Vmware Using VRealize Orchestrator Plug Ins VRealize. 7.1 V Realize 71 Plugins En

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Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator
Plug-Ins
vRealize Orchestrator 7.1

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-002241-00

Using VMware vRealize 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.
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Contents

Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

1 Introduction to Orchestrator Plug-Ins 11
Orchestrator Architecture 11
Plug-Ins Installed with the Orchestrator Server
Access the Orchestrator API Explorer 15

2 Configure the Orchestrator Plug-Ins 17
Manage the Orchestrator Plug-Ins
Uninstall a Plug-In 18
Reinstall Plug-Ins 18

3 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 21
Using the vCenter Server Plug-In Inventory 21
Using XPath Expressions with the vCenter Server Plug-In 21
Using XPath Expressions with the vCenter Server Plug-In 22
Access the vCenter Server Plug-In Workflow Library 22
vCenter Server Plug-In Workflow Library 23
Batch Workflows 25
Cluster and Compute Resource Workflows 26
Configuration Workflows 26
Custom Attributes Workflows 27
Datacenter Workflows 27
Datastore and Files Workflows 27
Datacenter Folder Management Workflows 28
Host Folder Management Workflows 28
Virtual Machine Folder Management Workflows 28
Guest Operation Files Workflows 28
Guest Operation Processes Workflows 29
Power Host Management Workflows 29
Basic Host Management Workflows 29
Host Registration Management Workflows 30
Networking Workflows 30
Distributed Virtual Port Group Workflows 30
Distributed Virtual Switch Workflows 31
Standard Virtual Switch Workflows 31
Networking Virtual SAN Workflows 32

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Resource Pool Workflows

Storage Workflows 32
Storage DRS Workflows 33
Storage VSAN Workflows 33
Basic Virtual Machine Management Workflows
Clone Workflows 35
Linked Clone Workflows 35
Linux Customization Clone Workflows 35
Tools Clone Workflows 36
Windows Customization Clone Workflows
Device Management Workflows 37
Move and Migrate Workflows 37
Other Workflows 37
Power Management Workflows 38
Snapshot Workflows 38
VMware Tools Workflows 39

4 Using the Configuration Plug-In 41

Access the Configuration Plug-In Workflow Library
Configuration Plug-In Workflow Library 41

5 Using the vCO Library Plug-In 43
vCO Library Plug-In Workflows

6 Using the SQL Plug-In 45

Configuring the SQL Plug-In 45
SQL Plug-In Configuration Workflows 45
Add a Database 45
Add Tables to a Database 46
Update a Database 47
Running the SQL Sample Workflows 47
Generate a JDBC URL 47
Test a JDBC Connection 48
Create a Table by Using JDBC 48
Insert a Row into a JDBC Table 49
Select Rows from a JDBC Table 49
Delete an Entry from a JDBC Table 50
Delete All Entries from a JDBC Table 50
Drop a JDBC Table 51
Run a Complete JDBC Cycle 51
Using the SQL Plug-In Standard Workflows 52
SQL Plug-In Workflow Library 52
Generate CRUD Workflows for a Table 52

7 Using the SSH Plug-In 55

Configure the SSH Plug-In 55
Configuration Workflows 56

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Contents

Running the SSH Plug-In Sample Workflows

Generate a Key Pair 56
Change the Key Pair Passphrase 57
Register an Orchestrator Public Key on an SSH Host
Run an SSH Command 58
Copy a File from an SSH Host 58
Copy a File to an SSH Host 59

8 Using the XML Plug-In 61

Running the XML Plug-In Sample Workflows 61
Create a Simple XML Document 62
Find an Element in an XML Document 62
Modify an XML Document 63
Create an Example Address Book from XML 63

9 Using the Mail Plug-In 65

Define the Default SMTP Connection 65
Using the Mail Plug-In Sample Workflows 66
Access the Mail Plug-In Sample Workflows 66
Mail Plug-In Sample Workflows 66

10 Using the Net Plug-In 67
11 Using the Enumeration Plug-In 69
Time Zone Codes 69

12 Using the Workflow Documentation Plug-In 73

Workflow Library for the Workflow Documentation Plug-In
Generate Workflow Documentation 73

13 Using the HTTP-REST Plug-In 75

Configuring the HTTP-REST Plug-In 75
Configuration Workflows 75
Configure Kerberos Authentication 76
Add a REST Host 76
Add a REST Operation 78
Add a Schema to a REST Host 79
Generate a New Workflow from a REST Operation 79
Invoking a REST Operation 80
Invoke a REST Operation 80

14 Using the SOAP Plug-In 81

Configuring the SOAP Plug-In 81
Configuration Workflows 81
Add a SOAP Host 82
Configure Kerberos Authentication 83
Generate a New Workflow from a SOAP Operation
Test a Custom-Generated Workflow 84

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Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

Invoke a SOAP Operation

15 Using the AMQP Plug-In 87

Configuring the AMQP Plug-In 87
Configuration Workflows 87
Add a Broker 87
Subscribe to Queues 88
Update a Broker 89
Using the AMQP Plug-In Standard Workflows
Declare a Binding 89
Declare a Queue 90
Declare an Exchange 91
Send a Text Message 91
Delete a Binding 92

16 Using the SNMP Plug-In 93

Managing SNMP Devices 93
Device Management Workflows 93
Register an SNMP Device 94
Managing SNMP Queries 94
Query Management Workflows 94
Add a Query to an SNMP Device 95
Managing the SNMP Trap Host 95
Trap Host Management Workflows 96
Set the SNMP Trap Port 96
Receiving SNMP Traps 96
Wait for a Trap on an SNMP Device 96
Set a Trap Policy 97
Edit a Trap Policy 97
Generic SNMP Request Workflows 98

17 Using the Active Directory Plug-In 99

Configuring the Active Directory Plug-In 99
Active Directory Configuration Workflows 99
Using the Active Directory Plug-In Workflow Library 100
Using the Active Directory Plug-In Inventory 100
Access the Active Directory Plug-In Workflow Library 100
Active Directory Plug-In Workflows 100

18 Using the Dynamic Types Plug-In 103
Dynamic Types Configuration Workflows

103

19 Using the PowerShell Plug-In 105

Using the PowerShell Plug-In Inventory 105
Configuring the PowerShell Plug-In 106
Configuration Workflows 106
Configure Kerberos Authentication 106
Add a PowerShell Host 107

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Contents

Running PowerShell Scripts

108

Invoke a PowerShell Script 108
Invoke an External Script 108
Generating Actions 109
Generate an Action from a PowerShell Script 109
Generate an Action for a PowerShell Cmdlet 110
Passing Invocation Results Between Actions 111
PowerCLI Integration with the PowerShell Plug-In 111
Converter Workflows 111
Sample Workflows 111
Access the PowerShell Plug-In API 112
Working with PowerShell Results 112
Examples of Scripts for Common PowerShell Tasks 113
Troubleshooting 115
Servers Not Found in Kerberos Database 115
Unable to Obtain a Kerberos Ticket 115
Kerberos Authentication Fails Due to Time Differences
Kerberos Authentication Session Mode Fails 116
Unable to Reach a Key Distribution Center for a Realm

20 Using the Multi-Node Plug-In 117

115
116

Introduction to the vRealize Orchestrator Multi-Node Plug-In
Configuring the Multi-Node Plug-In 118
Servers Configuration Workflows 118
Add an Orchestrator Server 118
Using Proxy Workflows 119
Synchronous Proxy Workflows 119
Asynchronous Proxy Workflows 120
Remote Execution Workflows 120
Using the Multi-Node Plug-In Inventory 121
Remote Management Workflows 121
Access the Multi-Node Plug-In API 122
Multi-Node Plug-In Use Cases 122
Create a Multi-Proxy Action 122
Maintenance of Remote and Proxy Workflows 124
Deploy a Package from a Local Server 124

117

21 Using the vCloud Suite API (vAPI) Plug-In 127
Configuring the vCloud Suite API Plug-In 127
Import a vCloud Suite API Metamodel 127
Add a vCloud Suite API Endpoint 128
Access the vCloud Suite API Plug-In API 128

Index

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131

Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

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Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

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

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Introduction to Orchestrator Plug-Ins

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 vRealize 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:
n

“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 an authentication provider 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, or through Web services.

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Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

Figure 1‑1. VMware vRealize Orchestrator Architecture
vRealize Orchestrator
Client application

workflow engine

vCenter
Server

XML

Web services REST

workflow library

SSH

SQL

SMTP 3rd-party
plug-in

vCenter
Server
Authentication
Providers

Orchestrator
database

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, additional object types for the scripting engine,
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 external products.
You can see the list of the installed plug-ins on the Manage Plug-ins page in Control Center. 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 the vCenter Server objects and functions
into the management processes that you automate by
using Orchestrator.

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

Configuration

Provides workflows for configuring the Orchestrator
authentication, database connection, SSL certificates, and
so on.

None

Library

Provides workflows that act as basic building blocks for
customization and automation of client processes. The
workflow library includes templates for life cycle
management, provisioning, disaster recovery, hot backup,
and other standard system management processes. You
can copy and edit the templates to modify them according
to your needs.

None

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.

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.

See “Configure the SSH Plug-In,” on
page 55.

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.

None

Mail

Uses Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) to send email
from workflows.

Set the default values for the
EmailMessage object to use.
See “Define the Default SMTP
Connection,” on page 65.

Net

Uses the Jakarta Apache Commons Net Library. Provides
implementations of the Telnet, FTP, POP3, and IMAP
protocols. The POP3 and IMAP protocols 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.

None

Workflow documentation

Provides workflows that you can use to generate
information in PDF format about a workflow or a
workflow category.

None

Enumeration

Provides common Enumerated Types that can be used in
workflows by other plug-ins.

None

HTTP-REST

Enables management of REST Web services through an
interaction between vRealize Orchestrator and REST hosts.

See “Configuring the HTTP-REST
Plug-In,” on page 75.

SOAP

Lets you manage SOAP Web services by providing
interaction between vRealize Orchestrator and SOAP
hosts.

See “Configuring the SOAP PlugIn,” on page 81.

AMQP

Lets you interact with Advanced Message Queuing
Protocol (AMQP) servers also known as brokers.

See “Configuring the AMQP PlugIn,” on page 87.

SNMP

Enables vRealize Orchestrator to connect and receive
information from SNMP-enabled systems and devices.

None

Active Directory

Provides interaction between vRealize Orchestrator and
Microsoft Active Directory.

See “Configuring the Active
Directory Plug-In,” on page 99.

Dynamic Types

Lets you define dynamic types and create and use objects
of these dynamic types.

See Chapter 18, “Using the Dynamic
Types Plug-In,” on page 103.

Multi-Node

Contains workflows for hierarchical management,
management of Orchestrator instances, and scale-out of
Orchestrator activities.

See Chapter 20, “Using the MultiNode Plug-In,” on page 117.

PowerShell

Lets you manage PowerShell hosts and run custom
PowerShell operations.

See Chapter 19, “Using the
PowerShell Plug-In,” on page 105.

Plug-In Components
Each plug-in is a DAR file package. The DAR files are stored in /var/lib/vco/app-server/plugins on the
Orchestrator Appliance. The components of each plug-in, such as workflow categories and API modules,
use different naming conventions.

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Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

Table 1‑2. Names of Plug-In Components

Plug-In Name in the
Configuration UI

DAR File

Workflow
Categories

API Module

vCenter Server

o11nplugin-vsphere.dar

vCenter

vRO Configuration

o11nplugin-configurator.dar

Configuration

Configurator

Library

o11nplugin-library.dar

Locking
Orchestrator
Troubleshooting

Not applicable.

SQL

o11nplugin-database.dar

JDBC
SQL

SQL

SSH

o11nplugin-ssh.dar

SSH

XML

o11nplugin-xml.dar

XML

Mail

o11nplugin-mail.dar

Mail

Net

o11nplugin-jakartacommonsnet.dar

None

Net

Workflow
documentation

o11nplugin-wfdocs.dar

Workflow
documentation

Workflow documentation

Common
enumerated types

o11nplugin-enums.dar

None

Enums

Dynamic Types

o11n-plugin-dynamictypes.dar

Configuration

DynamicTypes

HTTP-REST

o11nplugin-rest.dar

Configuration

REST

SOAP

o11n-plugin-soap.dar

Configuration

SOAP

AMQP

o11n-plugin-amqp.dar

Configuration

AMQP

SNMP

o11n-plugin-snmp.dar

Device
Management
Query
Management
Trap Host
Management

SNMP

Active Directory

o11nplugin-ad.dar

Computer
Configuration
Organizational
Unit
User
User Group

Orchestrator

o11nplugin-multi-node.dar

Servers
Configuration
Remote Execution
Remote
Management
Tasks
Workflows

VCO

PowerShell

o11nplugin-powershell.dar

Configuration
Generate
Templates

PowerShell

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Chapter 1 Introduction to Orchestrator Plug-Ins

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

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.

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Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

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Configure the Orchestrator Plug-Ins

The default Orchestrator plug-ins are configured only through workflows.
If you want to configure any of the default Orchestrator plug-ins, you need to use the specific workflow
from the Orchestrator client.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n

“Manage the Orchestrator Plug-Ins,” on page 17

“Uninstall a Plug-In,” on page 18

“Reinstall Plug-Ins,” on page 18

Manage the Orchestrator Plug-Ins
In the Manage Plug-Ins page of Control Center, you can view a list of all plug-ins that are installed in
Orchestrator and perform basic management actions.

Change Plug-Ins Logging Level
Instead of changing the logging level for Orchestrator, you can change it only for specific plug-ins.

Install a New Plug-In
With the Orchestrator plug-ins, the Orchestrator server can integrate with other software products. The
Orchestrator Appliance includes a set of preinstalled plug-ins and you can also install custom plug-ins.
All Orchestrator plug-ins are installed from Control Center. The file extensions that can be used are .vmoapp
and .dar. A .vmoapp file can contain a collection of several .dar files and can be installed as an application,
while a .dar file contains all the resources associated with one plug-in.

Disable a Plug-In
You can disable a plug-in by deselecting the Enable check box next to the name of the plug-in.
This action does not remove the plug-in file. For more information on uninstalling a plug-in in Orchestrator,
see “Uninstall a Plug-In,” on page 18.
If you change the Orchestrator database, you must reinstall the existing plug-ins. See, “Reinstall Plug-Ins,”
on page 18.

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Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

Uninstall a Plug-In
You can use Control Center to disable a plug-in, but this action does not remove the plug-in file from the
Orchestrator Appliance file system. To remove the plug-in file, you must log in to the Orchestrator appliance
and remove the plug-in file manually.
Procedure
1

Open the /etc/vco/app-server/plugins/_VSOPluginInstallationVersion.xml file with a text editor.
a

Delete the line of code that corresponds to the plug-in that you want to remove.

Navigate to /var/lib/vco/app-server/plugins.

