VMware Aria Operations for Networks authentication through vIDM

Products

• VCF Operations/Automation (formerly VMware Aria Suite)

Issue/Introduction

Administrators can authorize VMware Identity Manager (vIDM) users for accessing VMware Aria Operations for Networks.

Environment

• VMware vRealize Network Insight 6.x
• VMware Identity Manager 3.x

Cause

This article provides a step-by-step guide to configuring authentication for VMware Aria Operations for Networks through VMware Identity Manager (vIDM). It includes how to obtain necessary credentials from vIDM and configure the integration with Aria Operations for Networks.

Resolution

Step 1: Obtain OAuth Client ID and Client Secret from vIDM

To begin, review the official VMware documentation for configuring identity and access management:
VMware Tech Docs - vIDM Configuration for Aria Operations for Networks.

To retrieve parameters such as OAuth Client ID and OAuth Client Secret, follow these steps:

1. Log in to vIDM (preferably as an admin user).

2. Click the dropdown for Catalog → Settings → Remote App Access.

3. Click Create Client.

4. Change Access Type to Service Client Token and specify the desired Client ID.

5. After clicking Add, the settings should resemble the following image.

.

Note: 

• Applications integrated with vIDM during deployment via Aria Lifecycle will appear as 'User Access Token' Access Type in the Catalog.
• Applications deployed outside of Aria Lifecycle and integrated with vIDM will appear as 'Service Client Token' in the Catalog and are expected to have the status 'Not Activated'. This will never change to Activated.

 

Step 2: Configure Aria Operations for Networks to Use vIDM

After obtaining the necessary credentials, proceed to configure VMware Aria Operations for Networks to authenticate users via vIDM.

1. Log in to VMware Aria Operations for Networks.

2. Navigate to Settings.

3. Under Identity & Access Management, select VMware Identity Manager.

4. Click Configure and enter the details obtained from the previous step (OAuth Client ID and OAuth Client Secret)

Step 3: Add Users in VMware Aria Operations for Networks

1. Log in to the Aria Operations for Networks GUI as a local admin.

2. Go to Settings → Identity and Access Management → User Management → vIDM Users.

3. Click Add a new user.

4. Set the role for user and submit

Step 4: Create a Web Application for Aria Operations for Networks in vIDM

1.  Go to Catalog → Web Apps.

2. Click New and enter a name for the web application.

3. In the Configuration page, select Authentication Type as Web application link.

4. Set the Target URL in the following format:

   https://YOUR.IDENTITYMANAGER.FQDN/SAAS/auth/oauth2/authorize?response_type=code&client_id=YOURID_auth_grant&scope=openid+user+email&redirect_uri=http://YOUR.VRNI.FQDN/#home

   (You can capture this URL from the developer tools when attempting to launch the application using Identity Manager.)

5. After configuring the URL, click Save and assign the web application to the desired users/groups.