Configuration: Hypervisor Templates

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Configuration: Hypervisor Templates

Overview

Use this page to create and apply hypervisor templates that control which performance counters are collected from your test infrastructure. A hypervisor template is a reusable, named set of counter-key selections: it defines which counters, such as CPU usage, memory, and disk latency, are collected from ESXi, Nutanix, KVM, and Azure Monitor hosts. Defining the set once avoids repeating the same counter choices on every host.

Templates sit between your infrastructure connections and your test configuration. The hosts a template applies to are connected first on Configuration: Hypervisor Connections, then the template is applied to those hosts or to the machines in a Configuration: Systems Under Test: Profiles profile. The counters it selects are what later test runs record and chart in analysis.

This page lists every template available to your environment, including built-in density presets for each supported platform plus any you create yourself. From here you create, edit, or duplicate a template, apply it to hosts, publish it to the LoadGen Exchange, or delete one you no longer need.

Key concepts

  • Hypervisor template - A reusable, named set of counter-key selections that controls which performance counters are collected from a hypervisor or cloud-monitoring host. (related: Configuration: Hypervisor Connections)
  • Counter key - An individual performance metric, such as CPU usage or disk latency, that a template selects for collection from a host. (related: Configuration: Systems Under Test: PerfCounter Settings)
  • Built-in - A template type meaning LoadGen ships and maintains it directly; built-in templates are read-only here, so you duplicate one to get an editable copy.
  • SUT profile - A Systems Under Test profile groups the machines and hosts a load test targets; it is where a hypervisor template's counters get used against real hosts. (related: Configuration: Systems Under Test: Profiles)
  • LoadGen Exchange - A shared catalogue where you can publish a template so other LoadGen environments can import it, or import a template someone else has published. (related: LoadGen Cloud: LoadGen Exchange)

When to use it

  • When you are onboarding a new ESXi, Nutanix, KVM, or Azure Monitor host and need to decide which performance counters to collect from it.
  • When you want the same counter selection applied consistently across many hosts instead of configuring each one individually.
  • When you want to verify a template's counter keys still exist on a host's live catalogue, using Apply to hosts.
  • When you want to start from a built-in density preset instead of building a counter list from scratch.
  • When you want to share a counter-key selection with another LoadGen environment, or import one someone else published, through the LoadGen Exchange.

Before you begin

  • At least one ESXi, Nutanix, KVM, or Azure Monitor connection is configured on Configuration: Hypervisor Connections, so a template has a real host to apply to.
  • You know which performance counters you need collected; check the available counters and their units on Configuration: Systems Under Test: PerfCounter Settings and Configuration: Systems Under Test: Counter Units before building a custom template.
  • The SUT profile or machines you plan to monitor already exist on Configuration: Systems Under Test: Profiles, since that is where a template's counters ultimately get used during a test run.

Common workflows

Create a template and apply it to hosts

Persona: Load-test operator setting up monitoring for a new hypervisor cluster

  1. Select New template in the toolbar.
    • Expect: A template editor opens where you choose the target platform and the counter keys to collect.
  2. Choose the platform and counter keys, then save.
    • Expect: The new template appears as a row in the table with its own Counter keys count and a Type other than Built-in.
  3. Select Apply to hosts on the new template's row.
    • Expect: A host-selection step opens; once confirmed, the template's counters are attached to the chosen hosts.

Verify: The template's row shows the counter-key count you configured, and the hosts you applied it to start reporting those counters.

Reuse a built-in preset with Duplicate

Persona: Admin adapting a density preset for a specific host

  1. Select Duplicate on the ESXi host density row.
    • Expect: A copy of the template opens for editing, pre-filled with the same platform and counter keys as the Built-in original.
  2. Rename the copy and adjust its counter keys, then save.
    • Expect: The new row appears in the table as an editable template with the updated name and Counter keys count.
  3. Select Apply to hosts and choose host svc.lg.eider.
    • Expect: The duplicated template's counters are attached to that host.

Verify: The duplicated template's row shows the new name and counter count, and the original Built-in template remains unchanged.

Steps

Step 1

Open Hypervisor Templates from the Configuration section.

Expected result: The page loads the list of templates, showing the built-in density presets for the Azure, VMware, KVM, Nutanix, and OpenShift Virtualization platforms, each with its Counter keys count and Actions column.

This gives you the starting inventory of counter-key selections before you create, duplicate, or apply one to your hosts.

