VMware vCenter Operations Manager

Adapter Guide
vCenter Operations Manager 1.0

This document supports the version of each product listed and

supports all subsequent versions until the document is
replaced by a new edition. To check for more recent editions
of this document, see http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs.

EN-000930-06
VMware vCenter Operations Manager Adapter Guide

You can find the most up-to-date technical documentation on the VMware Web site at:
http://www.vmware.com/support/
The VMware Web site also provides the latest product updates.
If you have comments about this documentation, submit your feedback to:
docfeedback@vmware.com

Copyright © 2013 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. This product is protected by U.S. and international copyright and
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http://www.vmware.com/go/patents.
VMware is a registered trademark or trademark of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks
and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies.

VMware, Inc.
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Contents

VMware vCenter Operations Manager Adapter Guide 5

Updated Information 7

1 Understanding Adapters 9
How Adapters Collect and Process Data 9
Types of Data that Adapters Collect 10
Adapter Architecture 11

2 Available Adapters 13
vCenter and VCM Adapters 13
vCenter Operations Manager Advanced Suite Adapters 13
vCenter Operations Manager Enterprise Suite Adapters 14
Product Adapters 14
Generic Adapters 20
Field Adapters 22

3 Installing and Configuring Adapters 23

Install an Adapter in a Standalone Installation 23
Install an Adapter in a vApp Installation 24
Add an Adapter Instance 25
Modifying Adapter Configuration Files 25

4 Troubleshooting Adapters 27
General Troubleshooting Steps 27
View Collection Information 27
Viewing System Log Files 30

Index 33

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VMware vCenter Operations Manager Adapter
Guide

The VMware vCenter Operations Manager Adapter Guide provides information about how
vCenter Operations Manager uses adapters to consume data from the enterprise. It also provides a
summary of the currently available adapters.

Intended Audience
This information is intended for anyone who wants to install and configure adapters for
vCenter Operations Manager.

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Updated Information

The VMware vCenter Operations Manager Adapter Guide is updated with each release of the product or when
necessary.

This table provides the update history of the VMware vCenter Operations Manager Adapter Guide.

Revision Description

EN-000930-06 Updated the list of supported EMC Smarts versions in “EMC Smarts Adapter,” on page 14.

EN-000930-05 Added support for NetApp DFM Server 5.1. See “NetApp Adapter,” on page 17.

EN-000930-04 Updated the requirements for the VMware vCenter adapter. See “VMware vCenter Adapter,” on
page 19.

EN-000930-03 Updated the requirements for the VMware vCloud Director adapter. See “VMware vCloud Director
Adapter,” on page 20.

EN-000930-02 n Changed the title to VMware vCenter Operations Manager Adapter Guide.
n Added information about the 5.6 licensing model. See “vCenter Operations Manager Advanced Suite
Adapters,” on page 13 and “vCenter Operations Manager Enterprise Suite Adapters,” on page 14.
n Removed information about the BMC PATROL adapter.
n Added a description of the HP OpenView adapter. See “HP OpenView Adapter,” on page 15.
n Added a description of the Keynote adapter. See “Keynote Adapter,” on page 16.

EN-000930-01 Provided more detailed instructions in “Install an Adapter in a Standalone Installation,” on page 23 and
“Install an Adapter in a vApp Installation,” on page 24.

EN-000930-00 Initial release.

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Understanding Adapters 1
A key feature of vCenter Operations Manager is its ability to consume data from across the enterprise.
vCenter Operations Manager uses adapters to collect data from a variety of data sources, including specific
third-party products.

This chapter includes the following topics:

n “How Adapters Collect and Process Data,” on page 9

n “Types of Data that Adapters Collect,” on page 10

n “Adapter Architecture,” on page 11

How Adapters Collect and Process Data

Adapters work with the vCenter Operations Manager Collector to collect and process data.

The Collector acts as a gateway between vCenter Operations Manager and its adapters. The adapters
connect to and collect data from data sources, transform the data into a format that
vCenter Operations Manager can consume, and pass the data to the Collector for final processing.

Depending on the data source and the adapter implementation, an adapter might collect data by making
API calls, using a command-line interface, or sending database queries. Some adapters collect data for each
resource independently and other adapters extract data for all resources based on a specified time range.

vCenter Operations Manager uses embedded adapters and external adapters. Embedded adapters are the
most common type of adapter implementation.

Embedded Adapters
An embedded adapter is a Java component that runs as a plug-in in the Collector. Embedded adapters
actively connect to a data source and pull values from it.
Advantages of embedded adapters include better maintainability, control, and visibility into the
management of the adapter and the data that it collects. Embedded adapters also use common functions,
such as job scheduling, that are already part of the Collector.

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Embedded adapters create resources through manual or auto-discovery. A particular embedded adapter
might support one or both resource creation methods.

Manual discovery You send a request to the data source to return all available resources and
select the resources to add. This method is often referred to as discovering
resources or the discovery process.

Auto-discovery The data collection process discovers new resources and creates the
resources for you. You do not need to manually add new resources.

You configure and manage embedded adapters in the user interface.

External Adapters
External adapters push data from outside sources. The key advantage of an external adapter is flexibility in
how the adapter is created and deployed.

External adapters use vCenter Operations Manager OpenAPI to send information. OpenAPI has a simple
form, which accepts data through an HTTP request, and an advanced form, which uses Java RMI.