Delete the .dar archives that contain the plug-in that you want to remove.

Restart the vRealize Orchestrator services.
The plug-in is removed from Control Center.

Select Administer from the drop-down menu in the upper-left corner.

Click the Packages view.

Right-click the package that you want to delete, and select Delete element with content.
Note Orchestrator elements that are locked in the read-only state, for example workflows in the
standard library, are not deleted.

Click Delete all.

Restart the vRealize Orchestrator services.

You removed all custom workflows, actions, policies, configurations, settings, and resources related to the
plug-in.

Reinstall Plug-Ins
You must reinstall all Orchestrator plug-ins when you change the database server.
Prerequisites
Stop the Orchestrator server service from the Startup Options page in Control Center.
Procedure
1

Click Troubleshooting.

Click Force Plug-ins Reinstall.

The installed plug-ins are forced to reinstall the next time the Orchestrator server service starts.

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Using the vCenter Server Plug-In

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:
n

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

“vCenter Server Plug-In Scripting API,” on page 21

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

“Using XPath Expressions with the vCenter Server Plug-In,” on page 21

“Access the vCenter Server Plug-In Workflow Library,” on page 22

“vCenter Server Plug-In Workflow Library,” on page 23

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 vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

Workflow Name

Description

Add 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.

List the vRealize Orchestrator
extensions of vCenter Server

Lists all vRealize Orchestrator extensions of vCenter Server.

Registers the Orchestrator instance as a vCenter Server extension.

Remove a vCenter Server instance

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

Update a 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.

Unregister a vCenter Server extension

Unregisters a vSphere Web Client extension.

Configure the Connection to a vCenter Server Instance
You can configure the connections to vCenter Server instances by running the vCenter Server configuration
workflows in the Orchestrator client.
Procedure
1

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > vCenter > Configuration and navigate to the Add a
vCenter Server instance workflow.

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

Enter the IP address or the DNS name of the machine on which the vCenter Server instance you want to
add is installed.
Note The hostname that you enter is case-sensitive.

Retain the default port value, 443.

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

Select whether you want to manage the vCenter Server instance through Orchestrator, and click Next.

Select whether you want to ignore certificate warnings for the vCenter Server instances that you want to
add.
If you choose to ignore certificate warnings, the vCenter Server instance certificate is accepted silently
and the certificate is added to the trusted store.

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Chapter 3 Using the vCenter Server Plug-In

Select the method that you want to use to manage user access on the vCenter Server system.
Option

Description

Share a unique session

Allows Orchestrator to create only one connection to vCenter Server.
In the User name and Password text boxes, enter the credentials for
Orchestrator to use to establish the connection to the vCenter Server host.
The user that you select must be a valid user with privileges to manage
vCenter Server extensions and a set of custom defined privileges.
Orchestrator uses these credentials to monitor the VirtualCenter Web
service, typically to run Orchestrator system workflows.

Session per user

Creates a new session to vCenter Server. This action might rapidly use
CPU, memory, and bandwidth.
Select this option only if your vCenter Server is in an Active Directory
domain or if vCenter Server Single Sign-On is enabled.
The user that you select must be a valid user with privileges to manage
vCenter Server extensions.

The user account that you select is also used by the policy engine to collect statistical and other data. If
the user that you select does not have enough privileges, the policy engine cannot access the necessary
parts of the vCenter Server inventory and cannot collect the necessary data.
11

(Optional) Enter the user domain.
You must specify the user domain name only when you select to use a shared session.
Note Fill this text box if you are using LDAP authentication and session per user is selected.

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 vRealize Orchestrator and vCenter Server. You can use the API
to develop custom workflows.
For a list of available API objects, see https://www.vmware.com/support/orchestrator/doc/vro-vsphere60api/index.html.

Using the vCenter Server Plug-In Inventory
The vCenter Server plug-in exposes all objects of the connected vCenter Server instances 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.

Using XPath Expressions with the vCenter Server Plug-In
You can use the finder methods in the vCenter Server plug-in to query for vCenter Server inventory objects.
You can use XPath expressions to define search parameters.
The vCenter Server plug-in includes a set of object finder methods such as getAllDatastores(),
getAllResourcePools(), findAllForType(). You can use these methods to access the inventories of the
vCenter Server instances that are connected to your Orchestrator server and search for objects by ID, name,
or other properties.

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Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

For performance reasons, the finder returns only a set of default properties for the queried object.
You can consult an online version of the Scripting API for the vCenter Server plug-in on the Orchestrator
documentation home page.
Important The queries based on XPath expressions might impact the Orchestrator performance because
the finder method returns all objects of a given type on the vCenter Server side and the query filters are
applied on the vCenter Server plug-in side.

Using XPath Expressions with the vCenter Server Plug-In
When you invoke a finder method, you can use expressions based on the XPath query language. The search
returns all the inventory objects that match the XPath expressions and the default properties of these objects.
If you want to query for any non-default properties, you can include them to the search script in the form of
a string array.
The following JavaScript example uses the VcPlugin scripting object and an XPath expression to return the
names of all datastore objects that are part of the vCenter Server managed objects and contain the string ds
in their names.
var datastores = VcPlugin.getAllDatastores(null, "xpath:name[contains(.,'ds')]");
for each (datastore in datastores){
System.log(datastore.name);
}

The same XPath expression can be invoked by using the Server scripting object and the findAllForType
finder method.
var datastores = Server.findAllForType("VC:Datastore", "xpath:name[contains(.,'ds')]");
for each (datastore in datastores){
System.log(datastore.name);
}

The following script example returns the names of all host system objects whose ID starts with the digit 1.
var hosts = VcPlugin.getAllHostSystems(null, "xpath:id[starts-with(.,'1')]");
for each (host in hosts){
System.log(host.name);
}

The following script returns the names and IDs of all data center objects that contain the string DC, in upperor lower-case letters, in their names. In addition to the default set of object properties, the script also
retrieves the tag property.
var datacenters = VcPlugin.getAllDatacenters(['tag'], "xpath:name[contains(translate(., 'DC',
'dc'), 'dc')]");
for each (datacenter in datacenters){
System.log(datacenter.name + “ ”

datacenter.id);

}

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 a connection to a vCenter Server instance.

Verify that the user account you are logged in with has the necessary permissions to run vCenter Server
workflows.

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Chapter 3 Using the vCenter Server Plug-In

Procedure
1

In the Orchestrator client, select Design or Run from the drop-down menu in the left upper corner.

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client left pane.

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.
n

Batch Workflows on page 25
Batch workflows populate configuration elements or run workflows on a selected vCenter Server
object.

Cluster and Compute Resource Workflows on page 26
With the cluster and compute resource workflows, you can create, rename, or delete a cluster. You can
also enable or disable high availability, Distributed Resource Scheduler, and
vCloud Distributed Storage on a cluster.

Configuration Workflows on page 26
The Configuration workflow category of the vCenter Server plug-in contains workflows that let you
manage the connections to vCenter Server instances.

Custom Attributes Workflows on page 27
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 27
With datacenter workflows, you can create, delete, reload, rename, or rescan a datacenter.

Datastore and Files Workflows on page 27
With the 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 28
With datacenter folder management workflows, you can create, delete, or rename a datacenter folder.

Host Folder Management Workflows on page 28
With host folder management workflows, you can create, delete, or rename a host folder.

Virtual Machine Folder Management Workflows on page 28
With virtual machine folder management workflows, you can create, delete, or rename a virtual
machine folder.

Guest Operation Files Workflows on page 28
With the guest operation files workflows, you can manage files in a guest operating system.

Guest Operation Processes Workflows on page 29
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 29
With power host management workflows you can reboot or shut down a host.

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Basic Host Management Workflows on page 29
With the basic host management workflows, you can put a host into maintenance mode and make a
host exit maintenance mode. You can also move a host to a folder or a cluster, and reload data from a
host.

Host Registration Management Workflows on page 30
With the 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 30
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 30
With the distributed virtual port group workflows, you can update or delete a port group, and
reconfigure the port group.

Distributed Virtual Switch Workflows on page 31
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 31
With the 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.

Networking Virtual SAN Workflows on page 32
With Virtual SAN workflows, you can configure Virtual SAN network traffic.

Resource Pool Workflows on page 32
With the resource pool workflows you can create, rename, reconfigure or delete a resource pool, and
get resource pool information.

Storage Workflows on page 32
With the storage workflows, you can perform storage-related operations.

Storage DRS Workflows on page 33
With the 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
others.

Storage VSAN Workflows on page 33
With the Virtual SAN workflows, you can manage non-SSD disks and disk groups in a Virtual SAN
cluster.

Basic Virtual Machine Management Workflows on page 34
With the 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
others.

Clone Workflows on page 35
With clone workflows, you can clone virtual machines with or without customizing the virtual
machine properties.

Linked Clone Workflows on page 35
With the linked clone workflows, you can perform linked clone operations such as restoring a virtual
machine from a linked clone, creating a linked clone, or others.

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Linux Customization Clone Workflows on page 35
With Linux customization workflows, you can clone a Linux virtual machine and customize the guest
operating system.

Tools Clone Workflows on page 36
With the tools clone workflows, you can obtain customization information about the operating system
of the virtual machine, information required to update a virtual device, and others.

Windows Customization Clone Workflows on page 36
With the Windows customization clone workflows, you can clone Windows virtual machines and
customize the guest operating system.

Device Management Workflows on page 37
With the 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 37
With the move and migrate workflows, you can migrate virtual machines.

Other Workflows on page 37
With the workflows from the Others category, you can enable and disable Fault Tolerance (FT), extract
virtual machine information, and find orphaned virtual machines.

Power Management Workflows on page 38
With the 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 others.

Snapshot Workflows on page 38
With snapshot workflows, you can perform snapshot-related operations.

VMware Tools Workflows on page 39
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.
Workflow Name

Description

Fill batch configuration
elements

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

Run a workflow on a
selection of objects

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Resets the BatchObject and BatchAction configuration elements.

Fills the BatchObject configuration element with all the workflows that have only one
input parameter.

Fills the BatchAction configuration element with all the actions that have no input
parameters or one input parameter and that have an array as the returnType.

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.

Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

Cluster and Compute Resource Workflows
With the cluster and compute resource workflows, you can create, rename, or delete a cluster. You can also
enable or disable high availability, Distributed Resource Scheduler, and vCloud Distributed Storage on a
cluster.
You can access the cluster and compute resource workflows from Library > vCenter > Cluster and Compute
Resource in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.
Workflow Name

Description

Add DRS virtual machine group to cluster

Adds a DRS virtual machine group to a cluster.

Add virtual machines to DRS group

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

Create cluster

Creates a cluster in a host folder.

Delete cluster

Deletes a cluster.

Disable DRS on cluster

Disables DRS on a cluster.

Disable HA on cluster

Disables high availability on a cluster.

Disable vCloud Distributed Storage on cluster

Disables vCloud Distributed Storage on a cluster.

Enable DRS on cluster

Enables DRS on a cluster.

Enable HA on cluster

Enables high availability on a cluster.

Enable vCloud Distributed Storage on cluster

Enables vCloud Distributed Storage on a cluster.

Remove virtual machine DRS group from cluster

Removes a DRS virtual machine group from a cluster.

Remove virtual machines from DRS group

Removes virtual machines from a cluster DRS group.

Rename cluster

Renames a cluster.

Workflow Name

Description

Add 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.

List the Orchestrator extensions of
vCenter Server

Lists all Orchestrator extensions of vCenter Server.

Registers the Orchestrator instance as a vCenter Server extension.

Remove a vCenter Server instance

Removes a vCenter Server instance from the Orchestrator inventory. You cannot
orchestrate this vCenter Server instance any longer.

Update a vCenter Server instance

Unregister a vCenter Server extension

Unregisters a vCenter Server extension.

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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.
Workflow Name

Description

Add custom attribute to a virtual machine

Adds a custom attribute to a virtual machine.

Add custom attribute to multiple virtual machines

Adds a custom attribute to a selection of virtual machines.

Get custom attribute

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.
Workflow Name

Description

Create datacenter

Creates a data center in a data center folder.

Delete datacenter

Deletes a data center.

Reload datacenter

Forces vCenter Server to reload data from a data center.

Rename datacenter

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

Rescan datacenter HBAs

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 the 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.
Workflow Name

Description

Delete all files

Deletes a list of files.

Delete all unused datastore files

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

Export unused datastore files

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

Find unused files in datastores

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

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

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

Log all datastore files

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

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Workflow Name

Description

Log unused datastore files

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.

Upload file to datastore

Uploads a file to an existing folder on a specific datastore. The uploaded file
overwrites any existing file with the same name in the same destination folder.

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.
Workflow Name

Description

Create datacenter folder

Creates a data center folder.

Delete datacenter folder

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

Rename datacenter folder

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.
Workflow Name

Description

Create host folder

Creates a host folder.

Delete host folder

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

Rename host folder

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.
Workflow Name

Description

Create virtual machine folder

Creates a virtual machine folder.

Delete virtual machine folder

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

Rename virtual machine folder

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

Guest Operation Files Workflows
With the 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.

Workflow Name

Description

Check for directory in guest

Verifies that a directory exists in a guest virtual machine.

Check for file in guest

Verifies that a file exists in a guest virtual machine.

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Workflow Name

Description

Copy file from guest to Orchestrator

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

Copy file from Orchestrator to guest

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

Create directory in guest

Creates a directory in a guest virtual machine.

Create temporary directory in guest

Creates a temporary directory in a guest virtual machine.

Create temporary file in guest

Creates a temporary file in a guest virtual machine.

Delete directory in guest

Deletes a directory from a guest virtual machine.

Delete file in guest

Deletes a file from a guest virtual machine.

List path in guest

Shows a path in a guest virtual machine.

Move directory in guest

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.
Workflow Name

Description

Get environment variables from
guest

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

Get processes from guest

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

Run program in guest

Starts a program in a guest operating system.

Kill process in guest

Terminates a process in a guest operating system.

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

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.

Shut down host

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 the basic host management workflows, you can put a host into maintenance mode and make a host
exit maintenance mode. You can also 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.

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Workflow Name

Description

Enter maintenance mode

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

Exit maintenance mode

Exits maintenance mode. You can cancel the task.

Move host to cluster

Moves an existing host to 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.

Move host to folder

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 the 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.
Workflow Name

Description

Add host to cluster

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

Add standalone host

Registers a host as a standalone host.

Disconnect host

Disconnects a host from the vCenter Server instance.

Reconnect host

Reconnects a disconnected host by providing only the host information.

Reconnect host with all
information

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

Remove host

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

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.
Workflow Name

Description

Add port group to distributed virtual switch

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

Attach host system to distributed virtual switch

Adds a host to a distributed virtual switch.

Create distributed virtual switch with port group

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

Distributed Virtual Port Group Workflows
With the 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.

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Workflow Name

Description

Connect virtual machine NIC number
to 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.

