VMware vCenter Orchestrator - 5.5.2 User Manual

Using VMware vCenter Orchestrator

Plug-Ins

vCenter Orchestrator 5.5.2

This document supports the version of each product listed and supports all subsequent versions until the document is replaced by a new edition. To check for more recent editions of this document, see http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs.

EN-001511-00

Using VMware vCenter Orchestrator Plug-Ins

You can find the most up-to-date technical documentation on the VMware Web site at:

http://www.vmware.com/support/

The VMware Web site also provides the latest product updates.

If you have comments about this documentation, submit your feedback to:

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Using VMware vCenter Orchestrator Plug-Ins 9

Introduction to Orchestrator Plug-Ins 11

Orchestrator Architecture 11

Plug-Ins Installed with the Orchestrator Server 12

Access the Orchestrator API Explorer 15

Configure the Orchestrator Plug-Ins 17

Using the vCenter Server Plug-In 19

Configuring the vCenter Server Plug-In 19

Configuration Workflows 19

Configure the Connection to a vCenter Server Instance 20

vCenter Server Plug-In Scripting API 20

Using the vCenter Server Plug-In Inventory 21

Access the vCenter Server Plug-In Workflow Library 21

vCenter Server Plug-In Workflow Library 21

Batch Workflows 23

Cluster and Compute Resource Workflows 24

Custom Attributes Workflows 25

Datacenter Workflows 25

Datastore and Files Workflows 25

Datacenter Folder Management Workflows 26

Host Folder Management Workflows 26

Virtual Machine Folder Management Workflows 26

Guest Operation Files Workflows 27

Guest Operation Processes Workflows 27

Power Host Management Workflows 28

Basic Host Management Workflows 28

Host Registration Management Workflows 28

Networking Workflows 29

Distributed Virtual Port Group Workflows 29

Distributed Virtual Switch Workflows 29

Standard Virtual Switch Workflows 30

Resource Pool Workflows 30

Storage Workflows 31

Storage DRS Workflows 31

Basic Virtual Machine Management Workflows 32

Clone Workflows 33

Linked Clone Workflows 34

Linux Customization Clone Workflows 34

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Using VMware vCenter Orchestrator Plug-Ins

Tools Clone Workflows 35

Windows Customization Clone Workflows 35

Device Management Workflows 36

Move and Migrate Workflows 36

Other Workflows 37

Power Management Workflows 37

Snapshot Workflows 38

VMware Tools Workflows 38

Using the Configuration Plug-In 41

Access the Configuration Plug-In Workflow Library 41

Configuration Plug-In Workflow Library 41

Using the vCO Library Plug-In 45

vCO Library Plug-In Workflows 45

Using the SQL Plug-In 47

Configuring the SQL Plug-In 47

SQL Plug-In Configuration Workflows 47

Add a Database 48

Add Tables to a Database 48

Update a Database 49

Running the SQL Sample Workflows 50

Generate a JDBC URL 50

Test a JDBC Connection 50

Create a Table by Using JDBC 51

Insert a Row into a JDBC Table 51

Select Rows from a JDBC Table 52

Delete an Entry from a JDBC Table 52

Delete All Entries from a JDBC Table 53

Drop a JDBC Table 53

Run a Complete JDBC Cycle 54

Using the SQL Plug-In Standard Workflows 54

SQL Plug-In Workflow Library 54

Generate CRUD Workflows for a Table 55

Using the SSH Plug-In 57

Configure the SSH Plug-In 57

Running the SSH Plug-In Sample Workflows 57

Generate a Key Pair 58

Change the Key Pair Passphrase 59

Run an SSH Command 59

Copy a File from an SSH Host 60

Copy a File to an SSH Host 61

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Using the XML Plug-In 63

Running the XML Plug-In Sample Workflows 63

Create a Simple XML Document 64

Find an Element in an XML Document 64

Modify an XML Document 65

Create an Example Address Book from XML 65

Contents

Using the Mail Plug-In 67

Define the Default SMTP Connection 67

Using the Mail Plug-In Sample Workflows 68

Access the Mail Plug-In Sample Workflows 68

Mail Plug-In Sample Workflows 68

Test an Example Interaction with Email 69

Using the Net Plug-In 71

Using the Enumeration Plug-In 73

Time Zone Codes 73

Using the Workflow Documentation Plug-In 77

Workflow Library for the Workflow Documentation Plug-In 77

Generate Workflow Documentation 77

Using the HTTP-REST Plug-In 79

Configuring the HTTP-REST Plug-In 79

Configuration Workflows 79

Configure Kerberos Authentication 80

Add a REST Host 80

Add a REST Operation 81

Add a Schema to a REST Host 82

Generate a New Workflow from a REST Operation 82

Invoke a REST Operation 83

Using the SOAP Plug-In 85

Configuring the SOAP Plug-In 85

Configuration Workflows 85

Add a SOAP Host 86

Configure Kerberos Authentication 87

Generate a New Workflow from a SOAP Operation 87

Test a Custom-Generated Workflow 88

Invoke a SOAP Operation 88

Using the AMQP Plug-In 91

Configuring the AMQP Plug-In 91

Configuration Workflows 91

Add a Broker 91

Subscribe to Queues 92

Update a Broker 93

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Using the AMQP Plug-In Standard Workflows 93

Declare a Binding 93

Declare a Queue 94

Declare an Exchange 95

Send a Text Message 95

Delete a Binding 96

Using the SNMP Plug-In 97

Managing SNMP Devices 97

Device Management Workflows 97

Managing SNMP Queries 98

Query Management Workflows 98

Add a Query to an SNMP Device 99

Managing the SNMP Trap Host 99

Trap Host Management Workflows 100

Set the SNMP Trap Port 100

Receiving SNMP Traps 100

Wait for a Trap on an SNMP Device 100

Set a Trap Policy 101

Edit a Trap Policy 101

Generic SNMP Request Workflows 102

Using the Active Directory Plug-In 103

Configuring the Active Directory Plug-In 103

Active Directory Configuration Workflows 103

Using the Active Directory Plug-In Workflow Library 103

Using the Active Directory Plug-In Inventory 104

Access the Active Directory Plug-In Workflow Library 104

Active Directory Plug-In Workflows 104

Using the Dynamic Types Plug-In 107

Dynamic Types Configuration Workflows 107

Configuring and Using the Multi-Node Plug-In 109

Introduction to the vCenter Orchestrator Multi-Node Plug-In 109

Configuring the Multi-Node Plug-In 110

Servers Configuration Workflows 110

Add an Orchestrator Server 110

Enable Orchestrator for Remote Workflow Execution 110

Using Proxy Workflows 111

Synchronous Proxy Workflows 111

Asynchronous Proxy Workflows 112

Remote Execution Workflows 113

Using the Multi-Node Plug-In Inventory 113

Remote Management Workflows 114

Access the Multi-Node Plug-In API 114

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Multi-Node Plug-In Use Cases 115

Create a Multi-Proxy Action 115

Maintenance of Remote and Proxy Workflows 115

Deploy a Package from a Local Server 116

Contents

Using the PowerShell Plug-In 117

Using the PowerShell Plug-In Inventory 117

Configuring the PowerShell Plug-In 118

Configuration Workflows 118

Configure Kerberos Authentication 118

Add a PowerShell Host 119

Running PowerShell Scripts 120

Invoke a PowerShell Script 120

Invoke an External Script 120

Generating Actions 121

Generate an Action from a PowerShell Script 121

Generate an Action for a PowerShell Cmdlet 122

Passing Invocation Results Between Actions 123

PowerCLI Integration with the PowerShell Plug-In 123

Converter Workflows 123

Sample Workflows 123

Access the PowerShell Plug-In API 124

Working with PowerShell Results 124

Examples of Scripts for Common PowerShell Tasks 125

Troubleshooting 127

Servers Not Found in Kerberos Database 127

Unable to Obtain a Kerberos Ticket 127

Kerberos Authentication Fails Due to Time Differences 127

Kerberos Authentication Session Mode Fails 128

Unable to Reach a Key Distribution Center for a Realm 128

Index 129

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Using VMware vCenter Orchestrator Plug-Ins

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Using VMware vCenter Orchestrator Plug-Ins

Using VMware vCenter Orchestrator Plug-Ins provides information and instructions about configuring and using the standard set of plug-ins installed with VMware vCenter® Orchestrator.

Intended Audience

This information is intended for advanced vSphere administrators and experienced system administrators who are familiar with virtual machine technology and datacenter operations.

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Using VMware vCenter Orchestrator Plug-Ins

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Introduction to Orchestrator Plug-Ins 1

With the Orchestrator plug-ins, you can access and control external technologies and applications. Exposing an external technology in an Orchestrator plug-in lets you incorporate objects and functions in workflows and run workflows on the objects of that external technology.

The external technologies that you access by using plug-ins include virtualization management tools, email systems, databases, directory services, and remote control interfaces.

Orchestrator provides a standard set of preinstalled plug-ins, which expose the VMware vCenter Server API, email and authentication capabilities, and other technologies. In addition, the Orchestrator open plugin architecture lets you to develop plug-ins to access other applications. Orchestrator implements open standards to simplify integration with external systems. For information about developing custom content, see Developing with VMware vCenter Orchestrator.

The standard set of plug-ins is automatically installed with the Orchestrator server. You might need to configure some of the plug-ins, for example the vCenter Server plug-in, before start using them.

Plug-ins extend the Orchestrator scripting engine with new object types and methods, and plug-ins publish notification events from the external system that triggers events in Orchestrator and in the plugged-in technology. Plug-ins provide an inventory of JavaScript objects that you can access on the Inventory tab of the Orchestrator client. Each plug-in contains packages of workflows and actions that you can run on the objects in the inventory to automate the typical use cases of the integrated product.

This chapter includes the following topics:

“Orchestrator Architecture,” on page 11

“Plug-Ins Installed with the Orchestrator Server,” on page 12

“Access the Orchestrator API Explorer,” on page 15

Orchestrator Architecture

Orchestrator contains a workflow library and a workflow engine to allow you to create and run workflows that automate orchestration processes. You run workflows on the objects of different technologies that Orchestrator accesses through a series of plug-ins.

Orchestrator provides a standard set of plug-ins, including a plug-in for vCenter Server, to allow you to orchestrate tasks in the different environments that the plug-ins expose.

Orchestrator also presents an open architecture to allow you to plug in external third-party applications to the orchestration platform. You can run workflows on the objects of the plugged-in technologies that you define yourself. Orchestrator connects to a directory services server to manage user accounts, and to a database to store information from the workflows that it runs. You can access Orchestrator, the Orchestrator workflows, and the objects it exposes through the Orchestrator client interface, through a Web browser, or through Web services.

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Orchestrator

database

workflow library

vCenter

Server

XML SSH SQL SMTP

3rd-party

plug-in

workflow engine

browser

access

vCenter

Orchestrator

Client application

vCenter

Server

Directory services

or vCenter

Single Sign On

Web services

REST/SOAP

Using VMware vCenter Orchestrator Plug-Ins

Figure 1‑1. VMware vCenter Orchestrator Architecture

Plug-Ins Installed with the Orchestrator Server

Orchestrator includes a collection of standard plug-ins. Each plug-in exposes an external product API to the Orchestrator platform. Plug-ins provide inventory classes, extend the scripting engine with new object types, and publish notification events from the external system. Each plug-in also provides a library of workflows for automating the typical use cases of the integrated product.

You can see the list of the installed plug-ins on the Plug-ins tab in the Orchestrator configuration interface. For the plug-ins that require configuration, there are separate tabs in the interface.

Table 1‑1. Plug-Ins Installed with Orchestrator

Plug-In Purpose Configuration

vCenter Server Provides access to the vCenter Server API so that you can

incorporate all of the vCenter Server objects and functions into the management processes that you automate by using Orchestrator.

Configuration Provides workflows for configuring the Orchestrator

authentication, database connection, SSL certificates, and so on.

vCO Library Provides workflows that act as basic building blocks for

customization and automation of client processes. The workflow library includes templates for lifecycle management, provisioning, disaster recovery, hot backup, and other standard processes. You can copy and edit the templates to modify them according to your needs.

SQL Provides the Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) API,

which is the industry standard for database-independent connectivity between the Java programming language and a wide range of databases. The databases include SQL databases and other tabular data sources, such as spreadsheets or flat files. The JDBC API provides a calllevel API for SQL-based database access from workflows.

See Configure the vCenter Server

Plug-In.

None

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Chapter 1 Introduction to Orchestrator Plug-Ins

Table 1‑1. Plug-Ins Installed with Orchestrator (Continued)

Plug-In Purpose Configuration

SSH Provides an implementation of the Secure Shell v2 (SSH-2)

protocol. Allows remote command and file transfer sessions with password and public key-based authentication in workflows. Supports keyboardinteractive authentication. Optionally, the SSH plug-in can provide remote file system browsing directly in the Orchestrator client inventory.

XML A complete Document Object Model (DOM) XML parser

that you can implement in workflows. Alternatively, you can use the ECMAScript for XML (E4X) implementation in the Orchestrator JavaScript API.

Mail Uses Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) to send email

from workflows.

Net Wraps the Jakarta Apache Commons Net Library. Provides

implementations of Telnet, FTP, POP3, and IMAP. The POP3 and IMAP part is used for reading email. In combination with the Mail plug-in, the Net plug-in provides complete email sending and receiving capabilities in workflows.

Workflow documentation Provides workflows that let you generate information in

PDF format about a workflow or a workflow category.

Enumeration Provides common enumerated types that can be used in

workflows by other plug-ins.

HTTP-REST Lets you manage REST Web services by providing

interaction between vCenter Orchestrator and REST hosts.

SOAP Lets you manage SOAP Web services by providing

interaction between vCenter Orchestrator and SOAP hosts.

AMQP Lets you interact with Advanced Message Queuing

Protocol (AMQP) servers also known as brokers.

SNMP Enables vCenter Orchestrator to connect and receive

information from SNMP-enabled systems and devices.

Active Directory Provides interaction between vCenter Orchestrator and

Microsoft Active Directory.

vCO WebOperator A Web view that lets you to access the workflows in the

Orchestrator library and interact with them across a network by using a Web browser.

Dynamic Types Lets you define dynamic types and create and use objects

of these dynamic types.

Multi-Node Contains workflows for hierarchical orchestration,

management of Orchestrator instances, and scale-out of Orchestrator activities.

PowerShell Lets you manage PowerShell hosts and run custom

PowerShell operations.

See “Configure the SSH Plug-In,” on page 57.

None

Set the default values for the EmailMessage object to use.

See “Define the Default SMTP

Connection,” on page 67.

None

See “Configuring the HTTP-REST

Plug-In,” on page 79.

See “Configuring the SOAP Plug-

In,” on page 85.

See “Configuring the AMQP Plug-

In,” on page 91.

None

See “Configuring the Active

Directory Plug-In,” on page 103.

None

See Chapter 18, “Using the Dynamic

Types Plug-In,” on page 107.

See Chapter 19, “Configuring and

Using the Multi-Node Plug-In,” on

page 109.

See Chapter 20, “Using the

PowerShell Plug-In,” on page 117.

Plug-In Components

Each plug-in is a DAR file package. The DAR files are stored in Orchestrator_installation_path\app-

server\plugins on the Orchestrator server system. The components of each plug-in, such as workflow

categories and API modules, use different naming conventions.

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Table 1‑2. Names of Plug-In Components

Plug-In Name in the Configuration UI DAR File

vCenter Server

vCO Configuration

vCO Library

SQL

SSH

XML

Mail

Net

Workflow documentation

Common enumerated types

Dynamic Types

HTTP-REST Configuration

SOAP

AMQP

SNMP

Active Directory Computer

vCO WebOperator

Orchestrator Servers

PowerShell

o11nplugin-vsphere.dar

o11nplugin-configurator.dar

o11nplugin-library.dar

o11nplugin-database.dar

o11nplugin-ssh.dar

o11nplugin-xml.dar

o11nplugin-mail.dar

o11nplugin-jakartacommonsnet.dar

o11nplugin-wfdocs.dar

o11nplugin-enums.dar

o11n-plugin-dynamictypes.dar

o11n-plugin-soap.dar

o11n-plugin-amqp.dar

o11n-plugin-snmp.dar

o11nplugin-weboperator.dar

o11nplugin-powershell.dar

Workflow Categories API Module

vCenter

Configuration

Locking

Configurator

Not applicable.

