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VMware8 ESX REST API

Connector dependencies​

The following monitoring connectors will be installed when you install the VMware8 ESX REST API connector through the Configuration > Monitoring Connector Manager menu:

Pack assets​

Templates​

The Monitoring Connector VMware8 ESX REST API brings a host template:

  • Virt-VMware8-ESX-Restapi-custom

The connector brings the following service templates (sorted by the host template they are attached to):

Service AliasService TemplateService Description
CpuVirt-VMWare8-ESX-Cpu-Restapi-customMonitor an ESX physical server's CPU stats
MemoryVirt-VMWare8-ESX-Memory-Restapi-customMonitor the amount of memory consumed by the virtual machines on an ESX physical server
PowerVirt-VMWare8-ESX-Power-Restapi-customMonitor an ESX physical server's electric power consumption

The services listed above are created automatically when the Virt-VMware8-ESX-Restapi-custom host template is used.

Discovery rules​

Host discovery​

Rule nameDescription
VMware ESX vSphere 8Discover VMware ESX physical hosts by querying a vCenter server using vSphere REST API v8

More information about discovering hosts automatically is available on the dedicated page.

Collected metrics & status​

Here is the list of services for this connector, detailing all metrics and statuses linked to each service.

NameUnit
cpu.capacity.usage.percentage%
cpu.capacity.usage.hertzHz
cpu.capacity.contention.percentage%
cpu.capacity.demand.percentage%
cpu.capacity.demand.hertzHz
cpu.corecount.usage.countcount

To obtain this new metric format, include --use-new-perfdata in the EXTRAOPTIONS service macro.

Prerequisites​

To use this connector, you must have a user account having access to the vCenter API of version 8 or above and having the following privileges:

  • Collect Stats Data
  • Query Stats Data

NB: This connector has only been tested with a 'Basic' authentication (like user@vsphere.local).

Installing the monitoring connector​

Pack​

  1. If the platform uses an online license, you can skip the package installation instruction below as it is not required to have the connector displayed within the Configuration > Monitoring Connector Manager menu. If the platform uses an offline license, install the package on the central server with the command corresponding to the operating system's package manager:
dnf install centreon-pack-application-virtualization-vmware8-esx-restapi
  1. Whatever the license type (online or offline), install the VMware8 ESX REST API connector through the Configuration > Monitoring Connector Manager menu.

Plugin​

Since Centreon 22.04, you can benefit from the 'Automatic plugin installation' feature. When this feature is enabled, you can skip the installation part below.

You still have to manually install the plugin on the poller(s) when:

  • Automatic plugin installation is turned off
  • You want to run a discovery job from a poller that doesn't monitor any resource of this kind yet

More information in the Installing the plugin section.

Use the commands below according to your operating system's package manager:

dnf install centreon-plugin-Virtualization-Vmware8-Esx-Restapi

If necessary, add the vCenter server's certificate to the poller's OS's list of known certificates.

openssl s_client -connect myvcenter.mydomain.tld:443 2>/dev/null </dev/null |  sed -ne '/-BEGIN CERTIFICATE-/,/-END CERTIFICATE-/p' > /etc/pki/ca-trust/source/anchors/my_vcenter.crt
update-ca-trust

Using the monitoring connector​

Using a host template provided by the connector​

  1. Log into Centreon and add a new host through Configuration > Hosts.
  2. Fill in the Name, Alias & IP Address/DNS fields according to your resource's settings.
  3. Apply the Virt-VMware8-ESX-Restapi-custom template to the host. A list of macros appears. Macros allow you to define how the connector will connect to the resource, and to customize the connector's behavior.
  4. Fill in the macros you want. Some macros are mandatory.
MacroDescriptionDefault valueMandatory
VMWARE8USERNAMEDefine the username for authenticationUSERNAMEX
VMWARE8PASSWORDDefine the password for authenticationPASSWORDX
VMWARE8PROTODefine the protocol to usehttps
VMWARE8PORTDefine the port of the vSphere server443
VMWARE8HOSTIDDefine which physical server to monitor based on its resource ID (example: host-16)
VMWARE8VCENTERDefine the hostname of the vSphere serverX
EXTRAOPTIONSAny extra option you may want to add to every command (a --verbose flag for example). All options are listed here.
  1. Deploy the configuration. The host appears in the list of hosts, and on the Resources Status page. The command that is sent by the connector is displayed in the details panel of the host: it shows the values of the macros.

