VM Monitoring

[Shocko]

Guys, just starting to use VM monitoring for a subset of the machines in my cluster. Does VM Monitoring need to be enabled at the cluster level? For example, if i leave the cluster setting as Disabled and then set a VM to custom, that doesn't seem to work. If I enable it at the cluster level, then disable for all virtual machine bar my test one, it works.

[Madmax01]

Hello,

i had very bad Problems with that "VM Monitoring".  i didn't used it anymore and i wouldn't do it anymore.   So because it's hardly depending on the VMware Tools > and once they are bugging around (and that could be often) > then vmware tools gives maybe a wrong Status back > and the VM Monitoring is alerting and triggering the Action you choosed .

i don't like thinking back how often my VM's where restarted or what ever Condition.  And everytime theire was nothing wrong with the Guests. only the Tools did made   "Planned Problems".

be very carefully with it. it's not an Monitoring in my Point of View. Theirefore it's much better to analyze Alertings from the vCenter and made notifications and so on,...... or Read Agent Monitoring inside the Guest SCOM or something similiar.

Best regards

Max

[Shocko]

HI Max,

Thanks for your reply. What version of ESX are you running? I need to use VM monitoring as I have many servers that are stateless and boot via XE. At times, they can halt at the TFTP download and I need a method of detecting such. VM Monitoring has worked well for me in my lab with high thresholds e.g. only reset the machine if no heartbeat received for 1 hour in a 24 period reset. My question around the need to set at the cluster level still stands though.

[Madmax01]

Hi Shocko,

Currently i have 5.5 in use.  i don't remember anymore when i used the "VM Monitoring".  as i remember it was with 4.x.  So but it's still scary me to activate this Function.

Glad it's working in you're Lab.  Only as an Idea > what if you create special Alarm  with "VM Heartbeat"  and to set the notification Action,... or other Action. 

So because i still think that Vmare Tools are could have Problems not beeing able delivering heartbeats > but OS+Apps working inside OS.  Mainly don't like the Idea pushing "Monitoring Topic" to the Vmware Tools Layer. i get gooseflesh thinking on that. hahah.

Anyway important is that  you use something which you like and where you happy with.

Personally i think one you "Disable" the VM Monitoring in the "VM Monitoring Status"  > then you still are able to configure you're Settings below at "Virtual Machine Settings.

Reason for that is i think > you're having the Benefit for configuring several Machines with different Settings. 

So try to disable on the upper ones.  and change in the Virtual Machine settings  (Cluster)  the VM Monitoring  from "Use Cluster settings"  to you're likeness.

If you disable it and still have "use cluster settings" > then for sure is not working.

As i didn't tested it > it's only theoreticly for me. But it would be logical too me and if i would test it  > then based on that Way.

Have much fun

Best regards

Max

[Shocko]

Thanks Max,

It's important to realize also in ESXi 5 that heart beating is not the only deciding factor, VM monitoring also looks into Network/Storage IO and that is also configurable. I could sue the alarms (and do) but I need something automated as these machines are critical. The machines I'm talking about boot form PXE and when they hang at this point, the vmware tools are not running at all and there is no network/storage I/O so it works well for me but I agree, a lot of care would need to be done if turning this on across the cluster. Currently I only turn it on for these type of machines