Fr

ee

Through this practical guide, you will gain an understanding

of VMware vRealize Orchestrator and its role in the vSphere
architecture and automation. You will learn about Orchestrator
clusters as well as vRealize Automation integration. A full
introduction to using the visual programming tools without
needing any additional infrastructure is aimed at beginners
with limited resources. This is followed by an extensive look
at how to integrate the base plugins into your workflows,
such as e-mail, AMQP, SNMP, and so on. We will also look
at how to use the Orchestrator API to trigger workflows from
other programs.
Through this book you will be able to get the most
out of your Orchestrator installation, and develop
complex workflows and create your own highly integrated
automations of vCenter, vCloud, and vRealize environments.

Who this book is written for

Install, configure, and optimize Orchestrator

installations (Windows, Appliance as well
as vRA integrated)
Explore all the visual programming
elements without the need for additional
infrastructure
Work with plugins such as SSH, mail,
SQL, PowerShell, AD, SOAP, SNMP,
AMQP, and REST
Discover how to create VMware automation
Get to grips with user management,
synchronization, and packaging
applications
Understand policies and resources
Work more efficiently with distributed
Orchestrator environments

$ 49.99 US
30.99 UK

professional expertise distilled

P U B L I S H I N G

Prices do not include

local sales tax or VAT
where applicable

Visit www.PacktPub.com for books, eBooks,

code, downloads, and PacktLib.

Daniel Langenhan

If you are a VMware administrator who is interested in

automating your infrastructure, this book is for you. An
understanding of basic programming concepts is advised.
No previous knowledge of Orchestrator is required,
although some previous knowledge of it will allow you to
get started more easily.

What you will learn from this book

VMware vRealize Orchestrator Cookbook

VMware vRealize
Orchestrator Cookbook

Sa

pl
e

Q u i c k

a n s w e r s

t o

c o m m o n

p r o b l e m s

VMware vRealize
Orchestrator Cookbook
Master the configuration, programming, and interaction
of plugins with Orchestrator to efficiently automate your
VMware infrastructure
Foreword by Christophe Decanini and Burke Azbill, Consulting Architects,
VMware Global Center of Excellence

Daniel Langenhan

professional expertise distilled

P U B L I S H I N G

In this package, you will find:

The author biography

A preview chapter from the book, Chapter 1 'Installing and Configuring
Orchestrator'
A synopsis of the books content
More information on VMware vRealize Orchestrator Cookbook

About the Author

Daniel Langenhan is a virtualization expert with formidable skills in architecture,
design, and implementation for large multitier systems. His experience and knowledge of
process management, enterprise-level storage, and Linux and Windows operating
systems have made him and his business a highly sought international consultancy in the
Asia Pacific and European regions for multinational clientele in the areas of finance,
communication, education, and government. Daniel has been working with VMware
products since 2002 and has been directly associated with VMware since 2008. He has a
proven track record of successful integrations of virtualization into different business
areas while minimizing cost and maximizing reliability and effectiveness for his clients.
Daniel's expertise and practical approach to VMware have resulted in the publication of
the following books:

Instant VMware vCloud Starter, Packt Publishing

VMware View Security Essentials, Packt Publishing
VMware vCloud Director Cookbook, Packt Publishing

He has also lent his expertise to many other publishing projects as a technical editor.
I would like to thank my wife, Renata, for her endless efforts and patience.
I also like to express my gratitude to my reviewers for improving this book.
A special thank you goes out to Christophe Decanini and Burke Azbill who
have been committed to make Orchestrator a successful product since they
started working on Orchestrator.

VMware vRealize
Orchestrator Cookbook
Orchestrator started its life as Dunes at a small company in Lucerne, Switzerland. In 2009,
VMware bought Dunes and then introduced Orchestrator into vSphere 4.0 as vCenter
Orchestrator. Orchestrator's first stage debut was with VMware Lifecycle Manager, which used
Orchestrator to automate the virtual infrastructure life cycle. Orchestrator itself never really
received the spotlight until the recent launch of VMware vCloud Automation Center (vCAC). In
the beginning, vCAC used Orchestrator only as an extension, but with version 6.1, it became
the central tool for automation.
In October 2014, VMware renamed vCenter Orchestrator (vCO)
to vRealize Orchestrator (vRO) to align with their new strategies.
vRO is not a new product; it is just the new name of vCO.
With version 6.2 of vCAC, the product has been renamed to
vRealize Automation.

Due to the massive renaming bonanza that VMware undertook during the writing of this
book, we will simply refer to vRO/vCO as Orchestrator. Even after the renaming, you will still
find reminisces of Dunes and vCO in vRealize Orchestrator; have a look in some of the error
messages or in the API.
The nice thing about Orchestrator that still astounds people is that Orchestrator is licensed
with vCenter, which means that it comes free with vCenter (as well as vRealize Automation).
Also, there are no extra licensing fees for any VMware distributed plugins.
A lot of third parties such as F5, Cisco, and so on have developed plugins for Orchestrator,
making it possible to push the automation further.
Orchestrator comes in four versions that differ only in the way they are installed but not in
their content or their abilities. The version most people don't know about is the one that
is automatically installed (but not activated) with vCenter. The second is the one that is
integrated with vRealize Automation. Then, there is a Windows-based installation, and last
but not least, the shrink-wrapped Linux appliance. This book covers all of these and also
dives into their little specialties.

Best approaches to reading this book

You might think that depending on which version or installation of Orchestrator you use, things
will be different. Well, they're not. Have a look at the following figure:

Orchestrator is the central part of any automation effort.

If you plan to use vRealize Automation, it is best to read the introduction to Chapter 7,
Working with VMware Infrastructure, first before diving deeper. vRealize Automation just
leverages Orchestrator workflows and plugins. Check out Chapter 1, Installing and Configuring
Orchestrator, to understand how to access Orchestrator and then follow the vSphere
Automation path.
If you plan to automate your vSphere infrastructure, you can dive straight into Chapter 1,
Installing and Configuring Orchestrator, and then check out the introduction in Chapter 7,
Working with VMware Infrastructure, as well as the first recipe for vCenter in the
same chapter.
You should definitely read all the chapter introductions as they contain valuable information
for beginners as well as advanced readers.
If you are new to Orchestrator, start at Chapter 1, Installing and Configuring Orchestrator,
and then move on to Chapter 5, Basic Orchestrator Operations, and finally Chapter 3,
Visual Programming. This will give you a very good start.