External adapters use auto-discovery to create resources. With auto-discovery, the data collection process
discovers new resources and creates the resources for you. You do not need to manually add new resources.

You configure and manage external adapters outside of the user interface.

Types of Data that Adapters Collect

Adapters typically collect metrics, resource relationships, and change events from an external data source.
Not all adapters can collect all types of data.

n A metric is an instance of an attribute for a particular resource. For each metric,

vCenter Operations Manager collects and stores multiple instances over time. Each piece of data is
called a metric observation or value.

n Resource relationships describe how resources are related to each other. For example, one resource
might be a child resource and another resource might be a parent resource.

n A change event is any change to the environment, such as a system reboot.

vCenter Operations Manager stores metrics in the File System Database (FSDB). The standalone version of
vCenter Operations Manager can store change events in a Microsoft SQL or Oracle database. The vApp
version of vCenter Operations Manager stores change events in a PostgreSQL database.

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 Chapter 1 Understanding Adapters

Adapter Architecture
Adapters work with certain vCenter Operations Manager components to collect, process, and store collected
data.

Figure 1‑1. Adapter Architecture

vCenter Operations Manager

Analytics process
Message Broker
Store data

Collector MS SQL, Oracle,

FSDB or PostgreSQL
Embedded Embedded database
adapter adapter

Pull data Pull data

Data Data
source source

Push data

External
adapter

Data
source

Collector Acts as a gateway between vCenter Operations Manager and its adapters.
Adapters pass collected data to the Collector for final processing.
In the standalone version of vCenter Operations Manager, the Collector is
installed in the primary server by default. In a vApp installation, the
Collector runs on the Analytics virtual machine. You can also install
collectors on one or more remote servers.

Message Broker Passes metric information between vCenter Operations Manager

components.

Analytics process Receives data gathered from monitored resources, analyzes the data, and
creates statistical models to detect abnormal behavior.
vCenter Operations Manager stores metrics in the FSDB. The standalone
version can store change events in a Microsoft SQL or Oracle database. The
vApp version stores change events in a PostgreSQL database.

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Available Adapters 2
Many adapters are currently available for vCenter Operations Manager. Some adapters pull data from
specific third-party products while other adapters connect to standard data sources.

For complete information about a particular adapter, see the documentation that is included with the
adapter package.

NOTE Although this document is updated frequently, it might not describe all of the available adapters.

This chapter includes the following topics:

n “vCenter and VCM Adapters,” on page 13

n “vCenter Operations Manager Advanced Suite Adapters,” on page 13

n “vCenter Operations Manager Enterprise Suite Adapters,” on page 14

n “Product Adapters,” on page 14

n “Generic Adapters,” on page 20

n “Field Adapters,” on page 22

vCenter and VCM Adapters

If you purchase the vApp version of vCenter Operations Manager, the vCenter and vCenter Configuration
Manager (VCM) adapters are included in the .ova file.

If you purchase the standalone version of vCenter Operations Manager, you are entitled to the vCenter and
VCM adapters. To install these adapters, you must download them from the VMware FTP site.

The vCenter and VCM adapters are required only if you want to retrieve data from vCenter Server or VCM.
For more more information about these adapters, see “VMware vCenter Adapter,” on page 19 and
“VMware vCenter Configuration Manager Adapter,” on page 19.

vCenter Operations Manager Advanced Suite Adapters

If you purchase the vCenter Operations Manager Advanced suite version 5.6 or later, you are entitled to
certain adapters. To install these adapters, you must download them from the VMware FTP site.

Table 2‑1. vCenter Operations Manager Advanced Suite Adapters

Adapter Description

VMware Hyperic adapter See “VMware Hyperic Adapter,” on page 19.

VMware vCloud Director adapter See “VMware vCloud Director Adapter,” on page 20.

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vCenter Operations Manager Enterprise Suite Adapters

If you purchase the vCenter Operations Manager Enterprise suite version 5.6 or later, you are entitled to
certain adapters. To install these adapters, you must download them from the VMware FTP site.

Table 2‑2. vCenter Operations Manager Enterprise Suite Adapters

Adapter Description

EMC Symmetrix adapter See “EMC Symmetrix Adapter,” on page 15.

NetApp adapter See “NetApp Adapter,” on page 17.

VMware Hyperic adapter See “VMware Hyperic Adapter,” on page 19.

VMware vCloud Director adapter See “VMware vCloud Director Adapter,” on page 20.

Product Adapters
Product adapters support specific third-party products and open source tools that are commerically
available.

Compuware Gomez WS Adapter

The Gomez Web Services (WS) adapter is an embedded adapter that collects data from Gomez Backbone.
Gomez Backbone is the Internet backbone measurement component of the Compuware Gomez Synthetic
Monitoring system.

The Gomez WS adapter has the following features and requirements.

n Uses Web client stubs that Gomez provides to collect data from Gomez Backbone.

n Runs in real time and historical data collection modes.

n Uses manual discovery to create resources.

n Creates Gomez Site, Gomez Backbone Monitor, and Gomez Test resource kinds.

n Requires a Gomez account to connect to the Gomez service.

