vCenter Ops Std Eval Guide

8/6/2019 vCenter Ops Std Eval Guide

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VMware

vCenter

OperationsStandardEvaluators GuideInstalling,DeployingandUsingVMwarevCenterOperationsStandard

T E C H N I C A L W H I T E P A P E R


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VMware vCenter Operations StandardEvaluators Guide

T E C H N I C A L W H I T E P A P E R / 2

Table of Contents

1. Getting Started 31.1 About This Guide 3

1.2 How to Use This Guide 3

1.3 Help and Support During the Evaluation 3

2. What is VMware vCenter Operations Standard? 4

3. System Requirements 6

3.1 Hardware and Sotware Requirements 6

3.2 VMware vCenter Operations Standard Installation and Confguration 6

3.2.1 Deploy the Appliance 8

3.2.2 Power-on the Appliance 8

3.2.3 Confgure Networking (i needed) 8

3.2.4 Change the Time Zone 9

3.2.5 Confgure the Sotware 9

3.2.6 Register a VMware vCenter Server 9

3.2.7 Apply License to VMware vCenter Operations Standard9

4. VMware vCenter Operations Standard Evaluation Tasks 10

4.1 Review Hierarchy Views 10

4.2 Examine Workload Details 16

4.3 Examine Health Details 25

4.4 Examine Capacity Details 284.5 Use Scorecard 33

4.6 Analyze Using Heatmaps 35

5. Next Steps 37

5.1 VMware Contact Inormation 37

5.2 Providing Feedback 37


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1. Getting Started

1.1 About This GuideThepurposeothisdocumentistosupportasel-guidedhands-onevaluationoVMwarevCenterOperations

StandardThisdocumentisintendedtoprovideITproessionalswiththenecessaryinormationtomonitorand

managetheperormanceotheirvirtualdatacenterenvironmentusingVMwarevCenterOperationsStandard

1.2 How to Use This Guide

ThisguidewillwalkusersthroughsomekeyusecasesorVMwarevCenterOperationsStandardtohelpyou

conductasuccessulproductevaluationThecontentincludesanoverviewinstallationandcongurationand

keyusecasesoVMwarevCenterOperationsStandardtodemonstratehowtodiagnoseandcorrect

perormanceproblemsinthevirtualinrastructure

1.3 Help and Support During the Evaluation

ThisguideisnotintendedtobeasubstituteorproductdocumentationFordetailedinormationregarding

installationcongurationadministrationandusageoVMwareproductsreertotheonlinedocumentationYoucanalsoconsulttheonlineKnowledgeBaseiyouhaveanyadditionalquestionsIyourequireurther

assistancecontactaVMwaresalesrepresentativeorchannelpartner

Theollowingaresomelinkstoonlineresourcesdocumentationandsel-helptools:

VMware vSphere and VMware vCenter Server Resources:

Productoverview

http:wwwvmwarecomproductsvsphere

Productdocumentation

http:wwwvmwarecomsupportpubsvs_pubshtml

Whitepapersandtechnicalpapers

http:wwwvmwarecomresourcestechresources

VMware vCenter Operations Standard resources:Productoverview

http:wwwvmwarecomproductsvcenter-operations

Productdocumentation

http:wwwvmwarecomsupportpubsvcops-standard-pubshtml

VMwarevCenterOperationsStandardcommunity

http:communitiesvmwarecomcommunityvmtnmgmtvcops

SupportKnowledgeBase

http:kbvmwarecom


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2. What is VMware vCenter OperationsStandard?OperationsManagementdisciplinesareconverginginthecloudPerormancecapacityandconguration

managementarebecominginseparableduetothedynamicnatureoconvergedinrastructureTraditionaltools

andprocessesdesignedorsiloedstaticphysicalinrastructuresdontprovidetheautomationandcontrol

neededtoeectivelymanagehighlyvirtualizedandprivatecloudenvironmentsFromtheleaderin

virtualizationandcloudinrastructureVMwarevCenterOperationsStandardisdesignedtodramaticallysimpliy

andautomateOperationsManagement

VMwarevCenterOperationsStandardisarevolutioninreal-timeperormancemanagementorvirtual

environmentsWithVMwarevCenterOperationsStandardadministratorsareabletodiagnoseandrepair

perormanceproblemswhileeectivelybalancingdivergentgoalsinmanagingtheirvirtualenvironment

including:

Maximizingtheperormanceoindividualvirtualcomponentstoproactivelyensureservicelevelsindynamic

virtualandcloudenvironments

OptimizingtheperormanceoyourentirevirtualinrastructurewhilemaintaininghighVMtoESX

consolidationratio

Forecastingandkeepingcapacityonhandtohandlebusinessgrowthandotherchanges

VMwarevCenterOperationsStandardllstheexistinggaporautomatedperormancemanagementor

VMwareadministratorswithpatentedlearning-basedanalyticsandanelegantandeasy-to-useweb-based

interaceVMwareadministratorsnolongermustrelyonclassicmonitoringtoolsandtechniquesthatprovide

limitedinsightintotheperormanceotheirvirtualinrastructureWiththeintroductionoVMwarevCenter

OperationsStandardtheyareprovidedwithadetailedbehavioralanalysisotheentirevirtualenvironment

VMwarevCenterOperationsStandardcollectsandanalyzesperormancedatacorrelatesabnormalitiesand

identiestherootcauseobuildingperormanceproblemsVMwarevCenterOperationsStandardabstracts

perormancetothreemeasuresWorkloadHealthandCapacitythatallowinstantidenticationoissues

romthedatacenterleveldowntoindividualcomponents

ThebenetsoVMwarevCenterOperationsStandardinclude:

Unprecedentedvisibilityintothevirtualizedenvironmentinonescreenincreasedabilitytoisolatevisually

problemsviaaHUD-likeinteracetoVMwarevCenter

SimpleinteracereducingthecomplexityoVMwarevCenterandremovingguessworkandspeedsMTTR

