VM inventory
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The resource usage seen from inside a virtual machine alone makes it hard to tell which ESXi host it runs on, or how many VMs share that host. VM inventory is a read-only screen that shows the vCenter, vHost, and vmGuest configuration information collected through the VMware integration, split into tabs on one screen. You can check in a list which hosts belong to which cluster, and which VMs run on those hosts. It is intended for operators who need to understand the layout of VMware-based infrastructure.
The menu location has changed
VM inventory used to be under the Labs menu. It has now moved to the Virtual environment menu group, together with vHost performance summary, vHost performance details, and VM collection settings. The menu group is named Virtual environment rather than VMware so that the name does not have to change again when other virtualization products are added.
Supported agent versions
It can be queried only on Linux and Windows agents 2.9.24 or later. AIX, HP-UX, and Solaris do not support vSphere API collection at all, so they are not query targets regardless of version. If the version is insufficient, an informational screen is displayed instead of the table.
vHost and vmGuest collection works from 2.9.19, but the vCenter inventory and its collection option were added in 2.9.24. Because the three tabs are on one screen, splitting the criteria per tab would leave some tabs with an empty table, so the whole screen is aligned to 2.9.24.
Tab layout
The screen is divided into three tabs, and the current tab is included in the URL. You can refresh or share a link with the tab selection preserved.
| Tab | Description |
|---|---|
| vCenter inventory | Configuration information per vCenter. Collected only when connected to vCenter |
| vHost inventory | Configuration information per ESXi host |
| vmGuest inventory | Configuration information per guest VM |
For the collection fields shown on each tab, see the VMware collection items document.
Reading the collection agent status column
The table has a Collection agent status column. This column shows the status as an icon, and hovering over it shows the value active or inactive. Filters search by this value, not by the icon.
This column is not the status of the VM itself
Collection agent status indicates whether the WhaTap agent that collected the row is alive. It is not the status of the vHost or VM itself. One agent collects multiple targets, so different rows can repeat the same value.
This column was previously named Connection. That name was read as "the connection status of this row itself" and caused confusion, so it was changed to Collection agent status. For the status of the target itself, check the powerState, guestState, and overallStatus fields.
Querying past data
If you select a past point in time in the date picker, you can query the snapshot collected on that day. You can go back as far as the raw data retention period of the project. Dates beyond the retention period cannot be selected in the calendar, and the information icon next to the picker shows how many days are available.
What can be confusing here is that moving to a past point in time locks the query scope selection and changes its value to "All". Exclusion settings describe the current state and cannot be overlaid on a past snapshot as they are. Hover over the locked selection item to see the reason.
Values omitted in past queries
Past snapshot queries do not include the Collection agent status value. That cell is shown as -.
When the table is empty
Even if the agent is installed, the table is empty if you have not registered vCenter connection information. In that case the screen shows the message "Check your collection settings" along with a link to the VM collection settings screen.
An empty table has causes other than missing collection settings. The same message appears if you queried a past date, narrowed the query scope, or filtered rows out. Follow the message to check the collection settings, but also revert the date and filter conditions.