Editor’s note:Tthis is a 2025 update. The collector currently runs as a containerized app on the current Pure Storage VMware OVA (v5.0.0) with an Ubuntu 22.04 base.
If you want end-to-end visibility from vCenter all the way down to a vDisk, the VM Analytics feature in Pure1 delivers it—surfacing topology, mappings, and performance across hosts, VMs, and datastores so you can pinpoint bottlenecks fast. The fastest path to get started is to deploy the VM Analytics Collector as an application on the Pure Storage VMware OVA. This guide walks you through prerequisites, deployment (now with IPv6), network allowlists, validation, upgrades, and common fixes.1
What You’ll Deploy
The VM Analytics Collector is a lightweight appliance that securely collects VMware topology and metrics and phones them home to Pure1 at scheduled intervals. You deploy it as a containerized app on the Pure Storage VMware OVA and connect one or more vCenters to begin collecting data.2,1
Prerequisites and Support Matrix
Before you begin, confirm the following:
- vCenter: supported on 6.7 U3+ and certified on 7.0+; the collector can collect from vCenter 5.5+ environments.
- Resources: 4 vCPUs, 8GB RAM; 3.6GB thin / 40GB thick datastore space; deploy on VMFS or vVols
- Network: one management IP (DHCP or static for IPv4; static for IPv6), with outbound HTTPS 443 to Pure1 endpoints and deb.cloud‑support for updates, plus NTP UDP 123 to Pure NTP servers.
- Datastores supported in analytics: VMFS, vVols, vSAN, and NFS; NVMe‑oF datastores are supported and mapped.
Get the OVA from Pure1
- In Pure1, go to Fleet > Virtual Machines, open the gear icon, and create a collector to generate an authorization key.
- Copy the OVA link (or download the OVA locally). The link can be reused for multiple OVA installs.
Tip: There’s also a static “latest” URL used in internal deployment references if you need it for automation or offline workflows.
Deploy the OVA (IPv4 or IPv6)
From vCenter, use Deploy OVF Template and either paste the OVA URL from Pure1 or upload your local OVA file. Choose a name, compute resource, and datastore (thin provisioning recommended). You may see an “untrusted certificate” warning on some vCenter versions; VMware KB 84240 explains the change—this warning can be safely acknowledged in this workflow.
During configuration:
- Select “VM Analytics Collector” as the application type in the OVA UI, and choose IPv4 or IPv6 plus the Docker IP range during the OVF deployment.
- Choose the IP protocol:
- Set the Docker bridge network so it does not overlap your management network. For IPv4, use a non-overlapping CIDR (e.g., 172.18.1.1/16); for IPv6, use an appropriate /64 (e.g., 2001:db8:1::/64).
Power on the VM when deployment completes.
Note: vSphere 7.x may show an “untrusted/invalid certificate” warning for the OVA and that this is expected and safe to acknowledge in this context.
Network Allowlist and Services (Don’t Skip)
The OVA and Collector require outbound connectivity to Pure1 services for registration, phonehome, and updates. Allow the following:
- HTTPS 443 to *.cloud‑support.purestorage.com and deb.cloud‑support.purestorage.com (and the IPs returned by nslookup for the deb host).
- NTP to time1/2/3.purestorage.com.
Note: From collector v3.0.0 onwards, also allow addresses returned by nslookup for deb.cloud-support.purestorage.com.
First Login and Setup
Open the console or SSH to the appliance and log in as pureuser (you’ll be prompted to change the default password). If you see a prompt indicating the application setup didn’t complete, run:
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puresetup vm–analytics–collector |
This completes app installation if the Deploy OVF step couldn’t finish due to timing or network.
Next, register the collector with your authorization key from Pure1:
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purevmanalytics register <authorization_key> |
Registration is required once for v3.x+ collectors.
Now connect your vCenter(s):
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purevmanalytics connect —hostname <VCENTER> —username <USER@domain> |
You can connect multiple different vCenters; the collector will begin the first (full) phonehome and populate Pure1 > Analytics > VM Topology after processing.
Helpful checks:
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purevmanalytics version purevmanalytics list purevmanalytics test pinghome |
These commands confirm the version, connections, and cloud reachability.
Validating Deployment
Once registered and connected, expect initial population to take longer on large environments (the first run gathers full topology). You should see topology graphs and host/VM/datastore metrics populate in Pure1.
Upgrades and What’s New
Recent improvements since 2022:
- IPv6 (static) support in the OVA workflow for the VM Analytics Collector.
- New VM/host metrics and topology data (e.g., host CPU MHz, VM memory/capacity) surfaced for Virtualization Assessment use cases (Collector v3.6.0).
- Ongoing collector releases through 2024+; consult the release timeline for the latest versions (3.6.0 Oct 2024, etc.).
- The Pure Storage VMware OVA moved to v5.0.0 (Mar 2025) with an Ubuntu 22.04 base. If upgrading from 4.1.x, plan for two sequential puresw upgrades to complete.
To check for upgrades in-place:
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puresw list puresw upgrade start vm–analytics–collector |
This upgrades both the appliance package and the collector where updates are available.
Changing the Appliance IP (No Redeploy Needed)
If you need to change the management IP later, you can use:
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purenetwork setattr ... |
This avoids a full redeploy in many cases.
Common Troubleshooting Tips
- Registration errors after re-creating a key: the authorization key/appliance ID is tied to the OVA package (CSR). If you deleted the old OVA and key and still can’t register, download a fresh OVA from Pure1 and generate a new key. If registration fails after deleting/re‑creating keys, a fresh OVA download and new authorization key may be required because the key/appliance ID is tied to the OVA package.
- Connectivity/timeouts during first boot or setup: verify outbound 443 to Pure1 endpoints (including deb.cloud-support) and correct DNS; re-run puresetup vm-analytics-collector if prompted.
- Cloud endpoint DNS failures (e.g., restricted-rest.cloud-support…): validate DNS resolution and outbound firewall rules; purevmanalytics test pinghome can help verify flow.
- Docker/management IP overlap: ensure the Docker bridge (IPv4/IPv6) does not overlap your management network; change it in the OVA deployment or reconfigure to avoid conflicts.
Optional: PowerShell‑Based Deployment
If you prefer automation, you can deploy and configure via the PureStorage.FlashArray.VMware PowerShell module (e.g., Deploy-PfaAppliance), including DHCP or static addressing. This is handy for CI/CD or repeatable rollouts.
Quick Recap
- Deploy the VM Analytics Collector on the Pure Storage VMware OVA, selecting IPv4 (DHCP/static) or IPv6 (static) per your network.
- Allow outbound services to cloud‑support and the deb repo over 443; sync time via Pure NTP.
- Register with your authorization key, connect vCenter(s), and validate in Pure1.
- Keep current: review the collector release notes, leverage puresw for updates, and note the OVA v5.0.0 Ubuntu 22.04 base.
Use purenetwork for post‑deployment IP changes and the troubleshooting tips above to resolve common issues quickly.ly deployed the VM Analytics Collector (the collector) on the Pure Storage Virtual Appliance (the OVA).
