Symptoms display inconsistent or latched metric values on custom alert definitions in VCF Operations

Products

• VMware Aria Operations (formerly vRealize Operations) 8.x

Issue/Introduction

A discrepancy occurs on a custom alert definition in VCF Operations/Automation (formerly VMware Aria Suite) where two symptoms utilizing the same defined metric, such as Partition Utilization Percent, display different values.This behavior typically occurs when a symptom is defined using a range (for example, 0% to 94.99%) to capture metric variations. When the utilization value changes outside of the expected threshold ranges, Aria Operations can struggle to properly clear out the symptoms that are no longer met. This causes older metric values to become "latched" and display inconsistently when new alerts are triggered.

Environment

VCF Operations/Automation (formerly VMware Aria Suite) 8.18.x

Cause

The underlying issue occurs because canceling an alert does not automatically cancel or reset all active types of symptoms. If a symptom is defined using an expansive or overlapping range, that symptom may remain continuously active even after the primary alert condition is cleared. When a subsequent alert triggers, the un-cleared symptom continues to reference its historical value from the initial activation timestamp rather than evaluating the current live metric state.

Resolution

To prevent symptoms from becoming latched with older metric values, configure separate, discrete threshold symptoms instead of using multi-value ranges.

1. Upgrade to VCF Operations 8.18.7 or higher to resolve the underlying symptom set behavior.
2. Define separate, simple symptoms for each distinct level of concern (e.g., >= 90% for Immediate, >= 95% for Critical).
3. Open the custom alert definition and navigate to the symptom combinations layout.
4. Set the condition operator between these separate symptoms to Any.
5. Change the Alert Criticality drop-down menu to Symptom Based.