vCenter Orchestrator APIs

Copyright © 2010 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. This product is protected by U.S. and international copyright and intellectual property laws. VMware products are covered by one or more patents listed at http://www.vmware.com/go/patents. VMware is a registered trademark or trademark of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies.

Integrating with vCenter Orchestrator

TEXMGT0900

Sia Yiu, VMware, Inc.

2Copyright © 2010 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. This product is protected by U.S. and international copyright and intellectual property laws. VMware products are covered by one or more patents listed at http://www.vmware.com/go/patents. VMware is a registered trademark or trademark of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies.

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Agenda

• What is Orchestration?

• Product overview

• Web Service API

• Plug-in API

• Q&A


How’s vCO distributed?

Every vSphere customer has vCO

• Installed by default with every VC

• Services disabled

• Require configuration

vCO comes in two “flavors” vSphere Essential and Foundation

vCO set in player mode: workflow execution only

No workflow creation capability

Import of new workflows is allowed

vSphere Standard

vCO set in server mode: workflow creation and execution


What is Orchestration?


Defining Automation and Orchestration

Automation

• A way to perform frequently repeated process without manual intervention. Basic building block: a shell script, a Perl script, a PowerShell script

Example: given a list of hostnames, add ESX to VC.

• Orchestration A way to manage multiple automated processes across and among heterogeneous

systems.

Example - Add ESX hosts from a list to VC, update CMDB with successfully added ESX hosts, then send email notification.





1. Talk to all sorts of devices




2. Configure for devices

PP

PP

P

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3. Program Activities

Watch DVD TV: turn on

Amp: turn on

DVD: turn on

TV: AUX input

Amp: DVD input





3. Program Activities

4. Use



1. The developer: “Talk to all sorts of devices”

• Creating plug-ins and other means of integration

• Creating the library of “pre-canned” actions and workflows

2. The IT Admin: “Configure for devices”

• Setting up the orchestrator for his environment

3. Everyone: “Program Activities”

• Creating new processes

• Customizing existing ones

4. The User “Use”

• Run processes


Another Analogy: The Orchestra Director

• Orchestrator: Director

• Partition: Workflows

• Musicians: connected products & solutions


Rules of Engagement

Good

• Sequencing

• Talking to multiple product / solutions

• “Human” time scale

• Customization

Bad

• High CPU / memory

• High throughput (network / data)

• Real time


What do Orchestrator Workflows Look Like?

• If a datastore on a host is more than 95% utilized,

• open a change control ticket then perform s-vMotion and send email notification


Integrating with vCO: It’s About Choices

Things to consider:

• More key features and functionality from VMware solutions will be available as workflow building blocks in vCO.

• For workflow oriented tasks, instead of performing integration with VC and each individual VMware solutions, integrate with vCO. Benefit: one integration to VMware

Would mean integration using web service


Two Ways to Integrate with Orchestrator

Use Orchestrator as a gateway for integration with vSphere

• Workflows are vCenter-upgrade resistant

• Shorten learning curve in vSpehere API – workflows are written in Javascript

• Write workflows and call them using web service

Provide customers an easy to way to integrate your management features with vCenter Server functionality•

• Allow customers to merge automation of vSphere with your product. Make your product features available as workflow components in vCO

• Provide VMware engineers easy access to your management functionality

• Deliverable: a plugin with a set of sample workflows


Product Overview


Architecture – vCO Server: Execution Platform

Persistence

Centralization

Check-pointing

Version control

Scripting engine

Workflow engine

Policy engine

Security

• Access control (LDAP, rights)

• PKI

• SSL certificates

vCODatabase

DirectoryServices

Workflow Trigger RulesScripting


vCO Server: Client Interface

BrowserAccess

Client ApplicationAccess

vCODatabase

DirectoryServices

Web ServiceAccess


vCO Server: Plugins for Technology Interfaces

VMware VIM 3.5

VMware vCenter (4)

Microsoft (WMI & AD)

XML

SSH

Database SDK

SNMP

Mail

Net

BrowserAccess


vCODatabase

DirectoryServices

Web ServiceAccess


vCO Server: Library of Workflows

BrowserAccess


vCODatabase

DirectoryServices

Workflow Library

Web ServiceAccess


vCO Server: Provision for 3rd Party Extensions

3rd party custom

3rd party Workflow

3rd party Webview

BrowserAccess


Workflow Library

3rd partyPlug-in

Web ServiceAccess


WebService API

• Remote workflow execution, status, cancelation

Plugin API

• Written in Java

• surface up external system functionality for use in workflows

Workflow - Javascript “API”

• Workflow authoring

Integration Points

BrowserAccess


VCODatabase

DirectoryServices

Workflow Library

Web ServiceAccess

1

2

3


Web Service API


Authoring in Orchestrator has Several Benefits

Orchestrator

Higher level of abstraction You don’t have to know how to use vSphere web service to create a VM. You use the “create VM” box.

Upgradability When you upgrade to a new version of vSphere, the “create VM” box in your workflow knows how to deal with it in the new vSphere.

