VMware vCenter Operations Manager - 5.8.5 Administrator’s Guide

VMware vCenter Operations Manager

Administration Guide

Custom User Interface

vCenter Operations Manager 5.8.5

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VMware vCenter Operations Manager Administration Guide

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VMware vCenter Operations Manager Administration Guide 7

Configuring and Managing vCenter Operations Manager 9

Configuring vCenter Operations Manager 9

Managing vCenter Operations Manager 9

Using the Custom User Interface 11

Configuring Adapters 13

How Adapters Collect and Process Data 13

Defining Adapter Instances 14

Modifying Adapter Instances 16

Customize an Adapter Kind Icon 17

Suppress No Data Receiving Alerts 17

Configuring Resources 19

Defining Resources 19

Creating and Assigning Resource Tags 23

Grouping Resources by Physical Location 27

Configure Parent-Child Resource Relationships 29

Starting and Stopping Metric Collection 30

Using Maintenance Mode 31

Modifying Resources 33

Modifying Resource Tags 35

Customize a Resource Kind Icon 36

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Configuring Attribute Packages 39

Understanding Data Collection 39

Creating Attribute Packages 42

Creating Super Metric Packages 45

Modifying Attribute Packages 53

Modifying Super Metric Packages 54

Super Metric Use Case 56

Configure Weighted Metric Groups 57

Prioritize Threshold Checking 57

Enable the Combined Dynamic Threshold Plug-in 57

Configuring Applications 59

Understanding Applications 59

Add an Application 60

Creating and Assigning Application Tags 61

VMware vCenter Operations Manager Administration Guide

Use a Tag to Find an Application 62

Modifying Applications 63

Modifying Application Tags 64

Configuring and Managing Users 67

Create a User Account 67

Importing LDAP Users 68

Configuring User Groups and Access Rights 72

Set Password Policies 75

Maintaining Users and User Groups 75

Run the User Audit Report 77

Configuring Alert Notifications 79

Configuring and Modifying Alert Handler Instances 79

Configuring Email Alert Notifications 83

Modifying Email Alert Notifications 93

Configuring Mulitilevel Alert Rules 97

Configuring Hint Text for Alerts 99

Configure Alerts for vCenter Server Events 103

Retrieve Keys from the vCenter Operations Manager Database 103

Performing Basic System Administration Tasks 105

View Performance Information 105

View Status Information 106

vCenter Operations Manager Service Names 107

Start or Stop vCenter Operations Manager Services 108

Viewing and Managing System Log Files 109

Delete Old Data in the File System Database 113

Run the Audit Report 113

Modify Global Settings 114

Modify Global Settings for Virtual Environments 115

Create a Support Bundle 117

Resolving Administrative System Alerts 119

Analytics FSDB Overloaded 119

Analytics Threshold Checking Overloaded 120

Collector Is Down 120

Controller Is Unable to Connect to MQ 121

DataQueue Is Filling Up 122

Describe Failed 122

Failed to Connect to Replication MQ 123

Failed to Repair Corrupted FSDB Files 123

File Queue Is Full 123

FSDB Files Corrupted for Resources 124

FSDB Storage Drive Free Space Is Less Than 10% 124

No DT Processors Connected 124

One or More Resources Were Not Started 125

Outbound Alert Send Failed 125

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Replication MQ Sender Is Blocked 126

Contents

Backing Up and Recovering Data 127

Backing Up and Recovering Data Components 127

Backing Up and Recovering Processing Components 134

Configuring the Repository Adapter 139

Repository Adapter Requirements and Limitations 139

Repository Adapter Configuration Steps 141

Creating a Database User for the Repository Adapter 141

Configure the Source Database Connection for the Repository Adapter 141

Configure the Output Destination for the Repository Adapter 142

Configuring the Source and Destination Columns for the Repository Adapter 143

Configure Data Export Values for the Repository Adapter 144

Customizing Repository Adapter Operation 146

Start the Repository Adapter 146

Using System Tools 149

Summary of System Tools 149

Check the FSDB and Repair Problems 150

Move the FSDB 151

Monitor vCenter Operations Manager Services in JConsole 152

Configuring and Running runvcopsServerConfiguration 152

Eliminating Linearly Correlated Metrics from the DT Calculation 155

Using the Database Command Line Interface 157

Run the Database Command Line Interface 157

Managing Dashboards 157

Managing Dashboard Templates 160

Managing Attributes and Super Metrics 163

Managing Resource Kinds 167

Performing Control Operations 168

Index 169

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VMware vCenter Operations Manager Administration Guide

The VMware vCenter Operations Manager Administration Guide (Custom User Interface) describes how to configure and manage the VMware® vCenter™ Operations Manager Custom user interface.