Delete distributed virtual port group

Deletes a specified distributed virtual port group.

Set teaming options

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

Update 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.
Workflow Name

Description

Create distributed virtual switch

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.

Create private VLAN

Creates a VLAN on the specified distributed virtual switch.

Delete distributed virtual switch

Deletes a distributed virtual switch and all associated elements.

Delete private VLAN

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

Update distributed virtual
switch

Updates the properties of a distributed virtual switch.

Update private VLAN

Updates a VLAN on the specified distributed virtual switch.

Standard Virtual Switch Workflows
With the 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.
Workflow Name

Description

Add port group in standard virtual switch

Adds a port group in a standard virtual switch.

Create standard virtual switch

Creates a standard virtual switch.

Delete port group from standard virtual switch

Deletes a port group from a standard virtual switch.

Delete standard virtual switch

Deletes a standard virtual switch from a host network configuration.

Retrieve all standard virtual switches

Retrieves all standard virtual switches from a host.

Update port group in standard virtual switch

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

Update standard virtual switch

Updates the properties of a standard virtual switch.

Update VNIC for port group in standard virtual
switch

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

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Networking Virtual SAN Workflows
With Virtual SAN workflows, you can configure Virtual SAN network traffic.
You can access the networking workflows from Library > vCenter > Networking > VSAN in the Workflows
view of the Orchestrator client.
Workflow Name

Description

Set a cluster's VSAN traffic network

Sets a Virtual SAN traffic network of the cluster.

Set a host's VSAN traffic network

Sets a Virtual SAN traffic network of the host.

Resource Pool Workflows
With the 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.
Workflow Name

Description

Create resource pool

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.

Create resource pool with
specified values

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

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

Get resource pool information

Returns CPU and memory information about a given resource pool.

Reconfigure resource pool

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

Rename resource pool

Renames a resource pool and waits for the task to complete

Storage Workflows
With the 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.

Workflow Name

Description

Add datastore on iSCSI/FC/local
SCSI

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.

Add datastore on NFS

Adds a datastore on an NFS server.

Add iSCSI target

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

Create VMFS for all available disks

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

Delete datastore

Deletes datastores from a vCenter Server host.

Delete iSCSI target

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

Disable iSCSI adapter

Disables the software iSCSI adapter of a specified host.

Display all datastores and disks

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

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Workflow Name

Description

Enable iSCSI adapter

Enables an iSCSI adapter.

List all storage adapters

Lists all storage adapters of a specified host.

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

Description

Add datastore to 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.

Change Storage DRS per virtual
machine configuration

Sets Storage DRS settings for each virtual machine.

Configure datastore cluster

Configures datastore cluster setting values for automation and runtime rules.

Create simple datastore cluster

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

Create Storage DRS scheduled
task

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

Create virtual machine antiaffinity rule

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

Create VMDK anti-affinity rule

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

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

Remove datastore from cluster

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

Remove Storage DRS scheduled
task

Removes a scheduled Storage DRS task.

Remove virtual machine antiaffinity rule

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

Remove VMDK anti-affinity rule

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

Storage VSAN Workflows
With the Virtual SAN workflows, you can manage non-SSD disks and disk groups in a Virtual SAN cluster.
You can access the networking workflows from Library > vCenter > Storage > VSAN in the Workflows view
of the Orchestrator client.
Workflow Name

Description

Add disks to a disk group

Adds non-SSD disks to a Virtual SAN disk group.

Claim disks into disk groups

Claims disks for use by the Virtual SAN system and automatically creates disk groups
and distributes the disks into existing disk groups.

Create a disk group

Creates a Virtual SAN disk group.

List hosts, disk groups and disks

Lists all hosts in a cluster, their disk groups and disks, used or eligible for use by the
Virtual SAN system.

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Workflow Name

Description

Remove disk groups

Removes Virtual SAN disk groups.

Remove disks from disk groups

Removes non-SSD disks from Virtual SAN disk groups.

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

Workflow Name

Description

Create custom virtual machine

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

Create simple dvPortGroup
virtual machine

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

Create simple virtual machine

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

Delete virtual machine

Removes a virtual machine from the inventory and datastore.

Get virtual machines by name

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

Mark as template

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

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

Move virtual machine to folder

Moves a virtual machine to a specified virtual machine folder.

Move virtual machine to
resource pool

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.

Move virtual machines to folder

Moves several virtual machines to a specified virtual machine folder.

Move virtual machines to
resource pool

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.

Reload virtual machine

Forces vCenter Server to reload a virtual machine.

Rename virtual machine

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

Set virtual machine performance

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

Unregister virtual machine

Removes an existing virtual machine from the inventory.

Upgrade virtual machine
hardware (force if required)

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.

Upgrade virtual machine

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.

Wait for task and answer virtual
machine question

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.

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Chapter 3 Using the vCenter Server Plug-In

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.
Workflow Name

Description

Clone virtual machine from properties

Clones virtual machines by using properties as input parameters.

Clone virtual machine, no customization

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

Customize virtual machine from properties

Customizes a virtual machine by using properties as input parameters.

Linked Clone Workflows
With the linked clone workflows, you can perform linked clone operations such as restoring a virtual
machine from a linked clone, creating a linked clone, or others.
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.
Workflow Name

Description

Restore virtual machine from linked clone

Removes a virtual machine from a linked clone setup.

Set up virtual machine for linked clone

Prepares a virtual machine to be link cloned.

Create a linked clone of a Linux machine with
multiple NICs

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

Create a linked clone with no customization

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.
Workflow Name

Description

Clone a Linux machine with multiple
NICs

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

Clone a Linux machine with a single
NIC

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

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Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

Tools Clone Workflows
With the tools clone workflows, you can obtain customization information about the operating system of the
virtual machine, information required to update a virtual device, and others.
You can access the tools clone workflows from Library > vCenter > Virtual Machine management > Clone >
Tools in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.
Workflow Name

Description

Get a virtual Ethernet card to change
the network

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

Get Linux customization

Returns the Linux customization preparation.

Get multiple virtual Ethernet card
device changes

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

Get NIC setting map

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

Get Windows customization for
Sysprep with credentials

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

Get Windows customization for
Sysprep with Unattended.txt

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

Get Windows customization for
Sysprep

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

Windows Customization Clone Workflows
With the 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.

Workflow Name

Description

Customize a Windows machine
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.

Clone a thin provisioned Windows
machine with single NIC and
credential

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.

Clone a Windows machine
Sysprep with single NIC and
credential

Clone a Windows machine with
multiple NICs 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.

Clone a Windows machine with
single NIC

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.

Clone a Windows machine with
single NIC and credential

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Chapter 3 Using the vCenter Server Plug-In

Device Management Workflows
With the 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.
Workflow Name

Description

Add CD-ROM

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

Add disk

Adds a virtual disk to a virtual machine.

Change RAM

Changes the amount of RAM of a virtual machine.

Convert disks to thin provisioning

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

Convert independent disks

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

Disconnect all detachable devices
from a running virtual machine

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

Mount CD-ROM

Mounts the CD-ROM of a virtual machine. If the virtual machine has no IDE
controller or CD-ROM drive, the workflow creates them.

Mount floppy disk drive

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

Move and Migrate Workflows
With the 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.
Workflow Name

Description

Mass migrate virtual machines
with storage vMotion

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

Mass migrate virtual machines
with vMotion

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.

Migrate virtual machine with
vMotion

Migrates a virtual machine from one host to another by using the MigrateVM_Task
operation from the vSphere API.

Move virtual machine to
another vCenter Server system

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

Quick migrate multiple virtual
machines

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

Quick migrate virtual machine

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

Relocate virtual machine disks

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 the workflows from the Others category, 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.

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Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

Workflow Name

Description

Disable FT

Disables Fault Tolerance for a specified virtual machine.

Enable FT

Enables Fault Tolerance for a specified virtual machine.

Extract virtual
machine information

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).

Get Virtual Machine
by Name and BIOS
UUID

Searches virtual machines by name and then filters the result with particular universally unique
identifier (UUID) in order to identify a unique virtual machine.
Note This workflow is needed when DynamicOps calls vRealize Orchestrator workflows
having input parameters of VC:VirtualMachine type in order to make the correspondence
between a particular DynamicOps and vRealize Orchestrator virtual machine.

Get Virtual Machine
by Name and UUID

Get Virtual Machine
UUID

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

Description

Power off virtual machine and wait

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

Reboot guest OS

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

Reset virtual machine and wait

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

Resume virtual machine and wait

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

Set guest OS to standby mode

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

Shut down and delete virtual machine

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

Shut down guest OS and wait

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

Start virtual machine and wait

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

Suspend virtual machine and wait

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.

VMware, Inc.

Chapter 3 Using the vCenter Server Plug-In

Workflow Name

Description

Create a snapshot

Creates a snapshot.

Create snapshots of all virtual
machines in a resource pool

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

Remove all snapshots

Removes all existing snapshots without reverting to a previous snapshot.

Remove excess snapshots

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

Remove old snapshots

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

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

Revert to current snapshot

Reverts to the current snapshot.

Revert to snapshot and wait

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.
Workflow Name

Description

Mount VMware Tools installer

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

Set console screen resolution

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

Turn on time synchronization

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

Unmount VMware Tools installer

Unmounts the VMware Tools CD-ROM.

Upgrade VMware Tools

Upgrades VMware Tools on a virtual machine.

Upgrade VMware Tools at next reboot

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

VMware, Inc.

Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

VMware, Inc.

Using the Configuration Plug-In

In addition to configuring Orchestrator by using Control Center, you can modify the Orchestrator server
configuration settings by running workflows from the Configuration plug-in.
With the Configuration plug-in, you can configure and manage the Orchestrator server keystores and
trusted certificates.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n

“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.

Click the Workflows view.

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 vRealize Orchestrator.

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.

VMware, Inc.

Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

Workflow Name

Description

Delete a trusted certificate

Deletes an SSL certificate from the server trust store.

Import certificate from URL

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

Import certificate from URL using proxy server

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

Import certificate from URL with certificate
alias

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

Import trusted certificate from a file

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

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

Workflow Name

Description

Add certificate

Adds a certificate to a keystore.

Add key

Adds a key.

Create a keystore

Creates a new keystore.

Delete a keystore

Deletes a keystore.

Delete certificate

Deletes a certificate from a keystore.

Delete entry

Deletes an entry.

Delete key

Deletes a key.

VMware, Inc.

Using the vCO Library Plug-In

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.
Workflow Name

Description

Display all locks

Shows all locks.

Locking test

A test workflow that creates a lock.

Locking test (x5)

A test workflow that creates five
locks.

Release all locks

Releases all locks.

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

Description

Create recurrent task

Creates a recurrent task and returns the newly created task.

Create task

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

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

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Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

Workflow Name

Description

Refresh stale
workflow runs in
waiting state

Processes all workflow runs that are in waiting state for the specified remote server and updates
the workflow state according to the remote workflow run. You can use this workflow if there is
data loss between the workflow runs, for example, when there is loss of connectivity between the
Orchestrator servers.

Start workflows in a
series

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.

Start workflows in
parallel

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.
Workflow Name

Description

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.

Workflow Name

Description

Find objects by tag

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.

List workflow tags

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

Tagging example

Demonstrates workflow tagging.

Tag workflow

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

Untag workflow

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.

VMware, Inc.

Using the SQL Plug-In

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:
n

“Configuring the SQL Plug-In,” on page 45

“Running the SQL Sample Workflows,” on page 47

“Using the SQL Plug-In Standard Workflows,” on page 52

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.

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 under the Trusted Certificates tab in Control Center.

VMware, Inc.

Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

Procedure
1

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > SQL > Configuration and navigate to the Add a
database workflow.

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

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

Select the type of the database.

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

Database Type

Syntax

Oracle

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

Microsoft SQL (with SQL
authentication)

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

Microsoft SQL (with Windows
account authentication)

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

PostgreSQL

jdbc:postgresql://database_url:port_number/database_name

MySQL

jdbc:mysql://database_url:port_number/database_name

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

Description

Shared Session

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

Session Per User

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.

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
n

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

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > SQL > Configuration and navigate to the Add
tables to a database workflow.

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

Select a database to which to add tables.

VMware, Inc.

Chapter 6 Using the SQL Plug-In

Select the tables that you want to add.

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 inventory.
Procedure
1

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

In the Workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > SQL > Configuration and navigate to the Update a
database workflow.

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

Select a database that you want to update.

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.

Select the type of the database.

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

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

Option

Description

Shared Session

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

Session Per User

Click Submit to run the workflow.

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
Verify that the user account you are logged in with has the necessary permissions to run JDBC workflows.
Procedure
1

VMware, Inc.

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > JDBC to navigate to the JDBC URL generator
workflow.

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

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.

Provide the required information to generate a database URL.
a

Type a database server name or IP address.

Type a database name.

(Optional) Type a database port number.
If you do not specify a port number, the workflow uses a default port number.

Type a user name to access the database.

Type a password to access the database.

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
Verify that the user account you are logged in with has the necessary permissions to run JDBC workflows.
Procedure
1

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > JDBC > JDBC Examples to navigate to the JDBC
connection example workflow.

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

Provide the required information to test a database connection.

Type a user name to access the database.

Type the URL to test.

Type a password to access the database.

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
Verify that the user account you are logged in with has the necessary permissions to run JDBC workflows.
Procedure

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > JDBC > JDBC Examples to navigate to the JDBC
create table example workflow.

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Chapter 6 Using the SQL Plug-In

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

Provide the required information, and click Next.

Type a password to access the database.

Type a database connection URL.

Type a user name to access the database.

Type an SQL create statement.
An example syntax is:
CREATE TABLE "table_name"
("column1" "data_type_for_column1",
"column2" "data_type_for_column2")

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
Verify that the user account you are logged in with has the necessary permissions to run JDBC workflows.
Procedure
1

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > JDBC > JDBC Examples to navigate to the JDBC
insert into table example workflow.

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

Provide the required information, and click Next.

Type a database connection URL.

Type a user name to access the database.

Type a password to access the database.

Type an SQL insert statement, and click Next.
An example syntax is:
INSERT INTO "table_name" ("column1", "column2")
VALUES ("value1", "value2")

Type the values to insert into the row.

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
Verify that the user account you are logged in with has the necessary permissions to run JDBC workflows.
Procedure
1

VMware, Inc.

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > JDBC > JDBC Examples to navigate to the JDBC
select from table example workflow.

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

Provide the required information, and click Next.

Type a database connection URL.

Type a user name to access the database.

Type a password to access the database.

Type an SQL select statement.
An example syntax is:
SELECT * FROM "table_name"

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
Verify that the user account you are logged in with has the necessary permissions to run JDBC workflows.
Procedure
1

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > JDBC > JDBC Examples to navigate to the JDBC
delete entry from table example workflow.

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

Provide the required information, and click Next.

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

Type a user name to access the database.

Type a JDBC connection URL.

