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vCenter Operations Manager 5
User Manual
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VMware vCenter Operations Manager 5 User Manual

VMware vCenter Operations Manager
Enterprise Administration Guide
vCenter Operations Manager Enterprise 5.0
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-000715-00
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:
docfeedback@vmware.com
Copyright © 2012 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. This product is protected by U.S. and international copyright and intellectual property laws. VMware products are covered by one or more patents listed at http://www.vmware.com/go/patents.
VMware is a registered trademark or trademark of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies.
VMware, Inc.
3401 Hillview Ave. Palo Alto, CA 94304 www.vmware.com
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Contents

VMware vCenter Operations Manager Enterprise Administration Guide 7
Configuring and Managing vCenter Operations Manager 9
1
Configuring vCenter Operations Manager 9
Managing vCenter Operations Manager 9
Log In as the admin User 10
Using the vCenter Operations Manager User Interface 11
Configuring Adapters 13
2
Understanding Adapters 13
Defining Adapter Instances 14
Modifying Adapter Instances 16
Connecting to HP OpenView Operations 17
Customize an Adapter Kind Icon 18
Configuring Resources 19
3
Defining Resources 19
Creating and Assigning Resource Tags 23
Grouping Resources by Physical Location 26
Configure Parent-Child Resource Relationships 29
Starting and Stopping Metric Collection 30
Using Maintenance Mode 31
Modifying Resources 33
Modifying Resource Tags 34
Customize a Resource Kind Icon 35
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Configuring Attribute Packages 37
4
Understanding Data Collection 37
Creating Attribute Packages 40
Creating Super Metric Packages 43
Modifying Attribute Packages 50
Modifying Super Metric Packages 51
Super Metric Use Case 53
Configuring Applications 55
5
Understanding Applications 55
Add an Application 56
Creating and Assigning Application Tags 57
Use a Tag to Find an Application 58
Modifying Applications 59
Modifying Application Tags 60
3
Configuring and Managing Users 61
6
Create a User Account 61
Importing LDAP Users 62
Configuring User Groups and Access Rights 66
Set Password Policies 68
Maintaining Users and User Groups 69
Run the User Audit Report 70
Configuring Alert Notifications 71
7
Configuring and Modifying Alert Handler Instances 71
Configuring Email Alert Notifications 75
Modifying Email Alert Notifications 79
emailFilter.xml File 82
Email Template File Format 87
Performing Basic System Administration Tasks 89
8
View vCenter Operations Manager Performance Information 89
View vCenter Operations Manager Status Information 90
Start or Stop vCenter Operations Manager Services 91
Viewing and Managing System Log Files 93
Delete Old Data in the File System Database 96
Run the Audit Report 97
Modify Global Settings 98
Modify Global Settings for Virtual Environments 99
Create a Support Bundle 101
Resolving Administrative System Alerts 103
9
Analytics FSDB Overloaded 103
Analytics Threshold Checking Overloaded 104
Collector Is Down 104
Controller Is Unable to Connect to MQ 105
DataQueue Is Filling Up 106
Describe Failed 106
Failed to Repair Corrupted FSDB Files 107
File Queue Is Full 107
FSDB Files Corrupted for Resources 107
FSDB Storage Drive Free Space Is Less Than 10% 108
No DT Processors Connected 108
One or More Resources Were Not Started 108
Outbound Alert Send Failed 109
Replication MQ Sender Is Blocked 109
Backing Up and Recovering Data 111
10
Backing Up and Recovering Data Components 111
Backing Up and Recovering Processing Components 117
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Using System Tools 121
11
Summary of vCenter Operations Manager System Tools 121
Check the FSDB and Repair Problems 122
Move the FSDB 123
View Resources in the FSDB 124
Remove System-Generated Metrics from the FSDB 125
Monitor vCenter Operations Manager Services in JConsole 126
Verify Server to Collector Communication 126
Configuring and Running the Repository Adapter 126
Configuring and Running runvcopsServerConfiguration 134
Contents
Using the FSDB JDBC Driver 137
12
Understanding the FSDB JDBC Driver 137
Configure Crystal Reports to Use the FSDB JDBC Driver 139
Configure SQuirreL SQL to Use the FSDB JDBC Driver 140
Index 143
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VMware vCenter Operations Manager Enterprise Administration Guide

