Learning VMware vRealize Automation

Book description

Learn the fundamentals of vRealize Automation to accelerate the delivery of your IT services

About This Book

  • Learn to install the vRealize Automation product in a distributed architecture using a load balancer
  • Plan backup and recovery strategies for every vRealize automation component
  • Use vRealize Automation to manage applications and improve operational efficiency using this simple and intuitive guide

Who This Book Is For

This book is for anyone who wants to start their journey with vRealize Automation. It is your one-stop instruction guide to installing and configuring a distributed setup using NSX load balancer. Regardless of whether or not you have used vRealize Automation before, following the steps provided in each chapter will get you started with the product.

What You Will Learn

  • Understand the basic building blocks of vRealize Automation before embarking on the journey of installation
  • Familiarize yourself with the requirements and steps that need to be performed during the first phase of the distributed installation
  • Carry out a functional validation of the first phase of installation before completing the installation
  • Build a blueprint for vSphere endpoint, an essential step for a successful deployment of a service catalog
  • Create, configure, and deploy tenants, endpoints, blueprints, and the service catalog
  • Get to grips with the failover process for all components in vRealize Automation
  • Learn to configure the NSX loadbalancer for vRealize Orchestrator for high availability
  • Leverage ASD to develop XaaS (Anything as a Service) in vRealize Automation to deliver valuable competence

In Detail

With the growing interest in Software Defined Data Centers (SDDC), vRealize Automation offers data center users an organized service catalog and governance for administrators. This way, end users gain autonomy while the IT department stays in control, making sure security and compliance requirements are met. Learning what each component does and how they dovetail with each other will bolster your understanding of vRealize Automation.

The book starts off with an introduction to the distributed architecture that has been tested and installed in large scale deployments. Implementing and configuring distributed architecture with custom certificates is unarguably a demanding task, and it will be covered next. After this, we will progress with the installation. A vRealize Automation blueprint can be prepared in multiple ways; we will focus solely on vSphere endpoint blueprint. After this, we will discuss the high availability configuration via NSX loadbalancer for vRealize Orchestrator. Finally, we end with Advanced Service Designer, which provides service architects with the ability to create advanced services and publish them as catalog items.

Style and approach

This book takes a step-by-step approach, is explained in a conversational and easy-to-follow style, and includes ample screenshots . Each topic is explained sequentially through planning, preparing, installing, configuring, and validating of all vRealize Automation's components.

