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VMware ESX

VMWare provides cloud computing and virtualization software and services.

The Centreon Plugins and Monitoring Connectors rely on the Centreon VMWare Connector to request the vCenter API.

With this connector, Centreon can monitor VMs, Datastores, ESXs, Clusters, etc.

This Monitoring Connector can be used with either version 6 or 7 of the VMware API.

Pack assets​

Templates​

The Monitoring Connector VMware ESX brings a host template:

  • Virt-VMWare2-ESX-custom

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

Service AliasService TemplateService Description
Esx-CpuVirt-VMWare2-ESX-Cpu-Generic-customCheck CPU usage of an ESX Server
Esx-HealthVirt-VMWare2-ESX-Health-Generic-customCheck hardware and CPU sensors of an ESX Server
Esx-MemoryVirt-VMWare2-ESX-Memory-Generic-customCheck Memory usage of an ESX Server
Esx-StatusVirt-VMWare2-ESX-Status-Generic-customCheck global status of an ESX Server
Esx-SwapVirt-VMWare2-ESX-Swap-Generic-customCheck if a virtual machine is swapping on the ESX server
Esx-Vm-CountVirt-VMWare2-ESX-Vm-Count-Generic-customCheck virtual machines running/off/suspended on an ESX Server

The services listed above are created automatically when the Virt-VMWare2-ESX-custom host template is used.

Discovery rules​

Host discovery​

Rule nameDescription
VMWare ESXDiscover VMWare ESX

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

Service discovery​

Rule nameDescription
Virt-VMWare2-Esx-Datastores-Latency-Name
Virt-VMWare2-Esx-Nics-Traffic-NameDiscover network interfaces and monitor bandwidth utilization

More information about discovering services automatically is available on the dedicated page and in the following chapter.

Collected metrics & status​

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

Metric nameUnit
datastore.read.usage.bytespersecondB/s
datastore.write.usage.bytespersecondB/s
datastore#statusN/A
datastore#datastore.read.usage.bytespersecondB/s
datastore#datastore.write.usage.bytespersecondB/s

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

Prerequisites​

Centreon VMWare Connector​

For the VMWare monitoring, Centreon use daemon to connect and request the vCenter.

Install this daemon on each needed poller:

yum install centreon-plugin-Virtualization-VMWare-daemon

To configure the access to your infrastructure, edit the "/etc/centreon/centreon_vmware.pm" configuration file:

%centreon_vmware_config = (
    vsphere_server => {
        default => {
            url => 'https://<ip_hostname>/sdk',
            username => '<username>',
            password => '<password>'
        }
    }
);

1;

Make sure to replace variables with needed information:

  • ip_hostname: IP address or hostname of the vCenter or ESX (if standalone),
  • username: username with at least "read only" access to the vCenter or ESX (you can use domain user),
  • password: password of the username.

You can configure multiple vCenter or ESXi connections using this structure:

%centreon_vmware_config = (
    vsphere_server => {
        'my_first_vcenter' => {
            url => 'https://<ip_hostname>/sdk',
            username => '<username>',
            password => '<password>'
        },
        'my_other_vcenter' => {
            url => 'https://<ip_hostname>/sdk',
            username => '<DOMAIN>\<username>',
            password => '<password>'
        },
    },
    port => 5700
);

1;

Each entry is called a container.

You can also define the "port" attribute to change the listening port.

Then start the daemon and make sure it is configured to start at server boot:

systemctl start centreon_vmware
systemctl enable centreon_vmware

Make sure that the daemon configuration works fine by looking for errors in /var/log/centreon/centreon_vmware.log.

Tags and Custom Attributes​

To discover Tags and Custom Attributes, you must use version 3.2.5 of centreon-vmware-daemon and add --tags in the discovery extra options. Go to page Configuration > Hosts > Discovery, and at the 3rd step (Define discovery parameters), in section Additional parameters, in the Extra Options field, enter --tags.

Network flows​

The Poller with the Centreon VMware Connector installed needs to access the vCenter on TCP/443 HTTPS.

The Pollers that request the Centreon VMWare Connector host need to access the Centreon VMWare Connector host on TCP/5700.