The VMware vCenter Operations Manager Enterprise Administration Guide describes how to configure and manage VMware® vCenter™ Operations Manager Enterprise.
Intended Audience
The information in this document is intended for anyone who must configure or manage vCenter Operations Manager Enterprise.
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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 vCenter Operations Manager 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 37.
4 Define how related resources fit together into groups and how those groups relate to each other. See
Chapter 5, “Configuring Applications,” on page 55.
5 Configure vCenter Operations Manager for your users. See Chapter 6, “Configuring and Managing
Users,” on page 61.
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 71.

Managing vCenter Operations Manager

You manage vCenter Operations Manager by performing typical system administration tasks.
n
Manage your vCenter Operations Manager users. See Chapter 6, “Configuring and Managing Users,” on page 61.
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9
n
View system performance and status information and examine log messages. See Chapter 8, “Performing
Basic System Administration Tasks,” on page 89.
n
View, respond to, and resolve administrative system alerts. See Chapter 9, “Resolving Administrative
System Alerts,” on page 103.
n
Back up vCenter Operations Manager data and processing components. See Chapter 10, “Backing Up and
Recovering Data,” on page 111.
n
Troubleshoot database and connection issues. See Chapter 11, “Using System Tools,” on page 121.

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 vCenter Operations Manager URL.
Option Description
vCenter Operations Manager Standalone
vCenter Operations Manager vApp
https://
https://
ip_address
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 vCenter Operations Manager Home page appears in the browser window.
NOTE If your vCenter Operations Manager session is inactive for 30 minutes, it times out and you must log in again.
What to do next
If you are using vCenter Operations Manager Standalone, 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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Chapter 1 Configuring and Managing vCenter Operations Manager

Using the vCenter Operations Manager User Interface

When you log in to vCenter Operations Manager, your Home page appears in the browser window. The Home page contains the following components.
Dashboards
Widgets
Menus
Icons
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.
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 Enterprise Getting Started Guide.
You use the menus at the top of your Home page to select and use vCenter Operations Manager features.
You click icons on pages and widgets to perform tasks in the user interface. When you point to an icon, a tooltip appears that describes the function of the icon.
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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
“Understanding Adapters,” on page 13
n
“Defining Adapter Instances,” on page 14
n
“Modifying Adapter Instances,” on page 16
n
“Connecting to HP OpenView Operations,” on page 17
n
“Customize an Adapter Kind Icon,” on page 18

Understanding Adapters

An adapter is a component that connects to and collects data from a designated data source, transforms the collected data into a format that vCenter Operations Manager can consume, and passes the data to the vCenter Operations Manager collector for final processing.
The collector acts as a gateway between vCenter Operations Manager and its adapters. The collector is installed by default on the primary server, but you can also install it on one or more remote servers.
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vCenter Operations Manager includes the following adapters by default.
n
The container adapter, which vCenter Operations Manager uses to create container resources.
n
The HTTP Post adapter, which is a generic adapter that pushes data to vCenter Operations Manager through HTTP.
The vCenter Operations Manager vApp also includes the vCenter Operations Manager adapter by default. The vCenter Operations Manager adapter monitors vCenter Operations Manager. You can also use it to manage resource tags.
You can configure additional adapters to use with vCenter Operations Manager. You must install each adapter separately. To obtain additional adapters, contact VMware technical support.
vCenter Operations Manager uses embedded and external adapters.
13

Using Embedded Adapters

Embedded adapters are the most commonly used adapters in vCenter Operations Manager. An embedded adapter is a Java component that is designed to run in the vCenter Operations Manager collector. The embedded adapter actively connects to a data source and pulls values from it. The vCenter Operations Manager ITM adapter is an example of an embedded adapter.
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 the common functions, such as job scheduling, that are already part of the collector.
Depending on the data collection methods used, embedded adapters support the following resource creation methods.
Manual discovery
Auto-discovery
Regardless of how a resource is created in vCenter Operations Manager, you configure and manage embedded adapters through the vCenter Operations Manager user interface.
You send a request to the data source to return all available resources and select the resources to add to vCenter Operations Manager. This method is typically referred to as discovering resources or the discovery process.
When the data collection process discovers a new resource, the resource is created for you in vCenter Operations Manager. You do not need to add the resource.

