VMWorld 2017 vBrownBag session

1. XesterUI - A User Interface for Vester vSphere
Configuration Validation
VMTN6632U
Justin Sider #vExpert
CIO - Belay Technologies Inc.
@jpsider
Invoke-Automation.blog

2. Disclaimer
• This presentation may contain product features or functionality that are currently under development.
• This overview of new technology represents no commitment from VMware to deliver these features in any
generally available product.
• Features are subject to change, and must not be included in contracts, purchase orders, or sales agreements of
any kind.
• Technical feasibility and market demand will affect final delivery.
• Pricing and packaging for any new features/functionality/technology discussed or presented, have not been
determined.
• This information is confidential.
The information in this presentation is intended to outline our general product direction and should not be
relied on in making a purchasing decision. It is for informational purposes only and may not be incorporated
into any contract.

3. The Problem

4. How can a team quickly view
configuration drift, and remediate
problems within your vmware
infrastructure?

5. Available options today
Gui Based:
● Host Profiles
● VRA
● 3rd Party Tools
Cmd Line Based:
● Vester
● vCheck
● Home-grown Scripts
Organizational Concerns
● Cost of commercial product License
● Cost of Labor to develop home-grown solution
● Technical debt
My Thoughts?
● OS Community Driven tools are on the
Rise
● Invest in your PEOPLE
● Select solutions that will be used.

6. The Solution:
XesterUI

7. Components
All freely available, and System
Administrator friendly.
● Vester (cmd utility)
● User Interface (php/html)
● Centralized Data (MySQL)
● Engine (Powershell)

8. Current Features
1. User interface
a. Graphical Results(sorting and filtering)
b. Just a few clicks to start a testrun
Quickly view history of any System or Infrastructure item
Single click Remediation

9. Easy to use.
● Adding a Target to a system
● Submitting a TestRun

10. Pro’s and Con’s of grouping OpenSource projects:
● Pro’s
○ It’s free!
○ With a good following project it can
thrive!
○ You can fork it!
○ You can see the code
● Con’s
○ It could become versioning hell
○ Is there support?
○ You may need to wait a while for
new features or bug fixes
○ Is it written in a language I
understand?

11. The Example

12. To kick the
project off, I used
my homelab

13. Install Dependencies
● It has a few dependencies
○ VC Redistributable
○ WampServer
● Powershell & Modules
○ Powershell 5
○ Powercli 6.5
○ Pester 4.0.5
○ PowerWamp 1.0.1
○ PowerLumber 1.0.2
○ Vester (1.1.0)
Install XesterUI
● Download from GitHub
● Deployment
○ Copy files to www directory
○ Deploy DB via script
● Configure local settings
○ Create Config.json
○ Add vCenter Password
Installation/Setup

14. The non-UI piece (Generating config.json)
Sorry, right now you need to start somewhere,
and for now it includes performing some
commands before you can get started with the
GUI.
● Connect to a vCenter
● Create a new Config.json
○ ‘New-VesterConfig’
○ Follow the prompts!
○ Copy the full path of the file.
Default:
C:Program FilesWindowsPowerShellModulesVester1.1.0ConfigsConfig.json

15. Adding a System
● Enter a Name
● Add the full path to the config.json file
○ Escape the ‘’ (php, ugh!)
● Hit the Create button!
● Notice, No targets are available.
○ Add a vCenter as a Target

16. Adding a Target
● Only a vCenter is required
○ Required to match config.json!
○ All other Inventory items are
added on the fly by XesterUI
● Now the vCenter shows up!
● Enter Name
● Select Type
● Select the System
● Select the Username
○ Tied to password in
Database
● Hit ‘Create Target’

17. Starting XesterUI
Start the Queue Manager
● Change directories to:
○ C:OPEN_PROJECTSXesterUIQueue_
Manager
● Enter:
○ .QueueManager.ps1 START
Start a TestRun Manager
● Change directories to:
○ C:OPEN_PROJECTSXesterUITestRun
_Manager
● Enter:
○ .TestRun_Manager.ps1 START

18. Starting a test run
● Enter a TestRun Name
● Select the checkbox for Remediation
● Click the submit button!
This will alter your
vSphere environment!

19. Viewing the results
Click to view the Log file
Click to view the
Individual
TestCases
Click to view the XML
output file
Click to view the
TestSuites
Filter and sort
TestRun Names
View status and
results of TestRuns

20. Remediation
Select the Remediate button to run
Vester again.
This will alter your vSphere
Environment!

21. The Future

22. Current Road map goals
● Internal to XesterUI
○ Import/Export of systems and Tests
○ Reporting options
■ Email Support
■ Downloadable reports
■ Ability to classify test severity
○ Aggregate vCenter test runs
○ Better installation
■ Update the Manager scripts as
services
■ Single script to install all
components via parameters
○ Ability to remediate only a single
Item
○ Specify Json build files on the fly
○ Improved documentation
● External to XesterUI
○ Support Pester
○ Support Chester
○ Ensure all command line options for
Vester are available in the UI
■ -Whatif, etc
○ Deployment as a container?
■ Each component?
● Currently Accepting
○ Feature Requests!
○ Contributions!
https://github.com/BelayTechnologies/XesterUI

23. Thank you!
http://invoke-automation.blog
http://belaytech.com
https://github.com/BelayTechnologies/XesterUI
https://github.com/WahlNetwork/Vester
https://github.com/vScripter/Chester
Special thanks to the vBrownBag & VMTN teams for their hard work putting on
such a valuable and rewarding event for the community.