Vra

HOL-1921-06-CMP
Table of Contents
Lab Overview - HOL-1921-06-CMP - vRealize Orchestrator - Advanced ............................ 2
Lab Guidance .......................................................................................................... 3
Module 1 - Creating Advanced vRealize Orchestrator Workflows (45 min)........................ 9
Introduction........................................................................................................... 10
Prompting User Input In Workflows ....................................................................... 12
Using Conditional Execution and Loops................................................................. 27
Bring it together: Sample Advanced Workflow ...................................................... 42
Asynchronous Workflows....................................................................................... 80
Conclusion............................................................................................................. 90
Module 2 - Integrating with REST APIs (45 min) .............................................................. 92
Introduction........................................................................................................... 93
Configuring the vRealize Orchestrator Plug-in for REST ........................................ 95
Invoking REST operations via vRealize Orchestrator........................................... 106
Conclusion........................................................................................................... 114
Module 3 - Launching Workflows from Outside vRealize Orchestrator (45 min)............ 116
Introduction......................................................................................................... 117
Start a simple workflow....................................................................................... 123
Start a workflow with complex inputs ................................................................. 134
Conclusion........................................................................................................... 148
Module 4 - Automating vRealize Automation with vRealize Orchestrator (45 min) ....... 150
Introduction......................................................................................................... 151
Explore out-of-the-box workflows ........................................................................ 153
Create an automated onboarding process .......................................................... 166
Conclusion........................................................................................................... 193
Module 5 - Running In-Guest Operations with vRealize Orchestrator (45 min) ............. 195
Introduction......................................................................................................... 196
Prepare the environment .................................................................................... 197
Use Guest Operations ......................................................................................... 202
Use Guest Script Manager................................................................................... 219
Clean Up the Environment .................................................................................. 250
Conclusion........................................................................................................... 252
Module 6 - Error Handling and Troubleshooting (45 min) .............................................. 254
Introduction......................................................................................................... 255
Error handling and why is it important? .............................................................. 257
Adding Error Handling to workflows .................................................................... 261
Basic Workflow Troubleshooting .......................................................................... 297
Logging in Workflows .......................................................................................... 311
Conclusion........................................................................................................... 320
HOL-1921-06-CMP Page 1
HOL-1921-06-CMP
Lab Overview -
HOL-1921-06-CMP -
vRealize Orchestrator -
Advanced
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Lab Guidance
Note: It may take more than 90 minutes to complete this lab. You should
expect to only finish 2-3 of the modules during your time. The modules are
independent of each other so you can start at the beginning of any module
and proceed from there. You can use the Table of Contents to access any
module of your choosing.
The Table of Contents can be accessed in the upper right-hand corner of the
Lab Manual.
Use vRealize Orchestrator to perform advanced tasks such as integrating with REST
APIs, perform actions in guest operating systems using VMware Tools and automate
vRealize Automation tasks.
Lab Module List:
• Module 1 - Creating Advanced vRealize Orchestrator Workflows (45 min)

(Advanced) Test your Orchestrator skills by in this module where you will create
an advanced workflow. Learn about applying best practices to workflow
development.
• Module 2 - Integrating with REST APIs (45 min) (Advanced) Learn how to
unleash the power of vRealize Orchestrator by integrating it with REST APIs
provided by external systems.
• Module 3 - Launching Workflows from Outside vRealize Orchestrator (45
min) (Advanced) Learn how you can call into vRealize Orchestrator to invoke the
workflows you've created from external systems.
• Module 4 - Automating vRealize Automation with vRealize Orchestrator
(45 min) (Advanced) vRealize Automation is an extremely powerful automation
platform - but what if you want to help automate the automation? Learn how to
orchestrate common tasks in vRealize Automation using vRealize Orchestrator.
• Module 5 - Running In-Guest Operations with vRealize Orchestrator (45
min) (Advanced) One of the most commonly used capabilities of vRealize
Orchestrator is to execute tasks within a newly provisioned (or even previously
existing) workload. In this module, you'll learn how to use this capability to take
action within your provisioned objects.
• Module 6 - Error Handling and Troubleshooting (45 min) (Advanced)
Discover the various ways to add error or exception handling to ease in
troubleshooting and more resilient workflows. Learn about and create exception
binding to your workflows.
Lab Captains:
• Module 1-6 - Benoit Serratrice, Staff Cloud Solutions Architect
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This lab manual can be downloaded from the Hands-on Labs Document site found here:
http://docs.hol.vmware.com
This lab may be available in other languages. To set your language preference and have
a localized manual deployed with your lab, you may utilize this document to help guide
you through the process:
http://docs.hol.vmware.com/announcements/nee-default-language.pdf
Location of the Main Console
1. The area in the RED box contains the Main Console. The Lab Manual is on the tab
to the Right of the Main Console.
2. A particular lab may have additional consoles found on separate tabs in the upper
left. You will be directed to open another specific console if needed.
3. Your lab starts with 90 minutes on the timer. The lab can not be saved. All your
work must be done during the lab session. But you can click the EXTEND to
increase your time. If you are at a VMware event, you can extend your lab time
twice, for up to 30 minutes. Each click gives you an additional 15 minutes.
Outside of VMware events, you can extend your lab time up to 9 hours and 30
minutes. Each click gives you an additional hour.
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Alternate Methods of Keyboard Data Entry
During this module, you will input text into the Main Console. Besides directly typing it
in, there are two very helpful methods of entering data which make it easier to enter
complex data.
Click and Drag Lab Manual Content Into Console Active

Window
You can also click and drag text and Command Line Interface (CLI) commands directly
from the Lab Manual into the active window in the Main Console.
Accessing the Online International Keyboard
You can also use the Online International Keyboard found in the Main Console.
1. Click on the Keyboard Icon found on the Windows Quick Launch Task Bar.
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Click once in active console window
In this example, you will use the Online Keyboard to enter the "@" sign used in email
addresses. The "@" sign is Shift-2 on US keyboard layouts.
1. Click once in the active console window.

2. Click on the Shift key.
Click on the @ key
1. Click on the "@ key".
Notice the @ sign entered in the active console window.
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Activation Prompt or Watermark
When you first start your lab, you may notice a watermark on the desktop indicating
that Windows is not activated.
One of the major benefits of virtualization is that virtual machines can be moved and
run on any platform. The Hands-on Labs utilizes this benefit and we are able to run the
labs out of multiple datacenters. However, these datacenters may not have identical
processors, which triggers a Microsoft activation check through the Internet.
Rest assured, VMware and the Hands-on Labs are in full compliance with Microsoft
licensing requirements. The lab that you are using is a self-contained pod and does not
have full access to the Internet, which is required for Windows to verify the activation.
Without full access to the Internet, this automated process fails and you see this
watermark.
This cosmetic issue has no effect on your lab.
Look at the lower right portion of the screen
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Please check to see that your lab is finished all the startup routines and is ready for you
to start. If you see anything other than "Ready", please wait a few minutes. If after 5
minutes you lab has not changed to "Ready", please ask for assistance.
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Module 1 - Creating
Advanced vRealize
Orchestrator Workflows
(45 min)
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Introduction
vRealize Orchestrator can be used to automate complex processes that require various
steps, branching, and even looping.
In this module, conditional execution, loops, and asynchronous presentation are covered
using real-life examples in relation with vRealize Automation. This module begins with
details on how to implement these concepts in a workflow, and it is followed by a real-
life example on how to request a vRealize Automation catalog item, wait for the
provisioning to finish, and retrieve the newly created machine.
This type of use case is particularly useful for automated blueprint testing, or for
provisioning load testing.
Note: Use drag and drop to enter code in scriptable tasks to avoid any mistakes.
Launch vRealize Orchestrator Client
Double click on the vRealize Orchestrator Client icon on the desktop.
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Log In to vRealize Orchestrator
Use the following credentials
1. Host name: vra-01a.corp.local:443

2. User name: administrator@vsphere.local
3. Password: VMware1!
4. Click Login
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Prompting User Input In Workflows

vRealize Orchestrator workflows allow you to validate input parameters. This way, the
values have to match certain criteria before the workflow starts. In this lesson, basic
validation types are covered including mandatory, min/max number, and dropdown.
Create a New Workflow
1. Make sure Design view is selected

2. Select Workflow tab
3. Right Click on HOL > 1921-06-CMP > Module 1 workflow folder
4. Click on New workflow
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Name Workflow
1. Enter the name of the workflow: Presentation Tutorial

2. Click OK
Add Input Parameter: name
1. Select the Inputs tab

2. Click the Add parameter icon to add the first parameter to the list
3. Click the default parameter name arg_in_0 to rename it
4. In the Choose attribute name... window, enter name for Attribute name
5. Click Ok
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Add Input Parameter: list
1. Click the Add parameter icon to add the second parameter to the list
3. In the Choose attribute name... window, enter list for Attribute name
4. Click Ok
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Add Input Parameter: num
1. Click the Add parameter icon to add the third parameter to the list
3. In the Choose attribute name... window, enter num for Attribute name
4. Click Ok
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Change num Attribute Type
1. Click the string listing for the third parameter num

2. In the Select a type... window, select number
3. Click Accept to change the Type entry for this parameter to number
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Add Property to name Parameter
1. Click on the Presentation tab

2. Select the (string) name name entry
3. In the pane on the right, click on the Add property... icon to add a property to
this parameter
Make name Parameter Mandatory
1. In the Properties... window, select Mandatory input

2. Click Ok
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Add List of Values to list Parameter
1. Select (string) list list entry on the left

2. Click the Add property... icon on the right (not shown)
3. In the Properties... window, select Predefined answers
4. Click Ok
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Add Default Values
1. Click on the default value of Not set to open the Array of string window
2. Click the upper left corner of the Array of string window, and drag it down and to
the right to resize it. Click the title bar of the window to move it up until the
Cancel and Accept buttons are visible
3. Enter Small into the New value field
4. Click Insert value.
Repeat step 3 and for 4 with the following values: Medium and Large
5. Click Accept
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Add Minimum Value for num Parameter
1. Click the (number) num num entry on the left

3. In the Properties... window, select Minimum number value
4. Click Ok
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Add Maximum Value for num Parameter
1. Click the (number) num num entry on the left

3. In the Properties... window, select Maximum number value
4. Click Ok
These properties have default values of 0.0 for Minimum number value, and 100.0 for
Maximum number value. These default values will suffice for this exercise.
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Save and Close the Workflow
1. Click Save and close to close the workflow
Continue Despite Validation Errors
Unlike the previous modules, attempting to save and close this workflow will result in a
Validation warning. This is because the 3 parameters defined in the previous steps are
not actually used by this workflow. Click the View details button if you wish to see the
specific information.
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1. Since we know that we can proceed despite this warning, click Continue
anyway
Run the Workflow
1. Click the Start workflow... icon
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Observe Behavior for Mandatory Parameter
The name parameter has been designated as mandatory, as noted by the red * next to
the parameter name. Attempting to skip the name parameter will generate an error.
1. Click the name text box, but do not enter any value
2. Click another field (such as the num text box) and observe the error message at
the top of the parameter list
Notice that the Submit button is greyed out.
3. Enter a value in the name field, and the error message will be dismissed.
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Observe Behavior for List of Values
The list parameter has a predefined set of values. For this reason, the list parameter on
this screen is a dropdown menu of the values defined previously, and only these values
may be chosen.
1. Choose a value for the list parameter from the dropdown menu
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Observe Behavior for Numerical Range
The num parameter has both a minimum and a maximum defined value, with the
minimum of 0.0 and the maximum of 100.0.
1. Enter a number greater than 100.0 and observe the error message at the top
of the parameter list.
2. Click on Cancel button
To go Further
Many more presentation properties are available, not limited to but including hide/show,
dropdown list from Actions, and choices related to other fields. Feel free to take more
time to explore all of the possibilities.
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Using Conditional Execution and Loops

Conditional execution and loops are key constructs in vRealize Orchestrator. In a typical
programming language, they are usually identified by a keyword such as for, while, if,
then, else, and so on. In this lesson, the same constructs are used, but by dragging and
dropping available workflow elements onto the schema of a workflow.

