5.5

Table Of Contents
Exploring a Cloud 3
You can use HTTP GET requests 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, because 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. The contents of this list is based on your role and privileges.
This chapter includes the following topics:
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“Summary of vCloud API Browsing Requests,” on page 41
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“Retrieve the Login URL and List of Supported API Versions,” on page 43
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“Create a Login Session Using the Integrated Identity Provider,” on page 44
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“Retrieve a List of Organizations Accessible to You,” on page 49
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“Retrieve an Administrative View of a Cloud,” on page 50
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“Retrieve a List of vSphere Platform Operations and Objects for a Cloud,” on page 52
Summary of vCloud API Browsing Requests
Browsing requests provide read-only access to a cloud and the objects it contains.
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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.
IMPORTANT Request URLs are always available in Link elements contained by the representation of the
object on which they operate. URL forms shown here are for reference purposes only. Although URLs have
a well-known syntax and a well-understood interpretation, a client should treat vCloud API request URLs
as opaque strings. The rules that govern how the server constructs these strings might change in future
releases.
This summary may not cover all requests in this category. For the complete list of requests, along with
detailed information about input and output types, see the Operations lists in the schema reference.
VMware, Inc.
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