Table of contents

  1. Learning VMware vRealize Automation
    1. Table of Contents
    2. Learning VMware vRealize Automation
    3. Credits
    4. About the Author
    5. About the Reviewers
    6. www.PacktPub.com
      1. Support files, eBooks, discount offers, and more
        1. Why subscribe?
        2. Free access for Packt account holders
        3. Instant updates on new Packt books
    7. Preface
      1. What this book covers
      2. What you need for this book
      3. Who this book is for
      4. Conventions
      5. Reader feedback
      6. Customer support
        1. Downloading the example code
        2. Downloading the color images of this book
        3. Errata
        4. Piracy
        5. Questions
    8. 1. vRealize Automation and the Deconstruction of Components
      1. What is vRealize Automation?
        1. Key capabilities
          1. A single solution of abstracted service models
          2. Model once – deploy anywhere
          3. Personalization through policies (governance)
      2. Common use cases of vRealize Automation
      3. vRealize Automation – a conceptual diagram
      4. Identity management appliance or SSO or PSC
        1. Identity management appliance
        2. vSphere 5.5 SSO
        3. vSphere 6.0 PSC
      5. vRealize Automation or CAFÉ appliance
        1. vPostgres
        2. RabbitMQ
        3. vCAC server
        4. tcServer (Tomcat)
        5. Telemetry
      6. IaaS – architecture and component deep dive
      7. Model Manager
        1. Model Manager Data
        2. Model Manager Web a.k.a. repository
      8. MSSQL database
      9. Manager Service
      10. Distributed Execution Manager
        1. DEM Orchestrator (DEO)
        2. DEM Worker
      11. Infrastructure agent
      12. Management agent
      13. Startup order
      14. Shutdown order
      15. Summary
    9. 2. Distributed Installation Using Custom Certificates
      1. Getting started
        1. Simple deployment architecture
        2. Distributed deployment architecture
        3. Planning and preparation
        4. Infrastructure details
        5. Distributed architecture
        6. Bill of materials
      2. Overview of the installation flow
      3. Certificates
        1. The certificate generation process
        2. Creating vRA certificate templates
          1. Adding a new template to certificate templates
        3. Creating certificates
      4. Identity management for authentication and authorization by vRA components
        1. The identity (ID) appliance
          1. vSphere 5.5 U1/U2 SSO
          2. vSphere 6.0 PSC
          3. Identity appliance configuration
            1. Prerequisites
            2. Configuration
          4. NSX load balancer configuration
            1. Prerequisite
      5. Configuring the external vPostgres DB in HA for the vRealize Automation CAFÉ appliance
        1. Prerequisites
        2. Setup Details
        3. vPostgres NSX load balancer configurations
          1. Application Profile configuration
          2. Service Monitoring configuration
          3. Pool configuration
          4. Virtual Server configuration
          5. vPostgres configuration
        4. Testing Replication
        5. Postgres Monitor scripts
          1. Configuration
          2. Testing Monitor scripts
        6. Updating the NSX load balancer configuration for vPostgres
          1. Service monitoring configuration
          2. Pool configuration
      6. Configuring the CAFÉ appliance in HA
        1. Prerequisites
        2. Setup Details
        3. CAFÉ NSX load balancer configurations
          1. Application Profile configuration
          2. Service Monitoring configuration
          3. Pool configuration
          4. Virtual servers configuration
          5. CAFÉ configuration
        4. Updating the NSX load balancer configuration for CAFÉ
          1. Service Monitoring configuration
          2. Pools configuration
      7. IaaS installation
        1. IaaS components HA modes and failover options
        2. IaaS prerequisites and virtual machine preparation
      8. Overview of the IaaS installation flow (only the first nodes)
        1. Installing PFX certificate to IIS Web Server
        2. Installation of the First Web node
        3. Prerequisites
        4. Setup Details
        5. NSX load balancer configurations for IaaS web
          1. Application Profile configuration
          2. Service Monitoring configuration
          3. Pool configuration
          4. Virtual Server configuration
        6. Checkpoint
      9. IaaS WEB installation
        1. Checkpoint
      10. Installation of the first Manager Service and DEM Orchestrator node
        1. Prerequisites
        2. Setup Details
        3. NSX load balancer configurations for IaaS MGR
          1. Application Profile configuration
          2. Service Monitoring configuration
          3. Pool configuration
          4. Virtual Server configuration
          5. IaaS MGR and Orchestrator Installation (first/active node)
        4. Checkpoint
      11. Installation of the First DEM Worker and Proxy Agent
        1. Prerequisites
          1. Setup Details
          2. Worker installation
      12. Proxy Agent installation
      13. Updating the NSX load balancer configuration for WEB and MGR
        1. Service monitoring configuration for WEB
        2. Service monitoring configuration for MGR
      14. Summary