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

Type a password to access the database.

Type an SQL delete statement.
An example syntax is:
DELETE FROM "table_name" where ("column1" = ?, "column2" = ?)

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
Verify that the user account you are logged in with has the necessary permissions to run JDBC workflows.
Procedure
1

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

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Chapter 6 Using the SQL Plug-In

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > JDBC > JDBC Examples to navigate to the JDBC
delete all from table example workflow.

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

Provide the required information, and click Next.

Type a database connection URL.

Type a user name to access the database.

Type a password to access the database.

Type an SQL delete statement.
An example syntax is:
DELETE FROM "table_name"

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
Verify that the user account you are logged in with has the necessary permissions to run JDBC workflows.
Procedure
1

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > JDBC > JDBC Examples to navigate to the JDBC
drop table example workflow.

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

Provide the required information, and click Next.

Type a password to access the database.

Type a database connection URL.

Type a user name to access the database.

Type an SQL drop statement.
An example syntax is:
DROP TABLE "table_name"

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
Verify that the user account you are logged in with has the necessary permissions to run JDBC workflows.
Procedure
1

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > JDBC > JDBC Examples to navigate to the Full
JDBC cycle example workflow.

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Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

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

Provide the required information, and click Next.
a

Type a database connection URL.

Type a user name to access the database.

Type a password to access the database.

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

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 and to run SQL
operations.
You can access the database configuration 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 plug-in inventory.

Add tables to a database

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

Remove a database

Removes a database object from the plug-in inventory.

Remove a table from a database

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

Update a database

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

Validate a database

Validates a database in the plug-in inventory.

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

Description

Execute a custom query on a
database

Runs 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 workflows for a
table

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

Read a custom query from a
database

Runs 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
n

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.

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Chapter 6 Using the SQL Plug-In

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > SQL and navigate to the Generate CRUD
workflows for a table workflow.

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

Select a table for which to generate the workflows.

Select the workflow folder in which to generate the workflows.

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.

(Optional) Select columns that should not be populated.
You cannot edit the selected columns with the generated CRUD workflows.

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 VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

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Using the SSH Plug-In

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:
n

“Configure the SSH Plug-In,” on page 55

“Running the SSH Plug-In Sample Workflows,” on page 56

Configure the SSH Plug-In
You can set up the SSH plug-in to ensure encrypted connections.
Procedure
1

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > SSH and navigate to the Add SSH host workflow.

Right-click the Configure mail workflow and select Start workflow.

In the Host name text box, enter the name of the host that you want to access with SSH through
Orchestrator.

Enter the target port. The default SSH port is 22.
The host is added to the list of SSH connections.

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

Click New root folder.

Enter the new path and click Insert value.

Enter the user name for a user who has the necessary permissions to run SSH commands.

Select the authentication type.

Option

Action

Yes

Enter a password to use password authentication.

Enter the path to the private key and the private key passphrase to use key
authentication.

Click Submit to run the workflow.

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

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Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

Configuration Workflows
The Configuration category of the SSH plug-in contains workflows that let you manage the connections
between Orchestrator and SSH hosts.
You can access these workflows from Library > SSH > Configuration in the Workflows view of the
Orchestrator client.
Workflow Name

Description

Add a Root Folder to SSH Host

Adds a root folder to an existing connection to an SSH host.

Add SSH Host

Adds a new connection to an SSH host to the existing configuration.

Remove a Root Folder from SSH Host

Removes a root folder from an existing connection to an SSH host.

Remove SSH Host

Removes an existing connection to an SSH host from the existing configuration.

Update SSH Host

Updates an existing connection to an SSH host.

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.
n

Generate a Key Pair on page 56
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.

Change the Key Pair Passphrase on page 57
You can run a workflow from the Orchestrator client to change the passphrase for the key pair that
you generated most recently.

Register an Orchestrator Public Key on an SSH Host on page 57
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 58
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 58
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 59
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.

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Chapter 7 Using the SSH Plug-In

Prerequisites
Verify that the user account you are logged in with has the necessary permissions to run SSH workflows.
Procedure
1

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

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

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

Provide the required information.
a

Select the key type.

Select the key size.

(Optional) Enter a passphrase.
Note You can change the passphrase later.

d
5

(Optional) Enter a comment.

Click Submit to run the workflow.
If a key pair exists, the new key pair overwrites it.

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 most recently.
Prerequisites
Verify that the user account you are logged in with has the necessary permissions to run SSH workflows.
Procedure
1

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > SSH and navigate to the Change key pair
passphrase workflow.

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

Reset the key pair passphrase.

Enter the current passphrase.

Enter the new passphrase.

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
Verify that the user account you are logged in with has the necessary permissions to run SSH workflows.
Procedure
1

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Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > SSH and navigate to the Register vCO public key
on host workflow.

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

Provide the name of the SSH host, and the user name and password to log in to this host.
Note You must provide credentials that are registered on the SSH host.

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
Verify that the user account you are logged in with has the necessary permissions to run SSH workflows.
Procedure
1

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > SSH and navigate to the Run SSH command
workflow.

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

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

Enter 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.

Select Yes to use password authentication, and click Next.
Note The default option is to use key file authentication.

Enter a user name, and click Next.

Enter a password if the authentication method requires a password. Otherwise, enter the path to the
private key and enter the passphrase for the private key.

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
Verify that the user account you are logged in with has the necessary permissions to run SSH workflows.
Note Orchestrator must have explicit write permissions in order to write in folders.

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Chapter 7 Using the SSH Plug-In

Procedure
1

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

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

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

Provide the required information, and click Next.

Type an SSH host name or IP address.

Type the SSH authentication information.

Type the file information.
a

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

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

Click Submit to run the workflow.

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
Verify that the user account you are logged in with has the necessary permissions to run SSH workflows.
Procedure
1

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

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

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

Provide the required information, and click Next.

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Type an SSH host name or IP address.

Type the SSH authentication information.

Enter the file information.
a

Enter the path to the file that you want to copy from the local Orchestrator server to the remote
SSH host.

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

Click Submit to run the workflow.

Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

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Using the XML Plug-In

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 vRealize 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. If you use the Orchestrator Appliance, the folder is named vco and is located
at /var/run/vco.
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 vRealize Orchestrator, Setting Server File System Access
from Workflows and Actions.
n

Create a Simple XML Document on page 62
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 62
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 63
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 63
You can run a workflow from the Orchestrator client to create an address book for testing purposes.

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Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

Create a Simple XML Document
You can run a workflow from the Orchestrator client to create a simple XML document for testing purposes.
Prerequisites
n

Verify that the user account you are logged in with has the necessary permissions to run XML
workflows.

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.

In the workflows hierarchical list, open Library > XML > Samples XML (Simple) to navigate to the
Create a simple XML document workflow.

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

Type the filepath to the XML document to create.
For example, c:/orchestrator/filename.xml.

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
n

Verify that the user account you are logged in with has the necessary permissions to run XML
workflows.

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.

In the workflows hierarchical list, open Library > XML > Samples XML (Simple) to navigate to the Find
element in document workflow.

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

Type the filepath to the XML document.
For example, c:/orchestrator/filename.xml.

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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Chapter 8 Using the XML Plug-In

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
n

Verify that the user account you are logged in with has the necessary permissions to run XML
workflows.

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.

In the workflows hierarchical list, open Library > XML > Samples XML (Simple) to navigate to the
Modify XML document workflow.

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

Provide the input and output filepaths.
a

Type the filepath to the XML document to modify.
For example, c:/orchestrator/filename.xml.

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
n

Verify that the user account you are logged in with has the necessary permissions to run XML
workflows.

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.

In the workflows hierarchical list, open Library > XML > Samples XML (Address Book) to navigate to
the Full address book test workflow.

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

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Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

Type the path to the address book folder.
For example, c:/orchestrator/foldername.
The workflow automatically creates the folder if it does not exist.

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

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:
n

“Define the Default SMTP Connection,” on page 65

“Using the Mail Plug-In Sample Workflows,” on page 66

Define the Default SMTP Connection
The Mail plug-in is installed together with the Orchestrator server and is used for sending and receiving
email notifications. You can set the default email account that can authenticate against an SMTP server to
send and receive email notifications.
Note Avoid load balancers when configuring mail in Orchestrator. You might receive
SMTP_HOST_UNREACHABLE error.
Procedure
1

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > Mail and navigate to the Configure mail workflow.

Right-click the Configure mail workflow and select Start workflow.

Enter the required information.

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Text Box

Description

SMTP host

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

SMTP port

Enter a port number to match your SMTP configuration.
The default SMTP port is 25.

User name

Enter a valid email account.
This is the email account that Orchestrator uses to send emails.

Password

Enter the password associated with the user name.

From name and address

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

Click Submit to run the workflow.

Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

Using the Mail Plug-In Sample Workflows
You can call the sample workflows of the Mail plug-in from custom workflows to implement the email
functionality to the custom workflows. You can run an example workflow to test the interaction between
Orchestrator and your SMTP server.
n

Access the Mail Plug-In Sample Workflows on page 66
You can access the Mail plug-in sample workflows through the Orchestrator client.

Mail Plug-In Sample Workflows on page 66
You can enhance your custom workflows by integrating the sample Mail plug-in workflows.

Access the Mail Plug-In Sample Workflows
You can access the Mail plug-in sample workflows through the Orchestrator client.
Prerequisites
Verify that the user account you are logged in with has the necessary permissions to run Mail workflows.
Procedure
1

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

Expand the hierarchical list to Library > Mail.

What to do next
Review and run 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.

Workflow Name

Description

Configure mail

Defines the connection to the SMTP server, the SMTP authentication account, and the address
and display name of the sender.

Retrieve messages

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

Retrieve messages (via
MailClient)

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

Send notification

Sends an email with specified content to a given email address. If optional parameters are not
specified, the workflow uses the default values set through the Configure mail workflow.

Send notification to
mailing list

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 through the
Configure mail workflow.

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Using the Net Plug-In

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 VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

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Using the Enumeration Plug-In

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

(GMT-03:30) Newfoundland and
Labrador

065

E. South America Standard Time

(GMT-03:00) Brasilia

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Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

Time Zone Code

Time Zone Name

Description

070

S.A. Eastern Standard Time

(GMT-03:00) Buenos Aires,
Georgetown

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 :
Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, London

090

Greenwich Standard Time

(GMT) Casablanca, Monrovia

095

Central Europe Standard Time

(GMT+01:00) Belgrade, Bratislava,
Budapest, Ljubljana, Prague

100

Central European Standard Time

(GMT+01:00) Sarajevo, Skopje,
Warsaw, Zagreb

105

Romance Standard Time

(GMT+01:00) Brussels, Copenhagen,
Madrid, Paris

110

W. Europe Standard Time

(GMT+01:00) Amsterdam, Berlin, Bern,
Rome, Stockholm, Vienna

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,
Sofia, Tallinn, Vilnius

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,
Volgograd

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
Afghanistan Standard Time

(GMT+04:30) Kabul

180

Ekaterinburg Standard Time

(GMT+05:00) Ekaterinburg

185

West Asia Standard Time

(GMT+05:00) Islamabad, Karachi,
Tashkent

190

India Standard Time

(GMT+05:30) Chennai, Kolkata,
Mumbai, New Delhi

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

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Chapter 11 Using the Enumeration Plug-In

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 VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

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Using the Workflow Documentation
Plug-In

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:
n

“Workflow Library for the Workflow Documentation Plug-In,” on page 73

“Generate Workflow Documentation,” on page 73

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.
Workflow Name

Description

Get documentation for workflow

Generates information about a workflow that you select.

Get documentation for workflow category

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.

Click the Workflows view.

Navigate to the workflow or workflow folder for which you want to generate documentation and rightclick it.

Select Generate documentation.

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

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Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

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

The HTTP-REST plug-in allows you to manage REST Web services by providing interaction between
vRealize 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:
n

“Configuring the HTTP-REST Plug-In,” on page 75

“Generate a New Workflow from a REST Operation,” on page 79

“Invoking a REST Operation,” on page 80

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 help 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 inventory.

Add a REST host by Swagger spec as a string

Adds a REST host based on a Swagger spec web resource provided as a
string.

Add a REST host by Swagger spec from a URL

Adds a REST host based on a Swagger spec available at a specific URL.

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.

Reload plug-in configuration

Refreshes the list of REST hosts in the plug-in inventory.

Remove a REST host

Removes a REST host from the plug-in 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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Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

Workflow Name

Description

Update a REST host

Updates a REST host in the plug-in 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:
n

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
u

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

Path

Windows

C:\Program Files\Common Files\VMware\VMware vCenter Server
- Java Components\lib\security\

Linux

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

A krb5.conf file has the following structure:
[libdefaults]
default_realm = YOURDOMAIN.COM
udp_preference_limit = 1
[realms]
YOURDOMAIN.COM = {
kdc = kdc.yourdomain.com
default_domain = yourdomain.com
}
[domain_realm]
.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

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > HTTP-REST > Configuration and navigate to the
Add a REST host workflow.

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Chapter 13 Using the HTTP-REST Plug-In

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

In the Name text box, enter the name of the host.

In the URL text box, enter the address of the host.
Note The Kerberos authentication requires a Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) host address.

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

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

Select Yes to accept the REST host certificate.
The certificate is added to the Orchestrator server trust store.

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Select the authentication type.
Option

Description

None

No authentication is required.

OAuth 1.0

Provide the required authentication parameters.

OAuth 2.0

Provide the authentication token.

Basic

Provides basic access authentication.
Select the session mode.
n If you select Shared Session, provide credentials for the shared
session.
n If you select Per User Session, the Orchestrator client retrieves
credentials from the user who is logged in.

Digest

Provides digest access authentication that uses encryption.
Select the session mode.
n If you select Shared Session, provide credentials for the shared
session.
n If you select Per User Session, the Orchestrator client retrieves
credentials from the user who is logged in.

NTLM

Provides NT LAN Manager (NTLM) access authentication within the
Window Security Support Provider (SSPI) framework.
Select the session mode.
n If you select Shared Session, provide credentials for the shared
session.
n If you select Per User Session, the Orchestrator client retrieves
credentials from the user who is logged in.
Provide the NTLM settings.

Kerberos

Provides Kerberos access authentication.
Select the session mode.
n If you select Shared Session, provide credentials for the shared
session.
n If you select Per User Session, the Orchestrator client retrieves
credentials from the user who is logged in.

Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

To use a proxy, enter the address and the port of the proxy server.
a

(Optional) Select the proxy authentication type.
Option

Description

None

No authentication is required.

Basic

Select whether you want the target hostname to match the name stored in the server certificate.

(Optional) Select a keystore entry to use to authenticate against the server. The keystore entry must be
of the PrivateKeyEntry type.

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 operations 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 inventory.
Prerequisites
n

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.

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > HTTP-REST > Configuration and navigate to the
Add a REST operation workflow.

