VMware vRealize Automation: Advanced Features and Troubleshooting [V8.x] — Lesson 2: Event Broker, subscriptions, extensibility actions, Orchestrator workflows, ABX, custom forms, secrets, APIs, pipelines, source control, and error handling

Learning Objectives

• Break down the prerequisites, components, roles, and decision points involved in Event Broker, subscriptions, extensibility actions, Orchestrator workflows, ABX, custom forms, secrets, APIs, pipelines, source control, and error handling.
• Complete a controlled activity for Event Broker, subscriptions, extensibility actions, Orchestrator workflows, ABX, custom forms, secrets, APIs, pipelines, source control, and error handling and capture event-driven workflow trace and rollback evidence.
• Challenge the result with a blocking subscription timing out after the external system commits a change, then justify the corrective action.

Detailed Topics

• Event Broker
• Subscriptions
• Extensibility actions
• Orchestrator workflows
• ABX
• Custom forms
• Secrets
• APIs
• Pipelines
• Source control
• And error handling
• Decision ownership, prerequisites, and acceptance evidence for Event Broker, subscriptions, extensibility actions, Orchestrator workflows, ABX, custom forms, secrets, APIs, pipelines, source control, and error handling
• Relevant access, security, capacity, dependency, performance, recovery, and support considerations

Instructor Demonstration

The instructor configures and tests Event Broker, subscriptions, extensibility actions, Orchestrator workflows, ABX, custom forms, secrets, APIs, pipelines, source control, and error handling within a scenario aimed at an advanced vRealize Automation 8.x service with extensible templates, event-driven workflows, governed day-two operations, and a disciplined troubleshooting model across platform integrations. The walkthrough contrasts a valid setup with a flawed one and uses event-driven workflow trace and rollback evidence to make the difference explicit.

Hands-On Exercise

Complete a guided task covering Event Broker, subscriptions, extensibility actions, Orchestrator workflows, ABX, custom forms, secrets, APIs, pipelines, source control, and error handling. Establish a working baseline, reproduce “a blocking subscription timing out after the external system commits a change,” isolate the responsible configuration or dependency, apply a reversible fix, and update event-driven workflow trace and rollback evidence with before-and-after proof.

1. Record the starting state, assumptions, identities, topology, and expected outcome.
2. Execute the planned workflow and collect evidence at each material checkpoint.
3. Test one valid path, one boundary condition, and the stated failure scenario.
4. Document the correction, retest result, rollback option, and follow-up owner.

Scenario Analysis

• Clarify the service trigger, affected components and roles, prerequisites, and acceptable result for Event Broker, subscriptions, extensibility actions, Orchestrator workflows, ABX, custom forms, secrets, APIs, pipelines, source control, and error handling.
• Compare at least two implementation or correction choices and identify which evidence would distinguish them.
• Decide how event-driven workflow trace and rollback evidence should be reviewed, approved, retained, and handed to the next owner.

Troubleshooting Guidance

Diagnose Event Broker, subscriptions, extensibility actions, Orchestrator workflows, ABX, custom forms, secrets, APIs, pipelines, source control, and error handling by checking effective state, ownership, dependencies, health, logs, and recent changes. Use event-driven workflow trace and rollback evidence to locate the earliest divergence. Treat “a blocking subscription timing out after the external system commits a change” as a hypothesis until the same test passes after correction and under a boundary condition.

Validation Checklist

• Prerequisites and role permissions for Event Broker, subscriptions, extensibility actions, Orchestrator workflows, ABX, custom forms, secrets, APIs, pipelines, source control, and error handling are confirmed before execution.
• The observed result agrees with expected values documented in event-driven workflow trace and rollback evidence.
• Exceptions are explained with evidence instead of being hidden by manual correction.
• The final record names the approver, monitoring point, and next improvement action.

Lesson Outcome

Learners can apply Event Broker, subscriptions, extensibility actions, Orchestrator workflows, ABX, custom forms, secrets, APIs, pipelines, source control, and error handling, explain the decisions made, and defend the result with event-driven workflow trace and rollback evidence.