VCF Automation Catalog Returns "No matching values found" for vCenter Virtual Machines in Orchestrator Workflows

Products

• VCF Automation

Issue/Introduction

When attempting to execute VCF Automation capabilities via Orchestrator workflows published in the catalog, users are unable to locate vCenter inventory objects. Specifically, when searching for a virtual machine within the workflow input form, the UI returns a "no matching values found" message.

An internal review of the Orchestrator environment confirms that the vCenter Server instance is not populating under the workflows or inventory tabs, meaning the endpoint is disconnected or missing from the Orchestrator client.

Environment

Version: VCFA 9.1

Cause

The vCenter Server instance has not been explicitly registered as an endpoint with VCF Automation Orchestrator.

VCF Automation Orchestrator requires a dedicated, configured connection to the vCenter Server to query and cache its inventory. If the vCenter instance is not added via the built-in configuration workflow, the Orchestrator engine cannot fetch or display vSphere objects (such as virtual machines). This prevents these objects from being referenced, searched, or manipulated in custom workflows published to the VCF Automation catalog.

Resolution

To resolve the missing inventory, configure the connection to the vCenter instance by running the Add a vCenter Server instance workflow. Establishing this secure API connection allows Orchestrator to validate permissions and immediately populate the vCenter objects in the Inventory view.

Execution Steps:

1. Access Orchestrator: Log in to VCF Operations Orchestrator as an administrator.

2. Locate the Workflow: Navigate to Library > Workflows and enter vcenter and configuration in the search box.

3. Run Configuration: Locate the Add a vCenter Server instance workflow and click Run.

4. Set Instance Properties:

   • Enter the IP address or case-sensitive host name of the vCenter instance.

   • Retain the default port value (443) and the default SDK location.

   • Choose whether to ignore certificate warnings (selecting this will silently accept the certificate and append it to the trusted store).

5. Set Connection Properties: Configure user access using one of the following methods:

   • Share a unique session (Recommended): Select this if Orchestrator uses VCF Automation as the authentication provider or connects to a different vCenter instance. Provide valid vCenter credentials with extension management and custom-defined privileges.

   • Session per user: Select this if Orchestrator uses this exact vCenter as its authentication provider. Enter the user domain if required. (Note: This method can rapidly consume CPU, memory, and bandwidth).

6. Set Additional Endpoints (Optional): Enter the URLs for vSphere storage management (PBM or SMS endpoints) if required.

7. Execute: Click Run.

Once the workflow completes successfully, the vCenter instance and all associated vSphere objects (including VMs) will immediately populate and become accessible within your catalog workflows.

Additional Information

Please review accordingly to page 7877 in VMware Cloud Foundation 9.1 documentationhere