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Table Of Contents
- vCloud API Programming Guide
- Contents
- About This Book
- Introducing the VMware vCloud API
- Hello vCloud: A Structured REST Workflow Example
- Logging In and Getting an Organization List
- Browsing an Organization
- Finding a vApp Template
- Getting Information About a vDC
- Instantiating the Template in the vDC
- Deploying and Powering On the vApp
- Getting Information About the vApp
- Displaying the Console
- Deleting the vApp
- Logging Out
- Moving on to Additional Use Cases
- Browsing
- Provisioning
- Summary of Provisioning Requests
- Upload OVF to Create a vApp Template
- View the OVF Descriptor of a vApp Template
- Download a vApp Template as OVF
- Upload a Media Image
- Copying and Moving
- Changing a Name or Description
- Delete a vAppTemplate, vApp, or Media Image
- Cataloging vApp Templates and Media Images
- Controlling Access
- Datacenter Operations
- Summary of Datacenter Operations Requests
- vApp Lifecycle
- Instantiate a vApp Template
- Compose a vApp
- Recompose a vApp to Add or Remove Virtual Machines
- Capture a vApp to Create a vApp Template
- Reconfiguring vApps and Virtual Machines
- Deploying and Controlling vApps and Virtual Machines
- Deploy a vApp or Virtual Machine
- Undeploy a vApp or Virtual Machine
- Power On a vApp or Virtual Machine
- Power Off a vApp or Virtual Machine
- Reset a vApp or Virtual Machine
- Suspend a vApp or Virtual Machine
- Discard the Suspended State of a vApp or Virtual Machine
- Shut Down a vApp or Virtual Machine
- Reboot a vApp or Virtual Machine
- List Media Devices of a Virtual Machine
- Insert Media Into a Virtual Machine
- Eject Media from a Virtual Machine
- Get a Screen Thumbnail for a Virtual Machine
- Get a Screen Ticket for a Virtual Machine
- Provide User Input Requested by a Virtual Machine
- Control Access to vApps
- Retrieve a Task
- Administrative Operations
- VMware vSphere Platform Operations
- Summary of vSphere Platform Operations Requests
- List vSphere Platform Operations and Objects for a vCloud
- List Provider vDCs in a vCloud
- List External Networks in a vCloud
- List Network Pools in a vCloud
- List vCenter Servers Registered to a vCloud
- List ESX/ESXi Hosts in a vCloud
- Create a Provider vDC
- Create an External Network
- Create a Network Pool
- Import a Virtual Machine from vCenter
- XML Representations in the vCloud API
- User API Reference
- Request Parameters Reference
- Administrative API Reference
- vSphere Platform Extensions Reference
- OVF and the vCloud API
- An Introduction to REST for vCloud API Users
- Index
vCloud API Programming Guide
204 VMware, Inc.
Avirtualapplicationorvirtualmachineistypicallymadeupofoneormorevirtualdiskfilesthatcontainthe
operatingsystemandapplicationsthatrunonthevirtualmachine,andaconfigurationfilecontaining
metadatathatdescribehowthevirtualmachineisconfiguredanddeployed.AnOVFpackageincludesthese
components,aswellasoptionalcertificateandmanifestfiles.Thepackagecanbedistributedandstoredasa
collectionofindividualfiles,orasasinglearchive(OVA)file.
About OVF Packages
AnOVFpackageincludesfourkindsoffiles:
AnOVFdescriptor,anXMLfilethatcontainsmetadatathatdescribeavirtualmachineorcollectionof
relatedvirtualmachinesandthedeploymentenvironmenttheyrequire.Byconvention,thisfilehasthe
suffix.ovf.
Virtualdiskfiles.Thedescriptorliststhesefilesandincludesinformationabouttheirformat.
Anoptionalcertificationfile,whichcanbeusedtocertifytheauthenticityofthepackage.
Anoptionalmanifestfile,whichcontainsaSHA‐1digestofeachofthefilesinthepackage.
About OVA Files
AnOVAfilecollectsallthefilesinanOVFpackageintoasinglearchive.Byconvention,thisfilehasthe
suffix .ova.ThisreleaseofthevCloudAPIdoesnotsupportuploadordownloadofOVAfiles.
How the vCloud API Uses OVF
ThevCloudAPIusestheOVFpackageasaunitofdistributionandstorageforvApptemplates.Becausethese
artifactsareuploaded,downloaded,andstoredinOVFpackageform,thevCloudAPIsupportsaccesstoand
deploymentofthewidestpossiblevarietyofvirtualapplications.ThevCloudAPIimplementsaninstantiation
mechanismthattransformsanOVFpackageintoavAppbybindingthepackage’sabstractresource
requirementstospecificresourcesinadeploymentenvironmentdefinedbyavDC.
Becauseofitsgenerality,theOVFincludesagreatdealofinformation,nearlyallofwhichisreusedinVApp
elements.Someofthis
informationisreusedinunalteredform,withentireovf:Section_Typeelements
includedintheVAppbody.Othersectionsaretransformedorextendedbyinstantiation.Whileitisnot
necessaryforauserofthevCloudAPItohaveadetailedknowledgeofalltheelementsofanOVFpackage,a
basic
understandingofafewkeypartsthepackageandhowtheyrelatetovApptemplatesandvAppscanbe
useful.
Virtual Machines
AnOVFEnvelopecollectsallofthemetadatathatdescribesasinglevirtualmachineintoaVirtualSystem
element.AnEnvelopethatcontainsmorethanoneVirtualSystemcollectsthemintoa
VirtualSystemCollectionelement.Thisarrangementsupportspackagingagroupofrelatedvirtual
machinesasasingleobject,andincludesprovisionsforspecifying
globalparameterssuchasvirtualmachine
startuporder,networkconnections,andarangeofresourceconfigurations(suchasprocessingpowerand
memory)towhichthevirtualmachinescanbedeployed.
ThevCloudAPIalsosupportsthiskindofpackagingofmultiplevirtualmachines.Whenyouinstantiatea
VAppTemplate,informationfrom
itsVirtualSystemandVirtualSystemCollectionelementsis
propagatedtothecreatedVApp.VirtualSystemelementsinaVirtualSystemCollectionbecomeVm
elementscontainedbytheChildrenelementofaVApp.
Formoreinformationaboutinstantiation,see“InstantiateavAppTemplate”onpage 61.Foradetailed
exampleofanEnvelopeanditssections,see
“ReconfiguringvAppsandVirtualMachines”onpage 69.For
moreinformationaboutthepurposeandcontentsoftheOVFSectionsincludedinavApporVm,see“VApp”
onpage 162.