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vCloud API Programming Guide
vCloud Director 5.1
This document supports the version of each product listed and
supports all subsequent versions until the document is replaced
by a new edition. To check for more recent editions of this
document, see http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs.
EN-000750-00
vCloud API Programming Guide
2 VMware, Inc.
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Contents
vCloud API Programming Guide 7
1About the VMware vCloud API 9
Object Taxonomy 10
Objects, References, and Representations 12
Links and Link Relations 12
Client Workflow Overview 16
Using the vCloud API with vCloud Director 21
About the vCloud API Examples 22
2Hello vCloud: A Simplified RESTful Workflow 23
Logging In 24
Find a Catalog and a vDC 26
Retrieve the Contents of a Catalog 27
Retrieve a Catalog Item 28
Retrieve Deployment Information From the vDC 30
Deploy the vApp 31
Get Information About a vApp 34
Displaying the Virtual Machine Console 37
Delete the vApp 38
Log Out 40
3Exploring a Cloud 41
Summary of vCloud API Browsing Requests 41
Retrieve the Login URL and List of Supported API Versions 43
Create a Login Session Using the Integrated Identity Provider 44
Retrieve a List of Organizations Accessible to You 48
Retrieve an Administrative View of a Cloud 49
Retrieve a List of vSphere Platform Operations and Objects for a Cloud 52
4Provisioning an Organization 55
Summary of vCloud API Provisioning Requests 56
Upload an OVF Package to Create a vApp Template 57
Download a vApp Template as OVF 66
Upload a Media Image 69
Copying and Moving with the vCloud API 71
Capturing and Importing vApps 72
Cataloging vApp Templates and Media Images 72
Creating and Using Independent Disks 75
View or Change the Owner of an Object 79
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5Deploying and Operating vApps 81
Summary of vCloud API vApp and Virtual Machine Operations Requests 83
Create a vApp From a Template 85
Compose a vApp From Existing Virtual Machines 87
Recompose a vApp to Add or Remove Virtual Machines 90
Provide User Input Requested by a Virtual Machine 92
Attach or Detach an Independent Disk 93
Creating and Using vApp Snapshots 95
Operate a vApp 96
Configuring vApps and Virtual Machines 97
6Creating and Managing Organizations 129
Summary of Administrative Requests 129
Administrator Credentials and Privileges 132
Organization Administration 132
vDC Administration 139
Network Administration 147
Catalog Administration 176
User and Group Administration 179
Working With Roles and Rights 187
Controlling Access to vApps and Catalogs 191
7Managing and Monitoring a Cloud 193
Summary of vSphere Platform Extension Requests 193
Retrieve or Update System Settings 197
Attach a vCenter Server 198
Finding Available vCenter Resources 200
Create a Provider vDC 209
Create an External Network 219
Create a Network Pool 222
Import a Virtual Machine from vCenter 228
Relocate a Virtual Machine to a Different Datastore 231
Truststore and Keytab Maintenance 233
Retrieve the vSphere URL of an Object 236
8Working With Object Metadata 239
Retrieve or Update a Metadata Element 241
Retrieve or Update a Metadata Value 244
9Using the Query Service 247
Typed Queries 248
Packaged Queries 252
Query Parameters 257
Add a Metadata Filter to a Query 260
10 Configuring and Using Blocking Tasks and Notifications 263
Configure Notifications and AMQP Settings 264
Retrieve or Update Blocking Task Settings 273
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Monitor Blocking Tasks 276
Take Action on a Blocking Task 277
Extend The Timeout Expiration of an Active Task 279
11 vCloud Director Extension Services 281
Summary of vCloud API Extensibility Requests 282
Register an Extension Service 284
Adding or Removing Service Links 288
Service-Specific Tasks and Events 291
Authorization Framework for Extension Service Operations 294
Localization Framework for Extension Services 302
REST APIs for Extension Services 302
12 XML Representations in the vCloud API 307
XML Namespace Identifiers 309
Common vCloud API Attributes 310
Retrieve an Object as an Entity 312
Index 315
Contents
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vCloud API Programming Guide
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vCloud API Programming Guide
This edition of the vCloud API Programming Guide provides information about version 5.1 of the vCloud API.
VMware provides many different APIs and SDKs for applications and goals. This guide provides information
about the vCloud API for developers who are interested in creating RESTful clients of
VMware vCloud Director.
Revision History
The vCloud API Programming Guide is revised with each release of the product or when necessary. A revised
version can contain minor or major changes.
Table 1. Revision History
Revision Date Description
10SEP12 API Version 5.1
01SEP11 API Version 1.5
30AUG10 API Version 1.0
14APR10 API Version 0.9
Intended Audience
This guide is intended for software developers who are building VMware Ready Cloud Services, including
interactive clients of VMware vCloud Director. This guide discusses Representational State Transfer (REST)
and RESTful programming conventions, the Open Virtualization Format Specification, and VMware Virtual
machine technology. You must be familiar with these and other widely deployed technologies such as XML,
HTTP, and the Windows or Linux operating system.
Related Publications
The VMware vCloud Director Administrator's Guide and VMware vCloud Director User’s Guide contain detailed
information about many of the objects and operations referred to in this guide. Most users of the vCloud API
will find the information in those documents valuable when developing client applications. To access the
current versions of these and other VMware books, go to http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs.
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vCloud API Programming Guide
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About the VMware vCloud API 1
The VMware vCloud API provides support for developers who are building interactive clients of
VMware vCloud Director using a RESTful application development style.
vCloud API clients and vCloud Director servers communicate over HTTP, exchanging representations of
vCloud objects. These representations take the form of XML elements. You use HTTP GET requests to retrieve
the current representation of an object, HTTP POST and PUT requests to create or modify an object, and HTTP
DELETE requests to delete an object.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n“Object Taxonomy,” on page 10
n“Objects, References, and Representations,” on page 12
n“Links and Link Relations,” on page 12
n“Client Workflow Overview,” on page 16
n“Using the vCloud API with vCloud Director,” on page 21
n“About the vCloud API Examples,” on page 22
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Object Taxonomy
The vCloud API defines a set of objects common to cloud computing environments. An understanding of these
objects, their properties, and their relationships is essential to using the vCloud API.
Figure 1-1. vCloud API Object Taxonomy
Catalog 2
Catalogitem
em
em
em
Catalog 1
Catalog 3
vDC2
Catalogitem
Catalogitem
Catalogitem
Catalogitem
users
Media
vApp
template
Media
vApp
TasksList
Organization
vDC1
Media
vApp
template
Media
vApp
Catalogitem
em
em
em
groups
Network
Network
vCloud API objects have the following high-level properties:
Organizations A cloud can contain one or more organizations. Each organization is a unit of
administration for a collection of users, groups, and computing resources.
Users authenticate at the organization level, supplying credentials established
when the user was created or imported. User credentials are authenticated by
the organization's identity provider, which can be either the integrated identity
provider included in vCloud Director or an external SAML-based identity
provider.
Users and Groups An organization can contain an arbitrary number of users and groups. Users
can be created by the organization administrator or imported from an LDAP
directory service or SAML-based identity provider. Groups must be imported.
Permissions within an organization are controlled through the assignment of
rights and roles to users and groups.
Catalogs Catalogs contain references to virtual systems and media images. A catalog can
be shared to make it visible to other members of an organization, and can be
published to make it visible to administrators in other organizations. A system
administrator specifies which organizations can publish catalogs, and an
organization administrator controls access to catalogs by organization
members.
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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:
nHow the contained virtual machines are connected to each other and to
external networks.
nThe order in which individual virtual machines are powered on or off.
nEnd-user license agreement terms for each virtual machine.
nDeployment lease terms, typically inherited from the containing
organization, that constrain the consumption of vDC resources by the
vApp.
nAccess 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.
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Objects, References, and Representations
The vCloud API represents objects as XML documents in which object properties are encoded as elements and
attributes with typed values and an explicit object hierarchy defined by an XML schema.