EMC Smarts Adapter

The EMC Smarts adapter is an embedded adapter that collects metrics, change events, and resource
topology information from software and hardware resources that EMC Smarts monitors.
vCenter Operations Manager can also send alerts to EMC Smarts.

The EMC Smarts adapter has the following features and requirements.

n Connects to an EMC broker.

n Receives resources that EMC servers monitor in domains that you select.

n Receives the topology of container resources that EMC defines and metric values for attributes that
EMC Smarts monitors.

n Generates change events when EMC detects that a resource is down and anomalies when EMC detects
that a resource is unresponsive.

n Sends alerts to the EMC Smarts Global Console.

n Uses auto-discovery and manual discovery to create resources.

n Requires a valid EMC Smarts user name and password, the IP address and port number of the EMC
broker, and the name of an EMC Smarts domain to which to attach.

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 Chapter 2 Available Adapters

n Supports EMC Smarts 7.x, 8.1, 9.0, and 9.2.

EMC Symmetrix Adapter

The EMC Symmetrix adapter is an embedded adapter that collects performance data for Symmetrix storage
arrays.

The EMC Symmetrix adapter has the following features and requirements.

n Collects performance data from TTP-formatted ASCII files. The EMC Solutions Enabler STP daemon
(storstpd) exports the TTP data files to a main input folder. You can configure the metrics that the
storstpd daemon exports.

n Requires access to the main input folder.

n Requires the user account that runs the Collector to have read and write permission to the main input
folder.

n Supports EMC Solutions Enabler 7.2 or later. The adapter is tested with EMC Solutions Enabler V7.3.0.1
(Edit Level: 1214).

n Requires the standalone version of EMC Solutions Enabler. The EMC Solutions Enabler virtual
appliance does not support TTP data file generation.

HP BAC Adapter
The HP BAC adapter is an embedded adapter that collects data from HP Business Availability Center
(BAC). HP BAC contains components for monitoring and managing business services and applications.

The HP BAC adapter has the following features and requirements.

n Reads data from HP Real User Monitor (RUM), HP Business Process Monitor (BPM), and HP SiteScope.

n Runs data collection tasks to retrieve and parse data and relationship tasks to define parent-child
resource relationships.

n Uses SOAP queries to the BAC Generic Data Engine API or SQL queries to the BAC database. The
adapter can also read data from a text file. You define connection information for tasks in XML
configuration files.

n Requires the URL of the BAC Web Service for a SOAP connection and a JDBC URL and user credentials
for an SQL connection.

n Supports HP BAC 6, 7, 8, and 9. The adapter can read data from all HP RUM, HP BPM, and HP
SiteScope versions that can write to these HP BAC versions.

HP OpenView Adapter
The HP OpenView adapter is an integrated external adapter that collects and analyzes metrics from devices
that HP OpenView Operations monitors.

The HP OpenView adapter has the following features and requirements.

n Runs inside an HP OpenView agent.

n Uses a custom Smart Plug-In (SPI) to push metrics to the vCenter Operations Manager collector. The
custom SPI pushes almost all of the metrics that HP OpenView Operations collects. You can designate
specific metrics to analyze and store.

n Requires the SPI to be deployed in all relevant HP OpenView agents.

n Provides scalability. You can scale up the adapter by adopting additional SPIs or by implementing a
hardware load balancer. Scalability is limited only by the amount of network and drive I/O.

n Can use OpenView Performance Agent (OVPA) or CODA to collect metric data.

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HP SiteScope Adapter
The HP SiteScope adapter is an embedded adapter that collects data from log files that HP SiteScope
generates.

The HP SiteScope adapter has the following features and requirements.

n Collects monitor classes, including the attribute and monitor groups for each monitor class, by reading
log files that HP SiteScope generates.

n Uses group (.mg) files that HP SiteScope generates to map resource names to the corresponding monitor
classes.

n Creates resources when it collects metric data.

n Requires access to the HP SiteScope log files and group files folders.

n Requires the user account that runs the Collector to have read and write permission to the HP SiteScope
log files and group files folders.

n Supports HP SiteScope 10.12.

IBM Tivoli Monitoring Adapter

The IBM Tivoli Monitoring (ITM) adapter is an embedded adapter that retrieves performance metrics that
ITM collects.

The ITM adapter has the following features and requirements.

n Uses a SOAP Web interface to retrieve metric data from ITM.

n Uses attribute (.atr) files from the Tivoli Enterprise Monitoring Server to determine the attribute
groups to retrieve. The .atr files define the information to collect from each attribute group.

n Uses the describe process to determine the types of resources to import and the set of metrics data to
collect from each type of resource.

n Uses auto-discovery and manual discovery to create resources.

n Requires a username, password, an IP address, and a port number to connect to the IBM Tivoli
Monitoring Server.

n Tested with IBM Tivoli Monitoring 6.2.

Keynote Adapter
The Keynote adapter is an embedded adapter that collects data from the Keynote Web monitoring system.

The Keynote adapter has the following features and requirements.

n Reads historical or real-time data from XML files.

n Uses auto-discovery and manual discovery to create resources.

n Creates resource kinds that represent Keynote slots, agents, and measurements.

n Requires the agreement ID, user name, and password of your Keynote account.

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 Chapter 2 Available Adapters

Microsoft SCOM Adapter

The Microsoft SCOM adapter is an embedded adapter that collects resource metrics time series, resource
availability, and resource relationship data from Microsoft System Center Operations Manager databases.

