VMware vCenter Universal Orchestrator Extension
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## Overview
The VMware vCenter Universal Orchestrator extension remotely manages certificates used by VMware vCenter. The extension supports the Inventory, Management Add, and Management Remove job types. This enables the capability to create and remove trusted root chains and SSL certificates associated with VMware vCenter.
VMware vCenter uses certificates to secure communications between the different components of the vSphere environment. These certificates ensure data integrity, confidentiality, and authenticity. Managing these certificates is crucial for maintaining the security of the vSphere infrastructure. The VMware vCenter Universal Orchestrator extension automates and simplifies this process by integrating seamlessly with Keyfactor Command.
## Compatibility
This integration is compatible with Keyfactor Universal Orchestrator version 10.1 and later.
## Support
The VMware vCenter Universal Orchestrator extension is supported by Keyfactor. If you require support for any issues or have feature request, please open a support ticket by either contacting your Keyfactor representative or via the Keyfactor Support Portal at https://support.keyfactor.com.
> If you want to contribute bug fixes or additional enhancements, use the **[Pull requests](../../pulls)** tab.
## Requirements & Prerequisites
Before installing the VMware vCenter Universal Orchestrator extension, we recommend that you install [kfutil](https://github.com/Keyfactor/kfutil). Kfutil is a command-line tool that simplifies the process of creating store types, installing extensions, and instantiating certificate stores in Keyfactor Command.
## vCenter Certificate Store Type
To use the VMware vCenter Universal Orchestrator extension, you **must** create the vCenter Certificate Store Type. This only needs to happen _once_ per Keyfactor Command instance.
The certificate store type of vCenter associated with this integration implements the Inventory, Management Add, and Management Remove job types.
The Add and Remove operations have the ability to create and remove trusted root chains and SSL certificates associated with
VMware vCenter. The certificate type is automatically identified by the orchestrator. It does not manage ESXI host certificates.
#### Supported Operations
| Operation | Is Supported |
|--------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Add | ✅ Checked |
| Remove | ✅ Checked |
| Discovery | 🔲 Unchecked |
| Reenrollment | 🔲 Unchecked |
| Create | 🔲 Unchecked |
#### Store Type Creation
##### Using kfutil:
`kfutil` is a custom CLI for the Keyfactor Command API and can be used to create certificate store types.
For more information on [kfutil](https://github.com/Keyfactor/kfutil) check out the [docs](https://github.com/Keyfactor/kfutil?tab=readme-ov-file#quickstart)
Click to expand vCenter kfutil details
##### Using online definition from GitHub:
This will reach out to GitHub and pull the latest store-type definition
```shell
# VMware vCenter
kfutil store-types create vCenter
```
##### Offline creation using integration-manifest file:
If required, it is possible to create store types from the [integration-manifest.json](./integration-manifest.json) included in this repo.
You would first download the [integration-manifest.json](./integration-manifest.json) and then run the following command
in your offline environment.
```shell
kfutil store-types create --from-file integration-manifest.json
```
Click to expand manual vCenter details
Create a store type called `vCenter` with the attributes in the tables below:
##### Basic Tab
| Attribute | Value | Description |
| --------- | ----- | ----- |
| Name | VMware vCenter | Display name for the store type (may be customized) |
| Short Name | vCenter | Short display name for the store type |
| Capability | vCenter | Store type name orchestrator will register with. Check the box to allow entry of value |
| Supports Add | ✅ Checked | Check the box. Indicates that the Store Type supports Management Add |
| Supports Remove | ✅ Checked | Check the box. Indicates that the Store Type supports Management Remove |
| Supports Discovery | 🔲 Unchecked | Indicates that the Store Type supports Discovery |
| Supports Reenrollment | 🔲 Unchecked | Indicates that the Store Type supports Reenrollment |
| Supports Create | 🔲 Unchecked | Indicates that the Store Type supports store creation |
| Needs Server | ✅ Checked | Determines if a target server name is required when creating store |
| Blueprint Allowed | ✅ Checked | Determines if store type may be included in an Orchestrator blueprint |
| Uses PowerShell | 🔲 Unchecked | Determines if underlying implementation is PowerShell |
| Requires Store Password | 🔲 Unchecked | Enables users to optionally specify a store password when defining a Certificate Store. |
| Supports Entry Password | 🔲 Unchecked | Determines if an individual entry within a store can have a password. |
The Basic tab should look like this:
##### Advanced Tab
| Attribute | Value | Description |
| --------- | ----- | ----- |
| Supports Custom Alias | Optional | Determines if an individual entry within a store can have a custom Alias. |
| Private Key Handling | Optional | This determines if Keyfactor can send the private key associated with a certificate to the store. Required because IIS certificates without private keys would be invalid. |
| PFX Password Style | Default | 'Default' - PFX password is randomly generated, 'Custom' - PFX password may be specified when the enrollment job is created (Requires the Allow Custom Password application setting to be enabled.) |
The Advanced tab should look like this:
> For Keyfactor **Command versions 24.4 and later**, a Certificate Format dropdown is available with PFX and PEM options. Ensure that **PFX** is selected, as this determines the format of new and renewed certificates sent to the Orchestrator during a Management job. Currently, all Keyfactor-supported Orchestrator extensions support only PFX.