Using a service template provided by the connector​

  1. If you have used a host template and checked Create Services linked to the Template too, the services linked to the template have been created automatically, using the corresponding service templates. Otherwise, create manually the services you want and apply a service template to them.
  2. Fill in the macros you want (e.g. to change the thresholds for the alerts). Some macros are mandatory (see the table below).
MacroDescriptionDefault valueMandatory
WARNINGCONTENTIONPERCENTAGEThreshold in %
CRITICALCONTENTIONPERCENTAGEThreshold in %
WARNINGCORECOUNTUSAGEThreshold in number of cores
CRITICALCORECOUNTUSAGEThreshold in number of cores
WARNINGDEMANDFREQUENCYThreshold in Hz
CRITICALDEMANDFREQUENCYThreshold in Hz
WARNINGDEMANDPERCENTAGEThreshold in %
CRITICALDEMANDPERCENTAGEThreshold in %
WARNINGUSAGEFREQUENCYThreshold in Hz
CRITICALUSAGEFREQUENCYThreshold in Hz
WARNINGUSAGEPERCENTAGEThreshold in %
CRITICALUSAGEPERCENTAGEThreshold in %
EXTRAOPTIONSAny extra option you may want to add to the command (a --verbose flag for example). All options are listed here.
  1. Deploy the configuration. The service appears in the list of services, and on the Resources Status page. The command that is sent by the connector is displayed in the details panel of the service: it shows the values of the macros.

How to check in the CLI that the configuration is OK and what are the main options for?​

Once the plugin is installed, log into your Centreon poller's CLI using the centreon-engine user account (su - centreon-engine). Test that the connector is able to monitor a resource using a command like this one (replace the sample values by yours):

/usr/lib/centreon/plugins/centreon_vmware8_esx_restapi.pl \
	--plugin=apps::vmware::vsphere8::esx::plugin \
	--mode=power \
	--hostname='vcenter.mydomain.tld' \
	--port='443' \
	--proto='https' \
	--esx-id='host-18' \
	--username='USERNAME' \
	--password='PASSWORD'  \
	--warning-power-usage-watts='' \
	--critical-power-usage-watts=''

The expected command output is shown below:

OK: Power usage is 219 Watts | 'power.capacity.usage.watts'=219W;;;;

Troubleshooting​

Please find the troubleshooting documentation for the API-based plugins in this chapter.

Available modes​

In most cases, a mode corresponds to a service template. The mode appears in the execution command for the connector. In the Centreon interface, you don't need to specify a mode explicitly: its use is implied when you apply a service template. However, you will need to specify the correct mode for the template if you want to test the execution command for the connector in your terminal.

All available modes can be displayed by adding the --list-mode parameter to the command:

/usr/lib/centreon/plugins/centreon_vmware8_esx_restapi.pl \
	--plugin=apps::vmware::vsphere8::esx::plugin \
	--list-mode

The plugin brings the following modes:

ModeLinked service template
cpu [code]Virt-VMWare8-ESX-Cpu-Restapi-custom
discovery [code]Used for host discovery
host-status [code]Not used in this Monitoring Connector
memory [code]Virt-VMWare8-ESX-Memory-Restapi-custom
power [code]Virt-VMWare8-ESX-Power-Restapi-custom

Available options​

Generic options​

All generic options are listed here:

