eG Monitoring
 

Measures reported by AppVolWritableTest

With Writable Volumes, you can configure per-user volumes where users can install and configure their own applications and keep data that is specific to their profile. A Writable Volume is assigned to a specific user and becomes available to the user from any machine. A Writable Volume is an empty VMDK or VHD file that you assign to a specific user. It mounts to the VM when the user authenticates to the desktop. You can attach only one Writable Volume at a time per-user per OS. Any settings that the user applies to an application are stored in the writable volume.

A writable volume can contain the following data:

  • Application settings

  • Licensing information

  • Configuration files

  • User-installed apps

Using VMware App Volumes Manager, you can create, import, edit, expand, and disable Writable Volumes.

The writable volumes feature does not provide a user environment management (UEM) solution. Writable volumes complement UEM solutions, which can manage data within writable volumes at a more granular level and provide contextual rules to enforce policy based on different conditions or events.

You can assign Writable Volumes to a user, group, computer, or organizational unit (OU). When a Writable Volume is created for a user, it is assigned to the user immediately. When the volume is assigned to a group, it is created when a user belonging to the assigned group logs in to the machine. A user can have more than one Writable Volume attached at the same time if the volume is OS-specific, or created for a computer with a specific prefix.

If a Writable Volume assigned to a user or a computer does not attach properly or if an assigned volume is running out of space, users may experience errors and hence, they may have to restart their sessions. If such errors are noticed frequently by the users, then the user experience may suffer and may leave the users frustrated. Therefore, it is important to monitor the state of writable volumes at all times. This can be achieved by the AppVolWritableTest test!

This test auto-discovers the writable volumes created on the target VMware App Volumes Manager and for each writable volume, reports if the writable volume is attached to the user or disabled. Besides, this test also reports the space utilization of each writable volume. Using this test, administrators can figure out the writable volumes that are not attached to the user and also isolate the writable volumes that are experiencing space crunch. By analyzing the measures reported by this test carefully, administrators can investigate the reason behind the non-attachment of the writable volumes and initiate remedial measures before users start complaining.

Outputs of the test :One set of results for each writable volume created on the target VMware App Volumes Manager being monitored.

Descriptor:Writable Volume

The measures made by this test are as follows:

Measurement Description Measurement Unit Interpretation
Is_attachable Indicates whether this writable volume is attached to the user.   The values reported by this measure and its numeric equivalents are mentioned in the table below:

Measure Value Numeric Value
Detached 0
Attached 1

Note:

By default, this measure reports the Measure Values listed in the table above to indicate whether the writable volume is attached to the user. The graph of this measure however, is represented using the numeric equivalents only i.e., 0 or 1.
Tot_disk_size Indicates the total amount of storage space allocated to this writable volume. MB  
Used_disk_size Indicates the amount of storage space already utilized by this writable volume. MB

If the value of this measure is close to that of the Total storage space measure, it indicates potential space crunch in the writable volume.

Administrators may increase the size of the writable volume so that the space utilization of the writable volume is optimal.
Free_disk_size Indicates the amount of space that is available for use in this writable volume. MB If the value of this measure is alarmingly decreasing, then it indicates that the writable volume is currently running out of space.
Disk_percent Indicates the percentage of space that is available for use in this writable volume. Percent A low value is desired for this measure.
Mount_cnt Indicates the number of times a user logged into this writable volume. Number A high value for this measure indicates that the volume is running out of space.
Wrt_status Indicates the current status of this writable volume.   The values reported by this measure and its numeric equivalents are mentioned in the table below:

Measure Value Numeric Value
Disabled 0
Enabled 1

Note:

By default, this measure reports the Measure Values listed in the table above to indicate the current status of this writable volume. The graph of this measure however, is represented using the numeric equivalents only i.e., 0 or 1.