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

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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.

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.
Chapter 3 Configuring 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.
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
Weekly
Monthly
Yearly
Set the number of days between maintenance periods or set to every weekday.
Set the number of weeks between maintenance periods and the day of the week.
Set the number of months between maintenance periods and either the day of the month or the week and day.
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.
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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
End Maintenance in
End Maintenance on
Maintenance mode starts for the selected resource when you click OK. You must manually end maintenance mode for the resource.
Type the number of minutes that the resource is in maintenance mode.
n
n
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.

Stop Maintenance Mode on a Resource

Type the date that maintenance mode stops in the text box, or click the calendar icon and select a date.
Select the time that maintenance mode stops from the drop-down menu.
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.
32 VMware, Inc.
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.
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.
Chapter 3 Configuring Resources
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.
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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.

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.

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.
2 Click the Manage Tags icon on the left side of the page.
34 VMware, Inc.
3 Edit the resource tag.
Option Action
Change the resource tag name
Change a tag value name
Double-click the tag name and type a new 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
Delete a tag value
4 Click OK.
Click the tag name and click the Remove Tag icon.
Expand the tag, select the value, and click the Remove Tag Value icon.
Chapter 3 Configuring Resources
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.
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.
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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
Return to the default icon
Select the resource kind in the list, click the icon to assign, and click the Assign Icon 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.
36 VMware, Inc.

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. You use 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 37
n
“Creating Attribute Packages,” on page 40
n
“Creating Super Metric Packages,” on page 43
n
“Modifying Attribute Packages,” on page 50
n
“Modifying Super Metric Packages,” on page 51
n
“Super Metric Use Case,” on page 53

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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Thresholds

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.
Analytics Properties File
vCenter Operations Manager uses the analytics properties file located at
ops
\user\conf\analytics\analytics.properties file to define important configuration settings, including
several dynamic thresholding parameters.
NOTE The vCenter Operations Manager vApp uses the analytics.properties file on the second virtual machine.
One of the options in the analytics properties file controls when vCenter Operations Manager recalculates dynamic thresholds. Its default is 1:00 a.m. Another option 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 file only if you are an advanced user.
vcenter-

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.
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Chapter 4 Configuring Attribute Packages

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.
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.
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Table 4-1. vCenter Operations Generated Attribute Package Metrics (Continued)
Name Description
Self - Total Anomalies Total number of active anomalies for the resource and all its
Availability Can be one of the following values.

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.

Add an Attribute Package

When you add an attribute package, you 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 41. To set the metric data type for an attribute in a package, see “Set the Data Type for an Attribute,” on page 42.
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.
n
1 (data is being received properly)
n
0 (resource is unavailable)
n
-1 (adapter resource is not receiving data for this resource)
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.
The collection interval represents how often, in minutes, that vCenter Operations Manager retrieves metrics. The collection interval for a resource takes precedence over the collection interval for an attribute package.
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.
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Chapter 4 Configuring Attribute Packages
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 34.

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
Threshold Operator
Compare Value
Wait Cycle
Cancel Cycle
Select the criticality level of the threshold.
Select the threshold operator.
Type the value to compare to the threshold.
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.
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.
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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 42.
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 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.
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.
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Table 4-2. Metric Types
Data Type Description
Chapter 4 Configuring Attribute Packages
common The attribute data is numeric. This is the most common type
multinomial The attribute data is one of a limited set of possible values,
sparse If you know that vCenter Operations Manager will not

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.
of attribute.
either string or numeric.
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.
1 Design a Super Metric on page 44
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.
2 Build a Super Metric Formula on page 44
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.
3 Add a Super Metric on page 47
You create a super metric when only a combination of metrics can let you know if your systems are behaving normally.
4 Add a Super Metric Package on page 48
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.
5 Assigning Super Metric Packages on page 49
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.
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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.

