> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.vergeos-demo.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.vergeos-demo.com/learn-the-platform/module-9-monitoring-and-troubleshooting/01-dashboard-health.md).
# Dashboard & System Health
## Monitoring Philosophy
VergeOS takes a **single-pane-of-glass** approach to infrastructure monitoring. Every component -- compute, storage, networking, and hardware health -- is visible from the built-in UI without any external monitoring tools. The system provides real-time metrics, historical trends, and event logs at every level: individual nodes, clusters, vSAN tiers, networks, VMs, and tenants.
This page covers the primary monitoring surfaces you will use daily to assess system health and troubleshoot issues.
```mermaid
graph TB
subgraph ui["VergeOS UI — Monitoring Hierarchy"]
direction TB
MAIN["Main Dashboard
System-wide overview"]
CLUSTER["Cluster Views
Aggregate resource pools"]
NODE["Node Dashboards
Per-node hardware & metrics"]
VSAN["vSAN Status
Tier health & capacity"]
NET["Network Status
Connectivity & traffic"]
VM["VM / Tenant Dashboards
Per-workload metrics"]
MAIN --> CLUSTER
MAIN --> VSAN
MAIN --> NET
CLUSTER --> NODE
NODE --> VM
end
style ui fill:#f0f4ff,stroke:#336
```
## Node Dashboard
The **Nodes dashboard** is your primary interface for monitoring individual physical (or virtual) servers in the environment. Navigate to it via **Infrastructure → Nodes**, then select a specific node.
### Node Status Information
At the top of the node dashboard, you will find key status fields:
| Field | Description |
| ------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Status** | Current operational state -- Running or Offline; during maintenance workflows it may show Migrating, Maintenance Mode, or Leaving Maintenance |
| **Maintenance Mode** | Whether the node is in maintenance state (workloads migrated away) |
| **Last Powered On** | Timestamp of the most recent boot |
| **IPMI Status** | Status of the Intelligent Platform Management Interface |
| **IPMI Network Address** | BMC/iDRAC/iLO management IP for remote access |
| **System Version** | VergeOS version breakdown -- OS, vSAN, Appserver, and Kernel versions |
### Hardware Configuration
The dashboard also displays the physical hardware profile:
* **CPU** -- Processor model and generation
* **CPU Cores** -- Number of physical cores
* **RAM** -- Total physical memory capacity
* **Failover RAM** -- Memory reserved for failover scenarios
* **Overcommit RAM** -- Memory available for oversubscription
* **Cluster** -- Which cluster this node belongs to
* **Model / Asset Tag** -- Hardware platform and inventory asset tag
### CPU Usage Graph
The CPU usage graph is one of the most frequently consulted metrics. It provides real-time and historical trend visualization with multiple breakdown categories:
| Metric | What It Shows |
| ------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Total CPU** | Aggregate CPU utilization across all cores |
| **Core Peak** | The single highest-utilized core (helps identify single-threaded bottlenecks) |
| **User** | Time spent in user-space processes |
| **System** | Time spent in kernel-space operations |
| **IO Wait** | Time the CPU is idle waiting for I/O operations to complete |
| **VM Usage** | CPU consumed by virtual machines running on this node |
| **IRQ** | Time spent handling hardware and software interrupts |
### Node Statistics Cards
Below the CPU graph, the dashboard presents quick-reference metric cards:
* **Physical RAM** -- Current memory utilization percentage and total capacity
* **Virtual RAM** -- Allocated virtual memory (typically 0% when not overcommitted)
* **Temperature** -- Current node temperature with a color-coded indicator (green / yellow / red based on thresholds)
* **Running Machines** -- Count of active VMs, vNet containers, and system services on this node
* **Cores Usage** -- Percentage of CPU cores currently in use
* **RAM Usage** -- Memory consumption across all running machines
## Hardware Resources Panel
The lower section of the node dashboard provides detailed views of every physical hardware component.
### Drives
All physical drives attached to the node are listed with full health data:
| Column | Purpose |
| --------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
| **Status** | Online / Offline indicator |
| **Name** | Device identifier (e.g., `nvme0n1`, `sda`) |
| **Model** | Manufacturer and model number |
| **Tier** | vSAN storage tier assignment (set at install time) |
| **vSAN Drive ID** | Unique identifier within the vSAN |
| **Firmware** | Current drive firmware version |
| **Bus** | Hardware bus connection type (NVMe, SATA, SAS) |
| **Usage** | Capacity utilization with visual progress bar |
| **Repairing** | Whether the drive is currently being rebuilt |
| **Read/Write Errors** | Error counters for proactive health monitoring |
You can click any drive to access its **S.M.A.R.T.** diagnostics -- reallocated sectors, temperature, power-on hours, wear leveling, and other predictive failure indicators.
