Connector for vRO

This section of the documentation contains technical information on the vFire Core connector to vRO (VMware vRealize Orchestrator), previously known as VMware vCenter Orchestrator (VCO.  It describes the details of the connector including:

  • The name of the .NET assembly file
  • The connection methodology
  • The resource and link types that can be discovered
  • The actions that can be called under workflow control

For compatibility and version support details, refer to the Fire Connector Matrix.

You should familiarize yourself with the information in Installing Connectors before installing any connectors, and read the Integration topics for more information on how to configure them.

Connector Functionality and Management Processes

The vFire Core connector for vRO operation takes place and improves two main domains of actual IT environments; Data Federation and Data Center Control & Automation.

To achieve this improvement, the connector leverages on two vFire Core features:

  • vFire Core Federated CMDB allows proper population of the vFire Core CMDB with external resources and their relationships as seen by vRO.
  • vFire Core Outbound action that makes it possible for vFire Core to trigger vRO specific workflow. Once triggered, these workflows are then run by vRO.

Several management processes benefit from the enhancements offered by the connector. Amongst all of these processes, three examples are detailed later in this document: 

Licensing

The connector for vRO is not separately licensed and is available to any organization that is licensed for vFire Core.

Related Documentation

vFire Core Integration platform administration and configuration concepts and details are presented in the Integration documentation.

Connector Details

Information fields

Description

Connector

vRO <-> vFire Core

vFire Core database version

SQL (See the Prerequisites for details)

Third-party application

vRO

vRO supported DB

Any DB format as detailed in https://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/sim/interop_matrix.php

Assembly

Infra.Connector.vCO.connector

Connector class

vCO Connector

Configuration file

Infra.Connector.vCO-VC.xml

Connection methodology

Web Services

Installing the vRO Connector

The steps below detail how to install the connector.

  1. Download the connector zip package, save it in a temporary directory then unzip it.
  2. The unzipped folder should contain 2 sub-folders: bin and config.

  3. Prepare the vFire Core Server, as described below. 
  4. Create or configure a connection source, as described in Creating a Connection Source.

Preparing the vFire Core Server

  1. Copy the contents of the bin and config directories to the following locations on the vFire Core server:
  2. File/Folder Name

    Target Location(s)

    bin / Infra.Connector.vCO.dll

    <vFire Core Root>

    <Target System>/bin

    config / vco-plugin-sets/

    <Target System>/config/vco-plugin-sets/

    config / Infra.Connector.vCO.Install.scp

    <Target System>/config

  3. In the vFire Core Server Console, execute the SQL script Infra.Connector.vCO.Install.scp against the target system.
  4. Restart the following Windows services:
    • The World Wide Web Publishing Service
    • The vFire Core Connector Service

This example illustrates the folder structure once the vRO connector installation is completed (vFire Core system is PDMV9CONNECTORS).

 

 

 

Configure the Request Details screen in Designer to pass values as part of the integration. Add a custom 'Single Value QD field'. Give the new custom field a display to reflect the type of CMDB item you want to pass; and select the QD type as 'Configuration Item'. Create as many other custom fields as you require to pass.

Creating a Connection Source

When creating a new vRO source from the Source option of the Integration Platform, some specific parameters have to be entered as follows:

Parameter

Description

Host Name / IP Address

Specify the vRO server  e.g. “vco1.mydomain.com”, “192.168.0.14”

Port No

Specify the port used by vRO.

The default for vRO is 8280. For SSL operation, specify the port number configured for the vRO web service, eg. 8281.

Integrating with vCO 5.1 onwards and vRO requires SSL to be enabled and the port to be configured to 8281.

Login ID / Password

Credentials of a user with access to run workflows within vRO. If this is a domain user, the login ID must be qualified by the relevant domain e.g. “mydomain\mylogin1”.

Plug-In Set

Select from the drop down list of all the vRO plug-in sets installed on the vFire Core server.

The plug-ins that constitute the selected set must also be installed on the vRO server for the integration to run successfully.

Example of vRO source details screen:

Installing vRO Plug-ins onto the vFire Core Server

Alemba provides various plug-ins for the vRO. These plug-ins allow connection between the vRO and third party tools and applications. vRO plug-ins usually come with a .vmoapp file extension and need to be installed on the vFire Core server.

Once downloaded and copied onto a temporary folder of the vFire Core server, follow these steps to install the plug-in:

  1. Rename .vmoapp into .zip.
  2. Unzip it.
  3. Open the unzipped folder and find the .dar file.
  4. Change extension .dar into .zip.
  5. Unzip this file.
  6. Once unzipped, the unzipped folder is named o11nplugin-ad (for the MS Active Directory plug-in). Change the folder name to ad .dar at the end, i.e. rename to o11nplugin-ad.dar.
  7. Copy the o11nplugin-ad.dar folder into a new Custom X folder under <vFire Core Root>/<Target System>/Config, X being the targeted vCO/vRO version.
  8. In the vRO source detail screen of the vFire Core integration platform, use the drop-down list to select Custom X instead of Default X.
  9. Restart World Wide Web Publishing Service and vFire Core Connector Service.

Data Federation

Data Federation is concerned in reaching the highest consistency for physical and virtual data throughout entire operational ecosystems. This implies sub-processes like data collection, data feeding/transfer, and data maintenance, to mention only a few.

vFire Core positions itself in the Data Federation process by providing a CMDB that can be populated and updated in accordance with the environment. This CMDB then acts as a basis for numerous IT Management processes.

vFire Core CMDB Population Function

Ensuring physical and virtual environments are properly represented in a CMDB is paramount. The vFire Core CMDB possesses extended functionalities that allow proper maintenance and management. However, it needs to be populated and regularly updated so that it closely matches with the environments it is meant to reflect. The CMDB population and updating tasks are handled by the Federated CMDB and Integration Platform functionality of vFire Core.

Basically, mappings can be implemented between resource and link types of external resources as seen by vRO and vFire Core CMDB items. These mappings are the basis of an initial CMDB population. Following this initial population, and in conjunction with the scheduling functions of the Integration Platform, they then allow for regular updates of the data stored in the CMDB, thus improving the overall environment management.

The following section details the resource types handled by the connector for vRO.

Connector Resource Types

For purpose of usability, the vRO connector only exposes a sub-set of all the resource types managed by any vRO default installations. This filtering has been implemented so users can focus on the most common and representative vRO resource types without having to experience the profusion of resource types.

Conversely, when installing a new vRO plug-in (for VMware vCloud Director for instance), all the resource types managed by this plug-in would be visible from the vFire Core Integration Platform.

The types that are available for import in the vFire Core CMDB are listed in the table below.

To take advantage of Post Provision Actions, you must map CIs to the VC: Virtual Machine.

