Installation and Configuration

What are the resource requirements for
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
?

Refer to the
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
Installation Guide for Resource Requirements.

What happens if I enter the incorrect key during
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
collector OVA deployment?

The secret key is not validated during
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
collector OVA deployment. The deployment completes even with incorrect secret key. However, pairing can fail and
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
collector does not show up as detected on
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
UI.
To correct the shared secret, log in to
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
collector CLI and run the
set-proxy-shared-secret
command to set the correct secret key. This command replaces the old key with the new one, and therefore,
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
platform detects
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
collector and pairs up.

How do I configure DNS after
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
collector OVA is deployed?

Log in to
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
collector CLI, and run the change-network-settings command. This interactive command will provide the user an option to add or modify DNS after which the
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
collector will be reconfigured with the new DNS.
If any of the network parameters is not configured correctly, use the change-network-settings command to modify the network configuration parameters.

How do I find out
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
collector VM IP from the UI?

Go to Settings page and select
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
Infrastructure menu option. The IP address of both,
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
Platform and
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
collector VMs is displayed.

What should I do if
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
collector is not detected in 5 minutes after deploying
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
collector OVA?

Log in to
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
collector using
consoleuser
(refer to the
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
Command Line Interface Guide) and verify the following:
  • Verify
    VMware Aria Operations for Networks
    platform pairing status with
    VMware Aria Operations for Networks
    collector using the CLI
    show-connectivity-status
    .
  • If the pairing stating is shown
    Passed
    , open the platform UI in a new browser window and login to check status.
  • If the pairing status is showing
    Failed
    , then the shared secret key specified during the
    VMware Aria Operations for Networks
    collector OVA deployment could be wrong. To fix this problem, use the
    set-proxy-shared-secret
    command to set the correct secret key. This command replaces the old key with the new one, and therefore,
    VMware Aria Operations for Networks
    platform can detect
    VMware Aria Operations for Networks
    collector.
  • If the
    show-connectivity-status
    shows network reachability to
    VMware Aria Operations for Networks
    Platform as
    Failed
    , then verify whether
    VMware Aria Operations for Networks
    platform is reachable from
    VMware Aria Operations for Networks
    collector VM using the
    ping
    command.
  • If it is not reachable, then verify if NTP, DNS, gateway, and other network parameters are configured correctly using
    show-config
    command.
  • If any of the network parameters is not configured correctly, use the
    setup
    command to modify the network configuration parameters.

What should I do if I forget my login credentials?

If you are the UI local user: Contact
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
UI administrator to reset the credentials for you.
If you are the administrator: From
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
3.4, the UI credentials can be changed by using CLI
modify-password
. Refer the CLI guide for details. If you are working on
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
versions previous to 3.4, contact support.

How do I change the login password?

To change the login password:
  1. Go to
    Administrator > Settings
    , and then click
    My Profile
    on the left pane.
  2. On the
    Change Password
    page, fill in the required information and click
    Save
    .

What do I do if I get the login screen before detecting the
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
collector VM?

  • This behavior is expected when the browser is refreshed or URL is opened in a new window before detecting the collector.
  • Log in by using the credentials set during license activation for the
    admin@local
    username.

Does
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
support multiple vCenter Server/NSX Manager?

Yes,
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
supports multiple vCenter Servers and NSX Manager.

Which services of
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
need Internet access and why?

VMware Aria Operations for Networks
supports remote home calling feature that requires Internet access. This feature or services allow the
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
team to gain a better understanding of customer environments and proactively troubleshoot or repair issues. The following services need Internet access:
  • Auto Update Service (
    svc.ni.vmware.com:443
    ):
    VMware Aria Operations for Networks
    uses this service to contact the remote upgrade host and pull in newly released bits as it become available, and the user gets a UI notification when the updates are available. This service is enabled by default, but you can deactivate this service through UI or using
    online-upgrade
    command through CLI.
  • Performance Telemetry Service (
    svc.ni.vmware.com:443
    ): Certain metrics related to key services and performance of
    VMware Aria Operations for Networks
    are periodically gathered and uploaded for the
    VMware Aria Operations for Networks
    . The support team monitors these metrics and identifies any anomaly in the environment so that the support team can act before it impacts any critical services. This service is deactivated by default, but you can enable/deactivate this service using
    telemetry
    command through CLI. More information is available here: https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/59242
  • Support Service (
    support2.ni.vmware.com:443
    ): This service establishes remote secured tunnels to the
    VMware Aria Operations for Networks
    support host that allow authorized personnel to remotely access and work on deployments. It is deactivated by default and can be enabled/deactivated through UI as well as "support-tunnel" CLI.
  • Registration Service (
    reg.ni.vmware.com:443
    ): For registering the appliance with all external services. It will enable trusted communication between above mentioned services. When setup has access to internet, registration happens automatically. In an isolated environment it can be done using "offline-registration" CLI (Please refer to CLI guide for more details). It is required for enabling Support Tunnel.
If the
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
platform is behind an Internet proxy, allow the following domain names and ports:
Service
URL
Port
Upgrade Service/Metric Service
svc.ni.vmware.com
443
Support Tunnel Service
support2.ni.vmware.com
443
Registration Service
reg.ni.vmware.com
443

How to deactivate internet access from the appliance?

The following services use secure remote/internet services:
  • Auto Update Service
  • Performance Telemetry Service
  • Support Service
  • Registration Service
For information on how to enable or deactivate these services, see Which services of VMware Aria Operations for Networks need Internet access and why? FAQ.
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
needs internet access if any one of these services is enabled.

What is port aggregation and what is the mechanism to do it?

Port aggregation is built in to aggregate the ephemeral port flows – like dynamic FTP, Oracle, MS-RPC etc. This helps in reducing the number of flows in system and provide an aggregated view for large number of flows that are essentially for the same service.
The mechanism to do it is as follows:
  • For first three days of noticing a
    destination_ip
    , we will aggregate destination ports on that particular IP in buckets of 10K and start building a port-profile for that IP (build a port-profile per destination IP).
  • After three days, once we have built a profile, we will start aggregating port ranges where the port density is high (reflect ephemeral port opening pattern). The ranges themselves will be dynamic in size such as 100, 1,000, 10,000, and will be created depending on how many ports are being opened and how widespread they are in the given range of aggregation.
    This decision happens independently for each server IP address.
  • This will enable high-port flows to be reported with no aggregation where there is no bulk port open activity happening and also let dynamic aggregation to be applied where such activity is happening.
  • The profile is continually updated in a time-decayed manner to account for new ports opening up or older ones being not used any more.

How do I change the IP Address, Gateway, or Netmask after
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
OVA is deployed?

To change
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
platform/collector network settings, log in to CLI and run the
change-network-settings
command. This interactive command will provide the user an option to modify the IP address, gateway, netmask, and so forth after which the
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
appliance is reconfigured with new details.

How do I change from an Evaluation License to a Perpetual License?

Refer to the Add and Change License section in the
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
User Guide.

How are licenses characterized in
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
?

See the Comparing Feature Based on License Edition section in the User Guide.
ALL licenses are capacitated per CPU socket and CCU (Concurrent Users). The evaluation licenses can be renewed or converted to
Production
with the updated key through
UI -> Settings ->About
. Refer to the user guide for more details.

How to take a backup of the VMs in
VMware Aria Operations for Networks
?

Refer to
VMware Best Practices
to take the backup of VMs such as VMware VADP/VDP API. It is recommended that you take a backup before creating or expanding clusters.