard is the first
dashboard users see when they log in.
The following dashboard import command imports the dashboards/MyDashboard.xml dashboard file. The
MyUser2 user account owns the dashboard and members of the Users user group can share the dashboard.
If the required information is not available when you initiate the command, the command retries the import
operation at one-minute intervals for up to 10 minutes.
dbcli.sh dashboard import MyUser2 "dashboards/MyDashboard.xml" --retry 10 --share Users
Share a Dashboard
You can use the dbcli dashboard share command to share a dashboard with one or more user groups.
The dashboard share command has the following syntax.
dashboard share user-name "dashboard-name" {all | group-name[,group-name]...}
user-name Name of the user account that owns the dashboard.
dashboard-name Name of the dashboard to share.
You can type the name of each user group that can share the dashboard or type all to share the dashboard
with all user groups. Use a comma to separate multiple user group names.
The following dashboard share command shares a dashboard named MyDashboard that belongs to the
MyUser user account with members of the Users and Operators user groups.
dbcli.sh dashboard share MyUser "MyDashboard" Users,Operators
Unshare a Dashboard
You can use the dbcli dashboard unshare command to stop sharing a dashboard that you previously
shared.
The dashboard unshare command has the following syntax.
dashboard unshare user-name "dashboard-name" {all | group-name[,group-name]...}
user-name Name of the user account that owns the dashboard.
dashboard-name Name of the dashboard to stop sharing.
You can type the name of each user group with which to stop sharing the dashboard or type all to stop
sharing the dashboard with all user groups. Use a comma to separate multiple user group names.
The following dashboard unshare command stops sharing for the dashboard named MyDashboard. The
dashboard is owned by the MyUser user account. The command stops sharing the dashboard with all user
groups.
dbcli.sh dashboard unshare MyUser "MyDashboard" all
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Reorder a Dashboard
You can use the dbcli dashboard reorder command to control the order in which a dashboard appears in
the user interface.
The dashboard reorder command has the following syntax.
dashboard reorder user-name "dashboard-name" [--set rank] [--default]
user-name Name of the user account that owns the dashboard.
dashboard-name Name of the dashboard to reorder.
The dashboard reorder command has certain options.
Table 13‑2. dashboard reorder Command Options
Option Description
--set rank Sets the dashboard order. For example, --set 1 makes the dashboard the first dashboard in
the dashboard list. If you do not specify this option, the dashboard order is not changed.
--default Makes the dashboard the default dashboard for the specified user. The default dashboard is
the first dashboard users see when they log in.
The following dashboard reorder command makes the dashboard named MyDashboard the first dashboard
in the dashboard list and the default dashboard for the MyUser user account.
dbcli.sh dashboard reorder MyUser "MyDashboard" --set 1 --default
Delete a Dashboard
You can use the dbcli dashboard delete command to delete a dashboard.
The dashboard delete command has the following syntax.
dashboard delete user-name "dashboard-name"
user-name Name of the user account that owns the dashboard.
dashboard-name Name of the dashboard to delete.
The following dashboard delete command deletes the dashboard named MyDashboard that belongs to the
MyUser user account.
dbcli.sh dashboard delete MyUser "MyDashboard"
Managing Dashboard Templates
You can use dbcli commands to efficiently create, modify, and maintain dashboard templates for multiple
users and vCenter Operations Manager instances.
You can also use the Custom user interface to perform many dashboard template operations. For more
information, see the VMware vCenter Operations Manager Getting Started Guide (Custom User Interface).
Export a Dashboard Template
You can use the dbcli template export command to export a dashboard template from a
vCenter Operations Manager instance. When you export a dashboard template,
vCenter Operations Manager creates a dashboard template file in XML format.
The template export command has the following syntax.
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template export "template-name" [output-dir]
template-name Name of the dashboard template to export. If the dashboard template does
not exist, the command fails.
output-dir Directory where the command exports the dashboard template file. If you do
not provide an output directory name, the command exports the dashboard
template file to the current directory.
The following template export command exports a dashboard template named MyTemplate to a file named
MyTemplate.xml in the tools\dbcli\templates directory.
dbcli.sh template export "MyTemplate" templates
Import a Dashboard Template
You can use the dbcli template import command to import a dashboard template that you exported from
another instance of vCenter Operations Manager. You can import XML format and Java binary object (.bin)
format dashboard template files.
