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

Procedure