Virtual Private Cloud OnDemand User's Guide

vApp Overview
A vApp is a preconfigured virtual machine that packages applications and parameters that define
operational details. A vApp packages applications with their required operating systems.
A vApp allows disparate virtual machines to work together in a stack as an application, and supports cloud-
computing architectures. You can nest vApps within vApps, set up VMware resource pools, and deploy
new vApps based on existing ones. VMware vApps operate on the Open Virtualization Format (OVF)
standard and vApps are exported in OVF format.
Virtual Private Cloud OnDemand displays information about the vApp that contains each virtual machine;
however, you do not select or manage vApps when you create a virtual machine in
Virtual Private Cloud OnDemand. You manage vApps by using vCloud Director.
See Working with vApps in the vCloud Director User's Guide for information.
Managing vApps in vCloud Director allows you to save a vApp as a vApp template in your catalog. See
Working with vAppTemplates in the vCloud Director User's Guide for information.
See also “Create a Virtual Machine from a Template,” on page 33. In Virtual Private Cloud OnDemand,
you use templates when creating virtual machines. A VMware template (also called a golden image) is a
model copy of a virtual machine from which you can clone or deploy more virtual machines.
Details: Differences Between vApps and Virtual Appliances
A virtual appliance is a generic term for an application delivered as a prebuilt unit. More specifically, a
virtual appliance is a virtual machine image file consisting of a pre-configured operating system
environment and a single application. The purpose of a virtual appliance is to simplify delivery and
operation of an application. To this end, only necessary operating system components are included.
A virtual appliance can be deployed as a virtual machine or a subset of a virtual machine running on
virtualization technology, such as VMware Workstation. Deploying an application as a virtual appliance can
eliminate problems with installation and configuration, such as software or driver compatibility issues.
“vApp” is a VMware specific term for an application encapsulated within a vApp pool (which works in a
hosted environment and on hypervisors). A vApp can define a number of specific things about an
appliance, such as performance and resource pools, IP address allocation policies, or firewall requirements.
End User Virtual Machine Access
Virtual Private Cloud OnDemand for vCloud Air provides role-based access that controls which features
and resources users can manage.
The roles are divided into five administrative roles and an End User role. The administrative roles and the
End User role are mutually exclusive; meaning, you cannot be assigned the End User role and any
administrative roles concurrently.
For information about the administrative roles see “Role-based User Account Management,” on page 56.
As a member of the End User role, you have permission to perform the following tasks in
Virtual Private Cloud OnDemand and vCloud Director:
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Add virtual machines to the public cloud.
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View and sort the list of virtual machines for which you are the owner.
You own a virtual machine when you created that virtual machine or an administrative user transferred
ownership of that virtual machine to you.
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Edit properties and settings in Virtual Private Cloud OnDemand and in vCloud Director, including
power operations, for virtual machines you own.
vCloud Air - Virtual Private Cloud OnDemand User's Guide
30 VMware, Inc.