Orchestrator

Troubleshooting

JDBC

SQL

SSH

XML

Mail

None

Workflow

SSH

XML

Mail

Net

Workflow documentation

documentation

None

Configuration

Enums

DynamicTypes

REST

Configuration

Device

SOAP

AMQP

SNMP

Management

Query Management

Trap Host Management

Configuration

Organizational Unit

User

User Group

None N/A

VCO

Configuration

Remote Execution

Remote Management

Tasks

Workflows

Configuration

PowerShell

Generate

Templates

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Access the Orchestrator API Explorer

Orchestrator provides an API Explorer that you can use to search the Orchestrator API and see the documentation for JavaScript objects that you can use in scripted elements.

You can consult an online version of the Scripting API for the vCenter Server plug-in on the Orchestrator documentation home page.

Procedure

1 Log in to the Orchestrator client.

2 Select Tools > API Explorer.

The API Explorer appears. You can use it to search all the objects and functions of the Orchestrator API.

What to do next

Use the API Explorer to write scripts for scriptable elements.

Chapter 1 Introduction to Orchestrator Plug-Ins

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Configure the Orchestrator Plug-Ins 2

To deploy the standard set of plug-ins when the Orchestrator server starts, the Orchestrator system must authenticate against an LDAP or vCenter Single Sign-On server. You first specify the administrative credentials that Orchestrator uses with the plug-ins, and enable or disable plug-ins.

If you change the Orchestrator database after configuring and installing the plug-ins, you must click the

Reset current version link on the Troubleshooting tab. This operation deletes the install_directory\app-

server\conf\plugins\_VSOPluginInstallationVersion.xml file, which contains information about the

version of the plug-ins already installed, and forces plug-in reinstallation.

Prerequisites

Set up an LDAP or vCenter Single Sign-On server and configure the Orchestrator authentication settings.

Procedure

1 Log in to the Orchestrator configuration interface as vmware.

2 Click Plug-ins.

3 Type the credentials for a user who is a member of the Orchestrator administrators group that you

specified on the Authentication tab.

When the Orchestrator server starts, the system uses these credentials to set up the plug-ins. The system checks the enabled plug-ins and performs any necessary internal installations such as package import, policy run, script launch, and so on.

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4 (Optional) To disable a plug-in, deselect the check box next to it.

This action does not remove the plug-in file.

5 Click Apply changes.

The first time the server starts, it installs the selected plug-ins.

What to do next

You can configure the settings for Mail, SSH, and vCenter Server plug-ins.

Using VMware vCenter Orchestrator Plug-Ins

18 VMware, Inc.

Using the vCenter Server Plug-In 3

You can use the vCenter Server plug-in to manage multiple vCenter Server instances. You can create workflows that use the vCenter Server plug-in API to automate tasks in your vCenter Server environment.

The vCenter Server plug-in maps the vCenter Server API to the JavaScript that you can use in workflows. The plug-in also provides actions that perform individual vCenter Server tasks that you can include in workflows.

The vCenter Server plug-in provides a library of standard workflows that automate vCenter Server operations. For example, you can run workflows that create, clone, migrate, or delete virtual machines.

This chapter includes the following topics:

“Configuring the vCenter Server Plug-In,” on page 19

“vCenter Server Plug-In Scripting API,” on page 20

“Using the vCenter Server Plug-In Inventory,” on page 21

“Access the vCenter Server Plug-In Workflow Library,” on page 21

“vCenter Server Plug-In Workflow Library,” on page 21

Configuring the vCenter Server Plug-In

Before managing the objects in your vSphere inventory by using Orchestrator and to run workflows on the objects, you must configure the vCenter Server plug-in and define the connection parameters between Orchestrator and the vCenter Server instances you want to orchestrate.

You can configure the vCenter Server plug-in by running the vCenter Server configuration workflows from the Orchestrator client.

To manage the objects in your vSphere inventory by using the vSphere Web Client, make sure that you configure the Orchestrator server to work with the same vCenter Single Sign-On instance to which both vCenter Server and vSphere Web Client are pointing. You must also ensure that Orchestrator is registered as a vCenter Server extension. You register Orchestrator as a vCenter Server extension when you specify a user (by providing the user name and password), who has the privileges to manage vCenter Server extensions.

Configuration Workflows

The Configuration workflow category of the vCenter Server plug-in contains workflows that let you manage the connections to vCenter Server instances.

You can access these workflows from Library > vCenter > Configuration in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

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Using VMware vCenter Orchestrator Plug-Ins

Workflow Name Description

Add a vCenter Server instance

Remove a vCenter Server instance

Update a vCenter Server instance

Configures Orchestrator to connect to a new vCenter Server instance so that you can run workflows over the objects in the vSphere infrastructure.

Removes a vCenter Server instance from the Orchestrator inventory. You will no longer be able to orchestrate this vCenter Server instance.

Updates the connection to a vCenter Server instance. For example, if the IP address of your vCenter Server system changes, you must update the connection parameters to the vCenter Server instance so that you can manage your vSphere inventory with Orchestrator.

Configure the Connection to a vCenter Server Instance

In addition to configuring the vCenter Server plug-in by using the Orchestrator configuration interface, you can configure the connections to vCenter Server instances by running the vCenter Server configuration workflows in the Orchestrator client.

Procedure

1 Log in to the Orchestrator client as an administrator.

2 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

3 In the workflows hierarchical list, select Library > vCenter > Configuration and navigate to the Add a

vCenter Server instance workflow.

4 Right-click the Add a vCenter Server instance workflow and select Start workflow.

5 Type the IP address or the DNS name of the machine on which the vCenter Server instance you want to

add is installed.

6 Retain the default port value, 443.

7 Keep the default location of the SDK to use to connect to your vCenter Server instance.

8 Select whether you want to orchestrate the vCenter Server instance, and click Next.

9 Select whether you want to ignore certificates warnings for the vCenter Server instances you want to

add.

If you select Yes, the vCenter Server instance certificate is accepted silently and the certificate is added to the trusted store.

10 (Optional) Type the user domain.

You must specify the user domain name only when you select to use a shared session.

11 Click Submit to run the workflow.

After the workflow runs successfully, the vCenter Server instance and all vSphere objects that belong to it appear in the Inventory view.

vCenter Server Plug-In Scripting API

The vCenter Server scripting API contains classes, with their respective attributes, methods, and constructors that allow interaction between vCenter Orchestrator and vCenter Server. You can use the API to develop custom workflows.

For a list of available API objects, see

http://www.vmware.com/support/orchestrator/doc/vco_vsphere55_api/index.html.

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Chapter 3 Using the vCenter Server Plug-In

Using the vCenter Server Plug-In Inventory

The vCenter Server plug-in exposes all objects of the connected vCenter Server hosts in the Inventory view. You can use the Inventory tab to add authorization elements or to run workflows on vCenter Server objects.

If you enable the Use contextual menu in inventory option from the Inventory tab of the User preferences tool, all of the workflows that you can run on the selected inventory object appear in a pop-up menu.

Access the vCenter Server Plug-In Workflow Library

You must use the Orchestrator client or the vSphere Web Client to access the elements from the vCenter Server plug-in workflow library.

Prerequisites

Configure the vCenter Server plug-in in the Orchestrator configuration interface.

Procedure

1 Log in to the Orchestrator client and select Design or Run from the drop-down menu in the left upper

corner.

2 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client left pane.

3 Expand the hierarchical list to Library > vCenter.

What to do next

Review the workflow library.

vCenter Server Plug-In Workflow Library

The vCenter Server plug-in workflow library contains workflows that you can use to run automated processes related to the management of vCenter Server.

Batch Workflows on page 23

Batch workflows populate configuration elements or run workflows on a selected vCenter Server object.

Cluster and Compute Resource Workflows on page 24

With cluster and compute resource workflows, you can create, rename or delete a cluster, and enable or disable high availability, Distributed Resource Scheduler, and vCloud Distributed Storage on a cluster.

Custom Attributes Workflows on page 25

With custom attributes workflows, you can add custom attributes to virtual machines or get a custom attribute for a virtual machine.

Datacenter Workflows on page 25

With datacenter workflows, you can create, delete, reload, rename, or rescan a datacenter.

Datastore and Files Workflows on page 25

With datastore and files workflows, you can delete a list of files, find unused files in a datastore, and so on.

Datacenter Folder Management Workflows on page 26

With datacenter folder management workflows, you can create, delete, or rename a datacenter folder.

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Using VMware vCenter Orchestrator Plug-Ins

Host Folder Management Workflows on page 26

With host folder management workflows, you can create, delete, or rename a host folder.

Virtual Machine Folder Management Workflows on page 26

With virtual machine folder management workflows, you can create, delete, or rename a virtual machine folder.

Guest Operation Files Workflows on page 27

With guest operation files workflows, you can manage files in a guest operating system.

Guest Operation Processes Workflows on page 27

With guest operation processes workflows, you can get information and control the running processes in a guest operating system.

Power Host Management Workflows on page 28

With power host management workflows you can reboot or shut down a host.

Basic Host Management Workflows on page 28

With basic host management workflows, you can put a host into maintenance mode, make a host exit maintenance mode, move a host to a folder or a cluster, and reload data from a host.

Host Registration Management Workflows on page 28

With host registration management workflows, you can add a host to a cluster, disconnect or reconnect a host from a cluster, and so on.

Networking Workflows on page 29

With networking workflows you can add a port group to distributed virtual switch, create a distributed virtual switch with a port group, and so on.

Distributed Virtual Port Group Workflows on page 29

With distributed virtual port group workflows you can update or delete a port group, and reconfigure the port group.

Distributed Virtual Switch Workflows on page 29

With distributed virtual switch workflows, you can create, update or delete a distributed virtual switch, and create, delete, or update a private VLAN.

Standard Virtual Switch Workflows on page 30

With standard virtual switch workflows you can create, update, or delete a standard virtual switch, and create, delete, or update port groups in standard virtual switches.

Resource Pool Workflows on page 30

With resource pool workflows you can create, rename, reconfigure or delete a resource pool, and get resource pool information.

Storage Workflows on page 31

With storage workflows you can perform storage-related operations.

Storage DRS Workflows on page 31

With storage DRS workflows you perform storage-related operations, such as creating and configuring a datastore cluster, removing a datastore from cluster, adding storage to a cluster, and so on.

Basic Virtual Machine Management Workflows on page 32

With basic virtual machine management workflows you can perform basic operations on virtual machines, for example, create, rename or delete a virtual machine, upgrade virtual hardware, and so on.

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Chapter 3 Using the vCenter Server Plug-In

Clone Workflows on page 33

With clone workflows you can clone virtual machines with or without customizing the virtual machine properties.

Linked Clone Workflows on page 34

With linked clone workflows, you can perform linked clone operations such as restoring a virtual machine from a linked clone, creating a linked clone, and so on.

Linux Customization Clone Workflows on page 34

With Linux customization workflows you can clone a Linux virtual machine and customize the guest operating system.

Tools Clone Workflows on page 35

With tools clone workflows you can obtain customization information about the operating system of the virtual machine, information needed to update a virtual device, and so on.

Windows Customization Clone Workflows on page 35

With Windows customization clone workflows you can clone Windows virtual machines and customize the guest operating system.

Device Management Workflows on page 36

With device management workflows you can manage the devices that are connected to a virtual machine or to a host datastore.

Move and Migrate Workflows on page 36

With move and migrate workflows, you can migrate virtual machines.

Other Workflows on page 37

With other workflows, you can enable and disable Fault Tolerance (FT), extract virtual machine information, and find orphaned virtual machines.

Power Management Workflows on page 37

With power management workflows, you can power on and off virtual machines, reboot the guest operating system of a virtual machine, suspend a virtual machine, and so on.

Snapshot Workflows on page 38

With snapshot workflows, you can perform snapshot-related operations.

VMware Tools Workflows on page 38

With VMware Tools workflows, you can perform VMware Tools-related tasks on virtual machines.

Batch Workflows

Batch workflows populate configuration elements or run workflows on a selected vCenter Server object.

You can access the batch workflows from Library > vCenter > Batch in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Fill batch configuration elements

Populates the configuration elements that the Run a workflow on a selection of objects workflow uses. Performs the following tasks:

Resets the BatchObject and BatchAction configuration elements.

Fills the BatchObject configuration element with all of the workflows

that have only one input parameter.

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Fills the BatchAction configuration element with all of the actions that

have no input parameters or one input parameter and that have an array as the returnType.

Run a workflow on a selection of objects

Runs a workflow on a selection of vCenter Server objects, taking one action as input. This is the action that retrieves the list of objects on which to run the workflow. To return the objects without running the selected workflow, run the workflow in simulation mode.

Cluster and Compute Resource Workflows

You can access the cluster and compute resource workflows from Library > vCenter > Cluster and Compute Resource in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Add DRS virtual machine group to cluster

Add virtual machines to DRS group

Create cluster

Delete cluster

Disable DRS on cluster

Disable HA on cluster

Adds a DRS virtual machine group to a cluster.

Adds a virtual machine list to an existing DRS virtual machine group.

Creates a new cluster in a host folder.

Deletes a cluster.

Disables DRS on a cluster.

Disables high availability on a cluster.

Disable vCloud Distributed Storage on cluster

Enable DRS on cluster

Enable HA on cluster

Enable vCloud Distributed Storage on cluster

Remove virtual machine DRS group from cluster

Remove virtual machines from DRS group

Rename cluster

Disables vCloud Distributed Storage on a cluster.

Enables DRS on a cluster.

Enables high availability on a cluster.

Enables vCloud Distributed Storage on a cluster.

Removes a DRS virtual machine group from a cluster.

Removes virtual machines from a cluster DRS group.

Renames a cluster.

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Chapter 3 Using the vCenter Server Plug-In

Custom Attributes Workflows

With custom attributes workflows, you can add custom attributes to virtual machines or get a custom attribute for a virtual machine.

You can access the custom attributes workflows from Library > vCenter > Custom Attributes in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Add custom attribute to a virtual machine

Add custom attribute to multiple virtual machines

Get custom attribute

Adds a custom attribute to a virtual machine.

Adds a custom attribute to a selection of virtual machines.

Gets a custom attribute for a virtual machine in vCenter Server.

Datacenter Workflows

With datacenter workflows, you can create, delete, reload, rename, or rescan a datacenter.

You can access the datacenter workflows from Library > vCenter > Datacenter in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Create datacenter

Delete datacenter

Reload datacenter

Rename datacenter

Rescan datacenter HBAs

Creates a new data center in a data center folder.

Deletes a data center.

Forces vCenter Server to reload data from a data center.

Renames a data center and waits for the task to complete.

Scans the hosts in a data center and initiates a rescan on the host bus adapters to discover new storage.

Datastore and Files Workflows

With datastore and files workflows, you can delete a list of files, find unused files in a datastore, and so on.

You can access the datastore and files workflows from Library > vCenter > Datastore and Files in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Delete all files

Delete all unused datastore files

Export unused datastore files

Find unused files in datastores

Get all configuration, template, and disk files from virtual machines

Deletes a list of files.

Searches all datastores in the vCenter Server environment and deletes all unused files.

Searches all datastores and creates an XML descriptor file that lists all unused files.

Searches the vCenter Server environment for all unused disks (*.vmdk), virtual machines (*.vmx), and template (*.vmtx) files that are not associated with any vCenter Server instances registered with Orchestrator.

Creates a list of all virtual machine descriptor files and a list of all virtual machine disk files, for all datastores.

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Log all datastore files

Log unused datastore files

Creates a log for every virtual machine configuration file and every virtual machine file found in all datastores.

Searches the vCenter Server environment for unused files that are registered on virtual machines and exports a log of the files in a text file.

