VMware vcenter™ Orchestrator - Kinetic Solutions

VMware vCenter Orchestrator PRODUCT DATASHEETKEY FEATURESThird-party System Interaction• Update change control tickets while provisioning orchanging virtual machines.• Take directed action from a service desk tool.Easy integrationVMware vCenter Orchestrator is accessible via a Web orclient interface. System administrators can also define howrights to the Web interface are distributed amongst an ITteam. This allows other IT team members to run workflowsbut not modify the workflows themselves.The solution also offers an open, flexible architecture thatallows for integrations with existing third-party tools, suchas service desks, change management systems, assetmanagement tools or other ITIL-based solutions. Systemadministrators can use VMware vCenter Orchestrator tocreate processes for organizations, or leverage plug-ins tointegrate processes with established tools and processes.VMware vCenter Orchestrator’s core engine contains aworkflow library and plug-ins with some of the mostpopular applications on the market today, includingdatabases, XML, SSH, WMI, SMTP (email) and other thirdpartytools. Plug-ins can also be created as needed.Powered applicationsSystem administrators can use VMware vCenter Orchestratorto create “powered” applications that use the underlyingworkflow engine as a foundation layer. For example,VMware vCenter Lifecycle Manager is an VMware vCenterOrchestrator “powered” application that provides bestpractices for requesting, approving, provisioning, trackingand decommissioning virtual machines. Administratorscan create additional applications for a variety of businesspurposes.How Does VMware vCenter Orchestrator Work?Once VMware vCenter Orchestrator is connected to adirectory service and has its database set up, users cancreate new or modify existing workflows for automationand orchestration tasks. VMware vCenter Orchestratorworkflows can be created from scratch or pulled from alibrary of examples included out-of-the-box and designedspecifically to meet the needs of system administrators.VMware vCenter Orchestrator’s out-of-the box workflowsautomate tasks or perform common, repetitive actionsthat solve daily administrative challenges. For example, anadministrator may leverage the snapshot workflow to takea snapshot across a large number of virtual machines usinga particular resource pool. Other out-of-the-box workflowsenable administrators to have better visibility into resourceutilization. For instance, a simple startup and notify workflow will notifythe administrator by e-mail when a virtual machine is powered on.All VMware vCenter Orchestrator workflows are stored in the productdatabase. To engage a workflow, an administrator can schedule a specifictime for the workflow to run, wait for an event (such as a failure) totrigger the workflow, or manually engage the workflow through the Webor client interfaces. Once initiated, the workflow will run automatically.Even if the workflow is interrupted, it will run to completion once it hasre-established a connection with the required resources.Key Features of VMware vCenter OrchestratorDrag-and-Drop Workflow Creation• Easily add or link workflow elements in the VMware vCenterOrchestrator workflow schema and align them together to producesimply or complex workflows. No scripting required.• Enter start and stop workflow elements, specific workflows tasks (startvirtual machine, shutdown virtual machine, suspend virtual machine),nested workflows (workflows within a workflow), etc. using simplecontrols.Out-of-the-Box Workflows• Choose from a library of pre-designed workflows.• Automate repetitive administrative tasks that solve daily challenges.• Gain better visibility into resource utilization with automatednotification of essential tasks or events in the workflow.Create New or Advanced Workflows with Building Blocks• Access the VMware vCenter Server API and more than 800 actionspossible within VMware vCenter Server.• Link actions together to produce specific workflows to meet businessneeds.• Leverage scripting for more advanced workflows.Third-party Integration via Plug-Ins and API• Use popular application and solutions plug-ins out of the box includingXML, SSH, SMTP and WMI.• Create new plug-ins or leverage Web services API.Find Out MoreFor information or to purchase VMware products, call 1-877-4VMWARE(outside of North America dial+1-650-427-5000), visit www.vmware.com/products, or search online foran authorized reseller. For detailed product specifications and systemsrequirements, please refer to the VMware vCenter Orchestrator install andconfigure guide.VMware, Inc. 3401 Hillview Ave Palo Alto CA 94304 USA Tel 877-486-9273 Fax 650-427-5001 www.vmware.comCopyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. This product is protected by U.S. and international copyright and intellectual property laws. VMware products are covered by one or morepatents listed at http://www.vmware.com/go/patents.VMware is a registered trademark or trademark of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of theirrespective companies. Item No: VMW_09Q1_DS_vCenterOrch_EN_P2_R3