OptionDescription
--modeDefine the mode in which you want the plugin to be executed (see --list-mode).
--dyn-modeSpecify a mode with the module's path (advanced).
--list-modeList all available modes.
--mode-versionCheck minimal version of mode. If not, unknown error.
--versionReturn the version of the plugin.
--custommodeWhen a plugin offers several ways (CLI, library, etc.) to get information the desired one must be defined with this option.
--list-custommodeList all available custom modes.
--multipleMultiple custom mode objects. This may be required by some specific modes (advanced).
--pass-managerDefine the password manager you want to use. Supported managers are: environment, file, keepass, hashicorpvault and teampass.
--verboseDisplay extended status information (long output).
--debugDisplay debug messages.
--filter-perfdataFilter perfdata that match the regexp. Example: adding --filter-perfdata='avg' will remove all metrics that do not contain 'avg' from performance data.
--filter-perfdata-advFilter perfdata based on a "if" condition using the following variables: label, value, unit, warning, critical, min, max. Variables must be written either %{variable} or %(variable). Example: adding --filter-perfdata-adv='not (%(value) == 0 and %(max) eq "")' will remove all metrics whose value equals 0 and that don't have a maximum value.
--explode-perfdata-maxCreate a new metric for each metric that comes with a maximum limit. The new metric will be named identically with a '_max' suffix. Example: it will split 'used_prct'=26.93%;0:80;0:90;0;100 into 'used_prct'=26.93%;0:80;0:90;0;100 'used_prct_max'=100%;;;;
--change-perfdata --extend-perfdataChange or extend perfdata. Syntax: --extend-perfdata=searchlabel,newlabel,target[,[<new-unit-of-mesure>],[min],[max]]. Common examples: Convert storage free perfdata into used: --change-perfdata='free,used,invert()'. Convert storage free perfdata into used: --change-perfdata='used,free,invert()'. Scale traffic values automatically: --change-perfdata='traffic,,scale(auto)'. Scale traffic values in Mbps: --change-perfdata='traffic_in,,scale(Mbps),mbps'. Change traffic values in percent: --change-perfdata='traffic_in,,percent()'.
--change-perfdataChange or extend perfdata. Syntax: --extend-perfdata=searchlabel,newlabel,target[,[<new-unit-of-mesure>],[min],[max]]. Common examples: Convert storage free perfdata into used: --change-perfdata='free,used,invert()'. Convert storage free perfdata into used: --change-perfdata='used,free,invert()'. Scale traffic values automatically: --change-perfdata='traffic,,scale(auto)'. Scale traffic values in Mbps: --change-perfdata='traffic_in,,scale(Mbps),mbps'. Change traffic values in percent: --change-perfdata='traffic_in,,percent()'.
--extend-perfdataChange or extend perfdata. Syntax: --extend-perfdata=searchlabel,newlabel,target[,[<new-unit-of-mesure>],[min],[max]]. Common examples: Convert storage free perfdata into used: --change-perfdata='free,used,invert()'. Convert storage free perfdata into used: --change-perfdata='used,free,invert()'. Scale traffic values automatically: --change-perfdata='traffic,,scale(auto)'. Scale traffic values in Mbps: --change-perfdata='traffic_in,,scale(Mbps),mbps'. Change traffic values in percent: --change-perfdata='traffic_in,,percent()'.
--extend-perfdata-groupAdd new aggregated metrics (min, max, average or sum) for groups of metrics defined by a regex match on the metrics' names. Syntax: --extend-perfdata-group=regex,<names-of-new-metrics>,calculation[,[<new-unit-of-mesure>],[min],[max]] regex: regular expression <names-of-new-metrics>: how the new metrics' names are composed (can use $1, $2... for groups defined by () in regex). calculation: how the values of the new metrics should be calculated <new-unit-of-mesure> (optional): unit of measure for the new metrics min (optional): lowest value the metrics can reach max (optional): highest value the metrics can reach Common examples: Sum wrong packets from all interfaces (with interface need --units-errors=absolute): `--extend-perfdata-group=',packets_wrong,sum(packets_(discard
--change-short-output --change-long-outputModify the short/long output that is returned by the plugin. Syntax: --change-short-output=patternreplacementmodifier Most commonly used modifiers are i (case insensitive) and g (replace all occurrences). Example: adding --change-short-output='OKUpgi' will replace all occurrences of 'OK', 'ok', 'Ok' or 'oK' with 'Up'
--change-short-outputModify the short/long output that is returned by the plugin. Syntax: --change-short-output=patternreplacementmodifier Most commonly used modifiers are i (case insensitive) and g (replace all occurrences). Example: adding --change-short-output='OKUpgi' will replace all occurrences of 'OK', 'ok', 'Ok' or 'oK' with 'Up'
--change-long-outputModify the short/long output that is returned by the plugin. Syntax: --change-short-output=patternreplacementmodifier Most commonly used modifiers are i (case insensitive) and g (replace all occurrences). Example: adding --change-short-output='OKUpgi' will replace all occurrences of 'OK', 'ok', 'Ok' or 'oK' with 'Up'
--change-exitReplace an exit code with one of your choice. Example: adding --change-exit=unknown=critical will result in a CRITICAL state instead of an UNKNOWN state.
--change-output-advReplace short output and exit code based on a "if" condition using the following variables: short_output, exit_code. Variables must be written either %{variable} or %(variable). Example: adding --change-output-adv='%(short_ouput) =~ /UNKNOWN: No daemon/,OK: No daemon,OK' will change the following specific UNKNOWN result to an OK result.
--range-perfdataRewrite the ranges displayed in the perfdata. Accepted values: 0: nothing is changed. 1: if the lower value of the range is equal to 0, it is removed. 2: remove the thresholds from the perfdata.
--filter-uomMask the units when they don't match the given regular expression.
--opt-exitReplace the exit code in case of an execution error (i.e. wrong option provided, SSH connection refused, timeout, etc). Default: unknown.
--output-ignore-perfdataRemove all the metrics from the service. The service will still have a status and an output.
--output-ignore-labelRemove the status label ("OK:", "WARNING:", "UNKNOWN:", CRITICAL:") from the beginning of the output. Example: 'OK: Ram Total:...' will become 'Ram Total:...'
--output-xmlReturn the output in XML format (to send to an XML API).
--output-jsonReturn the output in JSON format (to send to a JSON API).
--output-openmetricsReturn the output in OpenMetrics format (to send to a tool expecting this format).
--output-fileWrite output in file (can be combined with JSON, XML and OpenMetrics options). Example: --output-file=/tmp/output.txt will write the output in /tmp/output.txt.
--disco-formatApplies only to modes beginning with 'list-'. Returns the list of available macros to configure a service discovery rule (formatted in XML).
--disco-showApplies only to modes beginning with 'list-'. Returns the list of discovered objects (formatted in XML) for service discovery.
--float-precisionDefine the float precision for thresholds (default: 8).
--source-encodingDefine the character encoding of the response sent by the monitored resource Default: 'UTF-8'.
--esx-idDefine which physical server to monitor based on its resource ID (example: host-16).
--esx-nameDefine which physical server to monitor based on its name (example: esx01.mydomain.tld). When possible, it is recommended to use --esx-id instead.
--http-peer-addrSet the address you want to connect to. Useful if hostname is only a vhost, to avoid IP resolution.
--proxyurlProxy URL. Example: http://my.proxy:3128
--proxypacProxy pac file (can be a URL or a local file).
--insecureAccept insecure SSL connections.
--http-backendPerl library to use for HTTP transactions. Possible values are: lwp (default) and curl.
--memcachedMemcached server to use (only one server).
--redis-serverRedis server to use (only one server). Syntax: address[:port]
--redis-attributeSet Redis Options (--redis-attribute="cnx_timeout=5").
--redis-dbSet Redis database index.
--failback-fileFall back on a local file if Redis connection fails.
--memexpirationTime to keep data in seconds (default: 86400).
--statefile-dirDefine the cache directory (default: '/var/lib/centreon/centplugins').
--statefile-suffixDefine a suffix to customize the statefile name (default: '').
--statefile-concat-cwdIf used with the '--statefile-dir' option, the latter's value will be used as a sub-directory of the current working directory. Useful on Windows when the plugin is compiled, as the file system and permissions are different from Linux.
--statefile-formatDefine the format used to store the cache. Available formats: 'dumper', 'storable', 'json' (default).
--statefile-keyDefine the key to encrypt/decrypt the cache.
--statefile-cipherDefine the cipher algorithm to encrypt the cache (default: 'AES').
--hostnameDefine the hostname of the vSphere server.
--portDefine the port of the vSphere server (default: 443).
--protoDefine the protocol to use (default: https).
--usernameDefine the username for authentication.
--passwordDefine the password for authentication.
--vstats-intervalDefine the interval (in seconds) at which the vstats must be recorded (default: 300). Used to create entries at the /api/stats/acq-specs endpoint.
--vstats-durationDefine the time (in seconds) after which the vstats will stop being recorded (default: 2764800, meaning 32 days). Used to create entries at the /api/stats/acq-specs endpoint.
--timeoutDefine the timeout for API requests (default: 10 seconds).