Resource Type Name

SSH: RootFinder

SSH: SshConnection

SSH: RootFolder

SSH: Folder

SSH: File

VC: VMware Distributed Virtual Switch

VC: Virtual Machine Snapshot

VC: Virtual Machine

VC: Virtual App

VC: Resource Pool

VC: Network

VC: Host System

VC: Distributed Virtual Switch

VC: Distributed Virtual Portgroup

VC: Datacenter

VC: Datastore

VC: Compute Resource

VC: Cluster Compute Resource

Examples of Improved Management Process

Incident Management

Incident Management, encompassing incident classification, reporting, and routing, can be greatly improved by populating and maintaining an updated vFire Core CMDB. Population should be based on the items that require some sort of monitoring and/or against which Incidents are likely to be logged. In a virtual environment, it could be VMs, vApps. Networks, vDC, etc.

You should:

  • Create a specific CMDB Item Type for each resource type you plan to import and design a screen for it.
  • Create a specific CI template for each resource type by creating a configuration item and selecting Template in the Configuration Item details.
  • Set up resource mapping in the Integration Platform to map each vRO resource type and attribute onto vFire Core specific configuration items. The key fields to consider vary from one resource type to the other.

The resource types and recommendations are specific to the vRO connector. However, maintaining your CMDB also implies scheduling regular scans and monitoring the changes that are implemented to the CMDB. These general aspects of vFire Core are detailed in the Integration Platform Configuration Guide.

Data Center Automation & Control

Data Center automation and Control looks at reducing the numbers of steps that require human intervention when implementing changes. These changes can be related to improving the environment by upgrading existing systems or creating new ones, but can also refer to actions taken to fix some issues or enforce configuration compliance.

vFire Core has specific functionality to assist in the field of Data Center automation and Control, namely the Outbound actions function. Basically, it allows vFire Core to trigger actions into third-party applications while making sure that the required and appropriate information is transferred so that third-party actions can run smoothly.

vFire Core Outbound Action Function

vFire Core Outbound action implementation mainly relies on the actions that are available for triggering into third party system. The list of these actions is defined by the connector.

From a user standpoint, vFire Core Outbound action breaks into 2 main parts:

  • Mappings that establish relationships between available vFire Core fields and the data required for the third-party action to be run without issue.
  • Configuration and settings that act as triggers for the outbound actions: either via a vFire Core workflow using an Outbound action workflow task, or via proper transfer of Service Desk calls.

Once an outbound action has been triggered, a dedicated communication protocol is established between vFire Core and the third party application so that some sort of monitoring is available inside vFire Core about the running of the third party action.

For detailed information on vFire Core Outbound action function, see Using Outbound Actions.

Connector Outbound Action Types

This connector enables vFire Core to harness the extensive Data Center Automation capabilities of vRO.

Each outbound action type published by this connector corresponds to a particular workflow defined within a vRO server. As such the set of outbound action types will vary depending on the installation and configuration within vRO. 

When a new outbound action is created from one of these types (e.g. from an outbound action task in a workflow), a new instance of the corresponding workflow is created on the vRO server. The outbound action will remain open during the vRO workflow instance. The outbound action will terminate with a status of “Complete” or “Not Complete” depending on whether the vRO workflow terminates with a status of success or error.

Some of the actions performed as steps within the vRO workflow are performed asynchronously. As such, it is sometimes possible for a vRO workflow to terminate successfully while the operations it started are still in progress. The status of the corresponding outbound action in vFire Core will reflect that the workflow itself has finished; it will not reflect whether the underlying steps have finished or not. If this is a concern, it is recommended that users use outbound action types that correspond to vRO workflows that have been specifically designed to wait for these steps to complete.

vFire Core outbound action workflow task will reflect the status of the vRO workflow as a whole, and not of any specific “actions” contained in the vRO workflow.

For a complete list of available outbound action types available through an out-of-the-box install of vRO without additional plug-ins, click here. Each outbound action requires its own specific set of input data that can be identified using the vRO console.

Release and Deployment Management

Amongst all the available actions, several can be used in relation to Release and Deployment Management, such as Cloning Virtual Machine and can be triggered inside a vFire Core workflow. Ideally, this workflow also incorporates a CMDB update workflow task so that the CMDB is constantly aligned and synchronized with the virtual architecture as seen by vRO.

An up to date vFire Core CMDB is prerequisite to proper Provisioning Management. This can be achieved by:

  • An initial scan of the virtual environment followed by incremental and regular scans.
  • Proper matching rules implemented in any relevant mappings so that no duplicate CMDB items are created as a result of running regular scans.

Refer to the Integration platform Configuration Guide for details about vFire Core CMDB maintenance.

The outbound action task (such as Cloning VM) transfers the required parameters to vRO so that it can run its own internal workflow. These parameters are set up using the mapping field of the outbound action task, allowing the association of vFire Core related fields with vRO workflow input fields.

Workflow Template Configuration

As explained already, the outbound action task needs to pass specific parameters to the vRO, in this case the name of the VM that will be cloned and the name of the new VM.

This is achieved by adding the targeted VM as Linked CI in the request screen (see below). Specifying the VM can be done at the workflow template level or when creating a new request if the template does not specify any linked CIs. The later solution provides better flexibility and reusability.

Due to vRO workflow characteristics, it is not possible to specify several CIs in the Linked CIs request field.

Outbound Action Task Configuration

The configuration is to ensure the information about the VM to clone is properly passed to the vRO workflow. This is achieved by the mapping illustrated below in the outbound action task details screen.

Manage CMDB Task Configuration

Once the outbound action workflow task completed, the vFire Core CMDB needs to be updated to reflect this change. This is achieved by setting up a Manage CMDB workflow task that will create an appropriate CMDB item representing the VM that has just been created.

Matching Considerations

When creating a CMDB item using the Manage CMDB workflow task, ensure that future scans will not create a new CMDB item, but will link the newly discovered VM with the CMDB item that has been created by the Manage CMDB workflow task. This is achieved by setting up adequate Matching rules for the mapping related to the VM resource type:

Change Management

vFire Core allows you to enforce the validation of an RFC whenever a user attempts to roll out changes using vRO. This is achieved by the user creating a vFire Core workflow that contains an approval capability upstream to an outbound action task so that the latest, and its associate vRO workflow, is not implemented without appropriate control. 

In vFire Core, Change management is mainly managed through flexible and configurable approval functionality already built in to the vFire Core workflow module. This functionality helps to monitor RFC and ensure only the approved ones are implemented.

Practically, it means including some approvals tasks upstream to the Outbound action task in the workflow. This approval step would allow for the Change administrator to validate that the RFC is in accordance with what have been previously agreed and/or, more importantly, to perform an Impact analysis using the vFire Core CMDB Linking Diagram (see recommendations below).

Resources and Links

In order to perform an Impact analysis, users would have to properly populate the vFire Core CMDB. Such population is achieved by regular scans to update the CMDB but also by setting up the proper mapping for the resource types and the proper relationships between these resource types, as well as adequate Matching Rules.

Link configuration

For purpose of usability, the vRO connector only exposes a sub-set of all the vRO links managed by any vRO default installations. This filtering has been implemented so users can focus on the most common and representative vRO links without having to experience the profusion of items.