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
n
Become familiar with how to construct super metric specifications. See “Super Metric Specifications,” on page 45.
n
Become familiar with the super metric functions that vCenter Operations Manager provides. See “Super
Metric Functions,” on page 46.
Procedure
n
To 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.
n
For looping functions that are in functN format, type the comma and value of n in the function argument.
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Chapter 4 Configuring Attribute Packages
n
To 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.
n
Define 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.
n
To 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.
n
To 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.
n
To use looping functions in array mode, type brackets to enclose the array and type commas between each value.
n
Use 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.
n
Select 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.
n
To see the formula with resource and metric names instead of IDs, click the Show Formula Description icon in the area beneath the formula line.
n
To select function names and formats and arithemetic operators, either type them directly on the formula line or select them from the drop-down menus.
n
To 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.
n
To clear the metrics or attribute kinds lists, click the Clear Selection icon in the Resources or Resources kind pane at any time.
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.
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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
count Number of values collected.
max Maximum of the collected values.
min Minimum of the collected values.
sum Total of the collected values.
resources into a single metric timeline.
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.
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.
n
A 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.
n
A constant.
n
A function or expression that returns a single value, such as floor($This:AvgTransTime) or 100-(DBServer3:MemoryUsed).
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Chapter 4 Configuring Attribute Packages
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.
tan tan(x) Tangent of x.
tanh tanh(x) Hyperbolic tangent of x.

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
n
Design your super metric formula. See “Design a Super Metric,” on page 44.
n
Become familiar with the user interface for building super metric formulas. See “Build a Super Metric
Formula,” on page 44.
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Procedure
1 Select Environment > Advanced > Super Metrics > Super Metric Editor.
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.
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 51 or “Add a Super Metric Package,” on page 48.

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 47.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Advanced > Super Metrics > Super Metric Packages.
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.
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Chapter 4 Configuring Attribute Packages
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
Threshold Operator
Compare Value
Wait Cycle
Cancel Cycle
Select the criticality level of the hard threshold.
Select the threshold operator.
Type the value to compare to the hard threshold.
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.
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.
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 49.
To make the super metric package the default package for a resource kind, see “Change the Default Settings
for a Resource Kind,” on page 34.

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.
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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 41. To change the metric data type for an attribute in a package, see “Set the Data Type for an
Attribute,” on page 42.
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
Change the collection interval
Add or remove an attribute from the package
Type a new name in the Package name text box.
Type a new value in the Collection interval (mins) text box. The collection interval represents how often, in minutes, that vCenter Operations Manager retrieves metrics. The collection interval for a resource takes precedence over the collection interval for an attribute package.
Select or deselect the check box next to the attribute name.
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.
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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.
Chapter 4 Configuring Attribute Packages
Prerequisites
If you plan to change the super metric formula, see “Design a Super Metric,” on page 44 and “Build a Super
Metric Formula,” on page 44 for information on designing your formula and using the
vCenter Operations Manager user interface to build it.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Advanced > Super Metrics > Super Metric Editor.
2 Select the super metric to edit and click the Edit Selected Super Metric icon.
3 To change the super metric name, type a new name in the Super Metric Name text box.
4 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.
5 To save your changes, 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 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 > Advanced > Super Metrics > Super Metric Packages.
2 Select the super metric package to modify.
3 Click the Edit Selected Attribute Package icon.
4 To change the package name, type a new name in the Package name text box.
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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
Threshold Operator
Compare Value
Wait Cycle
Cancel Cycle
Select the criticality level of the hard threshold.
Select the threshold operator.
Type the value to compare to the hard threshold.
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.
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.

