Manage Alerts

Alerts are a group of one or more alarms. An alert can notify the user when it activates and it can also trigger action plans. An alert activates when all its alarms are activated. An alarm activates when a metric passes a certain threshold. 

If you imagine a dashboard for your metrics, alarms are like red lights that light up when conditions change, for example, when there is a problem. Alerts are like a worker monitoring a group of alarms; when all the lights for the group are lit up, then the worker takes action and activates the alert. 

To display and manage alerts:

1. Go to Control → Alerts

An alert will trigger when all its alarms are activated. You can use the alert to trigger actions. See Manage Action Plans.

Before you begin:

1. Retrieve VM built-in metrics, by editing VMs and enabling monitoring (see VM monitoring and metrics) or create custom metrics
2. Create one or more metric alarms (see Manage cloud alarms and Infrastructure Alarms). You cannot save an alert without an alarm

To create an alert:

1. Go to Control → Alerts
2. Click the + add button

3. Enter the alert details and assign alarms as described below

4. Click Save

You can delete any alarm at any time, even if it is part of one or more alerts. The platform will not warn you that the alarm is used in an alert. However, you can check this in Control view. After you delete an alarm, you cannot recover it.

You can also remove an alarm from an alert.

To delete an alarm:

1. Go to Virtual datacenters or Infrastructure →  Alarms
2. Select the alarm and delete it by clicking on the trash bin delete button

To remove an alarm from an alert:

1. Go to Control → Alerts → edit alert

2. Select the alarm, click the trash bin delete button, and confirm
   The platform will remove it from this alert, but it will remain in all other alerts that it is associated with