Installing & Configuring vCloud Usage Meter

22-03-2020 Manish Jha

What is Usage Meter?

vCloud Usage Meter is an on-premises virtual appliance that is used to collect and generate reports for Cloud Provider Partners (VCPP) to send back to VMware for monthly billing of usage.

Usage Meter collects usage of most of the VMware products that are installed in cloud providers datacenter. Current version of Usage Meter (4.1) supports usage collection from following endpoints:

How Usage Meter collects and report monthly product consumption data, is explained Here

vCloud Usage Insight

vCloud Usage Insight is a VMware cloud service that aggregates and automates monthly and end user reporting from on-premise vCloud Usage Meter instances to the VMware Cloud Provider Commerce Portal. With vCloud Usage Insight, you retain full control over the usage report data in Commerce Portal before submission.

To learn more about vCloud Usage Meter & Usage Insight please check VMware official Documentation

Usage Meter Installation Requirements

I am not going to cover nitty-gritty of installation pre-requisites as everything is well documented Here

vCloud Usage Meter is distributed as virtual appliance (ova) and can be downloaded from Here

vCloud UM deployment is pretty straight forward like any other ova deployment.… Read More

Automating vROPs Tenant Appliance Deployment & Configuration via API

17-03-2020 Manish Jha

In my previous post on vROPs Tenant Appliance for vCD, I covered steps of manual deployment & configuration. In this post I will cover how we can achieve this via CLI/API.

These API’s can be leveraged via any scripting language to automate the deployment of vROPs TA.

Step 1: Deploy vROPs Tenant Appliance via ovftool

As of now there is no API for automating deployment of appliance via API, so we will use ovftool for this purpose.

ovftool --name=<vrops-ta-fqdn> --acceptAllEulas --X:logFile=ovftool.log --X:injectOvfEnv --allowExtraConfig --noSSLVerify --datastore=vsanDatastore --network=VM_MGMT --diskMode=thin --powerOn --prop:vrops_host=<vrops-fqdn> --prop:vami.ip0.vROps_Tenant_App_for_vCD=x.x.x.x.x --prop:vami.netmask0.vROps_Tenant_App_for_vCD=x.x.x.x --prop:vami.gateway.vROps_Tenant_App_for_vCD=x.x.x.x.x --prop:vami.domain.vROps_Tenant_App_for_vCD=<domain-name> --prop:vami.searchpath.vROps_Tenant_App_for_vCD=<domain-name> --prop:vami.DNS.vROps_Tenant_App_for_vCD=x.x.x.x.x "C:\Users\Administrator\Downloads\vROPS Tenant App\vROps-Tenant-App-for-vCD-2.3.0.33067-14826907_OVF10.ova" vi://root@<esxi-fqdn>/

1	ovftool --name=<vrops-ta-fqdn> --acceptAllEulas --X:logFile=ovftool.log --X:injectOvfEnv --allowExtraConfig --noSSLVerify --datastore=vsanDatastore --network=VM_MGMT --diskMode=thin --powerOn --prop:vrops_host=<vrops-fqdn> --prop:vami.

Upgrading vCSA 6.7 to 7.0 via CLI

17-03-2020 Manish Jha

In my current project I have been tasked with identifying the process of VCSA upgrade via CLI so that same can be automated via code and eventually enabling customers to upgrade vCenter server in one click.

During my research I came to know that unfortunately there are no API calls as of now to upgrade vcsa and we have to rely on the CLI installer method.

vCenter Upgrade Process Overview

Those who have worked on VCSA upgrade in past, VCSA upgrade is not an in-place upgrade and it is a 2 step process.

Stage1 is where you gather all the necessary information such as source and target appliance details, target Esxi host/vCenter to deploy appliance and vCenter credentials etc. A new appliance with target version is deployed during the process.
In Stage2 data (configuration, historical, and performance metrics) migration is performed from source VCSA to newly deployed VCSA.

