vRO (VMware Aria Automation Orchestrator, formerly vRealize Orchestrator) is one of the best automation tools. It allows you to connect any information systems built on different technologies and interacting via different protocols into a single system. For the most common systems and protocols, there are already ready-made plug-ins (plug-in modules) and/or process packages that provide vRO with access to the functions of these IT systems.
Continue readingvRO: ManageIQ Management Suite
Initial setup of IT systems often requires a very large amount of configuration. Creating a private cloud on ManageIQ is a very good example. While setting up infrastructure in ManageIQ is a one-time task that usually does not require automation, creating hundreds of teams, their projects, setting up quotas and rights is not a task for manual execution. Fortunately, all ManageIQ functions are available via REST API requests.
Continue readingvRO: Working with SSH plugin
To work with remote devices via SSH, Aria Automation Orchestrator (formerly vRealize Orchestrator) has an SSH Plug-in. However, this plugin does not work as expected. It implements SSHHostManager and SSHHost objects and has a set of host management processes. But all the useful work is performed by the SSHSession object, which is not related to SSHHost objects.
Continue readingvRO: phpIPAM integration
The previous article described the vRealize Automation phpIPAM integration plugin. To organize efficient work with phpIPAM, you will need a package for vRealize Orchestrator, this will allow you to use IPAM in automation processes. The package includes a set of processes for calling the most requested phpIPAM functions.
Continue readingvRA 8: phpIPAM plugin
When changing the IPAM supplier, it is necessary to quickly integrate the new IPAM with other information systems. Our main clients with IPAM are the private cloud on vRealize Automation and the vRealize Orchestrator process automation system. This article describes the implementation of the vRA 8 plugin for phpIPAM.
Continue readingvRA 8: quick guide to vracli
A compilation of the most commonly used commands for managing vRealize Automation 8: сommands from various sources (vRA online help, VMware knowledge base, vracli help system, support correspondence) are collected and organized in one place.
Continue readingvRO: vRA 8 Management Pack v2
In the middle of 2020, a plugin for managing vRealize Automation appeared in vRO, but its functionality is not enough to work with vRA: most tasks are still solved only through the REST API. I propose to use a ready-made package, it is constantly being finalized and already includes more than 100 different processes.
Continue readingvRA 8: plugin SolarWinds IPAM
Early tests of migrating virtual machines from vRA7 to vRA8 showed that migrated machines do not register with the integrated IPAM. You won’t be able to use it on subnets where there is already a VM – an external IPAM is required. Our SolarWinds IPAM does not have a ready-made integration with vRA8, so we developed the plugin ourselves.
Continue readingvRA 8: Terraform as a Service
VRealize Automation 8.2 introduces an exciting new feature – the ability to provide Terraform as a service. It expands the vRA directory by adding cloud-based Terraform manifest templates. And Terraform adds an orchestrator, negotiation engine, and vRA lease management.
Continue readingTerraform + vRA. Custom deployment
Terraform vRA provider’s capabilities for creating deployments are not limited to working with cloud templates and catalog items . Deployments can be created entirely from scratch by building them as a constructor from a variety of resources. Which of the following methods is the best? Let’s first analyze the latter, then compare all three options.
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