Managed Object - PerformanceManager(vim.PerformanceManager)

Property of

ServiceContent

See also

PerfCompositeMetric, PerfCounterInfo, PerfEntityMetricBase, PerfInterval, PerfMetricId, PerformanceDescription, PerformanceManagerCounterLevelMapping, PerfProviderSummary, PerfQuerySpec

Managed Object Description

Performance Counters
Each performance provider—the instrumented device or entity—has its own set of counters that provides metadata about its available metrics. Each counter has a unique key, referred to as the counterId. The actual performance metrics generated at runtime are identified by this counterId. Counters are organized by groups of finite system resources, such as memory, CPU, disk, and so on. The links in this list contain documentation for performance counters, by group. Each page contains a table that includes data extracted from instances of the PerfCounterInfo data object, including the counter name, its Label, Unit, StatsType, RollupType, and Level:

• Cluster Services
• CPU
• Host-Based Replication
• Management Agent
• Memory
• Network
• Power
• Resource Scheduler
• Storage Capacity:
  • Datastore / Virtual Machine
• Storage I/O:
  • Datastore
  • Disk
  • Virtual Disk
  • Storage Adapter
  • Storage Path
• System
• vCenter Resource
• Virtual Machine Operations

Other performance-counter groups, in addition to those listed here, exist on the system. However, only the counter groups listed are considered of possible interest to third-party developers.

Obtaining Metadata and Metrics
This interface provides these query operations:

• QueryPerfProviderSummary, for obtaining metatdata about performance providers
• QueryPerfCounter and QueryPerfCounterByLevel for obtaining metadata about supported counters.
• QueryPerf, QueryAvailablePerfMetric, and QueryPerfComposite for obtaining statistics for one or more entities:
  • Use QueryPerf to obtain metrics for multiple entities in a single call.
  • Use QueryPerfComposite to obtain statistics for a single entity with its descendent objects—statistics for a host and all its virtual machines, for example.

Product and Version Specifics
Some differences between ESX and vCenter Server implementations of this interface include:

• For ESX systems, this interface provides access to real-time data, and to real-time data that has been rolled up into "PastDay" statistics (if applicable for the specific counter).
• For vCenter Server systems, this interface provides access to real-time and historical data. vCenter Server collects statistics on a regular basis from all ESX systems that it manages, and aggregates the results based on the level settings for the server.
• Default sampling interval is product- and version-specific:
  • ESX 3.x (and subsequent) systems: 20 second interval
  • ESX 2.x systems: 60 second interval
• VirtualCenter Server 2.5 (and subsequent vCenter Server) systems initially collect statistics data 10 minutes after system startup, and then hourly thereafter.

See the Programming Guide for more information about using PerformanceManager.

Properties

Methods

CreatePerfInterval(createHistoricalInterval)

Required Privileges

Performance.ModifyIntervals

Parameters

Return Value

Faults

Events

QueryAvailablePerfMetric(queryAvailableMetric)

Required Privileges

System.Read

Parameters

Return Value

Faults

Events

QueryPerf(queryStats)

Query Performance for VirtualCenter Server

Required Privileges

System.View

Parameters

Return Value

Faults

Events

QueryPerfComposite(queryCompositeStats)

Use this operation to obtain statistics for a host and its associated virtual machines, for example.

Requires system.read privilege for every virtual machine on the target host, or the query fails with the “NoPermission” fault. Suported for HostSystem managed entities only.

Required Privileges

System.View

Parameters

Return Value

Faults

Events

QueryPerfCounter(queryCounter)

Required Privileges

System.View

Parameters

Return Value

Faults

Events

QueryPerfCounterByLevel(queryCounterByLevel)

Required Privileges

System.View

Since

VI API 2.5

Parameters

Return Value

Faults

Events

QueryPerfProviderSummary(queryProviderSummary)

Required Privileges

System.Read

Parameters

Return Value

Faults

Events

RemovePerfInterval(removeHistoricalInterval)

Required Privileges

Performance.ModifyIntervals

Parameters

Return Value

Faults

Events

ResetCounterLevelMapping(resetCounterLevelMapping)

Required Privileges

Performance.ModifyIntervals

Since

vSphere API 5.0

Parameters

Return Value

Faults

Events

UpdateCounterLevelMapping(updateCounterLevelMapping)

Important:

Consider the performance and storage consequences of using this method. You may cause a significant increase in data collection and storage, along with a corresponding decrease in performance. vCenter Server performance and database storage requirements depend on the collection levels defined for the performance intervals (PerformanceManager.historicalInterval) and the collection levels specified for individual performance counters (PerfCounterInfo.level).

Performance Counter Data Collection

vSphere defines four levels of data collection for performance counters. Each performance counter specifies a level for collection. The historical performance intervals (PerformanceManager.historicalInterval) define the sampling period and length for a particular collection level.

The amount of data collected for a performance counter depends on the performance interval and on the type of entity for which the counter is defined. For example, a datastore counter such as datastoreIops (the aggregate number of IO operations on the datastore) will generate a data set that corresponds to the number of datastores on a host. If a vCenter Server manages a large number of hosts with a large number of datastores, the Server will collect a large amount of data.

There are other counters for which the vCenter Server collects a relatively smaller amount of data. For example, memory counters are collected as a single counter per virtual machine and a single counter per host.

Performance Counter Data Storage

The performance interval collection level defines the set of counters for which the vCenter Server stores performance data. The Server will store data for counters at the specified level and for counters at all lower levels.

By default, all the performance intervals specify collection level one. Using these defaults, the vCenter Server stores performance counter data in the vCenter database for all counters that specify collection level one. It does not store data for counters that specify collection levels two through four.

Performance Manager Method Interaction

You can use the UpdateCounterLevelMapping method to change the collection level for individual counters. You can also use the UpdatePerfInterval method to change the collection level for the system-defined performance intervals. These methods can cause a significant increase in the amount of data collected and stored in the vCenter database.

You may cause a significant increase in data collection and storage along with a corresponding decrease in performance under the following conditions:

• By default the system-defined performance intervals use collection level one, storing data for all counters that specify collection level one. If you use the UpdateCounterLevelMapping method to change the collection level of performance counters to level one, you will increase the amount of stored performance data.
• If you use the UpdatePerfInterval method to increase the collection level for the system-defined performance intervals, you will increase the amount of stored performance data.

To restore counter levels to default settings use the ResetCounterLevelMapping method.

Required Privileges

Performance.ModifyIntervals

Since

vSphere API 5.0

Parameters

Return Value

Faults

Events

UpdatePerfInterval(updateHistoricalInterval)

Supported Modifications

key	samplingPeriod	length	name	level [1]	enabled [2]
1	300 [3]	86400 [4]	Past day	1	true
2	1800	604800	Past week	1	true
3	7200	2592000	Past month	1	true
4	86400	31536000 [5]	Past year	1	true

[1]  The collection level for the historical intervals can be changed. However, the level specified for a lower-numbered interval cannot be smaller than that of a larger interval.
[2]  An interval can be disabled. By default, all four intervals are enabled. Disabling an interval disables all higher intervals. For example, disabling interval 3 (“Past month”) also disables interval 4 (“Past year”).
[3]  Can reduce this interval’s samplingPeriod from 5 minutes to 1, 2, or 3 minutes.
[4]  Can increase this interval’s length from 1 day to 2 or 3 days.
[5]  Can increase interval’s length from 1 year to 2 or 3 years.

See PerfInterval for information about the four default intervals for VirtualCenter Server.

Required Privileges

Performance.ModifyIntervals

Parameters

Return Value

Faults

Events