Two ways to configure Orchestrator

We need an Orchestrator instance up and running, as described in the recipes about installing.

To use the Configuration tool, we just need a web browser; and for the workflow method, we need either a local Java install to start the Java Web Client or an installed Orchestrator Client.

There are two ways to configure Orchestrator; I would encourage you to explore both.

Using the Orchestrator Configuration tool

If you are using the Orchestrator appliance, read the Accessing the Orchestrator Configuration tool section of this recipe. If you are using the Windows or vRA-integrated Orchestrator, follow these steps.

Windows or vCenter-integrated Orchestrator

1. In Windows, open Services. For example, in Win 2008 R2, navigate to Start | Administrative Tools | Services.
2. Right-click and start the VMware vCenter Orchestrator Configuration service.
3. Wait until the service has started successfully.

vRA-integrated Orchestrator

1. Log in to the vRA appliance OS using the root account.
2. Run the following command:

   service vco-configurator start
   

3. Now access the Orchestrator Configuration tool.
4. Wait until the service has started successfully.

Accessing the Orchestrator Configuration tool

1. Open a web browser and enter https://[ip OR FQDN of Orchestrator]:8283.
2. In the Orchestrator configuration login screen, enter vmware as the username and the password you assigned during the deployment. If you are using the Windows or vRA-integrated installation, the initial password is vmware. As soon as you are logged in, you will be requested to change the password.

The Orchestrator configuration page opens as shown in the following screenshot:

Here are all the sections that can be used to configure Orchestrator.

The Orchestrator Configuration tool is an independent service in Windows as in Linux. The service doesn't require to be switched on all the time; it is more or less a one-off tool to get the initial deployment working.

The Orchestrator Configuration tool was commonly used to configure Orchestrator, and you will find countless websites still quoting it. It is a generally straightforward tool that helps you configure Orchestrator. The trick is to work your way down, starting with the General section. Every time you configure an item correctly, the little light next to the section title will switch to green. The light turns red if the item is not configured or is misconfigured. When you log in to Orchestrator for the first time, you will notice that all the lights are green; this is because it uses the preconfigured settings. You can still reconfigure all items to your own specifications.

Working with errors in the workflow method

If the workflow doesn't run successfully, you probably will want to know why and resolve the error. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Click on the failed workflow execution. It has a red icon with a white X in it.
2. Click on Schema.
3. Click on Variables.
4. The error message is displayed in red.
5. To start the workflow again, just right-click on the failed execution and select Run Again.

This will start the workflow again; however, it preserves all the information you have entered already into the workflow. No retyping is needed as everything from the last run is still displayed in the forms. The only exceptions are passwords, which is a good thing.

There is actually a third way of configuring Orchestrator. Using the REST API of Orchestrator, you can connect to Orchestrator Server and run the configuration workflows. Showcasing this is beyond the scope of this book; however, you can find some instruction in the Orchestrator documentation and also in the Accessing the Orchestrator API via REST recipe in Chapter 6, Advanced Operations.