Intended Audience

The information in this document is intended for anyone who must configure or manage vCenter Operations Manager by using the Custom user interface.

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Configuring and Managing

vCenter Operations Manager 1

Before vCenter Operations Manager can begin collecting and analyzing your data, you must configure it. After it is configured, you can manage vCenter Operations Manager by performing basic system administration tasks.

This chapter includes the following topics:

“Configuring vCenter Operations Manager,” on page 9

“Managing vCenter Operations Manager,” on page 9

“Log In as the admin User,” on page 10

“Using the Custom User Interface,” on page 11

Configuring vCenter Operations Manager

The key to getting the greatest benefit from vCenter Operations Manager is to configure it properly. vCenter Operations Manager can perform some configuration tasks for you, such as discovering resources, but you must perform most configuration tasks manually.

The configuration tasks must be performed in a particular order.

1 Define the adapter instances that vCenter Operations Manager uses to collect data. See Chapter 2,

“Configuring Adapters,” on page 13.

2 Define the resources for which vCenter Operations Manager collects data. See Chapter 3, “Configuring

Resources,” on page 19.

3 Specify the information that vCenter Operations Manager stores for each resource, and identify which

types of information are key performance indicators (KPIs). See Chapter 4, “Configuring Attribute

Packages,” on page 39.

4 Define how related resources fit together into groups and how those groups relate to each other. See

Chapter 5, “Configuring Applications,” on page 59.

5 Configure vCenter Operations Manager for your users. See Chapter 6, “Configuring and Managing

Users,” on page 67.

6 (Optional) Set up the alert notification feature to notify users of alerts when they are not using

vCenter Operations Manager. See Chapter 7, “Configuring Alert Notifications,” on page 79.

Managing vCenter Operations Manager

You manage vCenter Operations Manager by performing typical system administration tasks.

Manage your vCenter Operations Manager users. See Chapter 6, “Configuring and Managing Users,”

on page 67.

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View system performance and status information and examine log messages. See Chapter 8,

“Performing Basic System Administration Tasks,” on page 105.

View, respond to, and resolve administrative system alerts. See Chapter 9, “Resolving Administrative

System Alerts,” on page 119.

Back up vCenter Operations Manager data and processing components. See Chapter 10, “Backing Up

and Recovering Data,” on page 127.

Troubleshoot database and connection issues. See Chapter 12, “Using System Tools,” on page 149.

Log In as the admin User

When vCenter Operations Manager is initially installed, you must log in as the admin user to perform administrative tasks. During the configuration process, you can create additional administrators by assigning users to the Administrators group.

NOTE Some vCenter Operations Manager features, such as querying the vCenter Operations Manager database directly, require you to log in as the admin user.

Procedure

1 In a Web browser, type the URL for the Custom user interface.

Option Description

Standalone version

vApp version

https://ip_address

https://ip_address/vcops-custom

ip_address is the IP address or fully qualified host name of the vCenter Operations Manager server or vApp.

2 Type admin in the User name and Password text boxes.

The default admin account password is admin.

3 Click Login.

After you are logged in, your Home page appears in the browser window.

NOTE If your session is inactive for 30 minutes, it times out and you must log in again.

What to do next

If you are using the standalone version of vCenter Operations Manager, change the default admin account password as soon as possible. To change your password, select User Preferences at the top of your Home page.

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Using the Custom User Interface

When you log in to the Custom user interface, your Home page appears in the browser window. The Home page contains the following components.

Chapter 1 Configuring and Managing vCenter Operations Manager

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 Getting Started Guide (Custom User Interface).

You use the menus at the top of your Home page to select and use Custom user interface features.

You click icons on pages and widgets to perform tasks in the Custom user interface. When you point to an icon, a tooltip appears that describes the function of the icon.

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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:

“How Adapters Collect and Process Data,” on page 13

“Defining Adapter Instances,” on page 14

“Modifying Adapter Instances,” on page 16

“Customize an Adapter Kind Icon,” on page 17

“Suppress No Data Receiving Alerts,” on page 17

How Adapters Collect and Process Data

Adapters work with the vCenter Operations Manager Collector to collect and process data.

The Collector acts as a gateway between vCenter Operations Manager and its adapters. The adapters connect to and collect data from data sources, transform the data into a format that vCenter Operations Manager can consume, and pass the data to the Collector for final processing.