    10. 3. Functional Validation – Phase 1 and Installing Secondary Nodes
      1. Validation test
      2. Installing the second active web node
        1. Prerequisites
        2. NSX load balancer configurations for IaaS web
          1. Pool configuration
          2. Pools statistics after adding the second node
        3. IaaS WEB installation (second node)
      3. Installing the standby Manager Service and the DEM Orchestrator node
        1. Prerequisites
        2. NSX load balancer configurations for IaaS MGR
          1. Pool configuration
          2. Pools statistics after adding the second node
        3. IaaS MGR and Orchestrator installation – (second/standby node)
      4. Installing the second DEM Worker and proxy agent
        1. Prerequisites
        2. Worker installation
        3. Installing the proxy agent
      5. Health monitor URL
      6. Summary
    11. 4. Configuring a Guest OS for vRealize Automation vSphere Blueprints
      1. Guest agents
      2. Preparing the vSphere guest OS template
        1. Scope
      3. GOS – Windows
        1. Guest agent uninstall steps
      4. GOS – Linux
        1. Converting the VM to a template
      5. Summary
    12. 5. Functional Validation – Phase 2 and Zero to VM Provisioning
      1. An overview of creating a service catalog
      2. Providing the required permissions in the vSphere Endpoint
      3. Creating and configuring credentials
      4. Configuring the vSphere Endpoint
      5. Login validation
      6. Configuring fabric groups
      7. Configuring the machine prefix
      8. Creating business groups
      9. Configuring reservation policies
      10. Configuring VM template and VM customization specifications in vCenter
      11. Creating a vSphere blueprint
      12. Creating a service
      13. Configuring a catalog item
      14. Creating an entitlement
      15. Requesting a service catalog
      16. Monitoring deployment status
        1. Monitoring deployment by a user
        2. Monitoring deployment by fabric administrator
      17. Things to remember
      18. Summary
    13. 6. Testing Failover Scenarios for vRealize Automation Components
      1. vRealize Automation components and HA modes
        1. Active-Active configuration
        2. Active-Passive configuration
      2. Failover of the identity management appliance
      3. Failover of vPostgres
        1. Choice 1 – identify active node via NSX load balancer
        2. Choice 2 – identify master node via health monitor URL
      4. Failover of CAFÉ appliance
        1. The CAFÉ health monitor URL
          1. Which CAFÉ node is active?
        2. Failover test – state 1 (one active node failed)
        3. Failover test – state 2 (failure of all the active nodes)
      5. Failover of Model Manager Web
      6. Failover of Manager Service
        1. Finding the active node
        2. Failover test
          1. Symptoms
          2. Effect and failover step
      7. Failover of DEM Orchestrator
        1. Which DEM Orchestrator is online and active?
      8. Failover of DEM Worker and proxy agent
        1. DEM Worker
        2. Proxy agents
      9. Summary
    14. 7. vRealize Orchestrator in High Availability via the NSX Load Balancer
      1. Types of Orchestrator configuration
        1. Active-Active
        2. Active-Standby
      2. Planning and preparing
      3. Infrastructure details
        1. Bill of materials
        2. Generating Orchestrator certificates
      4. Configuring the vRealize Orchestrator cluster
        1. Configuring the setup
        2. Prerequisites
          1. Creating NSX load balancer configurations for CAFÉ
        3. How to do it
          1. Preparing the database
          2. Configuring the first Orchestrator server
            1. The Orchestrator configuration page
            2. Configuring the database
            3. Configuring certificates
            4. Orchestrator server configuration continues
            5. Installing the Orchestrator client
            6. Installing plugins
            7. Configuring the cluster
            8. Export configuration
          3. Configuring the second Orchestrator server
          4. Configuring the NSX load balancer
      5. Orchestrator NSX load balancer configurations
        1. Configuring an application profile
        2. Configuring service monitors
        3. Configuring pools
        4. Configuring virtual servers
      6. vRealize Orchestrator high availability mechanism
      7. Configuring vRO at CAFÉ or IaaS makes a difference!
      8. Summary
    15. 8. The Power of Advanced Service Designer (ASD)
      1. Advanced Service Designer overview
      2. Enabling the ASD tab in vRA
        1. Granting the service architect role
          1. Assigning to a specific user
          2. Creating a custom group and assigning the role
        2. Configuring the advanced service endpoints (vRealize Orchestrator)
      3. Service blueprint
        1. Prerequisites
        2. Service blueprint provisioning and post-provisioning operation
          1. Creating a custom resource
          2. Create a service blueprint
          3. Creating a resource action
        3. No actions required after provisioning a service blueprint
      4. Summary
    16. Index

Product information

  • Title: Learning VMware vRealize Automation
  • Author(s): Sriram Rajendran
  • Release date: February 2016
  • Publisher(s): Packt Publishing
  • ISBN: 9781785885839