Installing and configuring Automation Orchestrator provides information and instructions about installing and configuring VMware Aria Automation Orchestrator.
What is Automation Orchestrator
Automation Orchestrator is a development- and process-automation platform that provides a library of extensible workflows to allow you to create and run automated, configurable processes to manage VMware products as well as other third-party technologies.
Automation Orchestrator automates management and operational tasks of both VMware and third-party applications such as service desks, change management systems, and IT asset management systems.
Automation Orchestrator architecture
Automation Orchestrator contains a workflow library and a workflow engine to allow you to create and run workflows that automate orchestration processes. You run workflows on the objects of different technologies that Automation Orchestrator accesses through a series of plug-ins.
Automation Orchestrator provides a standard set of plug-ins, including plug-ins for vCenter and VMware Aria Automation, to allow you to orchestrate tasks in the different environments that the plug-ins expose. Automation Orchestrator also presents an open architecture for plugging in external third-party applications to the orchestration platform. You can run workflows on the objects of the plugged-in technologies that you define yourself.
Automation Orchestrator connects to an authentication provider to manage user accounts and to a preconfigured PostgreSQL database to store information from the workflows that it runs.
You can access Automation Orchestrator, the objects it exposes, and the Automation Orchestrator workflows through the Automation Orchestrator Client, or through Web services. Monitoring and configuration of Automation Orchestrator workflows and services is done through the Automation Orchestrator Client and Control Center.
Automation Orchestrator plug-ins
Plug-ins allow you to use Automation Orchestrator to access and control external technologies and applications. By exposing an external technology in an Automation Orchestrator plug-in, you can incorporate objects and functions in workflows that access the objects and functions of that external technology.
The external technologies that you can access by using plug-ins include virtualization management tools, email systems, databases, directory services, and remote-control interfaces.
For more information about the Automation Orchestrator plug-ins, see Using the Automation Orchestrator Plug-Ins.
For more information about third-party Automation Orchestrator plug-ins, see VMware Marketplace.
Intended Audience
This information is intended for advanced vSphere administrators and experienced system administrators who are familiar with virtual machine technology and data center operations.