XML representations of first-class vCloud API objects, such as the objects in Figure 1-1, include these attributes.
id The object identifier, expressed in URN format. The value of the id attribute
uniquely identifies the object, persists for the life of the object, and is never
reused. The id attribute value is intended to provide a context-free identifier
that can be used with the vCloud API entityResolver (see “Retrieve an Object
as an Entity,” on page 312).
type The object type, specified as a MIME content type.
href An object reference, expressed in URL format. Because this URL includes the
object identifier portion of the id attribute value, it uniquely identifies the
object, persists for the life of the object, and is never reused. The value of the
href attribute is a reference to a view of the object, and can be used to access a
representation of the object that is valid in a particular context. Although URLs
have a well-known syntax and a well-understood interpretation, a client
should treat each href as an opaque string. The rules that govern how the server
constructs href strings might change in future releases.
Example: Object id, type, and href Attributes
This XML fragment, extracted from the representation of a vApp, shows its id, type, and href attributes.
<VApp
...
id="urn:vcloud:vapp:490af534-1491-452e-8ed6-a5eb54447dac"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vApp+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-490af534-1491-452e-8ed6-a5eb54447dac"
... >
...
</VApp>
Links and Link Relations
The vCloud API makes extensive use of Link elements to provide references to objects and the actions that
they support. These elements are the primary mechanism by which a server tells a client how to access and
operate on an object.
The server creates Link elements in a response body. They are read-only at the client. If a request body includes
a Link element, the server ignores it.
Attributes of a Link Element
In the XML representation of a vCloud object, each Link element has the following form:
<Link rel="
relationship
"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.
object_type
+xml"
href="
URL
"
name="
string
"/>
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Attribute values in a Link element supply the following information:
rel Defines the relationship of the link to the object that contains it. A relationship
can be the name of an operation on the object, a reference to a contained or
containing object, or a reference to an alternate representation of the object. The
relationship value implies the HTTP verb to use when you use the link's href
value as a request URL.
type The object type, specified as a MIME content type, of the object that the link
references. This attribute is present only for links to objects. It is not present for
links to actions.
href An object reference, expressed in URL format. Because this URL includes the
object identifier portion of the id attribute value, it uniquely identifies the
object, persists for the life of the object, and is never reused. The value of the
href attribute is a reference to a view of the object, and can be used to access a
representation of the object that is valid in a particular context. Although URLs
have a well-known syntax and a well-understood interpretation, a client
should treat each href as an opaque string. The rules that govern how the server
constructs href strings might change in future releases.
name The name of the referenced object, taken from the value of that object's name
attribute. Action links do not include a name attribute.
Table 1-1. Link Relationships and HTTP Request Types
rel Attribute Value Action or Relationship Description Implied HTTP Verb
abort Abort this blocking task. POST
add Add an item to this container. POST
alternate References an alternate representation of this object. GET
answer Provide user input requested by a virtual machine. POST
authorization:check Check whether an extension service operation is
authorized for an entity.
POST
blockingTask A list of pending blocking task requests in this cloud. GET
bundle:upload Upload an extension service localization bundle. PUT
bundles:cleanup Remove unused extension service localization bundles. POST
catalogItem References the CatalogItem object that refers to this object. GET
certificate:reset Removes the SSL certificate used by this service. POST
certificate:update Updates the SSL certificate used by this service. POST
checkCompliance Check that this virtual machine is using a storage profile
of the intended type.
POST
consolidate Consolidate this virtual machine. POST
controlAccess Apply access controls to this object. POST
copy Reserved N/A
deploy Deploy this vApp. POST
disable Disable this object. POST
discardState Discard the suspended state of this virtual machine. POST
disk:attach Attach an independent disk to this virtual machine. POST
disk:detach Detach an independent disk from this virtual machine. POST
down References an object contained by this object. GET
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Table 1-1. Link Relationships and HTTP Request Types (Continued)
rel Attribute Value Action or Relationship Description Implied HTTP Verb
down:aclRules Retrieve the ACL rules for this resource class action. GET
down:apidefinitions Retrieve the API definitions for this extension service. GET
down:apiDefinitions Retrieve the API definitions for this extension service. GET
down:apiFilters Retrieve the API filters for this extension service. GET
down:extensibility Add an extension service to the system. POST
down:fileDescriptors Retrieve file descriptors for extension services APIs GET
down:files Retrieve files for extension services APIs GET
down:resourceClassActions Retrieve the actions defined for this extension service
resource class.
GET
down:resourceClasses Retrieve the resource classes defined by this extension
service.
GET
down:service
down:serviceLinks Retrieve the service links defined by this extension service. GET
down:serviceResources Retrieve the list of extension service resources of this class.
down:services Retrieve the list of registered extension services. GET
download:alternate Reserved N/A
download:default References the default location from which this file can be
downloaded.
GET
download:identity References the extended OVF descriptor of this vApp
template. The extended OVF descriptor contains
additional information such as MAC address, BIOS UUID,
and NetworkConfigSection
GET
edgeGateway:configureServices Update the network services offered by this Edge
Gateway.
PUT
edgeGateway:reapplyServices Reapply (after an update) the network services offered by
this Edge Gateway.
POST
edgeGateway:redeploy Redeploy the vShield Edge supporting this Edge
Gateway.
POST
edgeGateway:syncSyslogSettings Synchronize syslog server addresses used by this Edge
Gateway with system defaults.
POST
edgeGateway:upgrade Upgrade the backing configuration of this Edge Gateway
from compact to full.
POST
edgeGateways List the Edge Gateway objects in this organization vDC. GET
edit Modify this object, typically by replacing its current
representation with the one in the request body.
PUT
enable Enable this object. POST
enterMaintenanceMode Put this virtual machine into maintenance mode. POST
entity Retrieve a representation of the object on which an
operation triggered this notification.
GET
entityResolver Retrieve an object id as a context-free Entity element. GET
event:create Create an event in an this organization's event stream. POST
exitMaintenanceMode Take this virtual machine out of maintenance mode. POST
fail Fail this blocking task. POST
firstPage Reference to the first page of a paginated response. GET
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Table 1-1. Link Relationships and HTTP Request Types (Continued)
rel Attribute Value Action or Relationship Description Implied HTTP Verb
installVmwareTools Install VMware Tools on this virtual machine. POST
keystore:reset Removes the keystore used by this service. POST
keystore:update Updates the keystore used by this service. POST
keytab:reset Removes the keytab used by this service. POST
keytab:update Updates the keytab used by this service. POST
lastPage Reference to the last page of a paginated response. GET
media:ejectMedia Eject virtual media from a virtual device. POST
media:insertMedia Insert virtual media into a virtual device. POST
merge Merge one or more Provider vDCs with this Provider vDC. POST
migrateVms Migrate virtual machines from this resource pool to a
different one.
POST
move Reserved N/A
nextPage Reference to the next page of a paginated response. GET
orgVdcNetworks List the organization vDC networks supported by this
Edge Gateway.
GET
ova Reserved N/A
ovf References the OVF descriptor of this vApp template. GET
power:powerOff Power off this vApp or virtual machine. POST
power:powerOn Power on this vApp or virtual machine. POST
power:reboot Reboot this vApp or virtual machine. POST
power:reset Reset this vApp or virtual machine. POST
power:shutdown Shut down this vApp or virtual machine. POST
power:suspend Suspend this vApp or virtual machine. POST
previousPage Reference to the previous page of a paginated response. GET
publish Publish this catalog. POST
recompose Recompose this vApp to add, remove, or reconfigure
virtual machines.
POST
reconfigureVm Update multiple sections of a virtual machine. POST
reconnect Reconnect this vCenter Server to the system. POST
refreshStorageProfiles Refresh the list of storage profiles that exist on the vCenter
service backing this Provider vDC.
POST
refreshVirtualCenter Refresh the representation of this vCenter server POST
register Register a VCenter Server with the system. POST
relocate Relocate this virtual machine. POST
remove Remove this object. DELETE
remove:force Force removal of this object. DELETE
repair Repair this host or network. POST
resourcePoolVmList List the virtual machines using this resource pool. GET
resume Resume this blocking task. POST
rights List the service-specific rights created by this extension
service.
