Orchestrator plug-ins must include a standard set of components and must adhere to a standard architecture. These practices help you to create plug-ins for the widest possible variety of external technologies.
Structure of an Orchestrator Plug-In Orchestrator plug-ins have a common structure that consists of various types of layers that implement specific functionality.
Exposing an External API to Orchestrator You expose an API from an external product to the Orchestrator platform by creating an Orchestrator plug-in. You can create a plug-in for any technology that exposes an API that you can map into JavaScript objects that Orchestrator can use.
Components of a Plug-In Plug-ins are composed of a standard set of components that expose the objects in the plugged-in technology to the Orchestrator platform.
Role of the vso.xml File You use the vso.xml file to map the objects, classes, methods, and attributes of the plugged-in technology to Orchestrator inventory objects, scripting types, scripting classes, scripting methods, and attributes. The vso.xml file also defines the configuration and start-up behavior of the plug-in.
Roles of the Plug-In Adapter The plug-in adapter is the entry point of the plug-in to the Orchestrator server. The plug-in adapter serves as the datastore for the plugged-in technology in the Orchestrator server, creates the plug-in factory, and manages events that occur in the plugged-in technology.
Roles of the Plug-In Factory The plug-in factory defines how Orchestrator finds objects in the plugged-in technology and performs operations on the objects.
Role of Finder Objects Finder objects identify and locate specific instances of managed object types in the plugged-in technology. Orchestrator can modify and interact with objects that it finds in the plugged-in technology by running workflows on the finder objects.
Role of Scripting Objects Scripting objects are JavaScript representations of objects from the plugged-in technology. Scripting objects from plug-ins appear in the Orchestrator Javascript API and you can use them in scripted elements in workflows and actions.
Role of Event Handlers Events are changes in the states or attributes of the objects that Orchestrator finds in the plugged-in technology. Orchestrator monitors events by implementing event handlers.