The Microsoft SCOM adapter has the following features and requirements.

n Uses SQL queries to retrieve data from the source database.

n Reads resource relationship data from the relationships table in the source database.

n Creates resources that represent SCOM entities.

n Uses auto-discovery and manual discovery to create resources.

n Requires the sqljdbc_auth.dll file to be present in the vCenter Operations Manager Java library folder.

n Requires the Collector service to run under an impersonated user account.

n Requires user credentials that allow reading the database that contains the source data, the host name
or IP address of the database host, the port to connect to the database, and the host name or IP address
of a failover database server.

n Supports Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007 and 2007 R2.

NetApp Adapter
The NetApp adapter is an embedded adapter that collects data from NetApp DFM Server. NetApp DFM
Server manages NetApp objects.

The NetApp adapter has the following features and requirements.

n Collects performance data, relationship data, and change event information for NetApp storage objects.

n Imports metrics for the System, vFiler, Volume, and LUN objects.

n Creates resource kinds dynamically according to platform types and server types in NetApp DFM
Server.

n Uses both auto-discovery and manual discovery to create resources.

n Requires you to configure the NetApp and DFM servers to collect metrics.

n Requires access to the DFM server. You must provide the host name or IP address of the DFM server
during adapter instance configuration. Certain ports must be open on the DFM server for the adapter
connection.

n Supports NetApp DFM Server 3.8, 4.0.1, 5.0, and 5.1.

Oracle Enterprise Manager Adapter

The Oracle Enterprise Manager adapter is an embedded adapter that collects data from Oracle Enterprise
Manager database management tables.

The Oracle Enterprise Manager adapter has the following features and requirements.

n Retrieves resource kinds. You can specify the resource kinds to collect in a configuration file. The
adapter creates metrics when it retrieves resource kinds.

n Uses auto-discovery and manual discovery to create resources.

n Requires a JDBC connection to the Oracle Enterprise Manager database and a credential to sign on to
the database. You must open an Oracle JDBC port on the firewall and have a valid Oracle JDBC
connection URL.

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n Requires the user account that the adapter uses to connect to the Oracle Enterprise Manager database to
have read access to the MGMT$AVAILABILITY, MGMT$METRIC_CURRENT, MGMT
$METRIC_DETAILS, and MGMT$TARGET SYSMAN database views.

n Requires the user account that the adapter uses to connect to the Oracle Enterprise Manager database to
have rights to run the Discovery, Realtime Collect, Historical Collect, Availability Check, and Timezone
Check queries.

n Supports Oracle Enterprise Manager 10, 11, and 12c.

SAP Adapter
The SAP adapter is an embedded adapter that uses SAP BAPI alls to collect metrics from an SAP server.

The SAP adapter has the following features and requirements.

n Requires an SAP adapter instance and SAP resource in vCenter Operations Manager. The adapter
instance acts as a data collection trigger and the SAP resource represents an SAP server.

n Uses an attribute package that you assign to the SAP resource to determine which metrics to collect
from the SAP server.

n Requires certain SAP Java Connector (JCo) files. The SAP JCo files must match your machine and JRE
processor architecture and come from the same SAP library package. On a 64-bit Linux system, the SAP
adapter also requires a shared library file.

n Requires a collector on a Windows or Linux server. The SAP adapter is tested with Windows 32-bit and
64-bit remote collectors and Linux 64-bit collectors. The SAP adapter is not tested with Linux 32-bit
collectors.

n Requires a user ID to connect to the host for the SAP server. You can specify an SAP user ID that has
access to Computing Center Management System (CCMS) data.

n Tested with Java versions 1.6.0_07, 1.6.0_14, and 1.6.0_31.

n Supports SAP R/3 4.7, SAP ECC 5.0 and 6.0, and SAP NetWeaver 7.0, ABAP + BASIS Support Package
level 20.

TeamQuest Adapter
The TeamQuest adapter is an embedded adapter that collects data from resources that TeamQuest monitors.

The TeamQuest adapter has the following features and requirements.

n Uses the TeamQuest Harvest command-line interface (tqharvc) to collect data from local TeamQuest
Manager (TQM) data stores.

n Retrieves a single dataset definition that includes Windows operating system, Solaris operating system,
Oracle database, and WebSphere metrics.

n Collects data only for metrics described in the describe.xml file. You cannot modify the describe.xml
file.

n Uses XML file-based manual discovery to create resources. With XML file-based manual discovery, you
declare resources in an XML file and specify the path to the XML file when you perform manual
discovery. You can also add resources individually.

n Requires TQM to be installed on the vCenter Operations Manager server or on a remote collector.

n Supports TQM 10.1 and 10.2.

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 Chapter 2 Available Adapters

VMware Hyperic Adapter

The VMware Hyperic adapter is an embedded adapter that collects data from Hyperic HQ.

The Hyperic adapter has the following features and requirements.

n Runs SQL queries and uses standard JDBC access to retrieve data from the Hyperic HQ database. The
adapter supports MySQL, Oracle, and PostgreSQL databases.

n Collects metrics for Hyperic platforms, servers, and services.

n Creates resource kinds dynamically according to platform types and server types in Hyperic. Resources
represent Hyperic platforms and servers.

n Creates relationships based on associations in Hyperic HQ.

n Uses auto-discovery and manual discovery to create resources.

n Requires port connections for the supported databases, a JDBC connection URL to connect to data
sources, and privileges to run SELECT queries from the Hyperic HQ tables and views.

n Supports Hyperic HQ 4.x and 5.0.

