After you implement the Private Cloud Automation for VMware Cloud Foundation validated solution, aggregate log collection and analytics from the vRealize Automation components in the VMware Cloud Foundation environment.

For validated logging solutions, see VMware Cloud Foundation Validated Solutions.

If vRealize Log Insight is integrated into the VMware Cloud Foundation environment, you can gather logging information about the vRealize Automation components by using the Fluentd plug-in for vRealize Log Insight on vRealize Automation.

After you deploy vRealize Automation by using vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager in VMware Cloud Foundation mode, SDDC Manager activates the Fluentd configuration in vRealize Automation for sending logs to the vRealize Log Insight cluster using the vRealize Log Insight ingestion API.

You can use the vRealize Log Insight content pack for vRealize Automation for collecting logs from vRealize Automation and providing a consolidated summary of log events across the vRealize Automation components for log analysis.

To gather logging information about the vRealize Orchestrator, you manually install the vRealize Log Insight content pack for vRealize Orchestrator to provide a consolidated summary of log events for analysis.

Table 1. Design Decisions on Logging for Private Cloud Automation

Decision ID

Design Decision

Design Justification

Design Implication

PCA-VRA-LOG-001

Use the vRealize Log Insight content pack for vRealize Automation.

  • Provides an additional granular monitoring on the virtual infrastructure.

  • The content pack is installed by SDDC Manager.

None.

PCA-VRA-LOG-002

Use the default configuration to transmit logs from vRealize Automation to the adjacent vRealize Log Insight in the VMware Cloud Foundation instance using the vRealize Log Insight ingestion API, cfapi, on port 9000.

  • Ensures the transmission of logs from the vRealize Automation services to be forwarded to the adjacent vRealize Log Insight using the vRealize Log Insight plugin for Fluentd.

  • Provides the ability to configure a planned failover or disaster recovery of vRealize Automation to another VMware Cloud Foundation instance with minimal reconfiguration of vRealize Automation.

  • VMware Cloud Foundation does not support the ability select the cfapi port used for the vRealize Automation integration with vRealize Log Insight.

The default configuration is unencrypted. To ensure that the transmission of logs between vRealize Automation and vRealize Log Insight is encrypted using SSL, you must update the default configuration for vRealize Automation to send logs to vRealize Log Insight using the ingestion API, cfapi, on port 9543 using the vRealize Automationvracli.

For example, on the primary vRealize Automation cluster node, run the command vracli vrli set https://<vrli_ilb_fqdn>:9543

See Configuring Log Forwarding to vRealize Log Insight in the vRealize Automation documentation.

PCA-VRA-LOG-003

Use the vRealize Log Insight content pack for vRealize Orchestrator.

  • Provides an additional granular monitoring on the virtual infrastructure.

  • Install the content pack manually as this installation is not yet automated by SDDC Manager.

None.

PCA-VRA-LOG-004

Configure a dedicated agent group in the vRealize Log Insight cluster to include all FQDNs of the vRealize Automation cluster nodes.

  • Provides a standardized configuration to all vRealize Log Insight agents in each of the groups.

  • Defines the vRealize Log Insight agent configuration for log collection and parsing in the context of the SDDC components, such as specific log directories, files, and formats.

Adds minimal load to vRealize Log Insight.

Prerequisites

Verify that vRealize Log Insight is deployed and operational in a logical environment in VMware Cloud Foundation mode, using the corresponding vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager instance.