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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.
This integration is compatible with Keyfactor Universal Orchestrator version 10.1 and later.
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 tab.
Before installing the VMware vCenter Universal Orchestrator extension, we recommend that you install kfutil. Kfutil is a command-line tool that simplifies the process of creating store types, installing extensions, and instantiating certificate stores in Keyfactor Command.
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.
| Operation | Is Supported |
|---|---|
| Add | ✅ Checked |
| Remove | ✅ Checked |
| Discovery | 🔲 Unchecked |
| Reenrollment | 🔲 Unchecked |
| Create | 🔲 Unchecked |
kfutil is a custom CLI for the Keyfactor Command API and can be used to create certificate store types.
For more information on kfutil check out the docs
Click to expand vCenter kfutil details
This will reach out to GitHub and pull the latest store-type definition
# VMware vCenter
kfutil store-types create vCenterIf required, it is possible to create store types from the integration-manifest.json included in this repo. You would first download the integration-manifest.json and then run the following command in your offline environment.
kfutil store-types create --from-file integration-manifest.jsonBelow are instructions on how to create the vCenter store type manually in the Keyfactor Command Portal
Click to expand manual vCenter details
Create a store type called vCenter with the attributes in the tables below:
| 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:
| 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 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:
The vCenter username used to manage the vCenter connection
[!IMPORTANT] This field is created by the
Needs Serveron the Basic tab, do not create this field manually.
The secret vCenter password used to manage the vCenter connection
[!IMPORTANT] This field is created by the
Needs Serveron the Basic tab, do not create this field manually.
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Download the latest VMware vCenter Universal Orchestrator extension from GitHub.
Navigate to the VMware vCenter Universal Orchestrator extension GitHub version page. Refer to the compatibility matrix below to determine the asset should be downloaded. Then, click the corresponding asset to download the zip archive.
Universal Orchestrator Version Latest .NET version installed on the Universal Orchestrator server rollForwardcondition inOrchestrator.runtimeconfig.jsonvmware-vcenter-orchestrator.NET version to downloadOlder than 11.0.0net6.0Between 11.0.0and11.5.1(inclusive)net6.0net6.0Between 11.0.0and11.5.1(inclusive)net8.0Disablenet6.011.6and newernet8.0net8.0Unzip the archive containing extension assemblies to a known location.
Note If you don't see an asset with a corresponding .NET version, you should always assume that it was compiled for
net6.0. -
Locate the Universal Orchestrator extensions directory.
- Default on Windows -
C:\Program Files\Keyfactor\Keyfactor Orchestrator\extensions - Default on Linux -
/opt/keyfactor/orchestrator/extensions
- Default on Windows -
-
Create a new directory for the VMware vCenter Universal Orchestrator extension inside the extensions directory.
Create a new directory called
vmware-vcenter-orchestrator.The directory name does not need to match any names used elsewhere; it just has to be unique within the extensions directory.
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Copy the contents of the downloaded and unzipped assemblies from step 2 to the
vmware-vcenter-orchestratordirectory. -
Restart the Universal Orchestrator service.
Refer to Starting/Restarting the Universal Orchestrator service.
-
(optional) PAM Integration
The VMware vCenter Universal Orchestrator extension is compatible with all supported Keyfactor PAM extensions to resolve PAM-eligible secrets. PAM extensions running on Universal Orchestrators enable secure retrieval of secrets from a connected PAM provider.
To configure a PAM provider, reference the Keyfactor Integration Catalog to select an extension and follow the associated instructions to install it on the Universal Orchestrator (remote).
The above installation steps can be supplemented by the official Command documentation.
Click to expand details
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Navigate to the Certificate Stores page in Keyfactor Command.
Log into Keyfactor Command, toggle the Locations dropdown, and click Certificate Stores.
-
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 vCentercertificates. Specifically, one with thevCentercapability.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
-
Generate a CSV template for the vCenter certificate store
kfutil stores import generate-template --store-type-name vCenter --outpath vCenter.csv
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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 vCentercertificates. Specifically, one with thevCentercapability.Properties.ServerUsername The vCenter username used to manage the vCenter connection Properties.ServerPassword The secret vCenter password used to manage the vCenter connection -
Import the CSV file to create the certificate stores
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 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) 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.
The content in this section can be supplemented by the official Command documentation.
vCenter management is controlled by the vSphere client. Follow VMware's vCenter Server Configuration documentation to configure a vSphere client and vCenter.
- Stop the Orchestrator service if it is running.
- Create a folder in your Orchestrator extensions directory called "vCenter"
- Extract the contents of the release zip file into this folder.
- Start the Orchestrator service.
To create a new certificate store in Keyfactor Command, select the Locations drop down, select Certificate Stores, and click the Add button. fill the displayed form with the following values:
| Parameter | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Category | 'VMware vCenter' | The name of the VMware vCenter store type |
| Client Machine | vSphere Domain Name | The domain name of the vSphere client managing vCenter (ex: https://myvcenter.pki.local would use myvcenter.pki.local |
| Store Path | 'vCenter Certificates' | The StorePathValue of the vCenter instance as set during store type configuration |
| Server Username | Client secret Username | The secret vCenter username used to manage the vCenter connection |
| Server Password | Client Secret Password | The secret vCenter password used to manage the vCenter connection |
This orchestrator extension allows managing both Trusted root certificates as well as SSL/TLS certificates.
In order to enroll a new Trusted Root Certificate from the platform, follow the normal steps for enrolling a certificate into the certificate store, but do not include the private key.
- If the private key is omitted, the extension assumes we are replacing the Trusted Root Certificate.
- If the private key is included, the extension assumes we are replacing the TLS certificate used for SSL communication.
This orchestrator extension allows managing both Trusted root certificates as well as SSL/TLS certificates.
In order to enroll a new Trusted Root Certificate from the platform, follow the normal steps for enrolling a certificate into the certificate store, but do not include the private key.
- If the private key is omitted: the extension assumes we are replacing the Trusted Root Certificate.
- If the private key is included: the extension assumes we are replacing the TLS certificate used for SSL communication.
Trusted root chains can be added and removed from the vCenter certificate store through the orchestrator. Note that the vCenter instance will be put into a bad state if the trusted root of the SSL certificate corresponding to the vSphere server is deleted from the certificate store.
Apache License 2.0, see LICENSE.