Massiveoptimizationometricdatastorageandanalysispatentedanalyticscalculatehealthcapacityand

workloadoranyelement

AchievementogreaterdensityovirtualmachinesperESXaswellasoptimizationoresourceusage

ensuringconsistentandmaximizedESXworkloads

Immediatevisibilityintotheimpactoachangethroughvisualcorrelationtothecomponentshealth

determineiachangehasapositive(expected)ornegative(unexpected)eectonthevirtualelement

VMwarevCenterOperationsStandardisshippedasavirtualapplianceapreconguredvirtualmachineimage

thatcontainsanoperatingsystemandapplicationsotwareinaready-to-usecongurationinstalledintheVMwarevSphereenvironmentVMwarevCenterOperationsStandardisbuiltorsmallervCenterenvironments

(


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Figure 2.1.VMwarevCenterOperationsStandardArchitectureOverview

TheVMwarevCenterOperationsStandarduserinteracecanbeaccessedintwowaysromaplug-intothe

vSphereClientordirectlyromaWebbrowserNochangestoyourVMwarevCentersetupsuchasmodiying

thelogginglevelsarerequiredVMwarevCenterOperationsStandardbeginscollectingperormancedata

shortlyaterinstallationusingstandardvSphereAPIsDatacollectionremainscontinuousunlessyoustop

VMwarevCenterOperationsStandardVMwarevCenterOperationsStandardcollectsperormancedatarom

eachobjectateveryleveloyourvirtualinrastructureromindividualvirtualmachinesanddiskdrivestoentire

clustersanddatacentersItstoresandanalyzesthedataandusesthatanalysistoprovidereal-timeinormation

aboutproblemsorpotentialproblemsanywhereinyourenterprise

VMwarevCenterOperationsStandardworkswithexistingVMwareproductstoaddtheollowingunctions:

CombineskeymetricsrelatedtoCPUmemorydiskandnetworkintosinglescoresorperormancehealth

andcapacity

Calculatestherangeonormalbehaviororeverymetricandhighlightsabnormalitiesadjuststhedynamic

thresholdsasincomingdataenablesittodenemoreaccuratelythenormalvaluesorametric

Presentsgraphicalrepresentationsocurrentandhistoricalstatesotheentirevirtualinrastructureor

selectedpartsoit

Displaysinormationaboutchangesinthehierarchyothevirtualinrastructureorexamplewhenavirtual

machineismovedtoadierentESXhostshowshowthesechangesaecttheperormanceotheobjectsinvolved

ThenextsectionsinthisguidewilldetailhowtoconductasuccessulevaluationoVMwarevCenter

OperationsStandard


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3. System Requirements

3.1 Hardware and Sotware RequirementsVMwarevCenterOperationsStandardtypicallyisconguredinanexistingenvironmentanddoesnotrequirean

isolateddedicatedenvironmentorevaluationpurposesTheminimumhardwarerequirementsorasuccessul

evaluationincludetheollowingcomponents:

AtleastonephysicalserverrunningESXorhigherseethe VMwareESXhardwarecompatibilitylist

orsupportedservermodels

VMwarevCenterServerorhigherwhichcanrunasvirtualmachineonthisESXserver

OneWindowsworkstationorlaptopwhichshouldbeusedtoconnecttotheVMwarevCenterServerusingthe

locallyinstalledVMwarevSphereClientandtoaccessVMwarevCenterOperationsStandardusingaWeb

browser

NOTE: Some storage related perormance metrics such as Host I/O Commands, Host Throughput (KBps) and

Host Latency (ms) are available only i both the vCenter Server and the ESX host version is 4.1 or later.

TheVMwarevCenterOperationsStandardvirtualappliancehastheollowinghardwarerequirements:

vCPUonaGHzorasterCPU

8GBRAM

GBHDDorVMwarevSpherexwiththickdiskprovisioning(canbethin-provisioned)

TheVMwarevCenterOperationsStandardadministratorportalsupportstheollowingbrowsers:

InternetExplorer7xand8x

MozillaFireoxx

PleaseseetheVMwarevCenterOperationsStandardproductpageorthelatestcompatibilitymatrices

http:wwwvmwarecomproductsvcenter-operations

VMwareoersaree6-dayevaluationorVMwarevCenterOperationsStandardFollowtheinstructionsathttp:wwwvmwarecomgotry-vcenter-opstodownloadthenecessarylicensesandtheollowingbinaries:

BINARY USAGE

VMwarevCenterOperationsStandard(ovale) DownloadtheOVAorVMwarevCenterOperations

StandardtoatemporaryolderPointtothisle

whendeployingtheOVFtemplateromVMware

vSphereClient

3.2 VMware vCenter Operations Standard Installation and Confguration

BeoreinstallingVMwarevCenterOperationsStandardyoumustensurethattheprerequisiteslistedinthe

ollowingVMwarevCenterOperationsStandardpreinstallchecklistaremetCompletingthischecklistwillensurethatyouarereadytoproceedwiththeVMwarevCenterOperationsStandardsetup
http://www.vmware.com/go/hclhttp://www.vmware.com/go/hcl


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# DESCRIPTION YES / NO

YouareusingcompatibleESXandVMwarevCenterversions(ESXServerorhigherandVMwarevCenterServerorhigherare

supported)TheservicesorVMwarevCenterServerandVMware

VirtualCenterManagementWebservicesarerunningontheVMware

vCenterServer

YouhavetheIPaddressandusernameandpasswordcredentialso

theVMwarevCenterServer

YouhaveopenedtheappropriateTCPportsthatVMwarevCenter

OperationsStandardneeds

Youhaveadequatediskspaceandsys temresourcesortheVMware

vCenterOperationsStandardvirtualappliance(VMwarevCenter

OperationsStandardrequiresvCPUGBoHDDand89RAM)

