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  • VMware vRealize Orchestrator Cookbook
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VMware vRealize Orchestrator Cookbook

VMware vRealize Orchestrator Cookbook

By : Langenhan
4 (3)
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VMware vRealize Orchestrator Cookbook

VMware vRealize Orchestrator Cookbook

4 (3)
By: Langenhan

Overview of this book

VMware vRealize Orchestrator is a powerful automation tool designed for system administrators and IT operations staff who are planning to streamline their tasks and are waiting to integrate the functions with third-party operations software. This book is an update to VMware vRealize Orchestrator Cookbook and is blend of numerous recipes on vRealize Orchestrator 7. This book starts with installing and configuring vRealize Orchestrator. We will demonstrate how to upgrade from previous versions to vRealize Orchestrator 7. You will be taught all about orchestrator plugins and how to use and develop various plugins that have been enhanced in Orchestrator 7. Throughout this book, you will explore the new features of Orchestrator 7, such as the introduction of the control center, along with its uses. You will also come to understand visual programming, how to integrate base plugins into workflows, and how to automate VMware. You will also get to know how to troubleshoot vRealize Orchestrator. By the end of this book, you will be able to get the most out of your Orchestrator installation, and will be able to develop complex workflows and create your own highly integrated automations of vRealize environments.
Table of Contents (14 chapters)
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Preface
Preface
Changes in this edition
A short history of Orchestrator
Best approaches to reading this book
What this book covers
What you need for this book
Who this book is for
Example workflows
Conventions
Reader feedback
Customer support
Free Chapter
1
1. Installing and Configuring Orchestrator
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1. Installing and Configuring Orchestrator
Introduction
Deploying the Orchestrator appliance
Important Orchestrator settings
Configuring an external database
Configuring external authentication
Connecting to vCenter
Installing plugins
Updating Orchestrator
Moving from Windows to appliance
Orchestrator Client and 4K display scaling
2
2. Optimizing Orchestrator Configuration
2. Optimizing Orchestrator Configuration
Introduction
Tuning the appliance
Tuning Java
Configuring the Kerberos authentication
Configuring access to the local filesystem
Configuring the Orchestrator service SSL certificate
Orchestrator log files
Redirecting Orchestrator logs to an external server
Backup and recovery
Control Center titbits
3
3. Distributed Design
3. Distributed Design
Introduction
Building an Orchestrator cluster
Load-balancing Orchestrator
Upgrading a cluster
Managing remote Orchestrators
Synchronizing Orchestrator elements between Orchestrator servers
4
4. Programming Skills
4. Programming Skills
Introduction
Version control
Changing elements in a workflow
Importing and exporting Orchestrator elements
Working with packages
Workflow auto documentation
Resuming failed workflows
Using the workflow debugging function
Undelete workflows and actions
Scheduling workflows
Sync presentation settings
Locking elements
5
5. Visual Programming
5. Visual Programming
Introduction
Scripting with logs
Scripting with decisions
Error handling in workflows
Scripting with loops
Workflow presentations
Linking actions in presentations
Changing credentials during runtime
6
6. Advanced Programming
6. Advanced Programming
Introduction
JavaScript complex variables
Working with JSON
JavaScript special statements
Turning strings into objects
Working with the API
Creating actions
Waiting tasks
Sending and waiting for custom events
Using asynchronous workflows
Scripting with workflow tokens
Working with user interactions
7
7. Interacting with Orchestrator
7. Interacting with Orchestrator
Introduction
User management
User preferences
Using Orchestrator though the vSphere Web Client
Accessing Orchestrator REST API
Accessing the Control Center via the REST plugin
Running Orchestrator workflows using PowerShell
Using PHP to access the REST API
8
8. Better Workflows and Optimized Working
8. Better Workflows and Optimized Working
Introduction
Working with resources
Working with configurations
Working with Orchestrator tags
Using the Locking System
Language packs (localization)
Working with policies
9
9. Essential Plugins
9. Essential Plugins
Introduction
Working with e-mail
File operations
Working with SSH
Working with REST
10
10. Built-in Plugins
10. Built-in Plugins
Introduction
Working with XML
Working with SQL (JDBC)
Working with SQL (SQL plugin)
Working with PowerShell
Working with SOAP
Working with Active Directory
Working with SNMP
Working with AMQP
11
11. Additional Plugins
11. Additional Plugins
Introduction
NSX integration
Horizon integration
vSphere Replication
SRM (Site Recovery Manager) integration
vROps (vRealize Operations Manager) integration
12
12. Working with vSphere
12. Working with vSphere
Introduction
Working with the vCenter API (to change a VM's HA settings)
Standard vSwitch and Distributed Switch ports
Getting started with vAPI
Custom Attributes and Tags (vAPI)
Executing a program inside a VM
An approval process for VM provisioning
13
13. Working with vRealize Automation
13. Working with vRealize Automation
Introduction
Working with the vRA-integrated Orchestrator
Automating a vRA instance in Orchestrator
Configuring an external Orchestrator in vRA
Adding Orchestrator as an infrastructure endpoint
Adding an Orchestrator endpoint
Integrating Orchestrator workflows as XaaS Blueprints
Managing AD users with vRA
Using the Event Manager to start workflows

Connecting to vCenter

In this recipe, we connect Orchestrator to vCenter. This will allow Orchestrator to access vCenter objects as well as vSphere Web Client users to access Orchestrator workflows. For an Orchestrator used with vRA, you need to use the endpoint configuration, see the How it works... section.

