Lifecycle Manager Administration Guide vCenter Lifecycle Manager 1.0.2 This document supports the version of each product listed and supports all subsequent versions until the document is replaced by a new edition. To check for more recent editions of this document, see http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs.
Lifecycle Manager Administration Guide You can find the most up-to-date technical documentation on the VMware Web site at: http://www.vmware.com/support/ The VMware Web site also provides the latest product updates. If you have comments about this documentation, submit your feedback to: docfeedback@vmware.com Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. This product is protected by U.S. and international copyright and intellectual property laws.
Contents Updated Information 5 About This Book 7 1 Understanding LCM 9 The Lifecycle Manager Process 9 Lifecycle Manager Terminology 11 Role‐Based User Interface 11 LCM Administrator 11 Lifecycle Manager Architecture 12 LCM Compatibility with vCenter 12 Lifecycle Manager Components 13 2 Installing LCM 15 Installing and Configuring vCenter Orchestrator 15 Control Orchestrator Access 15 Installation Requirements 16 Supported Browsers 17 Install Lifecycle Manager 17 Configure Plug‐ins 17 Configure Database
Lifecycle Manager Administration Guide Customizing the User Interface 26 Create a Custom Style Sheet 26 Modify an RDP Template 27 Change the Application Logo 27 Change a Navigation Element 27 Add a Custom Element 28 5 Setting Up the Virtual Machine Environment 29 Configuring the Infrastructure for Requested Virtual Machines Register or Create a Resource Pool 30 Register a Datastore 30 Register or Create a Virtual Machine Folder 30 Configure Network Options 31 Create a Template Profile 32 Create a Domain 3
Updated Information This Lifecycle Manager Administration Guide is updated with each release of the product or when necessary. This table provides the update history of the Lifecycle Manager Administration Guide. Revision Description EN‐000234‐01 Added a new topic about configuring the Lifecycle Manager components in the Orchestrator configuration interface in “Configure Plug‐ins” on page 17. Added information about custom style sheets in “Create a Custom Style Sheet” on page 26.
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About This Book This book, the Lifecycle Manager Administration Guide, provides information about installing and configuring VMware® vCenter™ Lifecycle Manager (LCM). Intended Audience This book is intended for administrators who are installing and configuring LCM. The information in this guide is written for experienced system administrators who are familiar with virtual machine technology. Document Feedback VMware welcomes your suggestions for improving our documentation.
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1 Understanding LCM 1 VMware vCenter Lifecycle Manager (LCM) helps you manage the creation of virtual machines. Using LCM, you can perform the following tasks: Handle and process virtual machine requests in a Web user interface. Automatically place servers based on their location, organization, environment, service level, or performance levels. When a solution is found for a set of criteria, the machine is automatically deployed.
Lifecycle Manager Administration Guide Figure 1-1.
Chapter 1 Understanding LCM Lifecycle Manager Terminology LCM uses specific terminology to describe lifecycle events and attributes. Table 1-1. Terminology Term Definition Commission Date and time to create a requested virtual machine. The commission time is submitted during the request process. Decommission The requested machine reaches its end of life. A decommission date is submitted during the request process. The decommissioned machine can be archived or deleted.
Lifecycle Manager Administration Guide Lifecycle Manager Architecture LCM is powered by VMware vCenter Orchestrator 4.0. Orchestrator is a development and process‐automation platform that provides a library of extensible workflows for creating and running automated, configurable processes to manage the VMware vCenter infrastructure. You can use Orchestrator to create custom workflows that you can run from LCM.
Chapter 1 Understanding LCM Lifecycle Manager Components LCM requires the following components, which you configure during installation: Service directory – Defines which users can connect to LCM and their permission levels. Only users who are members of a directory group can log in.
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2 Installing LCM 2 This chapter describes the prerequisites, system requirements, and steps to install vCenter Lifecycle Manager on Windows. LCM 1.0.1 users can also migrate their existing configuration to LCM 1.0.2. (See “Migrating from LCM 1.0.1 to LCM 1.0.2” on page 19, before proceeding with the LCM 1.0.2 installation.