Modes options​

All available options for each service template are listed below:

OptionDescription
--filter-countersOnly display some counters (regexp can be used). Example to check SSL connections only : --filter-counters='^xxxx|yyyy$'
--add-demandAdd counter related to CPU demand: cpu.capacity.demand.HOST: The amount of CPU resources a virtual machine would use if there were no CPU contention or CPU limit.
--add-contentionAdd counter related to CPU demand: cpu.capacity.contention.HOST: Percent of time the virtual machine is unable to run because it is contending for access to the physical CPU(s).
--add-corecountAdd counter related to CPU core count: cpu.corecount.usage.HOST: The number of virtual processors running on the host.
--warning-usage-percentageThreshold in %.
--critical-usage-percentageThreshold in %.
--warning-usage-frequencyThreshold in Hz.
--critical-usage-frequencyThreshold in Hz.
--warning-contention-percentageThreshold in %.
--critical-contention-percentageThreshold in %.
--warning-contention-frequencyThreshold in Hz.
--critical-contention-frequencyThreshold in Hz.
--warning-demand-percentageThreshold in %.
--critical-demand-percentageThreshold in %.
--warning-demand-frequencyThreshold in Hz.
--critical-demand-frequencyThreshold in Hz.
--warning-corecount-usageThreshold in number of cores.
--critical-corecount-usageThreshold in number of cores.

All available options for a given mode can be displayed by adding the --help parameter to the command:

/usr/lib/centreon/plugins/centreon_vmware8_esx_restapi.pl \
	--plugin=apps::vmware::vsphere8::esx::plugin \
	--mode=power \
	--help