5.0

Using Embedded Adapters
Embedded adapters are the most commonly used adapters in vCenter Operations Manager. An embedded
adapter is a Java component that is designed to run in the vCenter Operations Manager collector. The
embedded adapter actively connects to a data source and pulls values from it. The
vCenter Operations Manager ITM adapter is an example of an embedded adapter.
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 the common functions, such as job
scheduling, that are already part of the collector.
Depending on the data collection methods used, embedded adapters support the following resource creation
methods.
Manual discovery
You send a request to the data source to return all available resources and select
the resources to add to vCenter Operations Manager. This method is typically
referred to as discovering resources or the discovery process.
Auto-discovery
When the data collection process discovers a new resource, the resource is
created for you in vCenter Operations Manager. You do not need to add the
resource.
Regardless of how a resource is created in vCenter Operations Manager, you configure and manage embedded
adapters through the vCenter Operations Manager user interface.
Using External Adapters
External adapters push data from outside sources to vCenter Operations Manager. Examples of external
adapters include the HP OpenView adapter, which runs in the HPOV agent, and a Perl script that reads a file
and sends the extracted data to vCenter Operations Manager.
External adapters use vCenter Operations Manager OpenAPI to send information to
vCenter Operations Manager. The vCenter Operations Manager OpenAPI has a simple form, which accepts
data through an HTTP request, and an advanced form, which uses Java RMI. For more information on
vCenter Operations Manager OpenAPI, contact VMware technical support.
The key advantage of an external adapter is flexibility in how the adapter is created and how it is deployed.
External adapters use auto-discovery to create resources in vCenter Operations Manager. With auto-discovery,
a resource is created in vCenter Operations Manager when the data collection process discovers a new resource.
You manage external adapters outside of the core vCenter Operations Manager domain.
Defining Adapter Instances
An adapter instance defines the type of adapter to use to connect to a particular data source. It also defines the
information that is required to identify and access that data source. You must define an adapter instance for
each data source that uses an embedded adapter.
NOTE You do not define adapter instances for external adapters. External adapters push data from outside
sources to vCenter Operations Manager. You manage external adapters outside of the core
vCenter Operations Manager domain.
An adapter instance definition typically includes the data access method and a host, port, and credential. The
exact information in a particular adapter instance definition depends on the type of adapter.
VMware vCenter Operations Manager Enterprise Administration Guide
14 VMware, Inc.