In This Article

Overview

vCloud Usage Meter is a virtual appliance from Broadcom that monitors and collects data on the consumption of products by a service provider.  Usage Meter generates reports on usage to send to Broadcom for billing purposes, essentially acting as a tool to track resource usage within a cloud environment managed by a service provider.  Usage Meter is typically installed on a vCenter Server instance.


Deployment Overview

  1. Evolve IP supplies the partner with the Usage Meter OVA file.
  2. Partner installs the Usage Meter appliance in their environment.
  3. During the installation, the Partner sends Evolve IP the Usage Meter UUID.
  4. Evolve IP registers the UUID with Broadcom.
  5. The Partner finishes the Usage Meter installation.
  6. The Partner configures a service account (or uses an existing service account) in all vCenters with the appropriate permissions for the Usage Meter instance.
  7. The Partner adds all vCenters into the Usage Meter instance.

Usage Meter Requirements

  • A vCloud service account which will be used by Usage Meter to collect data from vCenter Servers.
  • Access to the vSphere Web Client and sufficient privileges to deploy the Usage Meter OVF file.
  • Usage Meter Hardware Requirements
    • 2 vCPU Cores
    • 12 GB of Memory
    • 80 GB Storage
  • Networking Requirements
    • Access to the Internet
    • DHCP is recommended.  However, when using a static IP allocation network mode, the following is required:
      • IP Address, Netmask, and Default Gateway
      • Hostname
      • Domain Name
      • Domain Search Path
  • Additional Usage Meter Requirements
    • Initial local root password (set by you)
    • Initial local usagemeter password (set by you)
    • Initial local umauditor password (set by you)


vCenter Server Permissions Requirements

To allow Usage Meter access to the vCenter Server instances for data collection, you need to create a service account, and assign a custom role to the account.

NOTE

To begin metering with vCloud Usage Meter, you must add at least one vCenter Server instance. You must assign additional profile-driven storage privileges to your read-only vCenter Server user beforehand.

  • Verify that the vSphere administrator is not assigned with conflicting vCenter Server roles.
  • Assign vCenter Server permissions at either a Global level or to an object in the object hierarchy.

To ensure the successful billing, you must assign a permission for viewing and managing product license keys. For full information and best practices about authorization in vSphere Web Client, see vSphere Permissions and User Management Tasks in the vSphere Security guide.


  • Log in to the vSphere Web Client with your administrator credentials.
  • Navigate to Menu > Administration.

  • From the Administration left pane, select Roles.
  • Click the Create role button

  • Assign the following permissions:
    • Set the storage privileges:
      • For vCenter Server versions 8.x, select:  VM storage policies > View VM storage policies
      • For vCenter Server versions 7.x, select:  Profile-driven storage > Profile-driven storage view
    • To allow managing and viewing license keys, select:  Global > Licences
    • If the vCenter Server instance has vSAN enabled, select:  Cns > Searchable
  • Click Next.
  • Enter a name and a description for the new role and click Finish.
  • Assign the new role to the service account which will be used for vCloud Usage Meter collection.


Usage Meter Deployment

IMPORTANT

Do not clone vCloud Usage Meter appliances. If you need an additional Usage Meter instance, you must deploy a new Usage Meter appliance. 

  • Log in to the vSphere Web Client
  • Browse to: Hosts and Clusters, and right-click a target host or cluster
  • Select: Deploy OVF Template
  • Select: Local File, and browse to the vCloud Usage Meter OVA file, and click Next
  • Enter a unique name for the vCloud Usage Meter appliance
  • Select the target deployment location, and click Next
  • Select the deployment target resource (cluster, host, vApp, or resource pool), and click Next
  • Review the OVF template details and click Next
  • Review and accept the end-user license agreement, and click Next.
  • On the Select storage page:
    • Select the Virtual Disk Format
    • Select the VM Storage Policy
    • Select the Datastore

  • Select a destination network and click Next.

