| 1 | ### Understand the alert |
| 2 | |
| 3 | The `vsphere_cpu_usage` alert monitors the average CPU utilization of virtual machines in the vSphere platform. The alert is triggered in a warning state when the CPU utilization is between 75-85% and in a critical state when it is between 85-95%. |
| 4 | |
| 5 | ### What does high CPU usage mean? |
| 6 | |
| 7 | High CPU usage indicates that the virtual machine's CPU resources are being heavily utilized. This can lead to performance issues, slow response times, and decreased stability. |
| 8 | |
| 9 | ### Troubleshoot the alert |
| 10 | |
| 11 | 1. Confirm the high CPU usage by logging into the vSphere management console and checking the CPU performance metrics for the affected virtual machine(s). |
| 12 | |
| 13 | 2. Identify the cause of high CPU usage: |
| 14 | |
| 15 | - Check the virtual machine's running processes to identify any resource-intensive applications or services. You can use the `top` command on Linux-based virtual machines or Task Manager on Windows-based virtual machines. |
| 16 | - Inspect application logs and system logs for any signs of issues, errors, or crashes that could be contributing to high CPU usage. |
| 17 | - Verify if the virtual machine has adequate CPU resources allocated. If the virtual machine is consistently using a high percentage of its allocated CPU resources, consider increasing the allocated CPU resources. |
| 18 | |
| 19 | 3. Remediate the issue: |
| 20 | |
| 21 | - If an application or service is responsible for the high CPU usage, try restarting it or addressing the specific issue causing the problem. |
| 22 | - If the virtual machine is consistently using a high percentage of its allocated CPU resources, consider increasing the allocated CPU resources or optimizing the virtual machine's performance through application and OS tuning. |
| 23 | - Monitor the CPU usage after making changes to ensure that the issue has been resolved. |
| 24 | |
| 25 | ### Useful resources |
| 26 | |
| 27 | 1. [vSphere Monitoring and Performance Guide](https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphere/7.0/com.vmware.vsphere.monitoring.doc/GUID-0C94837C-8CA4-4A4E-9694-FE9828979A77.html) |
| 28 | 2. [Identifying and Troubleshooting CPU Performance Issues in VMware](https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2090599) |
| 29 | 3. [Optimizing Performance on Hyper-V and VMware Virtual Machines](https://info.raindanceit.com/blog/optimizing-performance-hyper-v-vmware) |