Conversely, when installing a new vRO plug-in (for VMware vCloud Director for instance), all the vRO links managed by this plug-in would be visible from the vFire Core Integration Platform.

Click here for a complete list of the different links for the vRO connector.

Link configuration for the vRO integration is quite straightforward and regular vFire Core parent-child link type can be used to represent the relationships between entities.

Once the CMDB items and links are imported and maintained, performing an impact analysis is easily achieved by using the vFire Core CMDB linking diagram options, an example of which is illustrated below.

Outbound action configuration

Outbound action configuration is similar to Release and Deployment Management use case.

Conclusion

The use cases provided are closely related one to another. For instance, Release and Deployment Management scenario strongly relies on a proper CMDB population, which is the core of the Incident Management scenario. Similarly, the Change Management workflow can easily be seen as an early step in the Release and Deployment Management use case as implementation control via approvals is seen as best practice when it comes to modifying physical or virtual infrastructures.

From a broader standpoint, these use cases can also be part of the several other management processes that can benefit from the vFire Core CDMB and Outbound action functionalities.

Resource Type Details

SSH: RootFinder

Fields 

(None) 

SSH: SshConnection

Field Name

Type

Host name

string 

User name

string 

SSH: RootFolder

Folder Name

string

SSH: Folder

Folder name

string 

Folder name

string 

Path

string 

Folder name

string 

SSH: File

Folder name

string 

File name

string 

Path

string 

Folder name

string 

VC: VMware Distributed Virtual Switch

The interface to the implementation of the switch. The functionality listed here is for VMware DistributedVirtualSwitch only.

Field name

Type

description

string 

id

string 

Name

string 

SDK Connection

string

VC: Virtual Machine Snapshot

The Snapshot managed object type specifies the interface to individual snapshots of a virtual machine. Although these are managed objects, they are subordinate to their virtual machine.

Field Name

Type

id

string

Name

string 

SDK Connection

string 

VirtualMachine name

string 

VC: Virtual Machine

VirtualMachine is the managed object type for manipulating virtual machines, including templates that can be deployed (repeatedly) as new virtual machines. This type provides methods for configuring and controlling a virtual machine. 

VirtualMachine extends the ManagedEntity type because virtual machines are part of a virtual infrastructure inventory. The parent of a virtual machine must be a folder, and a virtual machine has no children. 

Destroying a virtual machine disposes of all associated storage, including the virtual disks. To remove a virtual machine while retaining its virtual disk storage, a client must remove the virtual disks from the virtual machine before destroying it.

Field name Type

connectionState

pick-list, see VC: VirtualMachineConnectionState

id

string 

isTemplate

string 

Name

string 

state

pick-list, see VC: VirtualMachinePowerState

SDK Connection

string 

VC: Virtual App

Represents a multi-tiered software solution. A vApp is a collection of virtual machines (and potentially other vApp containers) that are operated and monitored as a unit. From a manage perspective, a multi-tiered vApp acts a lot like a virtual machine object. It has power operations, networks, datastores, and its resource usage can be configured. 

From a technical perspective, a vApp container is a specialized resource pool that has been extended with the following capabilities: 

  • Product information such as product name, vendor, properties, and licenses.
  • A power-on/power-off sequence specification
  • Support for import/export vApps as OVF packages
  • An OVF environment that allows for application-level customization

Destroying a vApp 

When a vApp is destroyed, all of its virtual machines are destroyed, as well as any child vApps. 

The VApp.Delete privilege must be held on the vApp as well as the parent folder of the vApp. Also, the VApp.Delete privilege must be held on any child vApps that would be destroyed by the operation.

Field name

Type 

CPU reservation

string

id

string 

Memory reservation

string 

Name

string 

SDK Connection

string 

VC: Resource Pool

Represents a set of physical resources: a single host, a subset of a host's resources, or resources spanning multiple hosts. Resource pools can be subdivided by creating child resource pools. In order to run, a virtual machine must be associated as a child of a resource pool. 

In a parent/child hierarchy of resource pools and virtual machines, the single resource pool that has no parent pool is known as the root resource pool

A resource pool is configured with a set of CPU (in MHz) and memory (in MB) resources. These resources are specified in absolute terms with a resource reservation and a resource limit, along with a shares setting. The shares are used during resource contention, to ensure graceful degradation. 

For the root resource pool, the values of the reservation and the limit are set by the system and are not configurable. The reservation and limit are set to the same value, indicating the total amount of resources the system has available to run virtual machines. This is computed as the aggregated CPU and memory resources provided by the set of current available hosts in the parent compute resource minus the overhead of the virtualization layer. 

Since the resource pool configuration is absolute (in MHz or MB), the configuration can become invalid when resources are removed. This can happen if a host is removed from the cluster, if a host becomes unavailable, or if a host is placed in maintenance mode. When this happens, the system flags misconfigured resource pools and displays the reservations and limits that are in effect. Further, in a DRS enabled cluster, the tree can be misconfigured if the user bypasses VirtualCenter and powers on VMs directly on the host. 

Resource Pool States and Admission Control

There are three states that the resource pool tree can be in: undercommited (green), overcommited (yellow), and inconsistent (red). Depending on the state, different resource pool configuration policies are enforced. The states are described in more detail below: 

State Resource Pool Configuration Policy
GREEN (aka undercommitted) We have a tree that is in a good state. Every node has a reservation greater than the sum of the reservations for its children. We have enough capacity at the root to satisfy all the resources reserved by the children. All operations performed on the tree, such as powering on virtual machines, creating new resource pools, or reconfiguring resource settings, will ensure that the above constraints are maintained.
RED (aka. inconsistent)
  • One or more nodes in the tree has children whose reservations are greater than the node is configured to support. For example, i) a resource pool with a fixed reservation has a running virtual machine with a reservation that is higher than the reservation on resource pool itself., or ii) the child reservations are greater than the limit. 
    In this state, the DRS algorithm is disabled until the resource pool tree's configuration has been brought back into a consistent state. We also restrict the resources that such invalid nodes request from their parents to the configured reservation/limit, in an attempt to isolate the problem to a small subtree. For the rest of the tree, we determine whether the cluster is undercommitted or overcommitted according to the existing rules and perform admission control accordingly. 
  • Since all changes to the resource settings are validated on the VirtualCenter server, the system cannot be brought into this state by simply manipulating a cluster resource pool tree through VirtualCenter. It can only happen if a virtual machine gets powered on directly on a host that is part of a DRS cluster. 

  • YELLOW (aka overcommitted) In this state, the tree is consistent internally, but the root resource pool does not have the capacity at to meet the reservation of its children. We can only go from GREEN -> YELLOW if we lose resources at the root. For example, hosts becomes unavailable or is put into maintenance mode.