Name New Workflow
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1. Enter a name for the workflow: My First Loop

2. Click Ok
Add Decision box
1. Select Schema tab

2. Select the Generic section from the list on the left
3. Click the Decision object, and drag it onto the arrow between the Start and End
objects, noting the new branch added by the Decision object
A decision box is the equivalent of an IF, ELSE conditional branch. The green arrow is the
path if the condition is true, and the red dotted arrow is the path if the condition is false.
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Create New Decision Parameter
1. Make sure the Decision workflow element in the schema is selected (not
shown)
2. Select the Decision tab in the lower left corner
3. Click Not set (NULL) to open the Chooser... window
4. In the new window, click Create parameter/attribute in workflow
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Configure Decision Parameter
1. In the Name field, enter counter

2. Change the Type to number
3. Enter a 0 (zero) in Value field
4. Click Ok
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Configure Decision
1. In the Decision tab in the lower pane, click the dropdown menu and change the
value to greater or equals
2. Enter a value of 10 in the blank text field
The counter attribute defined in the previous step is used to defined how the Decision
behave:
• If the counter value is less than 10, the path will be the red dotted one.
• If the value is greater than or equal to 10, the path will be the green one.
Add Increase counter Object
1. Select Basic category from the list on the left

2. Click on the Increase counter object and drag it into the workflow, making sure
to drag it to the dotted red line under the Decision object
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Bind Variables
1. Click the Setup... button in the upper right to proceed with the binding of the
parameters of the element.
2. Click Promote to import all parameters from the Increase counter object to the
workflow
This automatically binds the attribute counter to the IN and the OUT parameters of the
element.
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Delete Workflow Branch
In order to make a loop, the second end of the workflow must be deleted. An End
element can't be deleted by selecting it, so instead, the arrow preceding the element
must be deleted.
1. Right-click on the blue arrow under the Increase counter object

2. Click on Delete
The End element should disappear with the arrow.
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Add Scriptable Task
1. Select Generic category

2. Drag and drop Scriptable task element to Increase counter element in the
schema, which will add the task to the right
3. Click the Undock icon to open the Scriptable task object in a new window
Undock Scriptable task configuration
1. Make sure the Scriptable task is selected
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2. Click the Undock button
Bind Parameter to Scriptable Task
1. Click the Visual Binding tab

2. Drag and drop counter from In Attributes to IN
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Add Script to Log Counter Value
1. Select the Scripting tab

2. Enter the following code:
System.log("Current counter: " + counter);
3. Click the X to close the window and return to the Schema pane
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Add Next Item to Scriptable Task
1. Move the mouse over the Scriptable task, then over the blue arrow that
appears along the right side of the object
2. Drag and drop the blue arrow to the Decision box
(Note: if necessary, click the dropdown menu above the schema to increase the zoom
% from the present 50.)
The loop is created.

This visual representation is very similar to the following code in other languages:
for(counter=0; counter <= 10; counter++){

log("Current counter: " + counter);
}
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Run the Workflow
1. Click on Run button

2. Click the Logs tab to view the output of the workflow execution
3. Adjust the size of the right pane if necessary.
4. Observe the log output showing the counter value increasing until it reaches 10,
at which time the workflow ends
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Create an Infinite Loop
Sometimes, an error in developing a workflow can lead to an infinite loop. Let's see how
it can happen.
1. Click on the Increase counter object in the workflow schema

2. Select the OUT tab in the lower pane
3. Click the counter parameter to select it
4. Click on Remove parameter button
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Run and cancel infinite loop
With the counter output parameter removed, the value of the counter is never updated.
The condition in the decision will thus always be false (it is never greater or equal than
10), and this workflow will result in an infinite loop.
To observe this, run the workflow.
1. Click Run to execute the workflow

2. Observe the log, which will continue to show new messages with a counter value
remaining at 0
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Cancel Workflow
This workflow will continue to run indefinitely. In order to stop the workflow execution,
the only way is to cancel the workflow.
1. Click the Cancel icon

2. In the Cancel Workflow window, click the Yes, cancel it button
Save and close
1. Click on Save and close button
This exercise is complete. Out-of-the-box workflow elements allow very easy and visual
conditional creation and execution sequences in any workflows. As always, with loops
there is a risk of an infinite loop with an improperly configured workflow, but it can be
easily detected and stopped by canceling the workflow manually.
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Bring it together: Sample Advanced

Workflow
Now let's take everything we've learned so far, and use it to create an advanced
workflow within vRealize Orchestrator. This workflow provisions a vRealize Automation
machine and waits for the provisioning task to complete. Then, it retrieves the Item.
Remember, Drag and Drop can be used to enter code from HOL manual to workflow
Scriptable tasks.

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Name New Workflow
1. Enter "Create Machine and Wait" as workflow name

2. Click OK
Reset Schema Zoom
After completion of the previous exercise, the schema section may be set to a lower
zoom level than usual. Before starting, the zoom can be can be changed.
1. Click on the Schema tab

2. Click on the dropdown menu in the top menu, and change the value to 100
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Add an Existing Workflow
To begin, an existing out-of-the-box workflow is leveraged to considerably save time and

effort.
1. Select All Workflows from the list on the left

2. Open the administrator @ vra-01a.corp.local menu (not shown) and navigate
to Library -> vRealize Automation -> Requests
Drag and drop the Request a catalog item with provisioning request
workflow onto the arrow between the start and end objects
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Bind Parameters
1. Make sure the workflow element is selected

2. Click the Setup... button in the "Do you want to add the activity's parameters..."
message that appears above the schema
3. For the request parameter under Promote Workflow Output Parameters, change
the Mapping Type to Local variable
4. Click Promote
In this situation, the OUT parameter request is used inside the workflow, so it is
configured as a Local variable instead of an output parameter.
Create a Loop to Wait
Now that the request has been configured to request a vRealize Automation catalog
item, a loop is required to wait for the end of the provisioning of the machine. In
addition, a timeout will be implemented to fail the workflow if the machine takes too
much time to provision.
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Add Decision Box
1. Click on the Generic menu item in the list on the left

2. Click on Custom decision and drag it onto the schema. Make sure to drag the
Custom decision object onto the arrow to the right of the workflow, as shown
Name Custom Decision
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1. Make sure the newly added Custom decision object is selected

2. In the lower pane, Make sure the Info tab is selected
3. For Name enter Request done?
Bind Decision Inputs
1. Select the IN tab in the lower pane (note that upon changing tabs, the Custom
decision object name has changed)
2. Click the Bind to workflow parameter/attribute icon
3. In the Chooser... window that opens, click the checkbox next to request
4. Click Select
Configure Decision
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1. Select Scripting tab

return (request.getExecutionStatus().value() == "STOPPED")
By setting this condition, the green path will be used only when the execution of the
request is stopped (which means the provisioning has either succeeded or failed.)
Add Sleep Box
1. Select Basic category

2. Drag and Drop Sleep workflow element on the false (red dotted line) of the
decision box, below the Request done? custom decision
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Configure Sleep Box
1. Click the Setup... button

2. Click on Value radio button
3. Enter value 20 (for 20 seconds)
4. Click on Promote button
This sleep box allows the workflow to wait 20 seconds between each request status
check.
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Add Increase Counter Element
1. Drag and Drop Increase counter workflow element after the Sleep element
added previously (but do not click the Setup... button this time)
A counter is required to manage a timeout in the loop.
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Set Source Parameter for Input
1. Make sure the workflow element Increase counter

2. Select IN tab
3. Click on not set for the unique Local Parameter "counter"
4. Click on the link Create parameter/attribute in workflow in the Chooser...
window (not shown)
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Create Attribute Value for Counter
1. Enter 0 (zero) in the Value field

2. Click on Ok button
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Set Source Parameter for Output
1. Select OUT tab

2. Click on not set for the unique Local Parameter "counter"
Set Source Parameter for Output (Continued)
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1. Select attribute counter in the list

2. Click on Select button
Remove end of the workflow
1. Right click on the blue arrow after the counter element

2. Click on Delete
Note: If clicking on the arrow is difficult, it is possible to change the zoom level using
the dropdown at the top, as done at the start of this exercise.
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Add Decision Element

2. Drag and drop the Decision element on top of the Increase counter workflow
element.
The Decision element will be added to the right of the Increase counter element.
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Rename Decision
1. Make sure the Decision workflow element is selected

2. Select the Info tab in the lower pane
3. For Name, enter no timeout?
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Configure Decision Box
1. Select Decision tab

2. Click on Not set (NULL) link
3. In the Chooser... window, select counter attribute from the list
Set Timeout Threshold
1. Select smaller or equals from the dropdown
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2. Enter 30 in the text box (30 x 20sec sleep = 10min timeout)
Add Scriptable Task
1. Select Generic category, if it is not already selected

2. Drag and drop the Scriptable task element onto the Decision workflow
element. The new Scriptable task will appear below the Decision element.
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Arrange Workflow Schema
1. Click and drag the Scriptable task element above the decision box. Note that
the arrow follows the element as you drag it to the new location.
This is a best practice to re-arrange the workflow elements to make the overall workflow
more readable.
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Bind IN & OUT Parameters
1. Click on Scriptable task, if it is not already selected

2. Click the Undock icon in the lower right, to exand the lower pane into a new
window
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Bind IN & OUT Parameters (Continued)
1. Select Visual Binding tab

2. Drag and drop request attribute from In Attributes to IN
3. Drag and drop request attribute from Out Attributes to OUT
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Add javascript

2. Enter the following code (if drag and drop is used, make sure to keep the focus in
the scripting tab all the time):
//Refresh request
var host = vCACCAFEEntitiesFinder.getHostForEntity(request)
request = vCACCAFEEntitiesFinder.getCatalogItemRequest(host , request.id)
//Log state and execution status
System.log(request.getStateName() + " (" + request.getExecutionStatus().value() + ")");
3. Click the X to close the window and return to the schema pane
This step updates the request object to make sure that it contains an updated version
with the latest status. Depending of the plugin used, this step may or may not be
required. There is no golden rule, so the only way to know if this is needed or not is to
test the behavior.
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Link to Next Item
1. Move your mouse over Scriptable task, then on the blue arrow
Drag and drop the blue arrow to the decision box "Request done?"
Add Exception End
1. Select Generic category, if it is not already selected

