vRealize Infrastructure Navigator is your peek into the backstage of a virtual data center–the convoluted heart and soul, we could say. Whether you are in charge of VM’s working the through winds of fast wind patterns or the ops twisting to squashing some metal, VIN gives you Visibility And Control.
This walkthrough explains what VMware vRealize Infrastructure Navigator is, how it works and how to install it — as well as why you should consider using the tool in your organization when scaling, troubleshooting and complying with policies.
vRealize Infrastructure Navigator VIN Overview ” What It Is, And Why You Should Care
vRealize Infrastructure Navigator (VIN) is a vRealize tool used to automatically discover application services within Virtual Machines and categorise them into appropriate tiers. It’s an important part of grasping the relationships in your virtual infrastructure.
With VIN, you get:
- Automated application discovery
- Real-time dependency mapping
- Seamless integration with vCenter Server
- Why insider insights can enable you to work smarter and minimize risk
At the heart of it, its job is to allow you to see into your virtual environments so that there are less “what”‘s, more “why”‘s and running things with a little bit of grey matter.
Data Center Application Dependency To comprehend how new applications are dependent in the data center, we also need to map out the application dependency.
Not every VM in your data center lives in an isolated environment. One application depends on another to work properly, so if one service fails, others fail. This is what’s referred to as application dependency.
Without something like vRealize Infrastructure Navigator, you’d really have no way of figuring out these hidden relationships, especially at scale.
VIN bridges this gap by:
- Discovering apps via VMware Tools
- Mapping connections in real time
- Assisting you to see VM communications
vCenter Server and the Integration of vRealize Infrastructure Navigator
vCenter Server serves as the control plane for managing vSphere environments. vRealize Infrastructure Navigator ties directly into vCenter, with easy access to dependency data from within the vSphere Web Client.
Here’s how the integration works:
- The VIN plugs into vCenter Server as soon as you install it
- It does the virtual machine analysis using VMware Tools
- Applications data is just one click away, directly from within the vCenter UI
With this integration, you no longer need to have separate dashboards for application visibility.
Enable Access to VMs for accurate app discovery
In order for VIN to function correctly, it must enable VM access with VMware Tools. This enables VIN to:
- Detect installed applications
- Monitor service ports
- Identify inbound and outbound connections
Verify VMware Tools is running on every VM, and open up the necessary firewall ports (particularly TCP 443 and 902) to permit VIN appliance communication.
Dependency Mapping with VIN: Seeing Your Infrastructure
Dependency mapping is one of VIN’s strongest capabilities.WriteHeader It helps you:
- Which VM’s support which applications
- Track how services communicate
- Prevent spread of failures from accidental changes
This is critical, particularly in virtualized environments, where infrastructure changes frequently. With VIN you can make better use of resources and schedule maintenance windows with less uncertainty.
Real Time VIN manufucturing and operational efficiency
Want to improve operational efficiency? VIN helps by:
- Reducing time spent troubleshooting
- Automatically documenting app relationships
- Supporting change management processes
For example, if you’re considering to upgrade or remove a VM, VIN enables you to understand what’s connected before making a change.
Deploy OVF Template and Install vRealize Infrastructure Navigator
Ready to get started? Let’s start to walk through in order to get into vRealize Infrastructure Navigator and deploy with OVA.
Step 1: Download vRealize Infrastructure Navigator 5.8.7
Log into My VMware (you need to register if you did not so). Note: Choose the drop-down box and then choose view all under Product Downloads.
You can download vRealize Infrastructure 5.8.7 from the VMware Customer Connect portal You are also able to download the software from your enterprise system repository.
Step 2: Deploy OVF Template
Using the vSphere Web Client:
- Right-click a cluster or host
- Select Deploy OVF Template
- Upload the OVA file
If not then let’s do with Assigning of static IP, Hostname and other network setting on installation time.
Step 3: Register with vCenter Server
Below, open a browser, and go to the VIN console:
- Input vCenter Server credentials
- Accept SSL certificates
- Confirm successful connection
Step 4: Start Discovery
In the vSphere Web Client:
- Right-click on a VM
- Navigate to Management > Infrastructure Navigator
- Click Discover Applications
You have your vRealize Infrastructure application mapping up and running
VMware vRealize Operations for Full Stack Visibility Integration
If you want to go even further, integrate with vRealize Operations (vROps). Once integrated:
- Application dependencies are pumped into vROps through VIN.
- You get full-stack visibility from infrastructure to the app
- Dashboards show performance and risk in real-time
This merging will help you be more informed in making decisions such as scaling, what resources it should use, and when to alert you.
Maximize Efficiency & Reduce Risk with Application Maps
With the help of VIN, IT teams can learn:
- Which VMs can be consolidated
- What apps they don’t use or hardly use
- Services that are important to be Always-on
It’s easier to forecast capacity, shrink waste and align performance with business realities.
Access vRealize Infrastructure Navigator Documentation
Seeking technical details or troubleshooting guidance?
Check out vRealize Infrastructure Navigator official documentation on VMware Knowledge Base and Tech Zone. These include:
- Configuration guidelines
- Troubleshooting ports and permissions
- Supported application types
Always see the documentation for what to do when updating or applying VIN.
vRealize Infrastructure Navigator License and MP
Prerequisites VIN requires a license of vRealize Infrastructure Navigator, which can standalone or included with the vRealize Suite Advanced or Enterprise.
Unlock the management pack for vRealize Infrastructure in vRealize Operations by:
- Application-aware dashboards
- Dependency-based health scores
- Alerts enriched with relationship context
Upload the management pack in the vROps admin UI, on Solutions.
vRealize Infrastructure Navigator EOL: End of Life & Replacement 2020년 4월 피드 vRealize Infrastructure Navigator is now end of life – remove it before upgrade to 8.2 and still be able to upgrade your other components 관련 글 (Related posts): No related posts.
With the latest VMware releases, it has been publised that vRealize Infrastructure Navigator is end of life (EOL). VMware vRealize Infrastructure 5.8.7 is the last release of this product.
VMware is, however, working on its monitoring products. Consider alternatives like:
- vRealize Network Insight
- VMware Aria Operations for Applications
- Cloud-based applications service for k8s and Microservices
If you’re preparing to move, it’s time to look around for vRealize Infrastructure Navigator replacement options so that you will be able to see what is running once your new toys are up and humming.
Summary: Why vRealize Infrastructure Navigator is still relevant
vRealize Infrastructure Navigator continues to be a tool for which to vie, in vRealize environments and within legacy workloads or hybrid clouds. It provides visibility where it is frequently lacking, from application discovery to dependency mapping