Health Reporting and Monitoring for VMware Cloud Foundation

VCF 5.2architectvcdxadminautomationPages 111-138

Provides operational insights across availability, health, and compliance for VCF via HTML reports (PowerShell Module for VCF Reporting) and custom dashboards/alerts/notifications in VMware Cloud Foundation Operations (formerly vRealize Operations) via a Python Module for VCF Health Monitoring. Deploys a host VM in the management domain hosting both modules, which collect data from the VCF Support & Serviceability (SoS) utility and SDDC component APIs.

Key Components: NSX, SDDC Manager, vCenter, ESXi, VCF Operations

External dependencies: Host virtual machine (Photon OS or Microsoft Windows Server)

Design Decisions

Implementation

Operations

VCDX Defense

Quiz (15)

Flashcards (15)

12 design decisions

DD-ID	Decision	Quality
HRM-VM-NET-001	JustificationImplication	Manageability
Decision: JustificationImplication Rationale: See source document for rationale Implication: HRM-VM-NET-002Allocate statically assigned IP from management VLAN.Stability + simpler mgmt.Precise IPAM. Component: VM
HRM-VM-NET-002	JustificationImplication	Security
Decision: JustificationImplication Rationale: See source document for rationale Implication: HRM-VM-NET-003Configure forward+reverse DNS for host VM.FQDN-based access.DNS records; firewall to DNS. Component: VM
HRM-VM-NET-003	JustificationImplication	Security
Decision: JustificationImplication Rationale: See source document for rationale Implication: HRM-VM-NET-005Configure NTP on host VM.Prevents time drift; correlate logs/metrics.Multiple NTP servers; firewall rules. Component: VM
HRM-VM-NET-004	JustificationImplication	Security
Decision: JustificationImplication Rationale: See source document for rationale Implication: HRM-VM-NET-005Configure NTP on host VM.Prevents time drift; correlate logs/metrics.Multiple NTP servers; firewall rules. Component: VM
HRM-VM-CFG-001	Deploy host VM with supported guest OS (Photon OS or Windows Server).	AvailabilityManageabilitySecurity
Decision: Deploy host VM with supported guest OS (Photon OS or Windows Server). Rationale: Dedicated VM ensures isolation of PS/Python modules from production components. Implication: VM is deployed, configured, and maintained outside VCF automation, adding a manually lifecycled component to day-2 operations. Component: VM
HRM-VM-CFG-002	Deploy host VM in default management vSphere cluster.	AvailabilityManageability
Decision: Deploy host VM in default management vSphere cluster. Rationale: Required connectivity to SDDC Manager and VCF Operations. Implication: Must be able to connect to SDDC Manager and VCF Operations. Component: VM
HRM-VM-CFG-003	Protect host VM with vSphere HA.	Availability
Decision: Protect host VM with vSphere HA. Rationale: Availability objective without manual intervention during ESXi failure. Implication: None. Component: VM
HRM-VM-CFG-004	Place host VM in a designated VM folder.Inventory organization.Must create folder during deployment.	Manageability
Decision: Place host VM in a designated VM folder.Inventory organization.Must create folder during deployment. Rationale: HRM-VM-CFG-005When using 2 AZs, add host VM to VM group of first AZ.Primary AZ hosts group placement.After second AZ implementation, update VM group to include host VM. Implication: HRM-VM-CFG-006In multi-VCF, deploy host VM in mgmt cluster in first VCF instance.Required connectivity to all SDDC Managers and VCF Operations.Must connect to all instances. Component: VM
HRM-PY-CFG-001	Install Python 3.x on host VM.	Manageability
Decision: Install Python 3.x on host VM. Rationale: Python 3 required for the script. Implication: In multi-VCF, multiple Python module copies — each corresponding to a VCF instance. Component: PY
HRM-PY-CFG-002	Install Nagini client (Python binding for VCF Operations).	Manageability
Decision: Install Nagini client (Python binding for VCF Operations). Rationale: Nagini enables sending data to VCF Ops. Implication: Manual install depends on host OS. Component: PY
HRM-PY-CFG-003	Schedule daily runs of Python module to collect health data from SDDC Manager and send to VCF Operat	ManageabilitySecurity
Decision: Schedule daily runs of Python module to collect health data from SDDC Manager and send to VCF Operations.Automation.Manual setup depends on host OS. Rationale: HRM-PY-CFG-004Default log retention for Python module logs = 30 days.Auto-cleanup of send-data-to-vrops.py logs to save disk.Set log_retention_in_days in env.json. Implication: Information Security Component: PY
HRM-VM-LCM-001	Manage host VM guest OS updates using organization's tools/processes.Security/critical fixes timely.	ManageabilitySecurity
Decision: Manage host VM guest OS updates using organization's tools/processes.Security/critical fixes timely.Not managed by SDDC Manager. Rationale: HRM-LCM-001Manually update PowerShell Module for VCF Reporting when new versions released.Latest features and bug fixes.None. Implication: HRM-LCM-002Manually update Python Module for VCF Health Monitoring in VCF Operations.Latest features and bug fixes.None. Component: VM

