If you own vCenter Server, then you own THIS too…

****UPDATE****

VMware has recently announced the End of Availability (EOA) of vRealize Log Insight for vCenter. This means that the next version of vRealize Log Insight (yet to be released) will not accept a vCenter Server Standard license key to provide a 25-OSI pack entitlement. Version 4.6.x and older will continue to provide this functionality.

Here are your options going forward:

• Continue to run vRealize Log Insight 4.6.x or older until the End of General Support (August 23, 2019).
• Purchase Standalone vRealize Log Insight or vRealize/vCloud Suite.
  • This is a great option because the full product version unlocks a lot of powerful features. Check out the VMware Hands-on Labs (http://labs.hol.vmware.com) to learn more about the full product capabilities.  Reach out to your VMware account team for additional information.
• Move to VMware’s new Cloud SaaS Offering – Log Intelligence.

Check out this VMware KB for additional details regarding this End of Availability announcement: vRealize Log Insight for vCenter Server – End of Availability (EOA) (55980)

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You may recall a few weeks ago I wrote a blog (here) that outlines how to enable the VCSA Log Browser in the vSphere Web Client.  While the Log Browser is a nice tool, there is a much more powerful option when it comes to digging into your vSphere logs which you likely did not know you owned… “vRealize Log Insight for vCenter”.  Not to be confused with the full-blown product, ‘vRealize Log Insight‘, this version of the product is a small entitlement (25-OSI pack) that is bundled with every vCenter Server license.  There are some limitations to this version, but it can still provide a lot of value for smaller environments.

Limitations include the following:

• Only one vCenter Server license can be added per appliance.
• Deployments are limited to a single node (no clustering).
• Only one vCenter Server can be integrated with vRealize Log Insight for vCenter.
• Content packs are limited to those for VMware products.
• Event forwarding and archiving are not allowed.

Click here to review a KB article that outlines the vRealize Log Insight for vCenter license entitlement.

Below are the steps to install and configure the appliance.

Installation

1. Once you have downloaded the Log Insight .ova, login to vCenter and deploy an OVF:
   
2. Select the cluster or host you wish to deploy the OVF to:
   
3. Click Next to accept the advanced configuration options:
   
4. Read and Accept the EULA:
   
5. Choose the size you wish to deploy:
      
6. Choose which datastore you wish to deploy to:
   
7. Select the appropriate network for the appliance:
   
8. Enter the appropriate network and root password settings:
9. Review the settings and click Finish to deploy the appliance:
   

Configuration

1. Once the appliance has been deployed, open a browser and navigate to the FQDN or IP Address.  Click Next to begin the configuration process:
   
2. Click the Start New Deployment button:
   
3. Enter the Admin email address and provide a password:
   
4. Enter your vCenter Server license key and click Save And Continue:
   
5. Provide an email address for system notifications:
   
6. Enter your NTP Server information.  It is extremely important that you have consistent NTP settings across your environment for event correlation:
   
7. Enter the SMTP information for your organization:
   
8. Click Finish:
   
9. Click Configure vSphere integration to add the details of your vCenter Server to Log Insight:
   
   

I would encourage you to setup Log Insight in your environment and get to know the product.  Below are some good options for training/enablement:

• vRealize Log Insight Fundamentals [V3.0] – Free Course
  Duration: 2 Hours
• vRealize Log Insight; Deploy and Manage [V4.3] – Paid Course
  Duration: 3 Days
• VMware Hands-on Labs – Free Online Lab Environments
  Duration: All you can eat!

Happy Logging!