2. Scroll to find Throw exception
3. Drag and drop Throw exception to the decision box no timeout?
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Add Attribute for Exception Binding
1. Make sure the Exception workflow element is selected (not shown)

2. Select Exception tab
3. Click on the link Not set next to Throw exception binding
4. In the first window that appears, click on the link Create parameter/attribute
in workflow to open a second window
5. Click OK, as all of the defaults in this window will suffice
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Add Scriptable Task for Error Message
1. Scroll to the top of the Generic category to find Scriptable task

2. Drag and drop Scriptable task to the red dotted arrow between the decision
box and the exception
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Add IN Parameters
1. In the lower pane, select the IN tab

2. Click on Bind to workflow parameter/attribute button
3. Mark the checkbox for request, sleepTime, counter attributes
4. Click Select
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Add OUT Parameters
1. Select the OUT tab

3. Mark the checkbox for errorCode attributes
4. Click Select
Add javascript

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errorCode = "Request " + request.getRequestNumber()

+ " reached the timeout of "
+ (counter * sleepTime) + " seconds.";
Add Scriptable Task to Get Resource Item
1. Drag and drop an additional Scriptable task element onto the arrow between
the decision box and the end of the workflow
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Add IN Parameters
1. In the lower pane, select the IN tab

3. Mark the checkbox for request attribute
4. Click Select
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Add OUT Parameters

3. In the new window, click on Create parameter/attribute in workflow to open
an additional window
4. Enter resource in the textbox name
5. Enter CatalogResource in the Filter textbox
6. Select vCACCAFE:CatalogResource from the results
7. Select Create workflow OUTPUT PARAMETER with the same name radio
button
8. Click Ok
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Add javascript

2. Enter the following code (if drag and drop is used, make sure to keep the focus in
the scripting tab all the time):
//Get Consumer Resource Service (to query items)

var host = vCACCAFEEntitiesFinder.getHostForEntity(request);
var service = host.createCatalogClient().getCatalogConsumerResourceService();
//Prepare Filter
var filter = new Array();filter[0] = vCACCAFEFilterParam.equal("request/id",
vCACCAFEFilterParam.string(request.getId()));
filter[1] = vCACCAFEFilterParam.equal("resourceType",
vCACCAFEFilterParam.string("Infrastructure.Virtual"));
var query = vCACCAFEOdataQuery.query().addFilter(filter);
// get items
var items = service.getResourcesList(new vCACCAFEPageOdataRequest(query));
resource = items[0];
This code allows the task to retrieve the newly provisioned item from the request.
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Run the Workflow
1. Click the Run button to execute the workflow. This will open the Start Workflow
window and prompt for input.
Enter Workflow Inputs
1. For Description, enter automated creation

2. Click on Not set under Catalog item to open a new window
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Choose a vRealize Automation Catalog Item to Request
1. In the Select window, navigate to vRealize Automation -> vRA - DevMgr

[https://vra-01a.corp.local] [vsphere.local] -> Catalog and Select CentOS
2. Click on Select to close this window
3. In the Start Workflow window, click on Submit (not shown) to begin the workflow
execution
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Monitor the Workflow
Before the workflow completes make sure you go to the next step. The workflow
execution can take 5 to 15 minutes to complete (depending of the load on the HOL
platform).
Observe how the schema is flowing, and the log messages as they appear in the Logs
tab.
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Look at the variables
Observe how variables are changing, especially the counter:
1. On the right, click on the Variables tab

2. View the counter variable, and its current value.
Note the counter will increase as it cycles through each wait check.
Open Chrome Browser
Let’s take a look at the status of the VM creation process within vRA.
1. In the Windows Quick Launch task bar, click the Google Chrome icon to open
the browser
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Log In to vRealize Automation
1. Log in to vRealize Automation as devmgr with password VMware1!

2. Click Sign in
Observe Status of Catalog Request
1. Navigate to the Requests tab
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2. Note the request for a CentOS item, with the description of automated
creation as noted upon requesting in the workflow.
The request will show a Status of In Progress until provisioning of the machine is
complete. When it is complete, the vRealize Automation request will show a Status of
Successful or Failed.
Look at the Final Variables
Return to vRealize Orchestrator, and observe the status of the completed workflow.
1. If necessary, expand the right pane to see the values of the variables.
2. Note that in the Variables tab, the resource parameter is now set to a value of
the machine's name (this name was generated as part of the vRealize
Automation blueprint requested by this workflow).
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Look at the Log Again
The workflow log shows a final status of Successful (STOPPED).
Destroy Machine in vRealize Automation
1. Switch to vRealize Automation in the Chrome browser (not shown,) and navigate
to the Items tab
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2. Select the line containing the CentOS item (do not click on the Name itself, or
you will be taken to the Item Details screen)
If nothing is shown, make sure the request was successful.
3. Click Actions
4. From the dropdown menu, select Destroy
Destroy Machine in vRealize Automation (Continued)
1. Click Submit to submit the destroy request

2. Click OK (not shown) when notified of successful request submission
Interacting with vRealize Automation is easy using out-of-the-box workflows and basic
concepts, such as loops.
This allows an administrator to provide additional automation on top of the machine

provisioning by creating a new machine, returning a reference to the newly created
machine, and then executing additional actions with the machine such as configuration
management, software installation, and more.
For more examples of additional options beyond machine creation, see the other
vRealize Automation hands-on labs.
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Asynchronous Workflows
Asynchronous workflows allow multiple tasks within a workflow to be launched without
waiting for an individual task to complete! This is a good way to trigger multiple actions
in parallel, or to track different parts of a process as separate workflow tokens.

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Name the New Workflow
1. Enter the name of the workflow: Asynch

2. Click Ok
Add Asynchronous Workflow
1. Click on the Schema tab

2. Select the Generic category from the list on the left, if it is not already selected
3. Scroll down until Asynchronous workflow element appears.
4. Click on Asynchronous workflow and drag it to the arrow between the start
and end elements. Once this is done, a Search box will pop up.
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Choose Workflow
1. Enter Create Machine and in the Search field

2. In the results, select the Create Machine and Wait workflow (created in the
previous exercise) by double-clicking
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Bind Parameters
1. Make sure the workflow element is selected (not shown)

2. Click the Setup... button in the upper right corner of the schema after choosing
the Create Machine and Wait workflow
3. In the Promote Workflow Input/Output Parameters window, click Promote to
accept all of the default values
Run the Workflow
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1. Click Run to execute the workflow and open the Start Workflow window
Enter Workflow Input
Notice that the input prompt is the same as the previous exercise. The same workflow
is executed, but this time it is done from a parent workflow and in an asynchronous
manner.
1. For Description, enter automated creation

2. Click Not set under Catalog item
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Choose a vRealize Automation Catalog Item to Request
1. In the Select window, navigate to vRealize Automation -> vRA - DevMgr

[https://vra-01a.corp.local] [vsphere.local] -> Catalog and Select CentOS
2. Click Select to close this window
3. In the Start Workflow window, click Submit (not shown) to begin the workflow
execution
Save and Close
1. Click on Save and close to close this workflow
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Observe Variables for Completed Workflow
1. In the Workflows list, expand the Asynch workflow to observe the recent run
2. Note the green checkmark indicating that this workflow execution was
successful. Click on the specific Asynch item to view the results
3. Select the Variables tab on the right
4. Observe the wfToken attribute, it is set to Create Machine and Wait and
represent the workflow asynchronously executed.
Look at Other Workflow
1. Expand the Create Machine and Wait workflow to observe recent activity for
that workflow.
2. Locate the most recent run of this workflow. Note that it is still running, while the
Asynch workflow has already completed.
Open Chrome Browser
Let’s return to vRealize Automation and remove the newly created instance.
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1. In the Windows Quick Launch task bar, click the Google Chrome icon to open
the browser
1. Log in to vRealize Automation as devmgr with password VMware1!

2. Click Sign in
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Destroy Machine in vRealize Automation
1. Navigate to the Items tab

2. Select the line containing the CentOS item (do not click on the Name itself, or
you will be taken to the Item Details screen). Note that the item takes couple of
minutes to appear in the item list, click the refresh button until it appears.
3. Click Actions
4. From the dropdown menu, select Destroy
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Destroy Machine in vRealize Automation (Continued)
1. Click Submit to submit the destroy request

2. Click OK (not shown) when notified of successful request submission
The exercise is complete. To go further, it is possible to use a loop to wait for the end of
the asynchronous workflow by monitoring the workflow token state value.
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Conclusion
vRealize Orchestrator can be used to automate complex processes that
requires polling for status, launching multiple tasks at the same time (or
asynchronously,) and using advanced input presentation. In conjunction with
vRealize Automation, it can be very useful to automate processes around
machine provisioning by using the power of vRealize Automation for the
creation and the flexibility of Orchestrator for input parameters or third party
integrations.
You've finished Module 1
Congratulations on completing Module 1.
If you are looking for additional information on vRO Coding Guidelines , try one of
these:
• Go to http://bit.ly/2tKxJU6
• Or use your smart device to scan the QRC Code.
Proceed to any module below which interests you most.
HOL-1921-06-CMP

How to End Lab
To end your lab click on the END button.
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Module 2 - Integrating
with REST APIs (45 min)
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Introduction
According to Wikipedia, Representational State Transfer (REST) is an architectural style
that defines a set of constraints and properties based on HTTP. Web Services that
conform to the REST architectural style, or RESTful web services, provide
interoperability between computer systems on the Internet. REST-compliant web
services allow the requesting systems to access and manipulate textual representations
of web resources by using a uniform and predefined set of stateless operations. Other
kinds of web services, such as SOAP web services, expose their own arbitrary sets of
operations.
vRealize Orchestrator provides a plugin to interact with REST web services easily and
efficiently.
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4. Click Login
Select the Design View
1. Click the dropdown menu at the top of the client, and select the Design View
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Configuring the vRealize Orchestrator

Plug-in for REST
At Rainpole, they want to start using REST APIs as a standard for interfacing vRealize
Orchestrator with third party systems that do not already have a plug in available. In an
effort to learn more about this functionality, let's get familiar with vRealize Orchestrator
REST plugin by using NSX Manager from a lab environment as a REST host and learn
more about the configuration.
Note: NSX has its own plugin which is better and easier to use than the REST API.
However for the purpose of this lab, this REST API will be studied.
Adding a REST Host
1. Select the Workflow tab

2. Navigate to Library > HTTP-REST > Configuration
Select Add a REST host workflow
3. Click the Start workflow icon
Interacting with a NSX Manager via REST requires to add NSX Manager as a REST host in
vRealize Orchestrator.
The REST host needs to be added only once.
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Host Properties
1. Type NSX for the REST host name. This is the user friendly name that will appear
in the vRealize Orchestrator inventory view
2. Type https://nsxmgr-01a.corp.local for the URL This is the URL to the NSX
Manager in the lab environment.
3. Select Yes to accept the hosts certificate silently.
4. Click the Next button
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Host Authentication
There are several options for authentication, for NSX we need to use Basic. Take a
moment to look through the other authentication method options.
1. Click the drop down menu and select Basic for the authentication type
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User Credentials
Select a session mode of either a Shared Session or Per User Session. In Per User
Session, the credentials are used from the currently logged in user. In this case, Shared
Session is the chosen option as every person using vRO should be able to execute a
workflow against NSX manager API regardless of their own privileges in NSX.
1. Select Shared Session from the drop down menu

2. Type admin for the username
3. Type VMware1! for the password
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Proxy Settings
No proxy is needed leave the defaults.
1. Click the Submit button
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Verify the Add a REST host workflow run was successful
The workflow token Add a REST host should have a green checkmark next to it, this
shows that the workflow completed successfully.