YouhavedownloadedtheVMwarevCenterOperationsStandard

virtualappliance(inOVFormat)

6 YourvSphereenvironmentconsistsovir tualmachinesorless

Table 1.VMwarevCenterOperationsStandardPreinstallChecklist

TheollowingtabledescribesTCPportsthatVMwarevCenterOperationsStandardaccessesinordertomeet

theTCPportsprerequisitelistedinSteponthechecklist

PORT NUMBER DESCRIPTION

PortmustbeopentoenableSSHaccesstothe

VMwarevCenterOperationsStandardvirtual

appliance

AdministratorportalHTTPSserverport

8 HTTPserverportortheVMwareStudioversionothe

administratorportal

Table 2TCPPortsAccessedbyVMwarevCenterOperationsStandard

VMwarevCenterOperationsStandardalsousestheollowinglisteningportsbutitdoesnotrequireanopening

inyourrewall

PORT NUMBER DESCRIPTION

PostgreSQLserverport(listenstoconnectionsrom

localhostonly)

8889 PortsusedbytheVMwareStudioversionothe

administratorportal

8 ApacheTomcatmanagementportsorthe

administratorportal

Table 3ListeningPortsUsedbyVMwarevCenterOperationsStandard


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TheollowingstepsprovideanoverviewoVMwarevCenterOperationsStandardinstallation:

3.2.1 Deploy the Appliance

TherststepistodeploythevirtualappliancecontainingVMwarevCenterOperationsStandard:

1. Download the .ova le to a local directory.

2. Start VMware vSphere Client, connected to a VMware vCenter installation, and choose a host and datastore

to which the appliance will be deployed.

3. Invoke the File/Deploy OVF Template menu. Navigate to the location o the .ova le above, and click

Next.

4. Continue through the dialog. Youll be asked to accept the EULA, and later, to select the host and datastore

to deploy the appliance to (rom the step preceding).

aWhenpromptedorthenameotheapplianceitsgenerallyagoodideatoentersomethingotherthanthe

deaultvalueovCenterOperationsStandardchooseameaningulnamethatyouwillremember

bNOTE:Iyourdatastoredoesnothave124GBoreediskspace,youcanthin-provisionthe

appliance,butyoullhavetobecareulnottofllupthedatastoreastheappliancegrows.5. Ater you click Finish, the appliance will be created.

3.2.2 Power-on the Appliance

YoucannowpowerontheapplianceinvSphereClientToviewtheconsoleothevirtualmachineopenthe

virtualmachineconsoletabWhentheappliancenishesbootingupyoucanseeabluescreeninthevirtual

machineconsolewithawelcomemessageandamenuocommandoptionsatthebottom

3.2.3 Confgure Networking (i needed)

ThedeaultcongurationoVMwarevCenterOperationsStandardvirtualappliancewillattempttoallocateanIP

addressusingDHCPIthisisnotwhatyoudesireortheapplianceisunabletoassignitselanIPaddressusing

DHCPyoucanchangethiscongurationatertheappliancebootsuptoassigntheapplianceastaticIP

addressUsingastaticIPaddressisrecommended

FromtheblueconsolescreenabovenavigatetotheConguretheNetworkmenuitemandhitThiswillgiveyouaseriesopromptsAnswerntoaddanewIPv6addressandntothequestionUseaDHCPserver

insteadoastaticIPvaddress?

Youwillthenbeaskedorthestaticnetworkinginormation(IPaddressnetmaskgatewayDNSserverandso

on)Ateryouenterallothisinormationtheappliancewillrecongureitselandgobacktotheblueconsole

screen(whereitwillshowyouthenewlyassignedIPaddress)andyoucantestthenetworkingbypingingtheIP

addressshown

Onceyoucanpingtheapplianceyoucanproceedtothenextstepstocongurethesotware

NOTE: Logging in to the appliance gives you a shell prompt i you wish to perorm any other OS-level

conguration actions; the initial password or the root account is vmware when the appliance is rst

deployed. But see the ollowing; this will be changed once you congure the appliance sotware or the

rst time.


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3.2.4 Change the Time Zone

TochangethetimezoneotheVMwarevCenterOperationsStandardvirtualappliance:

Openthehttp::8whereistheIPothevirtualapplianceyoudeployedinthe

previousstep

Loginwiththeollowingdeaultcredentials:rootvmware

Navigatetothetimezonetabonthispagetochangethetimezone

3.2.5 Confgure the Sotware

Toconguretheapplianceuseawebbrowser(InternetExplorer7or8orFireox6x)tovisittheURLshown

intheblueconsolescreen( http:)Loginastheadministrativeuserwiththedeaultpassword

(adminadmin)

ThiswilltakeyoutoascreenwhereyouwillbepromptedtochangetheadministrativepasswordYoumustdo

thisimmediatelyandyoumustenterastrongpassword(atleast8charactersandamixolettersanddigits

andorspecialcharacters)

NOTE: As a one-time action, this will also set the password or the root account in the appliances operating

system to the same password. (Any uture changes o the administrator password will leave the root passworduntouched; it will be necessary to log in to the virtual machine consoles blue console screen in order to change

the root password ater that).

3.2.6 Register a VMware vCenter Server

AteryousavethenewpasswordaboveyouwillbetakentoanewscreentoregisteraVMwarevCenterServer

Enterthisinormationwhenprompted:

ThenameisjustaconvenientnameortheVMwarevCenterServerthisinormationisshownintheappliance

screens

Thehost(IP)isthehostnameorIPaddressotheVMwarevCenterServer

TheusernameandpasswordmustbethatoanadministrativeuseroVMwarevCenter(withull

administrativerightsovertherootoldersothatitcanregistersolutions)

TheCollectorusernameandCollectorpasswordcanbethesameastheadministrativeuserororthesakeo

securityyoumightspeciyauserwhohasread-onlyaccesstoallorasubsetotheVMwarevCenterServer

inventory

NOTE: I you get an error during this step, careully check the username and password typed. Also, you might

need to make sure to speciy the ully qualied domain name o the VMware vCenter Server.

