VCP6-CMA Section 8: Configure and Administer vRealize Orchestrator

Contents

Objective 8.1: Create and Modify Basic Orchestrator Workflows

Describe Orchestrator Workflows for converting virtual machines between Orchestrator and IaaS

Describe different Orchestrator workflow types

Create and manage Orchestrator endpoints to run workflows

  • Log in as an IaaS Administrator
    • Select Infrastructure > Endpoints > Endpoints
    • Select New Endpoint > Orchestration > vCenter Orchestrator
    • Enter a name and description
    • Type the url (FQDN or IP) of the vRO server
      • 5.1 https://hostname:port
      • 5.5 https://hostname:port/vco
    • Select credentials to be used with the endpoint
      • Credentials should have execute permissions for any workflow that is called from IaaS
    • Specify the endpoint priority
      • Click new property
      • VMware.VCenterOrchestrator.Priority = 1
    • Click Save and OK

Use an orchestrator workflow from an IaaS workflow

  • Install the vRealize Automation plug-in by uploading the vmoapp file via the configuration interface
  • From vRO run the Add a vCAC host workflow
    • Library > vCloud Automation Center > Configuration > Add a vCAC host
  • From vRO run the add IaaS host of a vCAC host
    • Library > vRealize Automation > Infrastructure > Extensibility
  • Create a vRealize Orchestrator Endpoint ( see above )
  • Now you can run the Assign a state change workflow
    • Library > vRealize Automation > Infrastructure > Extensibility
    • Choose the lifecycle stage at which to run the workflow
    • Select an IaaS host
    • Select the blueprint to which you want to assign the workflow
    • Chose whether or not to apply the state change customisations to existing workflows
    • Select the workflow you want to run during the machine life cycle
    • If required select
      • Add vCO workflow inputs as blueprint properties
      • Add last vCO workflow run input as blueprint properties
    • Click submit
  • Double check that the corresponding custom properties have been added to the blueprint
    • ExternalWFStubs.MachineProvisioned
    • ExternalWFStubs.BuildingMachine
    • ExternalWFStubs.MachineDisposing
    • ExternalWFStubs.UnprovisionMachine
    • ExternalWFStubs.MachineRegistered
    • ExternalWFStubs.MachineExpired

Import Orchestrator workflows into vRealize Automation

  • You can import vRO workflows, custom resources, service blueprints, resource mappings and resource actions
    • Before uploading you must have either:
      • A .package file for vRO workflows
      • A .zip file to import vRA components
    • Log in as  a Tenant Administrator or Service Architect
      • 6.2.1: Select Administration > Content Management > Import Content
      • 6.2: Select Administration > Advanced Services > Import Content
      • Configure a prefix to prevent conflicts where the same name might exist
        • If required, select prefix only conflicting & enter a prefix
      • Click browse and select the .package file
      • Click Open
      • If required, click validate to ensure that you are not missing any vRealize Automation workflows required by ASD
      • Click Import Content

Configure the default workflow folder under a tenant

  • A System Administrator can grant users from different tenants access to different workflow folders from the same vRO server
    • Select Administration > Orchestrator Configuration > Default Orchestrator Folder
    • Select the name of the Tenant you want to edit
    • Select the vRO library and folder that you want to use
    • Click Add

Create and publish Orchestrator workflows as catalog items in a service blueprint

  • This has been covered in previous sections but a high level overview would be:
    • Create the custom workflow in Orchestrator
    • Ensure that a custom resource exists or has been created in vRA
    • Create a Service Blueprint and map the output parameter to the custom resources
    • Publish the service blueprint as a catalog item
    • Associate the catalog item with a service
    • Assign entitlements to the catalog item or services

Objective 8.2: Integrate vRealize Orchestrator with vRealize Automation Center

Provision and modify custom resources

  • Custom resources define the items for provisioning, and you can use them to define post-provisioning operations that consumers can perform
  • The custom resource is the output type of a blueprint workflow for provisioning and can be the input type for a resource action workflow
  • Log in as a Service Architect
    • Select Advanced Services > Custom Resources
    • Click Add
    • Enter the vRO object type in the Orchestrator type text box and press enter
    • Enter a name and description
    • Click next
    • You can edit the form of a custom resource
    • Click Add
  • Once you have configured a custom resource you can create a Service Blueprint and define the output parameter and resource type
  • You can now provision this new resource
  • In addition, you can create resource actions for this new custom resource

Configure vRealize Automation to use an external vRealize Orchestrator server

  • System Administrators can configure the default vRealize Orchestrator globally for all tenants
  • Tenant Administrators can configure the vRealize Orchestrator server only for their tenants
  • To configure an external Orchestrator Server, log in as a System Administrator or Tenant Administrator
    • For 6.2.1 Select Administration > Orchestrator Configuration > Server Configuration
    • Click use an external orchestrator server
    • Enter a name and optionally a description
    • Enter the hostname or IP of the vRO server in the Host text box
    • Enter the port number in the Port text box
    • Select the authentication type
      • Single Sign-On
        • Connects by using vCenter Single Sign-On
        • Only applicable if you configured vRO and vRA to use a common vCenter SSO instance
      • Basic
        • Connects to vRO with a username and password
    • Click Test Connection
    • Click Update
  • The vCAC workflows folder and related utility actions are automatically imported
  • The vCAC > ASD folder contains workflows for configuring endpoints and creating resource mappings

Configure service endpoints

  • You can configure vRO plug-ins as endpoints
  • When you do this, you use the vRA to configure the plug-in
  • When you configure a bRO plugin vra VRA you run a configuration workflow in the default vRO server
    • vCAC > ASD > Endpoint Configuration
  • Configuring a single plugin in vRO and vRA is not supported
  • The Tenant Administrator Configures these endpoints
    • 6.2.1: Select Administration > Orchestration Configuration > Endpoints
    • 6.2 Select Administration > Advanced Services > Endpoints
    • Click Add
    • Select the endpoint from the dropdown box
    • Click next
    • Enter a name and description
    • Click Next
    • Fill in endpoint specific details
    • Click Add
  • Endpoints include
    • Active Directory
      • Cannot have more than one endpoint
      • Cannot delete the endpoint
      • Can be updated at any time
    • HTTP-REST
    • PowerShell
      • PowerShell host must be configured
    • SOAP
    • vCenter