Depending on the data source and the adapter implementation, an adapter might collect data by making API calls, using a command-line interface, or sending database queries. Some adapters collect data for each resource independently and other adapters extract data for all resources based on a specified time range.

vCenter Operations Manager uses embedded adapters and external adapters. Embedded adapters are the most common type of adapter implementation.

Embedded Adapters

An embedded adapter is a Java component that runs as a plug-in in the Collector. Embedded adapters actively connect to a data source and pull values from it.

Advantages of embedded adapters include better maintainability, control, and visibility into the management of the adapter and the data that it collects. Embedded adapters also use common functions, such as job scheduling, that are already part of the Collector.

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VMware vCenter Operations Manager Administration Guide

Embedded adapters create resources through manual or auto-discovery. A particular embedded adapter might support one or both resource creation methods.

Manual discovery

Auto-discovery

You configure and manage embedded adapters in the user interface.

You send a request to the data source to return all available resources and select the resources to add. This method is often referred to as discovering resources or the discovery process.

The data collection process discovers new resources and creates the resources for you. You do not need to manually add new resources.

External Adapters

External adapters push data from outside sources. The key advantage of an external adapter is flexibility in how the adapter is created and deployed.

External adapters use vCenter Operations Manager OpenAPI to send information. OpenAPI has a simple form, which accepts data through an HTTP request, and an advanced form, which uses Java RMI.

External adapters use auto-discovery to create resources. With auto-discovery, the data collection process discovers new resources and creates the resources for you. You do not need to manually add new resources.

You configure and manage external adapters outside of the user interface.

Defining Adapter Instances

An adapter instance defines the type of adapter to use to connect to a particular data source. It also defines the information that is required to identify and access that data source. A vCenter Operations Manager administrator must define an adapter instance for each data source that uses an embedded adapter.

NOTE You do not define adapter instances for external adapters. External adapters push data from outside sources to vCenter Operations Manager. You manage external adapters outside of the core vCenter Operations Manager domain.

An adapter instance definition typically includes the data access method and a host, port, and credential. The exact information in a particular adapter instance definition depends on the type of adapter.

An adapter instance can have one or more credentials. You can add credentials before you create an adapter instance and select the correct credential when you define the adapter instance, or you can add credentials when you define the adapter instance.

After you define an adapter instance, you can discover and define resources for it.

View the List of Defined Credentials

Before you add, edit, or modify credentials for an adapter instance, you must list the defined credentials for the specific adapter kind and credential kind combination.

Procedure

1 Select Environment > Configuration > Credentials.

2 Select the adapter kind to list credentials for from the Adapter kind drop-down menu.

3 Select the kind of credentials to list from the Credential kind drop-down menu.

The available credential kinds depend on the adapter kind. For example, if you select Hyperic Adapter, the credential kind that you select might be Hyperic database credentials.

Existing instances appear for the credential kind that you select.

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Chapter 2 Configuring Adapters

Add a Credential

You must define a credential for each adapter instance that provides data to vCenter Operations Manager. Adapter instances use credentials to sign on to data sources. The information that you provide depends on the adapter kind and credential kind combination.

Prerequisites

View the list of defined credentials for the adapter kind and credential kind combination. See “View the List

of Defined Credentials,” on page 14.

Procedure

1 At the top of the list of credentials, next to Action, click Add.

2 Type a unique name for the credential instance in the Instance name text box.

3 Type or select additional information for the credentials.

4 Click OK to add the credential for the adapter kind.

The credential appears in the list in the Manage Credentials window.

Add an Adapter Instance

You must add an adapter instance in vCenter Operations Manager for each embedded adapter. The information that you provide depends on the type of adapter.

Prerequisites

Install the adapter. For information about installing a particular adapter, see the installation and

configuration guide for that adapter.

Create a credential or, if you plan to create a credential when you add the adapter instance, become

familiar with creating credentials. See “Add a Credential,” on page 15.

Procedure

1 Select Environment > Configuration > Adapter Instances.

2 Select the collector to use from the Collector drop-down menu.

Unless you added additional collectors, the only available collector is vCenter Operations Server. You can change the name of this collector when you install the standalone version.

3 Select the adapter kind to add from the Adapter kind drop-down menu.

4 Click the Add New Adapter Instance icon.

5 Type a name for the adapter in the Adapter Instance Name text box.

6 Type or select additional information for the adapter instance.

7 Select the credential to use to sign on to the data source from the Credential drop-down menu, or click

Add to add a new credential.

