6.0.1

Table Of Contents
Monitoring Events, Alarms, and
Automated Actions 4
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 recordered 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 occured, 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,” on page 106.
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:
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Name and description - Provides an identifying label and description.
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Alarm type - Defines the type of object that will be monitored.
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Triggers - Defines the event, condition, or state that will trigger the alarm and defines the notification
severity.
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Tolerance thresholds (Reporting) - Provides additional restrictions on condition and state triggers
thresholds that must be exceeded before the alarm is triggered. Thresholds are not available in the
vSphere Web Client.
VMware, Inc.
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