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Adding a REST operation
A REST operation is how you interact with a REST api. For example, you use a GET
operation to make an inquiry or a POST operation to update data or a configuration.

2. Navigate to Library > HTTP-REST > Configuration
Select Add a REST operation workflow

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Operation Properties
1. Click the Not Set link for the Parent host
This allows to select the NSX Manager REST host previously added.

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Selecting the REST host
1. Browse to HTTP-REST > NSX

2. Click the Select button

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Operation Properties
The REST Operation will allow to add a NSX security tag.
1. Enter NSX Add Security Tag for the Name

2. Enter for the Template URL:
/api/2.0/services/securitytags/tag
Notice the URL is not a full URL. vRealize Orchestrator will concatenate the REST host
URL and the template URL.
3. Select POST from the drop down for the HTTP method. Take a moment to look
through the other HTTP methods available.
4. Enter application/xml for the Content type

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Verify the Add a REST operation workflow run was

successful
The workflow token Add a REST operation should have a green checkmark next to
it, this shows that the workflow completed successfully.

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Invoking REST operations via vRealize

Orchestrator
NSX Manager from the lab has been added to vRealize Orchestrator as a REST host and
one REST operation has been created. The REST operation will be invoked to interact
with NSX REST API.
By invoking the REST operation previously created, it will add a new NSX security tag to
NSX.
Invoke a REST operation

2. Browse to Library > HTTP-REST > Invoke a REST operation

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Select the REST Operation
1. Click Not Set, to select the REST Operation
Select the REST Operation from the inventory

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1. Browse to HTTP-REST > NSX > NSX Add Security Tag
Notice this is the REST operation created in the last part.
Selecting the REST Operation
Input Content

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1. If not already present, enter application/xml for the Content type

2. Type the XML code into the Content window.
The code comes from the NSX API guide. The code is creating a NSX Security Tag called
FinanceApp with the description of Component of the Finance Application.
<securityTag>
<objectTypeName>SecurityTag</objectTypeName>
<type><typeName>SecurityTag</typeName></type>
<name>FinanceApp</name>
<description>Component of the Finance Application</description>
<extendedAttributes></extendedAttributes>
</securityTag>

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Verify the Invoke a REST operation workflow run was

successful
The Invoke a REST operation run should have a green checkmark next to it, this
shows that the workflow completed successfully.

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Let's verify it in vCenter.
Open Chrome Browser from Windows Quick Launch Task

Bar
1. Click on the Chrome Icon on the Windows Quick Launch Task Bar.
Logging into the vSphere web client
1. Click on the Region A > RegionA vCenter bookmark

2. Check the box for Use Windows session authentication

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This will log you on with the administrator@corp.local credentials
3. Click the Login button
Networking & Security
1. Click the Home menu

2. Click Networking & Security
Groups and Tags

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1. Click the Groups and Tags tab
Security Tags
1. Select Security Tags tab

2. FinanceApp security tag (created by the REST call) is listed

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Conclusion
The REST web services are a good way to integrate with a lot of systems. With vRealize
Orchestrator, the out-of-the-box REST plugin provides a quick and efficient solution to
easily integrate with these systems.
If you are looking for additional information on vRealize Orchestrator REST API plugin try
one of these:
• Click on this link


development.

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How to End Lab

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Module 3 - Launching
Workflows from Outside
vRealize Orchestrator (45
min)

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Introduction
vRealize Orchestrator has tight integration with a lot of VMware products but it can also
be easily integrated with any other system by using its REST API.
In this exercise, Postman is used to demonstrate the few REST call needed to integrate
with vRealize Orchestrator.
Launch Postman
Double click on the Postman icon on the desktop.

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Be familiar with Postman
Postman is a powerful HTTP client for testing web services. Postman makes it easy to
test, develop and document APIs by allowing users to quickly put together both simple
and complex HTTP requests.
1. The HTTP method and the url can be specified in this form
2. Different aspect of the HTTP request can be configured such as Authentication,
Headers and Body.
3. When the HTTP request has been sent, the response is available on the same
page.
4. It is possible to store a list of HTTP requests in a Collection
5. Each HTTP Request can use variables that can be stored in an environment
configuration.

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Bar
Let's take a look at the vRO API documentation.
vRO API documentation
1. Enter the URL
https://vra-01a.corp.local/vco/api/docs/index.html
A swagger UI is provided to explore vRealize Orchestrator API.

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Explore the API
1. Scroll down
2. Click on workflow-controller to expand the operations
By clicking on one operation, it is possible to see the details of the input
parameters and a sample of the response message.
vRealize Orchestrator API has multiple controllers, each controller allows to interact with
a type of object. In the next step of this module,
workflow-controller will be used to retrieve a workflow definition.
inventory-service-controller will be used to retrieve objects from vRO inventory that
can be used as input for a workflow.
execution-controller is used to start a workflow and monitor its status.

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4. Click Login

HOL-1921-06-CMP

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Start a simple workflow

Let see how to start a simple workflow using vRealize Orchestrator API.
Find the workflow ID in vRO client
1. Select Workflows tab

2. Navigate to HOL > 1921-06-CMP > Module 3
Select Hello World workflow
3. On the General tab in the right panel, make sure to Scroll up to the top to see
the ID field.
4. Copy the workflow ID (Select the ID and Press Ctrl+C)
Switch to Postman
1. Click the Postman icon in the task bar

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Get workflow details
1. Click on the collection button to show the sidebar

2. Navigate to HOL-1921-06-CMP Module 3 > Hello World
Click on Get Hello World request
3. Click somewhere else, outside of the sidebar, to make it disappear

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Modify the URL
1. Click the URL textbox to make it expand

2. Append the workflow ID (it should have been copied from a previous step) to the
URL: e73fbad8-177f-499c-b478-bf5bcee770a1
3. Click on Send button

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Analyze the response
On the Response pane (right part of Postman)
1. Status: 200 OK indicates that the request is successful

2. Make sure Pretty visualization is selected
3. Scroll down to the end of the response body
4. name value confirms that it is the right workflow
there is no input parameter
there is 1 output parameter

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Prepare request to execute the workflow
On the Request pane (left part of Postman)
1. Change the HTTP method to POST

3. Append to the URL: /executions
Execute workflow
1. Select Body tab (under the url bar)

2. Select raw
3. If not present, Enter the following in the body
{}

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vRealize Orchestrator API doesn't accept an empty body for a POST request, so, even if
there are no inputs, it must be an empty JSON object.
1. Status: 202 Accepted indicates that the workflow has been successfully started
2. Click the Headers tab
3. Look for the Location header and Copy the link (select the link and Press Ctrl
+ C)
The Location header contains a link to the workflow execution, this link allows to
monitor the workflow status

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Get workflow status
1. Change the HTTP method to GET

2. Paste (Press Ctrl + V) the URL copied from the Location header (previous step)

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Analyze response
1. Select Body tab

2. Make sure Pretty visualization is selected
3. Scroll down to the end of the response
4. The details of the workflow execution gives the following information:
state: completed -> workflow is done
output-parameters: message = Hello World

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Understand Authentication in Postman
All requests were executed against vRealize Orchestrator using Basic Authentication.
This authentication was configured at the Collection level.
1. Click the collection button to show the sidebar

2. Click the ... button of HOL-1921-06-CMP Module 3 collection
3. Click the Edit button

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Observe Authentication configuration
1. Select Authorization tab

2. Basic Auth is used for the type of authentication
3. Username and password used are the same as the one used to login into the
vRealize Orchestrator client
4. Click Cancel to exit the window
Switch to vRealize Orchestrator Client
1. Click the VMware vRealize Orchestrator icon in the task bar

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Verify in vRO client

Select the last Hello World token
2. Select Variables tab
3. Check the value for the output parameter message
Quick summary
With only 3 calls, it is possible to:
• Get the details regarding a workflow, especially the expected inputs and outputs
• Start a workflow
• Monitor the workflow status

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Start a workflow with complex inputs

Some workflow requires to choose an object from the vRO inventory. From an API
standpoint, it requires an additional call to retrieve the vRO ID of this object before
passing it to the workflow input.
Look at "Start virtual machine and wait" workflow
1. Enter "start vi" in the search box and Press Return

2. Double-Click on the workflow Start virtual machine and wait
3. Click on Close button

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Get the ID
1. Select General tab

2. On the General tab in the right panel, make sure to Scroll up to the top to see
the ID field.
3. Copy the ID (Triple-Click allows to get the whole ID, then Ctrl + C to copy)
Switch to Postman
1. Click the Postman icon in the task bar

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Get workflow details

2. Navigate to HOL-1921-06-CMP Module 3 > Complex workflow
Click on Get Start VM wf request

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Modify the URL

2. Append the workflow ID (from previous step) to the URL:
BD808080808080808080808080808080CCC280800122528313869552e41805b

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2. Scroll down to the end of the response body
3. In this case input-parameters are complex object (VC:VirtualMachine).
To be able to start the workflow, it is required to get the object ID of the complex
object.

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Get VM object

Click on Get VM object request

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Browse vRO inventory
The following URL is used to browse vRO inventory to find object where the type is
VC:VirtualMachine and the name of the machine is "base-linux-cli"
https://vra-01a.corp.local/vco/api/catalog/VC/VirtualMachine?conditions=name=base-
linux-cli
• VC is the plugin namespace (found before ':' in the complex object type)
• VirtualMachine is the object type (found after ':' in the complex object type)
• conditions allows to narrow down the research to one machine by filtering by
name

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2. Scroll down
3. Find the key/value pair where the key name is sdkId
Copy (Select and Ctrl + C) the value, it is used later to create a workflow
execution.