Lifecycle Manager Administration Guide To disable access to workflows from Web service clients 1 Navigate to the following folder on the Orchestrator server system. \VMware\Orchestrator\app-server\server\vmo\conf 2 Open the vmo.properties configuration file in a text editor and add the following line. #Disable Orchestrator client connection com.vmware.o11n.web-service-disabled = true If the vmo.
Chapter 2 Installing LCM Supported Browsers You must use one of the following browsers to connect to LCM: Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 Mozilla Firefox 3.0.x (where x is 8 or later) To connect to a virtual machine using a remote desktop application, you must have Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) client software installed on your workstation.
Lifecycle Manager Administration Guide Configure VMware Infrastructure Options The VMware Infrastructure 3.5 plug‐in is responsible for all communication with VMware vCenter. A Web service API is used to connect to VMware Infrastructure 3.5 or vCenter 4. Because LCM supports vCenter 4.0 only in compatibility mode, you must configure the VMware Infrastructure 3.5 plug‐in, and add your vCenter 4.0 server in it.
3 Migrating from LCM 1.0.1 to LCM 1.0.2 3 If you are using VMware Lifecycle Manager ‐ Standard 1.0.1 (LCM 1.0.1), you can migrate to VMware vCenter Lifecycle Manager 1.0.2 (LCM 1.0.2). This chapter includes the following topics: “Back Up Database Tables” on page 19 “Migrating LCM 1.0.1 Configuration to LCM 1.0.2” on page 19 Back Up Database Tables Before migrating, VMware recommends that you back up your LCM database table and networking database table.
Lifecycle Manager Administration Guide 5 On the Server tab, click Restart service. 6 Go to http://:8080/vmo. 7 Log in to the VMware Lifecycle Manager ‐ Migration Tool ‐ Export Webview. 8 Click Execute Export Data Workflow. 9 Click Submit to start the export process. 10 If the process fails, click Back to Step 1 to retry. 11 After the export process is completed successfully, click Download Exported Data to save the data.zip file. Install LCM 1.0.
4 Configuring LCM 4 You must configure LCM before you can use it. The configuration involves setting up the virtual machine naming convention, specifying groups, and selecting date and currency formats. You can also configure role‐based attributes.
Lifecycle Manager Administration Guide Initial Configuration of Lifecycle Manager You must complete the initial configuration of LCM when you run LCM for the first time. To complete the initial configuration of LCM 1 2 Start the Orchestrator Server. a Log in to http://:8282. b Click Startup Options. c Click Start service. Go to http://:8280/vmo/lifecycle to log in to LCM for the first time.
Chapter 4 Configuring LCM 4 Under Display, choose whether to display the details of an execution token after submitting a workflow. You can also limit the number of elements displayed on a single page. 5 In the URL text box, type a Webview URL. 6 Click Submit. Set Approval Requirements Virtual machines are decommissioned on the date that the requester selected when requesting the machine.
Lifecycle Manager Administration Guide To edit authorization groups 1 Log in to LCM as an administrator. 2 Click the Configuration view. 3 Click Edit Authorization Groups. 4 Under Management Groups, select or type appropriate values for the groups. 5 Under Requester Groups, select or type appropriate values for the groups. 6 Click Submit. Roles and Tasks Table 4‐1 describes how roles are mapped to tasks. Tasks marked with an O can be performed only by the owner of the request. Table 4-1.
Chapter 4 Configuring LCM Enable Email Notifications LCM users can receive emails when they are required to perform an action. For example, an LCM Approver can receive an email when required to approve or reject a virtual machine request. You can enable email notifications. To enable email notifications 1 Log in to LCM as an administrator. 2 Click the Configuration view. If the Mail icon ( ) does not appear next to the Configuration icon ( ), email notifications are disabled.
