(This is the fourth part of five blog posts on new automation features and enhancements in the the latest VMware vSphere releases)
A new tool, Power Actions, was released in April 2023 as a VMware Fling. It is a vSphere plugin that offers a convenient method for sharing and executing PowerCLI scripts, enabling vSphere admins with various levels of experience to be successful.
Power Actions includes a script library where you can upload PowerCLI scripts that you want to make available to everyone in your organization. Users can then easily run those scripts using a user-friendly interface to specify the required parameters for the script. This feature allows you to enhance the capabilities of the vSphere Client by adding custom PowerCLI scripts, providing a powerful way of extending its functionality. Additionally, you can include scripts that generate different types of customized reports. This enables you to enrich the vSphere Client by creating various personalized reports.
Challenges
Managing their environments and workloads using various tools and interfaces is a challenging task for Virtual Infrastructure (VI) administrators. For example, they often must run a PowerCLI script and then verify the changes in the vSphere UI. Or they might use code capture in the vSphere UI to identify the required APIs for a specific task, and then prepare and execute a PowerCLI script in the PowerShell console to automate the same task. This complexity adds an unnecessary burden to the VI admin’s job.
To address these challenges, we aim to simplify the day-to-day experience of VI admins and make their tasks easier. Additionally, we are focused on improving customer efficiency. Based on feedback from our customers, we have recognized the following needs:
To offload script execution to individuals who may not have extensive scripting experience, so developers and admins with scripting knowledge can focus on creating these scripts.
To ensure that those who are not yet proficient in script writing can continue their learning journey, while still being able to explore and execute existing scripts.
Improving Access to Automation
Power Actions is a fling that was released in April 2023 and is compatible with both vSphere UI versions 7.0 and 8.0. It is a vSphere Client plug-in that provides an easy way to share and execute PowerCLI scripts. You can download and install it from https://flings.vmware.com/power-actions, and a user guide is available from the dropdown menu.
The main feature of Power Actions is the execution of scripts from a script library. These script libraries are based on the existing content libraries functionality offered by the vSphere UI client. You can use or reuse any content library as a script library within Power Actions. You can import scripts individually or as complete collections through PowerCLI. Once a script is imported, you can run it and check the results.
We have also added a built-in fully featured PowerShell console with the latest PowerCLI version pre-installed on it. This feature allows administrators to execute not only pre-existing scripts but also small automation tasks easily and quickly from the vSphere UI client.
Power Actions streamlines administration tasks and reduces the time and effort required to manage the infrastructure. This allows administrators to focus on more critical responsibilities. Power Actions helps administrators enhance their efficiency, minimize downtime, save costs, and simplify overall infrastructure management.
What’s Next?
We are working to transform the Power Actions fling into a fully supported product. To achieve this, we highly value customer feedback that can guide our future product development. We want to hear from real users to optimize our product in several key areas.
We aim to improve the console by making it more efficient, enhancing its usability, and ensuring that our customers can effectively write and troubleshoot new PowerShell scripts. Customer feedback will help us identify the most important and valuable improvements..
Another area is the script import and export. Currently, the only way to import scripts is through the Content Library functionality integrated into the vSphere UI client. However, we are also exploring the possibility of using Git as an alternative platform for customers to import and export scripts, allowing better versioning and tracking of the changes. These plans are tentative, and we need customer feedback to determine the viability and potential success of such a change. We want to make sure that any modifications we make align with our customers’ needs and contribute to their increased efficiency.
We are also considering an additional feature that would allow our users to schedule and execute scripts automatically. This feature will enable users to schedule and automate tasks that occur on a regular basis. This will enhance efficiency and streamline workflows by reducing manual effort.
Customer feedback on the performance of Power Actions is crucial for us. We want to understand any adjustments or enhancements that need to be made to make the product even better. Your input will help us prioritize and implement the necessary improvements, resulting in a more valuable and efficient tool for our end users.
