6.2

Synchronous Execution
The InvokeVcoWorkflow activity calls a vRealize Orchestrator workflow and blocks further execution of
its parent IaaS workflow until the vRealize Orchestrator workflow completes. The activity returns the
output parameters for the vRealize Orchestrator workflow.
In addition, the synchronous execution supports the following property:
n
WorkflowTimeout is a timeout value in seconds. If the vRealize Orchestrator workflow does not
finish in the specified time, an exception is generated rather than blocking the workflow until a
response is returned. If no value is defined or a value of zero is supplied, the timeout is not activated.
The workflow status is checked every 10 seconds during that period unless the polling time is
modified for the endpoint by specifying a value in the
VMware.VCenterOrchestrator.PollingInterval custom property.
Asynchronous Execution
The InvokeVcoWorkflowAsync activity is a “fire and forget” activity that calls a vRealize Orchestrator
workflow and continues to execute activities in the IaaS workflow without waiting for the
vRealize Orchestrator workflow to complete.
The activity returns either a unique workflow execution token that can be used to monitor the workflow or
an error if the REST API call to the vRealize Orchestrator server failed (for example, if the server could
not be reached).
Two additional activities are available for use with this activity:
n
GetVcoWorkflowExecutionStatus enables you to poll the vRealize Orchestrator workflow for its
status.
n
WaitForVcoWorkflowCompletion enables you to block further execution of the IaaS workflow until
the vRealize Orchestrator workflow has completed or timed out. You can use this activity to retrieve
the results of a vRealize Orchestrator workflow that you execute asynchronously.
Call a vRealize Orchestrator Workflow
You can use either the InvokeVcoWorkflow or the InvokeVcoWorkflowAsync activity to call a
vRealize Orchestrator workflow from an IaaS workflow.
Some vRealize Orchestrator workflows require user interaction during execution. For these workflows, the
user prompt appears in the vRealize Orchestrator client rather than in the vRealize Automation console,
so it is not apparent to the end user in vRealize Automation that a workflow is waiting for input.
To avoid workflows that block on user input, do not call vRealize Orchestrator workflows that require user
interaction from IaaS workflows.
Procedure
1 In vRealize Automation Designer, open a workflow and navigate to the context where you want to call
a vRealize Orchestrator workflow.
Machine Extensibility
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