vCenter Server plug-ins extend the capabilities of vCenter Server by providing more features and functions.
Some plug-ins are installed as part of the base vCenter Server product.
- vCenter Storage Monitoring
- Allows you to review information on storage use and to map relationships visually between all storage entities available in vCenter Server.
- vCenter Hardware Status
- Uses CIM monitoring to display the hardware status of hosts that vCenter Server manages.
- vCenter Service Status
- Displays the status of vCenter services.
Some plug-ins are packaged separately from the base product and require separate installation. You can update plug-ins and the base product independently of each other. VMware modules include:
- vSphere Update Manager (VUM)
- Enables administrators to apply updates and patches across ESXi hosts and all managed virtual machines. Administrators can create user-defined security baselines that represent a set of security standards. Security administrators can compare hosts and virtual machines against these baselines to identify and remediate systems that are not in compliance.
- vShield Zones
- An application-aware firewall built for vCenter Server integration. vShield Zones inspects client-server communications and communications between virtual machines to provide detailed traffic analytics and application-aware firewall partitioning. vShield Zones is a critical security component for protecting virtualized data centers from network-based attacks and misuse.
- vRealize Orchestrator
- A workflow engine that enables you to create and run automated workflows in your vSphere environment. vRealize Orchestrator coordinates workflow tasks across multiple VMware products and third-party management and administration solutions through its open plug-in architecture. vRealize Orchestrator provides a library of workflows that are extensible. You can use any operation available in the vCenter Server API to customize vRealize Orchestrator workflows.
