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

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

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

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

You can use the VMware Aria Operations for Logs content pack for VMware Aria Automation for collecting logs from VMware Aria Automation and providing a consolidated summary of log events across the VMware Aria Automation components for log analysis.

To gather logging information about the VMware Aria Automation Orchestrator, you manually install the VMware Aria Operations for Logs content pack for VMware Aria Automation 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-VAA-LOG-001

Use the VMware Aria Operations for Logs content pack for VMware Aria Automation.

  • Provides an additional granular monitoring on the virtual infrastructure.

  • The content pack is installed by SDDC Manager.

None.

PCA-VAA-LOG-002

Use the default configuration to transmit logs from VMware Aria Automation to the adjacent VMware Aria Operations for Logs in the VMware Cloud Foundation instance using the VMware Aria Operations for Logs ingestion API, cfapi, on port 9000.

  • Ensures the transmission of logs from the VMware Aria Automation services to be forwarded to the adjacent VMware Aria Operations for Logs using the VMware Aria Operations for Logs plugin for Fluentd.

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

  • VMware Cloud Foundation does not support the ability select the cfapi port used for the VMware Aria Automation integration with VMware Aria Operations for Logs.

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

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

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

PCA-VAA-LOG-003

Use the VMware Aria Operations for Logs content pack for VMware Aria Automation 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-VAA-LOG-004

Configure a dedicated agent group in the VMware Aria Operations for Logs cluster to include all FQDNs of the VMware Aria Automation cluster nodes.

  • Provides a standardized configuration to all VMware Aria Operations for Logs agents in each of the groups.

  • Defines the VMware Aria Operations for Logs 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 VMware Aria Operations for Logs.

Prerequisites

Verify that VMware Aria Operations for Logs is deployed and operational in a logical environment in VMware Cloud Foundation mode, using the corresponding VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle instance.