GET
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Table 1-1. Link Relationships and HTTP Request Types (Continued)
rel Attribute Value Action or Relationship Description Implied HTTP Verb
rights:cleanup Remove service-specific rights no longer used by any
extension service.
POST
screen:acquireTicket Retrieve a screen ticket for this virtual machine. GET
screen:thumbnail Retrieve a thumbnail view of the screen of this virtual
machine.
GET
shadowVms List shadow virtual machines associated with the virtual
machines in this vApp template.
GET
snapshot:create Create a snapshot of the virtual machines in this vApp. POST
snapshot:removeAll Remove all snapshots created for the virtual machines in
this vApp.
POST
snapshot:revertToCurrent Revert all virtual machines in this vApp to their current
snapshot.
POST
storageProfile References the storage profile for this object. GET
syncSyslogSettings Synchronize syslog server addresses used by this vApp
network with system defaults.
POST
task Retrieve the blocking task that triggered this notification. GET
task:cancel Cancel this task. POST
task:create Create a task object. POST
task:owner Reference to the owner of a task. GET
truststore:reset Remove the truststore used by this service. POST
truststore:update Update the truststore used by this service. PUT
undeploy Undeploy this vApp. POST
unlock Unlock this user account. POST
unregister Unregister this vCenter Server. POST
up References an object that contains this object. GET
update:resourcePools Update the resource pools of this Provider vDC POST
updateProgress Request an update of this task's progress. POST
upgrade Upgrade this ESX/ESXi host. POST
upload:alternate Reserved N/A
upload:default References the default location to which this object can be
uploaded.
PUT
vSphereWebClientUrl A URL that you can use to view this object with the
vSphere Web Client
GET
Client Workflow Overview
vCloud API clients implement a RESTful workflow, making HTTP requests to the server and retrieving the
information they need from the server’s responses.
About RESTful Workflows
REST, an acronym for Representational State Transfer, describes an architectural style characteristic of
programs that rely on the inherent properties of hypermedia to create and modify the state of an object whose
serialized representation is accessible at a URL.
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If a URL of such an object is known to a client, the client can use an HTTP GET request to retrieve the
representation of the object. In the vCloud API, this representation is an XML document. In a RESTful
workflow, representations of object state are passed back and forth between a client and a service with the
explicit assumption that neither party need know anything about an object other than what is presented in a
single request or response. The URLs at which these documents are available often persist beyond the lifetime
of the request or response that includes them. The other content of the documents is nominally valid until the
expiration date noted in the HTTP Expires header.
vCloud REST API Workflows
Application programs written to a REST API use HTTP requests that are often executed by a script or other
higher-level language to make remote procedure calls that create, retrieve, update, or delete objects that the
API defines. In the vCloud REST API, these objects are defined by a collection of XML schemas. The operations
themselves are HTTP requests, and so are generic to all HTTP clients.
To write a RESTful client, you must understand only the HTTP protocol and the semantics of XML, the transfer
format that the vCloud API uses. To use the vCloud API effectively in such a client, you need to know only a
few things:
nThe set of objects that the API supports, and what they represent; for example, what is a vDC and how
does it relate to an organization or catalog?
nHow the API represents these objects; for example, what does the XML schema for an Org look like? What
do the individual elements and attributes represent?
nHow a client refers to an object on which it wants to operate; for example, where are the links to objects
in a vDC? How does a client obtain and use them?
You can find this information in the vCloud API XML schemas. The XML elements, attributes, and composition
rules defined in these schemas represent the data structures of objects in the cloud. A client can read an object
by making an HTTP GET request to the object’s URL. A client can create or modify an object with an HTTP
PUT or POST request that includes a new or changed XML body document for the object. A client can usually
delete an object with an HTTP DELETE request.
The vCloud API schema reference includes detailed information about the XML representations of all vCloud
API objects and examples of HTTP requests that operate on those objects. See “About the Schema
Reference,” on page 21.
RESTful Workflow Patterns
All RESTful workflows follow a common pattern.
1 Make an HTTP request, typically GET, PUT, POST, or DELETE. The target of this request is either a well-
known URL such as the vCloud API versions URL, or a URL obtained from the response to a previous
request. For example, a GET request to an organization URL returns links to catalog and vDC objects that
the organization contains.
2 Examine the response, which always includes an HTTP response code and usually includes a body. In the
vCloud API, a response body is an XML representation of an object, including elements and attributes
that represent object properties, links that implement operations on the object or provide references to
contained or containing objects and, if the object is being created or modified, an embedded Task object
that tracks the progress of the creation or modification. The response also includes an HTTP response
code, which indicates whether the request succeeded or failed, and might be accompanied by a URL that
points to a location from which you can retrieve additional information.
These operations can repeat, in this order, for as long as necessary.
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vCloud API REST Requests
To retrieve object representations, clients make HTTP requests to object references. The server supplies these
references as href attribute values in responses to GET requests.
Every cloud has a well-known URL from which an unauthenticated user can retrieve a SupportedVersions
document, which lists each version of the of vCloud API that the server supports. For each version, the response
lists the names and MIME types of the complex types defined in the version's XML namespace, and the version
login URL. A system administrator can use that URL to authenticate to the cloud by logging in to the System
organization. An authenticated user can discover other vCloud API URLs by making GET requests to URLs
retrieved from the login response, and the URLs contained in responses to those requests. See Chapter 3,
“Exploring a Cloud,” on page 41.
Requests are typically categorized in terms of the type of requested operation: create, retrieve, update, and
delete. This sequence of verbs is often abbreviated with the acronym CRUD.
Table 1-2. CRUD Operations Summary
Operation Type HTTP Verb Operation Summary
Create POST Creates a new object.
Retrieve GET Retrieves the representation of an
existing object.
Update PUT Modifies an existing object.
Delete DELETE Deletes an existing object.
Authentication
HTTP communications between a vCloud API client and server are secured with SSL. The vCloud API also
implements Basic HTTP Authentication, as defined by RFC 2617, which enables a client to authenticate
individual HTTP requests by including an authentication header in the request. See “Logging In,” on
page 24.
Request Headers
The following HTTP headers are typically included in vCloud API requests:
Accept All requests must include an HTTP Accept header that designates the API
version that the client supports. The following header indicates that the request
is for vCloud API version 5.1:
Accept: application/*+xml;version=5.1
Valid values for the HTTP Accept header in this release are:
version=5.1 The request is from a vCloud API version 5.1 client.
version=1.5 The request is from a vCloud API version 1.5 client.
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Requests that specify API version 5.1 cannot access objects that do not exist in
the vCloud API version 5.1 namespace.
Accept-Encoding By default, vCloud Director returns response content as uncompressed XML.
Compressing the response can improve performance, especially when the
response is large and network bandwidth is a factor. (Requests cannot be
compressed.) To request a response to be returned as compressed XML, include
the following header:
Accept-Encoding: gzip
The response is encoded using gzip encoding as described in RFC 1952, and
includes the following header:
Content-Encoding: gzip
In the default configuration, responses smaller than 64KB are never
compressed.
Authorization All requests from authenticated clients must include an Authorization header.
See “Logging In,” on page 24 for details about the value of this header.
Content-Type Requests that include a body must start with the appropriate HTTP Content-
Type header. Content types for all elements are included in the schema
reference. In addition, the type attribute of a response body indicates the
content type of the document. For example, this response fragment indicates
that the content type associated with a CatalogItem object is
application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.catalogItem+xml.
<CatalogItem
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.catalogItem+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalogItem/221"
name="Ubuntu Template with vsftpd"/>
A POST or PUT request that supplies a CatalogItem in the request body
requires the following Content-Type header:
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.catalogItem+xml
When it appears as the value of a Content-Type header or the type attribute of
an element in the vCloud API, this string is case-insensitive in requests, and
can be returned in either mixed case or lowercase characters in responses.
