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VMware VROPS V6

1 Introduction

The VMware vRealize Operations (vROps) Management Suite provides comprehensive visibility and insights into the performance, capacity and health of your infrastructure. vRealize Operations Manager collects performance data from each object at every level of your virtual environment, from individual virtual machines and disk drives to entire clusters and data centres. It stores and analyses the data, and uses that analysis to provide real-time information about problems, or potential problems, anywhere in your virtual environment.

Feature_Description-VMware_VROPS_V6_1_1.png

The Kemp Virtual LoadMaster (VLM) operates within the vROps architecture. vROps can instantiate a LoadMaster, monitor it and provide detailed statistics and information regarding its health within the vROps architecture.

With vROps, information can be gathered from the LoadMaster to form aggregated dashboard views combining the resource consumption data that is already natively available, along with statistics relevant to how each VM is performing in the context of the applications that they serve. The LoadMaster's proximity to virtual application server instances, and its role as an intermediary connection point between clients and VMs, puts it in an ideal location to provide this data to vROps for dashboard and other information rendering.

1.1 Document Purpose

The purpose of this document is to describe the various features and functionality that can be used within the vROps Manager relating to the Kemp LoadMaster. For further information on vROps in general, refer to the VMware documentation.

This document relates to vROps version 6 and above.

1.2 Intended Audience

This document is intended to be read by anyone who is interested in finding out how to utilize the vROps Version 6 suite with the Kemp LoadMaster.

2 Using vROps with the LoadMaster

2.1 Installation

To make the LoadMaster work with vROps, follow the steps below:

1. Download the LoadMaster vROps installation (.pak) file from the Kemp website: www.kemptechnologies.com.

2. Log in to the vRealize Operations Manager.

Installation.png

3. Click the Administration icon (cog) in the top left section.

4. Select Solutions.

Installation_1.png

5. Click Add (plus icon).

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6. Click Browse a solution.

7. Browse to and select the LoadMaster vROps installation .pak file.

Installation_3.png

8. Click Upload.

9. When the upload is finished, click Next.

Installation_4.png

10. To continue with the installation, select the I accept the terms of this agreement check box.

11. Click Next.

12. Wait for the update to complete. The progress bar will disappear when the update is complete.

The update can take several minutes to complete.

13. Click Finish.

2.2 Add a LoadMaster Adapter Instance

After installing the LoadMaster vROps .pak file, an instance of the adapter needs to be created for every Virtual LoadMaster (VLM) to be monitored. To add an instance, follow the steps below in the vRealize Operations Manager:

Add a LoadMaster Adapter Instance.png

1. In the top left section, click Administration (cog icon).

2. Select Solutions on the left.

Add a LoadMaster Adapter Instance_1.png  

3. Select LoadMaster Adapter and click Configure (cogs icon).

Add a LoadMaster Adapter Instance_2.png

4. Click Add (green plus icon).

Add a LoadMaster Adapter Instance_3.png

5. Enter a recognizable Display name.

6. Enter a Description.

7. Expand the Advanced Settings section.

8. Ensure the Collector drop-down list is set to Automatically select collector.

9. In the Advanced Settings section there are two fields; Auto API Enable and Auto Discovery. These are both enabled by default.

In order for vROps to communicate with the LoadMaster, the RESTful API interface must be enabled on the LoadMaster. When the Auto API Enable option is set to true, the API interface will be enabled on the LoadMaster automatically when the instance is created.

If Auto Discovery is set to true, the Virtual Services and Real Servers are automatically added. If this is set to false, they will need to be manually added by following the steps in the Discovering Virtual Services and Real Servers section.

10. Click Add New (green plus icon) in the Basic Settings section to input the LoadMaster credentials.

Add a LoadMaster Adapter Instance_4.png

11. Enter a name for the credentials.

The credentials can be reused.

12. Enter the IP Address of the LoadMaster that you want to collect statistics for.

13. Enter the Port used to communicate with the LoadMaster.

14. Enter the Username and Password of a LoadMaster user.

The default LoadMaster username is bal. However, any valid LoadMaster user details can be entered here.

15. Click OK.

Add a LoadMaster Adapter Instance_5.png

16. Click Test Connection.

17. Click OK.

18. Click Save Settings.

19. Click OK.

20. Click Close.

2.3 LoadMaster Dashboards

Three LoadMaster dashboard are automatically created when a LoadMaster instance is added:

LoadMaster Health Snapshot: This provides an overview of the health of the LoadMaster, Virtual Services and Real Servers

LoadMaster Resource View: This provides details about each of the LoadMaster resources

LoadMaster Resource Metric Graphs: This provides metrics on each of the LoadMaster resources, such as the number of connections per second.

LoadMaster Dashboards.png

These are available in the Dashboard List on the Home page of vROps Manager.

2.4 Collection Interval

By default, the statistics get collected by vROps every five minutes.

The collection interval can be changed by following the steps below in the vROps Manager:

Collection Interval.png

1. Select the Administration (cog) icon in the top left section.

2. Select Environment Overview on the left.

Collection Interval_1.png

3. Expand Adapter Instances.

4. Expand LoadMaster Adapter Instance.

5. Select the relevant LoadMaster adapter instance.

Collection Interval_2.png

6. Select the relevant adapter instance on the right panel.

7. Click the Edit Resource (pencil) icon.

Collection Interval_3.png

8. Change the value of the Collection Interval.

Statistics in the LoadMaster are gathered in real time. The details shown in vROps are a snapshot of the statistics at the moment it polls the LoadMaster.