Datacenter Folder Management Workflows

With datacenter folder management workflows, you can create, delete, or rename a datacenter folder.

You can access the datacenter folder management workflows from Library > vCenter > Folder management > Datacenter folder in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Create datacenter folder

Delete datacenter folder

Rename datacenter folder

Creates a data center folder.

Deletes a data center folder and waits for the task to complete.

Renames a data center folder and waits for the task to complete.

Host Folder Management Workflows

With host folder management workflows, you can create, delete, or rename a host folder.

You can access the host folder management workflows from Library > vCenter > Folder management > Host folder in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Create host folder

Delete host folder

Rename host folder

Creates a host folder.

Deletes a host folder and waits for the task to complete.

Renames a host folder and waits for the task to complete.

Virtual Machine Folder Management Workflows

With virtual machine folder management workflows, you can create, delete, or rename a virtual machine folder.

You can access the virtual machine folder management workflows from Library > vCenter > Folder management > VM folder in the Workflow view of the Orchestrator client.

Create virtual machine folder

Delete virtual machine folder

Rename virtual machine folder

Creates a virtual machine folder.

Deletes a virtual machine folder and waits for the task to complete.

Renames a virtual machine folder and waits for the task to complete.

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Guest Operation Files Workflows

With guest operation files workflows, you can manage files in a guest operating system.

You can access the guest operation files workflows from Library > vCenter > Guest operations > Files in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Check for directory in guest

Check for file in guest

Copy file from guest to Orchestrator

Copy file from Orchestrator to guest

Create directory in guest

Create temporary directory in guest

Create temporary file in guest

Delete directory in guest

Delete file in guest

List path in guest

Move directory in guest

Verifies that a directory exists in a guest virtual machine.

Verifies that a file exists in a guest virtual machine.

Copies a specified file from a guest file system to an Orchestrator server.

Copies a specified file from an Orchestrator server to a guest file system.

Creates a directory in a guest virtual machine.

Creates a temporary directory in a guest virtual machine.

Creates a temporary file in a guest virtual machine.

Deletes a directory from a guest virtual machine.

Deletes a file from a guest virtual machine.

Shows a path in a guest virtual machine.

Moves a directory in a guest virtual machine.

Move file in guest

Moves a file in a guest virtual machine.

Guest Operation Processes Workflows

With guest operation processes workflows, you can get information and control the running processes in a guest operating system.

You can access the guest operation files workflows from Library > vCenter > Guest operations > Processes in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Get environment variables from guest

Get processes from guest

Run program in guest

Stop process in guest

Returns a list with environmental variables from a guest. An interactive session returns the variables of the user who is currently logged in.

Returns a list with the processes running in the guest operating system and the recently completed processes started by the API.

Starts a program in a guest operating system.

Stops a process in a guest operating system.

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Power Host Management Workflows

With power host management workflows you can reboot or shut down a host.

You can access the power host management workflows from Library > vCenter > Host management > Power in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Reboot host

Shut down host

Reboots a host. If the Orchestrator client is connected directly to the host, it does not receive an indication of success in the returned task, but rather loses the connection to the host if the operation succeeds.

Shuts down a host. If the Orchestrator client is connected directly to the host, it does not receive an indication of success in the returned task, but rather loses the connection to the host if the operation succeeds.

Basic Host Management Workflows

With basic host management workflows, you can put a host into maintenance mode, make a host exit maintenance mode, move a host to a folder or a cluster, and reload data from a host.

You can access the basic host management workflows from Library > vCenter > Host management > Basic in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Enter maintenance mode

Exit maintenance mode

Move host to cluster

Move host to folder

Puts the host into maintenance mode. You can cancel the task.

Exits maintenance mode. You can cancel the task.

Moves an existing host into a cluster. The host must be part of the same data center, and if the host is part of a cluster, the host must be in maintenance mode.

Moves a host into a folder as a standalone host. The host must be part of a ClusterComputeResource in the same data center and the host must be in maintenance mode.

Reload host

Forces vCenter Server to reload data from a host.

Host Registration Management Workflows

With host registration management workflows, you can add a host to a cluster, disconnect or reconnect a host from a cluster, and so on.

You can access the host management registration workflows from Library > vCenter > Host management > Registration in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Add host to cluster

Add standalone host

Disconnect host

Reconnect host

Reconnect host with all information

Remove host

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Adds a host to the cluster. This workflow fails if it cannot authenticate the SSL certificate of the host.

Registers a host as a standalone host.

Disconnects a host from vCenter Server.

Reconnects a disconnected host by providing only the host information.

Reconnects a disconnected host by providing all information about the host.

Removes a host and unregisters it from vCenter Server. If the host is part of a cluster, you must put it in maintenance mode before attempting to remove it.

Chapter 3 Using the vCenter Server Plug-In

Networking Workflows

With networking workflows you can add a port group to distributed virtual switch, create a distributed virtual switch with a port group, and so on.

You can access the networking workflows from Library > vCenter > Networking in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Add port group to distributed virtual switch

Attach host system to distributed virtual switch

Create distributed virtual switch with port group

Adds a new distributed virtual port group to a specified distributed virtual switch.

Adds a host to a distributed virtual switch.

Creates a new distributed virtual switch with a distributed virtual port group.

Distributed Virtual Port Group Workflows

With distributed virtual port group workflows you can update or delete a port group, and reconfigure the port group.

You can access the distributed virtual port group workflows from Library > vCenter > Networking > Distributed virtual port group in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Connect virtual machine NIC number to distributed virtual port group

Delete distributed virtual port group

Reconfigures the network connection of the specified virtual machine NIC number to connect to the specified distributed virtual port group. If no NIC number is specified, the number zero is used.

Deletes a specified distributed virtual port group.

Set teaming options

Update distributed virtual port group

Provides an interface to manage the teaming options for a distributed virtual port group.

Updates the configuration of a specified distributed virtual port group.

Distributed Virtual Switch Workflows

With distributed virtual switch workflows, you can create, update or delete a distributed virtual switch, and create, delete, or update a private VLAN.

You can access the distributed virtual switch workflows from Library > vCenter > Networking > Distributed virtual switch in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Create distributed virtual switch

Create private VLAN

Delete distributed virtual switch

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Creates a distributed virtual switch in the specified network folder with a name and uplink port names that you specify. You must specify at least one uplink port name.

Creates a VLAN on the specified distributed virtual switch.

Deletes a distributed virtual switch and all associated elements.

Using VMware vCenter Orchestrator Plug-Ins

Delete private VLAN

Update distributed virtual switch

Update private VLAN

Deletes a VLAN from a specified distributed virtual switch. If a secondary VLAN exists, you should first delete the secondary VLAN.

Updates the properties of a distributed virtual switch.

Updates a VLAN on the specified distributed virtual switch.

Standard Virtual Switch Workflows

With standard virtual switch workflows you can create, update, or delete a standard virtual switch, and create, delete, or update port groups in standard virtual switches.

You can access the standard virtual switch workflows from Library > vCenter > Networking > Standard virtual switch in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Add port group in standard virtual switch

Create standard virtual switch

Delete port group from standard virtual switch

Delete standard virtual switch

Adds a port group in a standard virtual switch.

Creates a standard virtual switch.

Deletes a port group from a standard virtual switch.

Deletes a standard virtual switch from a host's network configuration.

Retrieve all standard virtual switches

Update port group in standard virtual switch

Update standard virtual switch

Update VNIC for port group in standard virtual switch

Retrieves all standard virtual switches from a host.

Updates the properties of a port group in a standard virtual switch.

Updates the properties of a standard virtual switch.

Updates a VNIC associated with a port group in a standard virtual switch.

Resource Pool Workflows

With resource pool workflows you can create, rename, reconfigure or delete a resource pool, and get resource pool information.

You can access the resource pool workflows from Library > vCenter > Resource Pool in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Create resource pool

Create resource pool with specified values

Creates a resource pool with the default CPU and memory allocation values. To create a resource pool in a cluster, the cluster must have VMware DRS enabled.

Creates a resource pool with CPU and memory allocation values that you specify. To create a resource pool in a cluster, the cluster must have VMware DRS enabled.

Delete resource pool

Get resource pool information

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Deletes a resource pool and waits for the task to complete.

Returns CPU and memory information about a given resource pool.

Chapter 3 Using the vCenter Server Plug-In

Reconfigure resource pool

Rename resource pool

Reconfigures CPU and memory allocation configuration for a given resource pool.

Renames a resource pool and waits for the task to complete.

Storage Workflows

With storage workflows you can perform storage-related operations.

You can access the storage workflows from Library > vCenter > Storage in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Add datastore on iSCSI/FC/local SCSI

Add datastore on NFS

Add iSCSI target

Create VMFS for all available disks

Delete datastore

Delete iSCSI target

Creates a datastore on a Fibre Channel, iSCSI or local SCSI disk. Only disks that are not currently in use by an existing VMFS are applicable to new datastore creation. The new datastore allocates the maximum available space of the specified disk.

Adds a datastore on an NFS server.

Adds iSCSI targets to a vCenter Server host. The targets can be of the type

Send or Static.

Creates a VMFS volume for all available disks of a specified host.

Deletes datastores from a vCenter Server host.

Deletes already configured iSCSI targets. The targets can be of type Send or

Static.

Disable iSCSI adapter

Display all datastores and disks

Enable iSCSI adapter

List all storage adapters

Disables the software iSCSI adapter of a specified host.

Displays the existing datastores and available disks on a specified host.

Enables an iSCSI adapter.

Lists all storage adapters of a specified host.

Storage DRS Workflows

With storage DRS workflows you perform storage-related operations, such as creating and configuring a datastore cluster, removing a datastore from cluster, adding storage to a cluster, and so on.

You can access the storage DRS workflows from Library > vCenter > Storage > Storage DRS in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Add datastore to cluster

Change Storage DRS per virtual machine configuration

Configure datastore cluster

Adds datastores to a datastore cluster. Datastores must be able to connect to all hosts to be included in the datastore cluster. Datastores must have the same connection type to reside within a datastore cluster.

Sets Storage DRS settings for each virtual machine.

Configures datastore cluster setting values for automation and runtime rules.

Create simple datastore cluster

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Creates a simple datastore cluster with default configuration. The new datastore cluster contains no datastores.

Using VMware vCenter Orchestrator Plug-Ins

Create Storage DRS scheduled task

Create virtual machine anti-affinity rule

Create VMDK antiaffinity rule

Creates a scheduled task for reconfiguring a datastore cluster. Only automation and runtime rules can be set.

Creates an anti-affinity rule to indicate that all virtual disks of certain virtual machines must be kept on different datastores.

Creates a VMDK anti-affinity rule for a virtual machine that indicates which of its virtual disks must be kept on different datastores. The rule applies to the virtual disks of the selected virtual machine.

Remove datastore cluster

Remove datastore from cluster

Remove Storage DRS

Removes a datastore cluster. Removing a datastore cluster also removes all of the settings and the alarms for the cluster from the vCenter Server system.

Removes a datastore from a datastore cluster and puts the datastore in a datastore folder.

Removes a scheduled Storage DRS task.

scheduled task

Remove virtual machine

Removes a virtual machine anti-affinity rule for a given datastore cluster.

anti-affinity rule

Remove VMDK anti-

Removes a VMDK anti-affinity rule for a given datastore cluster.

affinity rule

Basic Virtual Machine Management Workflows

With basic virtual machine management workflows you can perform basic operations on virtual machines, for example, create, rename or delete a virtual machine, upgrade virtual hardware, and so on.

You can access the basic virtual machine management workflows from Library > vCenter > Virtual Machine management > Basic in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Create custom virtual machine

Create simple dvPortGroup virtual

Creates a virtual machine with the specified configuration options and additional devices.

Creates a simple virtual machine. The network used is a Distributed Virtual Port Group.

machine

Create simple virtual machine

Delete virtual machine

Get virtual machines by name

Mark as template

Creates a virtual machine with the most common devices and configuration options.

Removes a virtual machine from the inventory and datastore.

Returns a list of virtual machines from all registered vCenter Server hosts that match the provided expression.

Converts an existing virtual machine to a template, not allowing it to start. You can use templates to create virtual machines.

Mark as virtual machine

Move virtual machine to

Converts an existing template to a virtual machine, allowing it to start.

Moves a virtual machine to a specified virtual machine folder.

folder

Move virtual machine to resource pool

Move virtual machines

Moves a virtual machine to a resource pool. If the target resource pool is not in the same cluster, you must use the migrate or relocate workflows.

Moves several virtual machines to a specified virtual machine folder.

to folder

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Move virtual machines to resource pool

Reload virtual machine

Rename virtual machine

Set virtual machine performance

Unregister virtual machine

Upgrade virtual machine hardware (force if required)

Upgrade virtual machine

Wait for task and answer virtual machine question

Moves several virtual machines to a resource pool.

Registers a virtual machine. The virtual machine files must be placed in an existing datastore and must not be already registered.

Forces vCenter Server to reload a virtual machine.

Renames an existing virtual machine on the vCenter Server system or host and not on the datastore.

Changes performance settings such as shares, minimum and maximum values, shaping for network, and disk access of a virtual machine.

Removes an existing virtual machine from the inventory.

Upgrades the virtual machine hardware to the latest revision that the host supports. This workflow forces the upgrade to continue, even if VMware Tools is out of date. If the VMware Tools is out of date, forcing the upgrade to continue reverts the guest network settings to the default settings. To avoid this situation, upgrade VMware Tools before running the workflow.

Upgrades the virtual hardware to the latest revision that the host supports. An input parameter allows a forced upgrade even if VMware Tools is out of date.

Waits for a vCenter Server task to complete or for the virtual machine to ask a question. If the virtual machine requires an answer, accepts user input and answers the question.

Clone Workflows

With clone workflows you can clone virtual machines with or without customizing the virtual machine properties.

You can access the clone workflows from Library > vCenter > Virtual Machine management > Clone in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Clone virtual machine from properties

Clone virtual machine, no customization

Customize virtual machine from properties

Clones virtual machines by using properties as input parameters.

Clones a virtual machine without changing anything except the virtual machine UUID.

Customizes a virtual machine by using properties as input parameters.

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Linked Clone Workflows

With linked clone workflows, you can perform linked clone operations such as restoring a virtual machine from a linked clone, creating a linked clone, and so on.

You can access the linked clone workflows from Library > vCenter > Virtual Machine management > Clone > Linked Clone folder and its subfolders in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Restore virtual machine from linked clone

Set up virtual machine for linked clone

Create a linked clone of a Linux machine with multiple NICs

Create a linked clone of a Linux machine with a single NIC

Create a linked clone of a Windows machine with multiple NICs and credential

Create a linked clone of a Windows machine with a single NIC and credential

Create a linked clone with no customization

Removes a virtual machine from a linked clone setup.

Prepares a virtual machine to be link cloned.

Creates a linked clone of a Linux virtual machine, performs the guest operating system customization, and configures up to four virtual network cards.

Creates a linked clone of a Linux virtual machine, performs the guest operating system customization, and configures one virtual network card.

Creates a linked clone of a Windows virtual machine and performs the guest operating system customization. Configures up to four virtual network cards and a local administrator user account.

Creates a linked clone of a Windows virtual machine and performs the guest operating system customization. Configures one virtual network card and a local administrator user account.

Creates the specified number of linked clones of a virtual machine.

Linux Customization Clone Workflows

With Linux customization workflows you can clone a Linux virtual machine and customize the guest operating system.

You can access the Linux customization clone workflows from Library > vCenter > Virtual Machine management > Clone > Linux Customization in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Clone a Linux machine with multiple NICs

Clone a Linux machine with a single NIC

Clones a Linux virtual machine, performs the guest operating system customization, and configures up to four virtual network cards.

Clones a Linux virtual machine, performs the guest operating system customization, and configures one virtual network card.

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Tools Clone Workflows

With tools clone workflows you can obtain customization information about the operating system of the virtual machine, information needed to update a virtual device, and so on.