Delete a Super Metric

If you do not need a super metric, you can delete it.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Advanced > Super Metrics > Super Metric Editor.
2 Select the super metric to delete.
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 > Advanced > Super Metrics > Super Metric Packages.
2 Select the super metric package to delete.
3 Click the Remove Selected Attribute Package icon.
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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
n
Become familiar with creating or editing super metric packages. See “Add a Super Metric Package,” on page 48 or “Edit a Super Metric Package,” on page 51.
n
Become familiar with assigning super metric packages. See “Assigning Super Metric Packages,” on page 49.
Procedure
1 Select Environment > Advanced > Super Metrics > Super Metric Editor.
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.
Chapter 4 Configuring Attribute Packages
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.
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.
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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. You build 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 55
n
“Add an Application,” on page 56
n
“Creating and Assigning Application Tags,” on page 57
n
“Use a Tag to Find an Application,” on page 58
n
“Modifying Applications,” on page 59
n
“Modifying Application Tags,” on page 60

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.
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 43.
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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
Select values for two or more different tags
The list includes resources that have either value.
The list includes only resources that have all of the selected values.
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.
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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.
1 Add an Application Tag on page 57
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.
2 Add a Value to an Application Tag on page 57
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.
3 Associate an Application with a Tag Value on page 58
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.
Chapter 5 Configuring Applications
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 57.

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 57.
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.
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What to do next
Associate an application with the tag value. See “Associate an Application with a Tag Value,” on page 58.

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
n
Create an application tag. See “Add an Application Tag,” on page 57.
n
Add a value to the application tag. See “Add a Value to an Application Tag,” on page 57.
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 Shift­click 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.
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.
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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.
Chapter 5 Configuring Applications
4 Edit the application.
Option Action
Add a tier to the application
Remove a tier from the application
Change the name of a tier
Add a resource to a tier
Delete a resource from a tier
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.
Select the tier in the list and click the Remote Selected Tier icon.
Double-click the existing name and type a new name.
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.
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.

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.
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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
Change a tag value name
4 Click OK to save your changes.
Double-click the tag name and type a new name.
Expand the tag to show its values and double-click the value to type a new name.
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
Delete a tag value
Click the tag name and click Remove Tag.
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.

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 you use an LDAP user database, you can import some or all of your 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 61
n
“Importing LDAP Users,” on page 62
n
“Configuring User Groups and Access Rights,” on page 66
n
“Set Password Policies,” on page 68
n
“Maintaining Users and User Groups,” on page 69
n
“Run the User Audit Report,” on page 70

Create a User Account

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You must create a user account for each person who uses vCenter Operations Manager.
If you use an LDAP user database, you can import some or all of your LDAP users into vCenter Operations Manager. See “Importing LDAP Users,” on page 62.
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.
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.
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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.

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.
n
Add or Modify an LDAP Host Definition on page 63
To import LDAP users, you must define the LDAP host in vCenter Operations Manager. You can also modify existing LDAP host definitions.
n
Configure Secure Communication for LDAP Import on page 64
You can import a security certificate to the vCenter Operations Manager server truststore file to communicate securely with an LDAP host.
n
Import LDAP Users Manually on page 64
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.
n
Import LDAP Users with Autosynchronization on page 65
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.
n
Stop Importing LDAP Users on page 66
You can configure the autosynchronization feature to stop importing LDAP users to a vCenter Operations Manager group.
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Chapter 6 Configuring and Managing Users

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
Modify an LDAP host definition
Remove an LDAP host definition
4 Define or modify the LDAP host settings.
Option Action
LDAP Host Name
Port
SSL
Username Field
Base DN
Username
Password
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.
Click Add.
Select an LDAP host definition and click Edit.
Click Delete
Type the LDAP host name or IP address.
Type the port number to connect to the LDAP host.
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.
Select or type the LDAP field to use as the user name in vCenter Operations Manager.
Type the base distinguished name for the user search. Only users under this base will be found.
Type the user name to connect to the LDAP database.
Type the password to connect to the LDAP database.
All of the text boxes are optional.
Option Description
Group Search Criteria
Member Attribute
User Search Criteria
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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)).
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.
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.
Option Description
Member Match Field
LDAP Context Attributes
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.
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.deleteRDN­false.
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 64.

