The Alerts tab is a list of all the alerts generated for the selected object, group, or application. Use the alerts list to evaluate the number of generated alerts for the object so that you can begin resolving them.

How the Alerts Tab Works

All the active alerts for the selected object appear in the list. By default, the system groups the alerts by Time. You can select multiple rows in the list using Shift+click, Control+click. Modify the filter if you want to see inactive alerts.

Manage the alerts in the list using the toolbar options. Click the alert name to see the alert details for the affected object. The alert details appear on the right, including the symptoms triggered with the alert. The system offers recommendations for addressing the alert and links to additional information. A Run Action button might appear in the details. Point to the button to learn what recommendation is performed if you click the button. To return to the list view, click the X at the top right of the alert details.

To see the object details, click the Summary Tab.

Where You Find the Alerts Tab

  • In the menu, click Environment, then select a group, custom data center, application, or inventory object. Click the object to display the object's Summary tab. Click the Alerts > Alerts tabs.
  • In the menu, select Search and locate the object of interest. Click the object to display the object's Summary tab. Click the Alerts > Alerts tabs.

Alerts Tab Options

The alert options include toolbar and data grid options. Use the toolbar options to sort the alert list and to cancel, suspend, or manage ownership. Additional toolbar options enable you to review parent and child alerts related to the alert you are reviewing. Use the data grid to view the alerts and alert details.

Table 1. Actions Menu
Option Description
Actions menu Select an alert from the list to turn on the Actions menu, then select an option from the menu.
Menu Options:
Cancel Alert

Cancels the selected alerts. If you configure the alert list to display only active alerts, the canceled alert is removed from the list.

You cancel alerts when you do not need to address them. Canceling the alert does not cancel the underlying condition that generated the alert. Canceling alerts is effective if the alert is generated by triggered fault and event symptoms because these symptoms are triggered again only when subsequent faults or events occur on the monitored objects. If the alert is generated based on metric or property symptoms, the alert is canceled only until the next collection and analysis cycle. If the violating values are still present, the alert is generated again.

Delete Canceled Alerts Delete canceled (inactive) alerts by making a group selection or by individually selecting alerts. You cannot delete active alerts.
Suspend

Suspend an alert for a specified number of minutes.

You suspend alerts when you are investigating an alert and do not want the alert to affect the health, risk, or efficiency of the object while you are working. If the problem persists after the elapsed time, the alert is reactivated and it will again affect the health, risk, or efficiency of the object.

The user who suspends the alert becomes the assigned owner.

Take Ownership

As the current user, you make yourself the owner of the alert.

You can only take ownership of an alert, you cannot assign ownership.

Release Ownership

Alert is released from all ownership.

Go to Alert Definition Switches to the Alert Definitions page, with the definition for the previously selected alert displayed.
Disable... Offers two options for disabling the alert:

Disable the alert in all policies: this disables the alert for all objects for all the policies.

Disable Alert in Selected Policies: this disables the alert for objects having the selected policy. This method works only for objects with alerts.

Open an external application Actions you can run on the selected object.

For example, Open Virtual Machine in vSphere Client.

Table 2. View from Menu
Options Description
Self The selected object.
Parents <options>

Displays the alerts for the ancestors of the selected object.

Parents in this instance include the parents, grandparents, and so on, of the object. For example, the parents of a host are a folder, storage pod, cluster, data center, and vCenter Server instance.

Children <options>

Displays the alerts for the descendants of the selected object.

Children in this instance include the children and grandchildren of the object. For example, the descendants of a host are datastores, resources pools, and virtual machines.

Table 3. Group by Options
Option Description
None Alerts are not sorted into specific groupings.
Time Group alerts by time triggered. The default.
Criticality Group alerts by criticality. Values are, from the least critical: Info/Warning/Immediate/Critical. See also Criticality in the "All Alerts Data Grid Options" table, below.
Definition Group alerts by definition, that is, group like alerts together.
Object Type Group alerts by the type of object that triggered the alert. For example, group alerts on hosts together.
Table 4. Alerts Data Grid
Option Description
Criticality

Criticality is the level of importance of the alert in your environment. The alert criticality appears in a tooltip when you hover the mouse over the criticality icon.

The level is based on the level assigned when the alert definition was created, or on the highest symptom criticality, if the assigned level was Symptom Based.

Alert

Name of the alert definition that generated the alert.

Click the alert name to view the alert details tabs where you can begin troubleshooting the alert.

Created On

Date and time when the alert was generated.

Status

Current state of the alert.

Possible values include Active or Canceled.

Alert Type

Describes the type of alert that triggered on the selected object, and helps you categorize the alerts so that you can assign certain types of alerts to specific system administrators. For example, Application, Virtualization/Hypervisor, Hardware, Storage, Network, Administrative, and Findings.
Alert Subtype

Describes additional information about the type of alert that triggered on the selected object, and helps you categorize the alerts to a more detailed level than Alert Type, so that you can assign certain types of alerts to specific system administrators. For example, Availability, Performance, Capacity, Compliance, and Configuration.

Table 5. All Filters
All Filters Descriptions
Filtering options Limit the list of alerts to those matching the filters you select.

For example, you might have chosen the Time option in the Group By menu. Now you can select Status -> Active in the all Filters menu, and the All Alerts page displays only the active alerts, ordered by the time they were triggered.

Selected Options (see also the Group By and Alerts Data Grid tables for more filter definitions:)
Owner Name of operator who owns the alert.
Impact

Alert badge affected by the alert. The affected badge, health, risk, or efficiency, indicates the level of urgency for the identified problem.

Triggered On

Name of the object for which the alert was generated, and the object type, which appears in a tooltip when you hover the mouse over the object name.

Click the object name to view the object details tabs where you can begin to investigate any additional problems with the object.

Control State
State of user interaction with the alert. Possible values include:
  • Open. The alert is available for action and has not been assigned to a user.
  • Assigned. The alert is assigned to the user who is logged in when that user clicks Take Ownership.
  • Suspended. The alert was suspended for a specified amount of time. The alert is temporarily excluded from affecting the health, risk, and efficiency of the object. This state is useful when a system administrator is working on a problem and does not want the alert to affect the health status of the object.
Object Type

Type of object on which the alert was generated.

Updated On

Date and time when the alert was last modified.

An alert is updated whenever one of the following changes occurs:
  • Another symptom in the alert definition is triggered.
  • Triggering symptom that contributed to the alert is canceled.
Canceled On
Date and time when the alert canceled for one of the following reasons:
  • Symptoms that triggered the alert are no longer active. Alert is canceled by the system.
  • Symptoms that triggered the alert are canceled because the corresponding symptom definitions are disabled in the policy that is applied to the object.
  • Symptoms that triggered the alert are canceled because the corresponding symptom definitions were deleted.
  • Alert definition for this alert is disabled in the policy that is applied to the object.
  • Alert definition is deleted.
  • User canceled the alert.
Table 6. Alert Details Tab
Section Description
Recommendations View recommendations for the alert. To resolve the alert, click the Run Action button if it appears.
Other Recommendations Collapse the section to view additional recommendations. See the links in the Need More Information? section to view additional metrics, events, or other details that appear as a link.
Symptoms View the symptoms that triggered the alert. Collapse each symptom to view additional information.
Alert Information View information such as the start time, update time, and status of the alert.
Close Click the X icon to close the alert details tab.