VMware offers different products and services in the field of applications, databases, third-party software, virtualization, operating systems, etc.

You can use the Box to collect information on VMware machines using dedicated service templates. Monitoring of VMware environments is performed using the VMware API Web services. This means that the Box must be able to access them in HTTPS and authenticate.

There are two possible configurations for the VMware environment:

• The VMware data center is managed by a vCenter. In this case, information must be collected from the vCenter, namely from Space Utilization by Datastores, in order to ensure that it is up-to-date.
  Note: Experience has shown that the collection of information from ESX hosts managed by a vCenter may not run correctly all the time, and as such, may generate an Unknown or Critical status.

• ESX hypervisors are not associated with a vCenter. In this case, information must be collected directly from the ESX host.
   

To use control points based on VMware, specific prerequisites must first be met.

• You configure these prerequisites once only.
• This is done in two steps:
  • Create a dedicated user in the VMware environment for monitoring the machines
  • Assign read-only rights to this user

Notes

• Depending on the configuration of the VMware environment, the dedicated user for monitoring VMware must be created on the vCenter or on the ESX host.

Procedures

How to configure the VMware monitoring prerequisites on the vCenter

Step 1: Create a dedicated user for monitoring VMware on the vCenter 

1. Log in to the vSphere Client.

2. Go to the root of the tree structure.

3. Select Administration > Single Sign-On > Users and Groups in the menu and select the Users tab.

4. Create the dedicated user for monitoring VMware.

• Select the domain.
• Click +.

5. Specify the information on the new user.

6. Click Add.
 

Step 2: Assign read-only rights

1. Go to the root of the tree structure.

2. Select Administration > Access Control > Global Permissions in the menu.

3. Click +.

4. Assign read-only rights to the dedicated user.

• Select the domain of the user.
• Find the dedicated user.
• Select the Read Only role.
• Select the Propagate to children box.
• Click OK.

Step 3: Create a dedicated monitoring account for VMware in EV Observe

1. Go to the EV Observe application.

2. Select Configuration > General > Monitoring accounts in the menu.

3. Create a monitoring account using the dedicated user you created earlier.

• Click + Add.
• Select the VMware vCenter account.
• Specify the name of the dedicated user you created in step 2.
• Click Validate.

Step 4: Set up monitoring in EV Observe using the service templates specific to VMware

     See:

• Host templates dedicated to the monitoring of VMware environments
• General procedure: How to deploy a service using a service template

How to configure VMware monitoring prerequisites on an ESX host

Step 1: Create a dedicated user for monitoring VMware on the ESX host

1. Log in to the vSphere Client on the ESX host.

2. Create the dedicated user for monitoring VMware.

         See the detailed procedure entitled Add an ESXi User on the VMware website

3. Assign read-only rights.
 

Step 2: Create a dedicated monitoring account for VMware in EV Observe

1. Go to the EV Observe application.

2. Select Configuration > General > Monitoring accounts in the menu.

3. Create a monitoring account using the dedicated user you created earlier.

• Click + Add.
• Select the VMware account.
• Specify the name of the dedicated user you created in step 2.
• Click Validate.

Step 4: Set up monitoring in EV Observe using the service templates specific to VMware

     See:

• Host templates dedicated to the monitoring of VMware environments
• General procedure: How to deploy a service using a service template