    We will always have enough capacity at the root to run all currently powered on VMs. However, we may not be able to satisfy all resource pool reservations in the tree. In this state, the reservation configured for a resource pool is no longer guaranteed, but the limits are still enforced. This provides additional flexibility for bringing the tree back into a consistent state, without risking bringing the tree into a RED state. In more detail:

    • Resource Pool. The root is considered to have unlimited capacity. You can reserve resources without any check except the requirement that the tree remains consistent. This means that nodes whose parents are all configured with expandable reservations and no limit will have unlimited available resources. However, if there is an ancestor with a fixed reservation or an expandable reservation with a limit somewhere, then the node will be limited by the reservation/limit of the ancestor. 
    • Virtual Machine. Virtual machines are limited by ancestors with a fixed reservation and the capacity at the root. 

    Destroying a ResourcePool 

    When a ResourcePool is destroyed, all the virtual machines are reassigned to its parent pool. The root resource pool cannot be destroyed, and invoking destroy on it will throw an InvalidType fault. 

    Any vApps in the ResourcePool will be moved to the ResourcePool's parent before the pool is destroyed. 

    The Resource.DeletePool privilege must be held on the pool as well as the parent of the resource pool. Also, the Resource.AssignVMToPool privilege must be held on the resource pool's parent pool and any virtual machines that are reassigned.

    Field name

    Type

    CPU reservation

    string

    id

    string 

    Memory reservation

    string 

    Name

    string 

    SDK Connection

    string 

    VC: Network

    Represents a network accessible by either hosts or virtual machines. This can be a physical network or a logical network, such as a VLAN. 

    Networks are created: 

    • explicitly when configuring a host. 
    • automatically when adding a host to VirtualCenter. 
    • automatically when adding a new virtual machine to a host or to VirtualCenter. 

    Field name

    Type 

    accessible

    string

    id

    string 

    Name

    string 

    SDK Connection

    string 

    VC: Host System

    The HostSystem managed object type provides access to a virtualization host platform. 

    Invoking destroy on a HostSystem of standalone type throws a NotSupported fault. A standalone HostSystem can be destroyed only by invoking destroy on its parent ComputeResource. Invoking destroy on a failover host throws a DisallowedOperationOnFailoverHost fault.

    Field name Type 

    id

    string

    Name

    string 

    state

    pick-list, see VC: HostSystemConnectionState

    version

    string 

    SDK Connection

    string 

    VC: Distributed Virtual Switch

    The interface to the distributed virtual switch objects.

    Field name

    Type

    description

    string

    id

    string 

    Name

    string 

    SDK Connection

    string 

    VC: Distributed Virtual Portgroup

    The interface to the distributed virtual portgroup objects. This type represents both a group of ports that share the common network setting and a Network entity in the datacenter.

    Field name

    Type 

    accessible

    string

    id

    string 

    Name

    string 

    SDK Connection

    string 

    VC: Datastore

    Represents a storage location for virtual machine files. A storage location can be a VMFS volume, a directory on Network Attached Storage, or a local file system path. 

    A datastore is platform-independent and host-independent. Therefore, datastores do not change when the virtual machines they contain are moved between hosts. The scope of a datastore is a datacenter; the datastore is uniquely named within the datacenter. 

    Any reference to a virtual machine or file accessed by any host within the datacenter must use a datastore path. A datastore path has the form "[<datastore>] <path>", where <datastore> is the datastore name, and <path> is a slash-delimited path from the root of the datastore. An example datastore path is "[storage] path/to/config.vmx". 

    You may use the following characters in a path, but not in a datastore name: slash (/), backslash (\), and percent (%). 

    All references to files in the VIM API are implicitly done using datastore paths. 

    When a client creates a virtual machine, it may specify the name of the datastore, omitting the path; the system, meaning VirtualCenter or the host, automatically assigns filenames and creates directories on the given datastore. For example, specifying My_Datastore as a location for a virtual machine called MyVm results in a datastore location of My_Datastore\MyVm\MyVm.vmx. 

    Datastores are configured per host. As part of host configuration, a HostSystem can be configured to mount a set of network drives. Multiple hosts may be configured to point to the same storage location. There exists only one Datastore object per Datacenter, for each such shared location. Each Datastore object keeps a reference to the set of hosts that have mounted the datastore. A Datastore object can be removed only if no hosts currently have the datastore mounted. 

    Thus, managing datastores is done both at the host level and the datacenter level. Each host is configured explicitly with the set of datastores it can access. At the datacenter, a view of the datastores across the datacenter is shown.

    Field name Type 

    accessible

    string

    capacity (GB)

    string 

    freeSpace (GB)

    string 

    id

    string 

    Name

    string 

    url

    string 

    SDK Connection

    string 

    VC: Datacenter

    The Datacenter managed object provides the interface to the common container object for hosts, virtual machines, networks, and datastores. These entities must be under a distinct datacenter in the inventory, and datacenters may not be nested under other datacenters. 

    Every Datacenter has the following set of dedicated folders, which are empty until you create entities for the Datacenter. 

    • A folder for VirtualMachine, template, and VirtualApp objects
    • A folder for a ComputeResource hierarchy
    • A folder for Network, DistributedVirtualSwitch, and DistributedVirtualPortgroup objects
    • A folder for Datastore objects

    For a visual representation of the organization of objects in a vCenter hierarchy, see the description of the ServiceInstance object.

    Field name

    Type

    id

    string

    Name

    string 

    SDK Connection

    string 

    VC: Compute Resource

    Represents a set of physical compute resources for a set of virtual machines. 

    The base type ComputeResource, when instantiated by calling AddStandaloneHost_Task, represents a single host. The subclass ClusterComputeResource represents a cluster of hosts and adds distributed management features such as availability and resource scheduling. 

    A ComputeResource always has a root ResourcePool associated with it. Certain types of clusters such as those with VMware DRS enabled and standalone hosts (ESX Server 3) support the creation of ResourcePool hierarchies.

    Field name

    Type

    id

    string

    Name

    string 

    SDK Connection

    string 

    VC: Cluster Compute Resource

    The ClusterComputeResource data object aggregates the compute resources of associated HostSystem objects into a single compute resource for use by virtual machines. The cluster services such as HA (High Availability), DRS (Distributed Resource Scheduling), and EVC (Enhanced vMotion Compatibility), enhance the utility of this single compute resource. 

    Use the Folder.CreateClusterEx method to create an instance of this object.