The template import command has the following syntax.
template import "input-file" [--force] [--share all | group-name[,group-name]... ] [--retry
maxRetryMinutes]
input-file is the name of a previously exported dashboard template file. If the file does not exist, the
command fails.
The template import command has certain options.
Table 13‑3. template import Command Options
Option Description
--force Use this option to import the dashboard template even if a
dashboard template that has the same name already exists
on the target system.
NOTE This option can cause the command to create a
duplicate dashboard tempate on the target system.
--share all | group-name[,group-name]... List of user groups that can share the dashboard template
on the target system. Separate multiple names with a
comma. To share the dashboard template with all user
groups, type all instead of individual user group names.
--retry maxRetryMinutes Maximum amount of time, in minutes, that the command
retries the import operation. The command retries the
import operation at one-minute intervals until it reaches
this time limit.
NOTE This option is useful if data is missing from the
dashboard template when you initiate the command.
The following template import command imports a dashboard template file named
templates\MyTemplate.xml and shares it with all existing user groups. If the required information is not
available when you initiate the command, the command retries the import operation at one-minute intervals
for up to 10 minutes.
dbcli.sh template import "templates\MyTemplate.xml" --retry 10 -share all
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Share a Dashboard Template
You can use the dbcli template share command to to share a dashboard template with one or more user
groups.
The template share command has the following syntax.
template share "template-name" {all | group-name[,group-name]...}
template-name is the name of the dashboard template to share.
You can type the name of each user group that can share the dashboard template or type all to share the
dashboard with all user groups. Use a comma to separate multiple user group names.
The following template share command shares the dashboard template named MyTemplate with members
of the Users user group.
dbcli.sh template share "MyTemplate" Users
Unshare a Dashboard Template
You can use the dbcli template unshare command to stop sharing a dashboard template that you
previously shared.
The template unshare command has the following syntax.
template unshare "template-name" {all | group-name[,group-name]...}
template-name is the name of the dashboard template to stop sharing.
You can type the name of each user group with which to stop sharing the dashboard template or type all to
stop sharing the dashboard template with all user groups. Use a comma to separate multiple user group
names.
The following template unshare command stops sharing the dashboard template named MyTemplate with
all user groups.
dbcli.sh template unshare "MyTemplate" all
Reorder a Dashboard Template
You can use the dbcli template reorder command to control the order of dashboards that are created from
a specific dashboard template.
The template reorder command has the following syntax.
template reorder "template-name" [--set rank]
template-name is the name of the dashboard template.
You can use the --set option to set the dashboard rank to a certain value. For example, --set 1 makes
dashboards created from the specified dashboard template first in the list of dashboards that are created
from templates. If you do not specify this option, the dashboard template order is not changed.
The following template reorder command makes dashboards created from the dashboard template named
MyTemplate first in the list of dashboards that are created from templates.
dbcli.sh template reorder "MyTemplate" --set 1
Delete a Dashboard Template
You can use the dbcli template delete command to delete a dashboard template.
The template delete command has the following syntax.
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template delete "template-name"
template-name is the name of the dashboard template to delete.
The following template delete command deletes a dashboard template named MyTemplate.
dbcli.sh template delete "MyTemplate"
Managing Attributes and Super Metrics
You can use dbcli commands to manage attributes and super metrics.
You can also use the Custom user interface to perform attribute and super metric operations. For more
information, see Chapter 4, “Configuring Attribute Packages,” on page 39.
Configure an Attribute
You can use the dbcli attribute configure command to configure properties of an attribute in an attribute
package.
The attribute configure command provides similar functionality to the attribute package editor in the
Custom user interface. For more information, see “Add an Attribute Package,” on page 42.
The attribute configure command has the following syntax.
attribute configure "adapterkind-key:resourcekind-key" "attribute-name" --packages {all |
"package-name[,package-name]..."} --check {true | false} --ht {true | false} --htcriticality
level-name --dtabove {true | false} --dtbelow {true | false} --thresholds {none | "threshold-
def[;threshold-def]..."}
adapterkind-
key:resourcekind-key
Defines the resource kind to configure. The value consists of an adapter kind
key and a resource kind key. If the keys contain spaces, you must enclose the
combination of both values in quotes, for example,
"VMWARE:VirtualMachine".
attribute-name Hierarchical name of the attribute to configure. Use the metric key naming
convention group_key[|group_key]|attributekind_key, for example, mem|
active_average.
