You can track user console and API actions by examining the system audit events that VMware Data Services Manager generates. VMware Data Services Manager also generates audit events for actions that it initiates. You monitor these events in the System Audit Events view.

Note:

The System Audit Events view is the only VMware Data Services Manager console location where you can track non-database-related operations and tasks.

The System Audit Events view displays the following information:

  • The Component identifies the name of the VMware Data Services Manager component performing the operation.

  • The Event Type identifies the type of audited event or operation.
  • The Event Details column provides operation-specific details related to the audit event.
  • The Event Time identifies the time at which the audit event occurred.
  • The Status column identifies the status of the audit event.

  • The Source column identifies the entity that initiated the operation - a VMware Data Services Manager user identifier (Email ID) or System (when initiated by VMware Data Services Manager).

About the Source Types for System Audit Events

VMware Data Services Manager displays one of the following types of Source for the audit events listed in the System Audit Events view.

  • For the events that VMware Data Services Manager triggers without any user intervention, System is specified as the Source.

  • For the events that a DSM user triggers, <email_id> is specified as the Source.

Exporting Information About Audit Events

VMware Data Services Manager allows you to export information about the audit events in the CSV and XLSX file format. You can perform various operations, comparisons, and analysis on the exported data to facilitate decisions, for example, frequency of a particular operation.

The following information is exported in the CSV or XSLX file format, as required:

  • Component that represents the component on which the audit event has been performed
  • Event Type that represents the type of the audit event
  • Event Details that represents more information about the audit event, for example failure or success of the event
  • Event Time(UTC) that represents the date of creation of the audit event in UTC
  • Status that represents the status of the audit event
  • Source that represents user that has performed the audit event

Information about all the audit events that is visible to a particular user is exported irrespective of the number of audit events listed on a page.

Perform the following steps to export information about the audit events in the CSV and XLSX file format.

Procedure

  1. Navigate to System Audit at the left of the UI.
  2. Click the ACTIONS drop-down menu in the top right side of the System Audit Events view, and then select Export to CSV or Export to XLSX.
    The information about all the audit events is exported in either CSV or XLSX file format, as selected.
  3. Open the exported file, convert the content of the Date column to a custom format (if you have downloaded a CSV file and opened it in an XLSX application), and then save it for further use and analysis.