Using the vCenter Server Plug-In

You can use the vCenter Server plug-in to manage multiple vCenter Server instances. You can create workflows that use the vCenter Server plug-in API to automate tasks in your vCenter Server environment.

The vCenter Server plug-in maps the vCenter Server API to the JavaScript that you can use in workflows. The plug-in also provides actions that perform individual vCenter Server tasks that you can include in workflows.

The vCenter Server plug-in provides a library of standard workflows that automate vCenter Server operations. For example, you can run workflows that create, clone, migrate, or delete virtual machines.

Note: Most vCenter plug-in workflows communicate only with the vCenter Server. However, some guest operations workflows require communication with the ESXi host managed by vCenter Server. Before you run these workflows, you must import the ESXi host certificate through the vRealize Orchestrator Control Center. For more information, see Manage vRealize Orchestrator Certificates in Installing and Configuring VMware vRealize Orchestrator.

The vCenter Server plug-in includes the Policy-Based Management (PBM) and the Storage Monitoring Service (SMS) APIs as scripting objects in the vRealize Orchestrator scripting API. The Storage Policy-Based Management policies and components appear in the Inventory page of the vRealize Orchestrator Client.