4.1

Table Of Contents
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Managing version control of imported elements
End Users
Users in this role are granted access to only the Web front end. They can run
and schedule workflows and policies.
Orchestrator Architecture
Orchestrator contains a workflow library and 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 to VMware vCenter Server, to allow you
to orchestrate tasks in the different environments that the plug-ins expose.
Orchestrator also presents an open architecture to allow you to plug in external third-party applications to the
orchestration platform. You can run workflows on the objects of the plugged-in technologies that you define
yourself. Orchestrator connects to a directory services server to manage user accounts, and to a database to
store information from the workflows that it runs. You can access Orchestrator and the workflows and objects
it exposes through the Orchestrator client interface, through a Web browser, or through Web services.
Figure 1-1 shows the architecture of Orchestrator.
Figure 1-1. VMware vCenter Orchestrator Architecture
Orchestrator
database
vCenter
Orchestrator
Client application
vCenter
Server
browser access web service
workflow library
vCenter VI3 WMI XML SSH JDBC SMTP
3rd-party
plug-in
directory
services
workflow engine
NOTE The VMware Infrastructure 3 and Microsoft plug-ins are not installed by default.
Deprecated Features in Orchestrator 4.1
The following features are deprecated as of Orchestrator 4.1. Development of these features is not supported
in releases of Orchestrator later than 4.1.
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Authorizations
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OGNL expressions in workflow presentations
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Policies
Chapter 1 Introduction to VMware vCenter Orchestrator
VMware, Inc. 11