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Execute a workflow

Click the Execute Start VM wf request

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Execute workflow with complex input
1. Select Body tab

2. Insert the ID (Ctrl + V) retrieved in the previous step between the current blank
ID values of "" to match the picture above
vcsa-01a.corp.local/vm-221

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1. Status: 202 Accepted indicates that the workflow has been successfully started
2. Click on Headers tab
3. The Location header contains a link to the execution, this link allows to monitor
the workflow status
Copy the link (select the link and Press Ctrl + C)

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Get workflow status
1. Change the HTTP method to GET

2. Paste the URL copied from the Location header (previous step)

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Analyze response
1. Select Body tab

2. Scroll down to find the workflow information (see picture above)
3. The details of the workflow execution gives the following information:
state: completed -> workflow is done
If the workflow is not completed, you can send this request multiple time to see the
status change.
Switch to vRealize Orchestrator Client
1. Click the VMware vRealize Orchestrator icon in the task bar

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Verify in vRO client
1. Expand Start virtual machine and wait

Select the last token
2. Select Variables tab to check the inputs and attributes
3. Notice when the workflow completes, the task attribute has the value
VirtualMachine.powerOn

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Conclusion
On top of a lot of out-of-the-box capabilities, vRealize Orchestrator provides
an easy to use REST API to integrate the orchestrator with any other
products. vRealize Orchestrator is definitely a central tool to build around for
every automation project.
If you are looking for additional information on vRealize Orchestrator REST API try one of
these:

Proceed to any module below which interests you most. [Add any custom/optional
information for your lab manual.]

development.

HOL-1921-06-CMP

How to End Lab

HOL-1921-06-CMP
Module 4 - Automating
vRealize Automation with
min)

HOL-1921-06-CMP
Introduction
Rainpole company has to dedicate a lot of resources to maintain and manage their
vRealize Automation implementation. Each time a new project is on boarded there are
many tasks that need to be performed. These tasks include business group creation,
creating reservations, building and assigning entitlements, etc...
It is very time consuming and it is also prone to human errors, delaying the on boarding
and creating frustration for end-users.
Peter, the head of the Cloud Automation team, is thinking about automating this
process. Unfortunately he has only a few employees, and they don't have time to spend
on exploring vRealize Automation API to find out how to automate this process. They
are, however, already using vRealize Orchestrator to integrate their CMDB and IPAM
with virtual machine provisioning. Fortunately vRealize Orchestrator already contains a
lot of out-of-the-box content to automate vRealize Automation configuration.
With their vRO knowledge and the existing content, the automation of the onboarding
process should be quick!
In this module, explore what is possible to automate the configuration of vRealize

Automation.

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4. Click Login

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Explore out-of-the-box workflows

vRealize Orchestrator has numerous out-of-the-box workflows to easily manage vRealize
Automation. They can be found in the vRO folder Library > vRealize Automation >
Administration.
Create a business group
1. Navigate to Library > vRealize Automation > Administration > Business

Groups
Select workflow Create a business group
2. Click on Start a workflow... button

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Select vRA Host
1. Click on Not set (not shown in the screenshot)

2. Expand vRealize Automation
3. Select vRA - CloudAdmin
5. Click on Next button

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Specify business group configuration
1. Enter the name for the new business group: Development 2

2. Enter the manager email: devmgr@corp.local
3. Click on Not set for the group manager role
4. Enter devmgr@corp.local in New value textbox
5. Click on Insert value

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Accept the list of value
Move the window up to show the Accept button at the bottom
1. Click on Accept button

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Submit the workflow
1. Click on Submit button

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Create a new entitlement
1. Navigate to Library > vRealize Automation > Administration >

Entitlements
Select the workflow Create an entitlement for subtenant
2. Click on Start a workflow... button

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Select vRA Host
1. Click on Not set for vRA CAFE host field (not shown in the screenshot)

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Specify entitlement configuration
1. Enter the name for the entitlement: Dev2-MyCommerce

2. Click on Not set for Business group

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Select business group
1. Navigate and Select vRA - CloudAdmin > Administration > Business

Groups > Development 2

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Execute the workflow

2. (not shown) Make sure the workflow ends successfully (green checkmark)

Bar
Let’s open vRealize Automation and see how the Business Group was added.

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1. Click on vRealize Automation bookmark

2. Enter cloudadmin for username
3. Enter VMware1! for password
4. Click the Sign in button

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Verify new business group
1. Select the Administration tab

2. Navigate to Users & Groups > Business Groups
3. Click on Development 2 business group
Explore the business group configuration and verify it matches what was used in the
workflow.
Verify Entitlement

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1. Click on Administration parent menu to come back to the main administration

menu
2. Navigate to Catalog Management > Entitlements
3. Observe the new entitlement Dev2-MyCommerce created through vRealize
Orchestrator
Explore the content available in vRealize Orchestrator
Let’s return to vRealize Orchestrator by click on VMware vRealize Orchestrator in the

task bar (not shown).
Navigate to Library > vRealize Automation > Administration and observe all the
pre-existing content that can help cloud administrator to better manage vRealize
Automation every day. Note that some workflow folder might be already expanded.

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Create an automated onboarding

process
vRealize Orchestrator provides a lot of pre-existing content to manage vRealize
Automation. However to provide a better value, these basic workflows need to be
assembled together to provide meaningful operations for cloud administrators.
Creating a Business group or an entitlement is not enough to onboard new groups, it

also requires services and users to be properly assigned as well as reservation created
to be able to deploy a machine.
In this exercise, the final workflow will provide this end-to-end service for onboarding a
new group of users to vRealize Automation through vRealize Orchestrator.
Create a new workflow
1. Navigate to HOL > 1921-06-CMP and select the folder Module 4

2. Click on New workflow button
3. In the pop-up window, Enter the name of the workflow: Onboard a new team

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Create a Business Group
The first thing that needs to be created is a business group.

2. Select All Workflows tab
3. Navigate to Library > vRealize Automation > Administration > Business
Groups
4. Drag and Drop the workflow Create a business group to the blue arrow in the
schema

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Setup inputs for business group
To make the on-boarding process quick and easy, the number of mandatory inputs will
be reduced to a minimum. Each input that are not required will be set to null (Skip) or
hardcoded.
Make sure the workflow element Create a business group is selected.
1. Click on Setup... button

2. Select Skip for the following input parameters:
description, defaultMachinePrefix, activeDirectoryContainer, support,
sharedAccess, properties

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3. Select Local variable for the single output parameter

Create an Entitlement
1. Make sure All Workflows tab is selected

Entitlements
3. Drag and Drop the workflow Create an entitlement for subtenant to the blue
arrow after the workflow element Create a business group

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Undock visual binding
1. Select the workflow element Create an entitlement for subtenant

2. Click on the Undock button

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Bind inputs

2. Drag and Drop host from IN to host in In parameters
3. Drag and Drop subtenant from IN to group in In Attributes
4. Drag and Drop entitlement from OUT to the white part in Out Attributes (it
creates a new attribute automatically)
5. Click Ok on the popup window (not shown in the screenshot)
6. Close the window

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Setup inputs for entitlement
1. Make sure the workflow element Create an entitlement for subtenant is

selected (dark blue)
3. Expand the window by drag and dropping lower right corner
4. Change the name of the 2nd parameter to entitlementName (in the first
column)
Select Value for this parameter
5. Select Skip for the following parameters:
description, expirationDate
6. Select Value for the input shouldActivate
Click on Input value and Select Yes
7. Click the Promote button

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Assign all users

Entitlements
3. Drag and Drop the workflow Assign all users and groups to an entitlement
to the blue arrow after the workflow element Create an entitlement

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Setup input value for all users
1. Make sure the workflow element Assign all users and groups to an
entitlement is selected (dark blue)

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Assign Services

Entitlements
3. Drag and Drop the workflow Assign services to an entitlement to the blue
arrow after the workflow element Assign all users and groups to an
entitlement

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Setup inputs for services
1. Make sure the workflow element Assign services to an entitlement is selected

(dark blue)
3. Select Skip for the following parameters:
approvalPolicy

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Create Reservation
Creating a reservation is not something provided out of the box, however in this lab, this
very simple workflow is provided as a workaround. This workflow doesn't allow to setup
all the aspect of a reservation but instead take an existing reservation as a "template"
and create a copy assigned to a given business group.

3. Drag and Drop the workflow Create Reservation to the blue arrow after the
workflow element Assign services to an entitlement

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Setup inputs for Reservation
1. Make sure the workflow element Create Reservation is selected (dark blue)
3. Select group from the dropdown list for the first parameter
4. Rename the 2nd parameter to reservationName and Select Value
5. Rename the 3rd parameter to reservationToDuplicate and keep it as Input

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Manage Naming
Reservation and Entitlement needs a name to be created. To create consistencies in the

naming, each of these names will be generated based on the Business Group name.
1. Select Generic tab

2. Drag and drop a Scriptable task element at the very beginning of the workflow
(just after the green arrow)
Expand visual binding
1. Select the Scriptable task element

2. Click on the Undock button

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Bind input/outputs

2. Drag and Drop name from In parameters to the white part of IN
3. Drag and Drop reservationName from Out Attributes to the blank part of OUT
4. Drag and Drop entitlementName from Out Attributes to the blank part of OUT

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Assign names

2. Enter the following script
entitlementName = name + "-MyCommerce";

reservationName = name + " Reservation";
3. Close the window

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Save and close
1. Click the Save and close button
Run the workflow

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1. Make sure the workflow On-Board a new team is selected

2. Click the Start workflow... button
Fill inputs
For this example, the QE team will be on boarded to vRA to be able to test the
MyCommerce blueprint.
1. Enter the name for the new business group: QE

2. Click on Not set for the group manager role
3. Enter qemgr@corp.local in New value textbox
5. Move the window up
Click the Accept button (not shown)

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Fill inputs
1. Enter the Send manager emails to: qemgr@corp.local

2. Click on Not set for the User role
3. Enter qeuser@corp.local in New value textbox
4. Click the Insert value button
5. Move the window up
Click the Accept button (not shown)

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Fill vRA Host input
1. Click on Not set for vRA Host (not shown)


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Fill Services to assign
1. Click on Not set for Services to assign to the entitlement


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Select Services
1. Navigate to vRealize Automation > vRA - CloudAdmin > Administration >

Services
Select MyCommerce
2. Click the Add button

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Accept Service list
Move the window up to show the Accept button
1. Click the Accept button

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Fill reservation name
1. Fill the reservation to duplicate name: Development Reservation

This name reference an existing reservation and must be correct.

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Verify the workflow ends well
1. Green checkmark visible

2. In the Logs tab, no errors in the logs
Now let's verify how it looks like in vRealize Automation.

Bar
Let's look at vRealize Automation to check if the onboarding process has been
successful.

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Login to vRealize Automation
1. Click on vRealize Automation bookmark

2. Enter qeuser for username
3. Enter VMware1! for password
4. Click the Sign in button

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QE User catalog
1. Select the Catalog tab

2. The user is only allowed to request a catalog item from MyCommerce service

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Conclusion
By automating the administrative aspects of vRealize Automation with
vRealize Orchestrator, it is very easy to get the most out of vRealize
Automation with the minimum time spent on operating the platform.
If you are looking for additional information on vRealize Automation API, try one of
these:


development.

HOL-1921-06-CMP
How to End Lab

HOL-1921-06-CMP
Module 5 - Running In-

Guest Operations with
min)

HOL-1921-06-CMP
Introduction
Cloud administrators often perform operations within the guest operating system of the
virtual machines they manage. They don't always have network connectivity and going
through the vSphere console is very cumbersome to perform these tasks.
vRealize Orchestrator is here to help, with its native support of the vSphere Guest
Operations and the Guest Script Manager, it is now quick and easy to perform operation
within the guest of a virtual machine without requiring network connectivity or third
party agent. It is free and out of the box.