What This Book Covers

Chapter 1, Installing and Configuring Orchestrator, shows you how to install, configure,
and access the various Orchestrator installation types.
Chapter 2, Optimizing Orchestrator Configuration, dives into more specialized setups,
such as clusters, and how to tune the Orchestrator appliance.
Chapter 3, Visual Programming, introduces and dives into the visual programming
of Orchestrator.
Chapter 4, Working with Plugins, showcases how to use the different plugins of
Orchestrator with detailed examples.
Chapter 5, Basic Orchestrator Operations, teaches you how to operate Orchestrator,
working with user management, packages, and more.
Chapter 6, Advanced Operations, dives into more advanced operations such as language
packs, resources, and policies.
Chapter 7, Working with VMware Infrastructure, teaches you how to automate the
vSphere infrastructure as well as use Orchestrator workflows in vRealize Orchestrator.

Installing and
Configuring
Orchestrator
In this chapter, we explore how to install and configure Orchestrator. We will be looking at the
following recipes:

Getting Orchestrator running in 5 minutes (or less)

Deploying the Orchestrator appliance

Installing Orchestrator on Windows

Two ways to configure Orchestrator

Important Orchestrator base configurations

Configuring Orchestrator with external LDAP or Active Directory

Integrating Orchestrator into SSO and vSphere Web Client

Configuring an external database

Introduction
vRealize Orchestrator (vRO) is the new name (since October 2014) of vCenter Orchestrator
(vCO). In this book, we will refer to vRO/vCO simply as Orchestrator.

Installing and Configuring Orchestrator

This chapter is dedicated to the configuration of Orchestrator and discusses how to set the
tone for your Orchestrator deployment. Configuring Orchestrator wasn't easy in the past;
therefore, not many people really used it. But now, the initial configuration is already done
out-of-the-box and people can start using Orchestrator without too much fuss. However, if
one plans to use Orchestrator in a production environment, it is important to know how to
configure it properly.
There are four different Orchestrator versions. One version is shipped with vCenter Server and
the other with vRealize Automation appliance. Then, there is the Windows-based installation
and a preinstalled Linux appliance.

Orchestrator and vRealize Automation (vRA)

The vRealize Automation (formerly vCloud Automation Center or vCAC) appliance is shipped
with a preinstalled and preconfigured vRO (Orchestrator). Orchestrator installed on vRA is
already configured and works the way the normal Orchestrator appliance does.
If you are using the vRA-integrated version, just read all the recipes in this chapter and the
next chapter as if you are using the appliance.
You can read more about vRA Orchestrator integration in the introduction to Chapter 7,
Working with VMware Infrastructure.

Appliance or Windows install?

The question most people are asking these days is what type of Orchestrator should one use
for a production environment or which one is recommended.
There isn't really a right answer. The appliance runs on Linux and therefore consumes less
CPU and memory and, saves money on a Windows license. However, more people are familiar
with Windows than with Linux.
There is another fact that one should be aware of. VMware has already announced that the
Windows version update from 5.1.x to 5.5.x will not update the database. This, in my personal
opinion, indicates that the Windows version doesn't receive as much attention from VMware
as the appliance version. However, the version that is installed along with vCenter is pretty
integrated; see the first recipe of this chapter.
A consideration you should be aware of is that, depending on your Windows security settings
or other installed applications, such as antivirus, backup agents, or infrastructure discovery
agents, your Windows Orchestrator installation might be impaired.
So, what is right for you? My personal preference and that of most of the VMware consultants
I know is the appliance; it is easy to use, install, and update. However, keep in mind that
Windows works just as well.

10

Chapter 1

Orchestrator and vCenter/vRA on the same server?

Another question that is constantly asked is: Should one install Orchestrator on the same
server as vCenter or vRA? As with the issue of appliance or Windows installation, it really
depends on the objective of your Orchestrator installation. Installing Orchestrator on a vCenter
Server where the Single Sign-On (SSO), the Web Client, Inventory, and vCenter services are
already competing for resources makes quite an impact. If the Orchestrator installation is
aimed at automating a sizable production environment, sharing Orchestrator resources with
vCenter isn't such a great idea. For a small environment, a shared vCenter/Orchestrator VM
can be quite a good solution.
The vRA-integrated Orchestrator installation is also fine for smaller environments; however,
if you plan to automate a production environment with vRA, it is recommended that you use
a separate Orchestrator installation and maybe even an Orchestrator cluster (see Chapter 2,
Optimizing Orchestrator Configuration).
What it basically comes down to is managing the Java heap sizes of the different services (see
the Tuning Java recipe in Chapter 2, Optimizing Orchestrator Configuration). A correct sizing of
all the Java heap sizes (vCenter services as well as Orchestrator) will allow a good coexistence
of all services. However, you should consider issues such as manageability as well as the
ability to monitor and update all the services.

Getting Orchestrator running in 5 minutes

(or less)
In this recipe, we will get Orchestrator up and running using the Orchestrator version that is
installed along with vCenter or vRealize Orchestrator.

Getting ready
You either need administrative access to the Windows OS of your existing vCenter Server
(5.1 or higher) installation, or you need a functional vRealize Automation installation (see the
introduction to Chapter 7, Working with VMware Infrastructure, for more information).

How to do it...
This recipe is not the same for vCenter-integrated and vRA-integrated Orchestrator
implementations. There is a slight difference.
On your marks, get set, GO!

11

Installing and Configuring Orchestrator

vCenter-integrated Orchestrator
Follow these steps if you are using the vCenter-integrated Orchestrator.
1. Log in to the Windows OS of your existing vCenter installation.
2. Open the Servicesfor example, for Win 2008 R2, navigate to Start | Administrative
Tools | Services.
3. Find the VMware vCenter Orchestrator Server service.

4. Right-click and select Start. If the service fails to start, have a look at the There's
more... section of this recipe. The first start might take a while and Windows might
complain about it, but just have patience.
5. When the service has started, use vCenter Orchestrator Client to connect to
Orchestrator. You'll find the client by navigating to Start | VMware | vCenter
Orchestrator Client.
6. Enter localhost:8281 as Host name, [email protected]
as User name with the corresponding password, and click on Login.