    Field name

    Type

    id

    string

    Name

    string 

    SDK Connection

    string 

    Link Type Details

    Link type name

    Resource A

    Resource B

    SSH: Folder->Files

    SSH: Folder

    SSH: File

    SSH: Folder->Folders

    SSH: Folder

    SSH: Folder

    SSH: RootFinder->SshConnections SSH: RootFinder SSH: SshConnection
    SSH: RootFolder->Files SSH: RootFolder SSH: File
    SSH: RootFolder->Folders SSH: RootFolder SSH: Folder
    SSH: SshConnection->RootFolders SSH: SshConnection SSH: RootFolder
    VC: ClusterComputeResource->(Network) DistributedVirtualPortgroup VC: Cluster Compute Resource VC: Distributed Virtual Portgroup
    VC: ClusterComputeResource->(Network) Network VC: Cluster Compute Resource VC: Network
    VC: ClusterComputeResource->(ResourcePool) ResourcePool VC: Cluster Compute Resource VC: Resource Pool
    VC: ClusterComputeResource->(ResourcePool) VirtualApp VC: Cluster Compute Resource VC: Virtual App
    VC: ClusterComputeResource->Datastore VC: Cluster Compute Resource VC: Datastore
    VC: ClusterComputeResource->Host VC: Cluster Compute Resource VC: Host System
    VC: ClusterComputeResource->Network VC: Cluster Compute Resource VC: Network
    VC: ClusterComputeResource->ResourcePool VC: Cluster Compute Resource VC: Resource Pool
    VC: ComputeResource->(Network) DistributedVirtualPortgroup VC: Compute Resource VC: Distributed Virtual Portgroup
    VC: ComputeResource->(Network) Network VC: Compute Resource VC: Network
    VC: ComputeResource->(ResourcePool) ResourcePool VC: Compute Resource VC: Resource Pool
    VC: ComputeResource->(ResourcePool) VirtualApp VC: Compute Resource VC: Virtual App
    VC: ComputeResource->Datastore VC: Compute Resource VC: Datastore
    VC: ComputeResource->Host VC: Compute Resource VC: Host System
    VC: ComputeResource->Network VC: Compute Resource VC: Network
    VC: ComputeResource->ResourcePool VC: Compute Resource VC: Resource Pool
    VC: Datacenter->Datastore VC: Datacenter VC: Datastore
    VC: Datacenter->Network VC: Datacenter VC: Network
    VC: Datastore->Vm VC: Datastore VC: Virtual Machine
    VC: DistributedVirtualPortgroup->Host VC: Distributed Virtual Portgroup VC: Host System
    VC: DistributedVirtualPortgroup->Vm VC: Distributed Virtual Portgroup VC: Virtual Machine
    VC: DistributedVirtualSwitch->Portgroup VC: Distributed Virtual Switch VC: Distributed Virtual Portgroup
    VC: HostSystem->(Network) DistributedVirtualPortgroup VC: Host System VC: Distributed Virtual Portgroup
    VC: HostSystem->(Network) Network VC: Host System VC: Network
    VC: HostSystem->(ResourcePool) ResourcePool VC: Host System VC: Resource Pool
    VC: HostSystem->(ResourcePool) VirtualApp VC: Host System VC: Virtual App
    VC: HostSystem->Datastore VC: Host System VC: Datastore
    VC: HostSystem->Network VC: Host System VC: Network
    VC: HostSystem->Vm VC: Host System

    VC: Virtual Machine

    VC: Network->Host VC: Network VC: Host System
    VC: Network->Vm VC: Network VC: Virtual Machine
    VC: ResourcePool->(Network) DistributedVirtualPortgroup VC: Resource Pool VC: Distributed Virtual Portgroup
    VC: ResourcePool->(Network) Network VC: Resource Pool VC: Network
    VC: ResourcePool->(ResourcePool) ResourcePool VC: Resource Pool VC: Resource Pool
    VC: ResourcePool->(ResourcePool) VirtualApp VC: Resource Pool VC: Virtual App
    VC: ResourcePool->Owner VC: Resource Pool VC: Compute Resource
    VC: ResourcePool->ResourcePool VC: Resource Pool VC: Resource Pool
    VC: ResourcePool->Vm VC: Resource Pool VC: Virtual Machine
    VC: VirtualApp->(ResourcePool) ResourcePool VC: Virtual App VC: Resource Pool
    VC: VirtualApp->(ResourcePool) VirtualApp VC: Virtual App VC: Virtual App
    VC: VirtualApp->Datastore VC: Virtual App VC: Datastore
    VC: VirtualApp->Network VC: Virtual App VC: Network
    VC: VirtualApp->Owner VC: Virtual App VC: Compute Resource
    VC: VirtualApp->ResourcePool VC: Virtual App VC: Resource Pool
    VC: VirtualApp->Vm VC: Virtual App VC: Virtual Machine
    VC: VirtualMachine->Datastore VC: Virtual Machine VC: Datastore
    VC: VirtualMachine->Network VC: Virtual Machine VC: Network
    VC: VirtualMachine->ResourcePool VC: Virtual Machine VC: Resource Pool
    VC: VirtualMachine->RootSnapshot VC: Virtual Machine VC: Virtual Machine Snapshot
    VC: VirtualMachine->VmSnapshot VC: Virtual Machine VC: Virtual Machine Snapshot
    VC: VirtualMachineSnapshot->ChildSnapshot VC: Virtual Machine Snapshot VC: Virtual Machine Snapshot
    VC: VmwareDistributedVirtualSwitch->Portgroup VC: VMware Distributed Virtual Switch VC: Distributed Virtual Portgroup

    Available Outbound Action Types

    Here is a complete list of available outbound action types available through an out-of-the-box install of vRO without additional plug-ins.

    Action Type Action
    Add CD-ROM

    Adds a virtual CD-ROM to a virtual machine. If the virtual machine has no IDE controller, the workflow creates one.

    Add custom attribute to a virtual machine

    Adds a custom attribute for a virtual machine in vRealize Server
    Add custom attribute to multiple virtual machines Adds a custom attribute to multiple virtual machines in vRealize Server
    Add disk Adds a virtual disk to a virtual machine.
    Add host to cluster Adds a host to the cluster. If the cluster supports nested resource pools and the user specifies the optional ResourcePool argument, then the host's root resource pool becomes the specified resource pool. The stand-alone host resource hierarchy is imported into the new nested resource pool. If the cluster does not support nested resource pools, then the standalone host resource hierarchy is discarded and all virtual machines on the host are put under the cluster's root resource pool. This workflow will fail if it cannot authenticate the SSL certificate of the host system.
    Add standalone host Registers an ESX host as a standalone host, namely, as a ComputeResource.
    Append address book stylesheet information Appends stylesheet information for the address book example.
    Change key pair passphrase Changes a key pair pass-phrase
    Change RAM Changes the amount of RAM of a virtual machine
    Clone thin provisioned, Windows with single NIC and credential Clones a Windows virtual machine, performing the guest OS customization. Specifies virtual disk thin provisioning policy and configures one network card and a local administrator account. Sysprep tools must be available on vRealize server.