Request Bodies
vCloud Director uses a validating XML parser that requires elements in a request body to agree with the schema
in order and number. Request bodies are rejected as invalid unless they meet the following criteria:
nXML namespace attributes must be supplied for all namespaces represented by elements in the request.
See “XML Namespace Identifiers,” on page 309.
nIf multiple namespaces are represented in the request, XML namespace attributes must include an
identifying prefix, and that prefix must be used with all elements from that namespace.
nAll required elements must appear in request bodies. All elements that appear in request bodies must
appear in the order that the schema establishes, and with content that conforms to the type constraint that
the schema specifies.
Chapter 1 About the VMware vCloud API
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vCloud API REST Responses
All responses include an HTTP status code and, unless the status code is 204 (No Content), a Content-Type
header. Response content depends on the request. Some responses include a document body, some include
only a URL, and some are empty.
Response Content
Response content depends on the requested operation. The response to a GET request is typically the complete
representation of an existing object. The response to a PUT or POST request always contains values for the
href, name, and id attributes of the object being created or updated. It also contains at most one Task element
that you can retrieve to track the progress of the operation. When the Task completes with a status of
success, a GET request to the object's href returns all properties of the object. If the Task completion status is
not success, the object is in an indeterminate state, and should be deleted.
HTTP Response Codes
A vCloud API client can expect a subset of HTTP status codes in a response.
Table 1-3. HTTP Status Codes that the vCloud API Returns
Status Code Status Description
200 OK The request is valid and was completed. The response
includes a document body.
201 Created The request is valid. The requested object was created and
can be found at the URL specified in the Location header.
202 Accepted The request is valid and a task was created to handle it. This
response is usually accompanied by a Task element.
204 No Content The request is valid and was completed. The response does
not include a body.
400 Bad Request The request body is malformed, incomplete, or otherwise
invalid.
401 Unauthorized An authorization header was expected but not found.
403 Forbidden The requesting user does not have adequate privileges to
access one or more objects specified in the request.
404 Not Found One or more objects specified in the request could not be
found in the specified container.
405 Method Not Allowed The HTTP method specified in the request is not supported
for this object.
406 Not Acceptable The resource identified by the request is only capable of
generating response entities which have content
characteristics not acceptable according to the accept headers
sent in the request.
409 Conflict The object state is not compatible with the requested
operation.
415 Unsupported Media Type The server is refusing to service the request because the entity
of the request is in a format not supported by the requested
resource for the requested method.
500 Internal Server Error The request was received but could not be completed
because of an internal error at the server.
504 Gateway Timeout The server, while acting as a gateway or proxy, did not
receive a timely response from the upstream server specified
by the URI.
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20 VMware, Inc.
Using the vCloud API with vCloud Director
VMware vCloud Director 5.1 supports version 5.1 of the vCloud API. You can use a browser or other HTTP
client program to send requests and receive responses.
The vCloud Director REST API Reference documentation includes HTML reference material for all XML
elements and complex types defined by the vCloud API. It also includes example XML representations. See
“About the Schema Reference,” on page 21. For information about HTTP client programs to use with
vCloud Director, see “REST Client Programs,” on page 21.
Procedure
1 Configure the vCloud Director REST API base URL.
a Log in to the vCloud Director Web Console as a system administrator.
b In the vCloud Director Web Console, open System Settings > Public Addresses
c Type the URL in the VCD public REST API base URL text box.
2 (Optional) If you want to use the vSphere Web Client to access vCloud API objects on a vSphere server,
verify that the vSphere Web Client URL is enabled for all vCenter servers from which you want to retrieve
the vSphere URL of an object.
You can manage this feature on the General tab of the vSphere Properties page of the vCloud Director
Web console.
What to do next
Decide on an HTTP client program to use. See “REST Client Programs,” on page 21.
REST Client Programs
Any client application that can send HTTPS requests can be an appropriate tool for developing RESTful
applications with the vCloud API.
REST client plug-ins are available for most browsers and many IDEs. The examples in this information were
developed using two open-source programs: cURL (http://curl.haxx.se/) and the RESTclient
(http://code.google.com/p/rest-client/).
VMware provides additional SDK products that implement language-specific bindings for the vCloud API,
and include their own HTTP client capability. See
http://communities.vmware.com/community/developer/forums.
About the Schema Reference
The vCloud API Schema Reference includes reference material for all elements, types, queries, and operations in
the vCloud API. It also includes the schema definition files.
The schema reference is available in HTML format in the vCloud Director documentation center.
Chapter 1 About the VMware vCloud API
VMware, Inc. 21
About the vCloud API Examples
The vCloud API Programming Guide includes many examples of HTTP requests and responses. These examples
show the workflow and content associated with operations such as browsing, provisioning, and managing
your cloud and its contents, and operating virtual systems.
Example requests generally conform to the rules listed in “Request Bodies,” on page 19. Most example
responses show only those elements and attributes that are relevant to the operation being discussed. Ellipses
(…) indicate omitted content within response bodies. Several additional conventions apply.
nThe following HTTP header, which is required in all requests that access version 5.1 of the vCloud API,
is omitted from most examples.
Accept: application/*+xml;version=5.1
nAll other request headers required by the vCloud API are included in example requests that are not
fragments of some larger example. Although the examples show these strings using the character case in
which the implementation defines them, header names and values are case-insensitive, and can be
submitted or returned in any character case. Other HTTP headers, such as Date, Content-Length, and
Server, are omitted because they are not relevant to the specifics of any example.
nThe XML version and encoding header
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
is included in example requests but omitted from example responses.
nObject IDs shown in href attribute values appear as small integers, for example vapp-7 or org/3. In the
vCloud API that vCloud Director supports, object IDs are universal unique identifiers (UUIDs) as defined
by RFC 4122, for example vapp-f5e185a4-7c00-41f1-8b91-0e552d538101 or org/89a1a8f9-
c518-4f53-960c-950db9e3a1fd.
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22 VMware, Inc.
Hello vCloud: A Simplified RESTful
Workflow 2
vCloud API clients and vCloud Director servers communicate over HTTPS, exchanging XML representations
of vCloud API objects.
This simplified example of a RESTful workflow includes requests that discover and deploy a particular vApp,
in this case, an FTP server with a connection to the public Internet.
These examples assume that you have access to a catalog that includes a vApp template with certain
characteristics and an organization network that supports connections to the public Internet. The workflow
and examples are flexible, and can accommodate various vApp templates and cloud capabilities.
1Logging In on page 24
vCloud Director requires API requests to be authenticated. The first step in any RESTful workflow is to
obtain an authentication token.
2Find a Catalog and a vDC on page 26
Before you can deploy a vApp, you must find a vApp template in one of your organization's catalogs
and a vDC in your organization to use for the deployment.
3Retrieve the Contents of a Catalog on page 27
You can make a GET request to a catalog URL to retrieve a list of vApp templates and media images
referenced by the catalog.
4Retrieve a Catalog Item on page 28
You can examine the list of items in a catalog to find items of interest based on the values of their name
and type attributes. You must retrieve a catalog item to get a Description and a usable reference to the
underlying object.
5Retrieve Deployment Information From the vDC on page 30
To deploy your template as a vApp, you must specify an organization vDC to deploy it in and an
organization vDC network to connect it to.
6Deploy the vApp on page 31
To create a vApp from a vApp template, you must bind the template's abstract resource requirements,
such as network connections, storage resources, memory, and CPU capacity, to appropriate resources in
the target vDC. This binding operation is called instantiation.
7Get Information About a vApp on page 34
When you instantiate a vApp template, the server returns the URL of the resulting vApp. You can use
this URL with a GET request to retrieve information that you can use to connect to the vApp, modify its
configuration, and operate it.
VMware, Inc. 23
8Displaying the Virtual Machine Console on page 37
After a vApp is powered on, you can retrieve a screen ticket from one of its virtual machines. You use
that ticket with the VMRC browser plug-in to gain access to the console of the virtual machine.