You can access the tools clone workflows from Library > vCenter > Virtual Machine management > Clone > Tools in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Get a virtual Ethernet card to change the network

Get Linux customization

Get multiple virtual Ethernet card device changes

Get NIC setting map

Get Windows customization for Sysprep with credentials

Get Windows customization for Sysprep with Unattended.txt

Get Windows customization for Sysprep

Returns a new ethernet card to update a virtual device. Contains only the device key of the given virtual device and the new network.

Returns the Linux customization preparation.

Returns an array of VirtualDeviceConfigSpec objects for add and remove operations on VirtualEthernetCard objects.

Returns the setting map for a virtual network card by using VimAdapterMapping.

Returns customization information about the Microsoft Sysprep process, with credentials. Workflows for cloning Windows virtual machines use this workflow.

Returns customization information about the Microsoft Sysprep process by using an Unattended.txt file. Workflows for cloning Windows virtual machines use this workflow.

Returns customization information about the Microsoft Sysprep process. Workflows for cloning Windows virtual machines use this workflow.

Windows Customization Clone Workflows

With Windows customization clone workflows you can clone Windows virtual machines and customize the guest operating system.

You can access the Windows customization clone workflows from Library > vCenter > Virtual Machine management > Clone > Windows Customization folder and its subfolder in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Customize a Windows machine with single NIC and credential

Clone a thin provisioned Windows machine with single NIC and credential

Clone a Windows machine Sysprep with single NIC and credential

Performs guest operating system customization, configures one virtual network card and a local administrator user account on a Windows virtual machine.

Clones a Windows virtual machine performing the guest operating system customization. Specifies virtual disk thin provisioning policy and configures one virtual network card and a local administrator user account. Sysprep tools must be available on the vCenter Server system.

Clones a Windows virtual machine performing the guest operating system customization. Configures one virtual network card and a local administrator user account. Sysprep tools must be available on vCenter Server.

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Clone a Windows machine with multiple NICs and credential

Clone a Windows machine with single NIC

Clone a Windows machine with single NIC and credential

Clones a Windows virtual machine performing the guest operating system customization. Configures the local administrator user account and up to four virtual network cards. Sysprep tools must be available on the vCenter Server system.

Clones a Windows virtual machine performing the guest operating system customization and configures one virtual network card. Sysprep tools must be available on the vCenter Server system.

Device Management Workflows

With device management workflows you can manage the devices that are connected to a virtual machine or to a host datastore.

You can access the device management workflows from Library > vCenter > Virtual Machine management > Device Management in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Add CD-ROM

Add disk

Adds a virtual CD-ROM to a virtual machine. If the virtual machine has no IDE controller, the workflow creates one.

Adds a virtual disk to a virtual machine.

Change RAM

Convert disks to thin provisioning

Convert independent disks

Disconnect all detachable devices from a running virtual machine

Mount floppy disk drive

Changes the amount of RAM of a virtual machine.

Converts thick-provisioned disks of virtual machines to thin-provisioned disks.

Converts all independent virtual machine disks to normal disks by removing the independent flag from the disks.

Disconnects floppy disks, CD-ROM drives, parallel ports, and serial ports from a running virtual machine.

Mounts a floppy disk drive FLP file from the ESX datastore.

Move and Migrate Workflows

With move and migrate workflows, you can migrate virtual machines.

You can access the move and migrate workflows from Library > vCenter > Virtual Machine management > Move and Migrate in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Mass migrate virtual machines with storage vMotion

Mass migrate virtual machines with vMotion

Uses Storage vMotion to migrate a single virtual machine, a selection of virtual machines, or all available virtual machines.

Uses vMotion, Storage vMotion, or both vMotion and Storage vMotion to migrate a single virtual machine, a selection of virtual machines, or all available virtual machines.

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Migrates a virtual machine from one host to another by using the

MigrateVM_Task operation from the vSphere API.

Chapter 3 Using the vCenter Server Plug-In

Move virtual machine to another vCenter Server system

Quick migrate multiple virtual machines

Quick migrate virtual machine

Relocate virtual machine disks

Moves a list of virtual machines to another vCenter Server system.

Suspends the virtual machines if they are powered on and migrates them to another host using the same storage.

Suspends the virtual machine if it is powered on and migrates it to another host using the same storage.

Relocates virtual machine disks to another host or datastore while the virtual machine is powered off by using the RelocateVM_Task operation from the vSphere API.

Other Workflows

With other workflows, you can enable and disable Fault Tolerance (FT), extract virtual machine information, and find orphaned virtual machines.

You can access these workflows from Library > vCenter > Virtual Machine management > Others in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Disable FT

Enable FT

Extract virtual machine information

Disables Fault Tolerance for a specified virtual machine.

Enables Fault Tolerance for a specified virtual machine.

Returns the virtual machine folder, host system, resource pool, compute resource, datastore, hard drive sizes, CPU and memory, network, and IP address for a given virtual machine. Might require VMware Tools.

Find orphaned virtual machines

Lists all virtual machines in an orphaned state in the Orchestrator inventory. Lists the VMDK and VMTX files for all datastores in the Orchestrator inventory that have no association with any virtual machines in the Orchestrator inventory. Sends the lists by email (optional).

Power Management Workflows

With power management workflows, you can power on and off virtual machines, reboot the guest operating system of a virtual machine, suspend a virtual machine, and so on.

You can access the power management workflows from Library > vCenter > Virtual Machine management > Power Management in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Power off virtual machine and wait

Reboot guest OS

Reset virtual machine and wait

Resume virtual machine and wait

Set guest OS to standby mode

Powers off a virtual machine and waits for the process to complete.

Reboots the virtual machine's guest operating system. Does not reset nonpersistent virtual machines. VMware Tools must be running.

Resets a virtual machine and waits for the process to complete.

Resumes a suspended virtual machine and waits for the process to complete.

Sets the guest operating system to standby mode. VMware Tools must be running.

Shut down and delete virtual machine

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Shuts down a virtual machine and deletes it from the inventory and disk.

Using VMware vCenter Orchestrator Plug-Ins

Shut down guest OS and wait

Start virtual machine and wait

Suspend virtual machine and wait

Shuts down a guest operating system and waits for the process to complete.

Starts a virtual machine and waits for VMware Tools to start.

Suspends a virtual machine and waits for the process to complete.

Snapshot Workflows

With snapshot workflows, you can perform snapshot-related operations.

You can access the snapshot workflows from Library > vCenter > Virtual Machine management > Snapshot in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Create a snapshot

Create snapshots of all virtual machines in a resource pool

Remove all snapshots

Remove excess snapshots

Remove old snapshots

Creates a snapshot.

Creates a snapshot of each virtual machine in a resource pool.

Removes all existing snapshots without reverting to a previous snapshot.

Finds virtual machines with more than a given number of snapshots and optionally deletes the oldest snapshots. Sends the results by email.

Gets all snapshots that are older than a given number of days and prompts the user to select which ones to delete.

Remove snapshots of a given size

Revert to current snapshot

Revert to snapshot and wait

Gets all snapshots that are larger than a given size and prompts the user to confirm deletion.

Reverts to the current snapshot.

Reverts to a specific snapshot. Does not delete the snapshot.

VMware Tools Workflows

With VMware Tools workflows, you can perform VMware Tools-related tasks on virtual machines.

You can access the VMware Tools workflows from Library > vCenter > Virtual Machine management > VMware Tools in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Mount VMware tools installer

Set console screen resolution

Turn on time synchronization

Unmount VMware tools installer

Mounts the VMware Tools installer on the virtual CD-ROM.

Sets the console window's resolution. The virtual machine must be powered on.

Turns on time synchronization between the virtual machine and the ESX server in VMware Tools.

Unmounts the VMware Tools CD-ROM.

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Upgrade VMware tools

Upgrade VMware tools at next reboot

Upgrades VMware Tools on a virtual machine.

Upgrades VMware Tools on a virtual machine without performing an automatic reboot.

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Using the Configuration Plug-In 4

In addition to configuring Orchestrator by using the Orchestrator Web Configuration interface, you can modify the Orchestrator server configuration settings by running workflows from the Configuration plugin.

With the Configuration plug-in you can configure the Orchestrator server networking, authentication settings, database, and so on.

This chapter includes the following topics:

“Access the Configuration Plug-In Workflow Library,” on page 41

“Configuration Plug-In Workflow Library,” on page 41

Access the Configuration Plug-In Workflow Library

You must use the Orchestrator client to access the elements from the Configuration plug-in workflow library.

Procedure

1 From the drop-down menu in the Orchestrator client, select Run or Design.

2 Click the Workflows view.

3 Expand the hierarchical list to Library > Configuration.

What to do next

Review the workflow library.

Configuration Plug-In Workflow Library

The Configuration plug-in workflow library contains workflows that you can use to run automated processes related to the configuration of vCenter Orchestrator.

Authentication Workflows

The Authentication category contains workflows related to the LDAP and vCenter Single Sign-On authentication modes.

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You access the workflows related to LDAP configuration from Library > Configuration > Authentication > LDAP in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Configure Active Directory

Configure eDirectory

Configure Embedded LDAP

Configure OpenLDAP

Configure Sun One Directory

You access the workflows related to the vCenter Single Sign-On configuration from Library > Configuration > Authentication > SSO in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Changes the server authentication mode to LDAP and configures a connection to an Active Directory LDAP server. If you try to change the authentication settings and the new configuration is not successful, it does not override the existing one.

Changes the server authentication mode to LDAP and configures a connection to an eDirectory LDAP server. If you try to change the authentication settings and the new configuration is not successful, it does not override the existing one.

Changes the server authentication mode to LDAP and configures a connection to an embedded LDAP server. If you try to change the authentication settings and the new configuration is not successful, it does not override the existing one.

Changes the server authentication mode to LDAP and configures a connection to an OpenLDAP LDAP server. If you try to change the authentication settings and the new configuration is not successful, it does not override the existing one.

Changes the server authentication mode to LDAP and configures a connection to a Sun ONE Directory LDAP server. If you try to change the authentication settings and the new configuration is not successful, it does not override the existing one.

Configure SSO

Changes the server authentication mode to SSO and configures a connection to a VMware vCenter Single Sign-On server. If you try to change the authentication settings and the new configuration is not successful, it does not override the existing one.

Availability Workflows

The Availability category contains a workflow that configures the Orchestrator server availability mode.

You access this workflow from Library > Configuration > Availability in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Configure server availability

Configures the server availability mode of the Orchestrator server. Orchestrator can run as a standalone instance or in cluster mode.

Database Workflows

The Database category contains workflows for configuring the Orchestrator database connection.

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Chapter 4 Using the Configuration Plug-In

You access these workflows from Library > Configuration > Database in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Embedded database

Microsoft SQL Server

Oracle

PostgreSQL

Changes the database provider to embedded database and configures the connection to it. If you try to change the database settings and the new configuration is not successful, it does not override the existing one.

Changes the database provider to Microsoft SQL Server and configures the connection to it. If you try to change the database settings and the new configuration is not successful, it does not override the existing one.

Changes the database provider to Oracle Database and configures the connection to it. If you try to change the database settings and the new configuration is not successful, it does not override the existing one.

Changes the database provider to PostgreSQL and configures the connection to it. If you try to change the database settings and the new configuration is not successful, it does not override the existing one.

Package Signing Certificate Workflows

The Package Signing Certificate category contains a workflow that you can use for creating a certificate database and inserting a self-signed certificate into it.

You access this workflow from Library > Configuration > Package Signing Certificate in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Create a certificate database and a selfsigned server certificate

Creates a certificate database and inserts a self-signed certificate into it. The certificate is used to sign the packages created with this server.

SSL Trust Manager Workflows

The SSL Trust Manager category contains workflows that you can use for deleting and importing SSL certificates.

You access these workflows from Library > Configuration > SSL Trust Manager workflows in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Delete trusted certificate

Import trusted certificate from a file

Import trusted certificate from URL

Deletes an SSL certificate from the server trust store.

Imports an SSL certificate from a file into the server trust store.

Imports an SSL certificate from a URL into the server trust store.

Troubleshooting Workflows

You access these workflows from Library > Configuration > Troubleshooting in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Delete all workflow runs

Reinstall the plug-ins when the server starts

Deletes all workflow runs.

Reinstalls the installed plug-ins when the Orchestrator server is restarted.

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Network Workflows

You access the Network configuration workflows from Library > Configuration > Network in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Configure the network settings

Configures the network settings of the Orchestrator server.

License Workflows

You access the License configuration workflows from Library > Configuration > License in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Enter license key

Use vCenter Server license

Adds a manually provided license key.

Adds a license key by connecting to a running vCenter Server instance and using its license.

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Using the vCO Library Plug-In 5

You can use the vCO Library plug-in workflows as templates for customization and automation of client processes, and to troubleshoot Orchestrator.

vCO Library Plug-In Workflows

The vCO Library plug-in provides workflows in the Locking, Orchestrator, and Troubleshooting workflow categories.

Locking Workflows

You access these workflows from Library > Locking in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Display all locks

Locking test

Locking test (x5)

Release all locks

Shows all locks.

A test workflow that creates a lock.

A test workflow that creates five locks.

Releases all locks.

Orchestrator Task Workflows

You access these workflows from Library > Orchestrator > Tasks in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Create recurrent task

Create task

Creates a recurrent task an returns the newly created task.

Schedules a workflow to run at a later time and date, as a task.

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Orchestrator Workflows

You access these workflows from Library > Orchestrator > Workflows in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Start workflows in a series

Start workflows in parallel

Runs a workflow multiple times in a series, one instance after the other. You provide workflow parameters in an array. You also provide a property list, with one property per workflow input, for each instance of the workflow that starts. The number of properties in the array define the number of workflow runs.

Runs a workflow multiple times, with different parameters. You provide workflow parameters in an array. You also provide a property list, with one property per workflow input, for each instance of the workflow that starts. The number of properties in the array define the number of workflow runs.

Troubleshooting Workflows

You access these workflows from Library > Troubleshooting in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Export logs and application settings

Generates a ZIP archive of troubleshooting information that contains configuration files and server, configuration, wrapper, and installation log files. The output directory must exist and Orchestrator must have writing permissions.

Tagging Workflows

You access these workflows from Library > Tagging in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Find objects by tag

List workflow tags

Tagging example

Tag workflow

Untag workflow

Finds objects by the tags assigned to them. You provide the names and values of the tags and the workflow returns a list of the objects to which these tags apply.

Lists the tags assigned to the workflow you specified as an input parameter.

Demonstrates workflow tagging.

Assigns a tag to a workflow. You must specify the workflow you want to tag and the tag name and value.

Removes a tag from a workflow. You must specify the workflow you want to untag and the tag you want to remove from the specified workflow.

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Using the SQL Plug-In 6

You can use the API that the SQL plug-in provides to implement connectivity to SQL databases and other tabular data sources, such as spreadsheets or flat files.

The SQL plug-in API which is based on JDBC, provides a call-level API for SQL-based database access. The SQL plug-in also provides sample workflows that demonstrate how to use the API in workflows.

This chapter includes the following topics:

“Configuring the SQL Plug-In,” on page 47

“Running the SQL Sample Workflows,” on page 50

“Using the SQL Plug-In Standard Workflows,” on page 54

Configuring the SQL Plug-In

You can use the workflows included in the SQL plug-in and run them from the Orchestrator client to configure the SQL plug-in and to add, update, or remove a database.

SQL Plug-In Configuration Workflows

The Configuration workflow category of the SQL plug-in contains workflows that allow you to manage databases and database tables.

You can access these workflows from Library > SQL > Configuration in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Workflow Name Description

Add a database Adds a database object to the Database plug-in inventory.

Add tables to a database Adds database tables to a database in the Database plug-in inventory.

Remove a database Removes a database object from the Database plug-in inventory.

Remove a table from a database Removes a database table from a database in the Database plug-in inventory.

Update a database Updates the configuration of a database object in the Database plug-in inventory.

Validate a database Validates a database in the Database plug-in inventory.

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Add a Database

You can run a workflow to add a database to the Orchestrator server and configure the host connection parameters.

