8.1.3 vCenter Operations Manager Example
vCenter Operations Manager can be configured for different types of workload scenarios. For this scenario, vCenter Operations Manager is deployed as a medium type deployment ,which is appropriate for supporting an environment of approximately 3,000 virtual machines.
The vCenter Operations Manager vApp consists
of two virtual machines,
one for
the UI and the other for analytics
, as shown in Figure 38.
The UI VM is responsible for the following:
vSphere web application
Custom web application
Administration web application
The Analytics virtual machine is responsible for collecting the data from the endpoints. In this example, data is collected from vCenter and Hyperic. Both of these endpoints have software adapters installed that will be configured to collect data. The analytics virtual machine is responsible for the following:
Capacity and performan
ce analytics.
Capacity collector.
File
system database.
PostgeSQL database.
Figure 38. vCenter Operations Manager vApp Components
8.1.3.1. vFabric Hyperic
The Hyperic component is used primarily as a relay of data to the vCenter Operations Manager system from individual, key vCloud infrastructure servers in the Management cluster. Hyperic is used to obtain metrics and information about services and processes that are not reported through the vCenter integration with vCenter Operations Manager. Although vCenter can report virtual and physical hardware usage, it is Hyperic that provides granular metrics for the operating systems and their various software components.
For example, Hyperic provides metrics relating to the status of the processes and services that are critical to the functioning of the vCloud Director cells.
The main components of VMware Hyperic include Hyperic Server, agent, database, and the Hyperic user interface, also known as the Hyperic Portal. These components are shown in the following figure.
Figure 39. Hyperic Configuration
8.1.3.2. vFabric Hyperic Agent
A Hyperic agent is installed on each physical or virtual machine that you want to manage with Hyperic. Agents auto-discover the software components running on the machine, and periodically rescan the platform for changes in its configuration. Hyperic agents gather performance and availability metrics; perform log and event tracking, and enable you to perform control functions such as starting and stopping servers. Agents send the inventory and performance data they collect to the Hyperic server.
8.1.3.3. vFabric Hyperic Server and vFabric Hyperic Database
The Hyperic server receives inventory and metric data from the Hyperic agents and stores that data in the Hyperic database. The server provides facilities for managing your software inventory. It implements the Hyperic inventory and access model, which allows you to group your software assets in useful ways that ease the process of monitoring and management. The Hyperic server detects alerts, and performs the notifications or escalation processes that you define. It also processes actions that you initiate through the Hyperic portal or Hyperic web services API. Hyperic server provides authentication services, using an internal engine or an external authentication service.
8.1.3.4. vFabric Hyperic User Interface (Hyperic Portal)
The Hyperic browser-based user interface, sometimes referred to as the Hyperic Portal is a configurable, extendable user interface for monitoring and analyzing performance and availability.
See
the VMware vFabric Hyperic Documentation (
http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vfabric-hyperic.html)
for additional information about using vFabric Hyperic.
