Create a running environment for an IPAM integration point in VMware Aria Automation

Before you can define an external IPAM integration point in VMware Aria Automation, you must create or access an existing running environment that can serve as an intermediary between the IPAM provider and VMware Aria Automation. The running environment is commonly an Amazon Web Services or Microsoft Azure cloud account or an on-premises and actions-based extensibility integration point that is associated to a cloud extensibility proxy.

External IPAM integration requires a running environment. When you define the IPAM integration point, you create a connection between Automation Assembler and your IPAM provider by specifying an available running environment.

IPAM integration uses a set of downloaded provider-specific scripts or plug-ins in a running environment that is facilitated by a Feature-as-a-Services (FaaS) provider such as Amazon Web Services Lambda, Microsoft Azure Functions or an on-premises actions-based extensibility (ABX) integration point that is associated to a cloud extensibility proxy. The running environment is used to connect to the external IPAM provider, for example Infoblox.

Note: An Infoblox IPAM integration point requires an on-premises actions-based extensibility (ABX) point that is associated to a deployed cloud extensibility proxy in vCenter.

Each type of runtime environment has advantages and disadvantages:

• An actions-based extensibility (ABX) integration point:
  • is free, no additional vendor usage costs.
  • can connect to IPAM vendor appliances that reside in an on-premises data center behind a NAT/firewall that is not publicly accessible, for example Infoblox.
  • is slower with slightly less available performance than commercial cloud.
  • must be associated to a cloud extensibility proxy.
• Amazon Web Services
  • has associated vendor FaaS connection/usage costs.
  • cannot connect to IPAM vendor appliances that reside in an on-premises data center behind a NAT/firewall that is not publicly accessible.
  • has fast and highly reliable performance.
  • is not associated to, and does not require, a cloud extensibility proxy.
• Microsoft Azure
  • has associated vendor FaaS connection/usage costs.
  • cannot connect to IPAM vendor appliances that reside in an on-premises data center behind a NAT/firewall that is not publicly accessible.
  • has fast and highly reliable performance.
  • is not associated to, and does not require, a cloud extensibility proxy.

Prerequisites

• Verify that you have cloud administrator credentials. See Credentials required for working with cloud accounts in VMware Aria Automation.
• Verify that you have the cloud administrator user role. See What are the VMware Aria Automation user roles.
• Verify that you have an account with the external IPAM provider, for example, Infoblox or Bluecat, and that you have the correct access credentials to your organization's account with the IPAM provider.
• Verify that you can access a deployed integration package for your IPAM provider, such as Infoblox or BlueCat. You obtain the .zip download file from your IPAM provider website or from the VMware Marketplace and then deploy the package in Automation Assembler.

  For information about how to deploy the provider package .zip file and make it available as a Provider value on the IPAM Integration page, see Download and deploy an external IPAM provider package for use in VMware Aria Automation.

Procedure

• ♦ To create the example running environment that is used in this sample workflow, create an on-premises actions-based extensibility integration point as described in Configure an on-premises action-based extensibility integration in Automation Assembler.

  For information about how to download and deploy a cloud extensibility proxy for use with the on-premises actions-based extensibility integration point, see Download and deploy a cloud extensibility proxy.

  For related information about the running environment, see this Infoblox IPAM Plug-in Integration blog video at approximately 24 minutes into the video.