9Delete the vApp on page 38
To delete the vApp, undeploy it and power it off, then use an HTTP DELETE request to delete the vApp
object.
10 Log Out on page 40
To log out and terminate a vCloud API session, delete the Session you created when you logged in.
Logging In
vCloud Director requires API requests to be authenticated. The first step in any RESTful workflow is to obtain
an authentication token.
Every cloud has a login URL that a client can obtain by making an unauthenticated GET request to the
vCloud Director api/versions URL. See “Retrieve the Login URL and List of Supported API Versions,” on
page 43. Because all other vCloud API requests must be authenticated, any vCloud API workflow must begin
with a login request that supplies user credentials in the form that Basic HTTP authentication requires.
For information about how to create a login request and view the response, see “Example: Login Request and
Response,” on page 25.
NOTE This procedure assumes that you are logging in with credentials managed by the vCloud Director
integrated identity provider. Users whose credentials are managed by a SAML identity provider must follow
a different login workflow.
Prerequisites
Verify that the following conditions are met:
nYou are a member of an organization in the cloud, and have permission to create and operate vApps.
nYour organization contains at least one vDC and one network. For more information about setting up an
organization to support the Hello vCloud workflow, see Chapter 6, “Creating and Managing
Organizations,” on page 129.
nYour organization contains a catalog in which at least one vApp template is available. For more
information about adding a vApp template to a catalog, see Chapter 4, “Provisioning an Organization,”
on page 55.
Procedure
1 Make an API versions request to vCloud Director to obtain the login URL for the REST API.
2 Use the login URL to create a login session.
POST a request to this URL that includes your username, password, and organization name in a MIME
Base64 encoding. See “Example: Login Request and Response,” on page 25.
3 Examine the response.
The response code indicates whether the request succeeded, or how it failed.
A successful login request returns an authentication token that you can use in subsequent requests. It also
returns a Session element, which contains one or more Link elements, each of which provides a URL that you
can use to explore a subset of objects in the cloud. If you log in as a system administrator or organization
administrator, this list includes multiple links. See “Example: Create a Login Session Using the Integrated
vCloud API Programming Guide
24 VMware, Inc.
Identity Provider,” on page 45. Otherwise, the list typically includes a link of type
application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.orgList+xml, as shown in the response portion of “Example: Login Request
and Response,” on page 25. You can use this link to find out more about your organization and the objects
it contains.
For more information about the other links in the Session element, see “Create a Login Session Using the
Integrated Identity Provider,” on page 44.
Example: Login Request and Response
A request to create a login session must supply the user's credentials in the following form:
user
@
organization
:
password
nuser is the user's login name.
norganization is the name of an organization of which the user is a member.
npassword is the user's password.
These credentials must be supplied in a MIME Base64 encoding, as specified in RFC 1421.
NOTE System administrators must log in to the System organization. See “Administrator Credentials and
Privileges,” on page 132. Because the System organization does not support some of the features demonstrated
in the Hello vCloud workflow, you should try this example in another organization.
This example shows a login request and response for a user named HelloUser logging into an organization
named ExampleOrg in a cloud whose login URL is https://vcloud.example.com/api/sessions.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/sessions
Authorization: Basic
encoded-credentials
Accept: application/*+xml;version=5.1
Response:
200 OK
x-vcloud-authorization: cn9uYmdugN8E2j96+5Lqrc3YBvFsEgDHXzyfJrJ/6bM=
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.session+xml;version=5.1
...
<Session
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v2.0"
user="HelloUser"
org="ExampleOrg"
... >
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.orgList+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/org"/>
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.query.queryList+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/query" />
<Link
rel="entityResolver"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.entity+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/entity/" />
</Session>
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VMware, Inc. 25
The response code indicates whether the request succeeded, or how it failed.
nIf the request is successful, the server returns HTTP response code 200 (OK) and headers that include an
authorization header of the following form:
x-vcloud-authorization:
token
This header must be included in each subsequent vCloud API request.
nIf the authentication header is missing, the server returns HTTP response code 403.
nIf the credentials supplied in the authentication header are invalid, or if the token has expired, the server
returns HTTP response code 401. The token expires after a configurable interval of client inactivity. The
default is 30 minutes after the token is created. After the token expires, you must log in again to obtain a
new token.
Find a Catalog and a vDC
Before you can deploy a vApp, you must find a vApp template in one of your organization's catalogs and a
vDC in your organization to use for the deployment.
After you log in, you can make a GET request to your organization's URL to retrieve the XML representation
of the organization. This representation shows the organization's attributes and contents, including links to its
catalogs and vDCs.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator or member of an organization in
the cloud.
Procedure
1 Examine the list of organizations to which you have access.
Make a GET request to the URL in the href value of the orgList link, which is present in the response to
all login requests.
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/org/
Unless you are a system administrator, the response to this request is an OrgList element containing a
single Org element, which represents your organization.
<OrgList
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.orgList+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/org">
<Org
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.org+xml"
name="ExampleOrg"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/org/5" />
</OrgList>
2 Retrieve the representation of your organization.
See the request portion of “Example: Retrieve the Contents of an Organization,” on page 26.
3 Examine the response to find the links to the organization's catalogs and vDCs.
See the response portion of “Example: Retrieve the Contents of an Organization,” on page 26.
Example: Retrieve the Contents of an Organization
This example retrieves the ExampleOrg organization listed in the OrgList element shown in Step 1.
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26 VMware, Inc.
Request:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/org/5
Response:
200 OK
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.org+xml
...
<Org
name="ExampleOrg"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.org+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/org/5">
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.catalog+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalog/32"
name="ExampleCatalog" />
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vdc+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vdc/5"
name="ExampleVdc01" />
<Link ... />
<Link ... />
<Description>Example Corp’s Primary Organization</Description>
</Org>
Links in the response whose rel attribute has a value of down are references to objects that the organization
contains. This example shows the subset of those items that we reference in the Hello vCloud example:
nA catalog named ExampleCatalog, at URL https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalog/32, where you can look
for vApp templates.
nAn organization vDC named ExampleVdc01, at URL https://vcloud.example.com/api/vdc/5, where you can
deploy the vApp.
Retrieve the Contents of a Catalog
You can make a GET request to a catalog URL to retrieve a list of vApp templates and media images referenced
by the catalog.
To use a vApp template or media image listed in a catalog, retrieve the catalog to discover the set of
CatalogItem elements it contains, then make an additional request to retrieve the CatalogItem of interest.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator or member of an organization in
the cloud.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of your organization.
Use a request like this one:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/org/5
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2 Examine the response to find the links to the organization's catalogs.
These links have the following form:
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.catalog+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalog/
id
"
name="
catalog_name
" />
3 Retrieve the contents of the catalog.
Use a GET request of the form shown in the request portion of “Example: Retrieve the Contents of a
Catalog,” on page 28.
Example: Retrieve the Contents of a Catalog
This example retrieves the catalog shown in the response portion of “Example: Retrieve the Contents of an
Organization,” on page 26.
Request:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalog/32
Response:
200 OK
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.catalog+xml
...
<Catalog
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="ExampleCatalog"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.catalog+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalog/32">
<Description>Main Org Catalog</Description>
<CatalogItems>
<CatalogItem
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.catalogItem+xml"
name="Ubuntu Template with vsftpd"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalogItem/221"/>
<CatalogItem ... />
<CatalogItem ... />
</CatalogItems>
</Catalog>
Retrieve a Catalog Item
You can examine the list of items in a catalog to find items of interest based on the values of their name and
type attributes. You must retrieve a catalog item to get a Description and a usable reference to the underlying
object.
Every vApp template or media image that is added to the catalog is represented as a CatalogItem element.
When a client browses a catalog, it can read only the name, type, and href of each CatalogItem. To retrieve an
item from the catalog, the client requires more information. In “Example: Retrieve a Catalog Item,” on
page 29, the client makes a GET request to the URL in the value of the href attribute of a CatalogItem. The
response provides more information, including a description of the referenced object and another URL that
the client can use to retrieve a representation of the object.