    Clone virtual machine from properties

    Clones virtual machines by using properties as input parameters. Properties of different types have the following prefixes: - VMware properties start with vm - Windows properties start with win - Linux properties with lin - Networks properties start with nic1, nic2, nic3 or nic4 - Other properties are ignored See the workflow attributes for the key name and object types.
    Clone virtual machine, no customization Clones a virtual machine without changing anything except the virtual machine UUID

    Clone, Linux with multiple NICs

    Clones a Linux virtual machine, performs guest OS customization and configures up to four virtual network cards.
    Clone, Linux with single NIC Clones a Linux virtual machine, performs guest OS customization and configures one virtual network card
    Clone, Windows Sysprep with single NIC and credential Clones a Windows virtual machine performing the guest OS customization. Configures one virtual network card and a local administrator account. Sysprep tools must be available on vCenter server
    Clone, Windows with multiple NICs and credential Clones a Windows virtual machine, performing guest OS customization. Configures the local administrator account and up to four virtual network cards. Sysprep tools must be available on vCenter server
    Clone, Windows with single NIC Clones a Windows virtual machine, performs guest OS customization and configures one virtual network card. Sysprep tools must be available on vCenter server
    Clone, Windows with single NIC and credential Clones a Windows virtual machine, performing guest OS customization. Configures one network card and a local administrator account. Sysprep tools must be available on vCenter server
    Convert disks to thin provisioning

    Converts thick-provisioned disks of virtual machines to thin-provisioned disks. Converting from thick to thin provisioning involves moving the virtual machine, as disks cannot change from thick to thin provisioning in situ. To perform the conversion, you must first choose the datastore from which to select virtual machines. When the workflow runs, you must choose a temporary datastore in which to host the virtual machines during the conversion process. You cannot convert virtual machines in the powered on state that have snapshots. However, you can convert powered on virtual machines that do not have snapshots, and you can convert virtual machines that have snapshots if they are powered off.

    If a virtual machine is in datastore1, and this virtual machine has one thick-provisioned disk on datastore1 and another thick-provisioned disk on datastore2, you must move the virtual machine to a third datastore, datastore3. If you do not move the virtual machine to datastore3, only one disk will convert.

    Convert independent disks Converts all independent virtual machine disks to normal disks by removing the independent flag from the disks
    Create a simple XML document Creates a simple XML document for testing purposes
    Create a snapshot Creates a snapshot and returns it
    Create address book CSS Creates CSS for the address book example
    Create address book DTD Creates a DTD for the address book example
    Create address book XML Creates XML for the address book example
    Create cluster Creates a new cluster in a given host folder
    Create custom virtual machine Creates a virtual machine with the specified configuration options and additional devices
    Create datacenter Creates a new datacenter in a given datacenter folder. Returns the new datacenter.
    Create datacenter folder Creates a new datacenter folder and returns it
    Create host folder Creates a new host folder and returns it
    Create recurrent task Creates a recurrent task. Returns the newly created task. Possible recurrenceCycle attribute values: - one-time: Task runs once only. - every-minutes: Task runs every minute - everyhours: Task runs hourly - every-days: Task runs daily - every-weeks: Task runs weekly - every-months: Task runs monthly Possible recurrencePattern attribute values depend on the recurrenceCycle attribute value: - one-time: Ignores the recurrencePattern attribute - everyminutes: Seconds into each minute at which the task starts, for example, "00" or "00, 30" - every-hours: Minutes and seconds into each hour at which the task starts, for example, "00:00" or "00:00, 30:00" - every-days: Time at which the task starts each day, for example, "18:30:00" or "12:00:00, 19:30:00" - every-weeks: Day and time at which the task starts each week, for example, "Mon 00:00:00" or "Mon 00:00:00, Wed 18:00:00" - every-months: Date and time at which the task starts each month, for example, "14 00:00:00" or "14 00:00:00, 28 18:00:00"
    Create resource pool Creates a new resource pool with the default CPU and memory allocation values. To create a resource pool in a cluster, the cluster must be with VMware DRS enabled.
    Create resource pool with specified values Creates a resource pool with the specified CPU and memory allocation values. To create a resource pool in a cluster, the cluster must be with VMware DRS enabled
    Create simple dvPortGroup virtual machine Creates a simple virtual machine. The network used is a Distributed Virtual Port Group.
    Create simple virtual machine Creates a virtual machine with the most common devices and configuration options
    Create snapshots of all virtual machines in a resource pool Creates a snapshot of each virtual machine in a resource pool
    Create task Schedules a workflow to run at a later time and date, as a task
    Create virtual machine folder Creates a new virtual machine folder
    Create VMFS for all available disks Creates a VMFS volume for all available disks of a given host
    Customize virtual machines from properties Clones virtual machines by using properties as input parameters. Properties of different types have the following prefixes: - VMware properties start with vm - Windows properties start with win - Linux properties with lin - Networks properties start with nic1, nic2, nic3 or nic4 - Other properties are ignored See the workflow attributes for the key name and object types.
    Customize, Windows with single NIC and credential Performs guest OS customization, configures one virtual network card and a local administrator account on a Windows virtual machine.
    Delete all files Deletes a list of files
    Delete all unused datastore files Introspects all datastores in the vCenter Server and deletes all unused files
    Delete cluster Deletes a given cluster
    Delete datacenter Deletes a given datacenter
    Delete datacenter folder Deletes a datacenter folder and waits for the task to complete
    Delete host folder Deletes a host folder and waits for the task to complete
    Delete resource pool Deletes a resource pool and waits for the task to complete
    Delete virtual machine Removes a virtual machine from the Inventory and Datastore
    Delete virtual machine folder Deletes a virtual machine folder and waits for the task to complete
    Disable HA on cluster Disables HA on a given cluster
    Disconnect all detachable devices from a running virtual machine Disconnects all detachable devices, such as floppy disk and CD-ROM drives from a running virtual machine. The virtual machine must be running.
    Disconnect host Disconnects an ESX host from vCenter Server
    Display all datastores and disks Displays the existing datastores and available disks
    Display all locks Shows all locks
    Do trivial operation  
    Enable HA on cluster Enables HA on a given cluster
    Enter maintenance mode Puts the host in maintenance mode. While this task is running and when the host is in maintenance mode, virtual machines cannot be powered on and provisioning operations cannot be performed on the host. Once the call completes, it is safe to turn off a host without disrupting any virtual machines. The task completes once there are no powered-on virtual machines on the host and no provisioning operations in progress on the host. The operation does not directly initiate any operations to evacuate or power-down virtual machines. However, if the host is part of a cluster with VMware DRS enabled, DRS provides migration recommendations to evacuate the virtual machines. If DRS is in fully-automatic mode, it automatically schedules virtual machine evacuation. The task is cancellable.
    Example interaction with email Simple example to illustrate how to send an email to respond to a query, known as a user interaction. NOTE: This workflow uses the default mail server configuration that you can set in the Orchestrator configuration interface. For information about setting the mail server configuration, see 'Define the Default SMTP Connection' in the Orchestrator Installation and Configuration Guide.
    Exit maintenance mode Exits maintenance mode. The task can be canceled.

    Export logs and application settings

    Generates a ZIP archive of troubleshooting information that contains the following files: - Configuration files - Server, configuration, wrapper and installation log files - Workflow, action, Web view, configuration element, resource element, policy template, policy, authorization element and task information
    Export unused datastore files Introspects all datastores and lists all unused files in an XML descriptor file
    Extract virtual machine information

    Returns the virtual machine folder, host system, resource pool, compute resource, datastore, hard drives sizes, CPU and memory, network, and IP address for a given virtual machine.

    VMware Tools may need to be installed.