### Network Interface Cards (NICs)
Every NIC in the node is displayed with operational and fabric status:
* **Status** -- Up or Down
* **Fabric Status** -- Core fabric connectivity. **Confirmed** indicates the NIC is properly integrated; **No Path** and **Degraded** are the problem statuses to watch for; **None** appears for NICs that are not part of the core fabric. A globe icon indicates NICs connected to the core fabric
* **Port** -- Physical port identifier on the NIC
* **Name** -- Interface identifier (e.g., `enp2s0f0`)
* **Model / Vendor / Driver** -- Hardware and software details
* **Speed** -- Negotiated link speed (e.g., 10000 Mb/s, 25000 Mb/s)
* **MAC** -- Hardware MAC address
* **Network** -- Associated VergeOS network
* **RX / TX** -- Total data received and transmitted
* **RX / TX Rate** -- Current transfer rates
### Additional Hardware Sections
| Section | What It Shows |
| ----------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Memory Modules** | Installed RAM -- module count, capacity, type, and specifications |
| **LLDP Neighbors** | Link Layer Discovery Protocol data -- connected switch, port mappings, network topology |
| **PCI Devices** | All PCI/PCIe devices with bus assignments and passthrough availability |
| **SR-IOV NIC Devices** | Virtual function count and assignment status for SR-IOV capable NICs |
| **NVIDIA vGPU Devices** | GPU model, vGPU profiles available, and allocation status |
| **USB Devices** | Connected USB devices with passthrough capability |
## Fabric Status Monitoring
The **core fabric** is the backbone network connecting all VergeOS nodes. Monitoring fabric health is critical because fabric degradation impacts vSAN replication, VM live migration, and inter-node communication.
On each node's NIC table, look for the **Fabric Status** column:
* **Confirmed** -- The NIC is properly integrated into the core fabric and communicating with peer nodes
* **No Path** or **Degraded** -- Problem statuses indicating the NIC is not successfully participating in the fabric. May indicate a cable issue, switch misconfiguration, or NIC failure
* **None** -- Displayed for NICs that are not part of the core fabric (e.g., external-network NICs)
{% hint style="success" %}
**Quick Fabric Health Check**
From the main dashboard, navigate to **Infrastructure → Nodes** and scan the NIC fabric status across all nodes. Every core fabric NIC should show **Confirmed**. Any **No Path** or **Degraded** status warrants immediate investigation -- check physical cabling, switch port configuration, and NIC driver status.
{% endhint %}
## Event Logs
Every node dashboard includes an **Event Logs** section that displays system events scoped to that node. Events are classified by severity level:
| Level | Description | Examples |
| ------------ | -------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Critical** | System-threatening conditions requiring immediate action | Node offline, vSAN degraded |
| **Error** | Failures that impact functionality | Drive failure, failed operations |
| **Warning** | Conditions that may escalate if unaddressed | Temperature threshold exceeded, drive errors increasing |
| **Message** | Normal operational events | Power state changes, maintenance mode transitions, VM migrations |
### Common Log Entries
* **Temperature warnings** -- `"Core has reached warning temperature '96 / 95'"` indicates a CPU core exceeded the configured threshold. The two numbers are the current reading and the computed warning threshold for that CPU. By default (`max_core_temp = 0` in Cluster Settings → Node Temperature), VergeOS queries each CPU's hardware-rated maximum and fires the warning at `max_core_temp_warn_perc` (default **10%**) below that maximum
* **Drive status events** -- Notifications when drives go offline, begin repairing, or report new read/write errors
* **Power state changes** -- Records of node reboots, shutdowns, and power-on events
* **Maintenance mode transitions** -- Logs when a node enters or exits maintenance mode
Each log entry includes the **timestamp**, **source** (e.g., `node1`), and a **detailed message**. Click **View More** to access the full log history.
## Node Management Actions
The left-side menu on the node dashboard provides essential management operations:
### Power Control
* **Power On / Off** -- Standard power operations via IPMI
* **Reboot** -- Graceful restart of the node
* **Kill Power** -- Force shutdown (use only when graceful methods fail)
### Maintenance Mode
**Always enable maintenance mode before performing hardware changes or system updates.** When you place a node in maintenance mode, VergeOS live-migrates eligible running workloads to other nodes in the cluster. VMs with GPU passthrough or a host-passthrough CPU type (also USB passthrough or SR-IOV NICs) are not migratable and must be powered off -- manually, or automatically if the VM's Migration Method is set to Automatic.
