Custom Objects created via /api/resources/adapterkinds/ are automatically deleted after xx Hours in VMware Aria Operations

Products

• VMware Aria Suite

Issue/Introduction

Custom objects created via API endpoints such as /api/resources/adapterkinds/ and /api/resources/properties in VMware Aria Operations are being deleted automatically after approximately xx hours. This includes both the custom resources and their associated custom adapters. The objects disappear 2–3 days after creation without any manual intervention.

You can verify this by checking the /storage/logs/vcops/logs/analytics-uuid.log file

Created:

2025-04-30T08:21:35,897+0000 INFO [ServerConnection on port 10000 Thread 622] [gGDnhXaFhQ9rvwEacbSjUgjWjdQ4ipM4] com.vmware.vcops.controller.migration.ResourceHandler.createOrUpdateResources - Created resource
{resName=<resourcename>, resKind=Server, adKind=<adaptername>}

Deleted:

2025-05-02T10:56:12,595+0000 WARN [Function Execution Processor232] com.vmware.vcops.analytics.api.AnalyticsInternalServer.getComputedAndSystemMetrics - Failed to get resource caches for following resources: [uuid]
2025-05-02T10:56:35,265+0000 WARN [RelationshipUpdateThread] com.integrien.analytics.dataobject.RelationshipCache.syncRemoveResources - Remove not active resource from relationship cache: [uuid]
2025-04-30T08:21:35,897+0000 INFO [ServerConnection on port 10000 Thread 622] [gGDnhXaFhQ9rvwEacbSjUgjWjdQ4ipM4] com.vmware.vcops.controller.migration.ResourceHandler.createOrUpdateResources - Created resource {resName=<resourcename>, resKind=Server, adKind=<adaptername>}

Environment

VMware Aria Operations 8.x

Cause

This behavior is by design.Resources that are created via the API but do not continue to publish metrics or properties are considered non-collecting and eventually become orphaned. These orphaned resources are automatically purged from the system after a default retention period of xx hours to maintain data hygiene and performance.

Resolution

There are several workarounds to prevent this automatic deletion:

Workaround 1: Periodic Property or Metric Publishing
Ensure that custom objects regularly publish properties or metrics via the API. Continuous updates keep the object in an "active/collecting" state and prevent it from being flagged for deletion.

Workaround 2: Increase Orphaned Resource Retention Period
Modify the Global Settings in Aria Operations to increase the retention window for non-collecting resources. The maximum allowable retention period is 1440 hours (60 days). If no data is published within this period, the object will still be deleted.

Workaround 3: Use VMware AriaOperationsAPI Adapter
Instead of using a generic adapter, use the VMware AriaOperationsAPI adapter when creating custom objects. Resources created under this adapter are not subject to the 48-hour cleanup policy.

Example API Call:

curl -X POST "https://{aria_ops}/suite-api/api/resources/adapterkinds/VMwareAriaOperationsAPI?_no_links=true" \
  -H "accept: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: OpsToken {Token}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
        "resourceKey": {
          "name": "name",
          "adapterKindKey": "VMwareAriaOperationsAPI",
          "resourceKindKey": "test"
        },
        "dtEnabled": true,
        "monitoringInterval": 5,
        "badges": []
      }'

Additional Information

This automatic cleanup mechanism is intended to prevent clutter and optimize system performance by removing unused or abandoned resources.
A combination of Workarounds 1 and 2 is often recommended for longer retention of objects with intermittent data publishing.