Alert Notification Exclusion for vCenter and Host Systems

Products

• VCF Operations/Automation (formerly VMware Aria Suite)

Issue/Introduction

When configuring alert notifications for vCenter Server and ESXi Host objects in VMware Aria Operations, certain specific environments to be excluded —such as a VMware Cloud (VMC) vCenter or its corresponding hosts — from triggering outbound notifications. However, the alert definitions themselves must remain active and visible within the Aria Operations user interface for those excluded objects.
Because notification rules apply globally or by specified object scopes, there is a need to leverage a custom object group with dynamic exclusion criteria to control outbound notification delivery without disabling the alerts.

Environment

Aria Operations 8.18.x

Cause

By default, alert notification rules in VMware Aria Operations trigger for all objects matching the alert criteria unless an explicit object scope filter is applied. Disabling the alert definitions via policies prevents the alerts from triggering entirely, which fails the requirement to keep them visible within the platform UI.

Resolution

To exclude VMC vCenter and host objects from outbound alert notifications while keeping their alerts active in the UI, you must create an inclusive Custom Group that filters out the VMC objects, and then target that group within your notification rules.

Step 1: Create a Custom Group to Exclude VMC Objects

1. Navigate to Operations > Configurations > Custom Groups.
2. Click Add to create a new custom group.
3. Provide a name and description for the group (e.g., All vCenters Excluding VMC).
4. Under Define Membership Criteria, configure the following:
   • Object Type: Select vCenter Server (or Host System depending on your target scope).
   • Criteria: Set the property or name filter to does not contain or does not match your specific <VMC_vCenter_Name> or <VMC_Host_Prefix>.
5. If you need to filter both vCenters and Hosts simultaneously, click Add Another Criteria Set to combine the rules.
6. Click Save. The group dynamically updates to include all infrastructure objects except the specified VMC entities.

Step 2: Update or Create the Notification Rule

1. Navigate to Operations > Configurations > Notifications.
2. Click Add to create a new notification rule (or edit an existing one).
3. On the Define Criteria step, locate the Object Scope configurations.
4. From the Criteria drop-down menu, select Object.
5. In the Object Search field, search for and select the name of the Custom Group created in Step 1.
6. From the Select Mode drop-down menu, select Descendants to ensure all underlying child objects (datacenters, clusters, hosts, VMs) inside those allowed vCenters are included.
7. Complete the remaining steps to configure your outbound plugin and payload template, then click Save.