Prerequisites

VCF version listed in Support Matrix
Environment configured per Before You Apply This Guidance
Health Reporting and Monitoring tab completed in VCF Planning and Preparation Workbook
VCF instance healthy and fully operational
DNS forward/reverse records
AD DCs available and service accounts created
VCF integrated with AD over LDAP (see IAM validated solution)
VCF integrated with Intelligent Operations (VCF Operations deployed)
PowerShell Automation
Workflow

Implementation Procedure

Implementation

Install PowerShell modules (PowerCLI 13.2.1+, vSphere.SsoAdmin 1.3.9+, ImportExcel 7.8.5+, PowerVCF 2.4.0+, PowerValidatedSolutions 2.11.0+)

Import-Module PowerValidatedSolutions; Test-PowerValidatedSolutionsPrereq

Create folder structure (validatedSolutions, certificates, binaries, generatedJsons)

Run Start-ValidatedSolutionMenu with workbook

Main menu 11. (HRM) Health Reporting and Monitoring

Sub-option 01. Generate JSON Specification File

Sub-option 02. Verify Prerequisites

Sub-option 05. End-to-End Deployment (note: PowerShell handles VCF preparation; Host VM and VCF Operations configuration must be manual via UI)

Note

Automated PowerShell implementation supports only preparing the VCF instance; Host VM configuration and VCF Operations configuration must be done manually via UI.

External Services / Integration Points

Active Directory (AD)

DNS

NTP

Open Source Prereqs

Networking

Host VM connectivity to SDDC Manager of each VCF instance
Host VM connectivity to VCF Operations
Power Shell
Supported guest OS
Supported PowerShell version
Python
Python 3.x installed
Required Python libraries installed
Implementation Options
MethodDesc
PowerShell automationEnd-to-end automated via PowerValidatedSolutions menu
UI / component interfacesManual deployment and configuration
Host VM Configuration

Day-2 Operations Tasks

Operations

As needed

Personas

As needed

Persona: Site Resiliency Engineer (SRE)

As needed

PersonaSite Resiliency Engineer (SRE)

As needed

ResponsibilityGenerate HTML reports; perform admin actions (excluding user/cluster management)

As needed

Mapping

As needed

SDDC ManagerADMIN

As needed

VCF OperationsPowerUser

As needed

Operational Verification

As needed

Certificate Management

As needed

Monitoring Points

Verify host VM is online and accessible via FQDN
Verify PowerShell module generates HTML reports against current VCF inventory
Verify Python module daily run succeeds; metrics land in VCF Operations as custom metrics on corresponding objects
Verify VCF Health dashboards populate correctly; drill into VCF Health Rollup
Verify alerts/notifications trigger when thresholds exceeded
MonitoringThis solution IS the monitoring; integrates natively with VCF Operations for dashboards/alerts/notifications

Likely Panelist Questions

Q: Why did you choose this architecture?

See design decisions for rationale

Failure Scenarios

Not applying vSphere HA — loss of host VM during ESXi failure

Impact:

Mitigation:

Hard-coding credentials with excessive privilege — breaches least privilege

Impact:

Mitigation:

Ignoring certificate trust — Python/PowerShell connections fail on cert rotation

Impact:

Mitigation:

vSphere HA protects host VM across ESXi failures

Impact:

Mitigation:

Scheduled run fails silently

Impact:

Mitigation:

Trade-off Analysis

Single host VM per multi-VCF deployment with multiple Python module copies — simpler than multiple VMs, with trade-off on blast radius.

Chosen:

Justification:

Trade-Offs Analysis

Chosen:

Justification:

Quiz — Health Monitoring

0/15

Which module pushes health metrics to VMware Cloud Foundation Operations as custom metrics?

PowerShell Module for VCF Reporting
Python Module for VCF Health Monitoring in VCF Operations
PowerVCF
ImportExcel

Python Module uses the Nagini REST client to push metrics to corresponding VCF Operations objects.

What is the sizing requirement for a Photon OS host VM in this solution?

2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 60 GB disk
1 vCPU, 2 GB RAM, 662 MB thin/16 GB thick
4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, 100 GB disk
1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, 20 GB disk

Photon OS: 1 vCPU / 2 GB / 662 MB thin or 16 GB thick. Windows Server: 2 vCPU / 4 GB / 60 GB.