When you add a database that requires a secure connection, you must import the database SSL certificate. You can import the SSL certificate by using the options available in the Network tab in the Orchestrator configuration interface.

Procedure

1 Log in to the Orchestrator client as an administrator.

2 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

3 In the workflows hierarchical list, select Library > SQL > Configuration and navigate to the Add a

database workflow.

4 Right-click the Add a database workflow and select Start workflow.

5 In the Name text box, type the name of the database.

6 Select the type of the database.

7 In the Connection URL text box, type the address of the database.

Database Type Syntax

Oracle

Microsoft SQL (with SQL authentication)

Microsoft SQL (with Windows account authentication)

PostgreSQL

MySQL

jdbc:oracle:thin:@database_url:port_number:SID

jdbc:jtds:sqlserver://database_url:port_number/database_nam

jdbc:jtds:sqlserver://database_url:port_number/database_nam e;useNTLMv2=true;domain=domain_name

jdbc:postgresql://database_url:port_number/database_name

jdbc:mysql://database_url:port_number/database_name

8 Select the session mode that the plug-in uses to connect to the database.

Option Description

Shared Session

Session Per User

The plug-in uses shared credentials to connect to the database. You must provide the database credentials for the shared session.

The Orchestrator client retrieves credentials from the user who is logged in.

NOTE To use session per user mode, you must authenticate by using a user name only. You should not use domain\user or user@domain for authentication.

9 Click Submit to run the workflow.

After the workflow runs successfully, the database and all tables that belong to it appear in the Inventory view.

Add Tables to a Database

You can run a workflow to add tables to a database that is in the Database plug-in inventory.

Prerequisites

Verify that you are logged in to the Orchestrator client as an administrator.

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Chapter 6 Using the SQL Plug-In

Verify that you have a connection to a database from the Inventory view.

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the workflows hierarchical list, select Library > SQL > Configuration and navigate to the Add tables

to a database workflow.

3 Right-click the Add tables to a database workflow and select Start workflow.

4 Select a database to which to add tables.

5 Select the tables that you want to add.

6 Click Submit to run the workflow.

After the workflow runs successfully, the added database tables appear in the Inventory view of the Orchestrator client.

Update a Database

You can run a workflow to update the configuration of a database that is in the plug-in's inventory.

Procedure

1 Log in to the Orchestrator client as an administrator.

2 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

3 In the Workflows hierarchical list, select Library > SQL > Configuration and navigate to the Update a

database workflow.

4 Right-click the Update a database workflow and select Start workflow.

5 Select a database that you want to update.

6 In the Name text box, type the new name of the database.

The database appears in the Inventory view with the name that you specify.

7 Select the type of the database.

8 In the Connection URL text box, type the new address of the database.

9 Select the session mode that the plug-in uses to connect to the database.

Option Description

Shared Session

Session Per User

The plug-in uses shared credentials to connect to the database. You must provide the database credentials for the shared session.

The Orchestrator client retrieves credentials from the user who is logged in.

NOTE To use session per user mode, you must authenticate by using a user name only. You should not use domain\user or user@domain for authentication.

10 Click Submit to run the workflow.

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Running the SQL Sample Workflows

You can run the SQL plug-in workflows to perform JDBC operations such as generating a JDBC URL, testing a JDBC connection, and managing rows in JDBC tables. You can also run the SQL plug-in workflows to manage databases and database tables, as well as to run SQL operations.

Generate a JDBC URL

You can run a workflow from the Orchestrator client to generate a JDBC connection URL.

Prerequisites

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the workflows hierarchical list, open Library > JDBC to navigate to the JDBC URL generator

workflow.

3 Right-click the JDBC URL generator workflow and select Start workflow.

4 Select the type of database for which to generate a URL.

NOTE If you use a Microsoft database, you might have to click Next and to provide the database instance name and database user domain name.

5 Provide the required information to generate a database URL.

a Type a database server name or IP address.

b Type a database name.

c (Optional) Type a database port number.

If you do not specify a port number, the workflow uses a default port number.

d Type a user name to access the database.

e Type a password to access the database.

6 Click Submit to run the workflow.

Test a JDBC Connection

You can run a workflow from the Orchestrator client to test the connection to a database.

Prerequisites

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the workflows hierarchical list, open Library > JDBC > JDBC Examples to navigate to the JDBC

connection example workflow.

3 Right-click the JDBC connection example workflow and select Start workflow.

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4 Provide the required information to test a database connection.

a Type a user name to access the database.

b Type the URL to test.

c Type a password to access the database.

5 Click Submit to run the workflow.

Create a Table by Using JDBC

You can run a workflow from the Orchestrator client to create a database.

Prerequisites

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the workflows hierarchical list, open Library > JDBC > JDBC Examples to navigate to the JDBC

create table example workflow.

3 Right-click the JDBC create table example workflow and select Start workflow.

4 Provide the required information, and click Next.

a Type a password to access the database.

b Type a database connection URL.

c Type a user name to access the database.

5 Type an SQL create statement.

An example syntax is:

CREATE TABLE "table_name" ("column1" "data_type_for_column1", "column2" "data_type_for_column2")

6 Click Submit to run the workflow.

Insert a Row into a JDBC Table

You can run a workflow from the Orchestrator client to test the insertion of a row into a JDBC table.

Prerequisites

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the workflows hierarchical list, open Library > JDBC > JDBC Examples to navigate to the JDBC

insert into table example workflow.

3 Right-click the JDBC insert into table example workflow and select Start workflow.

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4 Provide the required information, and click Next.

a Type a database connection URL.

b Type a user name to access the database.

c Type a password to access the database.

5 Type an SQL insert statement, and click Next.

An example syntax is:

INSERT INTO "table_name" ("column1", "column2") VALUES ("value1", "value2")

6 Type the values to insert into the row.

7 Click Submit to run the workflow.

Select Rows from a JDBC Table

You can run a workflow from the Orchestrator client to select rows from a JDBC table.

Prerequisites

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the workflows hierarchical list, open Library > JDBC > JDBC Examples to navigate to the JDBC

select from table example workflow.

3 Right-click the JDBC select from table example workflow and select Start workflow.

4 Provide the required information, and click Next.

a Type a database connection URL.

b Type a user name to access the database.

c Type a password to access the database.

5 Type an SQL select statement.

An example syntax is:

SELECT * FROM "table_name"

6 Click Submit to run the workflow.

Delete an Entry from a JDBC Table

You can run a workflow from the Orchestrator client to test the deletion of an entry from a JDBC table.

Prerequisites

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the workflows hierarchical list, open Library > JDBC > JDBC Examples to navigate to the JDBC

delete entry from table example workflow.

3 Right-click the JDBC delete entry from table example workflow and select Start workflow.

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4 Provide the required information, and click Next.

a Type the first name of the user entry to be deleted.

b Type a user name to access the database.

c Type a JDBC connection URL.

d Type the last name of the user entry to be deleted.

e Type a password to access the database.

5 Type an SQL delete statement.

An example syntax is:

DELETE FROM "table_name" where ("column1" = ?, "column2" = ?)

6 Click Submit to run the workflow.

Delete All Entries from a JDBC Table

You can run a workflow from the Orchestrator client to delete all entries from a JDBC table.

Prerequisites

Chapter 6 Using the SQL Plug-In

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the workflows hierarchical list, open Library > JDBC > JDBC Examples to navigate to the JDBC

delete all from table example workflow.

3 Right-click the JDBC delete all from table example workflow and select Start workflow.

4 Provide the required information, and click Next.

a Type a database connection URL.

b Type a user name to access the database.

c Type a password to access the database.

5 Type an SQL delete statement.

An example syntax is:

DELETE FROM "table_name"

6 Click Submit to run the workflow.

Drop a JDBC Table

You can run a workflow from the Orchestrator client to test the dropping of a JDBC table.

Prerequisites

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the workflows hierarchical list, open Library > JDBC > JDBC Examples to navigate to the JDBC drop

table example workflow.

3 Right-click the JDBC drop table example workflow and select Start workflow.

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4 Provide the required information, and click Next.

a Type a password to access the database.

b Type a database connection URL.

c Type a user name to access the database.

5 Type an SQL drop statement.

An example syntax is:

DROP TABLE "table_name"

6 Click Submit to run the workflow.

Run a Complete JDBC Cycle

You can run a workflow from the Orchestrator client to test all JDBC example workflows in one full cycle.

Prerequisites

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the workflows hierarchical list, open Library > JDBC > JDBC Examples to navigate to the Full JDBC

cycle example workflow.

3 Right-click the Full JDBC cycle example workflow and select Start workflow.

4 Provide the required information, and click Next..

a Type a database connection URL.

b Type a user name to access the database.

c Type a password to access the database.

5 Type the values to be used as entries in the database.

6 Click Submit to run the workflow.

Using the SQL Plug-In Standard Workflows

You can use the SQL workflows to run SQL operations.

SQL Plug-In Workflow Library

You can run the SQL plug-in workflows to manage databases and database tables as well as to run SQL operations.

You can access the database configuration workflows from Library > SQL > Configuration in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Add a database

Add tables to a database

Remove a database

Remove a table from a database

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Adds a database object to the plug-in's inventory.

Adds database tables to a database in the plug-in's inventory.

Removes a database object from the plug-in's inventory.

Removes a database table from a database in the plug-in's inventory.

Chapter 6 Using the SQL Plug-In

Update a database

Validate a database

Updates the configuration of a database object in the plug-in's inventory.

Validates a database in the plug-in's inventory.

You can access the SQL operations workflows from Library > SQL in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Execute a custom query on a database

Executes a custom query on a specified database and returns the number of affected rows. You can run the workflow to update, delete, insert, and write queries

Generate CRUD

Generates Create, Read, Update and Delete workflows for a particular table.

workflows for a table

Read a custom query from a database

Executes a custom query on a specified database and returns the result in an array of properties. You can run the workflow to select and read queries.

Generate CRUD Workflows for a Table

You can run a workflow to generate Create, Read, Update, and Delete workflows for a particular table.

Prerequisites

Verify that you are logged in to the Orchestrator client as an administrator.

Verify that you have a connection to a database from the Inventory view.

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the workflows hierarchical list, select Library > SQL and navigate to the Generate CRUD workflows

for a table workflow.

3 Right-click the Generate CRUD workflows for a table workflow and select Start workflow.

4 Select a table for which to generate the workflows.

5 Select the workflow folder in which to generate the workflows.

6 Select whether to overwrite any existing workflows.

Option Description

Yes

The generated workflows overwrite existing workflows with the same name.

New workflows are not generated if workflows with the same name exist in the folder.

7 (Optional) Select columns that should not be populated.

You cannot edit the selected columns with the generated CRUD workflows.

8 Click Submit to run the workflow.

After the workflow runs successfully, the CRUD workflows appear in the selected workflow folder.

What to do next

You can run the generated workflows on the selected database table.

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Using the SSH Plug-In 7

You can use the SSH plug-in workflows to run SSH commands on a remote host that supports SSH and transfer files between an Orchestrator server and a remote host through a secure connection.

This chapter includes the following topics:

“Configure the SSH Plug-In,” on page 57

“Running the SSH Plug-In Sample Workflows,” on page 57

Configure the SSH Plug-In

You can set up the SSH plug-in to ensure encrypted connections.

Procedure

1 Log in to the Orchestrator configuration interface as vmware.

2 Click SSH.

3 Click New connection.

4 In the Host name text box, type the host to access with SSH through Orchestrator.

NOTE No username and password are required because Orchestrator uses the credentials of the currently logged-in user to run SSH commands. You must reproduce the accounts you want to work on SSH on target hosts from the LDAP server.

5 Click Apply changes.

The host is added to the list of SSH connections.

6 (Optional) Configure an entry path on the server.

a Click New root folder.

b Enter the new path and click Apply changes.

The SSH host is available in the Inventory view of the Orchestrator client.

Running the SSH Plug-In Sample Workflows

You can run the SSH plug-in sample workflows from the Orchestrator client to test the connection between the Orchestrator server and the SSH host.

Generate a Key Pair on page 58

You can run a workflow from the Orchestrator client to generate a key pair. You can use the key pair to connect to an SSH host without a password.

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Change the Key Pair Passphrase on page 59

You can run a workflow from the Orchestrator client to change the passphrase for the key pair that you generated last.

You can use a public key instead of a password. To register an Orchestrator public key on an SSH host, you can run a workflow from the Orchestrator client.

Run an SSH Command on page 59

You can run a workflow from the Orchestrator client to run SSH commands on a remote SSH server.

Copy a File from an SSH Host on page 60

You can run a workflow on the Orchestrator client to copy files from an SSH host to the Orchestrator server.

Copy a File to an SSH Host on page 61

You can run a workflow from the Orchestrator client to copy files from the Orchestrator server to an SSH host.

Generate a Key Pair

You can run a workflow from the Orchestrator client to generate a key pair. You can use the key pair to connect to an SSH host without a password.

A key pair consists of a public key and a private key. Orchestrator can use the private key to connect to the public key on an SSH host. You can use a passphrase to improve security.

CAUTION All Orchestrator users with the right set of privileges can read, use, and overwrite your private key.

Prerequisites

Configure the SSH plug-in in the Orchestrator configuration interface.

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the workflows hierarchical list, open Library > SSH to navigate to the Generate key pair workflow.

3 Right-click the Generate key pair workflow and select Start workflow.

4 Provide the required information.

a Select the key type.

b Select the key size.

c (Optional) Type a passphrase.

NOTE You can change the passphrase later.

d (Optional) Type a comment.

5 Click Submit to run the workflow.

If a key pair exists, the new key pair overwrites it.

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Change the Key Pair Passphrase

You can run a workflow from the Orchestrator client to change the passphrase for the key pair that you generated last.

Prerequisites

Configure the SSH plug-in in the Orchestrator configuration interface.

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the workflows hierarchical list, open Library > SSH to navigate to the Change key pair passphrase

workflow.

3 Right-click the Change key pair passphrase workflow and select Start workflow.

4 Reset the key pair passphrase.

a Type the current passphrase.

b Type the new passphrase.

5 Click Submit to run the workflow.

Register an Orchestrator Public Key on an SSH Host

You can use a public key instead of a password. To register an Orchestrator public key on an SSH host, you can run a workflow from the Orchestrator client.

Prerequisites

Configure the SSH plug-in in the Orchestrator configuration interface.

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the workflows hierarchical list, open Library > SSH to navigate to the Register vCO public key on

host workflow.

3 Right-click the Register vCO public key on host workflow and select Start workflow.

4 Provide the host and authentication information.

NOTE You must provide credentials that are registered on the SSH host.

5 Click Submit to run the workflow.

You can use public key authentication instead of password authentication when you connect to the SSH host as the registered user.

Run an SSH Command

You can run a workflow from the Orchestrator client to run SSH commands on a remote SSH server.

Prerequisites

Configure the SSH plug-in in the Orchestrator configuration interface.

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Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the workflows hierarchical list, open Library > SSH to navigate to the Run SSH command workflow.

3 Right-click the Run SSH command workflow and select Start workflow.

4 Type an SSH host name or IP address, and click Next.

5 Type an SSH command to run, and click Next.

NOTE The default SSH command is uptime. It shows how long the server has been active and the user load for that period.

6 Select Yes to use password authentication, and click Next.

NOTE The default option is to use key file authentication.

7 Type a user name, and click Next.

8 Type a password if the authentication method requires a password. Otherwise, type the path to the

private key and type the passphrase for the private key.

9 Click Submit to run the workflow.

Copy a File from an SSH Host

You can run a workflow on the Orchestrator client to copy files from an SSH host to the Orchestrator server.

The SSH plug-in uses the Java JCraft library, which implements SFTP. The SCP get command workflow transfers files by using SFTP.

Prerequisites

Configure the SSH plug-in in the Orchestrator configuration interface.

NOTE Orchestrator must have explicit write permissions in order to write in folders.

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the workflows hierarchical list, open Library > SSH to navigate to the SCP get command workflow.

3 Right-click the SCP get command workflow and select Start workflow.

4 Provide the required information, and click Next.

a Type an SSH host name or IP address.

b Type the SSH authentication information.

