vCAC

vRealize Automation v6.2 Announced

@mpoore

• 2 min read

So, vCAC 6.1 was finally announced at VMworld US in August and went GA in early September. Included in that release were some much needed bug fixes and enhancements in a number of key areas:

  • New consumer API
  • Improved partner support with vCO
  • Enhanced integrations with vCloud Suite (specifically ITBM)
  • NSX integration
  • Enhanced Puppet integration
  • Localised Consumer Interface in 12 languages (but crucially not British English!)
  • Bulk import tool
  • User interface configuration
  • Enhanced HA deployment

Today at VMworld Europe, VMware have announced that vRealize Automation 6.2 is coming (hopefully in Q4 this year). Besides the obvious name change of the product, this version, coming hot on the heels of 6.1, is intended as a maintenance release to fix a number of bugs. But vRealize 6.2 is also intended to introduce some new functionality to complement recently announced changes to vRealize Operations:

Integration with vROps

There are two key enhancements in this area. The first relates to the display of Health Status from vRealize Operations. These can be seen in list or item views and provide vRA users with some limited insights into the health of their virtual machines.

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The second enhancement concerns the reclamation of idle VMs. vROps can be utilised by vRA to identify any idle VMs based on configurable criteria.

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The resources used by the identified VMs can then be “reclaimed” if desired.

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CloudClient

This is a command-line interface that will be available as a separate download for use primarily by IT administrators. It will provide verb-based access to vCAC / vRA where scripting is more practical than creating API calls. I don't know much about it yet but it would be great if it was nicely aligned with other VMware scripting utilities (for example as PowerCLI cmdlets).

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Supportability

If you do run a large, distributed vCAC installation, how much hassle is it having to collect log files from numerous locations and servers to create a support bundle in the event of an issue? In vRA 6.2, there is going to be a one-stop shop for all your support needs. With one click, you should be able to retrieve it all:

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What's in a name?

Finally, let's deal with the elephant in the room. The letters (or the sound of them together) C, A and C don't really work in a lot of languages and this is a welcome name change in my opinion. Having customers emphasise the “cack” sound in vCAC is slightly off-putting when you're trying to have a serious conversation with them. I'm not quite sold yet on the “vRealize” branding either, but that will come…