VMware vCenter Adapter

The VMware vCenter adapter is an embedded adapter that collects metrics and events from vCenter Server.

The vCenter adapter has the following features and requirements.

n Retrieves metric values, events, and relationships from vCenter Server.

n Collects statistics from Datacenter, Cluster, Resource Pools, Host, Virtual Machine, Datastore, and
Folder objects.

n Collects data based on your vCenter Server privileges. The user account that you use for collecting data
determines the scope and visibility of the monitoring data.

n Uses auto-discovery and manual discovery to create resources.

n Supports VMware vSphere 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0 update 2, 4.1, 5.0, and 5.1.

VMware vCenter Configuration Manager Adapter

The VMware vCenter Configuration Manager (VCM) adapter is an embedded adapter that collects
performance data about virtual machines that VCM manages.

The VCM adapter has the following features and requirements.

n Collects system-level change events that VCM identifies and displays the events in performance charts.

n Requires you to configure the vCenter adapter before you configure the VCM adapter.
vCenter Operations Manager plots event data retrieved from the VCM adapter on resource graphs that
the vCenter adapter connection generates.

n Requires VCM to be installed and configured to collect data from vCenter Server, virtual machines, and
ESX hosts.

n Requires the hostname or IP address of the host where the VCM database resides, the port number for
connecting to the VCM database, and database credentials to access VCM.

n Supports VCM 5.4.1 and later.

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VMware vCloud Director Adapter

The VMware vCloud Director adapter is an embedded adapter that collects data for entities of VMware
vCloud Director.

The vCloud Director adapter has the following features and requirements.

n Collects resource relationships and change events for Provider vDC, Organization, Organization vDC,
and vApp entities. The adapter does not collect metrics.

n Uses auto-discovery to create resources. The adapter does not support manual discovery.

n Requires the vCloud Director host name and the credentials of the Administrator of the System
organization. The adapter logs in to vCloud Director as Administrator of the System organization.

n Supports vCloud Director 1.5.0 and 5.1.

n Supports vCenter Server 4.0 U2, 4.1, 5.0, and 5.1.

Generic Adapters
Generic adapters are designed to connect to standard data sources. They typically require field
customization to accommodate site-specific environments.

Port Adapter
The port adapter is an embedded adapter that monitors the availability state and response time of ports on
hosts.

The port adapter has the following features and requirements.

n Uses sockets to monitor the availability state and response time of ports on hosts.

n Reads a text that you define to determine the hosts and ports to monitor.

n Creates resources for each host listed in the text file.

n Generates an alert notification when a port that it monitors becomes unavailable.

Relationships Adapter
The Relationships adapter is an embedded adapter that updates resource relationships in
vCenter Operations Manager. The Relationships adapter does not collect data.

The Relationships adapter has the following features and requirements.

n Updates resource relationships based on information that you store in an external database. You define
parent-child relationships in this database.

n Uses JDBC drivers to access the source relationships table.

n Requires a JDBC URL and user credentials that allow reading the database that contains the source
relationships data.

n Supports SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL, Sybase, and MySQL databases. The supported database
versions depend on the version of the JDBC driver included with the adapter. You can find the JDBC
driver version for each database in the vcenter-ops/user/plugins/inbound/general_sql_adapter3/lib
folder.

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 Chapter 2 Available Adapters

SNMP Adapter
The SNMP adapter is an embedded adapter that collects metrics from devices that support the Simple
Network Management Protocol (SNMP). These devices typically include routers, switches, servers,
workstations, and printers.

The SNMP adapter has the following features and requirements.

n Uses Management Information Base (MIB) files to determine the metrics to collect from a particular
device.

n Includes a set of standard MIB files. MIB files appear as resource kinds in the user interface. You can
import additional MIB files for the adapter to use.

n Includes the Predefined MIB Statistics resource kind, which consists of common device-level and
interface-level variables selected from RFC1213-MIB.mib.

n Uses manual discovery to create resources. You can also create resources individually.

n Requires an SNMP community string. The community string authenticates messages sent between the
SNMP management station and managed devices.

n Supports SNMPv1 and SNMPv2c.

SQL Loader Adapter

The SQL Loader adapter is an embedded adapter that reads data from an external database.

The SQL Loader adapter has the following features and requirements.

n Uses JDBC drivers and SQL queries to retrieve data from the source database. The adapter can retrieve
data from multiple tables residing in multiple databases.

n Reads resource metrics time series and resource relationship data from the source database.

n Maps resources from source database fields to files in the FSDB by using resource definitions in an SQL
query file.

n Retrieves change events from the source database by using an SQL query file. An adapter instance can
collect either metrics data or events data. You must create separate adapter instances to process metrics
and events.

n Uses auto-discovery and manual discovery to create resources.

n Requires the host name or IP address of the database host, the port to be used to connect to the
database, and the name of the database that contains the information to extract. For SQL Server, the
adapter requires a named instance.

n Supports SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL, Sybase, and MySQL databases. The supported database
versions depend on the version of the JDBC driver included with the adapter. You can find the JDBC
driver version for each database in the vcenter-ops/user/plugins/inbound/general_sql_adapter3/lib
folder.

