VMware recently released REST APIs for automating various day1 and day2 activities in VMware infrastructure. This session shades a light on using Ansible – configuration management tool to automate VMware infrastructure using REST APIs. Attendees will get a clear picture how they can easily and reliably automate the VMware infra using Ansible.

1. Ansiblizing your VMware REST API
Stackconf 2020 - virtual
Abhijeet Kasurde
(Sr. Software Engineer - Ansible by Red Hat)

2. • Work for Red Hat, and part of Ansible Cloud team
• Twitter - @Pyro46
• GitHub - https://github.com/Akasurde
• One of the maintainer of Ansible based modules for VMware
About Me
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3. 1. A brief introduction to Ansible
2. Ansible + VMware
3. Automating VMware with examples
a. Using Ansible URI module
b. Using Ansible VMware module
c. Using Ansible VMware REST API based module
Agenda
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4. Introduction to Ansible
AUTOMATION FOR EVERYONE
• Ansible is an open-source IT automation
engine, written in Python
• configuration management, application
deployment, task automation
• Agentless, Idempotent
• Improves the scalability, consistency,
and reliability of your IT environment
• Very simple to setup and yet powerful
• Modular architecture
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5. • VMware starting supports REST APIs with their existing SOAP
based API
• Introduced in 6.5
• Explore - apiexplorer
• Official SDK - vSphere Automation SDK
• Latest features like Tagging, Content Library are supported
VMware REST API overview
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6. Using Ansible URI module
• Demo
– Get Datacenter info
– Create a tag
• More information about -
https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/devel/scenario_guides/vmware_scen
arios/scenario_vmware_http.html
Automating VMware Infrastructure
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7. Using Ansible native VMware modules
• Demo
– Get Datacenter info
– Create a tag
Automating VMware infrastructure
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8. Using Ansible VMware REST API modules
• Demo
– Get Datacenter info
– Create a tag
Automating VMware infrastructure
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9. • Add new modules in new Ansible VMware collection
• Increase the coverage of VMware automation using both
native and REST API modules
• Auto-generation of REST based API modules
• Add new VMware scenario guides to on-board new Ansible
users
• Documentation improvement
• Community development around Ansible + VMware
Future plan
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10. MORE INFORMATION
GET STARTED WITH ANSIBLE
https://www.ansible.com/get-started
ANSIBLE DOCUMENTATION
https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/index.html
ANSIBLE VMWARE COLLECTION SOURCE
https://github.com/ansible-collections/vmware

11. Thanks
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