VCF Automation

Customizing Windows guest instances in VMware environments has traditionally been handled by the VMware Guest Customization Specification (Sysprep-based). While this approach works, it has limitations — especially when you need cloud-agnostic blueprints that work across vCenter, Azure, AWS, and GCP cloud accounts. Enter Cloudbase-Init — the Windows equivalent of Cloud-Init. It provides powerful guest customization capabilities including user creation, password injection, hostname configuration, SSH public keys, and user-data script execution. This guide walks through the full process of installing and configuring Cloudbase-Init on a Windows Server template for use with VCF Automation (formerly VMware Aria Automation / vRealize Automation). ...

If you’re working withAria Automation (formerly vRealize Automation) and want to give users the ability to add extra disks to a Windows VM — and define their drive letter and volume label — you’re in the right place. This guide shows you how to build a flexible and reusable cloud template (blueprint) that handles additional disks dynamically. We’ll cover: YAML blueprint inputs for user-defined disks Cloud-init with PowerShell to configure drives Handling drive letter and label assignment dynamically Ensuring all disks are initialized and formatted properly Step 1: Define Inputs for Additional Disks In your Aria Automation blueprint YAML, start by defining an input array that allows users to specify up to 4 additional disks, including their desired SCSI unit number, disk size, drive letter, and volume label. ...

In this post, I will cover upgrading my 8.x Aria Automation appliance to version 8.18.1 Patch 1. As a prerequisite, we need to have Aria Suite Lifecycle upgraded to 8.18. Instructions can be found here. Note that the upgrade does not include the latest PSPACK containing the 8.18.1 Patch 1 Aria Automation release. Instructions for obtaining the PSPACK are available in here. Note: Following the VMware by Broadcom Day 2 transition on May 6, 2024, Customer Connect has been migrated to the Broadcom Support. This migration impacts the VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle as follows: All Product Support Packs, along with product and patch binaries, will now need to be downloaded from the Broadcom Support Portal Users must then manually map these into the VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle can be upgraded using “Check Online” method. Product Support Packs are cumulative, incorporating all updates from previous product support packs as well as patches into the latest version. Downloading the Patch Binaries The Aria Automation Patch 1 binaries can be downloaded from here. In my case, it was VMware Aria Automation 8.18.1 .patch file (vrlcm-vra-8.18.1-8.18.1.36859.patch). Once downloaded, LCM supports local mappings. In my case, I uploaded the patch in /data/temp ...

Following the deployment of vIDM which can be found here, deploying VMware Aria Automation (formerly known as vRealize Automation) enhances your VCF environment with powerful self-service provisioning, automated operations, and streamlined infrastructure management. This step-by-step guide will walk you through deploying Aria Automation using VMware Aria Lifecycle Manager in a VCF 5.2.1 environment, integrating it seamlessly with vIDM for Single Sign-On (SSO) and access management. Prerequisites VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 5.2.1 Environment: Ensure VCF 5.2.1 is fully set up and operational. Aria Lifecycle Manager (ALCM) Appliance: Make sure Aria Lifecycle Manager is installed and accessible. Identity Management (vIDM): Deployed and configured to allow SSO across VMware products. DNS and Network Configurations: Validated for reachability and FQDN resolution. Step 1: Access Aria Lifecycle Manager Log in to the Aria Lifecycle Manager (ALCM) console with admin credentials. Ensure your ALCM version aligns with VCF 5.2.1, ensuring compatibility. Step 2: Add an Environment in ALCM In ALCM, navigate to Environments and Add New Environment. Input environment details, such as name and description, to organize deployments within the ALCM. Select a Datacenter for the deployment. Click Next. ...

In this guide I will go over the manual steps of getting an existing 8.x Aria Suite Lifecycle appliance to support the latest product releases available. Here is a great blog that goes in to the details about what the Product Support Pack is https://blogs.vmware.com/management/2019/01/vrslcm-pspak.html. Typically the newer Product Support Pack is included part of the upgrade for Aria Suite Lifecycle, however sometimes there are product releases in between releases where product support packs come in handy. As of 8.16.0 Product Support Pack 4 we can no longer automatically download the Product Support Pack files. The release notes can be found here. I covered the newer PSPACK4 upgrade in a separate guide. ...

Changing the IP address of a Aria Automation node requires careful planning to avoid service disruption. Here’s a step-by-step guide: 1. Verify Health of vRealize Automation Run: vracli service status Ensure the cluster or node is healthy before proceeding. 2. Set Alternative IP Address vracli network alternative-ip set --dns <DNS_IP1>,<DNS_IP2> <New_IP>/<subnet> <Gateway_IP> ...