Text File Adapter

The Text File adapter is an embedded adapter that collects performance data from delimited text files.

The Text File adapter has the following features and requirements.

n Collects data from files that an external process exports to a main input folder. You specify the location
of the main input folder during adapter instance configuration.

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n Uses a configuration file to convert data files to a standard comma-separated value (CSV) format that
the adapter can read. You define the basic resource properties, such as adapter kind and resource kind,
and how to extract values from data files, in this configuration file.

n Uses metadata files to define relationships between resources. The external process exports metadata
files to the main input folder.

n Requires data files and metadata files to use certain file naming and formatting conventions.

n Requires access to the main input folder.

n Requires the user account that runs the Collector service to have read and write permission to the main
input folder.

Field Adapters
A field adapter is a framework for an adapter. Field adapters are typically dependent on a certain level of
field customization to accommodate site-specific environments.

For example, the RRD Framework adapter is a flexible script-based field adapter that is designed to
minimize the effort required to extract time-series metric data from a set of RRD files in a defined directory
structure.

You can work with VMware Professional Services to develop a field adapter that meets your needs. For
more information, contact your VMware sales representative or go to www.vmware.com/services.

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Installing and Configuring Adapters 3
You install an adapter in vCenter Operations Manager from a TAR file or PAK file, depending on whether
you have a standalone or vApp installation. You must configure an adapter instance for embedded
adapters. Most adapters also include configuration files that you can modify to tune adapter operation.

This chapter includes the following topics:

n “Install an Adapter in a Standalone Installation,” on page 23

n “Install an Adapter in a vApp Installation,” on page 24

n “Add an Adapter Instance,” on page 25

n “Modifying Adapter Configuration Files,” on page 25

Install an Adapter in a Standalone Installation

If you have a standalone installation, you install an adapter by extracting the adapter installation files from a
TGZ file and running an installation utility. The installation utility places the adapter files in a folder under
the vcenter-ops/user/plugins/inbound folder.

Prerequisites
n Download the adapter installation TGZ file. You can download most adapter installation files
anonymously from ftp://ftp.integrien.com/. Work with VMware Global Support Services (GSS) to
obtain adapter installation files that are not available on the FTP site.

n Make a note of the build number in the TGZ file. The build number appears after the adapter name, for
example, adaptername-buildnumber.tgz.

n Read the adapter installation guide and release notes. The adapter documentation is included with the
TGZ file on the FTP site.

Procedure
1 Open the TGZ file and extract the TAR file to a temporary folder on your vCenter Operations Manager
server.

2 In the temporary folder, open the TAR file and extract and run the installer for your operating system
platform.

3 Log in to the Custom user interface as an administrator.

4 Select Admin > Support.

5 On the Info tab, find the Adapters Info pane and click the Describe icon ( ).

The Describe icon is located at the top right of the Adapters Info pane.

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6 Click Yes to start the describe process and click OK.

The Custom user interface finds the adapter files, gathers information about the abilities of the adapter,
and updates the user interface with information about the adapter. If you have remote collectors, it
installs the adapter on the remote collectors.
The describe process might take several minutes. When the describe process is finished, the adapter
appears in the Adapters Info pane. The build number is in the Adapter Version column.

7 Verify that the build number in the Adapter Version column for the adapter matches the build number
in the TGZ file that you downloaded.

Install an Adapter in a vApp Installation

If you have a vApp installation, you install an adapter from a PAK file. The installation process places the
adapter files in a folder under the vcenter-ops/user/plugins/inbound folder.

Prerequisites
n Download the adapter installation PAK file. You can download most adapter installation files
anonymously from ftp://ftp.integrien.com/. Work with VMware Global Support Services (GSS) to
obtain adapter installation files that are not available on the FTP site.

n Make a note of the build number in the PAK file name. The build number appears after the adapter
name, for example, adaptername-buildnumber.pak.

n Read the adapter installation guide and release notes. The adapter documentation is included with the
PAK file on the FTP site.

Procedure
1 Save the PAK file in a temporary folder.

2 Log in to the Admin user interface as the admin user.

For example: https://ipaddress/admin/

3 On the Update tab, click Browse to locate the temporary folder and select the PAK file.

4 Click Update and click OK to confirm the update.

The Admin user interface uploads the PAK file. The upload might take several minutes.

5 Read and accept the EULA and click OK.

6 Click OK to confirm and start the update process.

The update might take several minutes. Status information appears on the Update tab when the update
is finished.

7 Log in to the Custom user interface as an administrator.

For example: https://ipaddress/vcops-custom/

8 Select Admin > Support.

9 On the Info tab, find the Adapters Info pane and click the Describe icon ( ).

The Describe icon is located at the top right of the Adapters Info pane.

10 Click Yes to start the describe process and click OK.

The Custom user interface finds the adapter files, gathers information about the abilities of the adapter,
and updates the user interface with information about the adapter.

The describe process might take several minutes. When the describe process is finished, the adapter
appears in the Adapters Info pane. The build number is in the Adapter Version column.

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 Chapter 3 Installing and Configuring Adapters

11 Verify that the build number in the Adapter Version column for the adapter matches the build number
in the PAK file that you uploaded.