3.2.7 Apply License to VMware vCenter Operations Standard

YoumustapplyalicensetotheVMwarevCenterOperationsStandardbeoreyoucanstartusingitThe

ollowingstepsenableyoutodoso:

LoginusingVMwarevSphereClienttotheVMwarevCenterServerwithwhichyouhaveregisteredtheVMware

vCenterOperationsStandardvirtualappliance

FromthehomepageselectthelicensingtabunderAdministration

SelecttheviewbyAssetoptionandyouwillseevCenterOperationsStandardunderthisInotrereshthe

page

Right-clickontheassetandselectchangelicensekeyandenterthelicense

ItherearenoerrorsthenyourVMwarevCenterOperationsStandardinstallationhasbeenlicensedandis

readytouse

ReertotheVMwarevCenterOperationsStandardInstallationandAdministrationGuide oranyurtherdetails

Intheremainderothisevaluatorsguidewewilldetailthesuggestedevaluationtaskstodemonstratethevalue

oVMwarevCenterOperationsStandard


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T E C H N I C A L W H I T E P A P E R / 1 0


4. VMware vCenter Operations StandardEvaluation TasksThissectionoutlinesthesuggestedevaluationtasksorVMwarevCenterOperationsStandardandliststhe

recommendedstepsorthetasksTheollowingtasksarecovered:

Reviewhierarchyviews

Examineworkloaddetails

Examinehealthdetails

Examinecapacitydetails

Usescorecards

Analyzeusingheatmaps

4.1 Review Hierarchy Views

VMwarevCenterOperationsStandardanalyzestheperormancestatisticsorobjectsmanagedintheVMware

inrastructuresuchasESXhostsclustersandvirtualmachinestohelpyoumonitoranddiagnoseperormance

inyourvirtualenvironment

AterloginyouseetheVMwarevCenterOperationsStandardinitialpageshowingtheInrastructureview

VMwarevCenterOperationsStandardenablesrichandexibleWeblikeuserinteraceloadedwitheatures

tonavigatethroughthehierarchyviewseasily

FromthisviewyoucanseethehierarchyoyourVMwarevCenterServerDatacentersclustersESXsand

virtualmachinesthroughthreedierentperspectives: WorkloadHealthandCapacitywiththecurrent

perspectivebeingWorkloadEachobjectintheVMwarevCenterhierarchyisassignedthesethreescoresand

willappearinoneothepredenedcolorsbasedonitsscore


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Thesevaluesrepresent:

1. Workload an assessment o the level o work being done by a virtual element, based on the our key

potential constraints o CPU, memory, disk I/O, and net I/O; values range rom 0 (no usage o these

resource characteristics) to more than 100 (one or more o these resource characteristics are seriously

constrained).

2. Health an assessment o the abnormal/normal behavior o perormance metrics, combined with best-

practice understanding o key metrics; values range rom 0 (very abnormal behavior) to 100 (very normal

behavior).

3. Capacity an assessment o past behavior as a means o anticipating uture constraints on the our key

potential constraints o CPU, memory, disk I/O, and net I/O; values range rom 0 (one or more o these

resource characteristics either are already constrained or will be within 30 days) to 100 (none o the ourresource characteristics is expected to be constrained within the next year, under current usage patterns).

SwitchtoaHealthperspectiveorthehierarchybyclickingthelargeHealthiconintheupperletsectionothe

pageNoticethechangeovaluesandiconshapeorthehierarchyelements


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SwitchtoaCapacityperspectiveorthehierarchybyclickingthelargeCapacityiconintheupperletsectiono

thepageNoticethechangeovaluesandiconshapeorthehierarchyelements


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NOTE: It is not uncommon to see some gray colors until VMware vCenter Operations Standard appliance

completes the rst ew data collection intervals. Workload score shows up immediately ater initial data

collection. Health scores will start showing up ater ew hours, however, it is recommended to have two weeks

o historical data or better accuracy. Capacity scores also rely on historical data or orecasting extrapolation

and require two weeks or accurate predictions.

InthenextsectionswewillexploreeachothesethreeperspectivesinmoredetailTheremainderothis

sectionwillamiliarizeyouwiththekeyeaturesotheVMwarevCenterOperationsStandarduserinteraceToproceedswitchbacktotheWorkloadperspectivebyclickingtheWorkloadiconintheupperletsectionothe

page

YoucanexpandorcollapsethevieworeachlevelintheVMwarevCenterhierarchybyclicking or

icons


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Nextintheupperrightcornerothescreentherearestatuslteroptionswhichcurrentlyshowallelements

regardlessotheirstatus

Toseehowthislteringworksclickthe icontoremoveunknownelementsandthenclicktheiconto

removeturnedoelementsTheresultisalteredviewotheenvironmentsimilartotheollowingscreenshot:

Youcanmouse-overeachelementtoseeitsnameandthethreescoresInthiscasewehoveredoveroneothe

redWorkloadiconsintheESXlayerothehierarchytoseedetailsabouttheESXhost889which

showsahighworkload


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Single-clickinganelementshowsyouallrelatedelementsinitshierarchyInthiscaseyoucanseethe

highlightedESX(whichissurroundedbyredboxannotationsinthebelowimage)andvirtualmachinesthatare

runningonthatESXThisishelpulindeterminingtheassociatedvirtualmachineworkloadsresultinginheavy

ESXworkload

Similarlydouble-clickinganelementtakesyoutothedetailsviewortheselectedelementNoticethehot-link

breadcrumbpathintheupperletcorneritshowsthehierarchicalchainoelementswiththecurrentlyviewed

ESXattheendothechain:

YoucanalsosorttheelementsindierentwaysusingtheSortBydrop-downlistnexttothelteroptions