Because the configuration is associated with attribute kinds, the attribute configure command ignores
group instance names.
The attribute configure command has certain options. All of the options are required.
Table 13‑4. attribute configure Command Options
Option Description
--packages {all | "package-name[,package-name]..."} List of attributes packages to which to apply the operation.
To apply the operation to all existing attribute packages,
type all instead of individual attribute package names. If a
named attribute package does not exist, the command
creates it.
--check {true | false} Checks or unchecks the attribute for collection in the
specified attribute packages.
--ht {true | false} Marks or unmarks hard threshold violations of the
attribute as KPI violations.
--htcriticality level-name Sets the criticality level for hard threshold violations of the
attribute to generate KPI violations.
--dtabove {true | false} Marks or unmarks violations above the dynamic threshold
of the attribute as KPI violations.
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Table 13‑4. attribute configure Command Options (Continued)
Option Description
--dtbelow {true | false} Marks or unmarks violations below the dynamic threshold
of the attribute as KPI violations.
--thresholds {none | "threshold-def[;threshold-
def]..."}
List of threshold definitions for the attribute package. Type
none instead of a threshold definition to remove all
existing thresholds. For more information, see “Threshold
Definitions,” on page 166.
The following attribute configure command checks the attribute named active_average under the group
named mem for collection inside attribute packages named Default Attributes and Reduced package. If
either attribute package does not already exist, the command creates it. The command also creates two
thresholds and marks HT from level critical and DT above and DT below as KPI violations.
dbcli.sh attribute configure "VMWARE:VirtualMachine" "mem|active_average" --packages "Default
Attributes,Reduced package" --check true --ht true --htcriticality critical --dtabove true --
dtbelow true --thresholds "critical,>=,90,2,3;immediate,=,70,3,3"
Configure a Super Metric
You can use the dbcli supermetric configure command to configure properties of a super metric in a super
metric package.
The supermetric configure command provides similar functionality to the super metric editor in the
Custom user interface. For more information, see “Add a Super Metric,” on page 50.
The supermetric configure command has the following syntax.
supermetric configure supermetric-name --packages {all | "package-name[,package-name]..."} --
check {true | false} --ht {true | false} --htcriticality level-name --dtabove {true | false} --
dtbelow {true | false} --thresholds {none | "threshold-def[;threshold-def]..."}
supermetric-name is the name of the super metric to configure.
The supermetric configure command has certain options. All of the options are required.
Table 13‑5. supermetric configure Command Options
Option Description
--packages {all | "package-name[,package-name]..."} List of super metric packages to which to apply the
operation. To apply the operation to all super metric
packages, type all instead of individual super metric
package names.
--check {true | false} Checks or unchecks the super metric for collection in the
specified packages.
--ht {true | false} Marks or unmarks hard threshold violations of the super
metric as KPI violations.
--htcriticality level-name Sets the criticality level for hard threshold violations of the
super metric to generate KPI violations.
--dtabove {true | false} Marks or unmarks violations above the dynamic threshold
of the super metric as KPI violations.
--dtbelow {true | false} Marks or unmarks violations below the dynamic threshold
of the super metric as KPI violations.
--thresholds {none | "threshold-def[;threshold-
def]..."}
List of threshold definitions for the super metric. Type
none instead of a threshold definition to remove all
existing thresholds. For more information, see “Threshold
Definitions,” on page 166.
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The following supermetric configure command checks the super metric named SM1 for collection in the
super metric package named package1. It creates two thresholds and marks HT from level critical and DT
above and DT below as KPIs violations.
dbcli.sh supermetric configure "SM1" --packages "package1" --check true --ht true --
htcriticality critical --dtabove true --dtbelow true --thresholds "critical,>=,
90,2,3;immediate,=,70,3,3"
Export a Super Metric
You can use the dbcli supermetric export command to export a super metric from a
vCenter Operations Manager instance. When you export a super metric, vCenter Operations Manager
creates a super metric file in XML format.
