As an Automation Assembler administrator, you can deploy a simple virtual machine that does not require that you know how to create a cloud template. If you are new to Automation Assembler this tutorial guides you through the set up process, creating the virtual machine, and shows you where to manage the deployed machine.

This method is an easy way to quickly deploy a machine based on image templates, sizing flavors, storage, and networks defined by the cloud provider. It is a quick test of your cloud account and projects.

You can create a virtual machine for any of the following cloud services providers.

  • Amazon Web Services
  • Google Cloud Platform
  • Microsoft Azure
  • vCenter Server
  • VMware Cloud on AWS

The Google Cloud Platform is the example in this tutorial.

Before you begin

  • Verify that you have the Assembler Administrator role. See Organization and service user roles in VMware Aria Automation. If you do not have this user role, you do not even see the option create a new VM.
  • Verify that catalog users can deploy simple virtual machines. The Create New Resource option on the Infrastructure > Settings page must be activated.

Step 1: Add a cloud account

The cloud accounts provide the credentials that Automation Assembler uses to connect to the cloud provider.

  1. Select Infrastructure > Connections > Cloud Accounts.
  2. Click Add Cloud Account and select the account type.

    You can access the configuration details using the following links.

After you add the cloud account, Automation Assembler collects resource information from the target cloud provider account that you later use to deploy a virtual machine.

Step 2: Create a project

The project associates the users and the cloud account cloud zones.

In this tutorial, the project name is Create VM Project. This project is a demonstration project that includes cloud zones for all the supported platforms.

  1. Select Infrastructure > Administration > Projects.
  2. Click New Project.
  3. Enter a name.

    In this tutorial, the name is Create VM Project.

  4. If you want other to use this project, click the Users tab and add any users to the project.
  5. Click the Provisioning tab and click Add Zone to add at least one cloud zone for the cloud accounts that you are deploying to.

    Remember, this is a demonstration project that includes a cloud zone for each support cloud vendor platform.


    The project Provisioning tab with cloud zones for each cloud vendor.
  6. Click Create.

Step 3: Create and deploy a virtual machine

  1. Select Resources > Virtual Machines > Managed, and then click New VM.
  2. Configure the required settings on the General page of the wizard and click Next.

    This tutorial uses Google Cloud Platform as the cloud account where you want to deploy the virtual machine.


    The first page of the Create VM wizard. You provide the machine name, project, and cloud zone.

    Remember that these values are samples only. Your values must be specific to your environment.

    Table 1. Sample values for the first wizard page
    Setting Sample Value
    Name Google Cloud Create VM
    Project Create VM Project
    Cloud zone yingzhi-GCP/us-east1
  3. Select the image and flavor that are used to create the virtual machine.

    The available values are collected from the target cloud zone. The image is the operating system and the flavor is the defined size options. Some target provider types require you to specify the CPU and memory. This target requires you to select from the defined options.


    The image and flavor page of the Create VM wizard with the image selected and the search results for the flavor setting displayed in a drop-down menu.
  4. Click Next.

    To deploy only the machine, click Create. For this tutorial, click Next to add the optional storage and network for this virtual machine.

  5. To add a new disk, click Add hard disk and enter a Name and Size.
    The storage page showing a new disk configuration with name and size.
  6. Click Next.
  7. To add a network adapter, click Add network adapter.
  8. Select from the search results.
    The network adapter configuration with an adapter named default selected.
  9. Click Create.

    Your view switches to the Deployments page so that you can monitor the progress of the deployment.

Step 4: Manage the new virtual machine as a deployment

When the deployment process is completed successfully, you can begin managing the deployment.

For more about managing your deployments, see Managing Automation Assembler deployments.

For a list of all possible day 2 actions on all resource types, see What actions can I run on Automation Assembler deployments or supported resources.

  1. Select Resources > Deployments and locate your virtual machine.

    In this tutorial, the deployment name is Google Cloud Create VM.

  2. To run an allowed deployment-level action on the deployment from this view, click the vertical ellipsis and select the action.
    The deployments list with the deployment-level actions active.
  3. To learn more about the deployment, including the topology, click the deployment name.

    Notice that the topology of this deployment is simple. More complex deployments also provide the complete topology that might include machines, load balancers, network connections, and other components.

    You can also view the deployment history, which is a log of all the actions on the deployment components, and run allowed machine-level actions.


    The topology view on the deployment details page with the machine-level actions highlighted.

Step 5: Manage the new virtual machine as a resource

In addition to managing the virtual machine as a deployment, you can also manage it along with the other resources. Resources can include deployed, discovered, and onboarded virtual machines, storage volumes, and network and security resources.

Discovered resources are those that are collected from the cloud instance. You can manage discovered resources with a limited set of day 2 actions, such as power on and power off. For more information about working with discovered resources, see How do I work with discovered resources in Automation Assembler.

Onboarded resources are discovered resources that you brought under full management. They can be managed with the more robust day 2 action options. For more information about how to onboard discovered resources, see What are onboarding plans in Automation Assembler.

As you work with this deployed machine, it is eligible for more day 2 actions. The availability of the actions depends on the state of the machine and what day 2 actions you have permission to run.

  1. Select Resources > Virtual Machines > Managed.
  2. Locate the machine.
    The virtual machine page with the deployed machine highlighted.
  3. To run an allowed machine-level action on the machine from this view, click the vertical ellipsis and select the action.
    The virtual machine page with the actions menu active for the tutorial example.
  4. To review the machine resource details, click the double arrows in the left column.

    The useful details in this example include the storage, network, and custom properties.


    The virtual machines page with the machine details pane active.