8 (Optional) Click Test to test the adapter instance.

9 Click OK to save your configuration.

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Modifying Adapter Instances

To maintain adapter instances, you might need to edit or delete credentials or adapter instances.

Edit a Credential

When you edit a credential, you can change its user name or password.

The information that you can modify depends on the adapter kind and credential kind combination.

Prerequisites

View the list of defined credentials for the adapter kind and credential kind combination. See “View the List

of Defined Credentials,” on page 14.

Procedure

1 In the list of credentials, click Edit next to the credential.

2 Edit the credential information.

3 Click OK to save your changes.

Delete a Credential

If you do not need a credential, you can delete it. You cannot delete a credential if a resource is using it.

Prerequisites

View the list of defined credentials for the adapter kind and credential kind combination. See “View the List

of Defined Credentials,” on page 14.

Procedure

1 In the list of credentials, click Delete next to the credential.

2 Click Yes to confirm the deletion.

Edit an Adapter Instance

When you edit an adapter instance, you can change any of its attributes. The information that you can modify depends on the adapter kind.

Procedure

1 Select Environment > Configuration > Adapter Instances.

2 (Optional) Filter the list of adapter instances.

a Select the collector to use from the Collector drop-down menu.

Unless you added additional collectors, the only available collector is vCenter Operations Server. You can change the name of this collector when you install vCenter Operations Manager Standalone.

b Select the adapter kind of the adapter instance to edit from the Adapter kind drop-down menu.

3 Select the adapter instance to edit and click the Edit Selected Adapter Instance icon.

4 Edit the adapter instance information.

5 Click Test to test the adapter instance.

6 Click OK to save your changes.

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Delete an Adapter Instance

If an adapter instance is no longer needed, you can delete it.

Procedure

1 Select Environment > Configuration > Adapter Instances.

2 (Optional) Filter the list of adapter instances.

a Select the collector to use from the Collector drop-down menu.

Unless you added additional collectors, the only available collector is vCenter Operations Server. You can change the name of this collector when you install vCenter Operations Manager Standalone.

b Select the kind of the adapter instance to delete from the Adapter kind drop-down menu.

3 Select the adapter instance and click the Remove Selected Adapter Instance icon.

4 Click Yes to confirm the deletion.

Customize an Adapter Kind Icon

vCenter Operations Manager uses icons to represent the kind of adapter through which you access each resource. For example, icons appear in the Data Source column of widgets that list resources. You can customize icons to represent any kind of adapter.

Chapter 2 Configuring Adapters

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

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.

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.

Suppress No Data Receiving Alerts

You can configure an adapter instance to stop generating alerts when it is not receiving data.

Prerequisites

Become familiar with how to start and stop the Analytics service. See “Start or Stop vCenter Operations

Manager Services,” on page 108.

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Procedure

1 Open the advanced.properties file in the vcenter-ops\user\conf\analytics directory.

2 Add the property disabledNoDataReceivingAlertIds = resourceID.

resourceID is the resource ID of the adapter instance.

3 Save your changes and close the advanced.properties file.

4 Restart the Analytics service.

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Configuring Resources 3

A resource is any entity in your environment for which vCenter Operations Manager can collect data, such as a router, switch, firewall, database, application server, or TCP/IP-based application.

This chapter includes the following topics:

“Defining Resources,” on page 19

“Creating and Assigning Resource Tags,” on page 23

“Grouping Resources by Physical Location,” on page 27

“Configure Parent-Child Resource Relationships,” on page 29

“Starting and Stopping Metric Collection,” on page 30

“Using Maintenance Mode,” on page 31

“Modifying Resources,” on page 33

“Modifying Resource Tags,” on page 35

“Customize a Resource Kind Icon,” on page 36

Defining Resources

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Before vCenter Operations Manager can collect data for resources in your environment, a vCenter Operations Manager administrator must define each resource to vCenter Operations Manager. You define only resources that use embedded adapters. Resources that use external adapters are already defined in vCenter Operations Manager.

vCenter Operations Manager requires specific information about each resource. You typically obtain this information by performing resource discovery in vCenter Operations Manager for each adapter instance. During the resource discovery process, vCenter Operations Manager lists all of the resources for the adapter instance and you select which resources to track. For adapters that do not support resource discovery, you must define resources individually.