During upgrade, the newly deployed appliance is deployed via a temporary IP and once all data is migrated from source appliance, it is shut down and the new appliance is reconfigured with same IP which was configured in source. … Read More

Installing & Configuring vCD Content Pack in vRLI via API

07-03-2020 Manish Jha

In this post we will learn how to install vCD content pack in vRealize Log Insight via API.

What is vCD Content pack?

As per VMware official documentation:

The VMware vCloud Director content pack provides you unparalleled visibility into your vCD environment from 5.5 to the new 9.x SP. Providing graphical representations of important log data, metrics of your vCD workloads and a robust set of alerts this content pack will allow you to better manage vCD utilizing Log Insight’s capabilities.

Installing content packs in vRLI is one of the day 2 operations that most VMware Admins do in their day to day job. In large datacenters where there are several instances of vRLI, configuring content packs & agents via UI is a very tedious and time consuming process. You can use API’s to automate these day 2 tasks to reduce time and to minimize human errors. So let’s get started.… Read More

Integrating vSphere & vROPs with vRLI via API

04-03-2020 Manish Jha

In this post I will walk through steps of integrating vSphere and vROPs in vRLI via API.

Note: All GET & POST calls are done over port 9543 with JSON payloads.

1: Obtain Auth Token:

Method: POST

URL: https://<vrli-fqdn>:9543/api/v1/sessions

Request Body:

{
"username":"admin",
"password":"VMware1!",
"provider":"Local"
}

Method: POST

URL: https://<vrli-fqdn>:9543/api/v1/sessions

Request Body:

{

"username":"admin",

"password":"VMware1!",

"provider":"Local"

}

Response output is a sessionId which is a opaque bearer token valid for a limited time, indicated by the ttl value in the response.

Note: Post obtaining Auth Token, sessionId is passed as type “Bearer Token” under Authorization for all subsequent requests.

2: Test vSphere Connection

Method: POST

URL: https://<vrli-fqdn>:9543/api/v1/vsphere/testconnection

Sample Payload:

{
"acceptCert":true,
"hostname":"vcenter.mgmt.vmw",
"username":"administrator@vsphere.local",
"password":"VMware1!"
}

Method: POST

URL: https://<vrli-fqdn>:9543/api/v1/vsphere/testconnection

Sample Payload:

{

"acceptCert":true,

"hostname":"vcenter.mgmt.vmw"

Install & Configure vCD Management Pack in vROPs via API

01-03-2020 Manish Jha

In this post, I will walk through the steps of installing vCD Management Pack in vROPS via API. Installation of the management pack is leveraged via vROPS CaSA API. The adapter configuration is done via regular suite-api.

What is vROps CaSA API?

CaSA stands for Cluster and Slice Administration. The CaSA API manages the internal working of vRealize Operations Manager and runs on a standalone vFabric tcServer. CaSA API can be explored directly from vROPs by typing https://<vrops-fqdn>/casa/api-guide.html

Install and Configure vCD Management Pack & Adapter

1: Upload vCD Management Pack: First we need to upload vCD MP to vROPs via POST call.

Note: I am executing all API calls via Postman. If you have never used postman to upload files to the server, then please read this post for instructions.

Method: POST

URL: https://<vrops-fqdn>/casa/upgrade/cluster/pak/reserved/operation/upload?pak_handling_advice=CLOBBER&force_content_update=true

Auth: Basic: vROPS-User/Password

Headers: Accept: application/json

Body: form-data, key:contents , value: MP file name

Method: POST

URL: https://<vrops-fqdn>/casa/upgrade/cluster/pak/reserved/operation/upload?pak_handling_advice=CLOBBER&force_content_update=true

Configuring vCenter Adapter in vROPs via API

01-03-2020 Manish Jha

In this post we will learn how to install Management Packs in vROPs via API.

For vCenter we don’t have to install any management pack as its shipped with vROPs by default and we just have to create vCenter credentials and configure adapter. Below steps can be followed to configure VC adapter.