12

Chapter 1
Finished! Orchestrator is up and running.

vRealize Automation-integrated Orchestrator

Follow these steps if you are using the vRA-integrated Orchestrator:
1. Open a web browser and enter the IP or FQDN of the vRA appliance.
2. Click on the vRealize Orchestrator Client link.
3. Enter [IP or FQDN of the vRA appliance]:8281 as Host name,
[email protected] as User name with the corresponding
password, and click on Login.
Finished! Orchestrator is up and running.

How it works...
When you install vCenter, you also automatically install Orchestrator; however, what you
probably don't know is that the installer also configures Orchestrator to use the vCenter
database, registers itself with SSO, and configures the vCenter plugin. Orchestrator is now
easily accessible and fully configured to work with vCenter/vRA.
That said, one needs to understand that we have just started another hungry service on
vCenter/vRA VM. As already discussed in the introduction, you might want to rethink this.
Looking at how the vCenter-integrated Orchestrator is configured, we find that the whole
configuration process is triggered by the vco.properties file in the C:\Program Files\
VMware\Infrastructure\Orchestrator directory. It contains all relevant information,
but no passwords.
If you look into Orchestrator's configuration using the Orchestrator Configuration tool (see
the Two ways to configure Orchestrator recipe in this chapter), you will find the following
configurations:

In the Network section, the vCenter and the SSO SSL certificates have been added.

In the Authentication section, SSO is configured. If we log in to the SSO server, we

find an existing group called vCOAdministrators and that the administrator (@vsphere.
local) is a member of this group. We also find that Orchestrator is registered as an
application user.

In the Database section, there is a new and unique database type: vDB. This is a
connection to the ODBC drivers you set up for vCenter.

In the Licensing section, Orchestrator has been licensed with the vCenter license key.

Last but not least, the vCenter plugin is configured with vCenter details.

13

Installing and Configuring Orchestrator

This all makes the vCenter Orchestrator installation the most easy to use for beginners.
Basically, you only have to start the Orchestrator service on vCenter Server and you are
ready to go.

There's more...
If you get an error while starting the Orchestrator service, have a quick look at C:\Program
Files\VMware\Infrastructure\Orchestrator\app-server\logs. There is a
file called server.log. This is the logfile for the Orchestrator service. The most common
problem at this point is that the database cannot be accessed. If this is the case, I would
recommend switching the database type to embedded.

See also
To fully integrate Orchestrator into your vCenter, continue with the Integrating Orchestrator
into SSO and vSphere Web Client recipe in this chapter as well as the recipe Orchestrator
and vSphere Web Client in Chapter 5, Basic Orchestrator Operations.

Deploying the Orchestrator appliance

We will now deploy the Orchestrator appliance based on Linux.

Getting ready
We can deploy the Orchestrator appliance on either a vSphere environment or on VMware
Workstation (or Fusion if you are a MAC user).
The Orchestrator appliance needs the following (defaults):

Two vCPUs at 2 GHz (less is OK, but it will be slower)

3 GB memory

12 GB disk space

One IP that is either a fixed IP or via DHCP

How to do it...
In this recipe, we will learn how to download and deploy Orchestrator.

14

Chapter 1

Download
1. Navigate to http://vmware.com and select Downloads.
2. Enter Orchestrator appliance in the search text box and press Enter.
3. Select the latest version from the menu.
4. Download the file that ends in .ova.

Please note that vCenter Orchestrator (vCO) was renamed vRealize

Orchestrator (vRO) in version 6.0.

Deploy
1. Log in to vCenter using WebClient.
2. Right-click on the cluster or ESXi Server and select Deploy OVF Template....
3. The Deploy OVF Template wizard starts. Select the OVA file you have downloaded and
click on Next.
4. Accept the EULA and click on Next.
5. Select a name (or accept the default) as well as the vCenter folder for the
Orchestrator appliance and click on Next.
6. Select the cluster or ESXi Server or a resource pool for the Orchestrator appliance
and click on Next.
7.

Select the datastore you would like to deploy the Orchestrator appliance on and click
on Next.
15

Installing and Configuring Orchestrator

8. Select a network for the Orchestrator appliance and click on Next.
9. In the Customize template section, set a password for the root and the Orchestrator
configuration account.
10. Set a hostname for the Orchestrator appliance.
11. If you want to use a fixed IP, expand the Network Properties section, enter all IPrelated entries, and then click on Next. If you want to use DHCP, just click on Next.

16

Chapter 1
12. Opt to power on the VM after deployment and click on Finish.
13. Wait until the VM has finished deploying and is powered on.
14. Open the console of the Orchestrator appliance and wait until the install process
has completed and the VM console shows the following screen:

Let's go
1. Open a browser and browse to the IP of the Orchestrator appliance (for example,
http://192.168.220.132).

17

Installing and Configuring Orchestrator

2. Depending on your environment, you might need to accept the SSL certificate. You
are now on the Orchestrator home page with several useful links to all important
Orchestrator topics.

3. To open up the Orchestrator Client, click on Start Orchestrator Client.

4. Enter vcoadmin as user with the password vcoadmin.

18

Chapter 1

How it works...
vCO 5.5.2.1 appliance is a preconfigured Orchestrator installation that uses the following:

Suse Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 11 Patch level 2

PostgreSQL 9.1.9

OpenLDAP 2.4.26

Everything is ready to run; however, no integration with vCenter or any external service is
configured. The Orchestrator appliance comes with a 90-day evaluation license installed.
The LDAP has the following preconfigured entries:
Username
vcoadmin
vcouser

Password
vcoadmin
vcouser

Group membership
vcoadmins
vcousers

Both LDAP and DB are protected to allow only local access to them.

There's more...
If you want to deploy the Orchestrator appliance on VMware Workstation, the process of
deploying the Orchestrator appliance differs from the one described in this recipe. Follow
these steps instead:
1. Use Windows Explorer to navigate to the downloaded .ova file.
2. Double-click on the OVA file. VMware Workstation opens up.
3. Select a name and a path for the new VM and click on Import.
4. Accept the EULA and wait until the VM is deployed.
5. You might need to select a different network (for example, Host-Only) depending
on your lab environment.

