VM collection settings

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Installing the server monitoring agent alone does not gather VMware virtual environment data, because the agent must separately know which target and account to connect to through the vSphere API. The VM collection settings menu is the screen where you register the connection information of a vCenter or ESXi Host directly in the console and test whether the connection works before saving. Once you save one setting here, data is filled into three screens: VM inventory, vHost performance summary, and vHost performance details. It is intended for operators who run VMware-based infrastructure and want to view virtualization configuration and performance in WhaTap.

Note

Requirements for the server that performs collection

Collection is performed not by the vCenter or ESXi Host but by the server monitoring agent installed on a Linux server. So you must choose one server that meets the following conditions.

• A server whose operating system is Linux. Windows servers and servers whose operating system cannot be identified cannot be selected.
• A server with agent version 2.9.24 or later.

Registering a collection setting

1. Click the Add VM collection setting button. The settings window appears.

2. Enter the following items in the connection information area on the left.

   Item	Required	Description
   Rule name	Required	Name that identifies this setting in the list. 1 to 64 characters
   Type	Required	Choose vCenter or ESXi Host
   Host	Required	IP or FQDN of the vCenter or ESXi Host to connect to. 1 to 255 characters
   Account	Required	Account used to connect to the target. 1 to 128 characters
   Password	Required when registering	Password of the account. 1 to 256 characters. Cannot be viewed again after saving
   Enabled	-	Whether to perform collection with this setting

3. In the Server that performs collection table on the right, select one server to handle collection. The table shows the server name along with OS Type, Agent Version, and the reason a server cannot be selected.

4. Click the Connection test button to check whether the entered information actually connects.

5. Click the Add button to save the setting.

Note

How to choose the type

If you select vCenter, the ESXi Hosts and VMs belonging to that vCenter are collected at once. If you select ESXi Host, only that machine is collected. Even in an environment without vCenter, you can connect directly to an ESXi Host and collect data.

Checking servers that cannot be selected

Servers that do not meet the conditions are not hidden from the list; they are shown in gray. This layout keeps you from wondering why your server does not appear at all. Hover over a row to see one of the following reasons.

Reason	Description
The agent version must be 2.9.24 or later. Current (installed version)	The agent version is below the minimum
The agent version cannot be identified.	Version information was not received
Only Linux servers are supported.	A non-Linux operating system such as Windows
The operating system cannot be identified.	Operating system information was not received

Reading the connection test result

Connection test checks whether the connection information is correct before saving. The check takes up to 10 seconds and cannot be stopped midway. The result is shown as one line next to the button.

What can be confusing here is that once you edit the input after a successful test, the result is no longer a fact about the current values. The screen does not clear the result but changes it to "The input has changed. Please check again", so run the test once more when you see this message.

The main failure messages and what to check are as follows.

Message	What to check
The account or password is incorrect.	The connection account and password
Login succeeded, but there is no query permission.	The read permission granted to the account
The address cannot be reached.	The host address and the network path
The connection timed out.	Whether the port is open on the firewall
Certificate validation failed.	The certificate settings of the target
The selected type differs from the actual target.	Whether Type is vCenter or ESXi Host
The agent on the selected server is not running.	Whether the agent on the collecting server is running
The agent did not respond.	The state of the agent on the collecting server

Managing collection settings

On the list screen, you can search registered settings, change their enabled state, and edit or delete them.

• Search: Select a search item, enter a search term, and click the search button.

• Change the enabled state: Use the switch on each row to change whether this setting collects data. Settings for servers that are inactive or not connected are applied when the agent reconnects.

• Edit: Click the edit icon on each row. The settings window opens in the same form as when registering.

• Delete: Click the delete icon on each row. To delete several at once, switch to management mode, select them with the checkboxes, and delete them together.

Caution

When editing the password

The Password field in the edit window always opens empty, because a saved password cannot be viewed again. If you leave it empty, the existing password is kept; if you enter a new value, it is replaced with that value. You cannot delete only the password.

Caution

Deleting stops collection

Deleting a setting stops collection for that target. Past data already collected remains, but no new data accumulates.

When collection does not start

If the VM inventory or vHost performance summary screen is still empty after you saved a setting, check the following in order.

1. Check that the enable switch of the setting is on.

2. Check that the agent on the collecting server is running.

3. Open the setting and run Connection test again. A changed password on the target or a changed firewall policy shows up here.

4. Check that the date and query range on the query screen include the collection time.