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 Connectors 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-virtualization-vmware2-esx
  1. Whatever the license type (online or offline), install the VMware ESX connector through the Configuration > Monitoring Connectors 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-Vmware2-Connector-Plugin

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 the Name, Alias & IP Address/DNS fields according to your ressource settings.
  3. Apply the Virt-VMWare2-ESX-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
CENTREONVMWAREPORTConnector port (default: 5700)5700
CENTREONVMWARECONTAINERContainer to use (it depends on the connector's configuration)default
CENTREONVMWAREHOSTConnector hostname (required)localhost
ESXNAMEHostnames of the ESX to monitor. If not set, we check all ESX
CENTREONVMWAREEXTRAOPTIONSAny extra option you may want to add to every command (e.g. a --verbose flag). 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
UNKNOWNSTATUSDefine the conditions to match for the status to be UNKNOWN (Default: '%{accessible} !~ /^true|1$/i'). You can use the following variables: %{accessible}%{accessible} !~ /^true|1$/i
DATASTORENAMEThe connector will only take into account alerts coming from the datastores listed here
WARNINGREADWarning threshold
CRITICALREADCritical threshold
WARNINGSTATUSDefine the conditions to match for the status to be WARNING (Default: ''). You can use the following variables: %{accessible}
CRITICALSTATUSDefine the conditions to match for the status to be CRITICAL (Default: ''). You can use the following variables: %{accessible}
WARNINGTOTALREADWarning threshold
CRITICALTOTALREADCritical threshold
WARNINGTOTALWRITEWarning threshold
CRITICALTOTALWRITECritical threshold
WARNINGWRITEWarning threshold
CRITICALWRITECritical threshold
EXTRAOPTIONSAny extra option you may want to add to the command (e.g. a --verbose flag). 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_vmware_connector_client.pl \
    --plugin=apps::vmware::connector::plugin \
    --mode=countvm-host \
    --custommode=connector \
    --connector-hostname='localhost' \
    --connector-port='5700' \
    --container='default'  \
    --esx-hostname='' \
    --unknown-status='%{status} !~ /^connected$/i' \
    --warning-status='' \
    --critical-status='' \
    --warning-total-on='' \
    --critical-total-on='' \
    --warning-total-off='' \
    --critical-total-off='' \
    --warning-total-suspended='' \
    --critical-total-suspended='' \
    --warning-on='' \
    --critical-on='' \
    --warning-off='' \
    --critical-off='' \
    --warning-suspended='' \
    --critical-suspended=''

The expected command output is shown below:

OK: 51 VM(s) poweredon 93 VM(s) poweredoff 18 VM(s) suspended All ESX Hosts are ok | 'host.vm.poweredon.current.count'=51;;;0;total'host.vm.poweredoff.current.count'=93;;;0;total'host.vm.suspended.current.count'=18;;;0;total'*host*#host.vm.poweredon.current.count'=;;;0;total'*host*#host.vm.poweredoff.current.count'=;;;0;total'*host*#host.vm.suspended.current.count'=;;;0;total

Troubleshooting​

Please find the troubleshooting documentation for Centreon Plugins typical issues.

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_vmware_connector_client.pl \
    --plugin=apps::vmware::connector::plugin \
    --list-mode

The plugin brings the following modes:

ModeLinked service template
alarm-datacenter [code]Not used in this Monitoring Connector
alarm-host [code]Virt-VMWare2-ESX-Alarms-Generic-custom
countvm-host [code]Virt-VMWare2-ESX-Vm-Count-Generic-custom
cpu-cluster [code]Not used in this Monitoring Connector
cpu-host [code]Virt-VMWare2-ESX-Cpu-Generic-custom
cpu-vm [code]Not used in this Monitoring Connector
datastore-countvm [code]Virt-VMWare2-Datastore-Vm-Count-Generic-custom
datastore-host [code]Virt-VMWare2-ESX-Datastores-Latency-Generic-custom
datastore-io [code]Virt-VMWare2-Datastore-Io-Generic-custom
datastore-iops [code]Virt-VMWare2-Datastore-Iops-Generic-custom
datastore-snapshot [code]Virt-VMWare2-Datastore-Snapshots-Generic-custom
datastore-usage [code]Virt-VMWare2-Datastore-Usage-Generic-custom
datastore-vm [code]Not used in this Monitoring Connector
device-vm [code]Not used in this Monitoring Connector
discovery [code]Used for host discovery
getmap [code]Not used in this Monitoring Connector
health-host [code]Virt-VMWare2-ESX-Health-Generic-custom
licenses [code]Not used in this Monitoring Connector
limit-vm [code]Not used in this Monitoring Connector
list-clusters [code]Not used in this Monitoring Connector
list-datacenters [code]Not used in this Monitoring Connector
list-datastores [code]Used for service discovery
list-nichost [code]Used for service discovery
maintenance-host [code]Virt-VMWare2-ESX-Maintenance-Generic-custom
memory-host [code]Virt-VMWare2-ESX-Memory-Generic-custom
memory-vm [code]Not used in this Monitoring Connector
net-host [code]Virt-VMWare2-ESX-Traffic-Generic-custom
net-vm [code]Not used in this Monitoring Connector
service-host [code]Virt-VMWare2-ESX-Service-Generic-custom
snapshot-vm [code]Not used in this Monitoring Connector
stat-connectors [code]Not used in this Monitoring Connector
status-cluster [code]Not used in this Monitoring Connector
status-host [code]Virt-VMWare2-ESX-Status-Generic-custom
status-vm [code]Not used in this Monitoring Connector
storage-host [code]Virt-VMWare2-ESX-Storage-Generic-custom
swap-host [code]Virt-VMWare2-ESX-Swap-Generic-custom
swap-vm [code]Not used in this Monitoring Connector
thinprovisioning-vm [code]Not used in this Monitoring Connector
time-host [code]Virt-VMWare2-ESX-Time-Generic-custom
tools-vm [code]Not used in this Monitoring Connector
uptime-host [code]Virt-VMWare2-ESX-Uptime-Generic-custom
vmoperation-cluster [code]Not used in this Monitoring Connector
vsan-cluster-usage [code]Not used in this Monitoring Connector