A resource can be a single entity, such as a database, or a container that holds other resources. For example, if you have multiple Web servers, you can define a single resource for each Web server and define a separate container resource to hold all of the Web server resources. Applications and tiers are types of container resources. See Chapter 5, “Configuring Applications,” on page 59.

If you do not want vCenter Operations Manager to collect all of the available attributes for a resource, you can define a specific set of attributes to collect, called an attribute package, and assign it to the resource. See

“Creating Attribute Packages,” on page 42.

VMware vCenter Operations Manager Administration Guide

Discover Resources

You typically define resources to vCenter Operations Manager through the manual discovery process. Discovering resources is usually more efficient than adding resources individually.

NOTE You use discovery to define resources for embedded adapters. Resources that use external adapters are already added to vCenter Operations Manager and do not need to be discovered.

If the adapter type does not support discovery, you must add resources individually. See “Add an

Individual Resource,” on page 21.

Prerequisites

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.

If you plan to add an attribute package during the discovery process, become familiar with creating

attribute packages. See “Creating Attribute Packages,” on page 42.

Procedure

1 Select Environment > Environment Overview.

2 On the List tab, click the Discover Resources icon.

3 Select the collector to use from the Collector drop-down menu.

Unless you added additional collectors, the only available collector is vCenter Operations Server. You can change the name of this collector when you install the standalone version.

4 Select the adapter kind from the Adapter kind drop-down menu.

5 Select an adapter instance from the Adapter instance drop-down menu, or click Add to create a new

adapter instance.

6 Make any additional selections for the adapter kind.

Depending on the adapter kind that you select, additional menus might appear.

7 (Optional) To omit resources that have already been added from the discovery results, select the Only

New Resources check box.

8 Click OK to start the discovery process.

The discovery process can take several seconds to several minutes.

When the discovery process is finished, the Discovery Results window lists your resource kinds.

9 Double-click each resource kind that contains resources to add.

The resource list shows all of the resources of the specified resource kind. You can sort the resource list by clicking any column header. To find a specific resource in the list, type all or part of the resource name in the Search text box and click Search.

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Chapter 3 Configuring Resources

10 Select options for each resource kind.

Option Description

Import

Collect

Attribute Package

Import the resources but do not start collecting data. Resources appear in the resource list as Not Collecting and data is not stored and analysis is not performed.

Import the resources and start collecting data. When you select the Collect check box, the Import check box is also selected.

To use a nondefault attribute package for the resource kind, select an attribute package from the drop-down menu or click Add to define a new attribute package.

11 Click OK.

The Discovery Results window closes and the new resources appear on the List tab.

What to do next

If you did not select the option to start metric collection when you defined a resource, you can start metric collection after the resource is defined. See “Starting and Stopping Metric Collection,” on page 30.

Add an Individual Resource

In some cases, you might want to add an individual resource by providing its information to vCenter Operations Manager. If an adapter instance does not support resource discovery, you must add each resource individually.

When you add an individual resource, you must provide specific information about it, including the kind of adapter to use to make the connection and the connection method. If you do not know this information, use the discovery process to define the resource. See “Discover Resources,” on page 20.

You can add resources for most devices and application servers that use embedded adapters. You do not add resources that use external adapters. Resources that use external adapters are already added to vCenter Operations Manager.

Prerequisites

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.

If you plan to add an attribute package for the resource, become familiar with creating attribute

packages. See “Creating Attribute Packages,” on page 42.

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 45.

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 nonalphanumeric characters or spaces. The resource description is for informational purposes only.

4 (Optional) Type a description of the resource in the Resource description text box.

5 Select an adapter kind from the Adapter kind drop-down menu.

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6 Select an adapter instance from the Adapter instance drop-down menu, or click Add to add a new

adapter instance.

7 Select a resource kind from the Resource kind drop-down menu.

Additional configuration options might appear, depending on your selection.

8 Type the name of the resource that the adapter monitors in the Target to collect from text box.

The name must be the name of the resource as it appears in the adapter's operating environment. For example, if the adapter kind is Hyperic and you select MS SQL 2005 Database as the resource kind, type the name that Hyperic assigns, such as MSSQL 2005 MSSQL.4.

NOTE Depending on the resource kind that you selected, the Target to collect from text box might not be available and additional text boxes might appear.

9 Accept the default attribute package in the Attribute package drop-down menu, select a different

package, or click Add to define a new package for the resource.

The default attribute package depends on the resource kind.

10 Accept the default super metric package, if any, in the Super metric package drop-down menu, select a

different package, or click Add to define a new package for the resource.

