vRealize Automation 7.

3 –
What’s New

An SPSA Webinar (Strategic Partner Solutions Awareness)

February 2018
Alistair Sutherland, Snr Instructor

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Cloud Management Is Fundamental to the SDDC
vRA Defines, Delivers, and Governs the SDDC

Any Device Business Mobility: Applications | Devices | Content

Any Application Traditional | Cloud Native

Any Cloud Software-Defined Datacenter (SDDC)

Cloud Management Platform DevOps

Release
vRealize Automation Automation
Self-Service
GUI CLI API
Extensibility
App-
IaaS XaaS
Centric

Virtual / Cloud Infrastructure

Compute Networking Storage Hybrid Cloud
& Security

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 Automation Accelerates Services Delivery

Blueprint

Minutes
 Speed
> 2-3 Days
 Days to minutes

Wait Wait Wait Work

 Stability
 Consistent
Developer
Request
IT Processes
Ticket
Infrastructure
Verification
Build VMs – New
or Clone
Get IP  Repeatable
1- 2 days 3- 5 days 3 – 5 days  Control
 Aligns with Business
Install, Setup, Configure Load Balancer Entries / Web Server Configuration External Interface & Integration
Firewall Changes
Processes
1 – 2 days 4 – 7 days 2 – 3 days 2 – 5 days

Wait time Task time 3

4
Unified Service Catalog
Multi-Cloud IaaS | App Stacks | XaaS Custom Services

App Store Experience

Service category

Custom Service
Custom Service
Categories

IaaS and XaaS

Services
vRealize Automation 7.3
What’s New - IT Automating IT
Theme: Making Private Cloud Easy
Time to Value and quality user experience

• Install, Upgrade & Migrate API

• Enhancements to Service Now plug-in
• Database-as-a-Service: OOTB workflows
• IPAM framework extended to support On-demand NAT
• Health Monitoring for vRealize Automation
Time to • Audit logging
Value

Lights-out optimization of cloud infrastructure

Lights-out • Optimized placement using vRealize Operations
Operations • Consistent costing using vRealize Business for Cloud

Automation of repeatable cloud tasks

Consistent • Enhancements to NSX load balancer, NAT network
Automation • Day 2 actions for NSX load balancer, NAT, security groups & tags
• High availability for NSX Edge services
• Storage policy based management (SPBM) support through vRO
Installation, Upgrade, Migrate
Increase Time to Value

Install API
• Trigger initial content creation
• Invoke self-signed certificate generation
• Certificate replacement in vRA, IAAS web and
IAAS MS

Upgrade API
• List all the available versions for upgrade
• View download status of upgrade packages
• Pre-upgrade check for the selected version
• Retrieve approximate upgrade time
• Retrieve upgrade status and progress

Migration UI and API

• Automated migration from 7.0+ to 7.3
• New Cafe API for bulk-imports

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Audit Logging
IT Automating IT
• Audit Logging Framework object types:
– Workflow Subscription (Café/Java)
– Fabric Groups (IaaS/.NET)
– Endpoints (IaaS/.NET)
• Send audit logs to vRLI or syslog server (using
Log Insight Agent)
• Configurable retention period

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Component Profile with
Parameterized Blueprints
value set definitions on
VM sizes
Enhance Reusability & Reduce Sprawl
• Introducing Component Profiles for defining
Size and Image attributes
• Support to add value sets as needed
• OOTB support for “t-shirt sizing” VM’s
(CPU, Mem, Storage)
• Trigger Approval Policies to Size or Image
conditions, including overrides
• Critical for reducing blueprint sprawl
• Automatically substitute
component profile values

Select size values

at machine request

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Shared Access Role
Access to Groups resources

• New Business Group role for Shared

Access User
• Shared Access user can review Items
and execute entitled Day 2 actions
• Access to same resource data and
tabs as the owner
• Shared users can’t request
new resources on behalf
of the owner

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 Optimized Placement Using vR Ops Analytics
Intelligent Workload Placement (WLP)

• Utilize analytics data in vRealize

Operations to optimize the placement
of workloads
• vRA: Enable Workload Placement
Policy (WLP) in Infrastructure tab.
• vR Ops: Create/Edit Monitoring
Policy per workload
requirements

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Supports vRealize Operations 6.6+
Optimized Placement Using vR Ops Analytics
Intelligent Workload Placement (WLP)

vRA Requests vR Ops Policies

Clusters & Policy Details
Balance (Performance)

Reservations
VC1 Consolidate In flight capacity
reservation
Catalog 1
Request 2 VM
VC2
Place VM in Cluster Performance
3 and Let DRS manage & Capacity based
4 inside the cluster Recommendation
VC3

