1. Delighted
2. High level View of Workflow
3. Deployment Time
4. Conclusion

Delighted

Delighted to have the opportunity to see you once more..

This is Part 2 of the Blog Series on VMware Aria Automation Capabilities – Orchestrator Workflows-Part-02″.

In Part 1 we covered creating VMware Aria Automation Orchestrator workflows to automatically add DNS entries for new machines and will discuss configurations and troubleshooting for smooth DNS integration.

Below is the link to Part-01 in case you missed it.

https://puneetsharma.blog/2025/01/31/vmware-aria-automation-capabilities-orchestrator-workflows-part-1/

Note: – As I craft this blog, I want to share the specific products and their versions that I am utilizing.

Sr. No	Product	Version	Build
1	VMware Aria Automation	8.18.1.36791	24282366
2	Ubuntu (For template)	22.04.5-desktop	amd64
3	vSphere	8.0.3.00400	24322831
3	NSX	4.2.1.0	24304122

High level View of Workflow

Capture 1: –

As shown in capture 1 is high level View of Workflow. lets get summary each Step: –

1. Creating an Orchestrator Workflow: -This workflow receives custom properties from VMware Aria Automation Orchestrator and uses them to delete a DNS entry to the DNS server.
2. Embedded-VRO data collection: – We will wait for data collection to make sure that VMware Aria Automation Assembler is aware of the new workflow.
3. Creating an Extensibility Subscription: – We will create a subscription to run a workflow after the virtual machine is provisioned.
4. Delete a VM Node Template: – We will delete the VMware Aria Automation template to test the subscription and workflow.
5. Verify the DNS Entry: – In the DNS Manager view we will view the deleted DNS entry.

Deployment Time

1. Creating an Orchestrator Workflow

This workflow employs custom properties sourced from VMware Aria Automation Orchestrator to efficiently facilitate the removal of a DNS entry from the DNS server. The methodology is meticulously designed to ensure both accuracy and efficiency in managing deletions within the established DNS infrastructure. This approach minimizes potential errors and enhances the overall reliability of DNS entry management.

Capture 1: –

Open the VMware Aria Automation Orchestrator.

1. Navigate to Workflows.
2. Click on NEW WORKFLOW.
3. Give the name of the New Workflow.
4. Click on Create.

Capture 2: –

5. Give the tag in the Enter a new tag text box.

6. Select the workflow where you want to store the current Workflow.

7. Click on Save.

Capture 3: –

8. Click on Variables.

9. Click on NEW.

Note: – We have created the 06 local variables.

Capture 4: –

10. Select and Click on the host.

11. Click on Value.

Capture 5: –

12. Expand the PowerShell and Check the Domain Controller.

13. Click on Select.

Capture 6: –

14. Click on Save.

Capture 7: –

Now we will configure the Input/Outputs as per our workflow.

15. Click on Inputs/Outputs.

16. Click on New.

Note: – As per our workflow required we have configured the 01 Input & 01 Output.

Capture 8: –

17. Click on Schema.

Note: – The Schema has three schema Elements. Verifying InputProperties, Creating CommandShell and Execute a PowerShell Script. Let’s examine each schema element in brief.

Verifying InputProperties

Capture 8.1: –

Within the Verifying InputProperties schema element exists a significant segment of code that systematically maps the value of yamlHostname1 to the variable hostName and associates yamlIpAddress with the variable ipAddress. These variables are explicitly defined as strings and are integral to the configuration framework. The information pertaining to yamlHostname1 and yamlIpAddress is derived from the blog part-01 template referred to as DNS-template.

Capture 8.2: –

The inputs and outputs for the Verifying InputProperties schema element are defined as follows.

This code deftly taps into the custom property yamlIpAddress, a pivotal element meticulously crafted within your cloud template YAML (refer to part 01 – DNS Template). It is specifically designed to excavate the exact IP address assigned to a virtual machine. With this ingenious setup, you can effortlessly retrieve the genuine IP address from the corresponding input property associated with that virtual machine, thus ensuring an unmistakable clarity and accuracy in your configuration endeavors.

Creating CommandShell

The Creating CommandShell schema element confidently generates dynamic PowerShell commands by expertly integrating both the hostname and the IP address. This powerful tool empowers users to effectively tailor command execution to their specific network environments with precision. With its robust capabilities, IT professionals can efficiently manage network resources, automate routine tasks, and execute commands seamlessly, significantly enhancing productivity. By leveraging real-time network details, users can swiftly adapt to changing conditions and maintain optimal performance, ensuring unparalleled network administration control and success.