Add an Adapter Instance

An adapter instance defines the adapter type and specifies information that the adapter needs to access its
data source. You define adapter instances only for embedded adapters.

Prerequisites
n Install the adapter.

n For configuration requirements, see the documentation provided with the adapter package.

Procedure
1 Log in to the Custom user interface as an administrator.

2 Select Environment > Configuration > Adapter Instances.

3 Select the collector to use from the Collector drop-down menu.

Unless you added additional collectors, the only available collector is vCenter Operations Server. You
can change the name of this collector when you install the standalone version.
4 Select the adapter kind to add from the Adapter kind drop-down menu.

5 Click the Add New Adapter Instance icon.

6 Type a name for the adapter in the Adapter Instance Name text box.

7 Type or select additional information for the adapter instance.

The exact information depends on the adapter type. For example, if the adapter collects data from text
files, you must specify the location of the folder that contains the text files. If the adapter connects to an
external system, you must add credentials to access the external system.

8 (Optional) Click Test to test the adapter instance.

9 Click OK to save your configuration.

What to do next
Depending on the adapter type, you might need to start data collection for the adapter instance resource or
manually discover resources. For specific instructions, see the documentation provided with the adapter
package.

Modifying Adapter Configuration Files

Most adapters have one or more configuration files. Adapter configuration files typically contain advanced
configuration properties that you can modify to tune adapter operation.

For example, the EMC Symmetrix adapter has instance-specific configuration files that contain properties
that affect particular adapter instances and an adapter-level configuration file that contains properties that
affect all adapter instances.

For complete information about configuring a particular adapter, see the documentation included with the
adapter package.

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26 VMware, Inc.
Troubleshooting Adapters 4
Known troubleshooting information can help you diagnose and correct problems with an adapter instance.
You can view detailed collection information for an adapter instance on the Environment Overview page.
The collector and adapter log files also contain valuable information about adapter instance operation.

This chapter includes the following topics:

n “General Troubleshooting Steps,” on page 27

n “View Collection Information,” on page 27

n “Viewing System Log Files,” on page 30

General Troubleshooting Steps

Perform these general troubleshooting steps to diagnose and correct problems with an adapter instance.

1 If the adapter instance connects to an external system, verify that the external system is up and running
and that you can log in to it with the credentials that you configured for the adapter instance.

2 If the adapter instance collects data from text files, verify that the adapter instance can access the folder
that contains the text files.

3 View collection information for the adapter instance resource on the Environment Overview page. See
“View Collection Information,” on page 27.

4 Check the adapter and Collector log files for errors. See “Viewing System Log Files,” on page 30.

For troubleshooting tips for a specific adapter type, see the documentation included with the adapter
package.

View Collection Information

You can view collection state and status information for a resource on the Environment Overview page in
the Custom user interface. This information can help you diagnose and troubleshoot adapter problems.

If vCenter Operations Manager collects metrics for a resource through more than one adapter instance, the
resource has multiple collection state and collection status values.

Prerequisites
Become familiar with the adapter collection states and status values. See “Collection States,” on page 28
and “Collection Status Values,” on page 29.

Procedure
1 Log in to the Custom user interface as an administrator.

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VMware vCenter Operations Manager Adapter Guide

2 Select Environment > Environment Overview.

3 Find the resource on the List tab.

4 Point to the icon in the Collection State column to see whether vCenter Operations Manager should be
collecting data for the resource.
The collection state appears in a pop-up window.

5 Click the icon in the Collection State column to view more information about the collection state.

Detailed information appears in a pop-up window.

6 Point to the icon in the Collection Status column to see whether vCenter Operations Manager is
receiving data for the resource.

The collection status value appears in a pop-up window. A collection status value appears only if the
collection state is Collecting.

Some adapters write customized status messages. These messages typically provide more information
about data collection problems.

Collection States
The resource collection state indicates whether vCenter Operations Manager should be collecting data for
the resource.

The resource collection state appears in a pop-up window when you point to an icon in the Collection State
column in the resource list on the Environment Overview page. If vCenter Operations Manager collects data
for a resource through more than one adapter instance, a separate icon appears for each adapter instance.

Table 4‑1. Collection States

State Description

Collecting Resource is set to collect data.

Not Collecting Resource is set to not collect data.

Starting Collection is starting.

Stopping Collection is stopping.

Updating Resource is being updated.

Failed Resource configuration problem.

In Maintenance Resource is in scheduled maintenance.

In Maintenance (Manual) Resource is in manual maintenance.

Removing Resource is being deleted.

If you click an icon in the Collection State column, detailed information appears in a pop-up window.

Table 4‑2. Detailed Collection State Information

Field Description

Adapter Instance Name of the adapter instance.

Collector Name of the collector that the adapter instance uses.

Last Heartbeat Amount of time since vCenter Operations Manager received a heartbeat message
from the adapter. A long period of time might indicate a connection problem.

Status Status message from the collector.

Last Collection Time Amount of time since the end of the last collection cycle and the number of metrics
that the adapter collected during that cycle.

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 Chapter 4 Troubleshooting Adapters

Table 4‑2. Detailed Collection State Information (Continued)

Field Description

Last Collection Duration Length of time of the last collection cycle.