    Fill batch configuration elements

    Populates the configuration elements that the Run workflow on a selection of objects workflow uses. Performs the following tasks: - Resets the BatchObject and BatchAction configuration elements - Fills the BatchObject configuration element with all the workflows that have only one input parameter - Fills the BatchAction configuration element with all the actions that have only one parameter and have an array as the returnType

    Find element in document Finds an element in an XML file and logs it
    Find orphaned virtual machines Lists all virtual machines in an orphaned state in the Orchestrator inventory. Lists the VMDK and VMTX files for all datastores in the Orchestrator inventory that have no association with any virtual machines in the Orchestrator inventory. Sends the lists by email (optional).
    Find unused files in datastores Searches vCenter Server for all unused disks (*.vmdk), virtual machines (*.vmx), and template (*.vmtx) files that are not associated to any vCenter Server instances that are registered with Orchestrator.
    Full address book test Tests full address book cycle. Namely: - creates a directory - creates address book DTD, XML, and CSS - appends the stylesheet 
    Full JDBC cycle example Tests the full JDBC cycle, namely: - Tests the connection - Creates the table - Inserts and logs entries - Deletes and logs entries - Empties table - Drops table
    Generate key pair Generates key pair to connect to an SSH host without a password
    Get a VirtualEthernetCard to change the network

    Returns a new ethernet card to update a virtual device. Contains only the device key of the given virtual device and the new network.

    Get all configuration, template, and disk files from virtual machines

    Returns a list of all virtual machine descriptor files and a list of all virtual machine disk files, for all datastores.
    Get custom attribute Gets a custom attribute for a given virtual machine, in vCenter Server
    Get Linux customization Returns the Linux customization preparation
    Get multiple VirtualEthernetCard device changes Returns an array of VirtualDeviceConfigSpec objects for add and remove operations on VirtualEthernetCard objects
    Get NIC setting map Returns the setting map for virtual network card by using VimAdapterMapping. Changes NIC information for workflows that clone and reconfigure virtual machines. Other clone workflows call this workflow.
    Get resource pool information Returns CPU and memory allocation infromation about a given resource pool
    Get Windows customization, Sysprep with credentials Returns the customization information for Microsoft Sysprep process, with credentials. The different workflows for cloning Windows virtual machines use this workflow
    Get Windows customization, Sysprep with Unattended.txt Returns the customization information for the Microsoft Sysprep process using an Unattended.txt file. The different workflows for cloning Windows virtual machines use this workflow
    Get Windows customizations for Sysprep Returns the customization information for the Microsoft Sysprep process. The different workflows for cloning Windows virtual machines use this workflow
    JDBC connection example Tests JDBC connections
    JDBC create table example Tests table creation using JDBC
    JDBC delete all from table example Tests the deletion of all entries in a table
    JDBC delete entry from table example Tests the deletion of an entry from a table
    JDBC drop table example Tests dropping a table
    JDBC insert into table example Tests insertion of rows into a JDBC table
    JDBC select from table example Test JDBC table select rows
    JDBC URL generator Solicits information to generate a connection URL for JDBC database connections. The workflow emits the connection string it generates as output via the system log, and confirms the string can create a connection to the specified database.
    Linked clone, Linux with multiple NICs Creates a linked clone of a Linux virtual machine, performs the guest OS customization, and configures up to four virtual network cards
    Linked clone, Linux with single NIC Creates a linked clone of a Linux virtual machine, performs the guest OS customization, and configures one virtual network card
    Linked clone, no customization Creates a linked clone of a given virtual machine
    Linked clone, Windows with multiple NICs and credential Creates a linked clone of a Windows virtual machine, performing the guest OS customization. Configures up to four virtual network cards and a local administrator account. Sysprep tools must be available on vCenter server
    Linked clone, Windows with single NIC and credential Creates a linked clone of a Windows virtual machine performing the guest OS customization. Configures one virtual network card and a local administrator account. Sysprep tools must be available on vCenter server
    Locking test Test workflow that creates a lock
    Locking test (x5) Test workflow that creates 5 locks
    Log all datastores files

    Prints a log for every virtual machine configuration file and every virtual machine disk file found in all datastores.

    Log unused datastore files Searches vCenter Server for all unused files that are registered on virtual machines and logs the files. Exports the files in a text file
    Mark as template Converts an existing virtual machine to a template, not allowing it to start. Templates can be used to create new virtual machines. Warning: The workflow may finish before the virtual machine status is refreshed.
    Mark as virtual machine Converts an existing template to a virtual machine, allowing it to start. Warning: The workflow may finish before the VM status is refreshed
    Migrate virtual machine Migrates a virtual machine from one host to another. Uses MigrateVM_Task from the vSphere API
    Migrate virtual machines using vMotion/Storage vMotion Uses vMotion, storage vMotion, or both vMotion and Storage vMotion to migrate a single virtual machine, a selection of virtual machines, or all available virtual machines. NOTE: vCenter Server does not allow storage vMotion and vMotion in the same pass for a powered on virtual machine. You must power off the virtual machine to use storage vMotion and vMotion in the same pass.
    Modify XML document Modifies an XML file by writing a new XML document in a new file
    Mount floppy disk drive Mounts a floppy disk drive FLP file from the ESX datastore
    Mount tools installer Mounts the tools installer on the virtual CD-ROM
    Move host into cluster

    Moves an existing host into a cluster. The host must be part of the same datacenter, and if the host is part of a cluster, the host must be in maintenance mode. If the host is a stand-alone host, the stand-alone ComputeResource is removed as part of this operation. All virtual machines associated with the host, regardless of whether or not they are running, are moved with the host into the cluster. If there are virtual machines that should not be moved, then migrate those virtual machines off the host before initiating this operation. If the host is a stand-alone host, the cluster supports nested resource pools, and the user specifies the optional resourcePool argument, then the stand-alone host's root resource pool becomes the specified resource pool and the stand-alone host resource hierarchy is imported into the new nested resource pool. If the cluster does not support nested resource pools or the resourcePool argument is not specified, then the stand-alone host resource hierarchy is ignored.

    Move host to folder

    Moves a host into a folder as a standalone host (ComputeResource).

    The host must be part of a ClusterComputeResource in the same datacenter and the host must be in maintenance mode. Otherwise, the operation fails.