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

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

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

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}

Select the HTTP method that the operation uses.
If you select POST or PUT, you can provide a Content-Type request header for the method.

Click Submit to run the workflow.

What to do next
You can run workflows on the operation from the Inventory view.

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Chapter 13 Using the HTTP-REST Plug-In

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 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
n

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.

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > HTTP-REST > Configuration to navigate to the
Add a schema to a REST host workflow.

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

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

Select whether to load the schema from URL.

Option

Action

Yes

Type the URL of the schema.

Provide the schema content.

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 vRealize OrchestratorDeveloper's Guide.
Prerequisites
n

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.

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > HTTP-REST and navigate to the Generate a new
workflow from a REST operation workflow.

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

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.

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

Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

Select the workflow folder in which to generate the new workflow.
You can select any existing folder from the workflow library.

Click Submit to run the workflow.

Invoking a REST Operation
To make REST requests, you can either invoke a configured REST operation or invoke a REST operation
dynamically by using a configured REST operation as a template and replacing any of the parameters at
runtime.
There are several ways to invoke a REST operation.
n

Configure REST hosts and associate REST operations with them by running the Add a REST Host and
Add a REST Operation workflows. The registered REST hosts and REST operations are persistent and
can be found in the Inventory and Resources views.

Invoke a REST operation without previously configuring REST hosts and adding REST operations by
running the Invoke a dynamic REST operation workflow from Library > HTTP-REST Samples. With
this workflow, you can provide REST host base URL and operation parameters. The data is not
persistent and is not available in the Inventory and Resources views.

Configure REST hosts, associate REST operations with them, and use the configured REST hosts and
REST operations as templates for further use, by running the Invoke a REST host with dynamic
params and Invoke a REST operation with dynamic params workflows from Library > HTTP-REST
Samples. You can replace some of the parameters of already configured REST hosts and REST
operations when you run the workflows. The original REST hosts and REST operations are not affected.

Invoke a REST Operation
Call a REST operation directly
Prerequisites
n

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

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > HTTP-REST and navigate to the Invoke a REST
operation workflow.

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

Select the REST operation from the list of available operations.

Provide the input parameters and content that the operation requires.

Click Submit to run the workflow.

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Using the SOAP Plug-In

The SOAP plug-in allows you to manage SOAP Web services by providing interaction between
vRealize 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:
n

“Configuring the SOAP Plug-In,” on page 81

“Generate a New Workflow from a SOAP Operation,” on page 84

“Invoke a SOAP Operation,” on page 85

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 inventory.

Reload plug-in configuration

Refreshes the list of SOAP hosts in the plug-in inventory.

Remove a SOAP host

Removes a SOAP host from the plug-in inventory.
Caution When you remove a host from the inventory, all workflows generated
from it stops working.

Update a SOAP host

Updates a SOAP host in the plug-in inventory.

Update a SOAP host with an
endpoint URL

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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Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

Add a SOAP Host
You can run a workflow to add a SOAP host and configure the host connection parameters.
Procedure
1

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > SOAP > Configuration and navigate to the Add a
SOAP host workflow.

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

In the Name text box, enter the name of the host.

Select whether to provide the WSDL content as text.
Action

Yes

Copy the text in the WSDL content text box.

Enter the correct path in the WSDL URI text box.

In the Connection timeout text box, enter the number of seconds, within which Orchestrator must
connect to the SOAP host, otherwise the connection times out.

In the Request timeout text box, specify the number of seconds, within which a SOAP request must
succeed, before it times out.

Select whether to use a proxy.

Option

Action

Yes

Provide the proxy address and proxy port.

Continue to the next step.

Select the authentication type.
Option

Description

None

No authentication is required.

Basic

Digest

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Chapter 14 Using the SOAP Plug-In

Option

Description

NTLM

Kerberos

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:
n

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
u

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

Path

Windows

C:\Program Files\Common Files\VMware\VMware vCenter Server
- Java Components\lib\security\

Linux

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

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Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

}
[domain_realm]
.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.

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 vRealize OrchestratorDeveloper's Guide.
Prerequisites
n

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.

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > SOAP to navigate to the Generate a new workflow
from a SOAP operation workflow.

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

Select the SOAP operation from the list of available operations.

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

Select the workflow folder in which to generate the new workflow.
You can select any existing folder from the workflow library.

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
n

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

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

Navigate to the workflow location.

Right-click the custom workflow and select Start workflow.

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Chapter 14 Using the SOAP Plug-In

Provide the input parameters that the SOAP operation requires.

Click Submit to run the workflow.

(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
n

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.

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > SOAP and navigate to the Invoke a SOAP
operation workflow.

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

Select the SOAP operation from the list of available operations.

Provide the input parameters that the SOAP operation requires.

Click Submit to run the workflow.

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

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Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

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Using the AMQP Plug-In

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:
n

“Configuring the AMQP Plug-In,” on page 87

“Using the AMQP Plug-In Standard Workflows,” on page 89

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.

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

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

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Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

In the hierarchical list of workflows, expand Library > AMQP > Configuration and navigate to the Add
a broker workflow.

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

Provide the information required for the Add a broker workflow.

Option

Action

Name

Type the name of the broker.

Host

Type the address of the host.

Port

Type the port of the AMQP broker service. The default port is 5672.

Virtual host

Type the address of the virtual host. The default value provided is /.

Use SSL

Select whether to use SSL certificates.

Accept all certificates

Select whether to accept all SSL certificates without validation.

User name

Type the user name for the broker.

Password

Type the password for the broker.

Click Submit to run the workflow.

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

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.

In the hierarchical list of workflows, expand Library > AMQP > Configuration and navigate to the
Subscribe to queues workflow.

Right-click the Subscribe to queues workflow and select Start workflow.

In the Name text box, type the name of the queue to display.

Select the broker to which you want to add the subscription.

Select all the queues for message subscription.

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
n

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.

In the hierarchical list of workflows, expand Library > AMQP and navigate to the Update a broker
workflow.

Right-click the Update a broker workflow and select Start workflow.

Select the broker that you want to update.
Current properties of the broker appear.

Edit the properties that you want.

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
n

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.

In the hierarchical list of workflows, expand Library > AMQP and navigate to the Bind workflow.

Right-click the Bind workflow and select Start workflow.

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Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

Select a broker in which you want to create a binding.

Provide information about the binding.

Option

Action

Queue name

Type the name of the queue.

Exchange name

Type the name of the exchange.

Routing key

Type the routing key.

Click Submit to run the workflow.

Declare a Queue
You can run a workflow to add a queue to a specified broker.
Prerequisites
n

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.

In the hierarchical list of workflows, expand Library > AMQP and navigate to the Declare a queue
workflow.

Right-click the Declare a queue workflow and select Start workflow.

Select a broker to which you want to add the queue.

In the Name text box, type the name of the queue to display.

Select whether the queue is durable.

Option

Description

Yes

The queue is removed after a broker restart.

The queue remains after a broker restart.

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.

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.

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
n

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.

In the hierarchical list of workflows, expand Library > AMQP and navigate to the Declare an exchange
workflow.

Right-click the Declare an exchange workflow and select Start workflow.

Select a broker to which you want to add the exchange.

In the Name text box, type a name for the exchange.

Select the exchange type.

Option

Description

direct

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.

fanout

Forwards any message sent to this exchange to all queues bound to it.
Queues that are bound to this exchange contain no arguments.

headers

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.

topic

Performs a wildcard match between the routing key and the routing
pattern specified in the binding.

Select whether the exchange is durable.
Option

Description

Yes

The exchange remains after a broker restart.

The exchange is removed after a broker restart.

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.

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
n

VMware, Inc.

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

Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

Verify that you have a connection to an AMQP broker from the Inventory view.

Procedure
1

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

In the hierarchical list of workflows, expand Library > AMQP and navigate to the Send a text message
workflow.

Right-click the Send a text message workflow and select Start workflow.

Select a broker from which you want to send a message.

In the Exchange name text box, specify the name of the exchange.

In the Routing key text box, specify the routing key.

In the Content text box, type the message you want to send.

Click Submit to run the workflow.

Delete a Binding
You can run a workflow to delete a binding in a specified broker.
Prerequisites
n

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.

In the hierarchical list of workflows, expand Library > AMQP and navigate to the Unbind workflow.

Right-click the Unbind workflow and select Start workflow.

Select a broker to remove the binding from.

Provide information about the binding.

Option

Action

Queue name

Specify the name of the queue.

Exchange name

Specify the name of the exchange.

Routing key

Specify the routing key.

Click Submit to run the workflow.

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Using the SNMP Plug-In

The SNMP plug-in allows vRealize 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.
n

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:
n

“Managing SNMP Devices,” on page 93

“Managing SNMP Queries,” on page 94

“Managing the SNMP Trap Host,” on page 95

“Receiving SNMP Traps,” on page 96

“Generic SNMP Request Workflows,” on page 98

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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Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

Workflow Name

Description

Edit an SNMP device

Edits the configuration of a registered SNMP device.

Registers an SNMP-enabled device to the plug-in inventory.

Unregister an SNMP device

Unregisters an SNMP device from the plug-in inventory.

Register an SNMP Device
You can run a workflow to register an SNMP device and optionally configure advanced connection
parameters.
Procedure
1

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > SNMP > Device Management and navigate to the
Register an SNMP device workflow.

Right-click the Register an SNMP device workflow and select Start workflow.

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 an IP address.

(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.

(Optional) To configure the advanced connection parameters, select Yes.
a

In the Port text box, specify the connection port.
The default port is 161.

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.

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 inventory.
Prerequisites
n

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.

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > SNMP > Query Management and navigate to the
Add a query to an SNMP device workflow.

Right-click the Add a query to an SNMP device workflow and select Start workflow.

Select the device to which you want to add the query.

From the Type drop-down menu, select the query type.

In the OID text box, type the object identifier of the variable that you want to query.
The following are example OID values.
n

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.

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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Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

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
n

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.

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > SNMP > Trap Host Management and navigate to
the Set the SNMP trap port workflow.

Right-click the Set the SNMP trap port workflow and select Start workflow.

In the Port text box, type the port number on which Orchestrator should listen for SNMP traps.

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 receive 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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Chapter 16 Using the SNMP Plug-In

Procedure
1

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > SNMP and navigate to the Wait for a trap on an
SNMP device workflow.

Right-click the Wait for a trap on an SNMP device workflow and select Start workflow.

Select the device on which you want to wait for an SNMP trap.

(Optional) In the OID text box, type the object identifier of a specific trap.
Note If you leave the text box empty, the workflow run resumes after receiving any trap from the
specified SNMP device.

Click Submit to run the workflow.

Set a Trap Policy
You can set a policy to continuously listen for traps from an SNMP device.
Prerequisites
n

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 Policy Templates view in the Orchestrator client.

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > SNMP and navigate to the SNMP Trap policy
template.

Right-click the SNMP Trap policy template and select Apply Policy.

In the Policy name text box, type a name for the policy that you want to create.

(Optional) In the Policy description text box, type a description for the policy.

Select an SNMP device for which to set the policy.

Click Submit to create the policy.

On the Policies view, right-click the policy that you created and select Start policy.

The trap policy starts to listen for SNMP traps.
What to do next
You can edit the trap policy.

Edit a Trap Policy
You can edit a trap policy to customize it for a specific use case. When you edit a trap policy, you can change
its priority and startup settings, as well as customize the scripting and permissions associated with the
policy.
Prerequisites
n

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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Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

Procedure
1

Click the Policies view in the Orchestrator client.

If the policy that you want to edit is running, right-click the policy and select Stop policy.

Right-click the policy and select Edit.

From the General tab, edit the startup settings, priority, and description of the policy.

(Optional) From the Scripting tab, you can associate a specific workflow or scripting code with the
policy, for integration in a more complex scenario.
You can set the policy to trigger a custom workflow when a trap is received.

(Optional) From the Permissions tab, you can modify the access rights.
You can give permissions to a user or to a group to start the policy, without giving permissions to edit
the policy.

Click Save and close to apply the edited settings.

On the Policies view, right-click the policy that you edited and select Start policy.

Generic SNMP Request Workflows
The SNMP workflow category contains workflows that allow you to perform basic SNMP requests without
having to create a query.
You can access these workflows from Library > SNMP on the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

Workflow Name

Description

Get bulk SNMP values

Runs a GET BULK query against an SNMP device.

Get next SNMP value

Runs a GET NEXT query against an SNMP device.

Get SNMP value

Runs a GET query against an SNMP device.

Send an SNMP trap

Sends an SNMP trap to a specified address.

Wait for a trap on an SNMP device

Waits to recieve an SNMP trap from a specified
device.

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Using the Active Directory Plug-In

The Active Directory plug-in (VMware vRealize Orchestrator plug-in for Microsoft Active Directory) allows
interaction between vRealize Orchestrator and Microsoft Active Directory. You can use the plug-in to run
Orchestrator workflows that automate Active Directory processes.
The plug-in contains a set of standard workflows. You can also create custom workflows that implement the
plug-in API to automate tasks in your Active Directory environment.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n

“Configuring the Active Directory Plug-In,” on page 99

“Using the Active Directory Plug-In Workflow Library,” on page 100

Configuring the Active Directory Plug-In
To connect to a Microsoft Active Directory instance by using the Active Directory plug-in, you must
configure the connection parameters for the Microsoft Active Directory instance.
You can configure Active Directory by running the configuration workflows included in the plug-in.

Active Directory Configuration Workflows
The Configuration workflow category of the Active Directory plug-in contains workflows that allow you to
configure Active Directory servers and manage SSL certificates.
You can access these workflows from Library > Microsoft > Active Directory > Configuration in the
Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.
Workflow Name

Description

Add an Active Directory server

Configures a Microsoft Active Directory server.

Configure Active Directory plug-in options

Configures the search limitation options of the Active Directory plug-in.

Configure Active Directory server
(Deprecated)

Creates or updates the default Active Directory server configuration.
Use Update an Active Directory server.

Remove an Active Directory server

Removes an Active Directory server configuration.

Reset configuration (Deprecated)

Deletes the default Active Directory server configuration. Use Remove
an Active Directory server.

Update an Active Directory server

Modifies an existing Active Directory server configuration.

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Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

Using the Active Directory Plug-In Workflow Library
The Active Directory plug-in workflow library contains workflows that allow you to run automated
processes related to the management of Microsoft Active Directory objects.
The workflows are grouped into categories depending on object type. You can integrate standard workflows
from the workflow library in custom workflows.

Using the Active Directory Plug-In Inventory
The Active Directory plug-in exposes all objects in the connected Microsoft Active Directory instance in the
Inventory view. You can use the Inventory view to add authorization elements or to run workflows on
Microsoft Active Directory objects.
To display the workflows that are available for an inventory object, navigate to Tools > User preferences >
Inventory and select the Use contextual menu in inventory check box. After the option is enabled, when
you right-click an object in the Orchestrator inventory, all available workflows for the object are displayed.