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. Eg: 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). Eg: 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). Eg: 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[,[newuom],[min],[m ax]] 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,namesofnewmetrics,calculation[,[ne wuom],[min],[max]] regex: regular expression namesofnewmetrics: 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 newuom (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 |error)_(in|out))' Sum traffic by interface: --extend-perfdata-group='traffic_in_(.*),traffic_$1,sum(traf fic_(in|out)_$1)'
--change-short-output --change-long-outputModify the short/long output that is returned by the plugin. Syntax: --change-short-output=pattern~replacement~modifier Most commonly used modifiers are i (case insensitive) and g (replace all occurrences). Eg: adding --change-short-output='OK~Up~gi' will replace all occurrences of 'OK', 'ok', 'Ok' or 'oK' with 'Up'
--change-exitReplace an exit code with one of your choice. Eg: adding --change-exit=unknown=critical will result in a CRITICAL state instead of an UNKNOWN state.
--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. Eg: '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). E.g.: --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'.
--connector-hostnameConnector hostname (required).
--connector-portConnector port (default: 5700).
--containerContainer to use (it depends on the connector's configuration).
--vsphere-addressAddress of vpshere/ESX to connect.
--vsphere-usernameUsername of vpshere/ESX connection (with --vsphere-address).
--vsphere-passwordPassword of vpshere/ESX connection (with --vsphere-address).
--timeoutSet global execution timeout (Default: 50)
--sampling-periodChoose the sampling period (can change the default sampling for counters). Should be not different than 300 or 20.
--time-shiftCan shift the time. We the following option you can average X counters values (default: 0).
--case-insensitiveSearchs are case insensitive.
--unknown-connector-statusSet unknown threshold for connector status (Default: '%{code} \< 0 || (%{code} > 0 && %{code} \< 200)'). You can use the following variables: %{code}, %{short_message}, %{extra_message}.
--warning-connector-statusSet warning threshold for connector status (Default: ''). You can use the following variables: %{code}, %{short_message}, %{extra_message}.
--critical-connector-statusSet critical threshold for connector status (Default: ''). You can use the following variables: %{code}, %{short_message}, %{extra_message}.

Modes options​

All available options for each service template are listed below:

OptionDescription
--datastore-nameThe connector will only take into account alerts coming from the datastores listed here
--filterDatastore name is a regexp.
--scope-datacenterSearch in following datacenter(s) (can be a regexp).
--unknown-statusDefine the conditions to match for the status to be UNKNOWN (Default: '%{accessible} !~ /^true|1$/i'). You can use the following variables: %{accessible}
--warning-statusDefine the conditions to match for the status to be WARNING (Default: ''). You can use the following variables: %{accessible}
--critical-statusDefine the conditions to match for the status to be CRITICAL (Default: ''). You can use the following variables: %{accessible}
--warning-*Warning threshold. Can be: 'total-read', 'total-write', 'read', 'write'.
--critical-*Critical threshold. Can be: 'total-read', 'total-write', 'read', 'write'.

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

/usr/lib/centreon/plugins/centreon_vmware_connector_client.pl \
    --plugin=apps::vmware::connector::plugin \
    --mode=countvm-host \
    --help