6.5.1

Automating Management Tasks
Using vRealize Orchestrator 12
VMware™ vRealize Orchestrator is a platform that provides a library of extensible workows. By using the
workow library, you can automate and congure processes to manage the vSphere infrastructure, other
VMware technologies, and third-party technologies.
Orchestrator exposes every operation in the vCenter Server API so that you can integrate all these
operations into your own automated processes.
This chapter includes the following topics:
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“Concepts of Workows,” on page 145
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“Performing Administration Tasks on the vSphere Objects,” on page 146
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“Congure the Default vRealize Orchestrator,” on page 147
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“Managing Associations of Workows with vSphere Inventory Objects,” on page 147
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“Working with Workows,” on page 150
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“Workows for Managing Inventory Objects,” on page 156
Concepts of Workflows
A workow is a series of actions and decisions that are automated to run sequentially after you initiate the
workow. Orchestrator provides a library of workows that perform common management tasks according
to best practices.
Basics of Workflows
Workows consist of a schema, aributes, and parameters. The workow schema is the main component of
a workow as it denes all the workow elements and the logical task ow of the workow. The workow
aributes and parameters are the variables that workows use to transfer data. Orchestrator saves a
workow token every time a workow runs, recording the details of that specic run of the workow. This
token contains all parameters related to the workow run. For example, if you run a workow three times,
three workow tokens are saved.
With the vSphere Web Client, you can run and schedule workows on selected objects from the vSphere
inventory. You cannot create, delete, edit, and manage workows in the vSphere Web Client. You develop
and manage workows in the Orchestrator client. For more information about the Orchestrator client, see
Using the VMware vRealize Orchestrator Client. For information about developing workows, see Developing
with VMware vRealize Orchestrator.
VMware, Inc.
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