Monitoring ESXi using Zabbix

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Monitor ESXi Using Zabbix

ESXi Host Setup

1. Login to ESXi Host

Login to the ESXi host as the root user.

2. Create New User for Zabbix

Navigate to: Manage > Security & Users > Users > Add User

Create a new user with the following details: User Name: zabbix

3. Assign Permissions

Navigate to: Host > Actions > Permissions

Add the user "zabbix" and assign Administrator permissions.

Zabbix Server Configuration

1. Edit Zabbix Configuration File

Open the Zabbix server configuration file:

# /etc/zabbix/zabbix_server.conf

Add or update the following parameters:

StartVMwareCollectors=3
VMwareFrequency=60
VMwarePerfFrequency=60
VMwareCacheSize=32M
VMwareTimeout=120
CacheSize=256M

2. Restart Zabbix Server

# systemctl restart zabbix-server

3. Get ESXi UUID

SSH into the ESXi host and run the below command:

# vim-cmd hostsvc/hostsummary | grep uuid

Note down the ESXi UUID.

Zabbix Web UI Configuration

1. Add ESXi Host

Login to Zabbix Web UI as Admin.

Navigate to: Monitoring > Hosts > Create Host

Enter the following details: Hostname: esxi

Template: VMware, VMVMware Hypervisor

Host Group: Hypervisor

2. Configure Macros

Go to the Macros tab and add the following macros:

{$VMWARE.HV.SENSOR.DISCOVERY} = true

{$VMWARE.HV.UUID} = 4c4c4544-0038-4b10-8032-c2c04f423333 (Esxi uuid)

{$VMWARE.PASSWORD} = (zabbix user password)

{$VMWARE.URL} = https://Esxi-ip-addr/sdk/vimService.wsdl

{$VMWARE.USERNAME} = zabbix

Note: It may take some time for the host to start collecting data.

Create Discovery Rule for ESXi

Navigate to: Data Collection > Discovery > Create Discovery Rule

Provide the following details:

Name: esxi

IP Range: 172.31.1.1-255

Update Interval: 5 minutes

Check Type: HTTP and HTTPS

Uniqueness criteria:

Host Name: IP address

Visible Name: IP address

Disable VMware VM Monitoring (Optional)

By default, Zabbix monitors all virtual machines inside the ESXi host.

To monitor only the ESXi host:

Navigate to: Data Collection > Templates

Search for: vmware

Open Discovery settings

Disable: VMware VM discovery

After disabling, VM discovery will stop.

Simulating Errors

Reboot ESXi Server

Expected result:

The host is showing a warning in Zabbix web UI like "Problem started - VMware Hypervisor has been restarted "

It will send problem mail alerts also

Resolve the Issue

After the reboot, login into ESXI host

Expected result:

"Problem has been resolved - VMware Hypervisor has been restarted "

It will send resolved mail alerts also