Customizability Ability to perform all actions in vCenter Client and all functionality from the VI API.


Authoring Using the Integrated Workflow Environment

• Drag and drop interface to workflow building

• 400 Out-of-box workflows & building blocks All VI and ESX functions available in API, CLI, and VC UI. SSH WMI SMTP SNMP Databases Service desk and change control systems

• Ability to export and share workflows

• Schedule workflows


Web Service API


Web Service API - Introduction

• Defined by a WSDL file.

• Downloadable from:

• http://<Orchestrator_server>:8280/vmware-vmo-webcontrol/webservice?WSDL

• Accessible at:

• http://<Orchestrator_server>:8280/vmware-vmo-webcontrol/webservice

• Compile the WSDL with your favorite framework.

• Supported:

• Java (Axis)

• .Net

• Will generate about 13 classes


Web Service API – Main Objects

• VSOWebControl:

• The WSDL control port through which you access Orchestrator operations.

• Main operations:

• executeWorkflow(…): WorkflowToken

• getWorkflowForId(…): Workflow

• find(…): FinderResult


Web Service API – Main Objects

• Other important Objects:

• Workflow: An Orchestrator workflow.

• WorkflowToken: An instance of a workflow (running, waiting, canceled, completed, or failed).

• WorkflowParameter: An input, output or attribute description of a workflow. (name, type)

• WorkflowTokenAttribute: An input, output of a workflow instance (WorkflowToken). (name, type, value)

• FinderResult: Generic inventory object (type, id, properties)


Web Service API – Typical Flow

Instantiate a VSOWebControl

Find Workflow

Find Input parameters

Start workflow (returns Token)

Check Token (wait completion)

Get results (outputs)


Web Service API: Conclusion

• Allows to run workflows

• Allows to find inventory objects used as input to workflows

• Standard WSDL 1.1 definition

• Supports Java and .Net bindings

• Java bindings provided as part of the samples documentation pack


Plug-in API


Overview

Exposes an external product API to the Orchestrator• Example: Take the solar system and turn it

into a plugin so we can orchestrate various objects in the solar system

• Extends the scripting engine with new prototypes: moon, planet, star

• Extend the inventory with new objects: Mars

• Provide a library of workflows and other objects to use against the exposed API: add planet, destroy planet

• Define triggers: wait for flare event and run the “destroy planet” workflow


What Can You do in a Plugin?

Expose external system functionality

Extend vCO inventory with external objects

Define triggers

Import workflows at plugin installation

Define user configuration


Structure

• Artifact is a zipped folder with “.dar” extension

• Example: vmware-vmosdk-solarsystem.dar

• Located in the “plugin” folder:

• $INSTALL_DIR/app-server/server/vmo/plugins

• Internal structure:


Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Solar System

Creating plugins in a few steps

1. Create the vso.xml

2. Create the lpluginAdaptor

3. Create the IpluginFactory

4. Map scripting objects to your Java classes

5. Optionally create the configuration adaptors for use configuration such as the name of vSphere server- (IConfigurationAdapter & WebConfigurationAdaptor)

6. Optionally create trigger events

7. Create the plug-in package file (*.dar)

8. Load the plugin

9. Write workflows that demonstrate the functionality of your plugin and provide users with building blocks to their custom workflows

10. Re-package the plugin with the workflow


Structure – VSO.XML File

• The VSO.XML file

• Describes the plugin structure to the vCO server

• Conforms to schema:

http://www.vmware.com/support/orchestrator/plugin-4-0.xsd

• Content:

http://www.vmware.com/support/orchestrator/plugin-4-0.xsd


Plug-in API - Adaptor

• Main Interface:

• Create the plugin factory, loading and unloading of the plugin.

• Set name

• Interface for events (both Policy and Triggers)

• Plug-in developer can:

• Implement Interface directly

• Use or subclass one of the existing implementations:

• DatabasePluginAdaptor


Plug-in API - Factory

• A factory object is instantiated for each user session.

• Define methods to find objects exposed by the plugin

• Used in Inventory

• Used in pickers and choosers


Links and Further References

Orchestrator communities:

• Web service & plugin API

• http://communities.vmware.com/community/developer/forums/orchestrator

• Workflows

• http://communities.vmware.com/community/vmtn/mgmt/orchestrator

• vCenter Orchestrator:

• http://www.vmware.com/products/vcenter-orchestrator/

• vCO Documentation:

• http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/orchestrator_pubs.html

• vCenter Orchestrator Developer's Guide

• Web service

• Developing plugins

• Solaris plugin source: VMware vCenter Orchestrator Example Applications

http://communities.vmware.com/community/developer/forums/orchestrator

http://communities.vmware.com/community/vmtn/mgmt/orchestrator

http://communities.vmware.com/community/vmtn/mgmt/orchestrator

http://www.vmware.com/products/vcenter-orchestrator/

http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/orchestrator_pubs.html

http://www.vmware.com/support/orchestrator/doc/vco-samples_4_0_1_4502.zip


Thank you


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