After you deploy and configure the host virtual machine with the PowerShell Module for VMware Cloud Foundation Reporting and the Python Module for VMware Cloud Foundation Health Monitoring in VMware Aria Operations, you import and configure views, super metrics, dashboards, alerts, and notifications in VMware Aria Operations to enable health data ingestion and aggregation.

Import and Configure Artifacts in VMware Aria Operations for Health Reporting and Monitoring for VMware Cloud Foundation

To import dashboards, views and super metrics, you perform this procedure in VMware Aria Operations with a user assigned the Administrator role.

Note:

Even if you have multiple VMware Cloud Foundation instances, you need to import the artifacts only once.

You must enable super metrics in the default policy of VMware Aria Operations.

The artifacts reside in the target directory you selected when you installed the Python Module for VMware Cloud Foundation Health Monitoring in VMware Aria Operations by using PiP.
Guest Operating System Artifact Path
Photon OS /opt/vmware/hrm-<sddc_manager_vm_name>/artifacts/vSAN

Windows Server

C:\vmware\hrm-<sddc_manager_vm_name>\artifacts\vSAN

Procedure

  1. Log in to the VMware Aria Operations interface at https://<aria_operations_fqdn> with a user assigned the Administrator role.
  2. Import the pre-defined views.
    1. In the left pane, navigate to Operations > Views.
    2. In the Views pane, click Manage.
    3. From the ellipsis drop-down menu, select Import.
    4. In the Import view dialog box, click Browse, navigate to the Views.zip file, click Open, click Import, and click Done.
  3. Import the pre-defined super metrics.
    1. In the left pane, navigate to Operations > Configurations.
    2. On the Configuration page, click Super metrics
    3. From the ellipsis drop-down menu, select Import.
    4. In the Import super metric dialog box, click Browse, navigate to the Supermetrics.json file, click Open, click Import, and click Done.
  4. Configure the default policy to enable the super metrics.

    1. In the left pane, navigate to Operations > Configurations.

    2. On the Configuration page, click Policy definitions.
    3. On the Policy definition page, select the Default policy and, from the ellipsis drop-down menu, select Edit.

    4. On the Default policy page, click the Metrics and properties card.

    5. From the Select object type drop-down menu, select vCenter > Cluster compute resource.

    6. Expand Super metrics and select all super metrics beginning with SM.

    7. From the Actions drop-down menu, select State > Activate.

    8. On the Metrics and properties page, click Save.

    9. Repeat this step to activate the following:

      Object Type

      Component

      vCenter

      Cluster computer resource

      Datacenter

      vCenter Server

      NSX

      NSX

      VMware Cloud Foundation

      VCF Domain
  5. Import the pre-defined dashboards.
    1. In the left pane, navigate to Operations > Dashboards.

    2. In the Dashboards pane, click Manage.

    3. From the ellipsis drop-down menu, select Import.

    4. In the Import dashboard dialog box, click Browse, navigate to the Dashboards.zip file, click Open, click Import, and click Done.

    Note: After successfully importing and configuring the artifacts, the tables show data immediately. Heat maps on dashboards may take from 12 up to 24 hours to display colors.

Import and Configure Alerts in VMware Aria Operations for Health Reporting and Monitoring for VMware Cloud Foundation

To enable alerts in VMware Aria Operations, you import the Alert_Definitions.xml file provided with the Python Module for VMware Cloud Foundation Health Monitoring in VMware Aria Operations and enable the alerts. The alerts comprise of an alert definition, one or more symptom definition, and recommendations.

Note:

Even if you have multiple VMware Cloud Foundation instances, you need to import the Alert_Definitions.xml file only once.

Procedure

  1. Log in to the VMware Aria Operations interface at https://<aria_operations_fqdn> with a user assigned the Administrator role.

  2. Import the pre-defined alerts.

    1. In the left pane, navigate to Operations > Configurations.

    2. On the Configurations page, click Alert definitions.

    3. On the Alert definitions page, from the ellipsis drop-down menu, select Import.

    4. In the Import alert definition dialog box, click Browse, navigate to the Alert_Definitions.xml file, click Open, click Import, and click Done.

  3. Configure the default policy to enable the alerts.

    1. In the left pane, navigate to Operations > Configurations.

    2. On the Configurations page, click Policy definition.

    3. On the Policy definitionpage, select the Default policy and, from the ellipsis drop-down menu, select Edit.

    4. On the Default policy page, click the Alerts and symptoms card.

    5. On the Alerts and symptoms page, click the Alert definition tab.

    6. In the Filter text box, enter SoS and click the Select all icon.

    7. From the Actions drop-down menu, select State > Activated.

    8. On the Alerts and symptoms page, click Save.
    9. Repeat this step to activate the remaining alert definitions by entering HRM in the Filter text box.

Import and Configure Notifications in VMware Aria Operations for Health Reporting and Monitoring for VMware Cloud Foundation

To send notifications through VMware Aria Operations, you edit the predefined alert notification rules provided with the Python Module for VMware Cloud Foundation Health Monitoring in VMware Aria Operations according to your environment and import the Notifications.json file in VMware Aria Operations. This solution uses the standard email plug-in as the notification outbound method.

Note:

Even if you have multiple VMware Cloud Foundation instances, you need to import the Notifications.json file only once.

Procedure

  1. Log in to the host virtual machine.
    1. For Photon OS, log in to the host virtual machine at <host_virtual_machine_fqdn>:22 as the admin user by using a Secure Shell (SSH) client.
    2. For Windows Server OS, log in to the host virtual machine at <host_virtual_machine_fqdn> as the Administrator user by using a Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) client and open Command Prompt.
  2. Generate the notifications.json file.
    1. Navigate to the main directory of the Python Module for VMware Cloud Foundation Health Reporting.

      Guest Operating System

      Command

      Photon OS

      		 
      cd /opt/vmware/hrm-<sddc_manager_vm_name>/main/

      Windows Server

      		 
      cd C:\vmware\hrm-<sddc_manager_vm_name>\main\
    2. Generate the notifications.json file by running the command. 
      python notifications.py
    3. Select the plug-in type.
    4. Enter the plug-in name set in VMware Aria Operations.
    5. Depending on the plug-in type, enter the email(s) for the recepient(s) or the webhook for the Slack plug-in.
  3. Log in to the VMware Aria Operations interface at https://<aria_operations_fqdn> with a user assigned the Administrator role.
  4. Import the pre-defined notifications.
    1. In the VMware Aria Operations operations interface, navigate to Operations > Configurations.
    2. On the Configurations page, click Notifications.
    3. On the Notifications page, from the ellipsis drop-down menu, select Import.
    4. In the Import notification settings dialog box, click Browse, navigate to the generated Notifications.json file, click Open, click Import, and click Done.