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VMware Plugin

When you enable the VMware (Logical) and/or the VMware (Physical) topology sources on the Cluster Manager, these topology sources automatically discover VMware devices, enable the VMware plugin, and add the devices to the corresponding device groups on the Device Groups page and device types on the Device Types page (for details, please refer to section Device Types in SevOne NMS System Administration Guide). This expedites the creation of Topology reports. For devices you manually add, the VMware plugin requires device specific configuration and is therefore disabled by default.

The VMware plugin enables you to monitor your ESX/ESXi clusters, hosts, and virtual machines (or Guest OSs) through vSphere. When you enable the VMware plugin, the following VMware data can appear on the Device Summary.

  • CPU load

  • CPU time spent in an idle state

  • Time that the VM was ready but could not be scheduled on the physical CPU

  • ESX memory consumed

  • ESX memory mapped for the VM or host

  • Memory actively used by the VMkernel

  • Memory balloon

  • Disk I/O rate

  • In/out/total octets

For manually added devices, the most efficient way to enable the VMware plugin is from the VMware Browser. The Device Manager also enables you to configure the VMware plugin for each VMware capable device.

Enable VMware Plugin for a vCenter Device

When you enable the VMware plugin for a vCenter device, SevOne NMS queries the vCenter and displays the vCenter's clusters, hosts, and virtual machines on the VMware Browser. When you configure the VMware plugin for the vCenter device, you can choose to discover and monitor all hosts on the vCenter or you can use the VMware Browser to monitor specific VMware devices.

Set up a vCenter user on the vCenter with the Read-Only permission, which is a default user permissions class in vCenter. Permissions must be set at the vCenter level and must be configured to propagate to subsequent levels.

  1. To access the VMware Browser or the Device Manager from the navigation bar, click the Devices menu and select VMware Browser or Device Manager. The following instructions are from the VMware Browser.

  2. Click Create vCenter to display the New Device page.

  3. Enter the name, device group, and polling information for the vCenter device as described in section New Device.

  4. images/download/attachments/163972860/triangledown-version-1-modificationdate-1693242905701-api-v2.png - Click the plugin drop-down (displays SNMP by default) and select VMware.

  5. Select the VMware Capable check box to enable discovery of VMware objects and to poll VMware data on the device.

  6. Select the Manual IP check box to ensure that manual IP addresses for VMware are not overridden by the automatic discovery process.

  7. In the VMware Name field, enter the name of the vCenter as it appears in vSphere.

  8. For a new device, the Version field is blank. After discovery, this field displays the VMware API version number.

  9. In the Device Type field for the vCenter device, select the vCenter check box.

  10. The VMware API Device field is not applicable for vCenters.

  11. The Virtual Center field is not applicable for vCenters.

  12. In the Username field, enter the user name of the vCenter user you set up on the vCenter with Read Only permissions that SevOne NMS needs to use to authenticate onto the vCenter.

    You may need to prefix the user name with the VMware domain. Example: myDomain\myUsername

  13. In the Password field, enter the password for the user you set up on the vCenter that SevOne NMS needs for authentication.

  14. Click Clear Cached Session to re-authenticate onto vSphere, if needed.

  15. Select the Automatically Discover Devices check box to discover a new virtual machine that is added on the vCenter. This discovery applies only to newly added virtual machine. Leave clear to require manual discovery of new virtual machines.

  16. Click Save as New to save the VMware configuration for the vCenter device.

Enable and Configure VMware Plugin for Other Devices

After you enable the VMware plugin for a vCenter device, SevOne NMS discovers the vCenter and displays the vCenter's clusters, hosts, and virtual machines on the VMware Browser.

Your network can have multiple vCenters. A drop-down list at the top of the VMware Browser enables you to select a vCenter to view its devices. The VMware Browser enables you to enable and disable the VMware plugin for multiple devices and the Object Manager enables you to manage polling of the VMware objects on each device.

  1. On the VMware Browser, the SevOne Monitored column displays Yes for each device for which you enable the VMware plugin. Select the check box for each device that display No in the SevOne Monitored column that you want to monitor, click images/download/attachments/163972860/actionold-version-1-modificationdate-1693242905655-api-v2.png and then select Discover Selected to enable the VMware plugin for the devices you select.

  2. To change the default VMware plugin configuration, click images/download/attachments/163972860/editnew-version-1-modificationdate-1693242905683-api-v2.png next to a device to display the Edit Device page.

  3. On the Edit Device page, click the plugin drop-down (displays SNMP by default) and select VMware.

  4. The VMware Capable check box appears selected when the VMware plugin is enabled.

  5. Select the Manual IP check box to ensure that manual IP addresses for VMware are not overridden by the automatic discovery process.

  6. The VMware Name field displays the VMware name for the device from vSphere. If you change the VMware name in vSphere, this field enables you to change the name in SevOne NMS. The VMware plugin cannot monitor the device through vSphere if the names do not match.

  7. SevOne NMS populates the Version field upon discovery of the vCenter.

  8. Select each applicable Device Type check box (SevOne NMS prevents you from selecting conflicting check boxes).

    • Select the vCenter check box to indicate the device is a vCenter. If you select this check box, fields appear to enable you to enter the user name and password SevOne NMS needs to authenticate onto the device and a Clear Cached Session button enables you to re-authenticate onto vSphere, if needed.

    • Select the Host check box to indicate the device is a VM host ESX/EXSi. If you select this check box, fields appear to enable you to enter the user name and password SevOne NMS needs to authenticate onto the device and a Clear Cached Session button enables you to re-authenticate onto vSphere, if needed.

    • Select the VM check box to indicate the device is a virtual machine. If you select this option, a field appears to display the name of the host device.

    • Select the Cluster check box to indicate the device represents a virtual machine cluster.

  9. Click the VMware API Device drop-down.

    • Select This Device to poll the device for performance data.

    • Select a vCenter device to poll the device from a vCenter.

    • Select a host device to poll the device from a host device. The host you select must contain this device as a virtual machine.

  10. Click the Virtual Center drop-down.

    • Select None to not associate the device to a vCenter.

    • Select a vCenter to associate the device to a specific vCenter.

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