VMware Skyline Frequently Asked Questions
Article ID: 319011
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ANNOUNCEMENT
The VMware Skyline Advisor service will be reaching end of life on October 4th, 2024. After this time, the service will no longer be available for use. Please see additional details in the FAQ below.
Q: What is the status of VMware Skyline?
A: VMware Skyline Advisor is currently in Maintenance, and will be reaching end of life on October 4, 2024. Meaning that it will continue to operate, but will not be releasing new features and as of October 4, 2024 the service operations will be discontinued.
At End of Life:
- VMware Skyline Advisor service will be turned off for all customers. All collected data will be deleted and Skyline Advisor services will be disabled.
- All reports previously created will be deleted.
Q: What will happen to the features that were available in Skyline Advisor?
A: VMware Skyline Advisor’s features are being rolled into VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) under VCF Operations and Diagnostics.
Starting with VCF 5.2 and Aria Operations v8.18 (July 2024), Critical Findings and Self-Help recommendations will be available in product directly.
Many of the other Skyline features are being planned for inclusion in future VCF and VVF releases.
Q: Is there anything a Skyline customer should do to prepare for Skyline Advisor’s end of life?
A: Skyline customers should take the following actions:
- Shut down their Skyline Collector(s)
- Revert any changes made in the deployment of VMware Skyline such as:
- removing any firewall rules configured to allow the Skyline Collectors to communicate across the internet.
- Disable internal accounts created specifically for the purpose of operating the Skyline service. Example: vCenter Read-only user accounts
Users may also want to export or download any current or historical findings and reports generated to save for their records prior to October 4th, 2024.
Please refer to the VMware Skyline Collector Users Guide section on exiting Skyline.
Q: What is the alternative recommendation for Skyline Advisor customers?
A: We recommend upgrading to VMware Cloud Foundation 5.2 or Aria Operations v8.18 to take advantage of the new diagnostics and self-help features. Diagnostics for VMware Cloud Foundation found on 8.18 currently does not contain all the findings found in Skyline Advisor, we hope to have parity in an upcoming release. With this current limitation we recommend that you please install Skyline Health Diagnostics (SHD). We are working on migrating Skyline Advisor findings to Skyline Health Diagnostics (SHD) as well.
Q: What is happening to Skyline Health Diagnostics?
A: Skyline Health Diagnostics (SHD) will continue to be available until further notice.
Q: Where can I download Skyline Health Diagnostics (SHD)?
A: Download VMware Skyline Health Diagnostics:
- Select your vCenter version in the Broadcom Support Portal
- Select the Drivers & Tools section
- Search for "Skyline" to find the Install and Upgrade downloads
Q: What is happening to the in-product Skyline Health for vSphere and vSAN?
A: The in-product Skyline health features continue to be available and are not impacted by the End of Life of the Skyline Advisor services. Our vision is to bring the high value features of the Skyline Advisor service into the VCF products and continue to help deliver a positive support experience for our customers.
Q: How do I know what findings are currently included in the initial release of Aria Operations 8.18?
A: We have published a Knowledge Base article to provide the initial list. You can find that article here: https://knowledge.broadcom.com/external/article/371661
Q: Will the Skyline features in Aria Operations 8.18 and VCF 5.2 require my systems to be connected to the internet?
A: No, the new Operations Diagnostics features are available out of the box and do not require internet connectivity. We do recommend you continue to opt-in to our Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP, telemetry sharing) participation in your VMware products as this helps us to continue to make informed decisions to improve your experiences while using our software.
Q: What about Log Assist? How will I upload logs to support?
A: The Log Assist feature is not yet available in the current VCF and Aria Operations releases. We consider this feature a high priority and believe that ensuring efficient delivery of support diagnostic information to our support teams is important to our future product strategies.
For now, please use the Broadcom Support portal by following the instructions provided in this Knowledge Base article: https://knowledge.broadcom.com/external/article/140731/uploading-files-to-cases-on-the-broadcom.html
Q: Will customers be able to continue to access VMware Knowledge Base (KB) referenced by Skyline Findings?
A: Yes. VMware KBs have been migrated to Broadcom Support, and their URLs are being redirected to the new locations automatically.
Q: Will customers continue to be able to access Skyline documentation?
A: Yes.
Q: What is the difference between Skyline Advisor and Skyline Advisor Pro?
A: Today there is no difference, and these two names are used interchangeably by our customers. Over the 8+ years since we first launched the Skyline services, we have grown the and at one time had introduced various differentiated features depending on our customer’s level of support entitlement. We branded Skyline Advisor and Advisor Pro differently to assist in identifying the different levels of service provided. However, quite some time ago, we upgraded all customers to have the full Skyline experience. Essentially everyone got the ‘Pro’ experience. Today, Skyline Advisor and Advisor Pro are one and the same.
Q: Where can I go to learn more about VCF 5.2 and Aria Operations 8.18?
A: Check out the VCF 5.2 Announcement Blog here: https://blogs.vmware.com/cloud-foundation/2024/06/25/vmware-cloud-foundation-launch/
And the VCF/Aria/Skyline Ebook here:
https://www.vmware.com/docs/vmw-vcf-aria-skyline-ebook
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