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Create a VMware Catalog Data Policy

Cataloging objects located on a provider is required for browsing, searching, and reporting in ECX.

A VMware Catalog Data policy provides the framework to catalog and collect information about VMware objects. You can select one or more VMware providers in a single policy for cataloging.

Run a VMware Catalog Data policy to analyze your VMware environment in real time and navigate and correlate the objects from across the Enterprise in a single view. Additionally, you can infer snapshot sprawl, storage overutilization, and other storage inefficiencies.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN:

At least one VMware provider must be associated with a VMware Catalog Data policy. Before defining a catalog policy, add VMware providers. See Register a Provider.
For email notifications, at least one SMTP server must be configured. Before defining a policy, add SMTP resources. See Register a Provider.

CONSIDERATIONS:

One or more schedules might also be associated with a policy. Job sessions run based on the triggers defined in the schedule. See Create a Schedule.

To create a VMware Catalog Data policy:

Click the Plan tab. On the Views pane, select Policies .
Click the All Policies tab, select New , then select VMware in the Catalog Data column. The VMware Catalog Data Policy editor opens.
Click the 1: Source tab. From the list of available providers, select one or more providers to catalog.
Click the 2: Options tab. Select the options for your policy.
Connection timeout (secs)
To run a catalog job, the application needs to connect with the resource. If there is no response within a certain time limit, it times out and the job session fails. Enter the number of seconds to wait before timing out.
Number of catalog instances to keep
After a certain number of job runs for a given policy, older VMware objects for that job are purged from the Catalog. Enter the number of job runs for which VMware objects are to be retained.
Click the 3: Notification tab. Select the notification options for your policy.
SMTP Server
From the list of available SMTP resources, select the SMTP Server to use for job status email notifications. If an SMTP server is not selected, an email is not sent.
Email Address
Enter the email addresses of the status email notifications recipients. Click Add to add it to the list.
Click the 4: Schedule tab. Select Start job now to create a policy that starts the job immediately. Select Schedule job to start at later time to view the list of available schedules. Optionally select one or more schedules for the job. As each schedule is selected, the schedule's name and description displays. A policy paired with a schedule is a job.
Note: To create and select a new schedule, click Views, then select Schedules . Create a schedule, then return to the policy editor, refresh the Available Schedules pane, and select the new schedule.
Click the 5: Finish tab. Enter a name for your policy and a meaningful description. When you are satisfied that the policy-specific information is correct, click Finish.

Note: If you selected the Start job now option, the job runs.

Click the All Policies tab. Your new policy appears in the policy list.

NEXT STEPS:

If you do not want to wait until the next scheduled job run, run the job session on demand. See Start, Stop, and Halt a Job Session.
Track the progress of the job session on the Monitor tab. See Monitor a Job Session.
If notification options are enabled, an email message with information about the status of each task is sent when the job completes.