Metric Sparklines Graphical representations of the last collection cycle duration and the number of
metrics and resources that the adapter collected during that cycle.

Collection Status Values

The collection status value for a resource indicates whether vCenter Operations Manager is receiving data
for the resource. Collection status values appear in a pop-up window when you point to an icon in the
Collection Status column in the resource list on the Environment Overview page.

If vCenter Operations Manager collects metrics for a resource through more than one adapter instance, a
separate icon appears for each adapter instance in the Collection Status column.

A resource has a status value only if its collection state is Collecting. For information about collection states,
see “Collection States,” on page 28.

Table 4‑3. Collection Status Values

Status Description

Data Receiving vCenter Operations Manager is receiving data for the resource.

Old Data Receiving Data is not current. The most recent value is at least five monitoring cycles old.

No Data Receiving Adapter instance is collecting data, but vCenter Operations Manager has not received data for
the resource.

None vCenter Operations Manager or collection was recently started and no data has been received
for five monitoring cycles.

Error An error occurred when vCenter Operations Manager attempted to collect data for the resource.

Unknown Status of the resource is not known because the adapter instance cannot connect to the resource.

Resource Down Resource is not operational.

No parent resource Adapter instance resource is stopped.

monitoring

Collection down Collector or adapter instance is not operational.

NOTE Some adapter instances write customized status and messages. These messages typically provide
more information about data collection problems.

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VMware vCenter Operations Manager Adapter Guide

Viewing System Log Files

vCenter Operations Manager logs adapter errors in the adapter and Collector log files. You can view these
log files in the Custom user interface or in an external log viewer.

View Collector and Adapter Log Files

You can view Collector and adapter log files in the Custom user interface. Log files are organized in log type
folders.

Procedure
1 Select Admin > Support and click the Logs tab.

The log type folders appear in the Logs pane. Each installed Collector has a separate log type folder,
which contains subfolders for each adapter. Each adapter folder contains a subfolder for each adapter
instance. The instance folders contain the instance log files.

2 Perform these steps to view log files.

a Double-click a folder to view the contents of the log files in that folder.

b Double-click a log file to view the contents of the log file.

c Type line numbers in the Line Position and Row Limit text boxes to view a specific part of the log
file.

The line position value determines the starting line and the row limit value determines the
maximum lines to show in the Log Content pane.

3 If the data source for any of your resources changes, click the Recalculate Data Source icon.

vCenter Operations Manager recalculates the data sources for all resources.

4 Click the Reload Tree icon to reload the log tree information and collapse all open log type folders.

Modify Logging Levels

You can modify logging levels for the vCenter Operations Web, vCenter Operations Analytics, and vCenter
Operations Collector logs.

The available logging levels are ALL, DEBUG, ERROR, FATAL, INFO, OFF, and WARN. The logging level
is set to ERROR by default. To troubleshoot problems, set the logging level to INFO. To view detailed
messages, including micro steps, queries, and returned results, set the logging level to DEBUG.

NOTE If you set the logging level to DEBUG, log files can become large very quickly. Set the logging level to
DEBUG only for short periods of time.

Procedure
1 Select Admin > Support.

2 On the Logs tab, select the log type folder and click the Edit Properties icon.

You can select vCenter Operations Web, vCenter Operations Analytics, or any vCenter Operations
Collector folder.

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 Chapter 4 Troubleshooting Adapters

3 Edit the logging level settings.

Option Action
To set the root logging level Select a level from the Root Logger Level drop-down menu.
To specify how long to keep log Type the number of days in the Maximum backup days text box.
files
To set the logging level for a Click the component group and select a logging level from the Group Log
component group Level drop-down menu.
To set the logging level for a Expand the component group, select the current logging level or Please
specific component Select for the component, and select a new logging level from the drop-
down menu.

4 Click OK to save your configuration.

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32 VMware, Inc.
Index

A I
adapter architecture 11 IBM Tivoli Monitoring adapter 16
adapter instances 25 installing adapters 23, 24
adapter library 13
adapter log files 30 K
adapter types Keynote adapter 16
embedded 9
external 10 L
Advanced suite adapters 13 log files 30
audience information 5 logging levels 30
auto-discovery 9
M
C manual discovery 9
collection states 27, 28 metrics collected 27
collection status information 27 Microsoft SCOM adapter 17
collection status values 29
Collector 9 N
Collector log files 30 NetApp adapter 17
Compuware Gomez WS adapter 14
O
configuration properties 25
Oracle Enterprise Manager adapter 17
configuring adapters 23
P
D
port adapter 20
data types 10
product adapters 14
discovery process 9
R
E
Relationships adapter 20
embedded adapters 9
EMC Smarts adapter 14
S
EMC Symmetrix adapter 15
SAP adapter 18
Enterprise suite adapters 14
SNMP adapter 21
external adapters 10
SQL Loader adapter 21
status messages 27
F
field adapters 22
T
TeamQuest adapter 18
G
Text File adapter 21
generic adapters 20
troubleshooting steps 27
H
U
heartbeat messages 27
understanding adapters 9
HP BAC adapter 15
updated information 7
HP Performance Manager adapter 15
HP SiteScope adapter 16
Hyperic adapter 19

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V
vCenter adapter 13, 19
vCloud Director adapter 20
VCM adapter 13, 19

34 VMware, Inc.