Using solution user accounts

Some tools and products used with your private cloud might require a user to have administrative privileges in vSphere. When you create a private cloud, VMware Engine also creates user accounts with administrative privileges that you can use for the third-party tools and products. This document provides you with guidance on managing these solution user accounts in vSphere.

Here are some examples of tools and products that require administrative privileges during setup:

• VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM)
• VMware Cloud Director
• Zerto

Before you begin

Before signing in to a third-party tool or product with a solution user account, confirm that the tool or product requires administrative privileges. If the tool or product requires privileges that are already provided by Cloud-Owner-Role, then create a new user and add the user to Cloud-Owner-Group instead.

Caution: Solution user accounts have administrator privileges in vSphere. Only use solution user accounts for their intended purpose. VMware Engine reverts forbidden actions taken by these accounts automatically because of their potential for adverse impact on your private cloud.

Solution user accounts

When you create a private cloud, VMware Engine provides five solution user accounts in the gve.local vSphere Single Sign-On domain. The solution user account names are as follows:

• [e-mail]
• [e-mail]
• [e-mail]
• [e-mail]
• [e-mail]

Solution user account passwords expire 365 days after their most recent password update. After that time period, you must update the password to continue using the solution user account.

Prepare a solution user account

You can set up any third-party tool or product that requires administrative privileges by using a solution user account. Update the solution user account password beforehand:

1. Elevate your privileges in vSphere. Elevating your privileges through VMware Engine lets you perform user management functions in vSphere.
2. Access the vSphere client using the account that has elevated privilege.
3. Go to Menu > Administration > Single Sign On > Users and Groups.
4. From the main panel, select the gve.local domain and select the desired solution user account.
5. Click Edit.
6. Enter a strong password in the Password and Confirm Password fields. Optionally, add the name of your tool or product as the description.

After your password is updated, you can use the selected solution user account with your third-party application.

What's next

• Learn how to set up vCenter identity sources.
• Learn more about the private cloud vCenter permission model.