19

Installing and Configuring Orchestrator

6. Power on the VM and wait until the install pauses at the line indicated in
this screenshot:

7.

Enter and confirm a new password for the root account.

8. Then, enter and confirm a new password for the Orchestrator Configuration tool.
The installation will now continue. Wait until it has finished.
The appliance will start with a DHCP address from Workstation. To set a static IP,
you will have to access the admin interface of the appliance.

See also
See the Tuning the appliance recipe in Chapter 2, Optimizing Orchestrator Configuration.

Installing Orchestrator on Windows

The Windows version of Orchestrator requires slightly more work to set it up.

Getting ready
To get the Windows install working, we need the following:

20

The VMware vCenter Server ISO file

Chapter 1

A Windows VM with the following system requirements:

64-bit Windows (for example, Windows 2008 R2)

Two vCPUs at 2 GHz (less is OK, but it will be slower)

4 GB memory

2 GB disk space

One static IP (DHCP is not recommended)

How to do it...
We assume that you are installing Orchestrator on a freshly installed Windows VM.

Install
1. Insert the ISO image into the VM (for example, mount it via vCenter).
2. Use Explorer to browse to the [CDROM]:\vCenter-Server\vCO directory.
3. Execute the install file. The install wizard starts.
4. Skip the introduction by clicking on Next.
5. Accept the EULA and click on Next.
6. Select the path where you want to install Orchestrator and click on Next.
7.

Click on Client - Server and then on Next.

21

Installing and Configuring Orchestrator

8. Leave the icon selection alone and just click on Next.
9. On the Pre-Installation Summary page, click on Install.
10. Wait till the installation has finished then click on Done.

Starting and configuring the Orchestrator service

We now need to make sure that Orchestrator's Windows services are starting and
are configured correctly:
1. In Windows, open Services, for example, Win 2008 R2, and navigate to
Start | Administrative Tools | Services.
2. Look for the service named VMware vCenter Orchestrator Server. Make sure it
has started and is set to Automatic.
Setting the Orchestrator Configuration service to Automatic or starting it now is not really
needed; we will start and stop it when required.

Accessing the vCenter Orchestrator home page

To access the vCenter Orchestrator home page, follow these steps:
1. Open a web browser and enter the https://[ip of the vCO VM]:8281/vco/
URL.
2. To open up the Orchestrator Client, click on Start Orchestrator Client.
3. Enter vcoadmin as the user with the password vcoadmin.
Alternatively, you can access the web page from the VM itself by clicking on Start | VMware |
vCenter Orchestrator Home Page.

How it works...
The Windows Orchestrator version now also comes with embedded LDAP and database,
making the first steps much easier.
The embedded database and LDAP can't be as easily accessed as with the appliance because
there isn't really a need to do so. If you want to be serious about Orchestrator, you should use
an external database and you will want to use at least your Active Directory (AD),
if not SSO, as an authentication source.
The Windows installation also comes with a 90-day evaluation license.

22

Chapter 1

Two ways to configure Orchestrator

In this recipe, we will learn how to access the Orchestrator configuration. There are two ways,
both of which work; however, the future is in workflows.

Getting ready
We need an Orchestrator instance up and running, as described in the recipes about installing.
To use the Configuration tool, we just need a web browser; and for the workflow method, we
need either a local Java install to start the Java Web Client or an installed Orchestrator Client.

How to do it...
There are two ways to configure Orchestrator; I would encourage you to explore both.

Using the Orchestrator Configuration tool

If you are using the Orchestrator appliance, read the Accessing the Orchestrator Configuration
tool section of this recipe. If you are using the Windows or vRA-integrated Orchestrator, follow
these steps.
Windows or vCenter-integrated Orchestrator
1. In Windows, open Services. For example, in Win 2008 R2, navigate to Start |
Administrative Tools | Services.
2. Right-click and start the VMware vCenter Orchestrator Configuration service.
3. Wait until the service has started successfully.
vRA-integrated Orchestrator
1. Log in to the vRA appliance OS using the root account.
2. Run the following command:
service vco-configurator start

3. Now access the Orchestrator Configuration tool.

4. Wait until the service has started successfully.

23

Installing and Configuring Orchestrator

Accessing the Orchestrator Configuration tool
1. Open a web browser and enter https://[ip OR FQDN of Orchestrator]:8283.
2. In the Orchestrator configuration login screen, enter vmware as the username and
the password you assigned during the deployment. If you are using the Windows or
vRA-integrated installation, the initial password is vmware. As soon as you are logged
in, you will be requested to change the password.
The Orchestrator configuration page opens as shown in the following screenshot:

Here are all the sections that can be used to configure Orchestrator.

Using the workflow method

1. Access the Orchestrator Client, open a web browser, and navigate to the Orchestrator
home page http://[ip of the vCO VM]:8281/vco/ and click on Start
Orchestrator Client.
2. Enter your credentials, which are vcoadmin with the password vcoadmin (except
for the vCenter-installed Orchestrator version where you have to use the user account
[email protected]).

24

Chapter 1
3. You might need to accept the SSL certificate. Click on Install this Certificate to not
have this come up again and then click on Ignore.
4. Once the Orchestrator Client opens, click on workflows (the blue icon with white in it)
and then expand the tree, as seen in the next screenshot.
5. Here, you'll find all the Orchestrator-specific configuration workflow. Start one by
right-clicking on it and choosing Start workflow.

6. After entering the required information and clicking on Submit, the workflow will start.
7.

A green tick next to the workflow execution will show you that the workflow was
executed without an error. A red cross shows that the workflow encountered an error
and has stopped. See the How it works... section of this recipe.

25

Installing and Configuring Orchestrator

Base-configuring Orchestrator
Independent of the way you choose to configure Orchestrator, please continue with the recipe
Important Orchestrator base configurations as the recipes in the rest of this chapter require
the use of either method.

How it works...
The Orchestrator Configuration tool is an independent service in Windows as in Linux. The
service doesn't require to be switched on all the time; it is more or less a one-off tool to get
the initial deployment working.
The Orchestrator Configuration tool was commonly used to configure Orchestrator, and you
will find countless websites still quoting it. It is a generally straightforward tool that helps you
configure Orchestrator. The trick is to work your way down, starting with the General section.
Every time you configure an item correctly, the little light next to the section title will switch
to green. The light turns red if the item is not configured or is misconfigured. When you log in
to Orchestrator for the first time, you will notice that all the lights are green; this is because it
uses the preconfigured settings. You can still reconfigure all items to your own specifications.