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
n
Obtain a security certificate.
n
Become familiar with how to start and stop the vCenter Operations Manager Web service. See “Start or
StopvCenter Operations Manager Services,” on page 91.
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:
"%ALIVE_BASE%\jre\bin\keytool.exe" -import -alias NDSCERT -file "%ALIVE_BASE%\user\conf\truststore" -storepass oxygen
certificate.cer
-keystore
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
n
Define the LDAP host in vCenter Operations Manager. See “Add or Modify an LDAP Host Definition,” on page 63.
n
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.
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Chapter 6 Configuring and Managing Users
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
Import an individual user in an LDAP group
Check Import All for that 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
$ALIVE_BASE\user\conf\web\web.properties file.
Prerequisites
n
Define the LDAP host in vCenter Operations Manager. See “Add or Modify an LDAP Host Definition,” on page 63.
n
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 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.
8 Select the LDAP group to import to the vCenter Operations Manager group that you selected.
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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.
1 Add a User Group on page 67
If the predefined user groups do not meet your needs, you can create your own user groups.
2 Configure Access Rights for a User Group on page 67
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.
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Chapter 6 Configuring and Managing Users
3 Assign a User to a User Group on page 68
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.

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 67.
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 67.
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.

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 67.
Procedure
1 Select Admin > Security.
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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 68.

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
n
Become familiar with the predefined user groups. See “Predefined User Groups,” on page 67.
n
If the predefined user groups do not meet your needs, create new user groups. See “Add a User
Group,” on page 67.
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.

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
Allowed Login Attempts
Locks users out of vCenter Operations Manager after the number of failed login attempts specified in Allowed Login Attempts.
The number of login attempts that a user can attempt before being locked out of vCenter Operations Manager.
68 VMware, Inc.
Chapter 6 Configuring and Managing Users
4 In the Password Strength Policy group, configure the password strength policy settings.
Option Description
Active
Password Min Length
Password Must Have Letters and Numbers
Password Must Not Equal To User
Select this check box to set password strength requirements.
The minimum number of characters that a password can contain.
Select this check box to require passwords to contain at least one letter and at least one number.
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
Password Expiration Period (days)
Password Prior Expiration Warn Period (days)
Forces users to change their passwords after the number of days specified in Password Expiration Period.
Number of days before users are forced to change their passwords.
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.
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
Lock or unlock the user account
Change the password change policy
5 Click OK to save your changes.
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.
Select or deselect the Is Locked check box. When a user account is locked, the user cannot use vCenter Operations Manager.
Select or deselect the Change Pswd At Next Login check box.
VMware, Inc. 69

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.

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.
70 VMware, Inc.

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 you set 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 71
n
“Configuring Email Alert Notifications,” on page 75
n
“Modifying Email Alert Notifications,” on page 79
n
“emailFilter.xml File,” on page 82
n
“Email Template File Format,” on page 87

Configuring and Modifying Alert Handler Instances

VMware, Inc.
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.
n
Add or Edit an Email Alert Handler Instance on page 72
To send alert notifications to users in email messages, you must create an alert handler that sends alert notifications to an email filter.
n
Add or Edit an SNMP Trap Alert Handler Instance on page 72
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.
n
Add or Edit a Log File Alert Handler Instance on page 73
A log file alert handler instance saves alert nominations to a log file on the vCenter Operations Manager server.
71
n
Add or Edit an EMC Smarts Alert Handler Instance on page 74
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.
n
Start or Stop an Alert Handler Instance on page 74
You can start and stop alert handler instances from the vCenter Operations Manager user interface.
n
Delete an Alert Handler Instance on page 75
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 75.
Procedure
1 Select Admin > Configure Outbound Alert.
2 Add or edit an email alert handler instance.
Option Action
Add an email alert handler instance
Edit 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.
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
SMTP_PORT
Type the IP address of the SMTP server. The SMTP server delivers email messages to the recipients of the alert notifications.
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.