Using External Adapters

External adapters push data from outside sources to vCenter Operations Manager. Examples of external adapters include the HP OpenView adapter, which runs in the HPOV agent, and a Perl script that reads a file and sends the extracted data to vCenter Operations Manager.
External adapters use vCenter Operations Manager OpenAPI to send information to vCenter Operations Manager. The vCenter Operations Manager OpenAPI has a simple form, which accepts data through an HTTP request, and an advanced form, which uses Java RMI. For more information on vCenter Operations Manager OpenAPI, contact VMware technical support.
The key advantage of an external adapter is flexibility in how the adapter is created and how it is deployed. External adapters use auto-discovery to create resources in vCenter Operations Manager. With auto-discovery, a resource is created in vCenter Operations Manager when the data collection process discovers a new resource.
You manage external adapters outside of the core vCenter Operations Manager domain.

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. You 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.
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Chapter 2 Configuring Adapters
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.

Add a Credential

You must define a credential for each adapter instance that provides data to vCenter Operations Manager. A credential is a user name and password combination. 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 15.
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 the user name and password combination in the User name and Password text boxes.
4 Type or select additional information for the credentials.
5 Click OK to add the credential to the adapter instance.
The credential appears in the list in the Manage Credentials window.

Add an Adapter Instance

You must add an adapter instance to vCenter Operations Manager for each data source that uses an embedded adapter.
The information that you provide depends on the adapter kind. For example, an ITM instance requires only a portal host, portal port, and credential. A Hyperic instance requires a host, port, credential, JDBC driver class, and database name.
Prerequisites
Create a credential or, if you plan to create a credential when you add the adapter, become familiar with creating credentials. See “Add a Credential,” on page 15.
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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 vCenter Operations Manager Standalone.
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.

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 15.
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 15.
Procedure
1 In the list of credentials, click Delete next to the credential.
2 Click Yes to confirm the deletion.
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Chapter 2 Configuring Adapters

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.

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.

Connecting to HP OpenView Operations

vCenter Operations Manager can collect and analyze metrics from devices that are monitored by HP OpenView Operations (OVO) for Windows or UNIX. A custom SmartLink (SPI) pushes the metrics to the vCenter Operations Manager collector, which registers and forwards the metrics to vCenter Operations Manager.
As with other external adapters, you do not use vCenter Operations Manager to configure resources, or nodes, that OpenView monitors.
Because the custom SPI sends metrics directly to the vCenter Operations Manager collector, the OpenView adapter is scalable. Scalability is limited only by the amount of network I/O and drive I/O. You can scale up the adapter by adopting additional SPIs or by implementing a hardware load balancer.
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The custom SPI sends almost all metrics that OpenView collects to the vCenter Operations Manager collector. If necessary, you can designate which specific metrics to analyze and store.
IMPORTANT Do not attempt to implement OVO services with vCenter Operations Manager if you are not proficient in OVO.
For more information about how to implement the OpenView adapter for vCenter Operations Manager, contact VMware technical support.

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
Return to the default icon
Select the adapter kind in the list, click the icon to assign, and click the Assign Icon 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.
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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 26
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 34
n
“Customize a Resource Kind Icon,” on page 35

Defining Resources

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Before vCenter Operations Manager can collect data for your resources, you 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 55.
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 40.
19

Discover Resources

You typically define resources to vCenter Operations Manager through the discovery process. Discovering resources is usually more efficient than adding resources individually.
NOTE You use discovery to define resources that use 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 each resource individually. See “Add an
Individual Resource,” on page 21.
Prerequisites
n
Add 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.
n
If you plan to add an attribute package during the discovery process, become familiar with creating attribute packages. See “Creating Attribute Packages,” on page 40.
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 vCenter Operations Manager Standalone.
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 are already added to vCenter Operations Manager 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 include in vCenter Operations Manager.
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.
20 VMware, Inc.
Chapter 3 Configuring Resources
10 Select options for each resource.
Option Description
Import
Collect
Attribute Package
Import the resource, but do not start collecting data for the resource.
Start collecting data for the resource. When you select the Collect check box for a resource, the Import check box becomes selected. If you do not select the Collect check box, the resource appears in your resource list as Not Collecting and vCenter Operations Manager does not store data or perform analysis for the resource.
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 for the resource.
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 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
n
Add 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.
n
If you plan to add an attribute package for the resource, become familiar with creating attribute packages. See “Creating Attribute Packages,” on page 40.
n
If 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 43.
n
For 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 non-alphanumeric 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.
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5 Select an adapter kind from the Adapter kind drop-down menu.
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.
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, resources that 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.
1 Add a Resource Tag on page 23
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.
2 Add a Value to a Resource Tag on page 24
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.
Chapter 3 Configuring Resources
3 Create 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.
4 Associate a Resource with a Tag Value on page 25
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.
5 Use 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.