The future of the Configuration tool

VMware announced that the Configuration tool will be removed in future releases. From then
on, the workflow method will be the way to do it. However, currently there is no workflow to
import and configure plugins, so this still has to be done using the Orchestrator Configuration
tool. The Configuration tool also gives a lot more options for most configuration items than the
workflows. In addition, there is also no workflow for exporting or importing the Orchestrator
configuration for backup (see the Backup and recovery recipe in Chapter 2, Optimizing
Orchestrator Configuration).
It will be interesting to see how the final version of VMware's vision for configuration pans out.

Working with errors in the workflow method

If the workflow doesn't run successfully, you probably will want to know why and resolve
the error. To do so, follow these steps:
1. Click on the failed workflow execution. It has a red icon with a white X in it.
2. Click on Schema.
3. Click on Variables.
4. The error message is displayed in red.
5. To start the workflow again, just right-click on the failed execution and select
Run Again.

26

Chapter 1

This will start the workflow again; however, it preserves all the information you have entered
already into the workflow. No retyping is needed as everything from the last run is still
displayed in the forms. The only exceptions are passwords, which is a good thing.

There's more...
There is actually a third way of configuring Orchestrator. Using the REST API of Orchestrator,
you can connect to Orchestrator Server and run the configuration workflows. Showcasing this
is beyond the scope of this book; however, you can find some instruction in the Orchestrator
documentation and also in the Accessing the Orchestrator API via REST recipe in Chapter 6,
Advanced Operations.

Important Orchestrator base configurations

In this recipe, we will configure basic aspects of Orchestrator, such as licensing, network, and
SSL certificates. It is highly recommended you work through this recipe before continuing on
to add an external LDAP or database.

Getting ready
You need an installed and running Orchestrator. You should also be comfortable with using
one of the methods described in the Two ways to configure Orchestrator recipe.

27

Installing and Configuring Orchestrator

How to do it...
These are some basic configurations that have to be done to Orchestrator to make it
production-ready. I will describe the use of the Orchestrator Configuration tool as well
as the workflow method.

Configuring the network

The network setting configures the interface by which Orchestrator communicates and the
default is set to 0.0.0.0. You can change it to an IPv4 or IPv6 address. The Windows install
has already configured the correct setting and only requires a change if you would like to
switch to IPv6.
Using the Orchestrator Configuration tool
1. Open the Orchestrator Configuration tool.
2. Click on the Network section and then select Network.
3. Select the correct IP address and click on Apply changes.

Using the workflow

1. Open the Orchestrator Client.
2. Navigate to Library | Configuration | Network.

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Chapter 1
3. Right-click on the workflow Configure the network settings and select
Start Workflow.
4. Select the correct IP address and click on Submit.
5. Wait until the workflow has successfully finished.

Importing SSL certificates

In order for Orchestrator to connect to any other SSL-based service, the SSL signature of this
service has to be added to Orchestrator first. The SSL certificate for the Orchestrator Server
itself is discussed in the Configuring the Orchestrator Service SSL certificate recipe in Chapter 2,
Optimizing Orchestrator Configuration.
Using the Orchestrator Configuration tool
1. Open the Orchestrator Configuration tool.
2. Click on the Network section and then on SSL Trust Manager.
3. Enter the URL of the server that you wish to add and click on Import.
4. The SSL certificate will be shown. Click on Import.

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Installing and Configuring Orchestrator

5. The SSL certificate has been added. You can delete it by clicking on Delete.

Using the workflow

1. Open the Orchestrator Client.
2. Navigate to Library | Configuration | SSL Trust Manager.
3. Right-click on the Import a certificate from URL workflow and select Start Workflow.
4. Enter the URL of the server that you wish to add.
5. Select Yes to accept the SSL certificate even if there are warnings and click
on Submit.

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Chapter 1

Licensing
Both the Orchestrator Windows version and the appliance come with a 90-day evaluation
license. Orchestrator is licensed with vCenter. The vCenter license key is the Orchestrator
license key, and no extra purchase is required. However, if you are using the vCenter Essential
license, you can only run workflows; you cannot create or edit them.
You can either enter a license key manually or connect to the vCenter Server to acquire
the license.
Before you begin, add the vCenter SSL Certificate to Orchestrator.
Using the Orchestrator Configuration tool
1. Open the Orchestrator Configuration tool.
2. Click on the Licenses section.
3. Select Use vCenter Server license.
4. Enter the FQDN to vCenter.
5. Enter an administrative vCenter username and the corresponding password.
6. Click on Apply changes.

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Installing and Configuring Orchestrator

Using the workflow
1. Open Orchestrator Client.
2. Navigate to Library | Configuration | Licensing.
3. Right-click on the workflow Use vCenter Server license and select Start Workflow.
4. Enter the FQDN to the vCenter host.
5. Enter an administrative vCenter username and the corresponding password.
6. Click on Submit.
Wait till the workflow has finished successfully.

Creating a Server Package Signing certificate

The Server Package Signing certificate is an SSL certificate that is used to encrypt exports from
Orchestrator, such as workflows and packages. It makes a lot of sense to at least personalize
this with a self-signed certificate but be aware that, once created, it is not so easy to change.
It is not the SSL certificate of Orchestrator Server that is used for communication. The SSL
certificate for Orchestrator Server is discussed in the Configuring the Orchestrator Server SSL
certificate recipe in Chapter 2, Optimizing Orchestrator Configuration.

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Chapter 1
Using the Orchestrator Configuration tool
1. Open the Orchestrator Configuration tool.
2. Click on the Server Certificate section.
3. Click on Create a certificate database and self-signed server certificate.
4. Enter the required information, and select a country from the drop-down menu,
and click on Create. Your new certificate will now be shown.

Using the workflow

1. Open Orchestrator Client.
2. Navigate to Library | Configuration | Package Signing Certificate.
3. Right-click on the workflow Create a self-signed server certificate and select
Start Workflow.
4. Enter the relevant information.
5. Choose the two-letter code for your country (search the Web for the SSL certificate's
country code) and click on Submit.