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.
Procedure
1 Select Admin > Configure Outbound Alert.
72 VMware, Inc.
2 Add or edit an SNMP trap alert handler instance.
Option Action
Add an SNMP trap alert handler instance
Edit 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.
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
destination_host
port
community
Type a name for the alert handler instance.
Type the IP address of the SNMP trap receiving host.
Type the port number to use. The default port number for SNMP traps is 162.
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.
Chapter 7 Configuring Alert Notifications
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
Edit a log file alert handler instance
3 Configure or modify the alert handler settings.
Option Action
Instance Name
Alert Output Folder
4 Click OK to save your configuration.
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.
Select the alert handler instance and click the Edit Alert Handler icon. You cannot change the outbound alert type.
Type a name for the alert handler instance.
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.
NOTE You cannot use the Test button to test a log file alert handler instance.
vCenter Operations Manager starts the alert handler instance.
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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
Edit an EMC Smarts alert handler instance
3 Configure the alert handler settings.
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.
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.
Option Action
Instance Name
Broker
SAM Server
User Name
Password
Type a name for the alert handler instance.
Type the broker name, SAM server name, and user credentials for your Smarts configuration.
Type the name of the SAM server.
Type the user name.
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.
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.
74 VMware, Inc.
2 Select the alert handler instance.
Option Action
Start the alert handler instance
Stop 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.
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.
Chapter 7 Configuring Alert Notifications
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.

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 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 82.
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Procedure
1 To start the Configuration File editor, use any standard Windows method to run the file
FilterPluginConfEditor.jar.
FilterPluginConfEditor.jar is located in the
\user\plugins\outbound\filter_alertplugin\conf directory.
ops
vcenter-
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
Save your changes to a different file
Select Actions > Save.
select Actions > Save As.
To have your changes affect the behavior of the email filter plug-in, you must save your changes in
emailFilter.xml.
10 Select Actions > Close to close the Configuration File editor.
76 VMware, Inc.
Chapter 7 Configuring Alert Notifications

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
ops
\user\plugins\outbound\filter_alertplugin\conf directory.
vcenter-
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 82.
vCenter Operations Manager provides several default email template files in the
\user\plugins\outbound\filter_alertplugin\conf\default_templates directory. If the default template
ops
vcenter-
files do not meet your needs, you can create custom template files. For formatting requirements, see “Email
Template File Format,” on page 87. 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 located in the
ops
\user\plugins\outbound\filter_alertplugin\conf directory.
vcenter-
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 the alerts for which the template definition should be used.
Option Action
Alert Type
Alert Sub-type
Status
Select the alert type.
Select the alert subtype.
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.
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.
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8 Save your changes.
Option Action
Save your changes to the currently open file
Save your changes to a different file
Select Actions > Save.
Select Actions > Save As.
To have your changes affect the behavior of the email filter plug-in, you must save your changes in
emailFilter.xml.
9 Click Actions > Close to close the Configuration File Editor.

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
If you are using the vCenter Operations Manager vApp, edit the emailFilter.xml file on the second virtual machine.
\user\plugins\outbound\filter_alertplugin\conf directory.
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 82.
Procedure
1 To start the Configuration File editor, use any standard Windows method to run the file
FilterPluginConfEditor.jar.
FilterPluginConfEditor.jar is located in the
ops
\user\plugins\outbound\filter_alertplugin\conf directory.
vcenter-
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.
4 In the File reload time (minutes) text box, type the number of minutes that
vCenter Operations Manager waits before checking the emailFilter.xml file for changes.
The default is 30 minutes.
5 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.
To have your changes affect the behavior of the email filter plug-in, you must save your changes in
emailFilter.xml.
6 Select Actions > Close to close the Configuration File editor.
78 VMware, Inc.

