Best approaches to reading this book
You might think that depending on which version or installation of Orchestrator you use, things will be different. Well, they're not. Have a look at the following figure:
Orchestrator is the central part of any automation effort.
If you plan to use vRealize Automation, it is best to read the introduction to Chapter 7, Working with VMware Infrastructure, first before diving deeper. vRealize Automation just leverages Orchestrator workflows and plugins. Check out Chapter 1, Installing and Configuring Orchestrator, to understand how to access Orchestrator and then follow the vSphere Automation path.
If you plan to automate your vSphere infrastructure, you can dive straight into Chapter 1, Installing and Configuring Orchestrator, and then check out the introduction in Chapter 7, Working with VMware Infrastructure, as well as the first recipe for vCenter in the same chapter.
You should definitely read all the chapter introductions as they contain valuable information for beginners as well as advanced readers.
If you are new to Orchestrator, start at Chapter 1, Installing and Configuring Orchestrator, and then move on to Chapter 5, Basic Orchestrator Operations, and finally Chapter 3, Visual Programming. This will give you a very good start.