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Installing and Configuring Orchestrator

Wait till the workflow is successfully finished.

How it works...
You can see that, for the most part, the workflow method requires the same inputs as the
Orchestrator Configuration tool; however, you have probably also noticed that there are not
as many options in workflows as with the Configuration tool.
The settings we just applied are important and need to be done in order to make Orchestrator
production-ready. The network configuration, the package signing, as well as the licensing
need to be done only once. Importing an SSL certificate is an action that we will encounter
more often. Every time we want to establish a secure connection (SSL) between Orchestrator
and another server, we first have to import this server's SSL certificate.
Please note that, in earlier versions of Orchestrator, you had to restart the Orchestrator
Configuration tool or the Orchestrator service after importing the SSL certificate; this is
no longer the case.
The SSL certificate we configured here is used to sign exports or packages to be used with
other Orchestrator installations. We will work with exports and imports in the Importing and
exporting Orchestrator elements recipe in Chapter 5, Basic Orchestrator Operations. In the
Working with packages recipe of that chapter, you will find some more detailed information
about how to manage and use this SSL certificate.

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Chapter 1
At the time of writing of this book, there is a small bug that appears from time to time with
the network configuration. When using the appliance and changing the network setting to
anything else but 0.0.0.0, some things, such as the Orchestrator home page, won't work
anymore. To fix the problem, check out this VMware community article available at https://
communities.vmware.com/thread/477955.

See also
Have a look at the Backup and recovery recipe in Chapter 2, Optimizing Orchestrator
Configuration, to learn how to export and import the configuration.

Configuring Orchestrator with an external

LDAP or Active Directory
In this recipe, we will configure Orchestrator with an external LDAP or Active Directory service.
VMware best practice is to use Orchestrator together with SSO, which is described in the
Integrating Orchestrator into SSO and vSphere Web Client recipe. This recipe doesn't work
with the vRA-integrated Orchestrator.

Getting ready
You need a supported LDAP service configured and running. The following LDAP services are
supported in vCO 5.5:

Windows Server 2008 Active Directory

Windows Server 2012 Active Directory

OpenLDAP

Novell eDirectory Server 8.8.3

Sun Java System Directory Server 6.3

We also need to create a group and a user in these services, so you should have access to
these services.
You should be comfortable with using one of the methods described in the Two ways to
configure Orchestrator recipe.
If your LDAP (AD) requires SSL (Kerberos), you will need to import the SSL certificate first (see
the Important Orchestrator base configurations recipe in this chapter.

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Installing and Configuring Orchestrator

Changing the authentication might require changing the plugin
credentials. For more details, see the Plugin basics recipe in Chapter
2, Optimizing Orchestrator Configuration.

How to do it...
We will focus on linking Orchestrator to AD. Connecting Orchestrator to LDAP is pretty much
the same procedure; for anyone who understands LDAP, this will be a breeze.
AD is basically the same as LDAP but most Windows administrators have problems with the
LDAP representation of AD, which is why we focus on AD in this recipe.
We will configure SSO in the Integrating Orchestrator into SSO and vSphere Web Client recipe.

Creating an Orchestrator Admin group and user

Before we can add an external LDAP, we need to configure at least one group and one user. To
do this, perform the following steps:
1. Log in to your LDAP or AD.
2. Create an Orchestrator Administrator group and an Orchestrator Administrator user.
3. Make the Orchestrator Administrator user a member of the Orchestrator
Administrator group.
For this example, I have created a user called vcoadmin as well as a group called
vcoadmins in AD. The AD domain is called mylab.local.

LDAP entries are always case-sensitive.

Again, we will show both methods.

Using the Orchestrator Configuration tool
1. Open the Orchestrator Configuration tool.
2. Click on the Authentication section.
3. Select LDAP as the authentication method.
4. In LDAP client, select Active Directory.
5. In the Primary LDAP host field, enter mylab.local as the Active Domain
DNS name.

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Chapter 1
6. The standard port for Microsoft Active Directory LDAP is 389.
7.

Enter dc=mylab,dc=local as the root for your domain.

8. If you have secured your AD with Kerberos, you need to activate SSL (don't forget to
import the SSL certificate first).
9. The username can be entered in both formats: user@Domain or domain\user. The user
can be any active user within the AD; however, its best to use Orchestrator Admin.
10. The user and group lookup base is easiest set to the root of your domain,
for example, dc=mylab,dc=local. However, if your AD or LDAP is large,
performance-wise it might be better to choose a different root.
11. The Orchestrator Admin group path can be easily found. Enter the name of the group
(case-sensitive) and click on Search to the right.

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Installing and Configuring Orchestrator

12. If the name has been entered correctly, the path should be shown. Click on the LDAP
path. The path is now populated with the correct setting.

13. The rest of the settings can be left alone for most AD settings.
14. Click on Apply changes.
15. At this stage, you should try the test login described in the There's more... section of
this recipe.
16. Click on Startup Options and then restart the Orchestrator Server.
17. Now, try to log in to the Orchestrator Client using the AD user.
Using the workflow
1. Open the Orchestrator Client.
2. Navigate to Library | Configuration | Authentication | LDAP.
3. Right-click on the workflow Configure Active Directory and select Start Workflow.
4. In the primary host, enter mylab.local as the Active Domain DNS name.
5. The standard port for AD LDAP is 389.
6. If you secured your AD with Kerberos, you need to activate SSL.
7.

Click on Next.

8. Enter dc=mylab,dc=local as the root for your domain.

9. The username can be entered as [email protected] or domain\user. The user
can be any active user in the AD; however, its best to use Orchestrator Admin.
10. The user and group lookup base is easiest set to the root of your domain, for
example, dc=mylab,dc=local. However, if your AD or LDAP is large, it might
be performance-wise better to choose a different root.
11. The Orchestrator Admin group needs to be constructed, but there is no automated
tool for it. We use the CN=vcoadmins,CN=Users,DC=MyLab,DC=local values.
12. Click on Submit and wait until the workflow is successfully completed.