Lifecycle Manager Administration Guide Configure Currency and Date Formats You can configure the currency and date formats.The price of a virtual machine is estimated in the currency that you select. To configure currency and date formats 1 Log in to LCM as an administrator. 2 Click the Configuration view. 3 Click Edit Format (Currency, Date). 4 Select a currency format. 5 Select a date format. 6 Click Submit.
Chapter 4 Configuring LCM Modify an RDP Template You can modify the RDP template that is used to connect to a virtual machine. This changes the RDP settings when the LCM UI starts an RDP session from the Catalog view. For example, you can modify the screen and audio settings for RDP sessions. To modify an RDP template 1 Log in as the LCM administrator. 2 Click the Configuration view. 3 Click the Custom Element icon ( 4 Click Rdp template ( ). ).
Lifecycle Manager Administration Guide Add a Custom Element You can add custom elements such as additional buttons that are linked to workflows. You can use standard workflows or use custom workflows created in the Orchestrator Client. For information about developing workflows, see the vCenter Orchestrator Developer’s Guide. To add a new custom element 1 Log in to LCM as an administrator. 2 Click the Configuration view. 3 Click the Custom Element icon ( 4 Click New.
5 Setting Up the Virtual Machine Environment 5 Before users can request virtual machines, the LCM Administrator must configure the infrastructure and criteria.
Lifecycle Manager Administration Guide Register or Create a Resource Pool You can use an existing resource pool for requested virtual machines or create a new one. LCM automatically maps the request to the resource pool. If you map more than one resource pool to the server environment, the LCM IT Staff user can select which one to use. To register a resource pool 1 Log in to LCM as an administrator. 2 Click the Infrastructure view. The Resource Pool view opens as a default view. 3 Click Register.
Chapter 5 Setting Up the Virtual Machine Environment 4 Click Register. 5 Type or search for the name of the virtual machine folder that you want to register. 6 Choose whether you want to automatically register all child virtual machine folders and click Submit. 7 Select the criteria options and click Submit. To create a virtual machine folder 1 Log in to LCM as an administrator. 2 Click the Infrastructure view. 3 Click the Virtual Machine Folder icon ( 4 Click Create.
Lifecycle Manager Administration Guide To create subnets that are associated with a network 1 Log in to LCM as an administrator. 2 Click the Infrastructure view. 3 Click the Network icon ( 4 Click a network. 5 Click Create Subnet. 6 Type the information in the text boxes. 7 Click Submit. ). Create a Template Profile You can create a template profile. You can select an operating system, and specify the estimated cost for a virtual machine.
Chapter 5 Setting Up the Virtual Machine Environment Create a Domain You can join a domain or a workgroup. To create a domain 1 Log in to LCM as an administrator. 2 Click the Infrastructure view. 3 Click the Domain icon ( 4 Click Create. 5 Choose whether to join a domain or a workgroup. 6 ). If you selected Yes, type the necessary information. If you selected No, type a workgroup name. If you joined a domain, select a network or an array of networks.
Lifecycle Manager Administration Guide 4 Click Relink All to relink all unlinked elements automatically. 5 To relink an unlinked element manually: a Click an element in the left pane. b Click Relink in the right pane. c Under Action on unlinked element select Relink. d Select the element and click Submit.
6 Using LCM 6 After you have configured Lifecycle Manager, you can perform day‐to‐day administration tasks, such as approving virtual machine requests, importing virtual machines, decommissioning virtual machines, and so on. Some tasks, such as requesting a virtual machine, can be performed by all LCM user roles. Most tasks, however, can only be performed by the LCM Administrator.
Lifecycle Manager Administration Guide Approvals This view displays virtual machine requests waiting for approval. Requests can be filtered by their state. Tasks in this view are typically performed by the LCM Approver role. For more information about using this view, see the Lifecycle Manager Userʹs Guide. Placement This view displays virtual machine requests waiting for placement. Requests can be filtered by their state. Tasks in this view are typically performed by the LCM IT Staff role.
