Reduce Cluster expansion time when adding a Remote Collector node to a vRealize Operations Manager Cluster

Products

• VMware Aria Suite

Issue/Introduction

When a Remote Collector node is added to a vRealize Operations Manager cluster, the time to expand can take a while depending on the latency between the Primary node and the Remote Collector, as well as the amount of adapters installed to the vRealize Operations Manager cluster.

In the event the pre-checks for an upgrade or cluster expansion are not passed on a Remote Collector due to latency, the upgrade or cluster expansion will fail.

Resolution

Only add a Remote Collector to a vRealize Operations Manager cluster when the latency to the Analytics cluster is consistently under 200ms.

Workaround:
To reduce the cluster expansion time, manually copy the adapters installed to the vRealize Operations Manager cluster to the Remote Collector node.

1. Deploy a Remote Collector node from vSphere.

Note: You may skip this step if you have already deployed a new Remote Collector node that as not yet been added, or is in the process of adding, to the vRealize Operations Manager cluster.

2. Log into the Remote Collector node as root via Console.

Note: The root password is blank by default.  Type Enter and follow the prompts to update the password.

3. Enable SSH:

service sshd start

4. Log into the Remote Collector node as root via SSH.
5. SCP the installed adapters from the Primary node, to the Remote Collector:

scp -C master_ip:/data/db/casa/pak/dist_pak_files/VA_LINUX/* /data/db/casa/pak/dist_pak_files/VA_LINUX/

Note: Replace master_ip with the IP address of the Primary node.

Example: scp -C 192.168.3.10:/data/db/casa/pak/dist_pak_files/VA_LINUX/* /data/db/casa/pak/dist_pak_files/VA_LINUX/

6. Navigate to the Remote Collector's UI in a web browser.
7. Click Expand An Existing Installation and follow the prompts.
8. Once all of the necessary PAKs are installed, click Finish adding new nodes.

Additional Information

Impact/Risks:
Best practices stipulate that a Remote Collector must have a latency consistently under 200ms to the analytics cluster.
Using the method below to work around the sub 200ms latency requirement will not guarantee a successful upgrade, cluster expansion, or fully functional Remote Collector.
VMware will not support a cluster when the minimum requirements are not met.