### Remote Console
Provides direct console access to the node via IPMI/iDRAC/iLO. Use this for troubleshooting scenarios where the VergeOS UI is unreachable or you need BIOS-level access.
### Additional Actions
* **Edit** -- Modify node settings (failover RAM, overcommit, tags)
* **Scale Up** -- Add resources to the cluster from this node
* **Diagnostics** -- Access node-level diagnostic tools (ARP scan, ethtool, IPMI sensors, S.M.A.R.T. tests, and more)
* **Refresh** -- Force an update of all dashboard data
## Cluster-Level Views
While node dashboards show individual server health, **cluster views** provide aggregate resource utilization across all nodes in a cluster.
Navigate to **System → Clusters** to see:
* **Total CPU** -- Combined processing capacity and utilization across all nodes
* **Total RAM** -- Aggregate memory with utilization breakdown
* **Node Count** -- Number of active vs. total nodes in the cluster
* **Workload Distribution** -- How VMs and services are spread across nodes
Cluster views are essential for capacity planning -- they help you identify when a cluster is approaching resource limits and when it is time to scale out with additional nodes.
## vSAN Status Overview
The vSAN status is accessible from the main dashboard by clicking the **vSAN Tiers** count box, or via **Infrastructure → vSAN Tiers**.
Key indicators include:
* **Tier Health** -- Per-tier status shown via the `status` field (`online`, `noredundant`, `repairing`, `outofspace`, `offline`, ...) and the `redundant` boolean. The `working` flag indicates whether a Journal Walk is currently in progress, not overall tier health (a healthy idle tier shows `working=false`)
* **Capacity per Tier** -- Total, used, and available storage for each tier
* **Redundancy Status** -- Whether data redundancy requirements are met (critical after a drive or node failure)
* **Repair Status** -- Active repair operations and progress (should be all zeros during normal operation)
* **Device Count** -- Number of drives participating in each tier
{% hint style="warning" %}
**Storage Throttling Thresholds**
VergeOS applies automatic I/O throttling as storage fills up:
* **Below 91%** -- Normal operation, no throttling
* **91–95%** -- Low space throttling begins (10ms latency added)
* **96%+** -- Critical throttling (50ms latency added) with severe performance degradation
Monitor tier capacity proactively and configure alerts before reaching these thresholds.
{% endhint %}
## Network Status
Network health is monitored from **Networks** in the main navigation. For each network (external, internal, DMZ, tenant networks), you can view:
* **Connectivity status** -- Whether the network is running and reachable
* **Traffic statistics** -- RX/TX volume and rates per network
* **Connected machines** -- Which VMs and services are attached
* **Firewall rule hit counts** -- Activity on configured firewall rules
* **Network-specific logs** -- Events scoped to that particular network
## Running Machines View
Each node dashboard includes a **Running Machines** section showing all active workloads:
| Column | Description |
| ---------------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
| **Status** | Running state indicator |
| **Type** | Virtual Machine, vNet Container, or system service |
| **Name** | Machine identifier |
| **CPU Cores** | Number of assigned cores |
| **CPU Usage** | Current processor utilization percentage |
| **RAM** | Allocated memory with utilization percentage |
| **Last Started** | Timestamp of when the workload was started |
Common machine types include VMs, vNet containers (network services), and system services (NAS, DMZ, External network, etc.).
{% hint style="info" %}
**Coming from VMware or Nutanix?**
In VergeOS, node hardware, cluster resources, storage health, network status, and workload metrics all live in the same built-in UI -- no separate management server, monitoring suite, or CLI to install for day-to-day visibility.
{% endhint %}
## Best Practices
### Daily Health Checks
Review node temperatures, drive error counters, and fabric status across all nodes. Address any fabric NICs showing **No Path** or **Degraded**, or increasing drive errors, immediately.
### Use Maintenance Mode
Always enable maintenance mode before hardware changes, firmware updates, or system updates. Eligible workloads are live-migrated away before you touch the node; VMs that cannot live-migrate (GPU passthrough, host-passthrough CPU type, USB passthrough, SR-IOV) must be powered off.
### Monitor vSAN Capacity
Keep tier utilization below 85% to maintain performance headroom. Configure subscription alerts (covered in the next section) to notify you before reaching throttling thresholds.
### Review Logs Regularly
Periodically check event logs for temperature warnings, drive errors, and unexpected state changes. Catching issues early prevents cascading failures.
---
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