Access the Active Directory Plug-In Workflow Library
You must use the Orchestrator client to access the elements from the Active Directory plug-in workflow
library.
Procedure
1

Click the Workflows view.

In the hierarchical list, expand Library > Microsoft > Active Directory and expand the selection.

Active Directory Plug-In Workflows
The Active Directory plug-in contains a set of standard workflows that cover the most common LDAP
functionality. You can use the workflows as building blocks for creating complex custom solutions. By
combining standard workflows, you can automate multistep processes in the Active Directory enironment.

Computer Workflows
The Computer workflow category contains workflows related to Active Directory computer management.
You can access these workflows from Library > Microsoft > Active Directory > Computer.

100

Workflow Name

Description

Create a computer in a group

Creates an Active Directory computer in a group.

Create a computer in an organizational unit

Creates an Active Directory computer in an organizational unit.

Destroy a computer

Deletes a computer from an Active Directory instance.

Destroy a computer and delete its subtree

Deletes a computer from an Active Directory instance and all objects within
the computer subtree.

Disable a computer

Disables a computer from an Active Directory instance.

Enable a computer

Enables a computer in an Active Directory instance.

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Chapter 17 Using the Active Directory Plug-In

Organizational Unit Workflows
The Organizational Unit workflow category contains workflows related to Active Directory organizational
unit management.
You can access these workflows from Library > Microsoft > Active Directory > Organizational Unit.
Workflow Name

Description

Create an organizational unit

Creates an organizational unit in an existing organizational unit.

Destroy an organizational unit

Deletes an organizational unit from an Active Directory instance.

Destroy an organizational unit and delete its
subtree

Deletes an organizational unit from an Active Directory instance and all
objects within the organizational unit subtree.

User Workflows
The User workflow category contains workflows related to Active Directory user management.
You can access these workflows from Library > Microsoft > Active Directory > User.
Workflow Name

Description

Add a user to a user group

Adds one user as a member of a user group.

Change a user password

Changes the password for a user. SSL connection is required, and the
password must meet the Active Directory restrictions.

Create a user in a group

Creates a user without specifying a password. The password must be changed
at the next login. Domain policies must allow users to have empty passwords.

Create a user in an organizational unit

Creates a user in an organizational unit. If SSL connection is disabled, you
cannot specify a password. Domain policies must allow users to have empty
passwords.

Create a user with a password in a
group

Creates a user and sets a password for the user. The password can be changed
at the next login.

Create a user with a password in an
organizational unit

Creates a user in an organizational unit and sets a password for the user. The
password can be changed at the next login. If SSL connection is disabled, you
cannot specify a password.

Destroy a user

Deletes a user from an Active Directory instance.

Disable a user

Disables a user from an Active Directory instance.

Enable a user

Enables a user in an Active Directory instance.

Remove a user from a user group

Removes a user from a user group.

User Group Workflows
The User Group workflow category contains workflows related to Active Directory user group
management.
You can access these workflows from Library > Microsoft > Active Directory > User Group.
Workflow Name

Description

Add computers to group members

Adds one or more computers as members of a user group.

Add groups to group members

Adds one or more user groups as members of a user group.

Add users to group members

Adds one or more users as members of a user group.

Create a user group in a group

Creates a user group in an existing container (group).

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102

Workflow Name

Description

Create a user group in a group and set attribute
“Group name (pre-Windows 2000)”

Creates a user group in an existing container (organizational unit) and
sets the Group name (pre-Windows 2000) attribute.

Create a user group in an organizational unit

Creates a user group in an existing container (organizational unit).

Destroy a user group

Deletes a user group from an Active Directory instance.

Remove computers from group members

Removes one or more computers from a user group.

Remove groups from group members

Removes one or more user groups from a user group.

Remove users from group members

Removes one or more users from a user group.

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Using the Dynamic Types Plug-In

The Orchestrator Dynamic Types plug-in lets you define dynamic types, create objects of these types, and set
relations between them.
The definition of a dynamic type contains the descriptions of its properties and a set of finder workflows
and actions which can be used to find dynamic objects of this type. Runtime instances of dynamic types are
called dynamic objects. You can run workflows on the dynamic objects you create and perform different
operations on them.
Each dynamic type must be defined in a namespace. Namespaces are helper dynamic objects that let you
group dynamic types in containers.
You can use the Dynamic Types plug-in together with the HTTP-REST plug-in to integrate third-party REST
API services into the Orchestrator and expose third-party objects as Orchestrator types.
1

Define a new dynamic type and its properties by running the Define Namespace and Define Type
workflows from the Dynamic Types plug-in. In result, you obtain a set of finder and inventory
workflows for finding objects of the new dynamic type and their relations with other objects.

Modify the new finder and inventory workflows, so that they receive their input from the third-party
REST API.
a

Create REST operations by using the Add a REST Operation workflow from the HTTP-REST plugin and map these operations to the corresponding REST API methods.

Modify the finder and inventory workflows to invoke these REST operations and consume their
outputs.

Dynamic Types Configuration Workflows
The workflows in the Configuration package of the Dynamic Types plug-in let you create dynamic types,
export and import type definitions from an XSD file, and define relations between the dynamic types you
created.
You can access these workflows from Library > Dynamic Types > Configuration in the Workflows view of
the Orchestrator client.
Workflow Name

Description

Define Namespace

Defines a new namespace.

Define Relation

Defines a new relation between types.

Define Type

Defines a new type within a given namespace.

Export Configuration As Package

Exports a Dynamic Types definition configuration as a file-based configuration.
The exported package can be used for importing to other servers.

Import Configuration From Package

Imports a file-based configuration to the plug-in configuration.

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Workflow Name

Description

Import Type Definitions From XSD

Imports type definitions from an XSD file.

Remove Namespace

Removes a namespace.

Remove Relation

Removes a relation.

Remove Type

Removes a type.

Update Namespace

Updates a namespace.

Update Type

Updates a type.

VMware, Inc.

Using the PowerShell Plug-In

The PowerShell plug-in workflow library contains workflows that allow you to manage PowerShell hosts
and run custom PowerShell operations.
You can use the Inventory view in the Orchestrator client to manage the available PowerShell resources. You
can use the scripting API of the plug-in to develop custom workflows.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n

“Using the PowerShell Plug-In Inventory,” on page 105

“Configuring the PowerShell Plug-In,” on page 106

“Running PowerShell Scripts,” on page 108

“Generating Actions,” on page 109

“Passing Invocation Results Between Actions,” on page 111

“PowerCLI Integration with the PowerShell Plug-In,” on page 111

“Sample Workflows,” on page 111

“Access the PowerShell Plug-In API,” on page 112

“Working with PowerShell Results,” on page 112

“Examples of Scripts for Common PowerShell Tasks,” on page 113

“Troubleshooting,” on page 115

Using the PowerShell Plug-In Inventory
The PowerShell plug-in exposes all objects in the connected PowerShell hosts in the Inventory view. You can
use the Inventory view to add authorization elements or to run workflows on PowerShell objects.
Within the inventory of the plug-in, you can monitor PowerShell hosts and their snap-ins and cmdlets. Each
remote host can contain snap-ins and each snap-in can contain cmdlets.
To display the workflows that are available for an inventory object, navigate to Tools > User preferences >
Inventory and select the Use contextual menu in inventory check box. After the option is enabled, when
you right-click an object in the Orchestrator inventory, all available workflows for the object are displayed.

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Configuring the PowerShell Plug-In
You must use the Orchestrator client to configure the PowerShell plug-in.

Configuration Workflows
The Configuration workflow category contains workflows that allow you to manage PowerShell hosts.
You can access these workflows from Library > PowerShell > Configuration on the Workflows view in the
Orchestrator client.
Workflow Name

Description

Add a PowerShell host

Adds a PowerShell host to the plug-in inventory.

Remove a PowerShell host

Removes a PowerShell host from the plug-in inventory.

Update a PowerShell host

Updates the specified PowerShell host in the plug-in inventory.

Validate a PowerShell host

Validates the configuration of the specified PowerShell host.

Configure Kerberos Authentication
You can use Kerberos authentication when you add a host.
The krb5.conf file contains the following information:
n

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
u

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

Path

Windows

C:\Program Files\Common Files\VMware\VMware vCenter Server
- Java Components\lib\security\

Linux

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

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}
[domain_realm]
.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 PowerShell Host
You can run a workflow to add a PowerShell host and configure the host connection parameters. You can set
up a connection to a remote or a local PowerShell host.
Procedure
1

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > PowerShell > Configuration and navigate to the
Add a PowerShell host workflow.

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

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

In the Host / IP text box, type the address of the host.
Note The Kerberos authentication requires a Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) host address.

(Optional) In the Port text box, type the port of the host.

Select the PowerShell host type that the plug-in connects to.
a

Select a transport protocol.
Note If you use the HTTPS transport protocol, the certificate of the remote PowerShell host is
imported into the Orchestrator keystore.

Select the authentication type.
Important If you want to use Kerberos authentication, you must enable it on the WinRM service.

Select the type of session mode that the plug-in uses to connect to the PowerShell host.
Option

Description

Shared Session

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

Session per User

The Orchestrator client retrieves credentials from the user who is logged
in. You must log in with a user@domain format to Orchestrator to use the
Session per User mode.

Click Submit to run the workflow.

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

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Running PowerShell Scripts
You can run workflows to invoke an external or custom script on a PowerShell host.

Invoke a PowerShell Script
You can run an existing or custom PowerShell script on a host in the plug-in inventory.
Prerequisites
n

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

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

Procedure
1

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > PowerShell and navigate to the Invoke a
PowerShell script workflow.

Right-click the Invoke a PowerShell script workflow and select Start workflow.

Select a PowerShell host on which to run the script.

In the Script text box, type or paste the PowerShell script that you want to run.

Click Submit to run the workflow.

Invoke an External Script
You can run an external PowerShell script on a host in the plug-in inventory.
External PowerShell scripts are contained in .ps1 files. The .ps1 file that you want to run must be located on
the PowerShell host.
Prerequisites
n

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

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

Verify that you have access to other .ps1 files that the script might reference.

Procedure
1

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > PowerShell and navigate to the Invoke an external
script workflow.

Right-click the Invoke an external script workflow and select Start workflow.

Select a PowerShell host on which to run the script.

In the Name text box, type the filename of the external .ps1 script that you want to run.
Note If the .ps1 file is not in the default folder, you must type the absolute filepath. You can use
system environment variables to specify script paths. For example, $env:HOMEPATH\test1.ps1.

In the Arguments text box, type the script arguments.
The valid syntax is the same as that used in the PowerShell console.

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Click Submit to run the workflow.

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Generating Actions
You can run workflows to generate actions based on a PowerShell script or a PowerShell cmdlet. You can use
the generated actions as building blocks for custom workflows.

Generate an Action from a PowerShell Script
You can run a workflow to generate an action from a PowerShell script that you provide. You can optionally
generate a sample workflow that can run the generated action.
You can customize the script of the action that you generate by using placeholders. For each placeholder, the
workflow creates a corresponding action parameter of type string in the generated action. When you run
the action, you can provide an actual value as the action parameter. The value that you provide replaces the
placeholder.
Prerequisites
n

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

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

Procedure
1

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > PowerShell > Generate and navigate to the
Generate an action from a PowerShell script workflow.

Right-click the Generate an action from a PowerShell script workflow and select Start workflow.

In the Script text box, type or paste the PowerShell script from which to generate the action.
Note You can use {#ParamName#} as a placeholder for user input. If the placeholder is of type string,
you must use double quotes to pass the value of the placeholder to the action.
The following script is an example of how to link the generated action parameter to a script parameter.
param($name={#ParamName#})
echo $name;

In the Name text box, type a name for the action that you want to generate.

Select an existing module in which to generate the action.

Select whether to generate a workflow.

Option

Description

Yes

Generates a sample workflow that can run the generated action. You must
select a folder in which to generate the workflow.
Note The name of the generated workflow consists of the predefined
string Invoke Script and the name of the generated action.

A sample workflow is not generated.

Click Submit to run the workflow.

What to do next
You can integrate the generated action in custom workflows.

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Generate an Action for a PowerShell Cmdlet
You can run a workflow to generate an action for a PowerShell cmdlet and parameter set that you provide.
With this action, you can use PowerShell functionality in Orchestrator. You can optionally generate a sample
workflow that can run the generated action.
You can use a large set of data types with the PowerShell script engine. The data types that you can use
include primitive types such as Integer, Boolean, Char, any type available from the .NET assembly, or userdefined types. When generating actions based on PowerShell cmdlet definitions, the input and output
cmdlet parameters are represented by types that the Orchestrator platform supports. The PowerShell plugin defines the type mappings. In general, primitive types are mapped to the corresponding Orchestrator
types, and complex types are represented by the PowerShellRemotePSObject object.
Prerequisites
n

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

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

Procedure
1

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > PowerShell > Generate and navigate to the
Generate an action for a PowerShell cmdlet workflow.

Right-click the Generate an action for a PowerShell cmdlet workflow and select Start workflow.

Select a PowerShell cmdlet to run when using the action that you generate.

Select a parameter set for the cmdlet.
The parameter set definition values appear in the Parameter set definition text box.
Note You cannot modify the parameter set definition values by editing the string in the Parameter set
definition text box. You can review the string for information about the parameters that the parameter
set contains.

In the Name text box, type a name for the action that you want to generate.

Select an existing module in which to generate the action.

Select whether to generate a workflow.

Option

Description

Yes

Generates a sample workflow that can run the generated action. You
should select a folder in which to generate the workflow.
Note The name of the generated workflow consists of the predefined
string Execute Cmdlet and the name of the generated action.

A sample workflow is not generated.

Click Submit to run the workflow.

What to do next
You can integrate the generated action in custom workflows.

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Passing Invocation Results Between Actions
The PowerShell plug-in supports passing of results as parameters from one PowerShell script invocation to
another. To pass results correctly, both invocations must happen in the same session.

PowerCLI Integration with the PowerShell Plug-In
You can use functionality that is available in a third-party snap-in, such as VMware vSphere PowerCLI, with
the PowerShell plug-in.
To use the third-party snap-in functionality, the snap-in must be available on the PowerShell host. To load
the snap-in in the current session, you must also call the AddPsSnapin action. When using PowerCLI, you
must set the name of the snap-in to VMware.VimAutomation.Core.
The PowerShell plug-in does not provide pre-generated actions for third-party snap-ins. You can generate
actions for third-party snap-ins by running the Generate an action for a PowerShell cmdlet workflow. See
“Generate an Action for a PowerShell Cmdlet,” on page 110.
The com.vmware.library.powershell.converter package contains basic building blocks that allow
conversion from a VC: object, to the corresponding object from PowerCLI. This feature
allows workflows from the vCenter Server plug-in to interact with workflows from the PowerShell plug-in
and to pass parameters between the two plug-ins.