A default super metric package is not available unless you previously defined a default super metric package for the selected resource kind.

11 Type the collection interval, in minutes, in the Collection Interval (Minutes) text box.

For example, if you expect the resource to generate performance data every 30 minutes, set the collection interval to 30 minutes.

The collection interval for a resource influences the collection status for that resource. The collection interval for the adapter instance resource determines how often to collect data. For example, if the collection interval for the adapter instance resource is set to five minutes, setting the collection interval for a resource to 30 minutes prevents the resource from having the No Data Receiving collection status after five collection cycles (25 minutes).

12 Select the Enabled or Disabled check box to enable or disable dynamic thresholding and early warning

smart alerts.

Dynamic thresholding is enabled by default, which is the recommended value. Early warning smart alerts are enabled by default only for applications. Early warning smart alerts work best for applications and application-like container resources. Container resources have at least two levels of resources beneath them, such as an application that contains tiers, which each contain resources.

Early warning smart alerts are generated for a resource only if the resource and its children have at least the required number of metrics defined. By default, the minimum number of metrics is 40, not including vCenter Operations Manager generated metrics.

13 (Optional) If you plan to take the resource offline for maintenance at regular intervals, select the

maintenance schedule for it to use from the Maintenance Schedule drop-down menu, or click Add to define a new maintenance schedule.

14 Click OK to add the resource.

What to do next

When you add an individual resource, vCenter Operations Manager does not begin collecting metrics for the resource until you start metric collection. See “Starting and Stopping Metric Collection,” on page 30.

For each new resource, vCenter Operations Manager assigns tag values for its collector and its resource kind. In some cases, you might want to assign other tags. See “Creating and Assigning Resource Tags,” on page 23.

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Creating and Assigning Resource Tags

A large enterprise can have thousands of resources defined in vCenter Operations Manager. Creating resource tags and tag values makes it easier to find resources and metrics in vCenter Operations Manager. With resource tags, you select the tag value assigned to a resource and view the list of resources that are associated with that tag value.

A tag is a type of information, such as Application or GEO Location. Application and GEO Location are predefined tags in vCenter Operations Manager. Tag values are individual instances of that type of information. For example, if your offices are located in New York, London, and Mumbai, you define GEO Location tag values for those locations.

You can assign any number of resources to each tag value, and you can assign a single resource to tag values under any number of tags. You typically look for a resource by looking under its application, its location, its tier, and possibly other tags.

Predefined Resource Tags on page 23

vCenter Operations Manager includes several predefined resource tags. It creates values for most of these tags and assigns resources to the values.

Add a Resource Tag on page 24

If the predefined resource tags do not meet your needs, you can create your own resource tags to categorize and manage resources in your environment.

Chapter 3 Configuring Resources

Add a Value to a Resource Tag on page 25

A resource tag is a type of information, and a tag value is an individual instance of that type of information. You can add multiple values to a resource tag. If a resource tag is locked, you cannot add values to it. vCenter Operations Manager maintains locked resource tags.

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.

Associate a Resource with a Tag Value on page 26

You can assign any number of resources to each tag value, and you can assign a single resource to tag values under any number of tags.

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.

Predefined Resource Tags

vCenter Operations Manager includes several predefined resource tags. It creates values for most of these tags and assigns resources to the values.

For example, when you add a resource, vCenter Operations Manager assigns it to the tag value for the collector it uses and the kind of resource that it is. It creates tag values if they do not already exist.

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Table 3‑1. Predefined Tags

Tag Description

Collectors (Full Set) Each defined collector is a tag value. Each resource is

Application Each defined application is a tag value. When you add a

Applications (Full Set) Each defined application is a tag value. When you add a

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

Adapter Instances Each adapter instance is a tag value, each resource is

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

GEO Location This tag always exists, but it has no default values. You

Tier Each defined tier is a tag value. When you add a resource

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.

tier to an application, the tier is assigned to that tag value. Resources that belong to the tiers are not given the tag value.

tier 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.

uses that adapter kind is given the tag value.

assigned 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.

tag value is assigned to each application.

must create values and assign resources to them manually.

to a tier, the resource is assigned to that tag value.

Add a Resource Tag

If the predefined resource tags do not meet your needs, you can create your own resource tags to categorize and manage resources in your environment.

Prerequisites

Become familiar with the predefined resource tags. See “Predefined Resource Tags,” on page 23.

