--- title: "Introduction" canonical: "https://docs.infoblox.com/space/ipamvmware8x/52048987/Introduction" format: markdown --- This guide describes how to install and use VMware Aria Automation Provider for NIOS DDI with VMware Aria Automation Orchestrator and VMware Aria Automation Assembler. It provides information about the workflows and actions library of VMware Aria Automation Provider for NIOS DDI (henceforth referred to as “the plug-in”). VMware Aria Automation Orchestrator is a workflow engine that allows you to automate IT tasks. You can use the workflows to create and automate processes to manage VMware products. VMware Aria Automation Assembler is a cloud-based service that allows you to create and deploy machines, applications, and services to your cloud infrastructure. You can use VMware Aria Automation to create cloud templates (formerly called blueprints), and then deploy the cloud templates using either external network profiles or NSX-based network profiles, which then run VMware Aria Automation workflows to create the resources defined in the deployed templates. For more information on VMware Aria Automation Orchestrator and VMware Aria Automation, refer to the VMware documentation. The plug-in supports Infoblox NIOS and its Cloud Network Automation platform, which automates the management of IP address and DNS for physical and virtual network devices on your VMware management platform. Instead of manually provisioning IP addresses and DNS or DHCP records for network devices and interfaces, you can use Cloud Network Automation to leverage DNS and DHCP features of the Infoblox Grid to manage your cloud networks through your current VMware management platform. For more information, see *[Cloud Network Automation Deployments](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/ipamvmware8x/pages/52593758)*. The VMware Aria Automation Provider for NIOS DDI supports static and fixed IP address allocation and address allocation from DHCP ranges. When you use the plug-in for VMware to allocate IP addresses to virtual machines (VMs), it creates corresponding DNS records in your Infoblox NIOS or vNIOS appliance. The plug-in is configurable and can create Infoblox host records or individual DNS resource records along with fixed address records to enable VMs to be located through their FQDNs as soon as the VMs are provisioned. This information is also visible through the VMware Aria Automation Assembler. For information, see *[Provisioning and De-provisioning VMs with Registration in NIOS](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/ipamvmvradraft/pages/17662073)*. If you use Microsoft servers for DNS and DHCP services, you can integrate them with the plug-in for VMware to synchronize records. For more information, see *[Integrating Infoblox IPAM Plug-In for VMware with Microsoft DNS and DHCP Servers](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/ipamvmware8x/pages/399442010)*. The following figure illustrates the architecture of the Infoblox VMware Aria Automation Provider for NIOS DDI: The following diagram illustrates the **VMware Aria Automation Provider for NIOS DDI**, where **VMware Aria Automation Assembler**, through the **ABX Actions** powered **VMware Aria Automation Orchestrator Workflows**, manages **External Network Profiles** to dynamically allocate IP addresses, create DNS records, provision fixed addresses via DHCP, and synchronize network configurations with NIOS DDI: > Macro (drawio) Role of each component: - **VMware Aria Automation Provider for NIOS DDI**: Synchronizes IP address assignments and DNS configurations in Infoblox NIOS. - **VMware Aria Automation Assembler**: Orchestrates the end-to-end provisioning process by integrating IPAM, DNS, DHCP, and networking workflows during virtual machine lifecycle events such as creation, modification, and deletion. - **ABX Action (Action-Based Extensibility)**: Executes automation logic that interacts with NIOS APIs to allocate IP addresses, create DNS records, and update DHCP configurations dynamically during the deployment. - **VMware Aria Automation Workflows**: Manages VMware Aria Automation Provider objects in NIOS. Runs in the backend for VMware Aria Automation Assembler. - **vCenter**: Serves as the compute and virtualization management layer, hosting the virtual machines and associating them with the appropriate external network profiles and NIOS DDI-managed IP and DNS configurations. The following diagram illustrates the **VMware Aria Automation Provider for NIOS DDI**, where **VMware Aria Automation Assembler**, through **VMware Aria Automation Orchestrator Workflows** and **NSX** integration, manages **NSX Network Profiles** to automatically create and configure **NSX segments**, **Tier-1 gateways**, and **NAT rules**, while maintaining synchronized IP address assignments and DNS configurations within NIOS DDI: > Macro (drawio) Role of each component: - **VMware Aria Automation Provider for NIOS DDI**: Synchronizes IP address assignments and DNS configurations in Infoblox NIOS. - **VMware Aria Automation Assembler**: Orchestrates the end-to-end provisioning process by integrating IPAM, DNS, DHCP, and networking workflows during virtual machine lifecycle events such as creation, modification, and deletion. - **ABX Action (Action-Based Extensibility)**: Executes automation logic that interacts with NIOS APIs to allocate IP addresses, create DNS records, and update DHCP configurations dynamically during the deployment. - **VMware Aria Automation Workflows**: Manages VMware Aria Automation Provider objects in NIOS. Runs in the backend for VMware Aria Automation Assembler. - **NSX Manager**: Provides the underlying network virtualization platform that automatically creates and manages **segments**, **tier-1 gateways**, and **NAT rules**, ensuring network isolation and routing consistency across virtual environments. - **vCenter**: Serves as the compute and virtualization management layer, hosting the virtual machines and associating them with the appropriate NSX network profiles and NIOS DDI-managed IP and DNS configurations. # Intended Audience Information in this document is intended for anyone who is installing and configuring the VMware Aria Automation Provider for NIOS DDI, and using its workflows, actions library, and APIs. This information is written for experienced users who are familiar with virtual machine technology, VMware Aria Automation Orchestrator workflows, and VMware vSphere. This document assumes that readers are familiar with NIOS appliances and NIOS software. Procedures detailed in this document might vary depending on the version of VMware Aria Automation Orchestrator that you are using. For version-specific instructions, refer to the VMware documentation links listed in the *[Resources](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/ipamvmware8x/pages/52080794)* section.