Using Alarms

Alarms are notifications that occur in response to selected events, conditions, and states that occur with objects in the inventory. You use the vSphere Client to create and modify alarms.

The vCenter Server system is configured with a set of predefined alarms that monitor clusters, hosts, data-centers, datastores, networks, and virtual machines. it is also configured with alarms that monitor vCenter Server licensing.Each predefined alarm monitors a specific object and applies to all objects of that type. For example, by default, the Host CPU Usage alarm is set automatically on each host in the inventory and triggers automatically when any host’s CPU usage reaches the defined CPU value.If the predefined vCenter Server alarms do not account for the condition, state, or event you need to monitor, you can define custom alarms.When you set an alarm on a parent object, such as a vCenter Server, a datacenter, or a cluster, all applicable child objects inherit the alarm. You can also set an alarm on a folder to propagate the same alarm to all objects contained in that folder. You cannot change or override an alarm that is set on a child object from its parent object. You must change the alarm on the child object itself.

Alarms are composed of a trigger and an action.

This Lab is about Creating a condition-Monitoring Alarm,Event-Monitoring Alarm,Triggering VM Alarms and Disabling the Alarms.

TASK-Creating a condition-Monitoring Alarm

Select your VM in the inventory and under Manage tab select Alarm Definitions.Click on Add icon in the alarm Definition pane.

Give a name and Alarm type.

Click on Add under Triggers tab and Select VM CPU Usage type of trigger,Is Above as Operator,25 in warning condition,30 in condition length and 50 as Critical condition.

Again Click on Add icon and Select Suspend VM under Action ,Green to Yellow once,Yellow to Green once and rest all default.

Alarms has been created.

TASK-Creating an Event-Monitoring Alarm

Under Hosts and Cluster Go to your Datacenter in the inventory.Select Manage tab and click on Alarm Definitions.Click on Add icon and give a name,Alarm type to the alarm and click OK.

Click on Add Icon again and select VM suspended Event and keep the status as default one.

Under Following conditions Column,Click on Add icon .under Argument drop down select Change Tag and Select VM name from list.In the value column type name of your VM and click on finish.

TASK-Triggering VM Alarms

For the suspended VM task you will see a triggered alarm in the alarm pane.

TASK-Disabling the Alarms

To disable the VM CPU alarm,select your VM and go to alarm definitions.Right click on VM CPU Usage alarm and Edit it to deselect the Enable this Alarm option.

To disable the VM Suspended alarm,select your Data center and go to alarm definitions.Right click on VM CPU Usage alarm and Edit it to deselect the Enable this Alarm option.