Procedure

1 Select Environment > Environment Overview.

2 Click the Manage Tags icon on the left side of the Environment Overview page.

3 Click the Add Tag icon to add a new row and type the name of the tag in the row.

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Chapter 3 Configuring Resources

4 Click OK to add the tag.

The new tag appears in the tags list.

What to do next

Add a value to the resource tag. See “Add a Value to a Resource Tag,” on page 25.

Add a Value to a Resource Tag

Prerequisites

Add a resource tag. See “Add a Resource Tag,” on page 24.

Procedure

1 Select Environment > Environment Overview.

2 Click the Manage Tags icon on the left side of the Environment Overview page.

3 Select the tag to add values to and click the Add Tag Value icon.

4 Type the name of the tag value in the new row.

For example, if the resource group is composed of JBoss servers and you assigned the name JBoss to the tag, type a name to associate with one of the JBoss servers, such as JBoss1.

5 Click OK to add the tag value.

The tag value appears in the tag list.

Because vCenter Operations Manager considers each tag value to be a resource, it starts collecting metrics that vCenter Operations Manager generates when you create a tag value. You can view the health score for any tag value. See “Metrics that vCenter Operations Manager Generates,” on page 40.

What to do next

Associate a resource with the tag value. See “Associate a Resource with a Tag Value,” on page 26.

Create a Resource Kind Tag

You can create a tag for any resource kind that has existing resources. The tag has a value for each resource of that kind.

For example, if you have a resource kind of AppServers, and resources of that kind named AppServer1, AppServer2, and so on, you can create a resource kind tag named AppServers and it will have tag values of AppServer1, AppServer2, and so on.

Procedure

1 Select Environment > Environment Overview.

2 Click the Manage Resource Kind Tags icon on the left side of the Environment Overview page.

The Manage Resource Kind Tags window opens.

3 To create a resource kind tag for a resource kind, select the check box in the Show Tag column of its

row.

4 Click OK.

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If resources of the kind that you selected are present, a tag for that kind appears in the tag list on the Environment Overview page. If you expand the tag, a tag value appears for each resource of that type.

What to do next

Associate resources with the tag values. See “Associate a Resource with a Tag Value,” on page 26.

Associate a Resource with a Tag Value

You can assign any number of resources to each tag value, and you can assign a single resource to tag values under any number of tags.

Prerequisites

Create a resource tag. See “Add a Resource Tag,” on page 24.

Add a value to the resource tag. See “Add a Value to a Resource Tag,” on page 25.

Procedure

1 Select Environment > Environment Overview.

2 Drag the resource from the list in the right pane of the Environment Overview page onto the tag value

name.

You can press Ctrl+click to select multiple individual resources or Shift+click to select a range of resources.

The resources that you selected are now associated with the tag value.

Use a Tag to Find a Resource

The quickest way to find a resource in vCenter Operations Manager is to use tags. Using tags is more efficient than searching through the entire resource list.

Tag values that can also be tags are Applications and Resource Kinds. For example, the Applications tag has values for each application that is defined in vCenter Operations Manager, such as Online Banking. Each of these applications is also a tag that has values equal to the tiers that it contains. The Online Banking application might have tag values for Web Servers, DB Servers, and so on. These tiers might also contain subvalues. You can expand the tag value list to select the value for which you want to see resources.

Procedure

1 Select Environment > Environment Overview.

2 In the tag list on the left side of the page, click a tag for a resource with an assigned value.

When you click a tag, the list of values expands under the tag. The number of resources that is associated with each value appears next to the tag value.

A plus sign next to a tag value indicates that the value is also a tag and that it contains other tag values. You can click the plus sign to see the subvalues.

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3 Select the tag value.

The resources that have that tag value appear in the pane on the right. If you click the Invert Results icon, the list includes resources that do not match the tag values that you select. For example, if you select New York and London, all of the resources that are not in either of those cities appear in the list. If you select multiple tag values, the resources in the list depend on the values that you select.

Option Action

Select more than one value for the same tag

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.

Chapter 3 Configuring Resources

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.

Activate the Geographical Location Feature on page 27

To group resources by location, you must activate the geographical location feature in vCenter Operations Manager.

Create a GEO Location Tag Value on page 28

Before you can assign resources to a location, you must create that location as a value of the GEO Location tag and define its position on the map. Create tag values for each of your office locations.

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.

View the Resource Map on page 29

You can use the world map on the Geographical tab on the Environment Overview page to see the health of the resources at some or all of your defined locations.

Activate the Geographical Location Feature

To group resources by location, you must activate the geographical location feature in vCenter Operations Manager.