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28 VMware, Inc.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator or member of an organization in
the cloud.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the representation of a catalog in your organization.
Use a request like this one:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalog/32
2 Examine the response to find the CatalogItem elements that the catalog contains.
The value of the name attribute of a CatalogItem element is taken from the name attribute of the referenced
object. You can use it as a preliminary indicator of what the item represents.
3 Retrieve a CatalogItem.
Use a GET request of the form shown in the request portion of “Example: Retrieve a Catalog Item,” on
page 29.
Example: Retrieve a Catalog Item
This example retrieves the CatalogItem shown in the response portion of “Example: Retrieve the Contents of
a Catalog,” on page 28.
Request:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalogItem/221
In addition to the name attribute and Description element, the CatalogItem contains a rel="up" link to the
catalog that contains it, and other links that you can use to manage the CatalogItem.
Response:
200 OK
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.catalogItem+xml
...
<CatalogItem
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="Ubuntu Template with vsftpd"
id="urn:vcloud:catalogitem:221"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalogItem/221" ... >
<Link
rel="up"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.catalog+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalog/32" />
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.metadata+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalogItem/221/metadata" />
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.catalogItem+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalogItem/221" />
<Link
rel="remove"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalogItem/221" />
<Description>Approved template for public FTP sites</Description>
<Entity
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VMware, Inc. 29
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vAppTemplate/vappTemplate-111"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vAppTemplate+xml"
name="Ubuntu Template with vsftpd"/>
</CatalogItem>
Retrieve Deployment Information From the vDC
To deploy your template as a vApp, you must specify an organization vDC to deploy it in and an organization
vDC network to connect it to.
Instantiation, deployment, and operation of a vApp all take place in the context of an organization vDC. The
XML representation of a vDC object defines that context in detail. For this exercise, you need several pieces of
information from the vDC:
nThe URL that a client can use to request an instantiateVAppTemplate operation in the vDC.
nA list of networks in the organization vDC that the vApp can connect to.
“Example: Deployment Information in a vDC,” on page 30 shows this subset of vDC contents.
Prerequisites
Verify that the following conditions are met:
nVerify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator or member of an organization
in the cloud.
nRetrieve the representation of your organization. See the request portion of “Example: Retrieve the
Contents of an Organization,” on page 26. The response portion contains links to the organization's vDCs.
Procedure
1 Examine the Org response to find the links to the organization's vDCs.
Links to vDCs have the form:
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vdc+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vdc/
id
"
name="
vDC_name
" />
2 Retrieve the contents of the vDC.
Use a GET request of the form shown in the request portion of “Example: Deployment Information in a
vDC,” on page 30.
Example: Deployment Information in a vDC
This example shows a request to retrieve the XML representation of a vDC. It shows only the subset of the
response that contains deployment information.
Request:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/vdc/5
Response:
200 OK
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vdc+xml
...
<Vdc
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="ExampleVdc01"
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30 VMware, Inc.
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vdc+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vdc/5">
...
<Link
rel="add"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.instantiateVAppTemplateParams+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vdc/5/action/instantiateVAppTemplate" />
...
<AvailableNetworks>
<Network
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/network/14"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.network+xml"
name="Isolated" />
<Network
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/network/54"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.network+xml"
name="Internet" />
</AvailableNetworks>
...
</Vdc>
The information that you need is available in the following elements of the response:
nA Link element that contains an action URL for instantiateVAppTemplate. The rel attribute of this link
has a value of add. It implements an action that adds an object (a vApp) to the vDC.
nA list of AvailableNetworks that includes all the networks in the vDC.
Deploy the vApp
To create a vApp from a vApp template, you must bind the template's abstract resource requirements, such
as network connections, storage resources, memory, and CPU capacity, to appropriate resources in the target
vDC. This binding operation is called instantiation.
To deploy the vApp, you construct an InstantiateVAppTemplateParams element that specifies a vApp template
to use and a network to connect to, then POST the element to the action/instantiateVAppTemplate URL of the
vDC.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator or member of an organization in
the cloud.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of the vApp template.
Make a GET request to the URL provided in the href attribute of the Entity contained by the
CatalogItem that references the template.
2 Examine the template to find the Vm elements of the virtual machines that it contains.
Look for a NetworkConnection element in the Vm. You need some of the information in that element to create
a vApp network that the virtual machine can connect to.
3 Create an InstantiateVAppTemplateParams element.
See “Example: Deploying a vApp,” on page 32 for guidelines.
4 Make a POST request to the action/instantiateVAppTemplate URL of the vDC.
Supply the InstantiateVAppTemplateParams element as the request body.
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The server takes the requested action and returns a VApp element. The element has a status attribute value of
0, meaning it is unresolved because it is still being constructed. It also contains a Task element that tracks the
progress of the request.
See the response portion of “Example: Deploying a vApp,” on page 32.
Example: Deploying a vApp
This simple instantiateVAppTemplate request assumes that the vApp template includes one Vm and has no
special requirements other than connecting that Vm to a network. For a look at a more complex instantiation
request, see “Example: Instantiate a vApp Template,” on page 86. The InstantiateVAppTemplateParams
includes the following information:
nA name for the vApp, supplied in the name attribute of the InstantiateVAppTemplateParams element. This
request also provides a description, which is optional but a good practice.
nA reference to a template, obtained from the href attribute of the Entity contained by the CatalogItem
that you retrieved in “Retrieve a Catalog Item,” on page 28 and suppled in the Source element of the
InstantiateVAppTemplateParams.
nConfiguration parameters for a vApp network, supplied in the NetworkConfigSection element. This
specification includes the following parameters:
nA name for the network, supplied in the name attribute of the NetworkConfigSection element. The
name you specify for the vApp network must match the value of the network attribute of the
NetworkConnection of the Vm. This example assumes that this NetworkConnection element includes the
following values, which specify that the Vm connects to a network named VappNetwork:
<NetworkConnectionSection
...
<NetworkConnection
network="VappNetwork">
...
</NetworkConnection>
</NetworkConnectionSection>
nA reference to the organization vDC network to which the vApp network connects, specified in the
ParentNetwork element. The URL used in this reference is one shown in the AvailableNetworks
element in “Example: Deployment Information in a vDC,” on page 30.
nA fence mode, specified in the FenceMode element. A value of bridged indicates that the vApp network
is connected directly to the organization vDC network.
For more information about creating networks with the vCloud API, see “About vCloud Director
Networks,” on page 148.
The target of the request is the instantiateVAppTemplate URL of this vDC. See “Example: Deployment
Information in a vDC,” on page 30. Because the operation creates a new vApp object, the HTTP request type
is POST.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/vdc/5/action/instantiateVAppTemplate
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.instantiateVAppTemplateParams+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<InstantiateVAppTemplateParams
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="Linux FTP server"
deploy="true"
powerOn="true"
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32 VMware, Inc.
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xmlns:ovf="http://schemas.dmtf.org/ovf/envelope/1">
<Description>Example FTP Server</Description>
<InstantiationParams>
<NetworkConfigSection>
<ovf:Info>Configuration parameters for logical networks
</ovf:Info>
<NetworkConfig
networkName="vAppNetwork">
<Configuration>
<ParentNetwork
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/network/54" />
<FenceMode>bridged</FenceMode>
</Configuration>
</NetworkConfig>
</NetworkConfigSection>
</InstantiationParams>
<Source
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vAppTemplate/vappTemplate-111" />
</InstantiateVAppTemplateParams>
The response to the instantiation request is a sparsely populated vApp element that includes the following
information:
nThe status of the vApp. The status value 0 indicates that the vApp is unresolved, because instantiation is
not complete.
nThe name of the vApp, as supplied in the request.
nThe vApp URL, shown in the href attribute of the VApp element. You can use this reference to retrieve
information about the vApp.
nA task created to track the instantiation. The Task element has an operation attribute that describes what
is happening, and contains an Owner element that is a reference the vApp being created. The vApp is the
owner of the task.