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Chapter 1

Sadly, there isn't a test to check whether your settings are correct as there is with the
Configuration tool. Have a look at the test login described in the There's more... section
of this recipe.
There is no workflow to restart Orchestrator Server, so you have to restart the Orchestrator
Server another way:

In Windows, use services (vCenter Orchestrator Server)

In Linux, use the services command from the OS or use the Orchestrator
Configurator (see the Tuning the appliance recipe in Chapter 2, Optimizing
Orchestrator Configuration)

Reboot the Orchestrator Server

Now, try to log in to the Orchestrator Client using the AD user.

How it works...
Configuring Orchestrator to work with an external authentication enables AD users to log in to
the Orchestrator Client. The alternative would be either having only one user using it or adding
users to the embedded LDAP. However, for a production Orchestrator, the embedded LDAP
solution is not viable. As SSO is now a highly integrated part of vSphere, using Orchestrator
with AD (or LDAP) isn't really such a good solution any longer. SSO can proxy multiple AD and/
or LDAP domains and lets you integrate Orchestrator directly into vCenter as well as other
corner pieces of VMware software offerings, making SSO integration the better choice for
the future.

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Installing and Configuring Orchestrator

In the recipe above, we used the domain DNS address as the primary LDAP host rather than
an individual AD server. The DNS entry for AD will forward the LDAP query to the next available
AD server, which makes it a more reliable choice.

There's more...
There are some things you should be aware of when working with LDAP.

Test login
In order to find out whether everything is working as it should, we need to test it. However,
there is no workflow for this, so you have to trust your entries or use the Configuration tool.
1. Using the Orchestrator Configuration tool, click on Authentication.
2. Click on the Test Login tab.
3. Enter the Orchestrator Admin username and its password and click on Test Login.
4. Read the message carefully. It should be green and confirm that you can log in and
that the user is part of the Orchestrator Admin group.

A red message mostly indicates that the user provided isn't in the LDAP or that the password
is wrong.
If the message doesn't confirm an Orchestrator Admin group membership, review the
membership of the user account.

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Chapter 1

Common LDAP errors

When you encounter a problem while setting up LDAP, you will get an error code. This table
shows the most commonly encountered error codes:
Code

Meaning

What to do

525

User not found

The user for login isn't found; check whether you

have written the domain correctly.

52e

Password is incorrect

Change the password in the password field.

530
531

The User is not allowed to

log in

Access LDAP or AD and make sure that the

user is allowed to log in remotely and from
Orchestrator Server.

532

Password expired

Access LDAP or AD and set a new password.

533

Account disabled

Access LDAP or AD and enable the account.

701

Account expired

Access LDAP or AD and create a new account or

use a different user.

773

Must reset password

The User has to reset the password on login.

Access LDAP or AD to set a new password or use
other methods to set a new password.

775

User locked

Access LDAP or AD and unlock the user account.

See also
See the Integrating Orchestrator into SSO and vSphere Web Client recipe in this chapter to
learn how to configure Orchestrator with VMware SSO.

Integrating Orchestrator into SSO and

vSphere Web Client
Integrating Orchestrator into the vCenter Web Client enables vCenter Server users to
directly run Orchestrator workflows just by right-clicking vCenter objects. The vRA-integrated
Orchestrator is already configured with the SSO that vRA uses.

Getting ready
vCO 5.5 (and higher) requires an SSO server 5.5, as it won't work with an SSO 5.1 server.
We need an up-and-running Orchestrator as well as access to vCenter Web Client.
Make sure that you set the Orchestrator Network configuration (see the Configuring the
network section in the Important Orchestrator base configurations recipe)

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Installing and Configuring Orchestrator

You should be comfortable with using one of the methods described in the Two ways to
configure Orchestrator recipe.
You should have an AD group for your vCOAdministrators with at least one user in it.
You can use the precreated SSO group [email protected]. The account
[email protected] is a member of this group.

How to do it...
Again both configuration methods are shown. Choose the one you're most comfortable with.

Registering Orchestrator with SSO

If you are using the Orchestrator installation that came with vCenter, you can skip this step.
Using the Orchestrator Configuration tool
1. Open the Orchestrator Configuration tool.
2. Click on the Network section and then on SSL Trust Manager.
3. Enter [IP or FQDN of SSO server]:7444 as the URL and click on Import.
4. Acknowledge the import by clicking on Import.
5. Repeat steps 2 to 4 and register the SSL certificate for vCenter with port 443.
6. Click on the Authentication section.
7.

Select the authentication mode as SSO Authentication.

8. Enter the SSO server FQDN.

9. Enter an SSO administrative user (for example, [email protected]).
10. Click on Register Orchestrator.

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Chapter 1
11. This registration registers a new application user in SSO.
12. Select from the drop-down menu the group you would like to use for
Orchestrator administrators.
13. Click on Accept Orchestrator Configuration.

Using the workflow

1. Open the Orchestrator Client.
2. Navigate to Library | Configuration | SSL Trust Manager.
3. Right-click on the Import a certificate from URL workflow and select Start Workflow.
4. Enter [IP or FQDN of SSO server]:7444 as the URL.
5. Select Yes to accept the SSL Certificate even if there are warnings and click
on Submit.
6. Wait till the workflow has successfully finished.
7.

Navigate to Library | Configuration | Authentication | SSO.

8. Right-click on the workflow Configure SSO and select Start Workflow.

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Installing and Configuring Orchestrator

9. Enter [IP or FQDN of SSO server]:7444 as the URL.
10. Enter an SSO administrative user (for example, [email protected]).
11. Enter the SSO Admin Group (ignore if it says domain/group). The existing SSO default
group is called VCOAdministrators (case-sensitive).
12. Click on Submit and wait until the workflow is completed successfully.

Configuring the vCenter Server plugin

The integration of Orchestrator with vCenter Web Client requires us to also configure the
vCenter Server plugin.
Using the Orchestrator Configuration tool
1. Open the Orchestrator Configuration tool.
2. Click on the vCenter Server plugin.
3. Click on New vCenter Server Host.
4. Enter your vCenter FQDN.
5. If you are using Windows, you can define a domain; the Linux appliance doesn't have
this selection. You can leave it empty.

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Chapter 1
6. Enter a vCenter Server administrative user and click on Apply changes.

Using the workflow

1. Open Orchestrator Client.
2. Navigate to Library | vCenter | Configuration.
3. Right-click on the Add a vCenter Server instance workflow and select Start Workflow.
4. Enter your vCenter FQDN.
5. Select that you would like to orchestrate this instance as well and that you
would like to accept SSL certificates even if they are self-signed.
6. Click on Next.
7.