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Prepare the environment

In this module a small linux machine is going to be used to demonstrate guest
operations interactions. A couple of steps are required to prepare the environment until
the module can start.

Bar

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Log In to vCenter Web UI
1. Click on RegionA bookmark folder

2. Click on HTML5 Client bookmark
3. Enter administrator@vsphere.local as user name
4. Enter VMware1! as password
5. Click on Login button

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Select linux machine
1. Enter linux in the search bar

2. Click on link base-linux-cli in the result list
Start linux machine
1. Click on ACTIONS
2. Click on Power
3. Click on Power On
Wait a few seconds until VMware Tools changes from "Not running" to “Running” status.

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Start putty
1. Click on Putty icon

2. Scroll down in the Saved Sessions list
3. Select linux-base-01a.corp.local
4. Click the Open button

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Verify login is successful
The following screen should be visible, acknowledging a successful login.

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Use Guest Operations

Basic guest operations can be used to perform operations inside the guest operating
system such as running a script, uploading or downloading a file. As guest operations
relies on VMware Tools to work, no network connectivity is required. In this part, the out-
of-the-box workflows will be used.

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4. Click Login

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Search for "Run program in guest" workflow
1. Enter "Run program in guest"

2. Press Return
Select "Run program in guest" workflow
1. Double-click on the workflow "Run program in guest"

2. Click on "Close" button

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Run the workflow
1. Make sure workflow Run program in guest is selected


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Common parameters
The first step requires information regarding the machine. The credentials are guest
credentials, they are required to let VMware Tools impersonate this user to run the
command. This also adds a layer of security as you need to know vCenter credentials
AND guest credentials to use this feature.
1. Enter root in the username field

2. Enter VMware1! in the Password field
3. Click on Not set link

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Select linux VM
1. Navigate to vSphere vCenter Plug-in > VirtualCenter > Datacenters >

RegionA01 > vm
2. Select base-linux-cli
4. Click on Next button (not shown in the screenshot)

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Program path
A bash command will be run, so the path where bash is needs to be inputed.
1. Enter the following path in Program path field:
/bin/bash

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Arguments
1. Enter the following in Arguments field:
-c "echo vRO rocks > /root/hol.txt"

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Working directory

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Environment

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Analyze the workflow run
1. Make sure the workflow run is selected (with the green checkmark)
2. (if needed) Drag and Drop the lower panel to expand it
3. Make sure the Variables tab is selected.
4. Observe the result attribute and save the value (it will be used in the next steps)
The result attribute is the unique process ID (PID) of the process created by guest
operations.

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Launch "Get processes from guest with logging" workflow
This workflow is the same as the one in Library > vCenter > Guest Operations >
Processes > Get processes from guest, but for the purpose of this lab, it contains
one more line of code to log the results in vRO logging panel.
1. Scroll up if necessary
2. Navigate to the workflow HOL > Module 1921-06-CMP > Module 5 > Get
processes from guest with logging
3. Click on Start workflow... button

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Enter username & password
1. Enter root in the username field

2. Enter VMware1! in the Password field
3. Click on Not set link

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Select linux VM

RegionA01 > vm
2. Select base-linux-cli virtual machine
4. Click on Submit button (not shown in the screenshot)

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Observe the logs
1. Make sure the workflow run (with the green checkmark) is selected
2. Click on Logs tab
3. Scroll up to see the beginning of the logs
4. process with the same pid should be found at the top
exitCode = 0 means the process has terminated successfully.
If there is no process with an exitCode: 0 at the beginning of the log, look at all the line
in the logs.
Even if the pid is not found, the lab can be pursued.

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Check file created in guest os
1. Switch to putty terminal

2. Enter the following command
cat /root/hol.txt

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3. Press Return
The message from vRO workflow appears on the screen!

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Use Guest Script Manager

Steve, the Cloud Administrator is called by a developer who mistakenly broke the
network configuration of his virtual machine. By using Guest Script Manager, Steve can
easily reconfigure the virtual machine for the developer.
Guest Script Manager is a community package simplifying the use of vSphere Guest
Operations in vRealize Automation. It can be found by following this link:
https://communities.vmware.com/docs/DOC-25474
Note that ifconfig is used to change network configuration. This change is not persistent
for the benefit of the lab. In real-life, the proper command should be run to obtain a
persistent configuration.
Let's break the network
Switch to putty terminal (if it is not already the case)
1. Enter the following command:
ifconfig eth0 1.1.1.1 netmask 255.255.255.0
2. Press Return
After couple of minute, Putty throw an error "Network error: Software caused connection
abort". The error message can be closed.

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Create a new script
Guest Script Manager requires the creation of a "script configuration" before being able
to execute a command in the guest os. This allows for the user to specify different
parameters as well as upload files (like script file).
1. Navigate to Guest Script Manager > Script Management

2. Select Add script configuration

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Configuration name
1. Enter the configuration name: Fix Network


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Script
1. Select bash in the dropdown list

2. Enter the following script content
ifconfig eth0 {{ipAddress}} netmask 255.255.255.0

route add default gw 192.168.120.1
3. Enter 30 for the timeout

4. Enter 5 for the refresh time
Note that the script contains a placeholder {{ipAddress}} that will be replaced
dynamically during the execution of the script. This feature allows for the creation of
modular script for better re-usability and scalability.

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Run script in VM guest
1. Select workflow Run script in VM guest


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Select linux VM
1. Click on Not set for the VM field (not shown)

RegionA01 > vm

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Enter inputs
1. Enter root for the VM guest username

2. Enter VMware1! for the VM guest password
3. Click on Not set for Script to run. This allow to select the Script Configuration
previously created
4. Double click on Fix Network
Enter variables
1. Click on Not set link for Variables to replace in the script field

HOL-1921-06-CMP

(A resize of the new window might be required to see all the fields properly)
3. Enter {{ipAddress}} for stringToReplace field
4. Enter 192.168.120.101 for replacingString
5. Click the Define button
Accept variable list
The window might need to be moved up to show the Accept button

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Submit workflow
Verify all inputs are properly filled

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Observe workflow run
Restart putty session

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Switch to putty terminal (click on Putty in the taskbar, not show in the screenshot)
1. Right-Click on the title bar

2. Click on Restart Session
Session is re-established
The session is successfully re-established, proving the network configuration has been
restored.
Run scripts on multiple machines
After running one script on one virtual machine, let see how to do the same on multiple
machine at the same time. It can be very useful to perform IP change in case of DR or
datacenter migration.

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1. Make sure the Workflow tab is selected

2. Fold the Guest Script Manager folder by clicking on the arrow.
Name Workflow
1. Enter the name of the workflow: Update Network on multiple machines

2. Click OK

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Add "Start Workflows in parallel"

2. Enter "in parallel" in the search box
3. Drag and Drop the workflow Start workflows in parallel to the blue arrow

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Configure input/outputs
Make sure the workflow element in the design canvas is selected (not shown)
1. Click on Setup... button,

The window might need to be resized to see all the parameters
2. Select Value for both inputs
3. Select Local variable for the output

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Add "Run script in VM guest"
1. Enter "run script in vm" in the search box

2. Drag and Drop the workflow Run script in VM guest before the existing
workflow element

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Setup inputs/outputs
Make sure the workflow element Run script in VM guest in the design canvas is
selected (not shown)

The window might need to be resized to see all the parameters
2. Set the "Reset all bindings" to Value
3. Select Input for vm input
4. Select Skip for scriptVariables input
5. In the Output parameter section, Set the "Reset all bindings" to Skip

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Delete workflow element
This workflow will be launched through the other workflow element "Start workflows in
parallel" so it is not needed in this workflow. However it was helpful to use it in order to
setup all the required attributes and inputs. By this way, it is more reliable than setting
each attributes and input manually one by one.
1. Select the workflow element Run script in VM guest

2. Click on the red cross button
Configure workflow attribute
1. Select General tab

2. Scroll down to show attribute list
3. Click on Not set (not shown in the screenshot) for wf attribute and enter "run
script in vm" in the search box
4. Double-Click on Run script in VM guest workflow

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Configure attributes
1. Enter root for vmUsername

2. Enter VMware1! for vmPassword
3. Click on Not set (not shown in the screenshot) for
scriptConfigurationResource attribute and enter "Fix" in the search box
4. Double-Click on the resource element Fix Network
(Make sure Fix Network appears in the attribute value)

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Configure vm input as an array
1. Select Inputs tab

2. Click on the type VC:VirtualMachine for vm input
3. Select Array Of

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Configure ipAddresses input parameter
1. Click on Add parameter button

2. Click on string type for the new input parameter
3. Select Array Of
4. Select string (if not already selected)

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Rename ipAddresses input parameter
1. Click on arg_in_0
2. Enter ipAddresses

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Add scriptable task

3. Drag and drop Scriptable task to the blue arrow before the workflow element
Start workflows in parallel

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Configure IN
1. Select IN tab
3. Check the checkbox for the following parameter/attribute
vm, ipAddresses, vmUsername, vmPassword,
scriptConfigurationResource

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Configure OUT
1. Select OUT tab

3. Check the checkbox for the following parameter/attribute
parameters

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Configure Scripting
1. Click on Scripting tab

2. Enter the following script
parameters = [];
for (var i = 0; i < vm.length; i++){
var wfParams = new Properties();
wfParams.put("vm", vm[i]);
wfParams.put("vmUsername", vmUsername);
wfParams.put("vmPassword", vmPassword);
wfParams.put("scriptConfigurationResource", scriptConfigurationResource);
wfParams.put("scriptVariables",
[{"stringToReplace": "{{ipAddress}}",
"replacingString": ipAddresses[i]}]);
parameters.push(wfParams);
}
3. Click on Save and close button
This script creates a parameter array. Each element of the array is the list of inputs
required for the workflow "Run a script in VM guest".
The variables vmUsername, vmPassword, scriptConfigurationResource are always

the same for all workflow runs.

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The variables vm (VC:VirtualMachine object) and scriptVariables differ from one

workflow run to another.
Finally, note the specific formatting for the scriptVariables variable. It is because this
variable has a type which is an Array of a composite type.
Run the workflow
1. Select Update Network on multiple machines


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Select machine list
1. Click on Not set for vm field

2. Click on Insert value for new value

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Select linux VM
1. Expand vSphere vCenter Plug-in > VirtualCenter > Datacenters >

RegionA01 > vm
3. Click on Add button
5. Click on Accept button (not shown, the window might need to be moved to show
the button)
Note that step 2 and 3 could be repeated to reconfigure networking on multiple

machines at once.

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Select IP Addresses
1. Click on Not set for ipAddresses

2. Enter the new IP address for the machine in the New value field:
192.168.120.202
3. Click on Insert value button
4. Click on Accept button (not shown, the window might need to be moved to show
the button)
Note that the number of IP addresses in the list must match the number of machine
selected at the previous step.

