7. Orchestration and Extension
The vCloud environment is composed of several components that expose web services. A vCloud orchestration platform provides the ability to tie services together into a logical workflow. VMware has different management applications supporting workflow process definition and execution.
VMware vCenter Orchestrator is a technical o
rchestration authoring platform part of vCenter that enables administrators
to automate repetitive tasks by creating workflows that leverage extensive integrations with VMware and third-party
vCloud components. See Workflow Examples for detailed examples of orchestrated workflows. vFabric Application Director automates the deployment of multitier
applications to the vCloud.
vFabric Application Director can simplify virtual machine template management by providing a catalog of services used to install, configure, and start software services on virtual machines.
vFabric Application Director
uses the vCloud API to issue provisioning requests to a vCloud provider and can be deployed in public, private, and hybrid vCloud environments. VMware Service Managerâ„¢ is a configurable ITIL platform that features service desk, automated configuration and change management, IT asset management, self-service,
and request fulfillment. As part of the service request, it supports a configurable portal using high-level business workflow modeling for approvals, notifications,
and tasks integration.