RVTools¶
Clarity Transform imports a VMware estate from an RVTools export: virtual machines, hosts, clusters, datastores, disks and networks, from a spreadsheet rather than from a live vCenter connection.
Where to find it¶
Go to Discover → Integrations, then select the RVTools card. The card's category label is File. The integration's page has the Endpoints and History tabs; Integrations describes the page, its grid and its row actions.
Why we do this¶
An RVTools export is frequently available before any credential is. Somebody in the customer's virtualisation team already runs it, or can run it in an afternoon.
So this is how an engagement starts moving while the vSphere integration is still being provisioned. The two are not alternatives in the long run, but for the first few weeks the file is often the only VMware evidence there is.
What we collect¶
- Virtual machines, with their configuration and resource allocation
- Hosts and clusters, and the placement relationships between them
- Datastores and virtual disks
- Network configuration
This is the integration to reach for when access is the blocker
Where a security review is holding up the credentialed integrations, this is a way to make progress in the meantime rather than waiting.
What it adds¶
A file is a point in time, and a stale one is worse than an old one
An export taken three months ago describes an estate that has moved on. The live vSphere integration re-reads on its Job Schedule; this does not. Stale records are surfaced by the Last Seen-based checks on CMDB Data Correctness.
What is deliberately not inferred¶
- No performance history. An RVTools export carries configuration, not counters.
- No application or role detection. That needs the live vSphere integration and VMware Tools with the appInfo plugin.
- No traffic data.
- Nothing is connected to and no credential is used.
- Placement is not a dependency. Two machines on the same host are not related by that fact alone.
What we require¶
No credential is used. This integration needs no account on any system, so there is nothing for a customer to provision and nothing to revoke afterwards.
Verification before handover¶
Run these before the export is uploaded, so a failed import is never the first time anyone finds out.
- Confirm the export covers the whole estate. RVTools exports what the account running it can see in vCenter. A tab that looks short is usually a scope limitation at export time rather than a small estate, and it is easier to establish now than after move groups are built on it.
- Confirm the expected tabs are present. Virtual machines, hosts, clusters, datastores, disks and networks. A partial export imports the tabs it has and silently omits the rest.
Configuring the endpoint¶
On the integration's Endpoints tab, select the add icon (Create New Integration Endpoints). The Create new entry form opens with these fields, in this order:
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | A name for the endpoint |
| File Upload | The RVTools export, chosen with Choose file... |
| Enabled | Ticked. The box is unticked when the form opens |
The endpoint form has no End Point, Credential or Job Schedule field, although the Endpoints grid has those columns.
No field is marked as required. Technology is set by the card and is hidden in the form. Select Save to create the endpoint, or Cancel to close the form. The edit icon opens the same fields as Edit entry.
When you choose the file, the form shows "File uploaded:" and the file name. After saving, the End Point column shows the file name, and View Details shows it under File Upload.
To import the file, select Mark as Running on the endpoint's row, then read Last Result and the History tab. There is no schedule, so the file is not read again unless you run the endpoint again. To load a newer export, edit the endpoint, choose the new file, save, and run it.
Removing the access¶
There is nothing to remove.
Troubleshooting¶
| Symptom | Cause |
|---|---|
| Fewer virtual machines than expected | The account that ran the export could not see them all. This is a scope limitation at export time, not an import fault. |
| Some tabs missing from the import | The export does not contain them. A partial export imports what it has. |
| No performance or utilisation data | An RVTools export carries configuration, not counters. The live vSphere integration is what provides history. |
| The data disagrees with the live vSphere integration | The file is older. Prefer the live source where both exist, and re-export if the file is still needed. |
| Last Result reports errors, but View errors shows none | The latest run recorded no itemised errors or warnings, and the Endpoint Issues panel says so. Check the Error Count on the History tab, then select Show Logs and read the run's entries on the Event Log. |
| Mark as Running is greyed out | Enabled is cleared, the endpoint has not been saved, or a run is still in progress. Tick Enabled, save, and wait for Last Result to show a finished run. |