Getting ready

We need a running Orchestrator that needs to be registered with vSphere (SSO or vRA works as well).

Tip

If you are planning to use a customer SSL certificate for your Orchestrator, then exchange the certificate before you continue here. See the recipe Configuring the Orchestrator service SSL certificate in Chapter 2, Optimizing Orchestrator Configuration.

You should consider having a technical user that is able to log into vCenter as a vCenter administrator as well as being a member of the Orchestrator admin group. Using a dedicated user will go in the right direction for automation, see the How it works... section. I will use my dedicated user,[email protected].

Tip

Check out the VMware Product Interoperability Matrixes for the interaction with your vRO version and the vSphere Web Client. For example, vRO 7 will only work with vSphere Web Client 6, it will not work with 5.5.

How to do it...

To configure the vCenter connection we need to follow these steps:

  1. Open the Orchestrator Client with an Orchestrator Administrator.
  2. Start the workflow Library | vCenter | Configuration | Add a vCenter Server instance.
  3. Enter your vCenter FQDN.
  4. Select that you would like to orchestrate this instance as well and that you would like to accept SSL certificates even if they are self-signed.

    Tip

    Orchestrating a vCenter means that the content of the vCenter will show up in the Orchestrator Inventory and you can select and use it.

  5. Click on Next.
  6. Select No, meaning that you will use a technical user for the connection between Orchestrator and vCenter. This is also the recommended setting if you are using the vRA integrated Orchestrator.
  7. Enter a vCenter server administrative user or a technical user you specified, such as [email protected] and the password of that user.
  8. Click on Submit.

    How to do it...

  9. Wait until the workflow is successfully finished.
  10. Start the workflow Library | vCenter | Configuration | Register vCenter Orchestrator as a vCenter Server Extension.
  11. Select your vCenter from the Orchestrator Library.
  12. If you have a load balancer or NAT between Orchestrator and vCenter, enter the external Orchestrator address here.
  13. Click on Submit.

    How to do it...

  14. Now log in to the vSphere Web Client as a technical user.
  15. Navigate to vRealize Orchestrator | vRO Home | Summary. Your Orchestrator should be registered there.

For more information and usage, see the recipe Using Orchestrator through the vSphere Web Client in Chapter 7, Interacting with Orchestrator.

Well, there is that...

Sometimes the vSphere Web Client - Orchestrator integration doesn't work out-of-the-box after you have set it up. Here are some things to do in that case:

  • Check the VMware Product Interoperability Matrixes for interaction with your vRO version and the vSphere Web Client.
  • Use the same versions of vRO and vCenter. For example, vRO7.0.1 (or newer) doesn't integrate into vCenter 6.0U2 (or earlier) due to an SSL problem, it works fine with vCenter 6.0U3 (and newer). This is due to a change in encryption.
  • Have some patience. It may take some 15 minutes until the Web Client gets it (in a slow lab). The Web Client will continue to show the following error message: Error occurred while processing request. Check vSphere Web Client logs for details.
  • Restart the vSphere Web Client.
  • Check your vCenter logs. When you register an extension, a plugin is downloaded. In Orchestrator's case, the URL is:https://[Orchestrator IP]:8281/vco/vsphere-web-client/vco-plugin.zip.
  • Make sure that the vCenter user has access rights on Orchestrator (see the recipes User management and Using Orchestrator through the vSphere Web Client in Chapter 7, Interacting with Orchestrator).
  • Unregister all Orchestrator extensions using the MOB and then try again. See kb.vmware.com/kb/1025360.
  • If you use a cluster, you need to use the external address. The register workflow registers the Orchestrator extension with its IP: https://[Loadbalancer_Address]:8281. Also see the recipe Load-balancing Orchestrator in Chapter 3, Distributed Design.

How it works...

Since vCenter Server 5.1, vSphere Web Client is (or better, should be) the main method to access vCenter. Orchestrator completely integrates with vSphere Web Client, making it possible for Orchestrator workflows to be executed directly from vSphere Web Client.

Access, rights, and logging

The access from Orchestrator to vCenter works with the technical user we used to make the connection.

When a workflow is started from Orchestrator, vCenter will log the user who started the workflow but the execution of the workflow will be logged with the technical user.

For a vSphere Web Client user to be able to start a workflow they need to have access to Orchestrator. Either they need to be a member of the Orchestrator admin group or they need non-administrative access.

Technical user

The idea of a technical user is to use a dedicated user that connects between Orchestrator and vCenter. This technical user would be a full vCenter admin. The alternative is to use a per-user base, which means that each user uses his/her vCenter rights to run workflows. The difference is that we either need to set rights and roles throughout vCenter for different users/groups or we create good workflows and security in Orchestrator.

vRA, Orchestrator, and vCenter

As we already discussed in the recipe Configuring external authentication in this chapter, the difference between vSphere and vRealize Automation authentication, namely SSO or vIDM. When you configure an Orchestrator, especially for vRA, you should not configure the vCenter plugin but use the endpoints, as we show in the recipe Adding Orchestrator, as an infrastructure endpoint in the final chapter.

See also

To learn more about the Orchestrator user management, see the recipe User management in Chapter 7, Interacting with Orchestrator.

To configure the Orchestrator workflows in vSphere Web Client, see the recipe Using Orchestrator through the vSphere Web Client in Chapter 7, Interacting with Orchestrator.

End of Section 7
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