Covering section 7 of the VCP6-DCV exam, Monitor a vSphere Implementation. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omuzluGJ8cA

1. #vBrownBag VCP6-DCV
Foundations
Section 7: Monitor a vSphere Implementation
Dan Barr (@vDanBarr)
July 8, 2015

2. Objectives
7.1 Monitor ESXi, vCenter Server and Virtual Machines
Tasks and events, common metrics, charts, logging, scheduled tasks, resource maps, service status
7.2 Create and Administer vCenter Server Alarms
Default alarms and actions, create new alarms, set alarm triggers and actions
7.3 Install, Configure, and Manage vCenter Operations Manager
vCOps architecture, badges, metrics, deploy and upgrade vCOps

3. Resources
● vSphere Troubleshooting Guide
● vSphere Monitoring and Performance Guide
● vCenter Server and Host Management Guide
● vSphere Resource Management Guide
● VMware vCenter Operations Manager Getting Started Guide – vSphere UI
● VMware vCenter Operations Manager Getting Started Guide – Custom UI
● VMware vCenter Operations Manager Administration Guide (Custom UI)
● vCenter Operations Manager Evaluation Guide

4. Objectives
7.1 Monitor ESXi, vCenter Server and Virtual Machines
Tasks and events, common metrics, charts, logging, scheduled tasks, resource maps, service status
7.2 Create and Administer vCenter Server Alarms
Default alarms and actions, create new alarms, set alarm triggers and actions
7.3 Install, Configure, and Manage vCenter Operations Manager
vCOps architecture, badges, metrics, deploy and upgrade vCOps

5. Tasks and Events
● Records of actions, either user or system-generated, occurring in a
vSphere environment
● Viewed in the Monitor tabs of vCenter objects
● Information, Warning, or Error
● By default, task and event records are retained for 30 days.
○ Configurable in vCenter Server settings

6. Performance Charts
Overview Charts
● Multiple thumbnail charts in one view
● Most common metrics only
Advanced Charts
● More information/metrics than Overview charts
● Customize which objects and counters to monitor
● Configurable chart types (line or stacked)
● Can save customized charts
● Can be exported (PNG, JPEG, CSV)
Time ranges (both types): Realtime, 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 1 year, Custom

7. ● Log Browser from Web Client Home screen or in the Monitor tab of
vCenter and ESXi Hosts
● Export System Logs from Log Browser or Action menu of vCenter and
Hosts
● Log file locations:
○ Windows vCenter: C:ProgramDataVMwarevCenterServerlogs
○ VCSA: /var/log/vmware/
○ ESXi: /var/log/
Logging

8. vCenter Log Files
Source: http://kb.vmware.com/kb/2110014
vCenter Server vCenter Server Appliance Description
vmware-vpxvpxd.log vpxd/vpxd.log The main vCenter Serverlog
vmware-vpxvpxd-profiler.log vpxd/vpxd-profiler.log Profile metrics for operations performed in vCenter Server
vmware-vpxvpxd-alert.log vpxd/vpxd-alert.log Non-fatal information logged about the vpxd process
perfchartsstats.log perfcharts/stats.log VMware Performance Charts
eameam.log eam/eam.log VMware ESX Agent Manager
invsvc invsvc VMware Inventory Service
netdump netdumper VMware vSphere ESXi Dump Collector
vapi vapi VMware vAPI Endpoint
vmdird vmdird VMware Directory Service daemon
vmsyslogcollector syslog vSphere Syslog Collector
vmware-spssps.log vmware-sps/sps.log VMware vSphere Profile-Driven Storage Service
vpostgres vpostgres vFabric Postgres database service
vsphere-client vsphere-client VMware vSphere Web Client
vws vws VMware System and Hardware Health Manager
workflow workflow VMware vCenter Workflow Manger
SSO SSO VMware Single Sign-On

9. ESXi Log Files
Source: vSphere Monitoring and Performance Guide
VMkernel /var/log/vmkernel.log Activities related to virtual machines and ESXi
VMkernel warnings /var/log/vmkwarning.log Warnings related to virtual machines and ESXi
VMkernel summary /var/log/vmksummary.log Uptime and availability statistics for ESXi
ESXi host agent log /var/log/hostd.log Information about the agent that manages and configures ESXi and
its VM
vCenter agent log /var/log/vpxa.log Information about the agent that communicates with vCenter
Shell log /var/log/shell.log Record of all commands typed at the ESXi Shell
Authentication /var/log/auth.log Events related to authentication for the local system
System messages /var/log/syslog.log General log messages, can be useful for troubleshooting
Virtual machines /vmfs/volumes/<datastore>/<v
mname>/vmware.log
Virtual machine events - power, system failures, tools activity,
hardware changes, vMotion migrations, clones, etc.

