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Table Of Contents
Monitoring Events, Alarms, and
Automated Actions 5
vSphere includes a user-configurable events and alarms subsystem. This subsystem tracks events
happening throughout vSphere and stores the data in log files and the vCenter Server database. This
subsystem also enables you to specify the conditions under which alarms are triggered. Alarms can
change state from mild warnings to more serious alerts as system conditions change, and can trigger
automated alarm actions. This functionality is useful when you want to be informed, or take immediate
action, when certain events or conditions occur for a specific inventory object, or group of objects.
Events
Events are records of user actions or system actions that occur on objects in vCenter Server or on a host.
Actions that might be recorded as events include, but are not limited to, the following examples:
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A license key expires
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A virtual machine is powered on
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A user logs in to a virtual machine
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A host connection is lost
Event data includes details about the event such as who generated it, when it occurred, and what type of
event it is. There are three types of events:
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Information
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Warning
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Error
In the vSphere Web Client, event data is displayed in the Monitor tab. See View Events.
Alarms
Alarms are notifications that are activated in response to an event, a set of conditions, or the state of an
inventory object. An alarm definition consists of the following elements in the vSphere Client:
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Name and description - Provides an identifying label and description.
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Targets - Defines the type of object that is monitored.
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