slackbot-vsphere

Overview

• Slack Bot for VM provisioning to vSphere
  • Wrapper of vSphere API functions
• User can use this software as portable interface for vSphere environment
  • Interactive-operation with SlackBot
  • Operate with simple text format as Slack message

Prerequirements

• Install required Python libraries

  • pip3 install -r requirements.txt
    • In case your environment uses virtualenv, start by creating virtual environments for this function first like:
      • python3 -m venv venv
        • You could specify the name of venv whatever you like
      • source ./venv/bin/activate
        • Confirm that the name of venv name would be added to the prompt of your shell
    • Note that Python slackbot libraries will be installed for your environment with this operations, which are required to run this program.

• Set your environmental variables

  • API Tokens
    • The slackbot programs will kick the API provided by Slack, and we need the Tokens for authentications.
    • Check your bots API tokens in Slack settings pages, and set them to parameter API_TOKEN with following command.
      • If you use bash:
      • export API_TOKEN="YOUR_SLACK_API_TOKEN"
        • As security considerations, we should pass the credentials to Bot programs as environmental variables
      • With your shell where you'd run start this programs, set parameters with any commands.
  • Credentials for vSphere
    • Credentials of vSphere environment, with vCenter Server, are defined in the file so that the bot program could use for your environment.
    • Before running the bot, you should set each values so that program could manage your vSphere environment.
    • For example, define variables as vSphere credentials with the commands like:
      • export VSPHERE_IP='vcsa01.mylab.local'
        • Both IP address and FQDN are supported
      • export VSPHERE_USERNAME='administrator@vsphere.local'
        • Notice that provided user should have the roles/permissions to create Virtual Machines or templates.
      • export VSPHERE_PASSWORD='VMware1!'

Hello, Bot

• Start to run Slackbot programs

  • python3 ./run_bot.py

• Case if you run programs permanently or run as background process, it would be preferable to run with nohup like below:

  • nohup python3 ./run_bot &

Environments

Licensing

• This programs is exported as open sources with the license of MIT License since sourced Python library slackbot is under the license.