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Enhanced vRB Integration
vRealize Business for Cloud
• Consistent terminology across vRA and vRB
• No derived costing in vRA – vRB is the single
source of truth for all pricing related information
• Supports pricing based on Blueprint,
Reservation or Reservation Policy
• Accurate pricing for Fault Tolerant enabled
machines and Azure Blueprints
• Pricing updated after Day 2 actions
– Reconfigured machine
– Scale-in and scale-out
– Imported machines

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Integrated Health Service
Retrieve and View vRA Health Statistics

• Health Service now available within vRA UI

• Role based and tenanted access to health data
• Configure multiple vRA instances to monitor
• Schedule and configure test runs

• REST API Enables integration

with vRealize Operations / SDDC Health
Dashboard or 3rd-party tools
• Full REST interface to perform health
service system management tasks
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Custom Request Forms (7.4 in beta)
Easy and rich customization

• Customize Blueprint Parameters

• Change control types
• Dynamically show, hide or filter values
• Pre-configure auto-fill and default values
• Set field dependencies
• Apply field constraints (e.g. min, max,
mandatory)
• Define custom field validation
• In-browser calculation and regex
support
• Provide ‘more details’ to
each field

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vRA + NSX Enhancements
Application-Centric Networking & Security

#BetterTogether
Enhanced Load Balancer Controls
NSX On-Demand Load Balancer | Blueprint Authoring

• Customize NSX On-Demand

Load Balancer
• Use Default (simple) LB
• Per-Blueprint Customizable:
• All Algorithms
• Persistence
• Port
• Health Monitors
• Transparent Mode
• And More
Enhanced Load Balancer Controls
NSX On-Demand Load Balancer | Day 0-2 Edits

• Add new Virtual Servers the

NSX On-Demand Load
Balancer
• Edit existing Virtual Servers
including:
• All Algorithm
• Persistence
• Health Monitors
• Transparent Mode
• Port
• And More
Enhanced NAT Port Forwarding Rules
NSX On-Demand NAT | Blueprint Authoring

• NSX On-Demand NAT Port

Forwarding Rules can be
configured during app design
• Prioritize Rules
• Customize ESG Size
Enhanced NAT Port Forwarding Rules
NSX On-Demand NAT | Day 2 Actions

• Manage (edit) NSX On-Demand NAT

Port Forwarding Rules as a Day 2
Action
– Rules can be added, removed
– Order can be changed
NSX Security Groups and Tags
Security Day 2 Actions

• View active NSX Security

Groups and Tags
• Add Existing NSX Security
Groups or Tags to a
running application
• Disassociate NSX
Security Groups and
Tags from applications
NSX Edge High Availability
Automate HA for Edge Services

Active Edge Standby Edge

Edge High Availability mode in the blueprint, providing high availability for all Edge
services to an application when deployed
• Configurable per-blueprint based on application availability needs
• Use Custom Properties to determine HA at request time
• Adds HA for Load Balancing, NAT, Firewall, etc
NSX Edge Size Selection
NSX Edge Deployment Size

Compact Large Extra Large

• Specify deployment size for NSX Edge Services Gateway (ESG)

• Configurable per-blueprint based on application needs / scale
• Use Custom Properties for size selection at request time
Extended IPAM Vendor Framework
Framework Support for On-demand NAT

• Added support for On-demand

NAT Networks
• Supports 1:many static IP and
1:1 static IP NAT profiles

Design Partner:
Endpoint Configuration Service
Streamlined Endpoint Management

• Endpoint Configuration Service has been enhanced

to support a schema driven UI
• Provides greater capability, control and a unified
experience when managing endpoints in vRA
• Allows configuration of endpoints that require inter-
endpoint relationships.
• Enhanced UI Controls and Customer Experience:
– NSX is now a separate endpoint, no longer part of
the vSphere endpoint configuration
– Endpoint Config Validation checks for
valid URL, credentials and certificates
– Certificate trust verification
– Displays certificate details when an
endpoint is using untrusted certificates
Theme: Enable Developers

Enable developer access

• T-shirt sizing and image selection for blueprints

Day1 • Configuration framework with out-of-box support for Puppet
Developer
Access Enable iterative development

• Code Stream support for Container Blueprints

• Code Stream support for Git and Gerrit
DevOps • Syntax highlighting for software lifecycle scripts
Ready
Container as first class resource

• Support deployment of containers to VIC or Docker hosts

Container • Support for Docker Volumes
First • [Beta] Deploy Kubernetes that is optimized for VMware SDDC

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Config. Automation Framework
Puppet Integration
• Configuration Management as 1st class citizens
– Make plug-in invisible to customers and enable
actions via blueprint design canvas
– Drag and drop config. management nodes
– Dynamically assign roles on the design canvas

• First implementation with Puppet

– Register Puppet Master as an endpoint
– Drag and Drop Puppet node
– Dynamically query Puppet Master, Environment and
Roles
• Support late binding and early binding options
• Support Day 2 Actions (De-register / Delete)

