Aria Operations configuration drift templates applying to all vCenter instances

Products

• VCF Operations

Issue/Introduction

In Aria Operations, the Configuration Drift feature may apply templates globally to all vCenter instances by default. Users often require the ability to apply specific drift templates to select groups of vCenters (e.g., by environment type, department, or security tier) rather than a universal application. Since the Configuration Drift wizard does not provide a direct object-selection tool, a policy-based approach is required to achieve granular targeting.

Environment

 

VMware Aria Operations (formerly vRealize Operations)

VCF Aria Operations

 

Cause

Configuration Drift templates are activated and managed at the Policy level. If a template is enabled in the default or active policy, it evaluates all objects governed by that policy. To restrict a template to specific vCenter instances, those instances must be associated with a unique policy where that specific drift template is enabled.

Resolution

To apply configuration drift templates to specific groups of vCenters, you must use a combination of Custom Groups and targeted Policies.

1. Create a Dedicated Policy in Aria Operations:

   • Navigate to Operations > Configure > Policy Definition. 

   • Click Add to create a new Policy.

   • Select Inherit from your existing policy.

   • Provide a descriptive name (e.g., "Tier 1 Security Drift Policy").

2. Group the Target vCenters:

   • Navigate to Operations > Configurations > Custom Groups.

   • Click Add to create a new group.

   • Define membership criteria (e.g., "Name contains 'Prod'" or "Tag equals 'PCI-Scope'") to automatically include the desired vCenter instances.

3. Configure the Drift Template:

   • Navigate to Operations > Configuration Drifts > Create Config Template.

   • Create Config Template

   • Select your source VC template.

   • Select Configuration Settings.

   • Under Assignment, select the newly created Policy to apply this template to the specific objects.