The supermetric export command has the following syntax.
supermetric export "supermetric-name" [output-dir]
supermetric-name Name of the super metric to export. If the named super metric does not exist,
the command does not export a super metric file. If multiple super metrics
exist that have the same name, the command exports only one of the super
metrics.
output-dir Name of the directory where the command exports the super metric file. If
you do not provide an output directory name, the command exports the
super metric file to the current directory.
The following supermetric export command exports a super metric named SM1 to the SM1.xml file in the
supermetrics directory.
dbcli.sh supermetric export "SM1" supermetrics
Import a Super Metric
You can use the dbcli supermetric import command to import a super metric that you exported from
another instance of vCenter Operations Manager.
supermetric import "input-file" [--force] [--packages {all | "package-name[,package-name]..."}]
[--check {true | false} ] [--retry maxRetryMinutes] [--create]
input-file is the name of the a previously exported super metric file. If the super metric file does not exist, the
command fails.
The supermetric import command has certain options.
Table 13‑6. supermetric import Command Options
Option Description
--force Use this option to import the super metric even if a super metric
that has the same name already exists on the target system.
NOTE This option can cause the command to create a duplicate
super metric on the target system.
--packages {all | "package-name[,package-
name]..."}
List of super metric packages to which to apply the import
operation. To apply the import operation to all super metric
packages, type all instead of individual super metric package
names.
--check {true | false} Checks or unchecks the super metric for collection in the
specified packages.
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Table 13‑6. supermetric import Command Options (Continued)
Option Description
--retry maxRetryMinutes--retry Maximum amount of time, in minutes, that the command
retries the import operation. The command retries the import
operation at one-minute intervals until it reaches this time limit.
NOTE This option is useful if data is missing from the super
metric when you initiate the command.
--create Creates missing resources, if any, in the imported configuration.
The following supermetric import command imports the SM1.xml super metric file. If the required
information is not available when you initiate the command, the command retries the import information at
one-minute intervals for up to 10 minutes. The command applies the import information to all super metric
packages and creates missing resources, if any, in the imported configuration.
dbcli.sh supermetric import "SM1.xml" --retry 10 --packages all --check true
Delete a Super Metric
You can use the dbcli supermetric delete command to delete a super metric.
The supermetric delete command has the following syntax.
supermetric delete "supermetric-name"
supermetric-name is the name of the super metric to delete. If multiple super metrics have the same name, the
command deletes all of those super metrics.
The following supermetric delete command deletes the super metric named SM1.
dbcli.sh supermetric delete "SM1"
Threshold Definitions
You can use the --thresholds option to define thresholds in the dbcli attribute configure and
supermetric configure commands. An attribute or super metric can have one or more threshold definitions
within an attribute package or super metric package.
The --thresholds option has the following syntax.
--thresholds {none | "threshold-def[;threshold-def]..."}
none is a special value that removes all existing thresholds. It does not create new thresholds. threshold-def
defines a threshold. Each threshold-def has the following format.
criticality-name,threshold-operator,compare-value,wait-cycle,cancel-cycle
criticality-name Criticality level of the threshold. Can be one of the following values.
ncritical
nimmediate
nwarning
ninfo
nnone
threshold-operator Numeric operator. Can be one of the following values.
n>
n>=
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n<
n<=
n=
n!=
compare-value Threshold value. Can be a floating number for regular metrics or a string
value for string metrics.
wait-cycle Number of consecutive violations that can occur before generating an alarm.
cancel-cycle Number of consecutive violation-free cycles that can occur before canceling
the alarm.
The following definition contains two thresholds. In the first definition, the criticality level is critical, the
operator is >=, the threshold value is 90, the wait cycle is 2, and the cancel cycle is 3. In the second definition,
the criticality level is immediate, the operator is =, the threshold value is 70, and the wait and cancel cycles
are both 3.
"critical,>=,90,2,3;immediate,=,70,3,3"
Managing Resource Kinds
You can use dbcli commands to manage resource kinds.
You can also use the Custom user interface to perform resource kind operations. See Chapter 3,
“Configuring Resources,” on page 19.
