VMware ESXi host monitoring

Monitor VMware ESXi with an agent that reports to one console.

Standalone ESXi hosts, no vCenter needed. Watched through any agent at the site over SSH: version, uptime, memory, datastores, virtual machines and maintenance mode, with a check that a named VM is powered on. BE AI investigates when something fails; a person approves the fix.

connect

Nothing installed on the host.

An agent at the same site polls the host over SSH with a fixed, read-only set of commands. Three steps, in the console.

On the host, enable SSH (the TSM-SSH service, set to start with the host).

Open the proxy machine in the fleet, go to proxied devices, add the host with kind VMware ESXi, and put the proxy's public key in the root user's authorized keys on the host.

Push the list. The host appears in the fleet as its own machine, marked via the proxy, within a heartbeat.

SSH from the proxy to the host only. The key never leaves the proxy; the hub knows the hostname and user, nothing more.

what the agent watches on VMware ESXi

Host factsESXi version and build, uptime, memory used, maintenance mode.

DatastoresUsed and free space per datastore; a filling datastore raises the usual disk alert and shows in days-until-full.

Virtual machinesRunning and total VMs with their names on the machine tile; the vm_running check alerts when a named VM is off.

OfflineThe proxy polls the host every heartbeat; an unreachable host raises an alert like any other machine.

questions

Before you put it on VMware ESXi.

What does it need on the host?

SSH enabled (the TSM-SSH service, set to start with the host) and the proxy's public key in the root user's authorized keys. The proxy runs a fixed set of read-only esxcli commands; nothing is installed on the host.

What about vCenter?

Not needed. Hosts are watched one by one through a proxy; a vCenter integration that covers every host from one credential is on the list, not built yet.

Put BE Hub on ten machines this week.

A pilot takes an afternoon: one install link, your own approvals, your own data. Uninstall the agent and you are out.

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