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Submit workflow
Make sure the number of VM provided matches the number of IP addresses. No check
are performed in the workflow to verify this condition, in a production environment it is
strongly recommended to perform such a verification.
Open Command Prompt terminal
1. Click the Command Prompt icon in the task bar

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Ping the new IP
1. Enter the command and Press Return
ping 192.168.120.202
The new IP address is successfully responding.
2. Enter the command and Press Return
ping 192.168.120.101
The old IP address is timing out.

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Clean Up the Environment

Cleanup is needed before proceeding with the lab
Login to vCenter Web UI
Switch to Chrome and If not already logged in:
1. Click on RegionA bookmark folder

2. Click on HTML5 Client bookmark
3. Enter administrator@vsphere.local as user name

HOL-1921-06-CMP
Select linux machine
If the machine is not already selected.
1. Enter linux in the search bar

2. Click on link base-linux-cli in the result list
Stop linux machine
1. Click on ACTIONS
2. Click on Power
3. Click on Shut Down Guest OS
4. If a popup appears, Click the YES button

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Conclusion
vRealize Orchestrator is the perfect tool to get the most out of the vSphere
Guest Operation capabilities. With its ability to easily perform parallel tasks,
it is now easy and safe to perform seamless maintenance operations in any
guest operating systems even without network connectivity or third-party
agents.
If you are looking for additional information on Guest Script Manager try one of these:


development.

HOL-1921-06-CMP
How to End Lab

HOL-1921-06-CMP
Module 6 - Error Handling

and Troubleshooting (45
min)

HOL-1921-06-CMP
Introduction
Error handling and logging are very important concepts in vRealize Orchestrator for the
creation of reliable workflows, to assist with workflow troubleshooting, and ultimately to
make infrastructure more robust.
In this module, error handling, troubleshooting, and logging are covered. This lesson
highlights how easy it is to catch errors, execute remediation actions, and finally to
automate everything in a reliable fashion using vRealize Orchestrator.

HOL-1921-06-CMP

4. Click Login

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Error handling and why is it important?

Exception handling catches any errors that occur when a schema element runs.
Exception handling defines how the schema element behaves when the error occurs.
All elements in a workflow, except for decisions and start and end elements, contain a
specific output parameter type that serves only for handling exceptions. If an element
encounters an error during its run, it can send an error signal to an exception handler.
Exception handlers catch the error and react according to the errors they receive. If the
exception handlers you define cannot handle a certain error, you can bind an element's
exception output parameter to an Exception element, which ends the workflow run in
the failed state.
This is important because when your workflows do fail, exception handling allows them
to fail as gracefully as possible and it provides meaningful error messages.

Bar
Let’s open vRealize Automation and confirm Log Insight integration configuration.

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Log In to vRA Management
1. Click the vra-01a mgmt bookmark in HOL Admin bookmark folder

2. Enter root as user name
Select Logs tab
1. Make sure vRA Settings tab is selected

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2. Select Logs tab
Update configuration
1. Scroll down to find Log Insight Agent Configuration section

2. Enter vrli-01a.corp.local as host
3. Enter 9000 as Port

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Save Configuration
1. Scroll up to the top

2. Click the Save Settings button
3. Click the X to close the browser.
4. Click the Leave button in the popup (not shown)

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Adding Error Handling to workflows

To learn more about how to handle errors in vRealize Orchestrator workflows, let's build
a basic workflow and add error handling to it.
1. Right click the HOL > 1921-06-CMP > Module 6 workflow folder
2. Select New workflow
Name the Workflow
1. Type My Workflow Error Handling for the workflow name

2. Click the Ok button

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Add the Create a simple virtual machine Workflow
1. Select the Schema tab

2. Select All Workflows tab
3. Navigate to Library > vCenter > Virtual Machine management > Basic >
Create simple virtual machine
4. Drag and Drop the workflow Create simple virtual machine between the Start
and End workflow elements

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Add the Create a simple virtual machine Workflow
1. Click Setup
By clicking setup, this is allowing vRealize Orchestrator to bind the inputs/outputs
from Create simple virtual machine to the parent workflow.
Look over the input and output parameters that are being added to the workflow.
2. Click Promote

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Add the System Error Element to a Workflow
1. Select the Log tab

2. Drag and Drop the System Error Element on to the Create simple virtual
machine workflow element.
By dragging the System Error Element onto the workflow, you are linking it to the
workflow. Notice how a red dotted line is created from the workflow to the system error.
Also, the System Error element is connected to a separate End workflow element. This
shows that if the the workflow errors out, it will be loged and the workflow will end.

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Setup the System Error Element inputs
1. Make sure the System error element is selected


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Setup the System Error Element inputs
1. Sect the Value radio button for the text parameter

2. Click the Input value link for the text parameter
3. Type the following in the Enter Text field:
The workflow has failed, please contact support.
The text parameter allows you to supply the end user with more information when the
workflow fails.


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Move Parameters to Attributes

2. Select the vmGuestOs row (do not click on the parameter name itself, or you will
open a new window to rename the parameter)
3. Click the Move as attribute icon
4. Repeat the above tasks for these additional parameters: vmFolder,
vmResourcePool, vmHost, vmNetwork, and vmDatastore
The reason these parameters are moved to attributes is that they can be configured
with preset values. The end users are not burdened with entering these values at
provisioning time.

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Configure vmGuestOS Attribute
1. Select the General tab

2. Scroll to the bottom
3. Click Not Set to set the value for vmGuestOS
Configure vmGuestOS Attribute
1. Enter centos in the Search field and press Enter

2. Double click centos64Guest to select it

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Configuring vmFolder Attribute
1. Click Not Set to set the value for vmFolder (not shown)
2. Navigate to vSphere vCenter Plug-in > https://vcsa-01a.corp.local:443/sdk
> Datacenters > RegionA01 > vm

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Configuring vmResourcePool Attribute
1. Click Not Set to set the value for vmResourcePool (not shown)
> Datacenters > RegionA01 > host > RegionA01-COMP01 > Resources

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Configuring vmHost Attribute
1. Click Not Set to set the value for vmHost (not shown)
> Datacenters > RegionA01 > host > RegionA01-COMP01 >
esx-01a.corp.local

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Configuring vmNetwork Attribute
1. Click Not Set to set the value for vmNetwork (not shown)
> Datacenters > RegionA01 > network > none
(since no connectivity is required for this exercise)

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Configuring vmDatastore Attribute
1. Click Not Set to set the value for vmDatastore (not shown)
> Datacenters > RegionA01 > datastore > RegionA01-ISCSI01-COMP01
Run the workflow

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Let's do a test run of the workflow to see the effects of adding the System Error
element.
1. Select the Schema Tab

2. Click the Run Workflow icon
Provide the Inputs for the workflow
1. Type Finance for the Virtual machine name

2. Type 5 for Size of virtual disk in GB
3. Type 512 for Virtual machine's memory size in MB
4. Type .5 for Number of virtual processors
Note that .5 is used for the CPU count (which is invalid) to test the results of a failed
workflow run with the added System Error element.

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5. Select Yes for Make disk thin-provisioned

Review the logs
1. Make sure the Logs tab is selected (on the right side)
Note that the workflow failed, and a few things were logged:
• The VMware provided error

• The additional user friendly text you provided
This is great, but now let's change an incorrect CPU count to 1 CPU if the user provided
an invalid value, and proceed with the workflow.
This is a good example of error handling, and you will be building this into your workflow
next.
2. Click to cross to close the right pane.

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Add a Decision Element

2. Drag and drop the Decision Element on to the line between the Create simple
virtual machine workflow and the System Error Element
By dragging the Decision Element onto the line it is linked to the other elements. The
red dotted line is created from the workflow to a End Workflow element. The Decision
Element is connected to the System Error element with a green line.

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Cleanup the paths
If the Decision Element is false it needs to be connected to the System Error, so let's do
some cleanup.
1. Right click the red dotted line between the Decision Element and a End
Workflow Element
2. Select Delete
This will delete the red dotted line and the End Workflow Element that is connected to it.

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Cleanup the paths
If the Decision Element is false it needs to be connected to the System Error, so let's do
some cleanup.
1. Right click the green line between the Decision Element and the System Error
Element
2. Select Delete

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Wire the Decision Element
Finally you now can connect the red dotted line, or false to the System Error Element
1. Change the zoom to 75%

2. Hover over the Decision Element and drag the red arrow to the System Error
Element

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Configure the Decision Element
Now you will want to give the decision some criteria to look for.
1. Click on the Decision Element to open the edit window in the lower pane
2. Select Decision tab
3. Click the Not set (NULL) link

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Select decision criteria
1. Select the errorCode attribute

This attribute is used by the decision element to make its decision.
Select decision criteria
Now that the decision element has a string value to check, the condition can be
configured
1. Click the drop down and select contains

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2. Enter numCPUs in the value field
The decision is set to look for the errorCode parameter that includes the string value
"numCPUs".
Move a parameter to an attribute

2. Select the vmNbOfCpus parameter row
3. Click the Move as attribute icon
Input parameters are read-only and cannot be changed once an input value is given,
attributes are read/write. The value of this parameter may need to be updated based on
the outcome of the decision element.

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Add an Input Parameter
Let's add an input parameter to have the end user provide the CPU count.
1. Click the Add a parameter icon

2. Click on arg_in_0 to provide a name (not shown)
3. Type vmCPU for the Atribute name
Change vmCPU description
1. Double click on the Description field of the vmCPU parameter and type Virtual
Machine CPU count
2. Click the string link for vmCPU parameter

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Change vmCPU type
Parameter type needs to be changed to number because this value will be passed to
vmNbOfCpus attribute, which is also of type number and type must match in vRO.
1. Select number
2. Click the Accept button
Add a Scriptable Task
1. Select the Schema tab

3. Drag and Drop the Scriptable task Element on to the line between the Start
workflow element and the Create simple virtual machine workflow element

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This Scriptable task is used to pass the value from the vmCPU input parameter to the
vmNbOfCpus attribute (used by the subsequent workflow element).
Name the Scriptable Task
The scriptable task is going to be renamed to make it more meaningful in the workflow.
1. Double click on the Scriptable task

2. Enter Input CPU count for the Name
Press Return key
Add an IN Parameter

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1. Select the IN tab

2. Click the Bind a workflow parameter button
3. Select the vmCPU parameter
Add an OUT Parameter

3. Select the vmNbOfCpus parameter
Add the script

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2. Type the following in the scripting window
vmNbOfCpus = vmCPU;
This script will convert the vmNbOfCpus attribute to the value of the input parameter
vmCPU.
Add a Scriptable Task
Let's add an additional Scriptable task to change the value of the vmNbOfCpus attribute
to 1 when there is a failure.

2. Drag and Drop the Scriptable task Element on to the decision element
It will be added to the schema with a green line that comes from the decision
element.
This links the scriptable task to the decision element. When the criteria is met in the
decision element, the workflow continues on to the scriptable task.

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Name the Scriptable Task
The scriptable task is going to be renamed to make it more meaningful in the workflow.
1. Double click on the Scriptable task

2. Enter Change CPU Count to 1 for the Name
3. Press Return key
Add an OUT Parameter
1. Make sure the scriptable task Change CPU Count to 1 is selected (not shown)

HOL-1921-06-CMP

4. Select the vmNbOfCpus parameter
Add the script

2. Type the following in the scripting window
vmNbOfCpus = 1;
This script sets the value of vmNbOfCpus to 1.
Link the Scriptable Task
Link the "Change CPU Count to 1" Scriptable task to the "Create simple virtual machine
workflow." This way, if there is an error due to an invalid CPU number, the value is
changed to 1.

