vSphere issues? Ask VMware.

A new feature in VMware vSphere 4 provides additional information for certain warnings and errors.  When more help is available, “Ask VMware…” is displayed in the vSphere Client and clicking the link takes you to a specific VMware KB article.

From What’s New in VMware vSphere 4.0:

Enhanced ESX Error Reporting — vSphere 4.0 gives you the ability to report per-host network, storage and VMFS issues to the vSphere Client in the Events tab. Each error event also provides a link to a specific Knowledge Base article that explains the event and provides detailed remediation steps to resolve the error. vSphere 4.0 also has the ability to set specific alarms for such events, with the help of the Events and Alarms feature. See vSphere Basic System Administration.

I experienced the feature firsthand recently while reconfiguring some physical switches in my lab, causing the following event:

Clicking the link took me to KB 1009542 with much more specific detail about the warning.

Very nice enhancement.

Related posts:

1. PowerShell Prevents Datastore Emergencies
2. VMware vCenter Server Appliance and vRAM Reporting
3. Easily view guest IP addresses with vSphere Client
4. VMware vCenter Server 4 task and event retention
5. Upgrading VMs to vSphere virtual hardware