    NOTE

    By default, the appliance deploys with IP allocation set to Static-Manual and protocol set to IPv4. If you leave the network properties fields blank, the appliance is deployed with IP allocation set to DHCP.


  • Set the initial root password
  • Enable FIPS (optional)
  • Set the initial usagemeter password
  • Set the initial umauditor password
  • Set the optional items:
    • Hostname
    • Network Default Gateway
    • Domain Name
    • Domain Search Path
  • Review all settings, and click Finish
  • Wait for the Usage Meter appliance to deploy


Usage Meter Set Up

  • After the Usage Meter appliance has deployed, power on the VM and wait for the login screen to appear in the Usage Meter console.
  • Wait another 5 minutes for the Usage Meter services to complete the back-end configuration.
  • Note the IP address given to the VM.

NOTE

If the IP Address fails to get set, refer to the following KB article:  https://knowledge.broadcom.com/external/article/322105/usage-meter-ip-address-and-dns-changes-t.html

  • Open a web browser, and use the IP address to access the Usage Meter appliance.
  • If needed, accept the warning in the web browser that the connection is not safe due to an invalid certificate authority.
  • From the login page, use the credentials you configured for the usagemeter account to login.
  • On the welcome page, agree to the terms and conditions, and click Next.
  • Select a network connection type, and if needed, enter the required configuration.  Click Next.

NOTE

Manual Upload is not supported, and will be removed from the setup process in a future version of Usage Meter.

  • On the Summary page, copy the Usage Meter ID#, and send it to your Evolve IP representative.

IMPORTANT

Evolve IP will register your Usage Meter ID# with Broadcom.  Do NOT click the Check Registration button until Evolve IP has confirmed the registration process with Broadcom has completed.

  • After Evolve IP confirms the registration, you can click the Check Registration button, and then Finish.


Add a vCenter Server to Usage Meter

Usage Meter collects product consumption data from all vCenter Server instances that you add.

NOTE

  • Verify that a single Aria Operations instance manages the vCenter Server instance that you add. vCloud Usage Meter cannot collect accurate product consumption data when multiple Aria Operations servers manage a single vCenter Server instance.
  • To activate vCloud Usage Meter for metering of vSphere with Tanzu product consumption data, configure the respective permissions. For information, reference https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/85481.
  • Sign into the web portal of the Usage Meter appliance using your usagemeter credentials
  • In the main menu bar of the Usage Meter web interface, click Products.
  • In the left pane, select Cloud > vCenter / Cloud Foundation.
  • On the vCenter / Cloud Foundation page, click Add.

  • In the Endpoint text box, enter the host name or IP address of the vCenter Server instance.  The default port number is 443.
  • In the Username and Password text boxes, enter the credentials of a vCenter Single Sign-On user.
  • If you use an external Platform Services Controller, select the Use External Platform Services Controller (PSC) check box.
    • In the PSC Endpoint text box, enter the IP address or host name of the external Platform Services Controller.
    • Enter the port number for the external Platform Services Controller.  The default port number is 7444.
  • From the Managed by VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) Edition drop-down menu, select the VMware Cloud Foundation edition:
    • Not managed by VCF
  • Confirm if vCloud Usage Meter must meter the virtual machines that are protected by all Site Recovery Manager instances, associated with the registered vCenter Server instance.
    • To deactivate the metering of Site Recovery Manager, deselect the Meter VMs protected by all SRMs check box.
  • If vSphere with Tanzu is activated on the vCenter Server instance, select the Tanzu edition and Meter based on CPU cores.
    • Basic (default)
    • Standard
    • Advanced

  • Click Add.

    • For each vCenter Server instance that you add, vCloud Usage Meter presents a certificate that you must accept before proceeding.

    • To accept the certificate, on the vCenter / Cloud Foundation page, select the vCenter Server instance, and in the Status column, click Please accept certificate.

    • In the Certificate Info pop-up window, click the Accept button.

    • The Status column will change to Credentials Verified.

    • And within a minute or two, the Status will change to OK.


NOTE

Repeat the above process for each vCenter Server that should be monitored by the Usage Meter.