1: Obtain Session Token: vROPs session token is obtained via POST call.

Method: POST 

URL: https://<vrops-fqdn>/suite-api/api/auth/token/acquire 

Headers: 

Content-Type : application\json 
Accept       : application\json 

Auth: No Auth 

Body:
 
{ 
"username" : "vROPs-User",
 "password" : "Password" 
}

Method: POST

URL: https://<vrops-fqdn>/suite-api/api/auth/token/acquire

Headers:

Content-Type : application\json

Accept : application\json

Auth: No Auth

Body:

{

"username" : "vROPs-User",

"password" : "Password"

}

Sample Output:

The token id obtained in output is passed as “Authorization: vRealizeOpsToken token_value” header in all subsequent GET and POST calls.… Read More

Configuring MYVMware Account in vRSLCM via API

29-02-2020 Manish Jha

One of the method of installing vRealize products via vRSLCM is to configure myvmw repository first and then pulling available product binaries via internet. In this post I will walk through steps of configuring the same via API.

1: Add myvmw credentials to password Store

Method: POST

URL: https://<vrslcm-fqdn>/lcm/locker/api/passwords

Sample Payload:

{
   "vmid":"null",
   "alias":"vstellar-myvmw-account",
   "userName":"xyz@vmware.com",
   "password":"xxxxx"
}

Method: POST

URL: https://<vrslcm-fqdn>/lcm/locker/api/passwords

Sample Payload:

{

"vmid":"null",

"alias":"vstellar-myvmw-account",

"userName":"xyz@vmware.com",

"password":"xxxxx"

}

2: Fetch vmid associated with alias created in step-1: When a new password is added to locker store, vRSLCM assigns a unique vmid to that password and all future references to this password is made via assigned vmid.

Method: GET

URL: https://<vrslcm-fqdn>/lcm/locker/api/passwords

Method: GET

URL: https://<vrslcm-fqdn>/lcm/locker/api/passwords

Sample Output

{
   "vmid":"b19479ed-40cb-4441-a95d-81e4570ad0a8",
   "alias":"vstellar-myvmw-account",
   "userName":"xyz@vmware.com",

vRLI Distributed Install/Upgrade via vRSLCM API

29-02-2020 Manish Jha

In my last Post I demonstrated how to install and upgrade a distributed vROPs via vRSLCM API. In this post I will walk through how to perform install/upgrade a distributed vRLI environment.

Steps for deploying/upgrading any vRealize product via vRSLCM API are pretty much same, only the json payload varies.

vRLI Deployment Procedure

Step 1: Pre-Validate Environment Creation

Method: POST

URL: https://<vrslcm-fqdn>/lcm/lcops/api/environments/import/prevalidate

Sample Payload:

{
   "requestId":"null",
   "requestType":"VALIDATE_CREATE_ENVIRONMENT",
   "environmentRequestDTO":{
      "environmentId":"vRLI-4.8-Distributed",
      "environmentName":"vRLI-4.8-Distributed",
      "infrastructure":{
         "properties":{
            "dataCenterName":"SDDC-MAAS",
            "regionName":"default",
            "zoneName":"default",
            "vCenterName":"vcenter.mgmt.vmw",
            "vCenterHost":"vcenter.mgmt.vmw",
            "vcUsername":"administrator@vsphere.local",
            "vcPassword":"locker:password:e1dfebff-4600-4439-afb5-851e1830a71e:VC-Password",
            "acceptEULA":"true",
            "enableTelemetry":"false",
            "adminEmail":"xyz@vmware.com",
            "defaultPassword":"locker:password:26c77689-e7a8-4f27-8c85-c9a51a77689c:Default-Password",
            "certificate":"locker:certificate:f2558190-2002-46e2-847f-eb83c6c110be:vRLI-Certs",
            "cluster":"MGMT_DC#MGMT_CLU",
            "storage":"vsanDatastore",
            "folderName":"group-v50(MGMT_VMs)",
            "resourcePool":"resgroup-43(MGMT-ResourcePool)",
            "diskMode":"thin",
            "network":"VM_MGMT",
            "masterVidmEnabled":"true",
            "dns":"x.x.x.5",
            "domain":"mgmt.vmw",
            "gateway":"x.x.x.1",
            "netmask":"255.255.255.0",
            "searchpath":"mgmt.vmw",
            "timeSyncMode":"ntp",
            "ntp":"x.x.x.x",
            "isDhcp":"false"
         }
      },
      "products":[
         {
            "id":"vrli",
            "version":"4.8.0",
            "properties":{
               "certificate":"locker:certificate:f2558190-2002-46e2-847f-eb83c6c110be:vRLI-Certs",
               "productPassword":"locker:password:26c77689-e7a8-4f27-8c85-c9a51a77689c:Default-Password",
               "licenseRef":"locker:license:84727216-1e61-4694-bea9-4b19a5969e20:vRLI-4.x",
               "nodeSize":"small",
               "configureClusterVIP":"true",
               "affinityRule":true,
               "configureAffinitySeparateAll":"true",
               "ntp":"x.x.x.x",
               "timeSyncMode":"ntp"
            },
            "clusterVIP":{
               "clusterVips":[
                  {
                     "type":"vrli-cluster-1",
                     "properties":{
                        "hostName":"vrli.mgmt.vmw",
                        "ip":"x.x.x.110"
                     }
                  }
               ]
            },
            "nodes":[
               {
                  "type":"vrli-master",
                  "properties":{
                     "vmName":"vrli-master",
                     "hostName":"vrli01.mgmt.vmw",
                     "ip":"x.x.x.111"
                  }
               },
               {
                  "type":"vrli-worker",
                  "properties":{
                     "vmName":"vrli-worker-1",
                     "hostName":"vrli02.mgmt.vmw",
                     "ip":"x.x.x.112"
                  }
               },
               {
                  "type":"vrli-worker",
                  "properties":{
                     "vmName":"vrli-worker-2",
                     "hostName":"vrli03.mgmt.vmw",
                     "ip":"x.x.x.113"
                  }
               }
            ]
         }
      ]
   }
}

Method: POST

URL: https://<vrslcm-fqdn>/lcm/lcops/api/environments/import/prevalidate

Sample Payload:

{

"requestId":"null",

"requestType":"VALIDATE_CREATE_ENVIRONMENT",

"environmentRequestDTO":{

"environmentId":"vRLI-4.8-Distributed",

"environmentName":"vRLI-4.8-Distributed",

"infrastructure":{

"properties":{

"dataCenterName":"SDDC-MAAS",

"regionName":"default",

"zoneName":"default",

"vCenterName":"vcenter.mgmt.vmw"

vROPs Distributed Install/Upgrade via vRSLCM API

27-02-2020 Manish Jha

vRSLCM is such a great tool that it lifts all the complexity of deploying vRealize suite in just few clicks. Whether you are looking for standalone deployment or a distributed one, you are shielded from all the complexity that goes behind in setting up an environment.

Recently while working on my new project, I was tasked to find out a way where all the UI operations related to vRSLCM can be automated. In my last post I listed all the API’s that are needed to perform end to end vRSLCM configuration. We need to fetch few details before starting install/upgrade of any vRealize product.

This post is extension to my last post and I will be demonstrating how to deploy/upgrade various vRealize products using vRSLCM API. The first in this list will be vROPs. So lets get started.

At this point, I assume you have already fetched details about:

Certificate Name/UUID (From Locker)
Default Password Name/UUID (From Locker)
License Name/UUID (From Locker)
Infra details (DNS, NTP, Datacenter name, cluster name etc)
Local Repo configured and all product install/upgrade binaries uploaded there.

Year: 2020

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