Vsphere Inbound Packets Dropped Ratio

Understand the alert

This alert, vsphere_inbound_packets_dropped_ratio, is triggered when there is a high ratio of dropped inbound packets for the network interface in a vSphere (VMware) environment for a virtual machine. If you receive this alert, it means that the network interface is experiencing packet loss on inbound traffic over the last 10 minutes, which can result in poor network performance and degraded application functionality.

What does a high ratio of dropped inbound packets mean?

A high ratio of dropped inbound packets means that a significant percentage of the incoming network packets are not being processed by the virtual machine. This can be caused by various reasons, such as network congestion, faulty hardware, incorrect network configuration, or overwhelmed virtual machine resources. A high packet loss in a network can significantly degrade its performance and affect the proper functioning of applications relying on the network.

Troubleshoot the alert

1. Verify the packet loss rate

   • Monitor the inbound dropped packets ratio using the Netdata dashboard or any other network monitoring tool you have available. Identify trends or patterns in the packet loss and try to correlate them with any specific events or changes in the infrastructure.

2. Check the network congestion

   • Examine your network traffic to determine if network congestion or high network utilization is causing the dropped inbound packets. If congestion is the issue, identify and resolve the bottleneck, such as by increasing bandwidth or optimizing the network configuration.

3. Assess virtual machine resources

   • Review the virtual machine's CPU usage, memory usage, and disk I/O. If the resources seem to be strained, consider allocating more resources or optimizing the virtual machine for better performance.

4. Inspect the network hardware

   • Check the physical network hardware, such as switches, routers, and network interface cards (NICs), for any failures or connectivity issues. Replace any faulty hardware if necessary.

5. Validate network configuration

   • Ensure that the network configuration on the virtual machine and vSphere host is correct and properly optimized for your specific environment.

6. Monitor the vSphere environment

   • Review the vSphere environment and look for any issues with the host, datastore, or other virtual machines that may be contributing to the high ratio of dropped inbound packets.

7. Consult VMware documentation and support

   • If the issue persists, refer to VMware's official documentation and knowledge base articles for further assistance, or contact VMware support for guidance.