Enter a vCenter Server administrative user and the password.

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Installing and Configuring Orchestrator

8. You can define a domain name, or leave it empty. Click on Submit.

Wait until the workflow is successfully finished.

Configuring the connection between vCenter Server and

Orchestrator
In the Web Client only one Orchestrator Server can be paired to each vCenter Server.
To configure the pairing, follow these steps:
1. Open vSphere Web Client.
2. Click on vCenter Orchestrator and then on Manage.
3. Mark vCenter Server and click on Edit Configuration.
4. The server that you have integrated should show up in the Registered as VC
extension selection. If this is not the case, you can try to enter its FQDN or IP.
5. Click on Test Connection and make sure it works. If it doesn't, this indicates that
the integration hasn't worked correctly.
6. Click on OK.

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Chapter 1

How it works...
Since vCenter Server 5.1, vSphere Web Client is (or better, should be) the main method for
accessing vCenter. Orchestrator completely integrates with vSphere Web Client, making it
possible for Orchestrator workflows to be executed directly from vSphere Web Client.

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Installing and Configuring Orchestrator

You can configure which workflows can be run from the vSphere Web Client. We will discuss
this configuration in detail in the Orchestrator and vSphere Web Client recipe in Chapter 5,
Basic Orchestrator Operations.
Using SSO for Orchestrator login requires that you log in into Orchestrator Client or vSphere
Web Client using a user that is a member of the group you defined as vCOAdmins. If you used
the [email protected] group, you can add other SSO and AD groups or users
to this group via the SSO group membership configuration.

See also
To learn more about Orchestrator user management, see the User management recipe in
Chapter 5, Basic Orchestrator Operations.
To configure Orchestrator workflows in vSphere Web Client, see the Orchestrator and vSphere
Web Client recipe in Chapter 5, Basic Orchestrator Operations.

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Chapter 1

Configuring an external database

In this recipe, we will attach Orchestrator to an external database. This is a more secure and
reliable method than using the embedded database.

Getting ready
We will need a database; the following databases are supported with vCO 5.5.2.1:

Oracle 11g

SQL Server 2005

SQL Server 2008

SQL Server 2012

SQL Server Express

PostgreSQL

You will need to create an empty database for Orchestrator, and you should also create a
dedicated user account for Orchestrator to access the database.
You should be comfortable with using one of the methods described in the Two ways to
configure Orchestrator recipe.
If your Database requires SSL, you will need to import the SSL certificate first; for this, see
the Important Orchestrator base configurations recipe in this chapter.
When you replace the database, you will have to reconfigure the following
items: Licensing and Server Certificate.

How to do it...
Both configuration methods will be shown; choose the one you prefer. In this example, we
have added a SQL database to Orchestrator. The other databases are not that much different.

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Installing and Configuring Orchestrator

Database information
The following information is needed for each type of database:
Database type

Oracle

SQL Server

PostgreSQL

Login

required

required

required

SSL

optional

optional

optional

Hostname

required

required

required

Port

1521 or custom

1433 or custom

5432 or custom

Database name

required

required

Instance

required

optional

Domain

optional

Use NTLMv2

optional

Using the Orchestrator Configuration tool

1. Open the Orchestrator Configuration tool.
2. Click on the Database section.
3. Select the Database type. The information on the screen will adapt to your choice.
4. Enter all the relevant information and click on Apply changes.
5. An error occurs, which is totally OK. It just means that the database is empty and
needs tables.
6. Click on the Create the database tables link.
7.

50

Then click on Apply changes again.

Chapter 1

Using the workflow

1. Open the Orchestrator Client.
2. Navigate to Library | Configuration | Database.
3. Right-click on the appropriate workflow for your database and select Start Workflow.
4. Enter all the relevant information and click on Submit.

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Installing and Configuring Orchestrator

5. Wait until the workflow has successfully finished.

How it works...
The Orchestrator database contains the entire configuration, workflows, workflow runs, events,
runtime information, actions, and a lot more. Therefore, it is quite important to consider using
an external database. Without an external database, certain Orchestrator features, such as
resuming a workflow after an Orchestrator Server crash, will not work or will be impaired.
All Orchestrator versions come with the embedded PostgreSQL database or use the vCenter
Server database. A production environment dictates the use of an external database that
integrates with the business continuity processes of your company.
In addition to this, the embedded database isn't really sized or optimized for large
deployments and doesn't allow the use of Orchestrator Clustering.
Using the vCenter Server database for Orchestrator is not really a very pretty solution either.
IT best practices dictate using dedicated resources for production environments. Putting
the database on the same VM as Orchestrator is something to think about as it results in a
competition for resources between the database and the Java process.

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Sizing
Sizing is hard to predict. Each workflow run consumes around 4 KB, and most objects (for
example, vCenter Server Object) require around 50 KB each. VMware recommends 1 GB for
a production database. The good thing is that Orchestrator regularly runs clean-up jobs to
reduce the database content. Also have a look at the User preferences recipe in Chapter 5,
Basic Orchestrator Operations, where we discuss certain properties that influence how much
information is kept in the database.

Database roles
For the initial setup (and for updates), you should give the dedicated Orchestrator user the
db_owner rights on the Orchestrator database.
For a normal usage scenario the Orchestrator user only requires the db_dataread and
db_datawrite rights.

There's more...
Here are some things you might find useful.

Microsoft SQL
Giving the database the settings ALLOW_SNAPSHOT_ISOLATION and READ_COMMITTED_
SNAPSHOT will reduce the chance of a deadlock occurring and is also a prerequisite for
Orchestrator clusters.

Oracle
The database should have NLS_CHARACTER_SET = AL32UTF8 set before you start allowing
Orchestrator to build its tables.
To avoid an ORA-01450 error, it is important that you have the database block size configured
in accordance with your database index.

53

Get more information VMware vRealize Orchestrator Cookbook

Where to buy this book

You can buy VMware vRealize Orchestrator Cookbook from the Packt Publishing
website.
Alternatively, you can buy the book from Amazon, BN.com, Computer Manuals and most internet
book retailers.
Click here for ordering and shipping details.

www.PacktPub.com

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