Converter Workflows
You can use the sample workflows from the Converter workflow category to test the integration between the
PowerShell plug-in and PowerCLI. To test the integration, PowerCLI must be installed on the PowerShell
host.
The Converter sample workflows demonstrate the conversion functionality available in the plug-in.
Note The PowerShell plug-in does not support all types that are available in PowerCLI and the vCenter
Server plug-in. Unsupported types return an exception.
You can access these workflows from Library > PowerShell > Samples > Converter on the Workflows view
in the Orchestrator client.
Workflow Name

Description

Convert PSObject to vCO object

Converts PowerShellRemotePSObject to VC:.

Convert PSObject to vCO object to PSObject

Converts PowerShellRemotePSObject to VC: and the
reverse.

Convert vCO object to PSObject

Converts VC: to PowerShellRemotePSObject.

Sample Workflows
The Samples workflow category contains workflows that allow you to test basic use cases.
You can access these workflows from Library > PowerShell > Samples on the Workflows view in the
Orchestrator client.
Workflow Name

Description

Invoke a script via API

Demonstrates how to call a PowerShell script through the available scripting API.

List directory content

Lists the contents of a directory.

Pipeline execution example

Demonstrates how you can run multiple cmdlets arranged into a pipe.

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Workflow Name

Description

Toggle virtual machine state

Toggles the power state of a virtual machine.

Access the PowerShell Plug-In API
Orchestrator provides an API Explorer to allow you to search the PowerShell plug-in API and see the
documentation for JavaScript objects that you can use in scripted elements.
Procedure
1

Access the API Explorer from either the Orchestrator client or from the Scripting tabs of the workflow,
policy, and action editors.

To access the API Explorer from the Orchestrator client, click Tools > API Explorer in the
Orchestrator client toolbar.

To access the API Explorer from the Scripting tabs of the workflow, policy, and action editors, click
Search API on the left.

To expand the hierarchical list of PowerShell plug-in API objects, double-click the PowerShell module
in the left pane.

What to do next
You can copy code from API elements and paste it into scripting boxes. For more information about API
scripting, see Developing with VMware vRealize Orchestrator.

Working with PowerShell Results
You can use objects from the API of the PowerShell plug-in to work with results that Windows PowerShell
returns.
You can use the methods from the PowerShellInvocationResult class to get information about a script that
you run.
Method

Description

getErrors()

Returns a list of errors reported by the PowerShell engine during script invocation.

getInvocationState()

Status of the script. The possible values are Completed or Failed.

getHostOutput()

Output of the script as it appears on the PowerShell console.

getResults()

Objects returned by the PowerShell engine. The returned object is of type
PowershellRemotePSObject.

PowershellRemotePSObject is a remote representation of objects returned by the PowerShell engine.
PowershellRemotePSObject contains XML serialization of the result that can be accessed by calling the
getXml() method.

The PowerShell plug-in also provides an object model that wraps the XML result and provides easier access
to particular object properties. The getRootObject() method provides access to the object model. In general,
the getRootObject() method maps the PowerShell types to types available in Orchestrator, by using the
following rules.

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If the returned object is of a primitive PowerShell type, the object is mapped to the corresponding
Orchestrator primitive type.

If the returned object is of type collection, the object is represented as ArrayList.

If the returned object is of type dictionary, the object is represented as Hashtable.

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If the returned object is of type complex, the object is represented as PSObject.

Examples of Scripts for Common PowerShell Tasks
You can cut, paste, and edit the JavaScript examples to write scripts for common PowerShell tasks.
For more information about scripting, see the vRealize Orchestrator Developer's Guide.

Example: Run a PowerShell Script Through the API
You can use JavaScript to run a PowerShell script through the API of the plug-in.
This example script performs the following actions.
n

Opens a session to a PowerShell host.

Provides a script to run.

Checks invocation results.

Closes the session.

var sess;
try {
//Open session to PowerShell host
var sess = host.openSession()
//Set executed script
var result = sess.invokeScript('dir')
//Check for errors
if (result.invocationState == 'Failed'){
throw "PowerShellInvocationError: Errors found while executing script \n" +
result.getErrors();
}
//Show result
System.log( result.getHostOutput() );
} catch (ex){
System.error (ex)
} finally {
if (sess) {
//Close session
host.closeSession( sess.getSessionId() );
}
}

Example: Work with Result
You can use JavaScript to work with the result of a PowerShell script run.
This example script performs the following actions.
n

Checks the invocation state.

Extracts a value from the result.

Checks the RemotePSObject type.

var sess = host.openSession()
sess.addCommandFromString("dir " + directory)
var invResult = sess.invokePipeline();
//Show result
System.log( invResult.getHostOutput() );

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//Check for errors
if (invResult.invocationState == 'Failed'){
System.error(invResult.getErrors());
} else {
//Get PowerShellRemotePSObject
var psObject = invResult.getResults();
var directories = psObject.getRootObject();
var isList = directories instanceof Array
if ( isList ){
for (idx in directories){
var item = directories[idx];
if ( item.instanceOf('System.IO.FileInfo') ){//Check type of object
System.log( item.getProperty('FullName') );//Extract value from result
}
}
} else {
System.log( directories.getProperty('FullName') );//Extract value from result
}
}
host.closeSession( sess.getSessionId());

Example: Connect with Custom Credentials
You can use JavaScript to connect to a PowerShell host with custom credentials.
var sess;
try {
sess = host.openSessionAs(userName, password);
var invResult = sess.invokeScript('$env:username');
//Check for errors
if (invResult.invocationState == 'Failed'){
System.error(invResult.getErrors());
} else {
//Show result
System.log( invResult.getHostOutput() );
}
} catch (ex){
System.error (ex)
} finally {
if (sess) {
host.closeSession( sess.getSessionId());
}
}

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Troubleshooting
If you encounter problems when running or using PowerShell plug-in, you can use a troubleshooting topic
to understand and solve the problem, if there is a workaround.

Servers Not Found in Kerberos Database
After you add servers with Kerberos authentication, the servers might not be found because they are not
added correctly.
Problem
When you try to connect to a server, the server is not found in Kerberos database.
No valid credentials provided (Mechanism level: No valid
credentials provided (Mechanism level: Server not found in Kerberos
database (7)))

Cause
This error might be caused by domain or mapping problems, or because of a DNS problem where the
service principal name is not built correctly. Kerberos authentication does not workwhen the destination is
an IP address.
Solution
When you add a PowerShell host using the Kerberos authentication type a DNS or NetBIOS destination.

Unable to Obtain a Kerberos Ticket
When you provide wrong credentials, the plug-in fails to obtain a Kerberos ticket.
Problem
You are unable to add a host to the plug-in inventory and the result is the following error message.
Pre-authentication information was invalid (24)

Cause
You have provided wrong credentials.
Solution
Provide the correct credentials.

Kerberos Authentication Fails Due to Time Differences
System time differences in the environment that uses Kerberos configuration might lead to authentication
failure.
Problem
Attempts to use Kerberos for initial authentication of a host or for resource access fail and the following
error message appears.
Clock Skew

Cause
If the system time on the computers in the environment deffers with more than 5 minutes from the client
computer or from one another, the Kerberos authentication fails.

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Solution
Synchronize the system times in the environment.

Kerberos Authentication Session Mode Fails
When you use Kerberos authentication with Shared Session or Session per User, adding the PowerShell host
might fail.
Problem
When you attempt to add a PowerShell host to the plug-in inventory using Shared Session or Session per
User, the workflow fails, and the following error appears.
Null realm name (601) - default realm not specified (Dynamic Script Module name :
addPowerShellHost#16)

Cause
The default realm is not specified in the Kerberos configuration file krb5.conf neither provided as a part of
the user name.
Solution
Provide a default realm in your Kerberos configuration file or specify the realm in your user name when
authenticating Kerberos.

Unable to Reach a Key Distribution Center for a Realm
Any misspelling in the krb5.conf file might cause a failure when you add a host.
Problem
When you are adding a host, the Kerberos authentication is unable to reach a Key Distribution Center
(KDC) for yourrealm.
Cannot get kdc for realm YOURREALM.COM

Cause
The libdefaults and realms sections in the krb5.conf file might be misspelled.
Solution
Verify that the libdefaults and realms sections in your krb5.conf file are spelled correctly.

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Using the Multi-Node Plug-In

The Multi-Node plug-in workflow library contains workflows for hierarchical orchestration, management of
Orchestrator instances, and scale-out of Orchestrator activities.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n

“Introduction to the vRealize Orchestrator Multi-Node Plug-In,” on page 117

“Configuring the Multi-Node Plug-In,” on page 118

“Using Proxy Workflows,” on page 119

“Using the Multi-Node Plug-In Inventory,” on page 121

“Access the Multi-Node Plug-In API,” on page 122

“Multi-Node Plug-In Use Cases,” on page 122

Introduction to the vRealize Orchestrator Multi-Node Plug-In
The Multi-Node plug-in creates a master-slave relation between vRealize Orchestrator servers, which
extends in the areas of package management and workflow execution.
Figure 20‑1. Multi-Node Plug-In Schema
Master Orchestrator server
Multi-node plug-in

Slave Orchestrator server 1

Slave Orchestrator server 2

Slave Orchestrator server 3

Plug-ins

The plug-in contains a set of standard workflows for hierarchical orchestration, management of Orchestrator
instances, and scale-out of Orchestrator activities.

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Configuring the Multi-Node Plug-In
You must use the Orchestrator client to configure the Multi-Node plug-in.

Servers Configuration Workflows
The Servers Configuration workflow category contains workflows that allow you to configure the connected
Orchestrator servers.
You can access these workflows from Library > Orchestrator > Servers Configuration on the Workflows
view in the Orchestrator client.
Workflow Name

Description

Add an Orchestrator server

Adds an Orchestrator server to the plug-in inventory.

Delete an Orchestrator server

Removes an Orchestrator server from the plug-in inventory and deletes all created
proxies for this server.

Update an Orchestrator server

Updates an Orchestrator server from the plug-in inventory by changing its details.

Add an Orchestrator Server
You can run a workflow to establish a connection to a new vRealize Orchestrator server.
Prerequisites
Verify that the master and slave Orchestrator servers are the same version.
Procedure
1

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

In the hierarchical list of workflows, expand Library > Orchestrator > Servers Configuration and
navigate to the Add an Orchestrator server workflow.

Right-click the Add an Orchestrator server workflow and select Start workflow.

Provide the new server details.

Select whether the connection is shared.

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Option

Description

The credentials of the logged-in user are used to connect to the remote
Orchestrator server.

Yes

All users can access the remote Orchestrator server using the same
credentials. Provide the credentials for the shared connection.

Click Submit to run the workflow.

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Using Proxy Workflows
You can use proxy workflows to manage the interaction between the local Orchestrator server and
workflows on a remote Orchestrator server.
You can use the Multi-Node plug-in to generate local workflows which interact with remote workflows.
These local workflows are called proxy workflows. A proxy workflow takes the input parameters from the
inventory of the Multi-Node plug-in. When you run the proxy workflow, it converts the parameters to the
types required by the remote workflow. When the remote workflow completes its run, the output
parameters are converted back to the local representation on the master Orchestrator server.

Synchronous Proxy Workflows
The synchronous type of proxy workflows preserve the API and the operation contract of the remote
workflows.
The schema of all synchronous proxy workflows is the same, but contains different scripting.

The synchronous proxy workflow completes the run after the remote workflow completes and provides
output parameters.
The local workflow consumes no server resources while waiting for the results of the remote workflow.
At the end of a successful run the output parameters of the proxy workflow contain a local representation of
the remote workflow token. The output parameters can be used directly by other workflows on the local
Orchestrator server when they are of simple type, such as, boolean, number, string, and similar.

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Asynchronous Proxy Workflows
You can use asynchronous proxy workflows to optimize the run of remote workflows.
The schema of all asynchronous proxy workflows is the same, but contains different scripting.

An asynchronous proxy workflow returns immediately a result that is a local wrapper of the remote
workflow token object. The proxy workflow uses this token to check the state of the run and to retrieve the
output parameters when the remote workflow completes its run. The output parameters can be used
directly by other workflows on the local Orchestrator server when they are of simple type, such as, boolean,
number, string, and similar.

Remote Execution Workflows
The Remote Execution workflow category contains workflows that allow you to manage proxy workflows.

Remote Execution Standart Workflows
You can access the workflows to create proxy workflows from Library > Orchestrator > Remote Execution
on the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.
Workflow Name

Description

Create a multi proxy action

Creates a multi-proxy action to run workflows on multiple servers.

Create a proxy workflow

Creates a proxy workflow that you can use to start a workflow on a remote
Orchestrator server.

Create proxy workflows from a folder

Creates proxy workflows for all workflows in a folder on the remote
Orchestrator server.

Server Proxies
You can access the workflows for managing server proxies from Library > Orchestrator > Remote Execution
> Server Proxies on the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

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Workflow Name

Description

Create proxy workflows for an Orchestrator
server

Creates proxy workflows on the local Orchestrator server by mirroring
the remote server's structure.

Delete proxy workflows for an Orchestrator
server

Removes the proxy workflows for the local Orchestrator server and
deletes all generated workflows.

Refresh proxy workflows for an Orchestrator
server

Regenerates all proxy workflows for the local Orchestrator server from
the remote server.

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Using the Multi-Node Plug-In Inventory
The Multi-Node plug-in mirrors all inventories of the connected vRealize Orchestrator servers in the
Inventory view. You can use the Inventory view to add authorization elements or to run workflows on
remote Orchestrator servers.
To display the workflows that are available for an inventory object, navigate to Tools > User preferences >
Inventory and select the Use contextual menu in inventory check box. After the option is enabled, when
you right-click an object in the Orchestrator inventory, all available workflows for the object are displayed.
The inventory for a single remote server consist of two major parts, system objects and plug-in objects. Both
objects are wrappers of the remote objects into locally usable types:
System object

System objects are under a top-level group called System.They contain
configurations, packages, workflows, actions, and related folders. Remote
system objects have individual wrapper types.

Plug-in objects

Plug-in objects mirror the inventories of all plug-ins attached to the remote
Orchestrator server. Remote plug-in objects are all wrapped into a single
local type VCO:RemotePluginObject.

Remote Management Workflows
The Remote Management workflow category contains workflows that allow you to manage packages and
workflows on remote Orchestrator instances.

Packages
You can access the workflows for managing remote packages from Library > Orchestrator > Remote
Management > Packages on the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.
Workflow Name

Description

Delete a package

Deletes a package and its contents from a remote Orchestrator server.

Delete a package by name

Deletes a package and its contents by name on a remote Orchestrator server.

Deploy a package from a local server

Deploys a package from a local Orchestrator server to remote Orchestrator
servers.

Deploy a package from a remote server

Deploys a package from one remote Orchestrator server to a list of remote
Orchestrator servers.

Deploy packages from a local server

Deploys packages from a local Orchestrator server to remote Orchestrator
servers.

