This five-day course teaches experienced VMware vSphere® administrators how to use the powerful automation tools that all vSphere customers have access to. Using real-world use cases and examples, you learn how to automate day-to-day administration tasks with VMware vSphere® PowerCLI™ and VMware vRealize® Orchestrator™. During class, you use these tools to automate tasks in a realistic lab environment.

Product Alignment

• VMware vSphere PowerCLI 12.0
• VMware vRealize Orchestrator 8.1

By the end of the course, you should be able to meet the following objectives:

• Describe the features and benefits of automation in a vSphere environment
• Understand the role of the vSphere Web Services API in automation
• Use the Managed Object Browser (MOB) to view the structure of VMware vSphere® API and VMware vCenter Server® inventory
• Use vSphere PowerCLI to deploy and manage virtual machines and virtual infrastructure
• Run and manage library vRealize Orchestrator workflows
• Design, develop, and run custom reusable vRealize Orchestrator workflows
• Incorporate JavaScript into vRealize Orchestrator workflows
• Use the vRealize Orchestrator PowerShell plug-in in a custom workflow
• Manage Guest Operations using vRealize Orchestrator and vSphere PowerCLI
• Describe VMware vSphere® Client™ code capture

1. Course Introduction

• Introductions and course logistics
• Course objectives

2. Automation in vSphere

• Identify the tools available to vSphere administrators for automation
• Understand the benefits of automation
• Understand the function of black boxes in programming

3. vSphere Web Services API

• Identify the function of an API
• Recognize the components of the vSphere Web Services API
• Understand how the vSphere Web Services API is used by automation tools
• Understand object-oriented terminology relevant to the vSphere Web Services API
• Use the MOB to explore the vSphere object model and invoke methods

4. vSphere PowerCLI Basics

• Describe features of vSphere PowerCLI
• List common tasks to perform with vSphere PowerCLI
• Connect vSphere PowerCLI to vCenter Server and VMware ESXi™ hosts
• Define variables to use in vSphere PowerCLI
• Use basic vSphere PowerCLI cmdlets
• Describe features of the command pipeline
• Examine vSphere PowerCLI objects
• View vSphere PowerCLI object properties
• Invoke vSphere PowerCLI object methods

5. vSphere PowerCLI Use Cases

• Perform day-to-day management tasks
• Manage clusters, hosts, and virtual machines
• Display performance metrics

6. Advanced vSphere PowerCLI Concepts

• Examine View objects with the Get-View cmdlet
• Convert View objects to VIObjects
• Invoke vSphere Web Services API methods

7. vRealize Orchestrator Overview

• Describe the vRealize Orchestrator architecture and interfaces
• Describe the components of a workflow

8. vRealize Orchestrator Basics

• Understand inputs, outputs, and variables in workflows
• Describe variable types: string, number, and more
• Create variables in workflows
• Implement variable binding in workflows

9. Invoking Scheme Elements

• Invoke JavaScript from workflows
• Invoke a workflow from workflows
• Invoke an action from workflows
• Manage user workflow inputs on the input form
• Invoke a user interaction element from workflows

10. Branching and Looping

• Use decision elements in workflows
• Use switch elements in workflows
• Create decision loops in workflows
• Use a for-each loop in workflows

11. vRealize Orchestrator Advanced

• Handle exceptions in workflows
• Perform logging in workflows
• Debug workflows

12. vRealize Orchestrator Assets

• Use configuration elements in workflows
• Use resource elements in workflows
• Create, import, and export vRealize Orchestrator packages

13. vRealize Orchestrator PowerShell Plug-In

• Add PowerShell hosts to the vCenter Server inventory
• Invoke scripts on PowerShell hosts
• Create custom workflows using the PowerShell plug-in

14. Guest Operations with vRealize Orchestrator and vSphere PowerCLI

• Understand the architecture of virtual machine guest operations
• Identify the requirements for using guest operations
• Perform guest operations with vRealize Orchestrator and vSphere PowerCLI

15. Leveraging vSphere Client Code Capture

• Understand how to capture code in the vSphere Client
• Use that code in a vRealize Orchestrator workflow or vSphere PowerCLI script

Experienced vSphere administrators who want to use available tools to automate day-to-day tasks

Completion of the following courses, or equivalent experience with vSphere deployments:

• VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage