If your environment includes premium fast storage, you can make it available to users only for their running VMs using Command Workflows via the Service Portal. Doing so not only ensures users will be happy with the performance of their VMs, but also optimizes utilization of your different storage tiers.


Follow the process in this article to make this option available to your users.


Granting Access to Commands

In order to take advantage of the command workflows you will configure following this article, users must be granted permission to run workflows via their Service Portal Role.

  1. Under Configuration choose Users and Roles.
  2. Switch to the Service Portal Roles tab.
  3. Check Run Command Workflows for each role which requires the permission.

  4. Click Save.


Creating Destinations

The command workflows will require specific destinations to target for moving around the VMs. Your own needs will drive how you configure this, but as an example, this article refers to three destinations: Database Servers, Web Servers and Store Slow.

Database Servers and Web Servers are configured to use only datastores set to the fastest storage tier.

Store Slow is configured using only slow storage.

Refer to the Online Help for complete instructions on how to create a destination.


Creating the Commands

Finally, follow the procedure below to create the Command Workflows.

The first workflow will power down the VM if it’s already running, migrate it to faster storage, and then start it again.

  1. Under Configuration choose Command Workflows. Click Add.
  2. Provide a Name that will be meaningful to your users, and select or upload an icon for the command. Choose VM as the target type and click Next.
  3. Add a Perform Power Action step and name it Confirm Off. This is required because attempting to migrate a powered-on machine will fail.
  4. Set Step Execution to execute when the following condition is met:
    #{target.state} -ne "Not Running"
  5. Set the Action to Shutdown Guest OS & Stop.
  6. Add a Migrate VM step and name it appropriately. In  this example, steps are named because SQL and Web servers get migrated  to different locations.

  7. Set Step Execution to execute when the following condition is met: 
    #{target.deployedName} -contains SQL


  8. Select Choose from list for Destination and select an appropriate destination.
  9. Add additional conditional steps as necessary to cover all destinations you require.
  10. Add a Perform Power Action step set to Always Execute with Start as the selected Action. Click Next.
  11. On the Permissions page, leave the workflow set to allow everyone, or assign it to specific user, groups and organizations. Check Display in Service Portal and Prompt for Confirmation. Click Next.
  12. Click Finish.


The next workflow shuts down the VM and migrates it back to slower storage.
  1. Under Configuration choose Command Workflows. Click Add.
  2. Provide a Name that will be meaningful to your users, and select or upload an icon for the command. Choose VM as the target type and click Next.
  3. Add a Perform Power Action step and name it Shutdown. Leave Step Execution set to Always Execute with Shutdown Guest OS & Stopas the selected Action.
  4. Add a Migrate VM step and name it Migrate to Slow. Leave Step Execution set to Always Execute.
  5. Select Choose from list for Destination and select an appropriate destination. Click Next.
  6. Click Finish.