5.1
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
- Summary of vCloud API Browsing Requests
- Retrieve the Login URL and List of Supported API Versions
- Create a Login Session Using the Integrated Identity Provider
- Retrieve a List of Organizations Accessible to You
- Retrieve an Administrative View of a Cloud
- Retrieve a List of vSphere Platform Operations and Objects for a Cloud
- Provisioning an Organization
- Summary of vCloud API Provisioning Requests
- Upload an OVF Package to Create a vApp Template
- Download a vApp Template as OVF
- Upload a Media Image
- Copying and Moving with the vCloud API
- Capturing and Importing vApps
- Cataloging vApp Templates and Media Images
- Creating and Using Independent Disks
- View or Change the Owner of an Object
- 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
- Provide User Input Requested by a Virtual Machine
- Attach or Detach an Independent Disk
- Creating and Using vApp Snapshots
- Operate a vApp
- Configuring vApps and Virtual Machines
- Retrieve the Configuration Links for a vApp
- Retrieve the Configuration Links for a Virtual Machine
- Update Multiple Sections of 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
- Update the Storage Profile for a Virtual Machine
- Creating and Managing Organizations
- Summary of Administrative Requests
- Administrator Credentials and Privileges
- Organization Administration
- vDC Administration
- Network Administration
- Catalog Administration
- User and Group Administration
- Working With Roles and Rights
- Controlling Access to vApps and Catalogs
- Managing and Monitoring a Cloud
- Summary of vSphere Platform Extension Requests
- Retrieve or Update System Settings
- Attach a vCenter Server
- Finding Available vCenter Resources
- Create a Provider vDC
- Create an External Network
- Create a Network Pool
- Import a Virtual Machine from vCenter
- Relocate a Virtual Machine to a Different Datastore
- Truststore and Keytab Maintenance
- Retrieve the vSphere URL of an Object
- Working With Object Metadata
- Using the Query Service
- Configuring and Using Blocking Tasks and Notifications
- vCloud Director Extension Services
- XML Representations in the vCloud API
- Index
Retrieve or Modify ProductSection Elements
ProductSection elements allow you to pass runtime information to vApps and virtual machines. The
key
=
value
pairs in this section are made available in the OVF Environment of a powered-on vApp or virtual
machine.
A vApp or virtual machine can get runtime information from its ovf:Environment element. This read-only
element is populated with information from a ProductSection element when the vApp or virtual machine is
powered on. A Vm can use VMware Tools to read these values from its ovf:Environment. A Vm can also read the
values by mounting a special media object. To make a
key
=
value
pair available in the ovf:Environment, add it
to the appropriate ProductSection of a vApp template or powered-off vApp or virtual machine.
NOTE All ProductSection elements in a vApp template, vApp, or virtual machine are returned as members
of a ProductSectionList. You cannot retrieve or update an individual ProductSection. You must retrieve the
ProductSectionList and update the individual ProductSection elements it contains.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator or the object owner.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the ProductSectionList from the vApp or virtual machine.
Use a request like this one, which targets a vApp.
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-123/productSections
The response is a ProductSectionList element, which contains all the ProductSection elements in the
vApp, along with a Link element that contains the rel="edit" URL to use when updating the
ProductSectionList. If the vApp contains no ProductSection elements, the response contains only the
Link element.
2 Modify the retrieved ProductSectionList.
You can modify existing ProductSection elements, create new ones, or both. ProductSection has no
required contents. Unlike updates to other sections, updates to a ProductSection merge new and existing
values, subject to the following rules:
n
Property elements that are present in the existing ProductSection but not in the update are removed.
n
Property elements that are present in the update but not in the in the existing ProductSection are
added to the ProductSection if they have a corresponding Value element.
n
If a Property element that is present in the existing ProductSection has different attributes, qualifiers,
or other details in the update, the Property in the update replaces the existing one.
n
If a Property element that is present in the existing ProductSection has no Value in the update, the
existing Property and Value remain unchanged.
3 Update the section with your modifications.
Find the Link element in the ProductSectionList where rel="edit". Make a PUT request to the URL in
that link's href attribute value, and supply the modified ProductSectionList as the request body.
The response to this request is a Task element that tracks the update operation. When the task is complete,
the section is updated.
The modified section replaces the contents of the original section, subject to the rules listed in Step 2.
vCloud API Programming Guide
120 VMware, Inc.