Access Control Module 8

Module You Are Here VMware vSphere 4.1: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision A vSphere Environment Introduction to VMware Virtualization VMware ESX and ESXi VMware vCenter Server Networking Storage Virtual Machines Operations Resource Monitoring Data Protection Scalability High Availability Patch Management Installing VMware ESX and ESXi Access Control

Module Importance VMware vSphere 4.1: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision A  When multiple users are accessing the VMware vSphere™ environment, a best practice is to give each user only the necessary permissions and nothing more. VMware vCenter™ Server allows flexible assignment of permissions.

Module Module Objectives VMware vSphere 4.1: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision A  Define a permission  Describe the rules for applying permissions  Create a custom role  Create a permission

Module Access Control Overview VMware vSphere 4.1: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision A The access control system allows the vCenter Server administrator to define a user’s privileges to access objects in the inventory. Key concepts:  Privilege – Defines an action that can be performed  Role – A set of privileges  Object – The target of the action  User/group – Indicates who can perform the action Together, a role, a user or group, and an object define a permission.

Module Users and Groups VMware vSphere 4.1: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision A vCenter Server or VMware® ESX™/ESXi users/groups can be local users or Active Directory domain users. Active Directory services provides authentication for all local services:  VMware vSphere™ Client  Direct console user interface  Technical support mode (local and remote)  Access through the vSphere API Users who are in the Active Directory group ESX Admins are automatically assigned the Administrator role.

Module Roles VMware vSphere 4.1: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision A Roles are collections of privileges:  They allow users to perform tasks.  They are grouped in categories. Roles include system roles, sample roles, and custom- built roles.

Module Objects VMware vSphere 4.1: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision A Objects are entities on which actions are performed.  Objects include datacenters, folders, resource pools, clusters, hosts, datastores, networks, and virtual machines. All objects have a Permissions tab.  This tab shows which user or group and role are associated with the selected object.

Module Assigning Permissions VMware vSphere 4.1: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision A To assign a permission: 1. Select a user. 2. Select a role. 3. (Optional) Propagate the permission to child objects.

Module Viewing Roles and Assignments VMware vSphere 4.1: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision A The Roles pane shows which users are assigned the selected role on a particular object.

Module Applying Permissions: Scenario 1 VMware vSphere 4.1: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision A A permission can propagate down the object hierarchy to all subobjects or it can apply only to an immediate object. Greg – Administrator Greg – No Access

Module Applying Permissions: Scenario 2 VMware vSphere 4.1: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision A When a user is a member of multiple groups with permissions on the same object:  The user is assigned the union of privileges assigned to the groups for that object. Group1 – VM_Power_On (custom role) Group2 – Take_Snapshots (custom role) Members of Group1: Greg Susan Members of Group2: Greg Carla

Module Applying Permissions: Scenario 3 VMware vSphere 4.1: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision A When a user is a member of multiple groups with permissions on different objects:  For each object on which the group has permissions, the same permissions apply as if they were granted directly to the user. Group1 – Administrator Group2 – Read-only Members of Group1: Greg Susan Members of Group2: Greg Carla

Module Applying Permissions: Scenario 4 VMware vSphere 4.1: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision A Permissions defined explicitly for the user on an object take precedence over all group permissions on that same object. Group1 – VM_Power_On (custom role) Group2 – Take_Snapshots (custom role) Greg – Read-only Members of Group1: Greg Susan Members of Group2: Greg Carla

Module Creating a Role VMware vSphere 4.1: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision A Create roles that enable only the necessary tasks:  Example: Virtual Machine Creator Use folders to contain the scope of permissions:  For example, assign the Virtual Machine Creator role to user Nancy and apply it to the Finance folder. Virtual Machine Creator role Datastore > Allocate space Network > Assign network Resource > Assign virtual machine to resource pool Virtual machine > Inventory > Create new Virtual machine > Configuration > Add new disk Virtual machine > Configuration > Add or remove device

Module Lab 13 VMware vSphere 4.1: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision A In this lab, you will manage user access permissions. 1. Configure an ESXi host to use directory services. 2. Use Active Directory accounts to verify proper access to your ESXi host. 3. Create a custom role in vCenter Server. 4. Assign permissions on vCenter Server inventory objects. 5. Verify permission usability.

Module Module Summary VMware vSphere 4.1: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision A  Define a permission  Describe the rules for applying permissions  Create a custom role  Create a permission

Module Key Points VMware vSphere 4.1: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision A  A permission is a combination of a user or group and role that is applied to an object in the inventory.  A permission can propagate down the object hierarchy to all subobjects or it can apply only to an immediate object.  As a best practice, define a role using the smallest number of privileges possible for better security and added control.