Workflows
You can access the workflows for managing remote workflows from Library > Orchestrator > Remote
Management > Workflows on the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.
Workflow Name
Delete a remote workflow

Deletes a workflow from a remote Orchestrator server.

Delete all finished workflow runs

Deletes all finished workflow runs from a remote workflow.

Deploy a workflow from a local server

Deploys a workflow from a local Orchestrator server to a list of remote
Orchestrator servers.

Deploy a workflow from a remote server

Deploys a workflow from a remote Orchestrator server to a list of other
remote Orchestrator servers.

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Access the Multi-Node Plug-In API
Orchestrator provides an API Explorer to allow you to search the Multi-Node plug-in API and see the
documentation for JavaScript objects that you can use in scripted elements.
Procedure
1

Access the API Explorer from either the Orchestrator client or from the Scripting tabs of the workflow,
policy, and action editors.

To access the API Explorer from the Orchestrator client, click Tools > API Explorer in the
Orchestrator client toolbar.

To access the API Explorer from the Scripting tabs of the workflow, policy, and action editors, click
Search API on the left.

To expand the hierarchical list of Multi-Node plug-in API objects, double-click the VCO module in the
left pane.

What to do next
You can copy code from API elements and paste it into scripting boxes. For more information about API
scripting, see Developing with VMware vRealize Orchestrator.

Multi-Node Plug-In Use Cases
The Multi-Node plug-in use cases include user scenarios such as importing a package from the local
Orchestrator server to the remote servers, using multi proxy actions, as well as information about
maintenance of remote and proxy workflows.

Create a Multi-Proxy Action
You can run the Create a multi-proxy action workflow to run a workflow on several servers.
You can create an action, so that you can run a workflow on a remote Orchestrator server at a later stage.
Procedure
1

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

In the hierarchical list of workflows, expand Library > Orchestrator > Remote Execution and navigate
to the Create a multi-proxy action workflow.

Right-click the Create a multi-proxy action workflow and select Start workflow.

In the Action name text box, type the name of the action.
The action name must contain only alpha-numeric characters without spaces.

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A new action is created even if another action with the same name exists.
6

Select a module in which to add the action.

Select whether the workflow is local or remote.

Select the workflow that you want to use for this action.

Click Submit to run the workflow.

The generated action accepts the same parameters as the source workflow but promotes the parameters to
an array in case of multi-selection of objects. The values in the array are indexed.

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Maintenance of Remote and Proxy Workflows
If the remote and proxy workflows change, you might want to update the proxies or to delete them if you do
not need them anymore. For maintenance purposes, the Multi-Node plug-in provides workflows that allow
you to update or delete proxy and remote workflow information.
You can access the workflows for managing the proxy workflows from Library > Orchestrator > Remote
Execution > Server Proxies in the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.
Workflow Name

Description

Refresh proxy workflows for an Orchestrator
server

Regenerates all proxy workflows for the local Orchestrator server from
the remote server.

Delete proxy workflows for an Orchestrator
server

Removes the proxy workflows for the local Orchestrator server and
deletes all generated workflows.

You can access wokflows for further maintenance of the proxy workflows from Library > Orchestrator >
Remote Management > Workflows in the Workflows view of the Orchestrator client.
Workflow Name

Description

Delete all finished workflow runs

Deletes all finished workflow runs from a remote workflow.

Delete a remote workflow

Deletes a workflow from a remote Orchestrator server.

Deploy a workflow from a local server

Deploys a workflow from a local Orchestrator server to a list of remote
Orchestrator servers.

Deploy a Package from a Local Server
You can run a workflow to deploy a package from a local Orchestrator server to remote Orchestrator
servers.
In this example, you can deploy a package from a local server to an array of remote servers.

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Procedure
1

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

In the hierarchical list of workflows, expand Library > Orchestrator > Remote Management and
navigate to the Deploy a package from a local server workflow.

Right-click the Deploy a package from a local server and select Start workflow.

Select the package to deploy from the local storage.

Select the remote servers to deploy the package to.

Select whether you want to overwrite the remote server packages.

Option

Description

Yes

The packages on the remote server are replaced, discarding the version of
the packaged elements.

A version check of the server and the deploying packages is performed.
The packages are deployed after a successful check.

Click Submit to run the workflow.

After running the workflow, the status information is displayed in the log view and in the inventory of the
plug-in.

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Using the vCloud Suite API (vAPI)
Plug-In

The vCloud Suite API plug-in provides the ability to consume API exposed by any vCloud Suite API
provider. The vCloud Suite API provides a service-oriented architecture for accessing resources in the
virtual environment by issuing requests to vCenter Server, through the vCloud Suite Endpoint.
The plug-in contains a set of standard workflows and example workflows. You can also create custom
workflows that implement the plug-in to automate tasks in your virtual environment. For information about
vCloud Suite API, see VMware vCloud Suite SDKs Programming Guide.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n

“Configuring the vCloud Suite API Plug-In,” on page 127

“Access the vCloud Suite API Plug-In API,” on page 128

Configuring the vCloud Suite API Plug-In
You can configure vCloud Suite API by running the configuration workflows included in the plug-in.

Import a vCloud Suite API Metamodel
The vCloud Suite API plug-in discovers vCloud Suite API services dynamically by querying a vCloud Suite
API provider metadata service. vCloud Suite API providers which are not exposing metadata service are not
supported.
You must import a vCloud Suite API metamodel and add endpoints afterwards.
Procedure
1

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > VAPI and navigate to the Import vAPI metamodel
workflow.

Right-click the Import vAPI metamodel workflow and select Start workflow.

In the vAPI endpoint URL text box, type the URL of your vCloud Suite API endpoint.

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Choose whether to use a secure protocol connection:
Option

Description

Import the vCloud Suite API metamodel, without using a secure protocol
connection.

Yes

To import the vCloud Suite API metamodel with secure protocol
connection:
a Choose whether to ignore certificate warnings and accept the vCloud
Suite endpoint automatically.
b Provide the user credentials to authenticate with the vCloud Suite
endpoint.

Click Submit to run the workflow.

What to do next
“Add a vCloud Suite API Endpoint,” on page 128

Add a vCloud Suite API Endpoint
Add a vCloud Suite API endpoint.
Prerequisites
Import a vCloud Suite API metamodel.
Procedure
1

Click the Workflows view in the Orchestrator client.

In the workflows hierarchical list, expand Library > VAPI and navigate to the Add vAPI endpoint
workflow.

Right-click the Add vAPI endpoint workflow and select Start workflow.

In the vAPI endpoint URL text box, type the URL of your vCloud Suite API endpoint.

Choose whether to use a secure protocol connection:

Option

Description

Import the vCloud Suite API metamodel, without using a secure protocol
connection.

Yes

Click Submit to run the workflow.

Access the vCloud Suite API Plug-In API
Orchestrator provides an API Explorer to allow you to search the vCloud Suite API plug-in API and see the
documentation for JavaScript objects that you can use in scripted elements.
Procedure
1

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Chapter 21 Using the vCloud Suite API (vAPI) Plug-In

Access the API Explorer from either the Orchestrator client or from the Scripting tabs of the workflow,
policy, and action editors.
n

To access the API Explorer from the Orchestrator client, click Tools > API Explorer in the
Orchestrator client toolbar.

To access the API Explorer from the Scripting tabs of the workflow, policy, and action editors, click
Search API on the left.

To expand the hierarchical list of vCloud Suite API plug-in API objects, double-click the VAPI module
in the left pane.

What to do next
You can copy code from API elements and paste it into scripting boxes. For more information about API
scripting, see Developing with VMware vRealize Orchestrator.

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Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

130

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Index

A
access API 128
action generation 109
Active Directory plug-in 99
Active Directory plug-in configuration 99
add a database 52
add a vCenter Server instance 20
add an Orchestrator server 118
add tables to a database 52
Add vCloud Suite API endpoint 128
adding a database 45
adding a PowerShell host 107
adding a REST host 76
adding a REST operation 78
adding a SOAP host 82
adding an AMQP broker 87
adding an SNMP query 95
adding an XSD schema to a REST host 79
adding tables to a database 46
AMQP broker 87
AMQP plug-in 87
API, working with results 112
API Explorer, accessing 15
API access 112, 122
asynchronous 120
audience 9
authentication, Kerberos 76, 83, 106

configure SSH hosts 56
Configure vAPI 127
Configure vCloud Suite API 127
create a multi-proxy action 122
creating new subscription elements 88
custom attributes workflows 27

basic host management workflows 29
basic virtual machine workflows 34
batch workflows 25

database 45
database plug-in, workflow library 52
Database plug-in, usage 45
Database plug-in sample workflows 47
datacenter folder management folder 28
datacenter workflows 27
datastore and files workflows 27
debug logging 17
declare a bidning 89
declare a queue 90
declare an exchange 91
default plug-ins 12
delete a binding 92
delete a remote workflow 124
delete proxy workflows 124
delete workflow runs 124
deploy 124
device management workflows 37
device management 93
distributed virtual port group workflows 30
distributed virtual switch workflows 31
documentation 73
dynamic types 103
Dynamic Types configuration 103

clone workflows 35
cluster and compute resource workflows 26
configuration 87, 106, 118
Configuration 41
Configuration plug-in
library accessing 41
workflow library 41
workflow library access 41
workflow library accessing 41
configuration workflows 75, 81

editing an SNMP trap policy 97
Enumeration plug-in
Enums:MSTimeZone values 69
usage 69
external script, call 108

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G
Generate an action for a PowerShell cmdlet 110
Generate an action from a PowerShell
script 109
generate, workflow documentation 73

131

Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

generating CRUD workflows 52
guest operation files workflows 28
guest operation processes workflows 29

Enumeration plug-in 12
Library plug-in 12
Mail plug-in 12
Net plug-in 12
SQL plug-in 12
SSH plug-in 12
vCenter Server plug-in 12
XML plug-in 12

H
host
configure 106
manage 106
host folder management workflows 28
host management registration workflows 30
HTTP-REST plug-in 75

I
Import vCloud Suite API Metamodel 127
introduction 11, 117
Inventory 100, 105, 121
invocation result passing 111
Invoke an external script 108
Invoke a PowerShell script 108
invoking REST operation 80

J
JDBC connection, testing 48
JDBC dropping, testing 51
JDBC entry deletion, testing 50
JDBC full cycle, testing 51
JDBC plug-in, usage 45
JDBC row insertion, testing 49
JDBC row selection, testing 49
JDBC sample workflows 47
JDBC table creation, testing 48
JDBC URL generator 47

L
linked clone workflows 35
Linux customization clone workflows 35
load balancing 65

M
Mail plug-in
sample workflows access 66
usage 65
Mail plug-in sample workflows 66
maintenance workflows 124
move and migrate workflows 37

N
Net plug-in, usage 67
networking workflows 30

O
Orchestrator architecture 11
overview of
Configuration plug-in 12

132

P
package 124
passing invocation results between actions 111
PDF 73
plug-ins, removing a plug-in 18
plug-ins configuration
Mail plug-in 65
SSH plug-in 55
vCenter Server plug-in 20
power management workflows 38
power host management workflows 29
PowerCLI integration 111
PowerShell host
adding 107
registering 107
PowerShell scripts
invoke 108
run 108
proxy workflow 119, 120

Q
query management 94

R
refresh proxy workflows 124
registering a PowerShell host 107
registering an SNMP device 94
reinstall plug-ins 18
remove a database 52
remove a table from a database 52
resource pool workflows 32

S
script, call 108
scripting examples 113
send a text message 91
setting the SNMP trap policy 97
setting the SNMP trap port 96
SFTP 58, 59
SMTP connection 65
snapshot workflows 38
SNMP device, adding 94
SNMP query, adding 95
SNMP plug-in 93

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Index

SNMP traps, receive 96
SOAP plug-in 81
SQL operations 52
SQL plug-in, usage 45
SQL plug-in configuration 45
SSH commands, running 58
SSH file copy
SCP get command 58
SCP put command 59
SSH plug-in, usage 55
SSH plug-in sample workflows 56
SSH workflows
changing a key pair passphrase 57
generating a key pair 56
registering a public key 57
standard virtual switch workflows 31
storage DRS workflows 33
storage workflows 32
synchronous 119

T
tools clone workflows 36
trap host management 95
troubleshooting
Kerberos aauthentication 115
Kerberos authentication 115, 116
Key Distribution Center 116
servers not found 115
ticket 115
time difference 115
Troubleshooting
Kerberos Authentication 116
Shared Session 116

U
update a database 52
update a broker 89
updating a database 47
usage 105, 117
use cases 122
using proxy workflows 119

V
vAPI, vCloud Suite API 127
vAPI plug-in 127
vCenter Server configuration 26
vCenter Server plug-in
configuration 19
Inventory 21
library accessing 22
scripting API 21
usage 19
workflow library 23

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workflow library access 22
workflow library accessing 22
vCloud Suite endpoint 128
vCloud Suite API Metamodel 127
vCO Library plug-in
usage 43
workflows 43
virtual machine folder management
workflows 28
Virtual SAN 32
Virtual SAN network traffic 32
Virtual SAN disk groups 33
VMware Tools workflows 39
VSAN 32, 33
VSAN disk groups 33
VSAN network traffic 32

W
wait for a trap on an SNMP device 96
windows customization clone workflows 36
workflow documentation 73
Workflow Documentation plug-in, workflow
library 73
workflow documentation plug-in 73
workflow library 100, 117
workflow library access 100
workflows
Active Directory configuration 99
basic host management 29
basic virtual machine 34
batch 25
clone 35
cluster and compute resource 26
computer 100
configuration 75, 81, 87, 89, 106
Converter 111
custom attributes 27
database configuration 45
datacenter 27
datacenter folder management 28
datastore and files 27
device management 37, 93
distributed virtual port group 30
distributed virtual switch 31
Generate a new workflow from a REST
operation 79
Generate a new workflow from a SOAP
operation 84
generic SNMP requests 98
guest operation files 28
guest operation processes 29
host management registration 30

133

Using VMware vRealize Orchestrator Plug-Ins

host folder management 28
Invoke a REST operation 80
Invoke a SOAP operation 85
linked clone 35
Linux customization clone 35
move and migrate 37
networking 30
organizational unit 101
other 37
power management 38
power host management 29
query management 94
remote execution 120
remote management 121
resource pool 32
sample 111
servers configuration 118
snapshot 38
standard virtual switch 31
standard workflows 52
storage 32
Storage DRS 33
testing a custom generated workflow 84
tools clone 36
trap host management 96
user 101
user group 101
vCenter Server configuration 19
virtual machine folder management 28
VMware Tools 39
windows customization clone 36

X
XML
DOM 61
E4X 61
XML plug-in, usage 61
XML plug-in sample workflows
creating a simple XML document 62
creating an address book 63
finding an element 62
modifying an XML document 63
xpath expressions 21, 22

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