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 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 82.
Procedure
Chapter 7 Configuring Alert Notifications
1 To start the Configuration File editor, use any standard Windows method to run the file
FilterPluginConfEditor.jar.
FilterPluginConfEditor.jar is located in the
ops
\user\plugins\outbound\filter_alertplugin\conf directory.
vcenter-
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.
6 To edit an email address for a condition, select the address and click the Edit icon.
Option Description
Address type
Address value
Select email to send both the message subject and text, or SMS to send only the message subject to the email address.
Type the destination email address.
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Option Description
Resend value
Delay 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.
(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
Save your changes to a different file
Select Actions > Save.
select Actions > Save As.
To have your changes affect the behavior of the email filter plug-in, you must save your changes in
emailFilter.xml.
8 Select Actions > Close to close the Configuration File editor.

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 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 82.
Procedure
1 To start the Configuration File editor, use any standard Windows method to run the file
FilterPluginConfEditor.jar.
FilterPluginConfEditor.jar is located in the
\user\plugins\outbound\filter_alertplugin\conf directory.
ops
2 Select Actions > Open and open emailFilter.xml.
3 Select the filtering rule from the list on the right.
4 Click the Delete icon.
vcenter-
5 Select Actions > Save to save your changes to emailFilter.xml.
6 Select Actions > Close to close the Configuration File editor.
80 VMware, Inc.
Chapter 7 Configuring Alert Notifications

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
ops
\user\plugins\outbound\filter_alertplugin\conf directory.
vcenter-
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 82.
vCenter Operations Manager provides several default email template files in the
\user\plugins\outbound\filter_alertplugin\conf\default_templates directory. If the default template
ops
vcenter-
files do not meet your needs, you can create custom template files. For formatting requirements, see “Email
Template File Format,” on page 87. 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 located in the
ops
\user\plugins\outbound\filter_alertplugin\conf directory.
vcenter-
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
Alert Sub-type
Status
Select the alert type.
Select the alert subtype.
Select the change in alert condition that generates the notification. Active indicates that the existing alert was updated.
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.
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9 Save your changes.
Option Action
Save your changes to the currently open file
Save your changes to a different file
Select Actions > Save.
Select Actions > Save As.
To have your changes affect the behavior of the email filter plug-in, you must save your changes in
emailFilter.xml.
10 Click Actions > Close to close the Configuration File Editor.

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
ops
\user\plugins\outbound\filter_alertplugin\conf directory.
vcenter-
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 82 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 located in the
ops
\user\plugins\outbound\filter_alertplugin\conf directory.
vcenter-
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.