Response:
201 Created
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vApp+xml
...
<VApp
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
xmlns:ovf="http://schemas.dmtf.org/ovf/envelope/1"
deployed="false"
status="0"
name="Linux FTP server"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vApp+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-7">
<Link
rel="up"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vdc+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vdc/5"/>
<Description>Example FTP Server vApp</Description>
<Tasks>
<Task
status="running"
operation="Creating Virtual Application Linux FTP server(7)"
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... >
<Owner
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vApp+xml"
name="LinuxFtpServer"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/vApp/vapp-7" />
</Task>
</Tasks>
</VApp>
Get Information About a vApp
When you instantiate a vApp template, the server returns the URL of the resulting vApp. You can use this
URL with a GET request to retrieve information that you can use to connect to the vApp, modify its
configuration, and operate it.
As other examples have shown, a client can always use an HTTP GET request to the URL in the object's href
attribute to discover the current state of any vCloud API object, including a vApp.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator or member of an organization in
the cloud.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of the vApp.
Make a GET request to the URL in the href attribute of the VApp element that is returned when you create
the vApp from the template.
2 Examine the response.
See “Example: Getting Information About the vApp,” on page 34.
Example: Getting Information About the vApp
This response reveals several things about the vApp:
nThe vApp is deployed (its deployed attribute is set to true) and powered on (status="4"). See “Object
Creation Status,” on page 311.
nThe Vm in its Children collection is also powered on and deployed. The Vm is connected to the vApp network
created during instantiation. See “Example: Deploying a vApp,” on page 32. Properties of this network
are included in the NetworkConfigSection of the vApp, although most are not shown here. Properties of
the virtual machine's connection to the network, including its IP address, are shown in the
NetworkConnection of the Vm.
nAction links for all operations except powerOn are present in the VApp element and the Vm element that it
contains. Because the vApp is already powered on, that operation is invalid for the vApp in its current
state, so the link is not part of the response. The link for deploy is always present, even in a deployed vApp,
because the deploy action is always valid. The Vm element also includes several links for actions that are
not applicable to a vApp. Actions such as acquiring a screen ticket or thumbnail, and inserting or removing
media, are meaningful only in the context of a virtual machine. Other actions, like shutdown and reboot,
can be applied to either object. See Chapter 5, “Deploying and Operating vApps,” on page 81.
Request:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-7
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34 VMware, Inc.
Response:
200 OK
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vApp+xml
...
<VApp
...
deployed="true"
status="4"
name="Linux FTP server"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vApp+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-7" ... >
...
<Link
rel="power:reboot"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-7/power/action/reboot" />
<Link
rel="power:powerOff"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-7/power/action/powerOff" />
<Link
rel="undeploy"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-7/action/undeploy" />
<Link
rel="deploy"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-7/action/deploy" />
<Link
rel="power:shutdown"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-7/power/action/shutdown" />
<Link
rel="power:reset"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-7/power/action/reset" />
<Link
rel="power:suspend"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-7/power/action/suspend" />
<Link ... />
...
<Description>Example FTP Server vApp</Description>
<LeaseSettingsSection ... >
...
</LeaseSettingsSection>
<ovf:StartupSection ... >
...
</ovf:StartupSection>
<ovf:NetworkSection ... >
<ovf:Info />
<ovf:Network
ovf:name="vAppNetwork">
<ovf:Description />
</ovf:Network>
</ovf:NetworkSection>
<NetworkConfigSection
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-7/networkConfigSection/"
ovf:required="false">
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.networkConfigSection+xml"
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href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-7/networkConfigSection/" />
<ovf:Info>Configuration parameters for vAppNetwork</ovf:Info>
<NetworkConfig
networkName="vAppNetwork">
<Configuration>
<IpScopes>
...
</IpScopes>
<ParentNetwork
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.network+xml"
name="Internet"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/network/54" />
<FenceMode>bridged</FenceMode>
</Configuration>
<IsDeployed>true</IsDeployed>
</NetworkConfig>
</NetworkConfigSection>
<Children>
<Vm
deployed="true"
status="4"
name="ubuntu10-x86"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vm+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4">
...
<Link
rel="power:reboot"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/power/action/reboot" />
<Link
rel="power:powerOff"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/power/action/powerOff" />
<Link
rel="undeploy"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/action/undeploy" />
<Link
rel="deploy"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/action/deploy" />
<Link
rel="power:shutdown"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/power/action/shutdown" />
<Link
rel="power:reset"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/power/action/reset" />
<Link
rel="power:suspend"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/power/action/suspend" />
<Link
rel="up"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vApp+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-7" />
<Link
rel="screen:thumbnail"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/screen" />
<Link
rel="screen:acquireTicket"
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36 VMware, Inc.
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/screen/action/acquireTicket" />
<Link
rel="media:insertMedia"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.mediaInsertOrEjectParams+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/media/action/insertMedia" />
<Link ... />
...
<Description />
<ovf:VirtualHardwareSection>
...
</ovf:VirtualHardwareSection>
...
<NetworkConnectionSection>
...
<NetworkConnection>
network="vAppNetwork">
<NetworkConnectionIndex>0</NetworkConnectionIndex>
<IpAddress>10.147.201.10</IpAddress>
<IsConnected>true</IsConnected>
<MACAddress>00:50:56:01:01:49</MACAddress>
<IpAddressAllocationMode>DHCP</IpAddressAllocationMode>
</NetworkConnection>
</NetworkConnectionSection>
<GuestCustomizationSection>
...
</GuestCustomizationSection>
...
</Vm>
</Children>
</VApp>
Displaying the Virtual Machine Console
After a vApp is powered on, you can retrieve a screen ticket from one of its virtual machines. You use that
ticket with the VMRC browser plug-in to gain access to the console of the virtual machine.
A screen ticket is a string that includes the virtual machine’s IP address, its managed object reference, and a
residual that is encoded as described in RFC 2396. Each Vm element in a vApp includes a link where
rel="screen:acquireTicket" if the virtual machine it represents is powered on. You can use that link to retrieve
a screen ticket that you can use with the VMRC API to open a VMware Remote Console for the virtual machine.
Prerequisites
nVerify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator or member of an organization
in the cloud.
nVerify that the virtual machine whose console you want to display is powered on.
nVerify that your browser has an installed copy of the vmware-vmrc plug-in. This plug-in is installed by your
browser whenever you use the vCloud Director Web Console to access the console of a running virtual
machine. After this plug-in is installed, you can find it in the folder where your browser stores plug-ins.
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Procedure
1 Retrieve the screen ticket.
POST a request to the acquireTicket link of the Vm.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/screen/action/acquireTicket
Response:
200 OK
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.screenTicket+xml
...
<ScreenTicket xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1 ...>
ticket-string
</ScreenTicket>
The ticket string itself has the following form:
mks://
ip-address
/
VM-MoRef
/ticket=
encoded-ticket
nip-address is the IP address of the virtual machine.
nVM-MoRef is the managed object reference of the virtual machine.
nencoded-ticket is the encoded screen ticket. You must decode this ticket using a function such as the
Java URLDecoder or PERL url_escape before you can use it.
2 Use the ticket with the VMRC API.
The ticket is valid for 30 seconds. To use it, you must initialize the VMRC browser plug-in and use the
VMRC API, as described in the VMware Technical Note Using the VMRC API.
Delete the vApp
To delete the vApp, undeploy it and power it off, then use an HTTP DELETE request to delete the vApp object.
A deployed vApp has a link that you can use with a POST request to undeploy it and then take a power action
such as powering it off or suspending it. A powered-off vApp has a link that you can use with a DELETE
request to remove it.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator or the object owner.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of the vApp.
Make a GET request to the URL provided in the href attribute of the VApp element returned when you
created the vApp from the template. See “Get Information About a vApp,” on page 34.