5 Type the file information.

a Type the path to the directory on the Orchestrator server into which to copy the file.

b Type the path to the file to get from the remote SSH host.

6 Click Submit to run the workflow.

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Chapter 7 Using the SSH Plug-In

Copy a File to an SSH Host

You can run a workflow from the Orchestrator client to copy files from the Orchestrator server to an SSH host.

The SSH plug-in uses the Java JCraft library, which implements SFTP. The SCP put command workflow transfers files by using SFTP.

Prerequisites

Configure the SSH plug-in in the Orchestrator configuration interface.

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the workflows hierarchical list, open Library > SSH to navigate to the SCP put command workflow.

3 Right-click the SCP put command workflow and select Start workflow.

4 Provide the required information, and click Next.

a Type an SSH host name or IP address.

b Type the SSH authentication information.

5 Type the file information.

a Type the path to the file that you want to copy from the local Orchestrator server to the remote SSH

host.

b Type the path to the directory on the remote SSH host into which to copy the file.

6 Click Submit to run the workflow.

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Using the XML Plug-In 8

You can use the XML plug-in to run workflows that create and modify XML documents.

The XML plug-in adds an implementation of a Document Object Model (DOM) XML parser to the Orchestrator JavaScript API. The XML plug-in also provides some sample workflows to demonstrate how you can create and modify XML documents from workflows.

Alternatively, you can use the ECMAScript for XML (E4X) implementation in the Orchestrator JavaScript API to process XML documents directly in JavaScript. For an E4X scripting example, see Developing with VMware vCenter Orchestrator.

For information about E4X, go to the Web site of the organization that maintains the ECMA-357 standard.

Running the XML Plug-In Sample Workflows

You can run the XML plug-in sample workflows from the Orchestrator client to create and modify XML documents for testing purposes.

Because the workflows can create, read, or modify files, you must have sufficient access rights to the working directory.

Orchestrator has read, write, and execute rights to a folder named orchestrator, at the root of the server system. Although workflows have permission to read, write, and execute in this folder, you must create the folder on the server system.

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You can allow access to other folders by changing the settings for server file system access from workflows and JavaScript. See Installing and Configuring VMware vCenter Orchestrator, Setting Server File System Access from Workflows and JavaScript.

Create a Simple XML Document on page 64

You can run a workflow from the Orchestrator client to create a simple XML document for testing purposes.

Find an Element in an XML Document on page 64

You can run a workflow from the Orchestrator client to find an element in the XML created by the Create a simple XML document workflow.

Modify an XML Document on page 65

You can run a workflow from the Orchestrator client to modify the XML that the Create a simple XML document workflow creates.

Create an Example Address Book from XML on page 65

You can run a workflow from the Orchestrator client to create an address book for testing purposes.

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Create a Simple XML Document

You can run a workflow from the Orchestrator client to create a simple XML document for testing purposes.

Prerequisites

Verify that you created the c:/orchestrator folder at the root of the Orchestrator server system or set

access rights to another folder.

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the workflows hierarchical list, open Library > XML > Samples XML (Simple) to navigate to the

Create a simple XML document workflow.

3 Right-click the Create a simple XML document workflow and select Start workflow.

4 Type the filepath to the XML document to create.

For example, c:/orchestrator/filename.xml.

5 Click Submit to run the workflow.

The workflow creates an XML document that contains a list of users. The attributes for each entry are user

ID and name.

Find an Element in an XML Document

You can run a workflow from the Orchestrator client to find an element in the XML created by the Create a simple XML document workflow.

Prerequisites

Verify that you created the c:/orchestrator folder at the root of the Orchestrator server system or set

access rights to another folder.

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the workflows hierarchical list, open Library > XML > Samples XML (Simple) to navigate to the

Find element in document workflow.

3 Right-click the Find element in document workflow and select Start workflow.

4 Type the filepath to the XML document.

For example, c:/orchestrator/filename.xml.

5 Click Submit to run the workflow.

The workflow searches for an element and displays the result in the system log.

What to do next

To view the result, select the completed workflow run in the Orchestrator client and click Logs on the Schema tab.

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Modify an XML Document

You can run a workflow from the Orchestrator client to modify the XML that the Create a simple XML document workflow creates.

Prerequisites

Verify that you created the c:/orchestrator folder at the root of the Orchestrator server system or set

access rights to another folder.

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the workflows hierarchical list, open Library > XML > Samples XML (Simple) to navigate to the

Modify XML document workflow.

3 Right-click the Modify XML document workflow and select Start workflow.

4 Provide the input and output filepaths.

a Type the filepath to the XML document to modify.

For example, c:/orchestrator/filename.xml.

b Type the filepath to the modified XML document.

For example, c:/orchestrator/filename.xml.

NOTE If you type the same filepath in both fields, the workflow overwrites the original file with the modified file. If you type an output filepath to a file that does not exist, the workflow creates a modified file.

5 Click Submit to run the workflow.

The workflow searches for an element and modifies the entry where the element is found.

Create an Example Address Book from XML

You can run a workflow from the Orchestrator client to create an address book for testing purposes.

Prerequisites

Verify that you created the c:/orchestrator folder at the root of the Orchestrator server system or set

access rights to another folder.

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the workflows hierarchical list, open Library > XML > Samples XML (Address Book) to navigate to

the Full address book test workflow.

3 Right-click the Full address book test workflow and select Start workflow.

4 Type the path to the address book folder.

For example, c:/orchestrator/foldername.

The workflow automatically creates the folder if it does not exist.

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5 Click Submit to run the workflow.

The workflow creates a DTD, an XML, and a CSS file, appends the stylesheet, and stores the files in the specified folder.

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Using the Mail Plug-In 9

You can send email messages from workflows by using the Mail plug-in, which uses the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). For example, you can create a workflow to send an email to a given address if the workflow requires user interaction or when it completes its run.

This chapter includes the following topics:

“Define the Default SMTP Connection,” on page 67

“Using the Mail Plug-In Sample Workflows,” on page 68

Define the Default SMTP Connection

The Mail plug-in is installed together with the Orchestrator server and is used for email notifications. The only option available for this plug-in is to use default values for new mail messages. You can set the default email account.

Avoid load balancers when configuring mail in Orchestrator. You might receive SMTP_HOST_UNREACHABLE error.

Procedure

1 Log in to the Orchestrator configuration interface as vmware.

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2 Click Mail.

3 Select the Define default values check box and fill in the required text boxes.

Text Box Description

SMTP host

SMTP port

User name

Password

From name and address

Enter the IP address or domain name of your SMTP server.

Enter a port number to match your SMTP configuration.

The default SMTP port is 25.

Enter a valid email account.

This is the email account Orchestrator uses to send emails.

Enter the password associated with the user name.

Enter the sender information to appear in all emails sent by Orchestrator.

4 Click Apply changes.

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Using the Mail Plug-In Sample Workflows

You can call the sample workflows of the Mail plug-in from custom workflows to implement email functionality. You can run an example workflow to test interaction with email.

Access the Mail Plug-In Sample Workflows on page 68

You must use the Orchestrator client to access the Mail plug-in sample workflows.

Mail Plug-In Sample Workflows on page 68

You can enhance your custom workflows by integrating the sample Mail plug-in workflows.

Test an Example Interaction with Email on page 69

You can run a workflow from the Orchestrator client to send an email to respond to a query, known as a user interaction.

Access the Mail Plug-In Sample Workflows

You must use the Orchestrator client to access the Mail plug-in sample workflows.

Prerequisites

Configure the Mail plug-in in the Orchestrator configuration interface.

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 Expand the hierarchical list to Library > Mail.

What to do next

Review the sample workflows.

Mail Plug-In Sample Workflows

You can enhance your custom workflows by integrating the sample Mail plug-in workflows.

You can access the Mail workflows from Library > Mail in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Retrieve messages

Retrieve messages (via MailClient)

Send interaction

Send notification

Retrieves the messages of a given email account by using the POP3 protocol.

Retrieves the messages of a certain email account, without deleting them, by using the new scripting API provided by the MailClient class.

Sends an email to answer a user interaction. The email body contains both the URL to the direct answer, and an interaction URL to process this request. If optional parameters are not specified, the workflow uses the default values set in the Orchestrator configuration interface.

Sends an email with specified content to a given email address. If optional parameters are not specified, the workflow uses the default values set in the Orchestrator configuration interface.

Send notification to mailing list

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Sends an email with specified content to a given email address list, CC list, and BCC list. If optional parameters are not specified, the workflow uses the default values set in the Orchestrator configuration interface.

Chapter 9 Using the Mail Plug-In

Test an Example Interaction with Email

You can run a workflow from the Orchestrator client to send an email to respond to a query, known as a user interaction.

The workflow uses the default mail server configuration that you set in the Orchestrator configuration interface. See “Define the Default SMTP Connection,” on page 67.

Prerequisites

Configure the Mail plug-in in the Orchestrator configuration interface.

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the workflows hierarchical list, open Library > Mail to navigate to the Example interaction with

email workflow.

3 Right-click the Example interaction with email workflow and select Start workflow.

4 Provide the required information.

a Type a recipient address.

b Select an LDAP group of users who are authorized to answer the query.

5 Click Submit to run the workflow.

The workflow suspends its run and sends an email to the given address. The email body contains a link to the weboperator Web view. If weboperator is running, the user can answer the request for interaction directly in weboperator, allowing the workflow to finish its run.

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Using the Net Plug-In 10

You can use the Net plug-in to implement the Telnet, FTP, POP3, and IMAP protocols in workflows. The POP3 and IMAP implementations allow downloading and reading email. In combination with the Mail plug-in, the Net plug-in provides full email sending and receiving capabilities in workflows.

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Using the Enumeration Plug-In 11

You can use the Enumeration plug-in to implement common enumerated types in workflows.

Time Zone Codes

You can use the time zone codes as possible values for the Enums:MSTimeZone enumeration.

Time Zone Code Time Zone Name Description

000 Dateline Standard Time (GMT-12:00) International Date Line

West

001 Samoa Standard Time (GMT-11:00) Midway Island, Samoa

002 Hawaiian Standard Time (GMT-10:00) Hawaii

003 Alaskan Standard Time (GMT-09:00) Alaska

004 Pacific Standard Time (GMT-08:00) Pacific Time (US and

Canada); Tijuana

010 Mountain Standard Time (GMT-07:00) Mountain Time (US and

Canada)

013 Mexico Standard Time 2 (GMT-07:00) Chihuahua, La Paz,

Mazatlan

015 U.S. Mountain Standard Time (GMT-07:00) Arizona

020 Central Standard Time (GMT-06:00) Central Time (US and

Canada)

025 Canada Central Standard Time (GMT-06:00) Saskatchewan

030 Mexico Standard Time (GMT-06:00) Guadalajara, Mexico City,

Monterrey

033 Central America Standard Time (GMT-06:00) Central America

035 Eastern Standard Time (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US and

Canada)

040 U.S. Eastern Standard Time (GMT-05:00) Indiana (East)

045 S.A. Pacific Standard Time (GMT-05:00) Bogota, Lima, Quito

050 Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-04:00) Atlantic Time (Canada)

055 S.A. Western Standard Time (GMT-04:00) Caracas, La Paz

056 Pacific S.A. Standard Time (GMT-04:00) Santiago

060 Newfoundland and Labrador

Standard Time

065 E. South America Standard Time (GMT-03:00) Brasilia

(GMT-03:30) Newfoundland and Labrador

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Time Zone Code Time Zone Name Description

070 S.A. Eastern Standard Time (GMT-03:00) Buenos Aires,

073 Greenland Standard Time (GMT-03:00) Greenland

075 Mid-Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-02:00) Mid-Atlantic

080 Azores Standard Time (GMT-01:00) Azores

083 Cape Verde Standard Time (GMT-01:00) Cape Verde Islands

085 GMT Standard Time (GMT) Greenwich Mean Time :

090 Greenwich Standard Time (GMT) Casablanca, Monrovia

095 Central Europe Standard Time (GMT+01:00) Belgrade, Bratislava,

100 Central European Standard Time (GMT+01:00) Sarajevo, Skopje,

105 Romance Standard Time (GMT+01:00) Brussels, Copenhagen,

110 W. Europe Standard Time (GMT+01:00) Amsterdam, Berlin, Bern,

113 W. Central Africa Standard Time (GMT+01:00) West Central Africa

115 E. Europe Standard Time (GMT+02:00) Bucharest

120 Egypt Standard Time (GMT+02:00) Cairo

125 FLE Standard Time (GMT+02:00) Helsinki, Kyiv, Riga,

130 GTB Standard Time (GMT+02:00) Athens, Istanbul, Minsk

135 Israel Standard Time (GMT+02:00) Jerusalem

140 South Africa Standard Time (GMT+02:00) Harare, Pretoria

145 Russian Standard Time (GMT+03:00) Moscow, St. Petersburg,

150 Arab Standard Time (GMT+03:00) Kuwait, Riyadh

155 E. Africa Standard Time (GMT+03:00) Nairobi

158 Arabic Standard Time (GMT+03:00) Baghdad

160 Iran Standard Time (GMT+03:30) Tehran

165 Arabian Standard Time (GMT+04:00) Abu Dhabi, Muscat

170 Caucasus Standard Time (GMT+04:00) Baku, Tbilisi, Yerevan

175 Transitional Islamic State of

180 Ekaterinburg Standard Time (GMT+05:00) Ekaterinburg

185 West Asia Standard Time (GMT+05:00) Islamabad, Karachi,

190 India Standard Time (GMT+05:30) Chennai, Kolkata,

193 Nepal Standard Time (GMT+05:45) Kathmandu

195 Central Asia Standard Time (GMT+06:00) Astana, Dhaka

200 Sri Lanka Standard Time (GMT+06:00) Sri Jayawardenepura

201 N. Central Asia Standard Time (GMT+06:00) Almaty, Novosibirsk

Georgetown

Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, London

Budapest, Ljubljana, Prague

Warsaw, Zagreb

Madrid, Paris

Rome, Stockholm, Vienna

Sofia, Tallinn, Vilnius

Volgograd

(GMT+04:30) Kabul

Afghanistan Standard Time

Tashkent

Mumbai, New Delhi

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Time Zone Code Time Zone Name Description

203 Myanmar Standard Time (GMT+06:30) Yangon (Rangoon)

205 S.E. Asia Standard Time (GMT+07:00) Bangkok, Hanoi, Jakarta

207 North Asia Standard Time (GMT+07:00) Krasnoyarsk

210 China Standard Time (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing,

Hong Kong SAR, Urumqi

215 Singapore Standard Time (GMT+08:00) Kuala Lumpur,

Singapore

220 Taipei Standard Time (GMT+08:00) Taipei

225 W. Australia Standard Time (GMT+08:00) Perth

227 North Asia East Standard Time (GMT+08:00) Irkutsk, Ulaan Bataar

230 Korea Standard Time (GMT+09:00) Seoul

235 Tokyo Standard Time (GMT+09:00) Osaka, Sapporo, Tokyo

240 Yakutsk Standard Time (GMT+09:00) Yakutsk

245 A.U.S. Central Standard Time (GMT+09:30) Darwin

250 Cen. Australia Standard Time (GMT+09:30) Adelaide

255 A.U.S. Eastern Standard Time (GMT+10:00) Canberra, Melbourne,

Sydney

260 E. Australia Standard Time (GMT+10:00) Brisbane

265 Tasmania Standard Time (GMT+10:00) Hobart

270 Vladivostok Standard Time (GMT+10:00) Vladivostok

275 West Pacific Standard Time (GMT+10:00) Guam, Port Moresby

280 Central Pacific Standard Time (GMT+11:00) Magadan, Solomon

Islands, New Caledonia

285 Fiji Islands Standard Time (GMT+12:00) Fiji Islands, Kamchatka,

Marshall Islands

290 New Zealand Standard Time (GMT+12:00) Auckland, Wellington

300 Tonga Standard Time (GMT+13:00) Nuku'alofa

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Using the Workflow Documentation

Plug-In 12

You can use the Workflow Documentation plug-in to generate PDF documentation about a specific workflow or workflow category.

