[Update Dec 2016: An updated article for vRO 7.x is available here ]

I’m developing some very large, very complicated workflows for vRealize Orchestrator (vRO/vCO), and as it’s a Java based application it will probably come as no surprise to many that the performance of the client drops off sharply as the client’s RAM usage creeps up.

When working on some of the larger workflows, or after long sessions and heavy clipboard use, the client would become (even more) sluggish and in some cases would freeze entirely. This is particularly annoying because the vRO client has a habit of forcing itself on top of other applications - for instance Task Manager.

Recently when do a fresh install of vRealize Automation (vRA) 6.2 I came across the following error after configuring the first end point.

Error log example

DataBaseStatsService: ignoring exception: Error executing query usp_SelectAgent Inner Exception: Error executing query usp_SelectAgentCapabilities

First of all I checked to see if the end points were working which in this case they appeared to be, but I wanted to clear the error before continuing the install.

A requirement that often arises in large, complex orchestration projects is the need to encrypt and decrypt information. One such requirement recently specified triple DES password based encryption as the standard, which led me through a lot of Google searches to CryptoJS .

CryptoJS is a growing collection of standard and secure cryptographic algorithms implemented in JavaScript using best practices and patterns. They are fast, and they have a consistent and simple interface.

It’s a fairly common requirement when creating a new user to assign a randomly generated password, so during a recent engagement I wrote a little password generator to do that. I wanted to be able to chose whether special characters were used, and the length of the password - typically if the password doesn’t used special characters I would increase the length significantly!

Characters should be randomly picked from:

• a-z
• A-Z
• 0-9
• (optional) ASCII special characters

Inputs

• passwordLength - the length of the password to be generated (number)
• excludePunctuation - exclude the use of special characters if TRUE (boolean)

One of the use cases I’ve been working on with a customer is based on the vRO/vCO multi-node plug-in and involves the master vRO/vCO node calling proxy workflows based on a parameter - in this case the target site. As you can see from this very simple diagram, a Cloud Management System (CMS) calls a workflow on the Master node, which then executes a proxy workflow on the correct site. The trick is getting the Master Orchestrator node to pick the right proxy workflow.

To quote the release notes for the latest version of vCO/vRO Multi-node Plugin:

The VMware vCenter Orchestrator Multi-Node Plug-In allows organizations to manage environments with multiple vCenter Orchestrator server instances.

As organizations increase their level of automation, they often find the need to deploy multiple Orchestrator instances. With the VMware vCenter Orchestrator Multi-Node Plug-In, administrators have a more efficient way to manage multiple Orchestrator instances from a central point. The plug-in allows administrators to log in to a master Orchestrator server to view the inventories and workflows of remote Orchestrator servers, and to trigger workflows remotely.

To add a Windows Server 2012 R2 PowerShell host using Basic Authentication only, follow these steps.

Ensure that the Windows Firewall service is running (it doesn’t matter if the firewall is enabled or disabled, it should always be running! That’s a general rule, not just for this).

On the PowerShell host open a command prompt (*NOT* PowerShell console) as administrator and run the quickconfig command - you can re-run it if it’s already been run - but make sure it has.

For several months now we have seen glimpses of vROps by way of limited blog posts and the HOL demo’s so it was great to see it finally released.

So what is it like out of the box?

vROps 6.0 Release notes

The first clear change is the move away from 2 VMs in a vAPP and consolidation down to 1 VM which is then easily scalable to more as you require.

vCOPs resources

If you have spent time working with vCOPs you will be aware of the numerous and widespread resources out on the net to help you install and fine tune your deployment. Given there is a lot of content out there that is not always easy to fine immediately I wanted to collate a useful list for my own use and to share with others.

Still a work in progress..

Yesterday (in case you missed it) was the fourth annual UK national VMUG at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham. It was my second year attending and I continue to be blown away with the quality and value available at this event.

There’s a huge amount of content packed into this one-day event, so I’ll try and summarise my day…

vCurry and vQuiz

The vCurry event was hosted on Monday night and is a great way to chill out after a long drive up to the midlands. It’s always well attended and there are always familiar faces from the London VMUG there. Also there is the now legendary vQuiz, hosted by Stuart Thompson (@virtual_stu) which is great for a laugh or two and makes a good ice breaker if you’re there on your own. Oh, and free curry and a free beer or two…what’s not to like?