6.5.1

Using Content Libraries 4
Content libraries are container objects for VM templates, vApp templates, and other types of files.
vSphere administrators can use the templates in the library to deploy virtual machines and vApps in the
vSphere inventory. Sharing templates and files across multiple vCenter Server instances in same or
different locations brings out consistency, compliance, efficiency, and automation in deploying workloads
at scale.
You create and manage a content library from a single vCenter Server instance, but you can share the
library items to other vCenter Server instances if HTTP(S) traffic is allowed between them.
If a published and a subscribed library belong to vCenter Server systems that are in the same vCenter
Single Sign-On domain, and both the libraries use datastores as backing storage, you can take
advantage of optimized transfer speed for synchronization between these libraries. The transfer speed
optimization is made possible if the libraries can store their contents to datastores managed by ESXi
hosts that are directly connected to each other. Therefore the synchronization between the libraries is
handled by a direct ESXi host to ESXi host transfer. If the datastores have VMware vSphere Storage
APIs - Array Integration (VAAI) enabled, the library content synchronization between the published and
the subscribed library is further optimized. In this case the contents are synchronized by a direct
datastore to datastore transfer.
Each VM template, vApp template, or another type of file in a library is a library item. An item can contain
a single file or multiple files. In the case of VM and vApp templates, each item contains multiple files. For
example, because an OVF template is a set of multiple files, when you upload an OVF template to the
library, you actually upload all the files associated with the template (.ovf, .vmdk, and .mf), but in the
vSphere Web Client you see listing only of the .ovf file in the content library.
You can create two types of libraries: local or subscribed library.
Local Libraries
You use a local library to store items in a single vCenter Server instance. You can publish the local library
so that users from other vCenter Server systems can subscribe to it. When you publish a content library
externally, you can configure a password for authentication.
VM templates and vApps templates are stored as OVF file formats in the content library. You can also
upload other file types, such as ISO images, text files, and so on, in a content library.
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