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Understanding Adapters 1
A key feature of vCenter Operations Manager is its ability to consume data from across the enterprise.
vCenter Operations Manager uses adapters to collect data from a variety of data sources, including specific
third-party products.
This chapter includes the following topics:
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“How Adapters Collect and Process Data,” on page 9
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“Types of Data that Adapters Collect,” on page 10
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“Adapter Architecture,” on page 11
How Adapters Collect and Process Data
Adapters work with the vCenter Operations Manager Collector to collect and process data.
The Collector acts as a gateway between vCenter Operations Manager and its adapters. The adapters connect
to and collect data from data sources, transform the data into a format that vCenter Operations Manager can
consume, and pass the data to the Collector for final processing.
Depending on the data source and the adapter implementation, an adapter might collect data by making API
calls, using a command-line interface, or sending database queries. Some adapters collect data for each resource
independently and other adapters extract data for all resources based on a specified time range.
vCenter Operations Manager uses embedded adapters and external adapters. Embedded adapters are the most
common type of adapter implementation.
Embedded Adapters
An embedded adapter is a Java component that runs as a plug-in in the Collector. Embedded adapters actively
connect to a data source and pull values from it.
Advantages of embedded adapters include better maintainability, control, and visibility into the management
of the adapter and the data that it collects. Embedded adapters also use common functions, such as job
scheduling, that are already part of the Collector.
VMware, Inc.
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