User`s guide

Organization vDCs
An organization virtual datacenter (organization vDC) is a deployment
environment for virtual systems owned by the containing organization, and an
allocation mechanism for resources such as networks, storage, CPU, and
memory. In an organization vDC, computing resources are fully virtualized,
and can be allocated based on demand, service level requirements, or a
combination of the two.
Organization vDC
Networks
An organization vDC can be provisioned with one or more networks. These
organization vDC networks can be configured to provide direct or routed
connections to external networks, or can be isolated from external networks
and other organization vDC networks. Routed connections require an Edge
Gateway and network pool in the vDC. The Edge Gateway provides firewall,
network address translation, static routing, VPN, and load balancing services.
Virtual Systems and
Media Images
Virtual systems and media images are stored in a vDC and can be included in
a catalog. Media images are stored in their native representation (ISO or
floppy). Virtual systems are initially stored as templates, using an open
standard format (OVF 1.0). These templates can be retrieved from catalogs and
transformed into virtual systems, called vApps, through a process called
instantiation, which binds a template’s abstract resource requirements to
resources available in a vDC. A vApp contains one or more individual virtual
machines (Vm elements), along with parameters that define operational details,
including:
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How the contained virtual machines are connected to each other and to
external networks.
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The order in which individual virtual machines are powered on or off.
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End-user license agreement terms for each virtual machine.
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Deployment lease terms, typically inherited from the containing
organization, that constrain the consumption of vDC resources by the
vApp.
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Access control information specifying which users and groups can
perform operations such as deploy, power on, modify, and suspend on the
vApp and the virtual machines that it contains.
Tasks
Asynchronous operations that members of an organization initiate are tracked
by task objects, which are kept on the organization’s tasks list.
Chapter 1 About the VMware vCloud API
VMware, Inc. 9