    Move virtual machine to folder Moves a virutal machine to the specified virtual machine folder
    Move virtual machine to resource pool Moves a virtual machine to a resource pool. If the target resource pool is not in the same cluster, use the Migrate/Relocate workflows.
    Move virtual machines to another vCenter Server Moves a list of virtual machines to another vCenter Server
    Move virtual machines to folder Moves several virtual machines to the specified virtual machine folder
    Move virtual machines to resource pool Moves several virtual machines to a resource pool
    Power off virtual machine and wait Powers off a Virtual Machine and waits for the process to complete
    Quick migrate multiple virtual machines Migrates multiple virtual machines at the same time
    Quick virtual machine migration Suspends a virtual machine and migrates it to another host
    Reboot guest OS Reboots the virtual machines's guest OS. Does not reset non-peristent virtual machines. VMware Tools must be running.
    Reboot host Reboots a host. If the Orchestrator client is connected directly to the host, it does not receive any indication of success in the returned task, but rather loses the connection to the host if the command succeeds.
    Reconfigure resource pool Reconfigures CPU and memory allocation configuration for a given resource pool
    Reconnect host Reconnects a disconnected host by providing only the host information
    Reconnect host with all information Reconnects a host by providing all information about the ESX host
    Register vRO public key on host Register the vRO public key (must be generated before) to a target host.
    Register virtual machine Registers a virtual machine. The virtual machine files must be stored in an existing datastore and must not be already registered.
    Release all locks Releases all locks
    Reload datacenter Force vCenter Server to reload data from a datacenter
    Reload host Forces vCenter Server to reload data from an ESX host
    Reload virtual machine Forces vCenter Server reload a virtual machine
    Relocate virtual machine disks Relocates a virtual machine's disks to another host or datastore while the virtual machine is in the powered off state. Uses the RelocateVM_Task from the vSphere API.
    Remove all snapshots Removes all existing snapshots without reverting to a previous snapshot
    Remove excess snapshots Finds virtual machines with more than a given number of snapshots and optionally deletes the oldest snapshots. Sends the results by email.
    Remove host

    Removes an ESX host and unregisters it from vCenter Server. If the ESX host is part of a cluster, you must put it in maintenance mode before attempting to remove it.

    Remove old snapshots

    Gets all snapshots that are older than a given number of days and prompts the user to select which ones to delete.

    Remove snapshots of a given size Gets all snapshots that are larger than a given size and prompts the user to select which ones to delete
    Rename cluster Renames a given cluster
    Rename datacenter Renames a given datacenter and waits the process to complete
    Rename datacenter folder Renames a datacenter folder and waits for the task to complete
    Rename host folder Renames a host folder and waits for the task to complete
    Rename resource pool Renames a resource pool and waits for the task to complete.
    Rename virtual machine Renames an existing virtual machine on vCenter Server or ESX host and not on the datastore
    Rename virtual machine folder Renames a virtual machine folder and waits for the task to complete

    Rescan datacenter HBAs

    Scans the hosts in a datacenter and initiates a re-scan on the hosts' HBAs to discover new storage
    Reset virtual machine and wait Resets a virtual machine and waits for the process to complete
    Restore virtual machine from linked clone emoves a virtual machine from a linked clone setup

    Resume virtual machine and wait

    Resumes a suspended virtual machine and waits for the process to complete

    Retrieve messages

    Retrieves the messages of a given email account, without deleting them, using the POP3 protocol
    Revert to current snapshot Reverts to the current snapshot. If the snapshot to which to revert was taken while the virtual machine was powered on, and if you run the Revert to current snapshot workflow when the virtual machine is powered off, the workflow powers on the virtual machine so as to emulate state of the snapshot. Use the host optional input parameter to specify a host on which to power on the virtual machine. If you do not set the host parameter and vBalance is set, a host is automatically selected. Otherwise, the virtual machine keeps its existing host affiliation.

    Revert to snapshot and wait

    Reverts to a specific snapshot. Does not delete the snapshot

    Run a workflow on a selection of objects

    Runs a workflow on a selection of objects. You must have run the Fill batch configuration elements workflow before running this workflow. You can run this workflow in simulation mode, in which case the workflow will not modify any of the objects on which it runs.

    Run SSH command Runs an SSH command
    SCP get command Copies a file from a host to the vRO server using SSH/SCP
    SCP put command Copies a file from the vRO server to a target host using SSH/SCP
    Send interaction Sends an email to answer a user interaction. The email body contains both the direct answer URL, and an interaction URL to process this request. Uses the default settings from the Orchestrator Configuration interface for the following optional input parameters: SMTP host, SMTP port, username, password, from Address and from Name. You can override these values by providing input parameters.
    Send notification

    Sends an email with specified content to given email address. Uses the default settings from the Orchestrator Configuration interface for the following optional input parameters: SMTP host, SMTP port, username, password, from Address and from Name. You can override these values by providing input parameters.

    Send notification to mailing list Sends an email with specified content to a given email address list, CC list, and BCC list. Uses the default settings from the Orchestrator Configuration interface for the following optional input parameters: SMTP host, SMTP port, username, password, from Address and from Name. You can override these values by providing input parameters.
    Set console screen resolution Sets the console window's resolution. The virtual machine must be in the powered on state.
    Set guest OS to standby

    Sets the guest OS to standby. VMware tools must be running.

    Set up virtual machine for linked clone Prepares the virtual machine to be link cloned. A linked clone is a copy of a virtual machine that shares virtual disks with the parent virtual machine.
    Set virtual machine performance Changes performance settings such as shares, min/max values, shaping for network, and disks access of a virtual machine.
    Shut down and delete virtual machine Shuts down a virtual machine and deletes it from the inventory and disk
    Shut down guest OS and wait Shuts down a guest OS and waits for the process to complete
    Shut down host Shuts down a host. If the Orchestrator client is connected directly to the host, it does not receive any indication of success in the returned task, but rather loses the connection to the host if the command succeeds.
    Start virtual machine and wait Starts a virtual machine and waits for VMware Tools to start.
    Start workflows in a series Runs a workflow multiple times in a series, one instance after the other. You provide workflow parameters in an array, providing a property list (with one property per workflow input) for each instance of the workflow that starts.
    Start workflows in parallel Starts the provided workflow multiple times, with different parameters. You provide workflow parameters in an array, providing a property list (with one property per workflow input) for each instance of the workflow that starts.
    Storage vMotion Perform storage vMotion for a virtual machine, all virtual machines that this plug-in knows, or a selection of virtual machines. To use "Select by action", you must run the 'Library > vCenter > Batch > Fill batch configuration elements' workflow before running this workflow.
    Suspend virtual machine and wait Suspends a virtual machine and waits for the task to complete
    Turn on time synchronization Turns on time synchronization between the virtual machine and the ESX server in VMware Tools
    Unmount tools installer Unmounts the VMware Tools CD-ROM
    Unregister virtual machine Removes an existing virtual machine from the Inventory
    Upgrade tools Upgrades VMware Tools on a virtual machine
    Upgrade tools at next reboot Upgrades VMware Tools on a virtual machine at the next reboot
    Upgrade virtual machine Upgrades the virtual hardware to the latest revision that is supported by the virtual machine's current host. An input parameter allows a forced upgrade even if VMware Tools are out of date.
    Upgrade VM Hardware (force if required) Upgrades this virtual machine's virtual hardware to the latest revision that is supported by the virtual machine's current host. This workflow forces the upgrade to continue, even if the VMware Tools are out of date. If the VMware Tools are out of date, forcing the upgrade to continue will revert the guest network settings to the default settings. To avoid this first upgrade the VMware Tools before running this workflow.
    Wait for task and answer virtual machine question Waits for a vCenter task to complete or for the virtual machine to ask a question. If the virtual machine requires an answer, accepts user input and answers the question.