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ONTAP tools for VMware vSphere 10.2

Components of vCenter Server permissions

Contributors netapp-jani
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The vCenter Server recognizes permissions, not privileges. Each vCenter Server permission consists of three components.

The vCenter Server has the following components:

  • One or more privileges (the role)

    The privileges define the tasks that a user can perform.

  • A vSphere object

    The object is the target for the tasks.

  • A user or group

    The user or group defines who can perform the task.

Note In this diagram, the gray boxes indicate components that exist in the vCenter Server, and the white boxes indicate components that exist in the operating system where the vCenter Server is running.

permission components illustration

Privileges

Two kinds of privileges are associated with ONTAP tools for VMware vSphere:

  • Native vCenter Server privileges

    These privileges come with the vCenter Server.

  • ONTAP tools-specific privileges

    These privileges are defined for specific ONTAP tools for VMware vSphere tasks. They are unique to ONTAP tools for VMware vSphere.

ONTAP tools for VMware vSphere tasks require both ONTAP tools-specific privileges and vCenter Server native privileges. These privileges constitute the “role” for the user. A permission can have multiple privileges. These privileges are for a user that is logged into the vCenter Server.

Note To simplify working with vCenter Server RBAC, ONTAP tools for VMware vSphere provides several standard roles that contain all ONTAP tools-specific and native privileges that are required to perform ONTAP tools for VMware vSphere tasks.

If you change the privileges within a permission, the user that is associated with that permission should log out, and then log in to enable the updated permission.

vSphere objects

Permissions are associated with vSphere objects, such as the vCenter Server, ESXi hosts, virtual machines, datastores, datacenters, and folders. You can assign permissions to any vSphere object. Based on the permission that is assigned to a vSphere object, the vCenter Server determines who can perform which tasks on that object. For ONTAP tools for VMware vSphere specific tasks, permissions are assigned and validated only at the root-folder level (vCenter Server) and not on any other entity. Except for VAAI plug-in operation, where permissions are validated against the concerned ESXi host.

Users and groups

You can use Active Directory (or the local vCenter Server machine) to set up users and groups of users. You can then use vCenter Server permissions to grant access to these users or groups to enable them to perform specific ONTAP tools for VMware vSphere tasks.

Note These vCenter Server permissions apply to ONTAP tools for VMware vSphere vCenter users, not to ONTAP tools for VMware vSphere administrators. By default, ONTAP tools for VMware vSphere administrators have full access to the product and do not require permissions assigned to them.

Users and groups do not have roles assigned to them. They gain access to a role by being part of a vCenter Server permission.