This chapter includes the following topics:

“Workflow Library for the Workflow Documentation Plug-In,” on page 77

“Generate Workflow Documentation,” on page 77

Workflow Library for the Workflow Documentation Plug-In

With the Workflow Documentation plug-in workflows you can generate PDF documentation about specific workflows or workflow categories.

You can access these workflows from Library > Workflow documentation in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.

Get documentation for workflow

Get documentation for workflow category

Generates information about a workflow that you select.

Generates information about a workflow category that you select.

Generate Workflow Documentation

You can export documentation in PDF format about a workflow or a workflow folder that you select at any time.

The exported document contains detailed information about the selected workflow or the workflows in the folder. The information about each workflow includes name, version history of the workflow, attributes, parameter presentation, workflow schema, and workflow actions. In addition, the documentation also provides the source code for the used actions.

Procedure

1 From the drop-down menu in the Orchestrator client, select Run or Design.

2 Click the Workflows view.

3 Navigate to the workflow or workflow folder for which you want to generate documentation and right-

click it.

4 Select Generate documentation.

5 Browse to locate the folder in which to save the PDF file, provide a file name, and click Save.

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The PDF file containing the information about the selected workflow, or the workflows in the folder, is saved on your system.

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Using the HTTP-REST Plug-In 13

The HTTP-REST plug-in allows you to manage REST Web services by providing interaction between vCenter Orchestrator and REST hosts. You can define REST services and their operations as inventory objects by running configuration workflows, and perform REST operations on the defined objects.

The plug-in contains a set of standard workflows related to managing REST hosts and invoking REST operations. You can also generate custom workflows to automate tasks in a REST environment.

This chapter includes the following topics:

“Configuring the HTTP-REST Plug-In,” on page 79

“Generate a New Workflow from a REST Operation,” on page 82

“Invoke a REST Operation,” on page 83

Configuring the HTTP-REST Plug-In

You must use the Orchestrator client to configure the HTTP-REST plug-in.

Configuration Workflows

The Configuration workflow category contains workflows that allow you to manage REST hosts.

You can access these workflows from Library > HTTP-REST > Configuration on the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

Workflow Name Description

Add a REST host Adds a REST host to the plug-in's inventory.

Add a REST operation Adds an operation to a REST host.

Add schema to a REST host Adds an XSD schema to a REST host.

Clone a REST host Creates a clone of a REST host.

Clone a REST operation Creates a clone of a REST operation.

Manage SSL certificates Verifies a host URL, and if required, shows a user interaction message for the

approval of SSL certificates.

Reload plug-in configuration Refreshes the list of REST hosts in the plug-in's inventory.

Remove a REST host Removes a REST host from the plug-in's inventory.

Remove a REST operation Removes an operation from a REST host.

Remove schemas form a REST host Removes all associated XSD schemas from a REST host.

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Workflow Name Description

Update a REST host Updates a REST host in the plug-in's inventory.

Update a REST operation Updates an operation on a REST host.

Configure Kerberos Authentication

You can use Kerberos authentication when you add a host.

The krb5.conf file contains the following information:

Kerberos configuration information

Locations of Key Distribution Centers (KDC) and administration servers for the Kerberos realms of

interest

Default values for the current realm and for Kerberos applications

Mappings of host names onto Kerberos realms

Procedure

Create a krb5.conf file and save it to the following location.

Operating System Path

Windows

Linux

A krb5.conf file has the following structure:

C:\Program Files\Common Files\VMware\VMware vCenter Server

- Java Components\lib\security\

/usr/java/jre-vmware/lib/security/

[libdefaults] default_realm = YOURDOMAIN.COM udp_preference_limit = 1 [realms] YOURDOMAIN.COM = { kdc = kdc.yourdomain.com default_domain = yourdomain.com } [domain_realms] .yourdomain.com=YOURDOMAIN.COM yourdomain.com=YOURDOMAIN.COM

NOTE The Kerberos authentication requires a Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) host address.

IMPORTANT When you add or modify the krb5.conf file, you must restart the Orchestrator server

service.

Add a REST Host

You can run a workflow to add a REST host and configure the host connection parameters.

Procedure

1 Log in to the Orchestrator client as an administrator.

2 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

3 In the workflows hierarchical list, select Library > HTTP-REST > Configuration and navigate to the

Add a REST host workflow.

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4 Right-click the Add a REST host workflow and select Start workflow.

5 In the Name text box, type the name of the host.

6 In the URL text box, type the address of the host.

NOTE The Kerberos authentication requires a Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) host address.

7 In the Connection timeout text box, type the number of seconds before a connection times out.

8 In the Operation timeout text box, type the number of seconds before an operation times out.

9 Select the authentication type.

Option Description

None

OAuth 1.0

OAuth 2.0

Basic

Digest

Kerberos

No authentication is required.

Provide the required authentication parameters.

Provide the authentication token.

Provides basic access authentication.

Select the session mode.

If you select Shared Session, provide credentials for the shared

session.

If you select Per User Session, the Orchestrator client retrieves

credentials from the user who is logged in.

Provides digest access authentication that uses encryption.

Select the session mode.

If you select Shared Session, provide credentials for the shared

session.

If you select Per User Session, the Orchestrator client retrieves

credentials from the user who is logged in.

Provides Kerberos access authentication.

Select the session mode.

If you select Shared Session, provide credentials for the shared

session.

If you select Per User Session, the Orchestrator client retrieves

credentials from the user who is logged in.

10 Click Submit to run the workflow.

After the workflow runs successfully, the REST host appears in the Inventory view.

What to do next

You can add opearations and XSD schema to the REST host, and run workflows from the Inventory view.

Add a REST Operation

You can run a workflow to add an operation to a REST host from the plug-in's inventory.

Prerequisites

Verify that you are logged in to the Orchestrator client as an administrator.

Verify that you have a connection to a REST host from the Inventory view.

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the workflows hierarchical list, select Library > HTTP-REST > Configuration and navigate to the

Add a REST operation workflow.

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3 Right-click the Add a REST operation workflow and select Start workflow.

4 Select the host to which you want to add the operation.

5 In the Name text box, type the name of the operation.

6 In the Template URL text box, type only the operation part of the URL.

You can include placeholders for parameters that are provided when you run the operation.

The following is an example URL syntax.

/customer/{id}/orders?date={date}

7 Select the HTTP method that the operation uses.

If you select POST or PUT, you can provide content type for the method.

8 Click Submit to run the workflow.

What to do next

You can run workflows on the operation from the Inventory view.

Add a Schema to a REST Host

You can run a workflow to add an XSD schema to a REST host from the plug-in's inventory.

The XSD schema describes the XML documents that are used as input and output content from Web services. By associating such a schema with a host, you can specify the XML element that is required as an input when you are generating a workflow from a REST operation.

Prerequisites

Verify that you are logged in to the Orchestrator client as an administrator.

Verify that you have a connection to a REST host from the Inventory view.

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the workflows hierarchical list, select Library > HTTP-REST > Configuration to navigate to the Add

a schema to a REST host workflow.

3 Right-click the Add a schema to a REST host workflow and select Start workflow.

4 Select the host to which you want to add the XSD schema.

5 Select whether to load the schema from URL.

Option Action

Yes

Type the URL of the schema.

Provide the schema content.

6 Click Submit to run the workflow.

Generate a New Workflow from a REST Operation

You can create a custom workflow from a REST operation.

You can integrate custom-generated workflows into high-level workflows. For more information about workflow development, see the vCenter Orchestrator Developer's Guide.

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Prerequisites

Verify that you are logged in to the Orchestrator client as an administrator.

Verify that you have a connection to a REST host from the Inventory view.

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the workflows hierarchical list, select Library > HTTP-REST and navigate to the Generate a new

workflow from a REST operation workflow.

3 Right-click the Generate a new workflow from a REST operation workflow and select Start workflow.

4 Select the REST operation from the list of available operations.

If the operation takes input and XSD schemas are added to its host, you can specify the request input type.

5 In the Name text box, type the name of the workflow to generate.

6 Select the workflow folder in which to generate the new workflow.

You can select any existing folder from the worklfow library.

7 Click Submit to run the workflow.

Invoke a REST Operation

You can call a REST operation directly, without generating a new workflow.

Prerequisites

Verify that you are logged in to the Orchestrator client as an administrator.

Verify that you have a connection to a REST host from the Inventory view.

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the workflows hierarchical list, select Library > HTTP-REST and navigate to the Invoke a REST

operation workflow.

3 Right-click the Invoke a REST operation workflow and select Start workflow.

4 Select the REST operation from the list of available operations.

5 Provide the input parameters and content that the operation requires.

6 Click Submit to run the workflow.

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Using the SOAP Plug-In 14

The SOAP plug-in allows you to manage SOAP Web services by providing interaction between vCenter Orchestrator and SOAP hosts. You can define SOAP services as inventory objects by running configuration workflows, and perform SOAP operations on the defined objects.

The plug-in contains a set of standard workflows related to managing SOAP hosts and invoking SOAP operations. You can also generate custom workflows to automate tasks in a SOAP environment.

This chapter includes the following topics:

“Configuring the SOAP Plug-In,” on page 85

“Generate a New Workflow from a SOAP Operation,” on page 87

“Invoke a SOAP Operation,” on page 88

Configuring the SOAP Plug-In

You must use the Orchestrator client to configure the SOAP plug-in.

Configuration Workflows

The Configuration workflow category contains workflows that allow you to manage SOAP hosts.

You can access these workflows from Library > SOAP > Configuration on the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

Workflow Name Description

Add a SOAP host Adds a SOAP host to the plug-in's inventory.

Manage SSL certificates Verifies a host URL, and if required, shows a user interaction message for the

approval of SSL certificates.

Reload plug-in configuration Refreshes the list of SOAP hosts in the plug-in's inventory.

Remove a SOAP host Removes a SOAP host from the plug-in's inventory.

CAUTION When you remove a host from the inventory, all workflows generated from it will stop working.

Update a SOAP host Updates a SOAP host in the plug-in's inventory.

Update a SOAP host with an endpoint URL

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Updates a SOAP host with a preferred endpoint address. The new endpoint address is used for sending and receiving SOAP messages, instead of the endpoint address defined within the WSDL.

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Add a SOAP Host

You can run a workflow to add a SOAP host and configure the host connection parameters.

Procedure

1 Log in to the Orchestrator client as an administrator.

2 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

3 In the workflows hierarchical list, select Library > SOAP > Configuration and navigate to the Add a

SOAP host workflow.

4 Right-click the Add a SOAP host workflow and select Start workflow.

5 In the Name text box, type the name of the host.

6 Select whether to provide the WSDL content as text.

Option Action

Yes

7 In the Connection timeout text box, specify the number of seconds before a connection times out.

Copy the text in the WSDL content text box.

Type the correct path in the WSDL URI text box.

8 In the Request timeout text box, specify the number of seconds before a request times out.

9 Select the authentication type.

Option Description

None

Basic

Digest

NTLM

Kerberos

No authentication is required.

Provides basic access authentication.

Select the session mode.

If you select Shared Session, provide credentials for the shared

session.

If you select Per User Session, the Orchestrator client retrieves

credentials from the user who is logged in.

Provides digest access authentication that uses encryption.

Select the session mode.

If you select Shared Session, provide credentials for the shared

session.

If you select Per User Session, the Orchestrator client retrieves

credentials from the user who is logged in.

Provides NT LAN Manager (NTLM) access authentication within the Window Security Support Provider (SSPI) framework.

Select the session mode.

If you select Shared Session, provide credentials for the shared

session.

If you select Per User Session, the Orchestrator client retrieves

credentials from the user who is logged in.

Provide the NTLM settings.

Provides Kerberos access authentication.

Select the session mode.

If you select Shared Session, provide credentials for the shared

session.

If you select Per User Session, the Orchestrator client retrieves

credentials from the user who is logged in.

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10 Click Submit to run the workflow.

After the workflow runs successfully, the SOAP host appears in the Inventory view.

What to do next

You can explore the SOAP host objects and run workflows on them from the Inventory view.

Configure Kerberos Authentication

You can use Kerberos authentication when you add a host.

The krb5.conf file contains the following information:

Kerberos configuration information

Locations of Key Distribution Centers (KDC) and administration servers for the Kerberos realms of

interest

Default values for the current realm and for Kerberos applications

Mappings of host names onto Kerberos realms

Procedure

Create a krb5.conf file and save it to the following location.

Chapter 14 Using the SOAP Plug-In

Operating System Path

Windows

Linux

C:\Program Files\Common Files\VMware\VMware vCenter Server

- Java Components\lib\security\

/usr/java/jre-vmware/lib/security/

A krb5.conf file has the following structure:

NOTE The Kerberos authentication requires a Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) host address.

IMPORTANT When you add or modify the krb5.conf file, you must restart the Orchestrator server

service.

Generate a New Workflow from a SOAP Operation

You can create a custom workflow from a SOAP operation.

You can integrate custom-generated workflows into high-level workflows. For more information about workflow development, see the vCenter Orchestrator Developer's Guide.

Prerequisites

Verify that you are logged in to the Orchestrator client as an administrator.

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Verify that you have a connection to a SOAP host from the Inventory view.

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the workflows hierarchical list, select Library > SOAP to navigate to the Generate a new workflow

from a SOAP operation workflow.

3 Right-click the Generate a new workflow from a SOAP operation workflow and select Start workflow.

4 Select the SOAP operation from the list of available operations.

5 In the Name text box, type the name of the workflow to generate.

6 Select the workflow folder in which to generate the new workflow.

You can select any existing folder from the workflow library.

7 Click Submit to run the workflow.

What to do next

You can test the generated workflow.

Test a Custom-Generated Workflow

You can run a custom workflow generated from a SOAP operation to get the output parameters of the operation.

Prerequisites

Verify that you are logged in to the Orchestrator client as an administrator.

Verify that you have a connection to a SOAP host from the Inventory view.

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 Navigate to the workflow location.

3 Right-click the custom workflow and select Start workflow.

4 Provide the input parameters that the SOAP operation requires.

5 Click Submit to run the workflow.

6 (Optional) In the Logs tab, review the list of available output parameters.

Invoke a SOAP Operation

You can call a SOAP operation directly, without generating a new workflow.

Prerequisites

Verify that you are logged in to the Orchestrator client as an administrator.

Verify that you have a connection to a SOAP host from the Inventory view.

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the workflows hierarchical list, select Library > SOAP and navigate to the Invoke a SOAP operation

workflow.

3 Right-click the Invoke a SOAP operation workflow and select Start workflow.

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4 Select the SOAP operation from the list of available operations.

5 Provide the input parameters that the SOAP operation requires.

6 Click Submit to run the workflow.

7 (Optional) In the Logs tab, review the list of available output parameters.

Chapter 14 Using the SOAP Plug-In

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Using the AMQP Plug-In 15

The AMQP plug-in allows you to interact with Advanced Message Queuing Protocol (AMQP) servers also known as brokers. You can define AMQP brokers and queue subscriptions as inventory objects by running configuration workflows, and perform AMQP operations on defined objects.

The plug-in contains a set of standard workflows related to managing AMQP brokers and calling AMQP operations.

This chapter includes the following topics:

“Configuring the AMQP Plug-In,” on page 91

“Using the AMQP Plug-In Standard Workflows,” on page 93

Configuring the AMQP Plug-In

You must use the Orchestrator client to configure the AMQP plug-in.

Configuration Workflows

The Configuration workflow category contains workflows that allow you to manage AMQP brokers.

You can access these workflows from Library > AMQP > Configuration on the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

Workflow Name Description

Add a broker Adds an AMQP broker.

Reload plug-in configuration Reloads the plug-in configuration. You can run the workflow when you import new

Remove a broker Removes an AMQP broker.

Remove a subscription Removes an AMQP message subscription.

Subscribe to queues Creates a new subscription element.

Update a broker Updates broker properties.

Validate a broker Validate a broker by attempting to start a connection.

Add a Broker

You can run a workflow to add an AMQP broker.