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Example:Whenyouselecttheoptionyouwillseeaviewsimilartotheollowing:

Thesearchboxatthetoprightenablesyoutosearchorspecicelementsbyname

ThissectionexplainshowyoucannavigatetheVMwarevCenterOperationsStandarduserinteraceThenext

sectionsinthisevaluationguidewillexplainhowtodiagnoseperormanceissuesinyourvirtualinrastructureby

usingVMwarevCenterOperationsStandard

4.2 Examine Workload Details

WorkloadprovidesasingleaggregatedscoreothedemandplacedonanobjectSimplyputitreectsthe

resourcesthatanobjectneedsrelativetotheresourcesthatitcangetortheourkeypotentialconstraintsoCPUmemorydiskIOandnetIOAnobjectwithaworkloadscoreoisnotbeingusedAnobjectwitha

workloadscoreoormoreisoperatingatmaximumcapacityandmightrequireyoutoallocateadditional

resourcesortomovesometaskstootherobjects

TodiagnoseanobjectshowinghighworkloadyoumustdisplaytheWorkloaddetailspageortheobjectYou

candosointwoways:eitherdouble-clicktheWorkloadiconortheobjectorclickthedetailslinkwhenyou

single-clickthemouseoverthespecicobject


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Thereisatremendousamountoinormationonthisonescreenprovidingacompleteviewowhatisaecting

theworkloadothiselement

NOTE: Because this detailed view began rom a workload perspective at the hierarchy view, the details on this

page are workload related. We will see later how detailed views themselves have diferent perspectives or

Workload/Health/Capacity).

WhendiagnosingworkloadproblemsyoushouldalsolookatthehealthscoreIthehealthscoreisgoodthe

highworkloadmightbenormalortheobjectIitisnotyoushouldalsodiagnosethehealthproblemeither

beoreoraterdiagnosingthehighworkload

Noticethesummarysectionintheupperletcornershowingtheelementslast 6hoursoworkloadlevelit

clearlyshotuptoitscurrent127value(bythewaythe6-hourtimelineisadjustablethroughaconguration

setting)AquickassessmentothissectionsuggeststhatthisESXisoperatingunderveryheavyconstraint

(Workload=127)withaboundbyindicationoDiskI/OThisconstraintisunusualorthisESXgiventhatitsnormalworkloadrangeisPerhapsthisisareasonwhythehealthscorehasalsodegraded( Health=

65)romalong-termtrendingperspectivethereisnotyetaworryaboutthecapacityothisESX( Capacity=

100)Thereorewedohaveanunusualsituationworthinvestigating


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ItheworkloadincreasedrecentlyyoushouldscrolldowntoexpandtheEventsandWorkloadsectiontoseea

graphorecentworkloadvaluesandanychangeeventsthatmighthaveaectedthisobjectIncasethe

workloadincreasedimmediatelyollowinganeventyoucanmouseovertheeventicontoseethedescriptionotheeventthatmighthavecausedorcontributedtotheincreasedworkload

Thesectionollowingthissummaryshowsushowtheourcriticalresourceconsiderationsareperorming

ClearlyDiskI/Oisseriouslyconstrainedandthisconstraintisalsooutorangeromnormalbehavior(the

normalrangeobehaviorortheseourresourcecharacteristicscanbeseenbythesmallblueband(eg )that

issituatedabovetheassociatedcolorbar)

WhentheobjectworkloadisconstrainedduetoCPUormemoryreertothe CPUandMemorysectionormore

detailsWhenworkloadishighduetodiskornetworkIOscrolldowntoexpandthe StorageandNetwork

Resourcespaneorurtheranalysis

TheESXResourcessectionshowsadditionalconrmationandusagedataincludingtheESXversionYoucan

mouse-overeachothenumericentriestoseeadetailedsparklineviewothatvalueovertheprevioussixhours


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Inthetopright-handsectioncalledKeyMetricsisaseriesosparklinegraphswithselectionbuttonsThe

metricsappearinthisorder:KPIthatisviolatingitsthresholdnon-KPIthatisviolatingitsthresholdotherKPI

andothermetricsInthiscaseweclicktheDiskI/Obuttontorevealtheimportantmetricsassociatedwithdisk

workloadorthisESXNoticethatalldiskIOrelatedKPIWorkload%,CommandsperSecondand

CommandLatencyshotupsignicantly

InthesectionollowingtheKeyMetricsyouwillseeagraphicbreakdownohowtheCPUandmemoryare

allocatedandutilizedbytheobjectandiapplicablebyitschildobjects(inthiscaseESXandvariousvirtualmachinesrunningonthishost)Mouse-overanyothecolor-barsectionstoseeaoatingpop-upwithdetails

aboutthatsectionothecolorbarseehowanindividualvirtualmachineisusingCPU(ormemory)andthat

virtualmachinesworkloadhealthcapacity


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InthecaseoavirtualmachinetheCPUusagegraphinthemiddleothepageshowsthetotalCPUentitlement

usageanddemandorthevirtualmachineThevirtualmachinememorygraphshowsmemoryentitlementand

usebytheguestoperatingsystemonthevirtualmachinewhiletheESXmemorygraphshowsdemandand

actualphysicalmemoryusedontheESXhostorthisvirtualmachineMemorypressureandpagesharingon

theESXhostmightcausethetwomemorygraphstoshowdierentusagebythevirtualmachine


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TheVMwarevCenterOperationsStandardtracksvirtualmachineCPUandmemoryindierentcategories:

Confguredcapacity thisistheCPUormemoryconguredoravirtualmachine

EntitlementthisistheCPUormemorycapacitythatthevirtualmachineisentitledtobasedonresource

allocationresultingromsharesreservationsandlimitsaswellasonresourcecontentiononabusyESX

serverTheentitlementcannotbemorethanconguredcapacity

UsagethisindicatestheCPUormemoryresourcesthatavirtualmachineisactuallyusingorgettingThe

usagecannotbemorethantheentitlementorthespecicresource

DemandthisindicatestheCPUormemoryresourcesthatavirtualmachinereallyneedsDemandmetric

takesintoaccountresourcecontentiononabusysysteminadditiontotheactualresourceutilizationExample:

CPUdemandincludesCPUusageandanyCPUreadytimeexperiencedConsequentlydemandcanbegreater

thanusageorentitlement

IdemandisgreaterthanusagerstcheckithevirtualmachineisconstrainedbecauseosharesorlimitsI

othervirtualmachinesonthesameparentESXserveralsoshowhigherdemandcomparedtousageitislikely

duetocontentionresultingromvirtualmachinepopulationChecktheparentESXserverworkloaddetailsto

seewhethermoreusableCPUormemoryisavailableIyesyoucanrecongurethevirtualmachinewith

additionalresourcesInoyoumightneedtomovevirtualmachinesaroundusingVMwarevMotionoradd

moreresourcestotheESXserver

ScrolldownthedetailsviewtorevealtheRelated ObjectsandEvents and Workloadsections


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TheRelated Objectssectionshowstheworkloadvaluesortheelementsdirectlytiedtotheobjectbeing

examinedNoticetheworkloadortheparentothisESX(theCIQDataCenterdatacenter)theworkloadorthe

peersothisESX(theveotherESXservers)andtheworkloadorthechildrenothisESX(thevirtual

machines)

TheRelated Objectssectionhelpsyoudiagnoseperormanceissuesinseveralways:

ReviewtheparentobjecttoseeiitisalsoshowingexcessiveworkloadExcessiveworkloadontheparent

objectmightindicateawiderproblemIsodouble-clicktheiconortheparentobjecttodisplayitsdetails

pageandtotroubleshooturther

Ioneormorechildobjectsshowhighworkloadyoucanmouse-overthechildrenobjectstoseetheir

perormancescoresYoucandouble-clickachildobjecttodisplayitsdetailspagetotroubleshooturtherInochildobjectsshowhighworkloadandyettheobjectisexperiencingaheavyworkloadtheproblemlikely

mightbeduetohostingtoomanyvirtualmachinesPossibleresolutionsmightinvolveallocatingmore

resourcestotheobjectorremovingandorreconguringoneormorechildobjectsromit

TheEvents and WorkloadsectionshowstherecentvaluesorworkloadIncasetheworkloadincreased

immediatelyollowinganeventyoucanmouse-overtheeventicontoseethedescriptionotheeventthat

mighthavecausedorcontributedtotheincreasedworkloadYoucanalsolookatrelatedparentpeerorchild

eventsasapplicableMakesuretoselectappropriatetimerameandzoominasneededintheeventgraph


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TheStorage and NetworksectionwillhelpdiagnosediskandnetworkIO-relatedissuesitheworkloadis

constrainedondiskornetIOClickthe+iconnexttoStorageandNetworktoseethecorrespondingdetails

Clickthe+iconnexttotheESX Attached Disk Subsystemssectiontitleinordertoexpandthesectionto

revealthecurrentbehaviorotheLUNsattachedtotheESXbeingexamined


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ClickontheLUNsbuttontotoggletoaviewoLUNdetailNoticetheabilitytoclickthroughtoeachLUN(inthis

casethereare9dierentLUNsattachedtotheESX)

TheESX Used Network InteracesectionprovidesdetailedinormationaboutthenetworkIOtrafcbydeault

showingthetotalaggregateClickthe pNicsbuttontoshowapernetworkadaptorviewothemetricswiththe

abilitytoclickthroughtoeachone(inthiscasethereareourdierentphysicalnetworkadaptorsattachedto

theESX)


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AllothesesparklinegraphsincludegraybandsaroundthemetricgraphsThesebandsrepresentavery

sophisticatedanalysisothenormalbehaviorothatmetrictakingintoconsiderationtheentirehistoryothat

metricsmeasurementandadjustingortimeodaydayoweekoranyothercyclicalpatternsthatmightbe

exhibitedbythatmetric(egendomonthdierencesandsoon)

4.3 Examine Health Details

Thehealthratinggivesyouaquickoverviewothecurrentstateoanyobjectromanindividualvirtual

machinetotheentirevirtualinrastructureVMwarevCenterOperationsStandardcalculateshealthbyusingthe

perormanceotheKPIortheobjectthenumberoabnormallybehavingmetricsortheobjectandother

aspectsotheobjectperormanceTheoverallhealthscoreoranobjectrangesromtoAhighhealth

scoreindicatesthatanobjectisperorminginaccordancewithitsestablishedhistoricalparametersmostorall

oitsmetricsarebehavingnormallyBecausechangesinbehaviorotenindicatedevelopingproblemsithe

metricsoanobjectbehaveabnormallythehealthscoreortheresourcedecreasesAsmoremetricsbehave

abnormallyhealthscorecontinuestodecrease

ToaccesstheDetailvieworhealthoanobjecttoggletheviewromthehierarchypageorromthis Detail

pagedirectlyToviewthehealthperspectiveortheentirehierarchyyoumustclickthe Homelinkatthetoplet

othepagetoreturntotheinitiallandingpage

Clickthevcops-qa-vcbreadcrumblinkatthetopletothepageThiswillreturntheocustotheentire

hierarchynotjusttheoneelementyouhadbeenreviewing


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ClicktheHealthiconintheupperletsectionandnoticethebeoreandaterdierencewiththissection:

Beore:

Ater:

AsimilarlayoutbutnowHealthistheprimaryiconandtheDgraphshowsthepastsixhoursothehealth

score

Mostotheothersectionsareunchangedwhentogglingtothe Health(orCapacity)perspectivesThesections

