5.0

Configuring Attribute Packages 4
vCenter Operations Manager can collect several types of data for a single resource. For example, for a database
server, it might receive data on free disk space, CPU use, and the average response time for a database request.
Each type of data is called an attribute in vCenter Operations Manager. You use attribute packages to tell
vCenter Operations Manager which attributes to track for your resources.
This chapter includes the following topics:
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“Understanding Data Collection,” on page 37
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“Creating Attribute Packages,” on page 40
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“Creating Super Metric Packages,” on page 43
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“Modifying Attribute Packages,” on page 50
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“Modifying Super Metric Packages,” on page 51
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“Super Metric Use Case,” on page 53
Understanding Data Collection
Before you begin creating and modifying attribute packages in vCenter Operations Manager, become familiar
with how vCenter Operations Manager collects data. The key concepts to understand include attributes,
metrics, super metrics, thresholds, and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
Attributes and Metrics
Each type of data that vCenter Operations Manager collects is called an attribute. An attribute package contains
a combination of those attributes. You assign attribute packages to resources to specify the attributes to collect
for the resource.
A metric is an instance of an attribute for a particular resource. For each metric,
vCenter Operations Manager collects and stores multiple instances over time. Each piece of data that
vCenter Operations Manager collects is called a metric observation or value.
If a single metric cannot tell you what you need to know about the behavior of your enterprise, you can define
a super metric. A super metric is a formula that contains a combination of one or more metrics for one or more
resources. Like attributes, super metrics are combined in packages, called super metric packages. You can
assign super metric packages to resources.
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