  • New template opens the template editor.
  • Refresh reloads the list without changing any template.
  • Each row's Type column shows Built-in for the preset templates. Configuration: Hypervisor Templates - step 1

Column reference

Column What it shows How to read it
Name Identifies the template; the line beneath the name is a truncated preview of the counters it collects. Open or duplicate the template to see the full counter list behind the truncated description.
Platform Shows which hypervisor or cloud-monitoring technology the template targets. Match this to the platform of the hosts you plan to apply the template to; a VMware template cannot be applied to a Nutanix host.
Applies to Names the specific host types or services the template is scoped to, such as vCenter and ESXi hosts, or Azure Monitor AVD session hosts. Use it to confirm the template fits the exact host flavor before you apply it.
Counter keys Shows how many distinct performance counters the template selects; more keys means richer per-host detail in analysis, fewer keys means lighter collection overhead. A higher count gives more detail per host at the cost of more data collected; a lower count keeps collection lean.
Type Marks whether LoadGen maintains the template directly or you created it yourself. Only Built-in appears among the templates shown here; LoadGen maintains Built-in templates directly and they open read-only, so duplicate one to get an editable, deletable copy.
Actions Row-level buttons for Edit, Duplicate, Apply to hosts, Publish to the LoadGen Exchange, and Delete. Built-in templates restrict which of these change anything; duplicating a Built-in template is how you get a version you can edit or delete.

Controls reference

Refresh

Reloads the template list from the server.

When to use: Use after creating, editing, or deleting a template elsewhere, or if you suspect the list is out of date.

Side effects: Read-only; it does not change any template data.

LoadGen Exchange

Opens the LoadGen Exchange catalogue where you can browse hypervisor templates published by other environments.

When to use: Use when you want to start from a template someone else has already built instead of creating one from scratch.

Side effects: Read-only on this page; importing a template from the Exchange adds a new row to this table.

New template

Opens the template editor where you choose the target platform and the performance counters the template selects.

When to use: Use when none of the built-in density presets match the counters you need for a given host type.

Side effects: Mutating: saving adds a new, non-Built-in row to the table.

Edit

Opens the selected template for editing.

When to use: Use to change the counter-key selection of a template you created.

Side effects: Mutating for templates you created; Built-in templates open read-only, since LoadGen maintains them directly.

Duplicate

Creates an editable copy of the template, including its platform and counter-key selection.

When to use: Use this to adapt a Built-in density preset, or any existing template, without altering the original.

Side effects: Mutating: adds a new row to the table.

Apply to hosts

Attaches the template's counter-key selection to one or more hypervisor hosts, and can check those keys against each host's live counter catalogue.

When to use: Use once a host connection exists, to put the template's counters into effect for data collection.

Side effects: Mutating: the counters collected for the selected hosts change to match the template.

Publish to the LoadGen Exchange

Uploads the template to the LoadGen Exchange as a shareable hypervisor-template listing.

When to use: Use when you want other LoadGen environments or team members to reuse the same counter-key selection.

Side effects: Mutating on the Exchange, adding or updating a shared listing; it does not change the template locally.

Delete

Removes the template after you confirm in the Delete hypervisor template dialog.

When to use: Use for a template you created that you no longer need; Built-in templates cannot be deleted.

Side effects: Mutating and permanent: the template is gone, and any host or SUT profile still referencing it loses that counter-key selection.

Verify the result

The Hypervisor Templates list loads and shows one row per available template, including the built-in density presets for Azure, VMware, KVM, Nutanix, and OpenShift Virtualization, each with Platform, Applies to, Counter keys, and Type populated. If you just created or duplicated a template, its row appears immediately with a Type other than Built-in. If the table instead shows a load-failure message with the API's reason, the list did not load; use Refresh or Try again before assuming the template is missing.

Troubleshooting

  • Symptom: The page shows "Hypervisor templates could not be loaded" instead of the table. Fix: Select Try again in the message, or use Refresh; if it keeps failing, the API is rejecting the request rather than just being slow.
  • Symptom: The table has no rows at all, not even the density presets. Fix: The API normally seeds the built-in presets, so an empty list points to an older API version or a store that lost them; contact support rather than recreating them by hand.
  • Symptom: Edit will not let you change counters on a preset like ESXi host density. Fix: Built-in templates are read-only; select Duplicate first and edit the copy instead.
  • Symptom: Delete has no effect on a template. Fix: Built-in templates cannot be deleted; this control only removes templates you created yourself.
  • Symptom: Apply to hosts reports counters that don't match the target host. Fix: The apply step checks the template's counter keys against that host's live catalogue; remove or replace the unmatched keys, or confirm the host's connection on Configuration: Hypervisor Connections is current.
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