Chapter 6 Using LCM 5 (Optional) Specify who can control the virtual machine request. If you do not specify a user or group, only you have control. 6 a From the Virtual machine control by drop‐down menu, select Group or User. b Type the name of the user or group, or search for a list of available group or user names and descriptions. c Type the email address for the user or group if email notifications are enabled.
Lifecycle Manager Administration Guide Modify the Decommissioning Time You can change the decommissioning time in the Orchestrator Client. To change the decommissioning time 1 Select Start > Programs > vCenter Orchestrator> vCenter Orchestrator Client. 2 Log in as the Administrator. 3 Click the Policies view. 4 Right‐click the Lifecycle Scheduler policy and select Stop policy. 5 Right‐click the Lifecycle Scheduler policy and select Edit. 6 Click the Scripting tab in the right pane.
Chapter 6 Using LCM Modify Request Options You can change the attributes of a virtual machine request. To modify the request options 1 Log in to LCM as an administrator. 2 Click the Catalog view. 3 Select a requested virtual machine in the left pane. 4 Select an option from the right pane. Decommission – Decommission the virtual machine. Extension – Request an extension for the virtual machine. Change Request – Modify request resources.
Lifecycle Manager Administration Guide To suspend a virtual machine 1 Log in to LCM as an administrator. 2 Click Catalog to view a list of the virtual machines. 3 Click a virtual machine name in the catalog list. 4 In the right pane, click Commands. 5 Click Suspend. Connecting to a Virtual Machine You can connect to a virtual machine from your Web browser or using an RDP client application.
Chapter 6 Using LCM To revert to a snapshot 1 Log in to LCM as an administrator. 2 Click the Catalog view and click a virtual machine name in the catalog list. 3 In the right pane, click Commands. 4 Click Revert to snapshot. The virtual machine returns to the state it was in when the snapshot was taken. Generate Reports You can generate reports for various LCM events. For example, reports can display approved and rejected requests, decommissioned virtual machines, error events, and so on.
Lifecycle Manager Administration Guide To import virtual machines from a resource pool 1 Log in to LCM as an administrator. 2 Click the Administration view. 3 Click Import Virtual Machine from Resource Pool. 4 Select one or more resource pools of the virtual machines that you want to import. 5 Type a comment and click Next. 6 Specify whether you want to set a decommissioning date. 7 (Optional) Specify who can control or view the virtual machine.
Chapter 6 Using LCM Activate Webview Debug Mode You can switch the Webview debug mode on and off. To activate webview debug mode 1 Log in to LCM as an administrator. 2 Click the Administration view. 3 Click Activate webview debug mode. 4 Select Yes. 5 Click Submit. Relink Tokens to Virtual Machines If a provisioning request was available with a virtual machine but the virtual machine was unregistered in vCenter, the token loses its link to the virtual machine.
Lifecycle Manager Administration Guide Troubleshoot LCM If you encounter problems, you can try these procedures to troubleshoot the situation. To restart the Orchestrator server 1 Select Start > Programs > Administrative Tools > Services. 2 Select VMware vCenter Orchestrator Server. 3 Right‐click and select Restart. To restart the Web configuration server 1 Select Start > Programs > Administrative Tools > Services. 2 Select VMware vCenter Orchestrator Configuration.
Index A administrator tasks 11 approval modes 23 architecture 12 archive settings 23 authorization groups 23 B base name 24 C checking power state 39 commands Connect 40 Open console 40 Power on 39 Revert to snapshot 41 Snapshot 40 Suspend 40 configuring Webviews 22 connecting to virtual machines 40 CPU usage 37 creating reports 41 creating snapshots 40 criteria 34 customization templates, modifying 37 D database usage 13 date and currency format 26 disk shares 37 E email notification type 25 exporting
Lifecycle Manager Administration Guide opening in Web browser 40 powering on 39 requesting 36–37 resource allocation 37 snapshot 40 suspending 40 VMware WebCenter Remote MKS Plug-in 17, 40 W Web browsers opening virtual machines 40 supported 17 Webview debugging 43 46 VMware, Inc.
