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Slack Integration

Slack Push Notification

appconfigslack.png

New in IPM version 7.1.6 is the capability to configure alarm notifications for Slack™. Follow these steps to configure the Slack Integration.

  1. Create Slack channel(s) that will receive alarm notification data. You may create either a single channel or multiple channels for Info, Warning, and Critical alarm notifications.

  2. Obtain Webhook URLs for each channel you wish to configure in the Slack Integration.

    1. In Slack, navigate to Organization > Administration > Manage Apps.

    2. Select Custom Integrations.

    3. Select Incoming WebHooks.

    4. Click on the Add to Slack button.

    5. Select a channel and then click on the Add Incoming WebHooks integration button.

    6. Copy the information in the Webhook URL field and save for use in configuring the Slack Integration in IPM.

  3. Navigate to Settings > Slack Integration as shown above.

  4. Click the Enable Slack Notifications checkbox.

  5. Click on Add Channel.

    slackaddchan.png

    1. Fill in the Channel field. This is the name of the Slack prepended by a hashtag symbol (e.g., #ipm-app-notifications).

    2. Fill in the Webhook URL field that you saved in step 2f above.

    3. Click the Send Test Message button. You should see a message that looks like the following in your Slack channel.

      slacktestmessage.png

  6. Configure Default Channels. Select an appropriate Slack channel for each category of Alarms: Info, Warning, and Critical.

The Slack Integration page will look like the following when configured.

slackmain.png

Following is an example of an alarm notification.

slackmsg.png

Slack Application Command Interface

Creating a Slack Application

This guide outlines the step-by-step process to create a Slack app, including obtaining the necessary tokens and configuring the app YAML file.

  1. Access the Slack App API Link: Navigate to the Slack app API link: https://api.slack.com/apps?new_app=1.

  2. Create a New App:

    • Click on "Create New App" to initiate the creation of a new app from scratch.

    • Provide a name for the app (e.g., "VP Test App").

    • Choose the desired workspace where the app will be installed.

      1.png

  3. Generate App Configuration Tokens

    • Locate the "Generate Token and Scope" option.

    • Click on it to generate the tokens.

    • Obtain the following tokens:

      App Token (e.g. xapp-1-00000000000-0000000000000-0000000000000-0000000000000).

      Signing Secret (e.g., 00000000000000000000000000000000).

      Note

      Both the secret key and the app token are essential for configuring the Slack app YAML file.

      2.png

  4. Set Up Slash Commands

    • Navigate to "Socket Mode" from the left menu and enable socket mode.

      3.png

    • Proceed to "Slash Commands" from the left menu.

      4.png

    • Click on “Create New Command”.

    • Provide a command name and description only (e.g. /vw-cli).

      Note

      Slash commands are necessary for configuring the Slack app YAML file.

  5. Install the App

    • Access "Installed App Settings".

    • Install the app in your workspace.

    • Obtain the bot user OAuth token. Example: Bot User OAuth Token: xoxb-0000000000-0000000000000-0000000000000-0000000000000

      Note

      Bot tokens are required for configuring the Slack app YAML file.

Service Configuration

  1. Obtain and Modify Configuration File.

    • Download the sample configuration file from VW Appliance settings: Settings > Slack Integration > Download Configuration File.

    • Customize the configuration file to align with your Slack app and VW credentials.

      step1.png

  2. Adjust Configuration Parameters

    • Replace placeholders in the configuration file with actual values:

      • cmdName: Slash command for your app.

        appToken: App Token obtained from Slack.

        botToken: Bot OAuth Token retrieved from Slack.

        signingSecret: Utilize the generated secret key for your app.

      • DataSource: For data sources, please supply your VW application details, IP address, and access token. To generate an access token, utilize the VW application through UI. Navigate to Settings>API Token Management.

  3. Step 3: Upload and Save Configuration

    • Navigate to the VW Appliance UI.

    • Browse and upload the modified configuration file.

    • Save the uploaded configuration using the save button.

      step3.png

  4. Step 4: Store Configuration Files

    • The configuration files will be stored in the VW appliance directory: /data/configuration/integration-slack-app-config.yml.

The Slack App integration service will automatically recognize and utilize the uploaded configuration file.The service will utilize the Slack app token and data source information specified in the configuration file for seamless integration.

List of all supported commands

Help Command: This will return all supported commands.

Note

/vw-cli should be replaced with your Slack app command name.

  • Command: /vw-cli help

    1. Command: /vp-cli get-info

      Description: Shows data source configuration details.

    2. Command: /vw-cli get-entity-types

      Description: Shows list of entity-types

      Usage: Get-entity-types --filter ‘Header=value’

    3. Command: /vw-cli get-entities

      Description: Shows entities by given entity type

      Usage: Get- entities <entity type> --page <p> --limit <n> --props <'p1,p2,…pn’> --filter ‘header=value’

      <entity type>: This should be the entity type (e.g. ESXHost).

      props <'p1, p2, ... pn'>: This refers to the properties of the entity type that will be displayed in the results. For example, it could show information such as the number of VMs it has.

    4. Command: vw-cli get-metric-names

      Description: Shows metrics by given entity type

      Usage: Get-metric-names <entity type> --filter ‘Header=value’

      <entity type>: This should be the entity type (e.g. ESXHost).

    5. Command: /vw-cli get-alarms-occurrences

      Description: Shows alarm occurrences of the application by period

      Usage: Get-alarm-occurrences --period <5d/1m/2hr/10min> --page <p> --limit <n> --filter ‘Header=value’

    6. Command: /vw-cli get-related-entities

      Description: Shows related entities of the application by entity type.

      Usage: Get-related-entities <entity type> --name <name> --relatedEntityType <relatedEntity> --filter ‘Header=value’

      <entity type> : This refers to the type of entity for which results are desired. For instance, it could be "ESXHost."

      <name> : This represents the specific entity name within the given entity type (e.g., ESXHost).

      <relatedEntityType>: This refers another entity type for which related values are sought. For example, in the case of ESXHost, we might seek related values such as VirtualMachine.

    7. Commnad: /vw-cli get-entities-topn

      Description: Shows the top n entities by metrics.

      Usage: Get-entities-topn <entity typ> <metric name> --top <n> --peiod< 5d/1m/2hr/10min> --filter ‘Header=value’

      --top <n>: The limit parameter accepts a numerical value (--top 10).

      <entity type>: This should be the entity type (e.g ESXHost).

      <metric name>: This should be Metric name (e.g Server_cpu_usage).

  • Common Option

    Table 40. Options

    Option

    Description

    --type

    Specify the entity type to retrieve entities.

    --page

    The page parameter accepts a numerical value (--page 0), indicating the starting page for the entity pagination list.

    --limit

    The limit parameter accepts a numerical value (--limit 10), determining the total number of records to include in the entity pagination list.

    --period

    This period can be <5d/1m/2hr/10min>. This duration can be expressed in formats such as days/months/hours, or minutes.

    --filter

    Utilize this option to refine results by specifying a filter header name and a corresponding value (--filter 'Header=value').



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