Configure Resource Kind Default Settings
You can use the dbcli reskind configure command to set the default packages to use for a resource kind
and specify whether resources generate early warning smart alerts and use dynamic thresholds by default.
The reskind configure command has the following syntax.
reskind configure "adapterkind-key:resourcekind-key" [--package {none | "package-name"}] [--
smpackage {none | "smpackage-name"}] [--dt {true | false} ] [--smartalert {true | false}]
adapterkind-key:resourcekind-key defines the resource kind to configure. The value consists of an adapter kind
key and a resource kind key. If the keys contain spaces, you must enclose the combination of both values in
quotes, for example,"SampleStorage:Volume".
The reskind configure command has certain options.
Table 13‑7. reskind configure Command Options
Option Description
--package {none | "package-name"} Name of an attribute package to use as the default attribute
package for the specified resource. Type none instead of an
attribute package name to reset the default attribute
package.
-smpackage {none | "smpackage-name"} Name of a super metric package to use as the default super
metric package for the specfiied resource. Type none
instead of a super metric package name to reset the default
super metric package.
--dt {true | false} Enables or disables dynamic threshold calcuation for
resources of the specfiied resource kind.
--smartalert {true | false} Enables or disables early warning smart alert generation
for resources of the specified resource kind.
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The following reskind configure command sets default values for the SampleStorage adapter's Volume
resource kind. It enables early warning smart alert generation, sets the default attribute package to Default
Attributes, and resets the default super metric package setting.
dbcli.sh reskind configure "SampleStorage:Volume" --smartalert true --package "Default
Attributes" --smpackage none
Performing Control Operations
You can use dbcli commands to perform certain control operations.
Start the Describe Process for Adapters
You can use the dbcli control redescribe command to start the describe process for adapters.
The control redescribe command provides the same functionality as the Describe icon on the Support
page in the Custom user interface. For more information about the describe process, see the VMware vCenter
Operations Manager Adapter Guide.
The control redescribe command has the following syntax.
dbcli.sh control redescribe
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Index
A
access rights 72, 74
adapter instances
adding 15
deleting 17
editing 16
managing 14, 16
starting and stopping metric collection 31
adapter kind icons 17
adapter types
embedded 13
external 14
adapters, configuring 13
administrative system alerts 119
administrative tasks 105
alert handler instances
configuring 79
deleting 83
starting and stopping 83
alert notifications
configuring and managing 79
filtered email messages 80
modifying your configuration 93
saving to a log file 81
sending as email messages 83
sending as SNMP traps 81
sending to EMC Smarts 82
alert-hints.xml file 99
alert-rules.xm file 98
Analytics FSDB Overloaded alert 119
analytics properties file 40
Analytics Threshold Checking Overloaded
alert 120
application tags
adding 61
adding values 62
configuring 61
deleting 64
editing 64
modifying 64
application topologies 60
applications
adding 60
configuring 59
deleting 64
editing 63
modifying 63
understanding 59
using tags to find 62
attribute packages
adding 42, 163
cloning 54
configuring 39
defining 42
deleting 54
editing 53
modifying 53
understanding 39
attributes 39
Audit report 113
auto-discovery 13
B
backing up and recovering data 127, 134
C
Collector 13
Collector Is Down alert 120
combined dynamic threshold plug-in 57
conf.properties file 143
Configuration File Editor 89
configuration tasks 9
control redescribe command 168
Controller Is Unable to Connect to MQ alert 121
credentials
adding 15
deleting 16
editing 16
viewing 14
D
data collection 39
data components
backing up 127
recovering 127, 133
database command line interface 157
DataQueue Is Filling Up alert 122
dbcli syntax 157
deleting dashboard templates 162
deleting dashboards 160
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deleting super metrics 166
Describe Failed alert 122
describe process 168
disaster recovery
implementing 135
manually switching to a backup server 135
discovery process 13, 20
documentation information 7
DT calculations 137
dtBlockIfDataQueueSizeOver property 57
E
email alert notifications 92
email template files 88