9. Click OK.

2.5 Discovering Virtual Services and Real Servers

When adding a LoadMaster adapter instance, there is a setting called Auto Discovery which is set to true by default.

If Auto Discovery was set to true when the instance was added, there is no need to follow the steps in this section because the Virtual Services and Real Servers will be added automatically.

If Auto Discovery was set to false when the instance was added, follow the steps below to manually add the Virtual Services and Real Servers:

Discovering Virtual Services.png

1. Select Administration (cog icon) in the top left section.

2. Select Environment Overview on the left section.

Discovering Virtual Services_1.png

3. Click the Discover Objects (binoculars) icon.

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4. Select vRealize Operations Manager Collector-VROPS6 as the Collector.

5. Select LoadMaster Adapter in the Adapter Type drop-down list.

6. Select the Adapter Instance name, for example the one added in the Add a LoadMaster Adapter Instance section.

7. Select Discover in the Discovery Info drop-down list.

8. Disable the Only New Resources option.

Selecting the Only New Resources check box means that it only checks for new Virtual Services and Real Servers. For example, if the resources were already discovered/added initially, and then a new Virtual Service or Real Server is added - you can run a discovery again to detect the new resource. If the Virtual Services and Real Servers have been discovered before, there is no need to detect all resources again. So, selecting the Only New Resources check box speeds up the discovery.

9. Click OK.

Discovering Virtual Services_3.png

10. The discovery results will be displayed.

VIPs are Virtual Services. RSs are Real Servers.

To get more information, double-click the VIP or RS line. Further information will be displayed in the Resources section underneath.

11. Select the Collect check box for whatever resources to collect statistics for.

When you select Collect, the Import check box also gets automatically ticked. Ensure that both of these check boxes are ticked.

12. Click OK.

Discovering Virtual Services_4.png

13. Select the LoadMaster instance name on the left to display the Virtual Services and Real Servers for that instance.

2.6 Health Status

In the LoadMaster Resource Relationships screen, different colours can be displayed in the Container Overview section. A percentage health rating is also shown. The health rating score is dynamic (either 25, 50, 75 or 100%). For example, if there is a constant connection rate and the rate deviates to an unusual level, an alert will be generated and the health score will be affected.

The different coloured icons are described below.

Health Status.png

A green icon means that the resource is up and the health is good.

Health Status_1.pngHealth Status_2.png

Yellow and orange icons are also displayed for lower health scores.

Health Status_3.png

A grey icon with a question mark means that the resource has not been detected yet. Wait for the collection interval to elapse and then refresh the page to see the new health status.

Health Status_4.png

Red icons are displayed when a resource is down.

2.7 View the Health Tree

Statistics can be displayed at the VLM, Virtual Service and Real Server level. To view the health tree, follow the steps below:

View the Health Tree.png

1. Click the Home (house) icon in the top left.

View the Health Tree_1.png

2. Click Dashboard List and select LoadMaster Health Snapshot.

View the Health Tree_2.png

3. Double-click the relevant item.

View the Health Tree_3.png

4. Select the Troubleshooting tab.

5. Click All Metrics.

View the Health Tree_4.png

The health tree will be displayed. The above screenshot shows four Virtual Services sitting underneath the VLM.

View the Health Tree_5.png

Double-click a Virtual Service to view its health tree.

2.8 View Resource Metrics

LoadMaster-specific resource metrics exist for the LoadMaster, Virtual Services and Real Servers. There are no LoadMaster-specific resource metrics for SubVSs.

To view metrics on any of the resources, follow the steps below:

View Resource Metrics.png

1. Select Home (house icon), in the top left.

View Resource Metrics_1.png

2. Click Dashboard List and select LoadMaster Resource View.

View Resource Metrics_2.png

3. Select the relevant resource.

4. Click Object Detail (graph icon).

View Resource Metrics_3.png

5. Select the Troubleshooting tab.

6. Select All Metrics.

View Resource Metrics_4.png

7. Expand LoadMaster metrics.

8. Expand the resource metrics.

If the LoadMaster is running firmware version 7.1-16 or below, some metrics will not be available.

9. Double-click any of the metrics to display the related graph.

You can zoom in on a specific part of the graph by dragging a box around the section to be magnified.

By default, the graphs show metrics for the last six hours.

2.9 View Alerts

To view alerts, follow the steps below:

View Alerts.png

1. Click the Home (house icon) in the top-left section.

2. Select Environment.

3. Select one of the LoadMaster filters, depending on what alerts you want to view.

View Alerts_1.png

The format of the resource names are as follows:
Virtual Service: <index>-<IPAddress>:<port>
Real Server:<index>-<IPAddress>:<port>
SubVS:subvs-<index>:<ParentIPAddress>

4. Expand the list as needed and select the relevant resource.

View Alerts_2.png

5. Select the Alerts tab. Double-click the alert to view more information.

View Alerts_3.png

References

Unless otherwise specified, the following documents can be found at http://www.kemptechnologies.com/documentation.

VMware vCenter Operations Version 5, Installation and Feature Description

Last Updated Date

This document was last updated on 07 March 2022.


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