Capture 8.3: –

This code is responsible for constructing the command that is communicated to the PowerShell host. In this section, we will explore the flow of the code and examine its dependencies for better understanding.

These two lines will expertly capture the last two octets of the host’s IP address, ensuring precise data extraction. For instance, when working with DNS, you need to thoughtfully eliminate the segment 198.10 from the broader 20.172.in-addr.arpa subnet, facilitating seamless network management.

This will reverse their order to satisfy the DNS and logically look like below

Remove-DnsServerResourceRecord -Name ” Dev-VM198″ -ZoneName”xyz.local” -Force -RRType A”

Capture 8.4: –

The text is combined into pshellCommand and used to run a PowerShell script in the final vRealize Orchestrator schema element. For example: –

Sr. No	Description	Execution Cmd
1	Delete DNS Server	Remove-DnsServerResourceRecordA
2	host Name	– Name Dev-VM198
3	Zone Name	-ZoneName xyz.local
4	Deleting Pointer	PTR 172.20.10.198

Capture 9: –

Now we will validate the workflow.

18. Click on Validate.

Note: – Validation of scripts and workflow are successful.

2. Embedded-VRO Data Collection

As you hold your breath in anticipation, you eagerly await the data collection process, ensuring that VMware Aria Automation Assembler is fully informed of the newly crafted VMware Aria Automation Orchestrator workflow. It’s a moment where technology meets precision, and every detail is crucial for seamless integration.

Capture 1: –

Go to Assembler Tab.

1. Click on Infrastructure.
2. Navigate to Integrations under Connections.
3. Click on Open.

Capture 2: –

4. Click on Start data collection.

It is necessary to wait for data collection to confirm that VMware Aria Automation Assembler acknowledges the introduction of the new workflow. A status message that indicates that data collection is complete appears.

3. Creating an Extensibility Subscription

Now we will create a subscription to run a workflow after the virtual machine is provisioned.

Capture 1: –

Go to Assembler.

1. Click on Extensibility.
2. Click on Subscriptions.
3. Click on +New.

Capture 2: –

4. Give the name of the Subscription.

5. Give the description of the Subscription.

6. Click on + ADD under the Event Topic.

Capture 3: –

7. find the “Compute post removal” in the filter.

8.Click on radio button.

9. Click on Select.

Note: – Event topic has added successfully.

Capture 4: –

10. Turn ON the toggle of the Filter Events in topic.

11. Write down event.data.componentId == ‘Overlay-Node’ in the Condition text box.

Note: – Filter used in this Topics are Case-Sensitive. As we can see the Resource name of the yaml code called in the condition filter of the event data.

Capture 5: –

1. Click on + ADD under the Action/Workflow
2. Select the Workflow under the Runnable type.
3. Search the Workflow name in the Filter. As we use VOE Delete DNS.
4. Select the Radio button of the Workflow.
5. Click on Select.

Note: – VOE Delete DNS is successfully added.

Capture 6: –

17. Verify that the Blocking toggle is turned off (no blocking).

18. The Project scope toggle is turned on to activate Any project.

19. Click on Save.

4. Delete VM Node Template

Now we will delete the VMware Aria Automation template to test your subscription and workflow.

Capture 1: –

Go to Assembler Tab

1. Click on Resources.
2. Click on deployment.
3. Click on 3 dots of the template.
4. Click on delete.

5. Click on Submit.

Capture 2: –

Go to Aria Automation Orchestrator.

6. Click on Workflow Runs under the Activity.

7. Search the Workflow run in the recent workflow.

8. As we can see status is completed.

Capture 3: –

9. Click on logs

10. -vRA event name “Compute Post removal” is successfully executed.

11. We can identify the deleted hostname and Ip address.

5. Finally Verifying the DNS Entry: –

Capture 1: –

Under the DNS Manager, we can verify that DEV-198 is deleted from A-Record and 172.20.10.198 is successfully deleted from the PTR-Record.

Conclusion

VMware Aria Automation Orchestrator stands out as a robust and transformative platform for development and process automation, featuring an extensive library of workflows and a highly sophisticated workflow engine. Through the intuitive workflow editor, we have vividly illustrated the seamless auto-deletion of DNS records that occurs when a template is removed. In the previous section, I will delve deeper into the intricate process of DNS auto-updates that seamlessly unfolds during the creation of a virtual machine template in Part 01. I firmly believe that both components operate harmoniously, creating a cohesive experience.

Please find all the templates and scripts https://github.com/PuneetSharma-Repositories/VMware-Aria-Automation-Capabilities—Orchestrator-Workflows.git