Workload, ESX Resources, Key Metrics, ESX Attached Disk Subsystems and ESX Used Network Interaces

allareunchanged

TheRelated Objectssectionstillshowsthevariousparentpierchildrenelementsbutnowshowstheir Health

values(nottheirWorkloadvalues)hencethechangeiniconshapetorepresent Health


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ThemajorchangeintheHealthviewisinthecentralpanelNoticeitsdeaultlayout:

Thissectionnowshowsanautomaticassessmentowhichmetricswithinthiselementsecosystem(iethe

parentchildrenanddatastores)areperormingabnormallywiththesemetricsgroupedbyelementtype

Clicktheexpansionicon( )nexttothecurrentlycollapsedelementtypesDatastoreandVirtual Machineto

revealthisview:

Clicktheexpansionicon( )nexttotheHost SystemandNetworkmetriccategorytorevealspecicmetrics

thatareperormingabnormally

Noticethe iconindicatingthatthemetricisaboveitshistoricallynormalvalue(giventhetimeodayday

oweekandsoon)Oryoucanmouse-overtheicontoseetheOverdynamicthresholdtext


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Double-clickanyothebluebarstoseetheactualelementsreportingthatabnormalityClosethepop-up

windowwhenyoucompletethisstep

4.4 Examine Capacity Details

Thissectionothelabwillocusonthe CapacityperspectiveoVMwarevCenterOperationsStandardThe

capacityscoreindicateshowcloseanobjectistoexhaustingthecomputingresourcesthatareavailabletoit

ThesecomputingresourcesincludediskspacememorysizenetworkcapacityandsoonTocalculatethe

capacityscoreVMwarevCenterOperationsStandardcombinesapplicablemetricsromthemonitoredVMware

vCenterServerandappliesitsanalyticsalgorithmstothesemetricstodeterminelong-termcyclesandtrends

VMwarevCenterOperationsStandardcanusetheseresultstocalculatewhenanobjectislikelytorunoutoa

typeoresourceorexamplewhenanobjectwillrunoutodiskspaceUnlike Workloadwhichrepresentsthe

short-termconditionoamonitoredobject Capacityrepresentsalonger-termcharacteristicItiscalculatedin

thecontextotimeremaininguntiltheresourcesoanobjectareexhaustedThereoreanobjectmighthave

veryhighworkloadandatthesametimenormalcapacitylevels

TobeginclicktheHomelinkatthetopletothepagetoreturntotheinitiallandingpage

Clickthevcops-qa-vcbreadcrumblinkatthetopletothepageThiswillreturntheocustotheentire

hierarchynotjusttheoneelementyouhadbeenreviewing

ClickthelargeCapacityiconinthetoplettopivottotheCapacityview


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Yourviewshouldbesimilartotheollowing:

Noticethatthechangediconshapeortheelementsinthehierarchydenotesthe Capacityperspective

Similarmouse-overpop-upsandlteringarepossibleinthisperspectiveaswiththe Workloadand Health

perspectives

Double-clickthisvirtualmachinetodrillintoitsdetailsNoticeagainhowmuchothecontentothisdetailed

viewiscommonwhetherviewedromthe CapacityHealthorWorkloadperspective


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Youwillseehoweverthattheupperrightsectionshowsthethreelargeiconswith Capacitybeingthelargest

ocusandthesix-hourviewshowingtherecenthistoryothecapacityscoreNoticehowyouseeinthisview

thatthecapacityscoreismeaningthatyouwillberunningoutoaresourcewithinthenextdaysas

opposedtowhichwouldmeannoanticipatedcapacityissuesorthenextyearYettheworkloadisnot

currentlyveryhigh(Workload = 78)andtheHealthscoreo100 indicatesthatthisvirtualmachineisoperating

asitnormallydoes

Butocusonthecentersectionwhichisspecictothecurrent CapacityperspectiveItisshowingthat

Memory|Overall Workload (%)isexpectedtobreachcapacityandspecicallyisanticipatedinourdays (4d)

ThechartshowsavisualdepictionothecyclesandwhatpatternsexistsuggestingtheuturebreachNotice

alsothatthereisanotherbreachthatwouldcauseconcern( CPU Usage| Workload(%))ineightdays(8d)The

Disk|Workload (%)isalsoexpectedtobreachthoughitisnotanticipatedtobreachor6days


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AswithWorkloadandHealthdetailedviewsyoucanscrolldowntheCapacitydetailsviewtorevealthe

Related ObjectsandEvents and Workloadsections

Double-clickingontheparentobjectshowsyoucapacitydetailsortheparentESXhostYoucanseethatinthis

caseMemory|Overall Workload (%)isexpectedtobreachcapacityin68days(68d)CPU Usage|

Workload(%) in76days(76d)andDisk|Workload (%)in8days(148d)


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ClicktheCPU Usage|Workload (%)linkinthecentersectiontoswitchthegraphtotheprojectedbehavior(and

potentialbreach)oanyotheseCapacitymetrics

Scrolldowntoseetheamiliarsectionshowing Related Objects, Events and CapacityandVirtual Machine

Attached Disk Subsystems.


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YoucannowtakeappropriateactionbasedonwhichtypeoresourceisexpectedtobeexhaustedThismight

involveorderingmoreresourcesincreasingresourcesortheESXhostandoneormorevirtualmachinesonthe