Which dashboard shows the results of component version drift detection against SDDC Manager inventory and BoM?

VCF Version Health
VCF Compute Health
VCF Connectivity Health
VCF Hardware Compatibility

VCF Version Health compares component version, SDDC Manager inventory, and BoM component versions.

How many copies of the Python module are installed in a multi-VCF-instance environment?

One, always — it aggregates all instances
One per VCF instance
One per vCenter
Two — primary and standby

HRM-PY-CFG-001 implication: in multi-VCF, multiple copies installed, each corresponding to a VCF instance. Host VM is deployed in first instance.

Which design decision enforces host VM placement in the primary AZ during multi-AZ deployments?

HRM-VM-CFG-003 (HA)
HRM-VM-CFG-005 (VM group for first AZ)
HRM-VM-CFG-004 (VM folder)
HRM-VM-NET-001 (mgmt VLAN)

HRM-VM-CFG-005: add host VM to VM group of the first AZ via DRS VM/Host rule.

Which reports can the PowerShell Module for VCF Reporting generate? (best answer)

System overview, Health, Alert, Configuration, Upgrade precheck
Only Health report
Only Configuration report
Compliance only

Module generates all five: System overview, Health, Alert, Configuration, Upgrade precheck.

What is the default log_retention_in_days for the Python module?

HRM-PY-CFG-004: default 30 days to prevent host VM local disk from filling.

Which Python client is used to send data to VCF Operations?

PyVmomi
Nagini
PowerShell Core
Ansible

Nagini is a Python binding/REST client for VCF Operations (HRM-PY-CFG-002).

Which content pack source provides the VCF Health dashboards?

SDDC Manager default
VMware Marketplace management pack
Predefined dashboards installed by the Python module
Built into VCF Operations

Python module installs predefined dashboards in VCF Health dashboard group in VCF Operations.

Q10

Which VCF Health dashboard covers Ping, SSH, and API connectivity between SDDC Manager and components?

VCF Networking Health
VCF Connectivity Health
VCF Compute Health
VCF DNS Health

VCF Connectivity Health — verifies Ping/SSH/API between SDDC Manager and underlying components.

Q11

Which component is NOT in scope of the Python module's inventory?

SDDC Manager
ESXi hosts
vCenter Server
External Active Directory

AD is an external service/prereq, not monitored by this solution. In scope: SDDC Manager, vCenter, vSAN, NSX, ESXi, VCF Operations.

Q12

What is the scheduling mechanism for the Python module's data collection?

On demand only
Continuous real-time streaming
Scheduled daily runs
Every 5 minutes

HRM-PY-CFG-003: daily scheduled runs collect health data and send to VCF Operations.

Q13

What PowerShell menu option corresponds to Health Reporting and Monitoring?

04. (IAM)
05. (DRI)
11. (HRM)
12. (ILA)

Main menu 11. (HRM) Health Reporting and Monitoring.

Q14

Lifecycle management of the PowerShell Module for VCF Reporting is...

Automated by SDDC Manager
Automated by VCF Operations
Manual (HRM-LCM-001)
Handled by ImportExcel

HRM-LCM-001: manually update module when new versions available; not in SDDC Manager scope.

Q15

What guest OS options are supported for the host VM?

Only Photon OS
Only Windows Server
Photon OS or Microsoft Windows Server
Any Linux

HRM-VM-CFG-001: Photon OS or Microsoft Windows Server.

Flashcards — Health Monitoring

Card 1 of 15

Host VM purpose

Hosts both PowerShell (VCF Reporting) and Python (VCF Health Monitoring) open-source modules; deployed in default mgmt cluster of management domain.

Labs

Lab 1: Deploy Host VM and Install PowerShell Reporting Module

Deploy a Photon OS host VM in management domain, install PowerShell Module for VCF Reporting, generate a Health report.

Starting State: VCF 5.2 management domain operational; Photon OS OVA downloaded; AD service account with SDDC Manager ADMIN role; DNS/NTP configured.

Lab 2: Install Python Health Monitoring Module and Import VCF Health Dashboards to VCF Operations

Install Python module on host VM, configure env.json, schedule daily run, import dashboards into VCF Operations.

Starting State: Host VM from Lab 1; VCF Operations deployed and AD-integrated; service account with ADMIN role in VCF Operations.

Lab 3: Configure Alerts and Notifications for VCF Certificate Expiry

Use VCF Health Certificate Health data to configure an alert definition that emails administrators 30 days before cert expiry.

Starting State: VCF Health dashboards installed; VCF Operations with SMTP configured.

Mark complete