Procedure

1 Log in to the Orchestrator client as an administrator.

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resources containing new broker definitions handled by the plug-in.

Using VMware vCenter Orchestrator Plug-Ins

2 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

3 In the hierarchical list of workflows, select Library > AMQP > Configuration and navigate to the Add a

broker workflow.

4 Right-click the Add a broker workflow and select Start workflow.

5 Provide the information required for the Add a broker workflow.

Option Action

Name

Host

Port

Virtual host

Use SSL

Accept all certificates

User name

Password

6 Click Submit to run the workflow.

After the workflow runs successfully, the AMQP broker appears in the Inventory view.

Type the name of the broker.

Type the address of the host.

Type the port of the AMQP broker service. The default port is 5672.

Type the address of the virtual host. The default value provided is /.

Select whether to use SSL certificates.

Select whether to accept all SSL certificates without validation.

Type the user name for the broker.

Type the password for the broker.

What to do next

You can run a Validate a broker workflow. If an error occurs, use the Update a broker workflow to change the broker's properties before validating again.

Subscribe to Queues

You can run a workflow to create a new subscription elements.

Prerequisites

Verify that you are logged in to the Orchestrator client as an administrator.

Verify that you have a connection to an AMQP broker from the Inventory view.

Verify that the AMQP broker has all queues included in the subscription declared.

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the hierarchical list of workflows, select Library > AMQP > Configuration and navigate to the

Subscribe to queues workflow.

3 Right-click the Subscribe to queues workflow and select Start workflow.

4 In the Name text box, type the name of the queue to display.

5 Select the broker to which you want to add the subscription.

6 Select all the queues for message subscription.

7 Click Submit to run the workflow.

After the workflow runs successfully a child of the broker appears in the Inventory view.

What to do next

You can create a policy.

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Chapter 15 Using the AMQP Plug-In

Update a Broker

You can run a workflow to update the broker properties.

Prerequisites

Verify that you are logged in to the Orchestrator client as an administrator.

Verify that you have a connection to an AMQP broker from the Inventory view.

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the hierarchical list of workflows, select Library > AMQP and navigate to the Update a broker

workflow.

3 Right-click the Update a broker workflow and select Start workflow.

4 Select the broker that you want to update.

Current properties of the broker appear.

5 Edit the properties that you want.

6 Click Submit to run the workflow.

Using the AMQP Plug-In Standard Workflows

The AMQP workflow category contains workflows that allow you to run AMQP operations.

You can access these workflows from Library > AMQP on the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

Workflow Name Description

Bind Creates a binding in a specified broker.

Declare a queue Adds a queue to a specified broker.

Declare an exchange Adds an exchange to a specified broker.

Delete a queue Deletes a queue from a specified broker.

Delete an exchange Deletes an exchange from a specified broker.

Receive a text message Receives a text message from a specified broker.

Send a test message Sends a text message using a specified broker.

Unbind Unbinds binding in a specified broker.

Declare a Binding

You can run a workflow to create a binding in a specified broker.

Prerequisites

Verify that you are logged in to the Orchestrator client as an administrator.

Verify that you have a connection to an AMQP broker from the Inventory view.

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the hierarchical list of workflows, select Library > AMQP and navigate to the Bind workflow.

3 Right-click the Bind workflow and select Start workflow.

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4 Select a broker in which you want create a binding.

5 Provide information about the binding.

Option Action

Queue name

Exchange name

Routing key

6 Click Submit to run the workflow.

Declare a Queue

You can run a workflow to add a queue to a specified broker.

Prerequisites

Verify that you are logged in to the Orchestrator client as an administrator.

Verify that you have a connection to an AMQP broker from the Inventory view.

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

Type the name of the queue.

Type the name of the exchange.

Type the routing key.

2 In the hierarchical list of workflows, select Library > AMQP and navigate to the Declare a queue

workflow.

3 Right-click the Declare a queue workflow and select Start workflow.

4 Select a broker to which you want to add the queue.

5 In the Name text box, type the name of the queue to display.

6 Select whether the queue is durable.

Option Description

Yes

The queue is removed after a broker restart.

The queue remains after a broker restart.

7 Select whether an exclusive client is set for the specific queue.

Option Description

Yes

Sets one client for this specific queue.

Sets more clients for this specific queue.

8 Select whether to automatically delete the queue with activated subscription.

Option Description

Yes

Automatically deletes the queue when no more clients are connected to it. The queue remains until at least one client subscribes to it.

Does not automatically delete the queue.

9 Click Submit to run the workflow.

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Chapter 15 Using the AMQP Plug-In

Declare an Exchange

You can run a workflow to add an exchange in a specified broker.

Prerequisites

Verify that you are logged in to the Orchestrator client as an administrator.

Verify that you have a connection to an AMQP broker from the Inventory view.

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the hierarchical list of workflows, select Library > AMQP and navigate to the Declare an exchange

workflow.

3 Right-click the Declare an exchange workflow and select Start workflow.

4 Select a broker to which you want to add the exchange.

5 In the Name text box, type a name for the exchange.

6 Select the exchange type.

Option Description

direct

fanout

headers

topic

Makes a direct match between the routing key provided in the message and the routing criteria used when a queue is bound to this exchange.

Forwards any message sent to this exchange to all queues bound to it. Queues that are bound to this exchange contain no arguments.

Queues are bound to this exchange with a table of arguments that can contain headers and values. A special argument named x-match determines the matching algorithm.

Performs a wildcard match between the routing key and the routing pattern specified in the binding.

7 Select whether the exchange is durable.

Option Description

Yes

The exchange remains after a broker restart.

The exchange is removed after a broker restart.

8 Select whether to automatically delete the exchange with activated subscription.

Option Description

Yes

Automatically deletes the exchange when no more queues are bound to it. The exchange remains until at least one queue is bound to it.

Does not automatically delete the exchange.

9 Click Submit to run the workflow.

Send a Text Message

You can run a workflow to send a text message using a specified broker.

Prerequisites

Verify that you are logged in to the Orchestrator client as an administrator.

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Verify that you have a connection to an AMQP broker from the Inventory view.

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the hierarchical list of workflows, select Library > AMQP and navigate to the Send a text message

workflow.

3 Right-click the Send a text message workflow and select Start workflow.

4 Select a broker from which you want to send a message.

5 In the Exchange name text box, specify the name of the exchange.

6 In the Routing key text box, specify the routing key.

7 In the Content text box, type the message you want to send.

8 Click Submit to run the workflow.

Delete a Binding

You can run a workflow to delete a binding in a specified broker.

Prerequisites

Verify that you are logged in to the Orchestrator client as an administrator.

Verify that you have a connection to an AMQP broker from the Inventory view.

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the hierarchical list of workflows, select Library > AMQP and navigate to the Unbind workflow.

3 Right-click the Unbind workflow and select Start workflow.

4 Select a broker to remove the binding from.

5 Provide information about the binding.

Option Action

Queue name

Exchange name

Routing key

Specify the name of the queue.

Specify the name of the exchange.

Specify the routing key.

6 Click Submit to run the workflow.

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Using the SNMP Plug-In 16

The SNMP plug-in allows vCenter Orchestrator to connect and receive information from SNMP-enabled systems and devices. You can define SNMP devices as inventory objects by running workflows, and perform SNMP operations on the defined objects.

You can use the plug-in to connect to SNMP devices such as routers, switches, network printers, and UPS devices. The plug-in can also receive events from vCenter Server over the SNMP protocol.

The SNMP plug-in provides two methods of communication with the SNMP devices.

Queries for the values of specific SNMP variables.

Listening for events (SNMP traps) that are generated from the devices and pushed to the registered

SNMP managers.

The plug-in contains a set of standard workflows related to managing SNMP devices, queries, the trap host, and performing SNMP operations. You can also create custom workflows to automate tasks in an SNMP environment.

This chapter includes the following topics:

“Managing SNMP Devices,” on page 97

“Managing SNMP Queries,” on page 98

“Managing the SNMP Trap Host,” on page 99

“Receiving SNMP Traps,” on page 100

“Generic SNMP Request Workflows,” on page 102

Managing SNMP Devices

You can run workflows to register SNMP devices with Orchestrator, edit the settings for existing devices, and unregister devices.

Device Management Workflows

The Device Management workflow category contains workflows that allow you to manage SNMP devices.

You can access these workflows from Library > SNMP > Device Management on the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

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Workflow Name Description

Edit an SNMP device Edits the configuration of a registered SNMP device.

Unregister an SNMP device Unregisters an SNMP device from the plug-in's inventory.

Register an SNMP Device

You can run a workflow to register an SNMP device and optionally configure advanced connection parameters.

Procedure

1 Log in to the Orchestrator client as an administrator.

2 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

3 In the workflows hierarchical list, select Library > SNMP > Device Management and navigate to the

4 Right-click the Register an SNMP device workflow and select Start workflow.

5 In the Device address text box, type the IP address or DNS name of the SNMP device.

NOTE To establish a more reliable connection, you should use IP address.

6 (Optional) In the Name text box, type a name for the device as you want it to appear in the Inventory

view.

If you leave the text box blank, the device address is used to generate a name automatically.

7 (Optional) To configure the advanced connection parameters, select Yes.

a In the Port text box, specify the connection port.

The default port is 161.

b From the Version drop-down menu, select the SNMP version that you want to use and provide the

credentials.

NOTE The support for SNMPv3 is limited to the AuthPriv security level with MD5 authentication. The DES passphrase is the same as the MD5 password.

8 Click Submit to run the workflow.

After the workflow runs successfully, the SNMP device appears in the Inventory view.

What to do next

You can add queries to the SNMP device and run workflows from the Inventory view.

Managing SNMP Queries

You can add queries to SNMP devices, run, copy, and edit existing queries, and remove queries from SNMP devices.

Query Management Workflows

The Query Management workflow category contains workflows that allow you to manage SNMP queries.

You can access these workflows from Library > SNMP > Query Management on the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

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Chapter 16 Using the SNMP Plug-In

Workflow Name Description

Add a query to an SNMP device Adds a query to an SNMP device.

Copy an SNMP query Copies an SNMP query from one device to another.

Edit an SNMP query Edits an existing SNMP query.

Remove a query from an SNMP device Removes an SNMP query from a device.

Run an SNMP query Runs a query against an SNMP device.

Add a Query to an SNMP Device

You can run a workflow to add a query to an SNMP device from the plug-in's inventory.

Prerequisites

Verify that you are logged in to the Orchestrator client as an administrator.

Verify that you have a connection to an SNMP device from the Inventory view.

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the workflows hierarchical list, select Library > SNMP > Query Management and navigate to the

Add a query to an SNMP device workflow.

3 Right-click the Add a query to an SNMP device workflow and select Start workflow.

4 Select the device to which you want to add the query.

5 From the Type drop-down menu, select the query type.

6 In the OID text box, type the object identifier of the variable that you want to query.

The following are example OID values.

1.3.6.1.2.1.1.5.0

.1.3.6.1.2.1.1.5.0

iso.3.6.1.2.1.1.5.0

NOTE The plug-in supports only OID values that are numerical or that begin with iso and continue with numbers.

7 (Optional) In the Name text box, type a name for the query.

If you leave the text box blank, the type and OID parameters are used to generate a name automatically.

8 Click Submit to run the workflow.

What to do next

You can run workflows on the query from the Inventory view.

Managing the SNMP Trap Host

You can start and stop the SNMP trap host, and change the port on which Orchestrator listens for SNMP traps.

The SNMP plug-in supports SNMPv1 and SNMPv2c traps.

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Trap Host Management Workflows

The Trap Host Management workflow category contains workflows that allow you to manage the SNMP trap host.

You can access these workflows from Library > SNMP > Trap Host Management on the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

Workflow Name Description

Set the SNMP trap port Sets the port on which Orchestrator listens for SNMP traps.

Start the trap host Orchestrator starts listening for SNMP traps.

Stop the trap host Orchestrator stops listening for SNMP traps.

Set the SNMP Trap Port

You can run a workflow to set the port on which Orchestrator listens for SNMP traps.

The default port for SNMP traps is 162. However, on Linux systems, you can open ports bellow 1024 only with superuser privileges. To ensure better compatibility, the default port for listening to SNMP traps in the SNMP plug-in is set to 4000.

Prerequisites

Verify that you are logged in to the Orchestrator client as an administrator.

Verify that you have a connection to an SNMP device from the Inventory view.

Procedure

1 Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

2 In the workflows hierarchical list, select Library > SNMP > Trap Host Management and navigate to the

Set the SNMP trap port workflow.

3 Right-click the Set the SNMP trap port workflow and select Start workflow.

4 In the Port text box, type the port number on which Orchestrator should listen for SNMP traps.

5 Click Submit to run the workflow.

The workflow stops the trap host, sets the new port, and starts the trap host again.

Receiving SNMP Traps

The SNMP plug-in can receive SNMP traps by running a workflow, which waits for a single trap message, or with a policy, which can handle traps continuously. The plug-in supports SNMPv1 and SNMPv2c traps.

Wait for a Trap on an SNMP Device

You can run a workflow that waits to recieve an SNMP trap from a specified device.

This workflow features a trigger, which stops the run of the workflow and waits for an SNMP trap before continuing. When a trap is received, the workflow run resumes. You can use the workflow as part of more complex workflows, or as a sample that you can customize or extend for a specific need.

Prerequisites

Verify that you are logged in to the Orchestrator client as an administrator.

Verify that you have a connection to an SNMP device from the Inventory view.

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VMware vCenter Orchestrator - 5.5.2 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Contents

Using VMware vCenter Orchestrator Plug-Ins

Introduction to Orchestrator Plug-Ins 1

Orchestrator Architecture

Plug-Ins Installed with the Orchestrator Server

Access the Orchestrator API Explorer

Configure the Orchestrator Plug-Ins 2

Using the vCenter Server Plug-In 3

Configuring the vCenter Server Plug-In

Configuration Workflows

Configure the Connection to a vCenter Server Instance

vCenter Server Plug-In Scripting API

Using the vCenter Server Plug-In Inventory

Access the vCenter Server Plug-In Workflow Library

vCenter Server Plug-In Workflow Library

Batch Workflows

Cluster and Compute Resource Workflows

Custom Attributes Workflows

Datacenter Workflows

Datastore and Files Workflows

Datacenter Folder Management Workflows

Host Folder Management Workflows

Virtual Machine Folder Management Workflows

Guest Operation Files Workflows

Guest Operation Processes Workflows

Power Host Management Workflows

Basic Host Management Workflows

Host Registration Management Workflows

Networking Workflows

Distributed Virtual Port Group Workflows

Distributed Virtual Switch Workflows

Standard Virtual Switch Workflows

Resource Pool Workflows

Storage Workflows

Storage DRS Workflows

Basic Virtual Machine Management Workflows

Clone Workflows

Linked Clone Workflows

Linux Customization Clone Workflows

Tools Clone Workflows

Windows Customization Clone Workflows

Device Management Workflows

Move and Migrate Workflows

Other Workflows

Power Management Workflows

Snapshot Workflows

VMware Tools Workflows

Using the Configuration Plug-In 4

Access the Configuration Plug-In Workflow Library

Configuration Plug-In Workflow Library

Using the vCO Library Plug-In 5

vCO Library Plug-In Workflows

Using the SQL Plug-In 6

Configuring the SQL Plug-In

SQL Plug-In Configuration Workflows

Add a Database

Add Tables to a Database

Update a Database

Running the SQL Sample Workflows

Generate a JDBC URL

Test a JDBC Connection

Create a Table by Using JDBC

Insert a Row into a JDBC Table

Select Rows from a JDBC Table

Delete an Entry from a JDBC Table

Delete All Entries from a JDBC Table

Drop a JDBC Table

Run a Complete JDBC Cycle

Using the SQL Plug-In Standard Workflows

SQL Plug-In Workflow Library

Generate CRUD Workflows for a Table

Using the SSH Plug-In 7

Configure the SSH Plug-In

Running the SSH Plug-In Sample Workflows

Generate a Key Pair

Change the Key Pair Passphrase