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VMware Plugin

This documentation applies to NMS version 5.4. An online version of the software can be found here.

The VMware plugin requires device specific configuration and is therefore disabled on new devices by default. The VMware plugin enables you to monitor your ESX/ESXi hosts and virtual machines (or Guest OSs) through vSphere. When you enable the VMware plugin, the following VMware data appears 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

The Cluster Manager Cluster Settings tab provides a Resource Pool Auto-grouping check box to enable the creation of device groups into which all virtual machines in each resource pool are automatically grouped.

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 From the VMware Browser

When you enable the VMware plugin for a vCenter device, SevOne NMS queries the vCenter and discovers all hosts on the vCenter and all virtual machines for each host. The VMware Browser displays all hosts and virtual machines on each vCenter. 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 hosts and virtual machines. The VMware Browser enables you to enable and disable the VMware plugin for multiple 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 the New Device chapter.

  4. images/download/attachments/14288577/triangledown.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. In the VMware Name field, enter the name of the vCenter as it appears in vSphere.

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

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

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

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

  11. 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 for authentication.

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

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

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

  14. Select the Automatically Discover Devices check box to discover the vCenter hosts and virtual machines at 5:00 UTC every day. The discovered hosts and virtual machines on the vCenter appear on the VMware Browser with Yes in the SevOne Monitored column. Leave clear to disable discovery of the vCenter hosts and virtual machines.

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

Enable the VMware Plugin From the Edit Device Page

You can enable the VMware plugin for an individual device from the Edit Device page and the Object Manager enables you to manage polling of the VMware objects on devices.

  1. From the Navigation bar, click the Devices menu and select Device Manager.

  2. Either add a device with the VMware plugin or edit a device to enable the VMware plugin.

  4. images/download/attachments/14288577/triangledown.png - Click the plugin drop-down (displays SNMP by default) and select VMware.

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

  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 is 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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