##### Custom Fields Tab
Custom fields operate at the certificate store level and are used to control how the orchestrator connects to the remote target server containing the certificate store to be managed. The following custom fields should be added to the store type:
| Name | Display Name | Description | Type | Default Value/Options | Required |
| ---- | ------------ | ---- | --------------------- | -------- | ----------- |
| ServerUsername | Server Username | The vCenter username used to manage the vCenter connection | Secret | | ✅ Checked |
| ServerPassword | Server Password | The secret vCenter password used to manage the vCenter connection | Secret | | ✅ Checked |
The Custom Fields tab should look like this:
###### Server Username
The vCenter username used to manage the vCenter connection
> [!IMPORTANT]
> This field is created by the `Needs Server` on the Basic tab, do not create this field manually.
###### Server Password
The secret vCenter password used to manage the vCenter connection
> [!IMPORTANT]
> This field is created by the `Needs Server` on the Basic tab, do not create this field manually.
Click to expand details
1. **Navigate to the _Certificate Stores_ page in Keyfactor Command.**
Log into Keyfactor Command, toggle the _Locations_ dropdown, and click _Certificate Stores_.
2. **Add a Certificate Store.**
Click the Add button to add a new Certificate Store. Use the table below to populate the **Attributes** in the **Add** form.
| Attribute | Description |
| --------- |---------------------------------------------------------|
| Category | Select "VMware vCenter" or the customized certificate store name from the previous step. |
| Container | Optional container to associate certificate store with. |
| Client Machine | The domain name of the vSphere client managing vCenter (url to vCenter host without the 'https://'. |
| Store Path | A unique identifier for this store. The actual value is unused by the orchestrator extension |
| Orchestrator | Select an approved orchestrator capable of managing `vCenter` certificates. Specifically, one with the `vCenter` capability. |
| ServerUsername | The vCenter username used to manage the vCenter connection |
| ServerPassword | The secret vCenter password used to manage the vCenter connection |
Click to expand details
1. **Generate a CSV template for the vCenter certificate store**
```shell
kfutil stores import generate-template --store-type-name vCenter --outpath vCenter.csv
```
2. **Populate the generated CSV file**
Open the CSV file, and reference the table below to populate parameters for each **Attribute**.
| Attribute | Description |
| --------- | ----------- |
| Category | Select "VMware vCenter" or the customized certificate store name from the previous step. |
| Container | Optional container to associate certificate store with. |
| Client Machine | The domain name of the vSphere client managing vCenter (url to vCenter host without the 'https://'. |
| Store Path | A unique identifier for this store. The actual value is unused by the orchestrator extension |
| Orchestrator | Select an approved orchestrator capable of managing `vCenter` certificates. Specifically, one with the `vCenter` capability. |
| Properties.ServerUsername | The vCenter username used to manage the vCenter connection |
| Properties.ServerPassword | The secret vCenter password used to manage the vCenter connection |
3. **Import the CSV file to create the certificate stores**
```shell
kfutil stores import csv --store-type-name vCenter --file vCenter.csv
```
Attributes eligible for retrieval by a PAM Provider on the Universal Orchestrator
If a PAM provider was installed _on the Universal Orchestrator_ in the [Installation](#Installation) section, the following parameters can be configured for retrieval _on the Universal Orchestrator_.
| Attribute | Description |
| --------- | ----------- |
| ServerUsername | The vCenter username used to manage the vCenter connection |
| ServerPassword | The secret vCenter password used to manage the vCenter connection |
Please refer to the **Universal Orchestrator (remote)** usage section ([PAM providers on the Keyfactor Integration Catalog](https://keyfactor.github.io/integrations-catalog/content/pam)) for your selected PAM provider for instructions on how to load attributes orchestrator-side.
> Any secret can be rendered by a PAM provider _installed on the Keyfactor Command server_. The above parameters are specific to attributes that can be fetched by an installed PAM provider running on the Universal Orchestrator server itself.