What does vCenter Orchestrator do ?

June 14, 2010

vCO allows you to design and run IT process automation workflows. For example, you can run high-level process workflows, such as a complex provisioning process that includes several technical sub-workflows, such as a workflow to clone a vCenter virtual machine.

Some basic ideas include:

Get all VMs for a specified Folder/ResourcePool/Datacenter and then:
- Cleanup all the old snapshots
- Disconnect all removable media
Migrate VM Templates from host that is going to be put into Maintenance mode

The possibilities are endless. With a huge library of Workflow and Action building blocks, and a growing number of 3rd party vCO plugins, any number of processes can be automated and built as a reusable solution.

Christophe has worked at VMware, Inc., where he started in 2007 after VMware acquired Dunes. Based in Gland, Switzerland, Christophe is a global resource supporting customers in their orchestration and automation needs. He has presented orchestration solutions at conferences such as VMworld and is the primary contributor to this site.