email template definitions
adding 91
deleting 96
editing 95
emailFilter.xml 84
embedded adapters 13
eventlist.txt file 103
Events and Health graph 116
Events and Performance graph 116
exporting dashboard templates 160
exporting dashboards 158
exporting super metrics 165
external adapters 14
F
Failed to Connect to Replication MQ alert 123
Failed to Repair Corrupted FSDB Files alert 123
File Queue Is Full alert 123
filtering rules
adding 89
deleting 94
editing 93
FSDB
backup guidelines 128
recovering 133
removing old data 113
setting up replication 128
setting up synchronization 129
switching primary and backup servers 129
understanding 128
FSDB Files Corrupted for Resources alert 124
FSDB Storage Drive Free Space Is Less Than
10% alert 124
FSDBCheck 150
FSDBHomeChanger 151
G
GEO Location tag values
assigning to resources 28
creating 28
geographical location feature 27
global settings 114
global settings for virtual environments 115
H
hard thresholds 43
health ranges 114
hierarchy sort order 116
high availability 134
hint text for alerts 99, 102
history graphs 116
I
importing dashboard templates 161
importing dashboards 158
importing super metrics 165
insertCommand statement 143
interaction metrics count 114
K
key performance indicators 40
keys 103
L
LDAP host definition 69
LDAP import 70
LDAP users
importing 68
importing manually 70
importing with autosynchronization 71
removing 72
level settings and ranges 116
log files 109, 110
log monitoring tools 111
logging in 10
logging levels 112
M
maintenance mode
starting on a resource 32
stopping 33
using 31
maintenance schedules
adding 31
deleting 33
editing 33
management tasks 9
managing dashboard templates 160
managing dashboards and templates 157
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manual discovery 13, 20
metric collection 30, 31
metric data types 44
metric specifications 47
metrics
collecting 30
understanding 39
vCenter Operations Generated 40
multi-level-alert-rules.xml file 97
multilevel alert rules 97
N
No Data Receiving alerts 17
No DT Processors Connected alert 124
O
One or More Resources Were Not Started
alert 125
Outbound Alert Send Failed alert 125
P
password policies 75
PCA tool 155, 156
pca.properties file 155
performance information 105, 106
processing components
backing up 134
recovering 134
R
RDB 131
RDB server 136
remote collector server 136
remote DT processor 136
reordering dashboard templates 162
reordering dashboards 160
replication 130
Replication MQ Sender Is Blocked alert 126
Repository adapter
configuration steps 141
configuring data export values 144
creating a Postgres database user 141
customizing operation 146
output destinations 142
Repository Adapter
configuring 139
configuring database connections 141
running 146
Repository Adapter requirements and
limitations 139
reskind configure command 167
resource kind icons 36
resource kind tags 25
resource kinds 35, 167
resource map 29
resource tags
adding 24
adding values 25
deleting 36
editing 35
managing 35
predefined 23
resources
adding 21
assigning tags 23
configuring 19
configuring relationships 29
defining 19
deleting 34
discovering 20
editing 33
editing multiple 34
finding with tags 26
grouping by location 27
managing 33
starting and stopping metric collection 30
root cause groups 115
run-jconsole 152
runvcopsServerConfiguration
configuring 152
running 154
setting properties 154
S
services 107, 108
sharing dashboard templates 162
sharing dashboards 159
skipHealthRollupRKList property 35
SSL certificates for LDAP import 70
status information 106
stop sharing dashboards 159
super metric formulas, exporting 52
super metric functions 47
super metric packages
adding 51
assigning 52
deleting 56
editing 55
modifying 54
super metrics
adding 50, 164
defining 45
deleting 56
editing 54
importing 53
Index
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preparing to create 46
use case 56
support bundles 117
synchronization process 130
system files
backing up 132
recovering 133
system tools 149
T
tag values
associating with applications 62
associating with resources 26
removing applications 65
removing resources 36
tags 23
thresholds 40, 166
U
unsharing dashboard templates 162
useMetricGroupWeightingForHealth property 57
user accounts
creating 67
editing 75
maintaining 75
removing 76
User Audit report 77
user groups
adding 73
configuring 67, 72
editing 76
maintaining 75
predefined 73
removing 76
user interface components 11
users
assigning to user groups 74
configuring 67
V
vcops_parameters.properties file 152
vcops_server_configuration.properties file 153
W
widgets 110
Workload icon 115
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