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1. Hover over the scriptable task and drag the blue arrow from Change CPU
Count to 1 to the Create a simple virtual machine workflow
Save and Close
The schema should now looks like that.
1. Click the Save and close button

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Test the Workflow
1. Browse to HOL > 1921-06-CMP > Module 6 > My Workflow Error Handling
, if it is not already selected
2. Expand the workflow to see the workflow runs
3. Right click on the last workflow run
4. Click the Run again... button

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Provide Inputs
Most of the values should be pre-filled (from the previous run)
1. Enter .5 for the Virtual machine CPU count

The values are the same as at the beginning of the exercise. But this time there is some
error handling to correct an invalid CPU count value.
The workflow should proceed as expected and create the virtual machine.

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Check the Logs
1. Make sure the last workflow run is selected

2. Make sure the Schema tab is selected
3. Click the Logs tab
4. Review the logs
In the logs, an error was thrown because there was an invalid CPU count, but the error
handling task caught it and the workflow completed successfully.

Bar
Let's check the virtual machine creation in the vCenter.

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Login into the vSphere Web Client
1. Click on the HTML5 Client bookmark in the RegionA folder

2. Check the box for Use Windows session authentication
This will log you on with the administrator@corp.local credentials
3. Click the Login button (This may take a minute)

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Verify a Virtual Machine was Created
1. Locate the virtual machine Finance in the inventory

2. Verify the CPU entry showing 1 CPU allocated to the FinanceDB virtual machine

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Delete the Virtual Machine
Since the exercise is done, the VM is deleted to clean the environment.
1. Select Finance virtual machine (if it is not already the case)

2. Click on Actions icon to show the dropdown list
3. Scroll down to see the full list of actions
4. Click on Delete from Disk
5. Click on Yes in the Confirm Delete dialog box (not shown)
Close the Chrome Browser
1. Click the X in the top right hand comer of the browser to close it

HOL-1921-06-CMP
Basic Workflow Troubleshooting

vRealize Orchestrator provides various ways to investigate workflow failures. It can be
done from the vRealize Orchestrator Client, or directly from the logs. In this lesson,
troubleshooting from the Client is covered as well as very basic usage of Log Insight
with the vRealize Orchestrator management pack.
Launch "workflow failure 1"
1. Make sure Design mode is selected

2. Make sure Workflows tab is selected
3. Expand HOL > 1921-06-CMP > Module 6
4. Select Workflow failure 1
5. Click Start workflow... icon

HOL-1921-06-CMP
Observe the Failure
1. The workflow token from the failed run can be seen by the red x icon
3. Look at the Exception message
This is the first clue to understand what happened. Most of the time this message
should be clear enough to have an understanding of what caused the workflow failure.

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Find the Element that Failed
1. Make sure the Schema tab is selected

2. Expand the upper panel by drag and dropping the separator bar
3. Look at the highlighted item
The workflow element highlighted in red is where the exception happened.

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Look at the Code
1. Double-click on the Scriptable task that was previously highlighted in red
Look at the code (continued)
1. The workflow Workflow failure 1 should be now selected


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3. Look at the code,

the first line is just a log, so the variable sizes must be involved in the failure
Look at the Variable Value at Failure Time
1. Click back on the workflow instance that failed

2. Lower pane should be expanded by drag and dropping the separator bar
4. Look at the variable sizes
This variable, which is an array, has not been initialized (Not Set in value). It explains
why the exception message says "Cannot call method "push" of null" - in this case, null
is the array.

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Get More Details
1. Select Logs tab

2. Select Debug from the dropdown
3. Logs before the exception can help narrow down the exception and the root
cause. That's why logging is very important. In the next exercise, we will review
logging in more detail.
4. The exception message is written to the error log. It also helps to understand
where this happened: In the workflow "Workflow failure 1", in the item 1, names
"Scriptable task", at line 1.
5. It shows the full variable stack, so it is easy to see what the value of a variable
was at the time of the exception.

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Launch Workflow failure 2
1. Right-click on Workflow failure 2

2. Click on Start workflow...

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Observe the failure
1. Select Schema
2. The workflow element where the exception occurred is highlighted
3. In this case, the workflow that failed is not the root workflow, so it is possible to
see the workflow stack

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Switch to Root Workflow
1. Click on Workflow failure 2 button, by this way, the schema and the variables
in the lower panel will reflect this workflow.
2. Select the Variables tab
3. The workflow element in Workflow failure 2 which failed is highlighted
4. The variables are the variables from Workflow failure 2
This can be useful to track down the propagation of a bad value.

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Switch Back to Child Workflow
1. Click on Workflow failure 1 button

2. The variables are the variables from Workflow failure 1
This helps to understand how variables have flown from the root workflow to the child
workflow.

HOL-1921-06-CMP
Look at the Logs
1. Expand the lower pane by dragging and dropping the separator bar
2. Select Logs tab
3. This shows the variables for root workflow (Workflow failure 2)
4. This shows the variables for child workflow (Workflow failure 1), notice how this
Workflow failure 1 log entry is indented with and |. This helps identify a failure
in a called workflow.
In case of more workflows, all variables of all workflows are shown.

Bar

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Let's now take a look at Log Insight.
Log In to Log Insight
1. Click on vRealize Log Insight link

2. Enter credentials
• Username: admin
• Password: VMware1!

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Select vRO Dashboard
1. Click on Dashboards tab

2. Scroll down to find VMware - Orchestrator - 7.0.1+ content pack
3. Expand VMware - Orchestrator - 7.0.1+ content pack
4. Click on Workflows failures dashboard
5. Select Last 24 hours of data from the dropdown

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Look at the Dashboard
1. Scroll down the dashboard

2. Look at the FAILED workflows grouped by WORKFLOW NAME widget
3. Close the browser (not shown)

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Logging in Workflows
Despite multiple methods for workflow troubleshooting described in the previous
exercise, logging is still very important in order to understand errors, and also to audit a
workflow result.
vRealize has different way for logging, they are described in this exercise.
1. Right click the HOL > 1921-06-CMP > Module 6 workflow folder
2. Select New workflow
Name New Workflow

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1. Enter "Logging" as workflow name

2. Click OK
Add Scriptable Task
1. Select Schema
3. Drag and Drop Scriptable task to the blue arrow

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Undock Lower Panel
1. Select Scriptable task workflow element

2. Click on little window button

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Add Script
1. Select Scripting
System.log("INFO logging");
System.warn("WARN logging");
System.error("ERROR logging");
System.debug("DEBUG logging");
Server.log("INFO event");
Server.warn("WARN event");
Server.error("ERROR event");
3. Click on the X to close the window

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Save and Close
1. Click on Save and close button (lower right)
Run the Workflow
1. Make sure the workflow Logging (just created) is selected


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Look at the Logs

2. Select Logs tab
3. Make sure the dropdown has Info selected
4. Look at the message

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Changing Log Level View
1. Click on the dropdown and select Debug
More log messages should appear!
Message Details
Each message in the log consists of the following items:
1. Time of the log execution, localized using current computer time

2. Flag indicating type of logs
• I = INFO
• W = WARNING
• E = ERROR
• D = DEBUG
3. Text decoration change depending of type of logs
• black = INFO
• black bold = WARNING
• red bold = ERROR
• black italic = DEBUG

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Remember that these log messages have been written by this part of the code:
System.log("INFO logging");
System.warn("WARN logging");
System.error("ERROR logging");
System.debug("DEBUG logging");
These logs can also be found in Server.log file in the vRealize Orchestrator instance. By
default, DEBUG logs are not logged in this file.
In a vRealize Orchestrator cluster, logs are visible only when connected to the vRealize
Orchestrator instance where the workflow instance actually ran.
Log Insight should be used to have a consolidated view at all times.
Look at the Events
1. Select Events tab

2. Look at the message
Events Details
Each event consists of the following information:

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1. Message (what was written in the code)

2. Type of event
3. Time of event
Events are stored in database and therefore must be used carefully.
Close vRealize Orchestrator
1. Click the red X in the upper right corner to close the vRealize Orchestrator Client
window
2. Click Exit when prompted

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Conclusion
In addition to providing an easy way to develop workflows, third party
integrations, and lifecycle extensibility to vRealize Automation, with vRealize
Orchestrator it is easy to troubleshoot workflow failures and to include failure
path in the workflow itself. This make every process automated through
vRealize Orchestrator much more reliable.
If you are looking for additional information on Debugging workflows , try one of
these:
• Go to http://bit.ly/2t53Ijm

development.

HOL-1921-06-CMP

How to End Lab

HOL-1921-06-CMP
Conclusion
Thank you for participating in the VMware Hands-on Labs. Be sure to visit
http://hol.vmware.com/ to continue your lab experience online.
Lab SKU: HOL-1921-06-CMP
Version: 20181104-142657

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HOL-1921-06-CMP

Lab Module List:

• Module 1 - Creating Advanced vRealize Orchestrator Workflows (45 min)

• Module 1-6 - Benoit Serratrice, Staff Cloud Solutions Architect

Location of the Main Console

Alternate Methods of Keyboard Data Entry

Click and Drag Lab Manual Content Into Console Active

Accessing the Online International Keyboard

Click once in active console window

1. Click once in the active console window.

Click on the @ key

1. Click on the "@ key".

Notice the @ sign entered in the active console window.

Activation Prompt or Watermark

This cosmetic issue has no effect on your lab.

Look at the lower right portion of the screen

Launch vRealize Orchestrator Client

Double click on the vRealize Orchestrator Client icon on the desktop.

Log In to vRealize Orchestrator

Use the following credentials

1. Host name: vra-01a.corp.local:443

Prompting User Input In Workflows

Create a New Workflow

1. Make sure Design view is selected

1. Enter the name of the workflow: Presentation Tutorial

Add Input Parameter: name

1. Select the Inputs tab

Add Input Parameter: list

Add Input Parameter: num

Change num Attribute Type

1. Click the string listing for the third parameter num

Add Property to name Parameter

1. Click on the Presentation tab

Make name Parameter Mandatory

1. In the Properties... window, select Mandatory input

Add List of Values to list Parameter

1. Select (string) list list entry on the left

Add Default Values

Add Minimum Value for num Parameter

1. Click the (number) num num entry on the left

Add Maximum Value for num Parameter

1. Click the (number) num num entry on the left

Save and Close the Workflow

1. Click Save and close to close the workflow

Continue Despite Validation Errors

Run the Workflow

1. Click the Start workflow... icon

Observe Behavior for Mandatory Parameter

Observe Behavior for List of Values

Observe Behavior for Numerical Range

Using Conditional Execution and Loops

Create a New Workflow

1. Make sure Design view is selected

Name New Workflow

1. Enter a name for the workflow: My First Loop

Add Decision box

1. Select Schema tab

Create New Decision Parameter