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 Software Syntax Highlighting
Software Lifecycle Scripts
UX Enhancement
• Elegant syntax highlighting of software
lifecycle scripts (app authoring)
• Intuitive color coding standards
• Improves productivity and reduces
scripting errors

Syntax highlighting with

rich color coding

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Container Management with

New Capabilities in vRA 7.3:

Docker Volume Support

Create and update persistent volumes
Deploy applications with persistent
volumes

vSphere Integrated Containers

Support for vSphere Integrated Containers

User Experience
User Interface Improvements

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* Requires vRA Ent Licensing
vRA Container Management
Admiral Enhancement Summary

Support for Docker volumes:

• Create volumes
• Attach volumes to containers
• Deploy volumes with container apps

Support for VMware Integrated Containers (VIC):

• Manage VCH instances in vRA with a feature set
similar traditional Docker hosts.
• Containerized applications can be provisioned
with networks and volumes.

UX Enhancements:
• UI improvements for easier and more user friendly navigation
• Clarity UI adoption, new tabs, icons and buttons

Other improvements:
• Support for Docker Remote API 1.21
• Enhanced selection of image versions in container definition form
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* Requires vRA Ent Licensing
Git Trigger Utility

• Trigger pipeline execution on code commit

• CLI tool to configure and listen on git events

CODE

2
Code Stream
pipeline
git server

4
Trigger
execution git 3 event
trigger

configure
1
{project, event} – pipeline
mapping
vRealize Code Stream Licensing
vRCS Management Pack for IT DevOps

• vRA customers are now entitled to

use vRealize Code Stream at no
charge for use with the vRCS
Management Pack for IT DevOps
(“Houdini”)
• Entitlement change applies to all
vRA licenses (Advanced or
Enterprise), whether purchased
standalone or as part of a suite
• Enabling Code Stream is an explicit
action done from the VAMI (CLI or
manually)

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DevOps is not just for Applications

• Blueprints & Services

• Templates & workflows
• Configurations & scripts PRODUCTION
DEV/TEST • Recipes, manifests, etc.

Upstream Downstream

vRealize Code Stream

vRCS Management Pack (Houdini)
Kick-start “DevOps for IT”

vRealize Automation
 Automated capture of content from multiple - Blueprints, software, build profiles,
environments in a consistent format property definitions, groups & actions

vRealize Orchestrator
 Check content in to a common repository – one - Workflows, actions, configuration
elements & packages
source of truth
vRealize Code Stream
 Automate progressions between environments - Pipelines

 Run automated tests before allowing progression vSphere & vCloud Director
- Templates & custom specifications
- vCD vApp Templates, Media
 Approve before releasing to production environments
(optional) vRealize Operations
- Alerts, dashboards, reports, etc.

 Automated rollback Files

- Linux
- Windows
Enables the move to Infrastructure as Code!
Export, version, test and release content across vRA/vRO/vROps & vCenter instances

2. Content is deployed and

tested in multiple TEST
instances

4. Content is released
to PRODUCTION
instances
1. Content (blueprints, workflows,
actions, etc.) is exported from a 3. Setup approval
development instance & versioned gating rules
along with discovered dependencies

Pre-built pipelines to automate SDDC CI/CD 35

Theme: Manage Across Clouds

VMC ready

• vRealize Automation certified with VMware Cloud on AWS

• Consistent Endpoint configuration, collection, use [as vCenter]
VMC
Ready On-Prem x-cloud support

• Deployment of software services on Azure

On-prem
X-cloud
Support

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Ready for VMware Cloud on AWS
Managed Endpoint
Manage vCenter in VMware Cloud on AWS
• Treated as a traditional vSphere / vCenter
Endpoint
• Build an IaaS Fabric using VMware Cloud
SDDC Resources
• Leverage Reservation Policies for
machine placement
Azure Public Cloud
Service Design Enhancements

– Software Components
• Select and drag and drop Software
components on Azure machines
• Specify software properties on the
blueprint designer as well as on the
request form
– Usability Improvements
• Pre-populated forms
and dropdowns

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Resources
 vRealize Automation 7.3 Resources

Hands On Labs
• HOL-1806-02-SLN - Automate IT - Make Private Cloud Easy
• HOL-1821-01-CMP - vRealize Automation 7 - Getting Started
• HOL-1821-02-CMP - vRealize Automation 7 - Advanced Topics
• HOL-1821-03-CMP - vRealize Automation 7 - Advanced Extensibility
• HOL-1821-05-CMP - vRealize Orchestrator - Getting Started

Videos & Blog

• YouTube Playlist: http://bit.ly/vravids
• Cloud Management Blog: http://bit.ly/vrablog

@vrealizeauto
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Thank You