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.
NOTE 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.
82 VMware, Inc.
Chapter 7 Configuring Alert Notifications
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>
FileReloadTimeInMinutes>120</FileReloadTimeInMinutes> <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> <sendTo type="sms">9495551212@vtext.com</sendTo> </Addresses> </FilterRule> </EmailFilter>
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<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>
Table 7-1. <template> Element Attributes
Attribute Description and Values
alert_type
alert_subtype
status
sendTo
Alert type. Valid values are RESOURCE, TIER, APPLICATION, FINGERPRINT_PREDICTION, FINGERPRINT_GENERATION, SMART, CLASSIC, and ADMINISTRATIVE.
Alert subtype.
Valid values for Smart Alerts are EARLYWARNING, KPI_BREACH, and KPI_PREDICTION.
Valid values for classic alerts are KPI_HT_BREACH, NOTIFICATION, and ABNORMALITY.
Valid values for administrative alerts are SYSTEM and ENVIRONMENT.
Change in alert condition that generated the notification. Valid values are NEW, UPDATE, and CANCEL.
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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Chapter 7 Configuring Alert Notifications
Table 7-2. Elements for General Options
Element Description
<FileReloadTimeInMinutes>
<SendFromEmail>
(Optional) Sets how often vCenter Operations Manager checks the emailFilter.xml file for changes. If you do not include this element, vCenter Operations Manager checks the file every 30 minutes.
(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
ops
\user\conf\email.properties configuration file.
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<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
AlertSubType
AlertType
Application
Collector
Subtype of the alert. Valid names are EARLYWARNING, KPI_BREACH, KPI_PREDICTION, KPI_HT_BREACH, NOTIFICATION, SYSTEM, ENVIRONMENT, and ABNORMALITY.
For example: <condition
type="AlertSubType">ENVIRONMENT</condition>
Type of alert. Valid values are SMART, CLASSIC, and ADMINISTRATIVE.
For example: <condition
type="AlertType">ADMINISTRATIVE</condition>
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>
Uunique name of a vCenter Operations Manager collector. For example: <condition type="Collector">vCenter
Operations Collector</condition>
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Table 7-3. Valid Type Settings (Continued)
Type Description
Level
ResourceKind
RootCauseTier
State
Status
Tag
Tier
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>
Name of a resource kind in the format AdapterKind:ResourceKind.
For example: <condition
type="ResourceKind">OPEN_API:DEMO</condition>
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 of the alert. Valid values are OPEN, ASSIGNED, SUSPENDED, and SUPPRESSED.
For example: <condition
type="State">Open</condition>
Status of the alert. Valid values are ACTIVE, NEW, or CANCEL.
For example: <condition
type="Status">Cancel</condition>
Tag name/value pair in the format TagName:TagValue. For example: <condition type="Tag">Geo
Location:Chicago</condition>
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.
n
type specifies the type of message to send, which is either email or sms. email sends the full alert message
and sms sends only header information. The address is the email address to which to send the notification.
n
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.
n
delay is the 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>
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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.
n
If you create an email template in HTML format, it must contain standard HTML formatting tags.
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An email template file can contain a single line for the message subject and any amount of text for the message body.
n
The 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.
Chapter 7 Configuring Alert Notifications
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You must store custom email template files in the
ops
\user\plugins\outbound\filter_alertplugin\conf\custom_templates directory.
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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
{{AffectedResourceKind}} {{KPIFiring}}
{{AlertCriticality}} {{ParentsHealth}}
{{AlertMessage}} {{Alarms}}
{{AlertSubType}} {{AlertRootCause}}
{{AlertUpdateTime}} {{ChildrenHealth}}
{{AffectedResourceName}} {{AlertRootCauseDetails}}
{{AlertGenerateTime}}
{{AlertOwner}}
{{AlertTrigger}}
{{FilterRuleName}}
{{AlertCancelTime}}
{{AlertId}}
{{AlertStatus}}
{{AlertType}}
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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 103.
This chapter includes the following topics:
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“View vCenter Operations Manager Performance Information,” on page 89
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“View vCenter Operations Manager Status Information,” on page 90
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“Start or StopvCenter Operations Manager Services,” on page 91
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“Viewing and Managing System Log Files,” on page 93
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“Delete Old Data in the File System Database,” on page 96
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“Run the Audit Report,” on page 97
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“Modify Global Settings,” on page 98
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“Modify Global Settings for Virtual Environments,” on page 99
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“Create a Support Bundle,” on page 101

View vCenter Operations Manager 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. For a description of the information that appears in each pane, see “vCenter Operations Manager Performance Information,” on page 90.
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vCenter Operations Manager 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 vCenter Operations Manager 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. For a description of the information that appears in each pane, see “vCenter Operations Manager Status Information,” on page 90.

vCenter Operations Manager 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.

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 92.
Procedure
n
To 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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To 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 sc stop
service_name
service_name
service_name is the name of the service on Windows.
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To 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 vcops stop [
service_name
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.
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To list the vCenter Operations Manager environment variables on a Linux server, type the service vcops
env command.

