1.5

VCloudExtensibleType is an abstract type that all complex types extend that are defined in the vCloud API
namespace at http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5. This type allows you to add custom attributes to any type
and supports definition of custom elements within the VCloudExtension element.
The VCloudExtension element has an attribute named required that specifies how clients and servers proceed
when they see an unknown extension. All VCloudExtension elements are assumed to require a server that
understands them. The required attribute is optional, but if omitted is assumed to be present with a value of
true. This extensibility mechanism allows new servers to extend the XML representations native to the vCloud
API without requiring existing clients to understand those extensions.
A client might encounter a VCloudExtension element in any response. If the element declares
required=”true” and the client does not know how to interpret the contents of the element, the client can ignore
it, but it must include the VCloudExtension in any request to modify the element that contains it. A server must
return a failure when a request includes a VCloudExtension element that declares required=”true” but the
server does not understand the extension. For more information about VCloudExtension, see the schema
reference.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n
“XML Namespace Identifiers,” on page 234
n
“Common vCloud API Attributes,” on page 235
n
“Retrieve an Object as an Entity,” on page 237
XML Namespace Identifiers
Elements used as request or response bodies contain a set of attributes that enable XML validation. The body
of a PUT or POST request must contain all XML namespace identifiers required to validate the elements it
contains. A response body typically includes all the XML namespace identifiers that the server used to validate
it, in addition to other attributes that specify the schema locations searched during validation.
The vCloud API uses these XML namespace identifier attributes and prefixes.
Table 11-1. XML Namespace Identifiers in the vCloud API
Name Value Requirement
xmlns http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5 Required in all request bodies.
xmlns:vmext http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5 Required in request bodies that include
elements from the vSphere platform
extensions
xmlns:ve http://www.vmware.com/schema/ovfenv Required in request bodies that include
an ovf:Environmentelement.
xmlns:ovf http://schemas.dmtf.org/ovf/envelope/1 Required in request bodies that include
elements defined in OVF schema
dsp8023_1.1.0.xsd.
xmlns:rasd http://schemas.dmtf.org/wbem/wscim/1/cim-schema/2/
CIM_ResourceAllocationSettingData
Required in request bodies that include
elements defined in OVF schema
CIM_ResourceAllocationSettingData.x
sd.
xmlns:oe http://schemas.dmtf.org/ovf/environment/1 Required in request bodies that include
elements defined in OVF schema
dsp8027_1.1.0.xsd.
xmlns:vssd http://schemas.dmtf.org/wbem/wscim/1/cim-schema/2/
CIM_VirtualSystemSettingData
Not required in request bodies.
vCloud API Programming Guide
234 VMware, Inc.