ESXhostmovingvirtualmachinestoanotherESXhostorotheractionsasappropriate

4.5 Use Scorecard

YoucanusetheScoreboardpagetodeterminestressedorunderusedhostsandclustersinyourvirtual

inrastructureThiscanalsohelpyoudecidewhichresourcescanbestaccommodateanynewvirtualmachine

thatyouplantoprovisionorupcomingprojectsTomonitoravailableresourcesinaclusterorESXhostclick

thescoreboardinthepop-upwindowortheobjecttoopentheScoreboardpage

InthiscasewearelookingattheScorecardpageortheWorkloadperspectiveThe Scoreboardpagedisplays

theworkloadscoresorallchildobjectsintheselectedobjectBydeaultitemphasizestheobjectswithhigh

workloadmeaningtheobjectsthatareconstrainedorresourcesNoticethattheobjecticonsizesreectthe

relativeperormancescoreotheobjectsuggestingthatthelargerredobjectsaremorestressedcomparedto

thesmallergreenobjects


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ObjectswithlowworkloadarethemostlikelycandidatesorhostingmorevirtualmachinesTomaketheicons

largerorESXhostswithlowworkloadclicktheReverselargeandsmallbuttonattheupperright

Youcandouble-clicktheiconoapossiblecandidatehostorclustertoopenits Detailspage

SimilarlyyoucanswitchromWorkloadtoHealthtoCapacityviewstoseetherespectiveScorecard pagesFor

exampleyoureviewtheCapacity Scorecardpagetoshowwhichobjectsarelikelytoexceedtheircapacity

limitsInsuchcasesyoumightnotwanttoaddanewvirtualmachinetotheESXhostorcluster


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4.6 Analyze Using Heatmaps

YoucanusetheheatmapsavailableintheAnalysisviewtocomparetheperormanceoobjectsacrossthe

virtualinrastructureinrealtimeMorethanpredenedheatmapscomparecommonlyusedmetricsYoucan

deneanunlimitednumberocustomheatmapstodisplayexactlythemetricsthatyouneedHeatmapscanhelpyouinseveralways:

YoucanusetheheatmapsavailableintheAnalysisviewtocompareperormanceoselectedmetricsacross

thevirtualinrastructureYoucanusethisinormationtobalancetheloadacrossESXhostsandvirtual

machines

YoucanusetheAnalysisviewtondtheobjectswiththehighestorlowestvaluesoraparticularmetric

YoucanusetheAnalysisviewtoanalyzetheoperationodierentobjecttypeswithinoroutsidethedesired

rangeoreachmetricUsuallyyoupreerobjectstooperatewithinaspecicrangeovaluesHighmetric

valuesmightmeananoverloadwhichcanleadtoperormanceproblemsLowmetricvaluesindicate

inefciencyorwasteoresources

ClickAnalysistoaccesstheheatmapsavailableinVMwarevCenterOperationsStandardFromtheocusarea

drop-downmenuselectthemetrictocompareorselect All.NextselecttheobjecttypeorselectAll

Confgurations romtheSmallest Boxdrop-downmenuTheheatmapsthatmatchyourselectionsappearinthelistTodisplayclicktheheatmapyouareinterestedin

EachheatmapisacollectionodierentlycoloredandsizedrectanglesEachrectanglerepresentsaresource

ThecolorotherectanglerepresentsthevalueoonemetricthesizerepresentsthevalueoanotherForexampleoneheatmapshowsthetotalmemoryandpercentageomemoryusageoreachvirtualmachine

Largerrectanglesarevirtualmachineswithmoretotalmemorygreenindicateslowmemoryuseandred

indicateshighuseThedisplayisupdatedinrealtimeasnewvaluesarecollectedromeachresource

ThebarbelowtheheatmapisthelegendItshowswhatvaluesarerepresentedbytheendpointsandmidpoint

othecolorrangeTheobjectsshownontheheatmaparegroupedbytheirparentsExample:Aheatmapthat

showsvirtualmachineperormancewillgroupvirtualmachinesbytheESXhoststheybelongto


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Youcanclickthecolumnheaderorthemetricinordertosortthe DetailssectionbythemetricvalueSortingby

ametriccolumnenablesyoutoseethehighestandlowestvaluesorthatmetricToreversethesortorderclick

thecolumnheaderagainSimilarlydouble-clickingarectangleintheheatmapwilltakeyoutothe Detailspage

ortheobject

InopredenedheatmapshowstheinormationthatyouwanttoseeyoucandeneacustomheatmapYou

canselecteveryaspectoaheatmap:theobjectsandmetricsittracksthecolorsitusesandtheendpointsor

itsvaluerangeWhendeningthecustomheatmapsetthe Max Value andMin Valueeldstothetopand

bottomothedesiredrangeorthismetricBecauseyouhavesettheendpointsorthegraphedcolorsany

objectshowingtheendpointcoloreithergreenandredororangeandblueisoutsidethedesiredrange

ObjectsoperatingwithinthedesiredrangewillshowintermediatecolorsInthiscasewecreateanewheatmap

toshowvirtualmachineIOcontentionbasedondisklatency


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Theollowingscreenshotshowstheoutputproducedbythiscustomheatmap

Heatmapscanserveassinglepaneat-a-glanceperormancedashboardsoryourvirtualinrastructurethat

canhelpyouprioritizeperormancetroubleshootingeorts

5. Next StepsInthisguidewehavepresentedthekeyevaluationtasksorVMwarevCenterOperationsStandardReertothe

VMware vCenter Operations Standard Installation and Administration Guideoranyurtherdetails

5.1 VMware Contact Inormation

ForadditionalinormationortopurchaseVMwarevCenterOperationsStandardtheglobalnetworkoVMware

solutionsprovidersisreadytoassistIyouwouldliketocontactVMwaredirectlyyoucanreachasales

representativeat-877-VMWARE(6-7-outsideNorthAmerica)oremail sales@vmwarecom When

emailingincludethestatecountryandcompanynameromwhichyouareinquiring

5.2 Providing Feedback

VMwareappreciatesyoureedbackonthematerialincludedinthisguideinparticularanyguidanceonthe

ollowingtopics:

Howuseulwastheinormationinthisguide?

Whichotherspecictopicswouldyouliketoseecovered?

Overallhowwouldyouratethisguide?

Sendyoureedbacktotheollowingaddress: tmdoceedback@vmwarecom withVMwarevCenter

OperationsStandardEvaluatorsGuideinthesubjectlineThankyouoryourhelpinmakingthisguide

avaluableresource


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Documents

vCenter Ops Std Eval Guide