How to Create an Alert in Aria/VCF Operations for VM Reboots

Products

• VCF Operations/Automation (formerly VMware Aria Suite)

Issue/Introduction

This article outlines how to configure an alert in Aria/VCF Operations that detects recent Virtual Machine (VM) reboots based on OS uptime. The Symptom Definition monitors if the VM's OS uptime drops below 5 minutes, signaling a potential reboot. Once this condition is met, the Alert Definition triggers if the symptom persists for a specified number of collection cycles (e.g., 3 minutes), ensuring that false positives are minimized. The alert will automatically resolve when the uptime exceeds the threshold, indicating normal operation has resumed.

Environment

Aria Operations 8.18.x
VCF Operations 9.x

Resolution

Follow these steps to create an alert when a Virtual Machine's OS uptime indicates a recent reboot.

1. Create a Symptom Definition
   • Navigate to Symptom Definitions
     • In the left panel, go to Operations > Configurations > Symptom Definitions
   • Create a New Symptom Definition
     • Click the Add icon to create a new symptom.
   • Configure Symptom Details
     • Base Object Type: Select Virtual Machine (to monitor VM reboots).
     • Metric:
       • Search for Uptime in the metrics panel.
       • Drag and drop OS | Uptime from the Virtual Machine section into the editor.
     • Name: VM Reboot Detected (OS Uptime) : Triggers when VM's OS Uptime drops below 5 minutes, indicating a recent reboot.
     • Condition:
       • Set Condition to is less than or equal to
       • Value: 5
       • Unit: Minutes
       • Criticality: Select Critical (or as per your requirement).
     • Save the Symptom Definition
       • Click Save.

   Refer: Defining Symptoms for Alerts

2. Create an Alert Definition
   • Navigate to Alert Definitions
     • In the left panel, go to Operations > Configurations > Alert Definitions
   • Create a New Alert Definition
     • Click the Add icon to create a new alert.
   • Configure Alert Details
     • Name: VM Reboot
     • Description: Alerts when a VM has recently rebooted, based on OS uptime dropping below a threshold.
     • Base Object Type: Ensure this matches the object type selected in your symptom definition (e.g., Virtual Machine).
     • Impact: Select Availability.
     • Criticality: Select Critical (or as per your requirement).
     • Wait Cycle: Set to 1.
       • This ensures the alert only triggers if the symptom persists for 3 consecutive collection cycles, reducing false positives.
     • Cancellation Cycle: Set to 1.
       • This ensures the alert will be canceled if the symptom no longer exists for this duration (i.e., the VM uptime goes above 5 minutes).
   • Add Symptoms
     • In the Symptoms section, search for "VM Reboot Detected (OS Uptime)".
     • Select it and drag/drop.
   • If needed add recommendations as per your requirement.
   • Select the required policy
   • Click Save to finalize the alert definition.

   Refer: Create a New Alert Definition

3. Activate the Alert in the selected Policy
   • Navigate to Policies
     • In the left panel, go to Operations > Configuration > Policy Definition.
   • Edit the Default Policy
     • Find the Default Policy and click the Edit Policy icon next to it.
   • Activate the Alert
     • In the policy editor, go to the Alert / Symptom Definitions tab.
     • Click on Alert Definitions
     • Search for "VM Reboot" in the top right filter
     • Ensure the state is set to Activated.
   • Save the Policy
     • Click Save at the bottom of the policy editor.

Refer: Activating the Deactivated Alerts

Additional Information

Note: The values for configurations can be modified as per business requirements.

 

Additional References:

Delayed Alert notification on Aria Operations

Understanding the actual uptime of a virtual machine (as seen inside the guest OS) and the uptime displayed in the vCenter UI