VCenter

VMware vRealize Operations (vROps) is not the only tool available for managing the performance and capacity of virtual environments. Another solution that has gained popularity in recent years is the Cloud Workload Optimization Manager (CWOM). In this blog, we will compare vROps workload optimizations with CWOM to help organizations determine which solution is best suited for their needs. Functionality vROps provides a comprehensive set of features for managing the performance and capacity of virtual environments. It includes advanced performance analytics, customized tagging and workload optimization, improved visibility, and cost savings. On the other hand, CWOM is a more specialized tool that focuses on optimizing resource utilization for cloud workloads. While CWOM has some similar features to vROps, it lacks the depth of functionality provided by vROps. Scalability vROps is designed to manage large, complex virtual environments and is highly scalable. It can support multiple vCenter servers, hundreds of thousands of virtual machines, and provide real-time performance data. CWOM, on the other hand, is designed for smaller cloud environments and may not be suitable for organizations with large virtual environments. Integration vROps integrates seamlessly with other VMware products and solutions, such as vCenter and NSX, to provide a unified view of the virtual environment. CWOM, on the other hand, is designed to work with specific cloud platforms and may not provide the same level of integration as vROps. Cost vROps is a premium solution that is typically more expensive than CWOM. However, the comprehensive set of features provided by vROps and its ability to manage large, complex virtual environments can make it a more cost-effective solution in the long run. In conclusion, vROps workload optimizations provide a comprehensive solution for managing virtual environments, while CWOM is a specialized tool for optimizing resource utilization for cloud workloads. Organizations should consider their specific needs, the size and complexity of their virtual environment, and their budget when deciding between vROps and CWOM. ...

vSphere Resource Management with vRealize Operations (vROPs) DRS across multiple data centers is a critical requirement for managing large-scale virtualized environments. In this blog, we’ll discuss the requirements for using DRS in vROPs across multiple data centers. Cross vCenter vMotion (CVC-vMotion) Support: CVC-vMotion enables vMotion of virtual machines across multiple vCenter servers. This capability is a pre-requisite for vROPs DRS across multiple data centers. vCenter Server 6.7 Update 1 or later: vROPs DRS across multiple data centers requires vCenter Server 6.7 Update 1 or later. This ensures that the necessary APIs are available to enable vROPs to manage resources across multiple vCenter servers. Network Connectivity: All data centers should have a reliable and high-speed network connectivity, with the necessary firewall ports opened for communication between vCenter servers and vROPs instances. vROPs Replication: vROPs instances in different data centers must be able to communicate with each other. vROPs replication can be used to keep the data in all vROPs instances in sync, ensuring that the vROPs DRS decisions are based on consistent data. Same vROPs version: All vROPs instances must be running the same version of vROPs to ensure compatibility and prevent any issues with data consistency. Same vROPs license: All vROPs instances must be licensed with the same vROPs license, and the license should include the vROPs DRS capability. Cluster Configuration: The virtual machines that need to be managed by vROPs DRS must be in a vSphere cluster that spans across multiple vCenter servers. The vSphere cluster must be configured with the appropriate DRS settings, such as automated DRS, to ensure that vROPs DRS can make effective resource management decisions. In conclusion, vROPs DRS across multiple data centers is a powerful tool for managing virtualized environments at scale. By following these requirements, organizations can ensure that their vROPs DRS implementation is effective, efficient, and reliable.

The Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) is a key component of the vSphere platform, and is used to manage resource allocation and workload distribution within virtualized data centers. DRS works by analyzing resource utilization and workload demands of virtual machines (VMs) and making recommendations for placement and resource allocation based on a set of rules. In the context of vRealize Operations Manager (vROps), DRS rules play an important role in ensuring optimal performance and utilization of virtualized resources. By using vROps, administrators can monitor resource utilization and workload demands in real-time, and make informed decisions about resource allocation based on this data. ...

In this blog post I will go over the steps I took in order to to be able to query my vCenter components from SaltStack using the SDDC SaltStack Modules. The SDDC SaltStack Modules were introduced in 2011. You can find the technical release blog here. The modules can be found on GitHub here. There is also a getting quick start guide that can be found here. I am using the pre packaged ova for deployment which includes most of the components however it does have some outdated packages. The first step for was to upgrade pip: ...

I recently ran through an issue where i wanted to automatically delete snapshots after 5 days instead of the default 7 days that comes out of box in automation central. I wanted to change delete old snapshot restriction from 7 days to 5 days. It seems like the restriction comes from the Reclaim Settings. In order to change it we can go to Optimize -> Reclaim -> Settings ...

During VMworld 2021 we announced vRealize Operations 8.6 which now provides allot of new features and capabilities. You can see an Whats New overview here as well as a feature walk through here. I this blog we will be focusing specifically on the Administration menu and how it maps to the new 8.6 release. I covered the UI Navigation on my blog other here. As you might be aware the Administration has now been redesigned to make it easier to navigate and find items. Lets jump in to it. ...

I was recently going through a vCenter upgrade and got stuck at an error Exception occurred in postinstallHook. I tried reverting from snapshot and trying again but i ran through the same issue. The issue in my case was that the catalina.properties had the wrong permissions. The fix was to change the permissions to perfcharts:cis and then resuming the update in the VAMI interface. The catalina.properties is located /usr/lib/vmware-perfcharts/tc-instance/conf/catalina.properties. The command to fix it is ...

I recently upgraded my vCenter to 7.0.3 18700403 and i noticed that when i went to Lifecycle Manager i was welcomed with this error. “Authentication failed, Lifecycle Manager server could not be contacted.” Im not aware of a fix for this issue however using the administrator@vsphere.local seems to be working.

While doing maintenance on my vSAN cluster recently i had the need to disable the vCLS in order to fully shut down the cluster. Doing some reasearch i found kb article 80472 that talk about temporarily disabling the service in order to perform maintenance. The steps are fairly easy First we need to get the Cluster id from vSphere. To do so all we need to do is select the cluster and look at the url. For example ...

I have the need to completely shut down some of my vSAN clusters for various clusters and ive been having a hard time finding the proper procedure. As of 2/16/2021 VMware released guidance here Here are the steps i took to do it on my end. If you have the vCLS service enabled follow my other instructions here prior to starting the rest of this guide. Disable cluster member updates from vCenter on each ESXi host in the cluster by running ...