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.
Table 8-1. vCenter Operations Manager Standalone Services
Linux Server
Windows Server Name
vcopsWebService vcopsserver vCenter Operations Manager Web service. Runs on the
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
ReplicationServerService replication Replication Server service. Runs only on a vCenter Operations Manager
Name Description
vCenter Operations Manager server.
is installed.
replication server.
vCenter Operations Manager vApp
The vCenter Operations Manager vApp includes these services.
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Table 8-2. vCenter Operations Manager vApp Services
Service Description
Chapter 8 Performing Basic System Administration Tasks
vCenter Operations Service Meta service that starts and stops the Collector, Analytics, and ActiveMQ services.
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
vCenter Operations Web Service Server for the Advanced Web application. Runs on the UI virtual machine in the
vCenter Operations Web Enterprise Service
vCenter Operations Admin Service Server for the Admin Web application. Runs on the UI virtual machine in the
Runs on the UI virtual machine in the vApp.
ActiveMQ service. Runs on the Analytics virtual machine in the vApp.
vApp.
Server for the Enterprise Web application. Runs on the UI virtual machine in the vApp.
vApp.

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.
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View System Log Files in vCenter Operations Manager on page 93
Viewing log files in vCenter Operations Manager is similar to opening the log files in an external text viewer.
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Using an External Log Monitoring Tool on page 94
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.
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Enable Logging for Widgets on page 96
You can enable logging for widgets by editing the log4.properties file.
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Modify Logging Levels on page 96
You can modify logging levels for the vCenter Operations Web, vCenter Operations Analytics, and vCenter Operations Collector logs.

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 96.
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Procedure
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To list all viewable log files, select Admin > Support and click the Logs tab.
The log type folders appear in the Logs pane.
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To view the log files in a folder, double-click the folder.
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To view the contents of a log file, double-click the log file.
The contents of the log file appear in the Log Content pane.
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To view a specific part of a log file, type line numbers in the Line Positionand 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.
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To delete a log file, select the file and click the Delete Selected File icon.
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If 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.
n
To 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 94.

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
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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
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
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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 $ALIVE_BASE\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.

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. Leave the logging level at ERROR unless VMware technical support instructs you to change it.
NOTE If you set the logging level to DEBUG, log files can quickly become large.
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 logging level settings.
Option Action
To set the root logging level
To specify how long to keep log files
To set the logging level for a component group
To set the logging level for a specific component
Select a level from the Root Logger Level drop-down menu.
Type the number of days in the Maximum backup days text box.
Click the component group and select a logging level from the Group Log Level drop-down menu.
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.

Delete Old Data in the File System Database

By default, vCenter Operations Manager keeps the data that it collects in its file system database (FSDB) indefinitely. You can configure vCenter Operations Manager to remove old data 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.
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Prerequisites
Become familiar with how to start and stop the Analytics service. See “Start or StopvCenter Operations
Manager Services,” on page 91.
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 following lines.
#Old Data Cleaner Execution frequency. Default is 0(Off) days oldDataCleanerExecutionFrequency=0 #old date range. Default is 900 days oldDataCleanerDateRange=900
Lines that start with # are comments.
3 Change oldDataCleanerExecutionFrequency to how often, in days, to erase old data.
For example, set oldDataCleanerExecutionFrequency to 7 to erase old data once a week. A value of 0, the default, causes old data not to be erased.
4 Change oldDataCleanerDateRange to how often old data must be before it is erased.
The default setting erases data that is 900 or more days old.
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 you entered 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 70.
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
Change whether the health chart is colored
Type different values in the From and To text boxes.
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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Chapter 8 Performing Basic System Administration Tasks

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.
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Customize the Workload Icon on page 99
You can specify whether the Workload icon spins on the Resource Detail page.
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Customize the Performance Graph on page 100
You can specify whether change events appear in the performance graph on the Resource Detail page.
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Set the Time Period for History Graphs on page 100
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.
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Modify Level Ranges on page 100
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.
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Configure the Hierarchy Sort Order on page 100
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.
VMware, Inc. 99

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.
2 Select a Hierarchy Sort Order option.
Option Description
Parent Name/Self Name
Self Name
Value
100 VMware, Inc.
Group all child objects of a parent object.
Sort objects alphabetically by object name.
Sort object icons according to the currently selected metric, from worst range to best range.
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