Configure a Machine Blueprint Service for Advanced Desktop Allocation

Administrators can run the Advanced Desktop Allocation workflow or the Self-Service Advanced Desktop Allocation workflow to allow delegated administrators and end users to create managed or unmanaged machines in vRealize Automation, add the machine to a specific manual desktop pool, and assign the desktop to a specific user.

The goal of this procedure is to configure a blueprint service so that delegated administrators and end users can request to create desktop items that appear on end users' Items tab in vRealize Automation. End users can perform desktop management actions.

Important: In the release of the 1.2.0 plug-in, a new Machine Provider option has been added to the Advanced Desktop Allocation workflow and the Self-Service Advanced Desktop Allocation workflow. If you select Horizon View as the machine provider, meaning that the machine is created within the supported versions of Horizon 6 or Horizon 7, the workflows operate as they did in previous releases. You can, however, select vRealize Automation Center, to create the machine from a blueprint in vRealize Automation and then add it to the supported versions of Horizon 6 or Horizon 7. This option requires that you perform the tasks described in this procedure.

Prerequisites

• Verify that you have administrator credentials for the vRealize Orchestrator server. The account must be a member of the vRealize Orchestrator Admin group configured to authenticate through vCenter Single Sign-On.
• Perform the appropriate tasks listed in the topic Exposing vRealize Orchestrator Plug-in for Horizon Workflows in vRealize Automation. These tasks include creating business groups and services for delegated administrators and end users, creating entitlements for the services, configuring catalog items, and binding certain fields to specific values.
• Run the Orchestrator workflows described in Prerequisites for Creating Machines in vRealize Automation.
• Create one or more machine blueprints, as described in Create Templates and Blueprints for Adding Machines to Desktop Pools.
  Important: Do not use a blueprint that was already selected when running the Configure vCAC Blueprint to Provision Machine to Pool workflow. That workflow adds properties to the blueprint that must not be present for this procedure.
• Perform the task Import Horizon 7 Desktops and Pools as Custom Resources.
• If you plan to make action buttons available on the Items tab so that end users can use action buttons to perform desktop management tasks, perform the tasks described in Making Desktop and Pool Actions Available in vRealize Automation.

Procedure

1. Log in to vRealize Automation as a tenant administrator.
2. Add the tenant administrator to the delegated administrators entitlement.
   1. On the Administration tab, go to Catalog Management > Entitlements and click the item in the list for delegated administrators.
   2. On the Details tab, in the Users & Groups list, add the tenant administrator to the entitlement.
   3. On the Items & Approvals tab, add the machine blueprint service to the Entitled Services list.
   4. Add a Destroy action to the Entitled Actions list.
      For Type, select Virtual Machine.
   5. When you are finished adding these entitlements, click Update.
3. If you plan to use the Advanced Desktop Allocation workflow, configure provisioning.
   1. Go to one of the following locations: .

      vRealize Automation Version	LocationDescription
      6.2.4	Advanced Services > Service Blueprints
      7.2 and later	Design > Service Blueprints

   2. Click Advanced Desktop Allocation, and on the Provisioned Resources tab, select No provisioning.
   3. Click Update.
4. If you plan to use the Self-Service Advanced Desktop Allocation workflow, configure provisioning.
   1. Go to Advanced Services > Service Blueprints.
   2. Click Self-Service Advanced Desktop Allocation, and on the Provisioned Resources tab, select Desktop [ViewDesktop].
   3. Click Update.
5. Go to the Catalog tab, click the service that you created for machine blueprints, and verify that the machine blueprints appear in the panel on the right.

Results

Items appear on the Catalog tab of vRealize Automation so that delegated administrators and end users can request desktops. For descriptions of the possible scenarios that the Advanced Desktop Allocation workflows enable, see Advanced Desktop Allocation Scenarios for Delegated Administrators and End Users.