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 24.
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.
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 24.
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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.
Table 3-1. Predefined Tags
Tag Description
Collectors (Full Set) Each defined collector is a tag value. Each resource is
Application Each defined application is a tag value. When you add a tier
Applications (Full Set) Each defined application is a tag value. When you add a tier
Maintenance Schedules (Full Set) Each defined maintenance schedule is a tag value, and
Adapter Kinds Each adapter kind is a tag value, and each resource that uses
Adapter Instances Each adapter instance is a tag value, each resource is assigned
Resource Kinds Each kind of resource is a tag value, and each resource is
Recently Added Resources The last day, seven days, 10 days, and 30 days have tag
Health Ranges Good (green), Abnormal (yellow), Degraded (orange), Bad
Entire Enterprise The only tag value is Entire Enterprise Applications. This tag
GEO Location This tag always exists, but it has no default values. You must
Tier Each defined tier is a tag value. When you add a resource to
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.
to an application, the tier is assigned to that tag value. Resources that belong to the tiers are not given the tag value.
to an application, or a resource to a tier in an application, the tier is assigned to that tag value.
resources are assigned to the value when you give them a schedule by adding or editing them.
that adapter kind is given the tag value.
the tag value for the adapter instance or instances through which its metrics are collected.
assigned to the tag value for its kind when you add the resource.
values. Resources have this tag value as long as the tag value applies to them.
(red), and Unknown (blue) health statuses have tag values. Each resource is assigned the value for its current health status.
value is assigned to each application.
create values and assign resources to them manually.
a tier, the resource is assigned to that tag value.

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 23.
24 VMware, Inc.
Chapter 3 Configuring Resources
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 39.
What to do next
Associate a resource with the tag value. See “Associate a Resource with a Tag Value,” on page 25.

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.
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 25.

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
n
Create a resource tag. See “Add a Resource Tag,” on page 23.
n
Add a value to the resource tag. See “Add a Value to a Resource Tag,” on page 24.
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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 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.
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
Select values for two or more different tags
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.
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.
26 VMware, Inc.
Chapter 3 Configuring Resources
1 Activate the Geographical Location Feature on page 27
To group resources by location, you must activate the geographical location feature in vCenter Operations Manager.
2 Create a GEO Location Tag Value on page 27
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.
3 Assign 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.
4 View the Resource Map on page 28
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.
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 27.

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.
VMware, Inc. 27
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
n
Activate the geographical location feature in vCenter Operations Manager. See “Activate the Geographical
Location Feature,” on page 27.
n
Create GEO Location Tag values for your office locations. See “Create a GEO Location Tag Value,” on page 27.
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
n
Activate the geographical location feature in vCenter Operations Manager. See “Activate the Geographical
Location Feature,” on page 27.
n
Create GEO Location tag values for your office locations. See “Create a GEO Location Tag Value,” on page 27.
n
Assign resources to the GEO Location tag values. See “Assign a Resource to a GEO Location Tag
Value,” on page 28.
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Procedure
n
To show the world map, select Environment > Environment Overview and select the Geographical tab in the right pane.
n
To 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.
n
To move the map, drag the map or use the direction arrows in the top left corner of the map.
n
To 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.
Chapter 3 Configuring Resources
You must define applications and tiers to add resources to tiers or tiers to applications. See Chapter 5,
“Configuring Applications,” on page 55.
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
Search for a resource by name
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.
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.
VMware, Inc. 29

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.

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.
30 VMware, Inc.
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