1.5
Table Of Contents
- vCloud API Programming Guide
- Contents
- vCloud API Programming Guide
- About the VMware vCloud API
- Hello vCloud: A Simplified RESTful Workflow
- Exploring a Cloud
- Provisioning an Organization with vApps, Templates, and Media
- Deploying and Operating vApps
- Summary of vCloud API vApp and Virtual Machine Operations Requests
- Create a vApp From a Template
- Compose a vApp From Existing Virtual Machines
- Recompose a vApp to Add or Remove Virtual Machines
- Operate a vApp
- Configuring vApps and Virtual Machines
- Retrieve the Configuration Links for a vApp
- Retrieve the Configuration Links for a Virtual Machine
- Retrieve or Update a Modifiable Section
- Update a vApp Network Configuration
- Update the NetworkConnectionSection of a Virtual Machine
- Retrieve or Modify the CPU Configuration of a Virtual Machine
- Retrieve or Modify the GuestCustomizationSection of a Virtual Machine
- Retrieve or Modify ProductSection Elements
- Retrieve or Modify Groups of Related Sections in a Virtual Machine
- Retrieve or Modify the Hard Disk Configuration of a Virtual Machine
- Creating, Provisioning, and Managing Organizations
- Summary of Administrative Requests
- Administrator Credentials and Privileges
- Organization Administration
- Network Administration
- vDC Administration
- Catalog Administration
- User and Group Administration
- Working With Roles and Rights
- Controlling Access to vApps and Catalogs
- Using vCloud API Extensions to Provision and Manage a Cloud
- Working With Object Metadata
- Using the Query Service
- Configuring and Using Blocking Tasks and Notifications
- XML Representations in the vCloud API
- Index
Exploring a Cloud 3
You can use HTTP GET requests in a process of serial discovery to browse containers such as organizations,
catalogs, and vDCs in a cloud.
Responses to these requests include metadata about the container itself and references to the objects it contains.
These references are provided in Link elements, which have href attributes whose values the client can use in
requests to get more information about the objects themselves. This process is sometimes called serial
discovery, where the contents of one response provides links to locations where you can look for more
information. The hierarchical structure of vCloud API container objects lends itself to graphical representation
as a folder hierarchy or tree view of vCloud API objects, and enables clients to use the same set of objects and
operations to implement a breadth-first or depth-first approach to browsing.
The list of entry points from which you can begin browsing is contained in the Session element that is returned
in response to a successful login. This list is based on your role and privileges.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n
“Summary of vCloud API Browsing Requests,” on page 41
n
“Retrieve the Login URL and List of Supported API Versions,” on page 42
n
“Create a Login Session,” on page 44
n
“Retrieve a List of Organizations Accessible to You,” on page 46
n
“Retrieve an Administrative View of a Cloud,” on page 47
n
“Retrieve a List of vSphere Platform Operations and Objects for a Cloud,” on page 49
Summary of vCloud API Browsing Requests
Browsing requests provide read-only access to a cloud and the objects it contains.
n
API-URL is a URL of the form https://vcloud.example.com/api.
n
id is a unique identifier in the form of a UUID, as defined by RFC 4122.
Request URLs are always available when you GET the representation of the object on which they operate. URL
forms are for reference purposes only. For more information about the requests and responses for each
operation, see “About the Schema Reference Downloadable Archive,” on page 19.
Table 3-1. Summary of vCloud API Browsing Requests
Operation Request Request Body Response
Show login URL and list of
supported API versions
GET API-URL/versions None
SupportedVersions
Log in [NEW] POST API-URL/sessions None
Session
VMware, Inc. 41