In this post, I will cover upgrading my 8.x Aria Automation appliance to version 8.18. As a prerequisite, we need to have VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle upgraded to 8.18. Instructions can be found here. Note: Following the VMware by Broadcom Day 2 transition on May 6, 2024, Customer Connect has been migrated to the Broadcom Support. This migration impacts the VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle as follows: All Product Support Packs, along with product and patch binaries, will now need to be downloaded from the Broadcom Support Portal Users must then manually map these into the VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle can be upgraded using “Check Online” method. Product Support Packs are cumulative, incorporating all updates from previous product support packs as well as patches into the latest version. Downloading and Mapping the Binaries The Aria Automation binaries can be downloaded from here. In my case, it was VMware Aria Automation 8.18.0 Update Repository (Prelude_VA-8.18.0.35770-24024333-updaterepo.iso). Once downloaded, LCM supports local or NFS mappings. In my case, I uploaded the binary in /data ...

Upgrading Aria Automation (formerly known as vRealize Automation, vRA) is crucial for maintaining the efficiency, security, and compatibility of your automation tasks. For environments without VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle, you can still perform the upgrade using the vracli command-line utility. If your environment does have Lifecycle Manager, I covered upgrading VMware Aria Automation to 8.18 through it in a separate guide. This blog post will guide you through the process of upgrading Aria Automation using two different methods: from a mounted ISO (CD-ROM) and from an online update repository URL. ...

Upgrading Aria Automation (formerly known as vRealize Automation, vRA) is crucial for maintaining the efficiency, security, and compatibility of your automation tasks. For environments without VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle, you can still perform the upgrade using the vracli command-line utility. This blog post will guide you through the process of upgrading Aria Automation using two different methods: from a mounted ISO (CD-ROM) and from an online update repository URL. Before You Begin Prerequisites SSH access to your Aria Automation appliance. Sufficient backup of your Aria Automation environment. Downloaded ISO for the Aria Automation upgrade, if using the CD-ROM method. Access to the Aria Automation appliance with root privileges. Upgrading from a Mounted ISO Method 1: Upgrading from a Mounted ISO (CD-ROM) Prepare the ISO Image: Before starting, ensure that the ISO image for the Aria Automation upgrade is downloaded and available. Mount the ISO to the Appliance: Mount the ISO image to your Aria Automation appliance. This step might require physical access to the server or through the management interface provided by your hypervisor (e.g., ESXi). To mount the CD-ROM we can use: mount /dev/sr0 /mnt/cdrom SSH into the Aria Automation Appliance: Access your appliance via SSH as the root user. Execute the Upgrade Command: Run the following command to start the upgrade process: vracli upgrade exec -y --profile lcm --repo cdrom:// This command will automatically start the upgrade process using the ISO mounted on the CD-ROM drive. The -y flag automates the acceptance of the upgrade process, and --profile lcm specifies the use of the lifecycle manager upgrade profile, even though the Lifecycle Manager itself is not being used. Monitor the Upgrade Process: The upgrade process will provide output to the console. Monitor this output for any errors or prompts that require manual intervention. Use 'vracli upgrade status --follow' to monitor the progress. Finalize the Upgrade: Once the upgrade completes, follow any on-screen instructions to finalize the upgrade. This may include rebooting the Aria Automation appliance. Upgrading from an Online Repository Method 2: Upgrading from an Online Update Repository URL SSH into the Aria Automation Appliance: Ensure you have SSH access to the appliance as the root user. Determine the Repository URL: Identify the URL of the update repository you intend to use for the upgrade. This URL should point to the VMware online repository or an internally hosted repository mirror. Execute the Upgrade Command: Use the following command to initiate the upgrade from the online repository: vracli upgrade exec --profile lcm -r <url> Replace <url> with the actual URL of your update repository. Similar to the CD-ROM method, --profile lcm indicates the lifecycle manager upgrade profile. Monitor the Upgrade Process: As with the ISO method, keep an eye on the console output for any actions required on your part. Use 'vracli upgrade status --follow' to monitor the progress. Complete the Upgrade: After the upgrade process finishes, perform any additional steps prompted by the system, which may include system reboots. Post-Upgrade Verification Post-Upgrade Steps Verify the Upgrade: Log in to the Aria Automation user interface to verify that the upgrade was successful and all services are running correctly. Review Logs: Check the upgrade logs for any warnings or errors that might need attention. Test Deployments: Execute a few test deployments to ensure that all functionalities are working as expected. Final Thoughts Conclusion Upgrading Aria Automation without the Lifecycle Manager is straightforward with the vracli utility. Whether you’re upgrading from a mounted ISO or an online repository, the process is designed to be seamless. Always ensure that you have backups and a rollback plan in case of any issues. For a version-specific walkthrough of this procedure, see upgrading Aria Automation to 8.18 via CLI.

In this post I will go over upgrading my 8.x Aria Operations appliance to 8.17.2 using Aria Suite Lifecycle. As a pre requirement we do need to have Aria Suite Lifecycle upgraded to 8.16. Instructions can be found here. The upgrade does not include the latest Product Support Pack. We can apply the latest Product Support Pack following the instructions here. Downloading the Upgrade Binaries To get started we can go to Aria Suite Lifecycle -> Lifecycle Operations -> Settings -> Binary Mapping. (If you haven’t added your My VMware credentials you will need to do that first by going to Aria Suite Lifecycle -> Lifecycle Operations -> Settings -> My VMware) ...