10. Scheduled Tasks
Can create scheduled tasks to run once or at a recurring interval.
Create from the Scheduled Tasks page in the Manage tab, or by holding Ctrl
while in the Actions menu, schedulable tasks will show a clock icon.
Example tasks:
● Change power state of a VM
● Enable or disable DPM on hosts
● Change resource settings of a Resource Pool or VM
● Check compliance of a Host Profile
● Take a VM snapshot
● Clone, Create/Deploy, or Migrate a VM

11. Other Topics
Resource Maps (legacy/desktop client only)
Visual representation of vSphere topology. Available at most inventory levels.
Shows relationships between VMs/Hosts/Datastores/Networks, or vMotion resources
vCenter Service Status (Home -> System Configuration -> Services)
View state & health of services and stop/start/restart
ESXi Host Agent
Start/stop/restart from DCUI or ESXi shell (/etc/init.d/[hostd|vpxa] [start|stop|restart|status])
vCenter Timeouts (vCenter -> Manage -> Settings -> General -> Timeout Settings)
Set timeouts for Normal Operations (seconds) and Long Operations (minutes).
Must restart vCenter Server for settings to take effect.
Monitor vCenter Connections (vCenter -> Manage -> Sessions)
View & terminate vCenter connections

12. Demo!
● Tasks & Events
● Performance Charts
● vCenter Settings
● Log Bundles
● Scheduled Tasks
● Resource Maps
● Service Status
● vCenter Sessions

13. Objectives
7.1 Monitor ESXi, vCenter Server and Virtual Machines
Tasks and events, common metrics, charts, logging, scheduled tasks, resource maps, service status
7.2 Create and Administer vCenter Server Alarms
Default alarms and actions, create new alarms, set alarm triggers and actions
7.3 Install, Configure, and Manage vCenter Operations Manager
vCOps architecture, badges, metrics, deploy and upgrade vCOps

14. Alarms
● Notifications in response to an event or based on conditions on an object
● Types: Event-Based or Condition/State-Based
● Severity levels: Normal, Warning, Alert
● Standard Actions: Send Email, SNMP Trap, Run Command
○ Other actions available depending on monitored object type (ex: Host
and VM power actions)
● 105 default alarms in vCenter 6.0
○ No default email or script actions are configured

15. Demo!
Default Alarms
Creating Custom Alarms
Available Triggers & Actions

16. Objectives
7.1 Monitor ESXi, vCenter Server and Virtual Machines
Tasks and events, common metrics, charts, logging, scheduled tasks, resource maps, service status
7.2 Create and Administer vCenter Server Alarms
Default alarms and actions, create new alarms, set alarm triggers and actions
7.3 Install, Configure, and Manage vCenter Operations Manager
vCOps architecture, badges, metrics, deploy and upgrade vCOps

17. vCenter Operations Manager
● vCOps Foundation (5.8.5) included with all vSphere editions
● Delivered as an OVA vApp
● Two SuSE Linux VMs - UI & Analytics
● Sizing:
○ Small (1500 VMs): 4 vCPU, 16GB RAM
○ Medium (3000 VMs): 8 vCPU, 25GB RAM
○ Large (6000 VMs): 16 vCPU, 34GB RAM
● Collects performance data from all objects in vSphere environment
● No loss of fidelity over time like vCenter charts
● Licensed editions: vRealize Operations 6.0 Standard/Advanced/Enterprise
○ No Foundation (yet?)

18. Deploy vCOps
On the vCenter Web Client Home screen:
Or, download the OVA manually & import.

19. Deploy vCOps

20. Deploy vCOps
First Run Wizard
● https://<UI VM FQDN or IP>/admin
○ Default logon: admin/admin
● Enter the address (IP or FQDN) and an administrator user & password for the vCenter hosting
this vCOps instance
● Change the default admin & appliance root passwords
○ Default vCOps admin: admin/admin
○ Default appliance root: root/vmware
● Enter details of a vCenter you want to monitor (does not have to be the vCenter hosting vCOps):
○ Display Name
○ Address (FQDN/IP)
○ Registration user & password (vCenter admin to register plugin)
○ Collector user & password (optional least-privilege account)

21. vCOps Terminology
Attributes: types of data collected by vCOps.
Metrics: instance of an attribute for a specific inventory object.
Key Performance Indicators (KPI): attributes critical to an object’s performance.
Dynamic Thresholds: defined for every metric based on current and historical
values. “Normal” can differ based on time cycles.
Badges (major & minor): color coded scores derived from metrics.

22. vCOps Badges
Major Badge Minor Badges
Health Workload - demand for a resource divided by capacity
Anomalies* - extent of abnormal behavior based on historical data
Faults - events retrieved from monitored vCenter Server
Risk* Time Remaining - % of buffer remaining (default 30 days)
Capacity Remaining - based on # of VMs remaining
Stress - identifies undersized VMs or ESXi hosts
Compliance - based on vCenter Configuration Manager data
Efficiency* Reclaimable Waste - amount of resources that can be reclaimed
Density - consolidation ratios, actual vs. ideal
* Not available in vCOps Foundation

23. Badge Scores: 0 - 100
Time Remaining, Capacity, Efficiency, and Density, 100 = good
Workload, Anomalies, Faults, Stress, and Reclaimable Capacity, 100 = bad
vCOps Badges
Badge Color Icon Description
Green Normal state
Yellow Experiencing some problems
Orange Serious problems or approaching capacity
Red Not functioning or will stop functioning soon
Gray Offline or no data available

24. Demo!
View vCOps data in vSphere Web Client
Explore vCOps Web UI

25. Questions?