The Geographical tab on the Environment Overview page and the GEO widget show a world map that includes the locations of resources that have GEO Location tag values. Because these maps use the Google Maps API, you must license the Google Maps API to use the geographical location feature.

Prerequisites

Go to the Google support Web site at http://support.google.com, read the license agreement for the Google Maps API, and follow the procedure to license the API for your use.

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Procedure

1 Select Admin > Global Settings.

2 Select Google from the Geo Panel Provider drop-down menu.

3 In the Google Map Key text box, type the key that you received from Google.

4 Click OK to save your settings.

After you activate the geographical location feature, any user who connects to vCenter Operations Manager can use the Geographical tab or GEO widget.

What to do next

Create GEO Location tag values. See “Create a GEO Location Tag Value,” on page 28.

Create a GEO Location Tag Value

Prerequisites

Activate the geographical location feature in vCenter Operations Manager. See “Activate the Geographical

Location Feature,” on page 27.

Procedure

1 Select Environment > Environment Overview.

2 Click the Manage Tags icon on the left side of the page.

3 In the tag list, select GEO Location.

4 In the Tag Value pane, click the Add Tag Value icon.

5 Type the name for the location and press ENTER.

6 Select the new tag and click the Manage Location icon.

7 Type the location in the Search text box and click Search.

Your entry does not have to match the tag value exactly. For example, you can create a tag value called Los Angeles and search for Los Angeles, CA.

8 In the list of search results, click the location.

You must click the location even if it is the only search result.

9 Click Save to save the tag value.

What to do next

Assign resources to the tag value. See “Assign a Resource to a GEO Location Tag Value,” on page 28.

Assign a Resource to a GEO Location Tag Value

You define a resource's location by assigning it to a value of the GEO Location tag.

Prerequisites

Activate the geographical location feature in vCenter Operations Manager. See “Activate the

Geographical Location Feature,” on page 27.

Create GEO Location Tag values for your office locations. See “Create a GEO Location Tag Value,” on

page 28.

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Chapter 3 Configuring Resources

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

Activate the geographical location feature in vCenter Operations Manager. See “Activate the

Geographical Location Feature,” on page 27.

Create GEO Location tag values for your office locations. See “Create a GEO Location Tag Value,” on

page 28.

Assign resources to the GEO Location tag values. See “Assign a Resource to a GEO Location Tag

Value,” on page 28.

Procedure

To show the world map, select Environment > Environment Overview and select the Geographical tab

in the right pane.

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.

To move the map, drag the map or use the direction arrows in the top left corner of the map.

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.

You must define applications and tiers to add resources to tiers or tiers to applications. See Chapter 5,

“Configuring Applications,” on page 59.

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Procedure

1 Select Environment > Advanced > Resource Relationship.

2 In the Parent Selection column, expand the resource tag and select a tag value that contains the resource

to act as the parent resource.

The resources for the tag value appear in the top pane of the second column.

3 (Optional) If the list of resources is long, filter the list to find the child resource or resources.

Option Description

Navigate the resource tag list for a resource

Search for a resource by name

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.

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.

You can use Ctrl+click to select multiple resources or Shift+click to select a range of resources.

Starting and Stopping Metric Collection

When you add an individual resource to vCenter Operations Manager, vCenter Operations Manager does not start collecting metrics for the resource until you start metric collection. When you discover a resource, you can select an option to start metric collection on the discovery results page. If you did not select this option, you must start metric collection for the resource.

You can start and stop metric collection for specific resources, including tag values, and for adapter instances.

Start or Stop Metric Collection for a Resource

You can start and stop metric collection for specific resources. When you add an individual resource to vCenter Operations Manager, vCenter Operations Manager does not begin collecting metrics for the resource until you start metric collection. When you stop metric collection for a resource, vCenter Operations Manager retains its metric data in case you restart metric collection at a later time.

Because tag values are stored in vCenter Operations Manager as resources, you can also start and stop metric collection for tag values. When you start metric collection for a tag value, vCenter Operations Manager generated metrics are collected for it. With these metrics, you can see the health score that reflects all of the resources that have that tag value.

Procedure

1 Select Environment > Environment Overview.

2 (Optional) On the List tab, select the resource or resources to affect.

You can press Ctrl+click to select multiple individual resources or Shift+click to select a range of resources. If you do not select any resources, all of the resources in the system are affected.

3 Click the Start Collecting or Stop Collecting icon to start or stop metric collection for the selected

resources.

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