2 Undeploy the vApp, and specify that it should also be powered off.
Make a POST request to the vApp's action/undeploy link, which has the following form:
<Link
rel="undeploy"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-7/action/undeploy"/>
In the request body, specify that the undeployment include powering off the vApp. See
“Example: Undeploy, Power Off, and Delete a vApp,” on page 39.
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38 VMware, Inc.
3 Retrieve the XML representation of the vApp again.
Now that it has been powered off and undeployed, the vApp includes a rel="remove" link of the following
form:
<Link
rel="remove"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-7"/>
4 Remove the vApp.
Make a DELETE request to the vApp's rel="remove" link, as shown in the request portion of
“Example: Undeploy, Power Off, and Delete a vApp,” on page 39.
The server starts a task to manage the events that lead up to the removal of the vApp, and returns a Task
element that you can use to track the progress of the task.
Example: Undeploy, Power Off, and Delete a vApp
The undeploy request body, an UndeployVAppParams element, allows you to specify an UndeployPowerAction.
This example specifies an UndeployPowerAction of powerOff. Although powerOff is the default
UndeployPowerAction, we show it here for clarity.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-7/action/undeploy
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.undeployVAppParams+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<UndeployVAppParams
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5">
<UndeployPowerAction>powerOff</UndeployPowerAction>
</UndeployVAppParams>
Response:
202 Accepted
...
<Task
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
...
operation="Undeploying Virtual Application Linux FTP server (7)"
... >
</Task>
After the vApp has been undeployed and powered off, its representation includes a link where
rel="remove". Make a DELETE request to this link to remove the vApp.
Request:
DELETE https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-7
Response:
202 Accepted
...
<Task
...
operation="Deleting Virtual Application Linux FTP server (7)"
expiryTime="2010-09-23T08:00:55.402-07:00"
... >
</Task>
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Log Out
To log out and terminate a vCloud API session, delete the Session you created when you logged in.
The logout request, like all other authenticated requests, must include the authorization header, as shown in
“Example: Logging Out,” on page 40.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in.
Procedure
uMake a DELETE request specifying the href of the current Session object.
Example: Logging Out
This example deletes the current user's Session, which logs the user out.
Request:
DELETE https://vcloud.example.com/api/session
x-vcloud-authorization: cn9uYmdugN8E2j96+5Lqrc3YBvFsEgDHXzyfJrJ/6bM=
Response:
200 OK
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40 VMware, Inc.
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:
n“Summary of vCloud API Browsing Requests,” on page 41
n“Retrieve the Login URL and List of Supported API Versions,” on page 43
n“Create a Login Session Using the Integrated Identity Provider,” on page 44
n“Retrieve a List of Organizations Accessible to You,” on page 48
n“Retrieve an Administrative View of a Cloud,” on page 49
n“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.
nAPI-URL is a URL of the form https://vcloud.example.com/api.
nid 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. 41
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 POST API-URL/sessions None Session
Log out DELETE API-URL/session None 200 OK
Log in [DEPRECATED] POST API-URL/login None OrgList
Log out [DEPRECATED] POST API-URL/login None 200 OK
Retrieve a list of entry points
for browsing operations
GET API-URL/session None 200 OK
Retrieve a list of
organizations to which you
have access
GET API-URL/org/ None OrgList
Retrieve the contents of an
organization
GET API-URL/org/id None Org
Retrieve properties of a
network
GET API-URL/network/id None OrgNetwork
Retrieve the contents of a
catalog
GET API-URL/catalog/id None Catalog
Retrieve properties of a
catalog item
GET API-
URL/catalogItem/id
None CatalogItem
Retrieve the contents of a
vDC
GET API-URL/vdc/id None Vdc
Retrieve properties of a
media image
GET API-URL/media/id None Media
Retrieve a vApp template GET API-
URL/vAppTemplate/vappT
emplate-id
None VAppTemplate
Retrieve properties of a vApp GET API-URL/vApp/vapp-
id
None VApp
Retrieve properties of a
virtual machine
GET API-URL/vApp/vm-id None Vm
Retrieve metadata for an
object such as an
organization, network,
vApp, virtual machine,
media image, or independent
disk.
GET API-
URL/object/id/metadata
None Metadata
Retrieve a list of IP addresses
allocated to a network.
[NEW]
GET API-
URL/network/
id/allocatedAddresses
None AllocatedIpAddresses
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Retrieve the Login URL and List of Supported API Versions
Every cloud has a login URL that a client can obtain by making an unauthenticated GET request to the
vCloud Director api/versions URL. The response to this request also lists vCloud API versions that the server
supports.
Procedure
1 Make an API version request to vCloud Director to obtain the login URL for the REST API.
See the request portion of “Example: Versions Request and Response,” on page 43.
2 Examine the response to find the login URLs.
Each version of the vCloud API that the server supports has its own login URL. Look for a line of the
following form:
<LoginUrl>http://vcloud.example.com/api/...</LoginUrl>
3 Use the login URL to log in to the cloud.
Example: Versions Request and Response
The api/versions request does not need to be authenticated. The response, a small subset of which is shown
here, includes a VersionInfo element for each API version that the server supports. Each VersionInfo element
contains:
nA LoginUrl element that contains the URL to which a client can make a login request to access that version
of the vCloud API. See “Logging In,” on page 24.
nMediaTypeMapping elements for each complex type supported by that version of the vCloud API.
Request:
GET http://vcloud.example.com/api/versions
Response:
200 OK
Content-Type: text/xml
...
<SupportedVersions
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/versions"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/versions
http://vcloud.example.com/api/versions/schema/versions.xsd">
<VersionInfo>
<Version>1.5</Version>
<LoginUrl>https://vcloud.example.com/api/login</LoginUrl>
<MediaTypeMapping>
<MediaType>application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.catalog+xml</MediaType>
<ComplexTypeName>CatalogType</ComplexTypeName>
<SchemaLocation>http://vcloud.example.com/api/v1.5/schema/master.xsd</SchemaLocation>
</MediaTypeMapping>
<MediaTypeMapping>
...
</MediaTypeMapping>
</VersionInfo>
<VersionInfo>
<Version>5.1</Version>
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<LoginUrl>https://vcloud.example.com/api/sessions</LoginUrl>
<MediaTypeMapping>
<MediaType>application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.catalog+xml</MediaType>
<ComplexTypeName>CatalogType</ComplexTypeName>
<SchemaLocation>http://vcloud.example.com/api/v1.5/schema/master.xsd</SchemaLocation>
</MediaTypeMapping>
<MediaTypeMapping>
...
</MediaTypeMapping>
...
</VersionInfo>
</SupportedVersions>
NOTE You can use the URL in the SchemaLocation element with a GET request to retreive the file in which that
complex type is defined. For example:
GET http://vcloud.example.com/api/v1.5/schema/master.xsd
Create a Login Session Using the Integrated Identity Provider
The vCloud API login mechanism authenticates a user and creates a Session object that contains the URLs
from which that user can begin browsing. Users who authenticate to the integrated identity provider use basic
HTTP authentication.
Prerequisites
NOTE This procedure assumes that you are logging in with credentials managed by the vCloud Director
integrated identity provider. Users whose credentials are managed by a SAML identity provider must follow
a different login workflow.
nVerify that you know the login URL. See “Retrieve the Login URL and List of Supported API Versions,”
on page 43.
nVerify that you are logging in as a user whose identity is managed by the vCloud Director integrated
identity provider.
Procedure
1 Use the login URL to authenticate to the cloud.
POST a request to this URL. The request must include your username, organization name, and password
in a MIME Base64 encoding. See “Example: Create a Login Session Using the Integrated Identity
Provider,” on page 45.
2 Examine the response.
The response code indicates whether the request succeeded, or how it failed.
nIf the authentication header is missing, the server returns HTTP response code 403.
nIf the credentials supplied in the authentication header are invalid, the server returns HTTP response
code 401.
nIf the request is successful, the server returns HTTP response code 200 (OK) and headers that include
an authorization header of the form:
x-vcloud-authorization:
token
This header must be included in each subsequent vCloud API request.
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44 VMware, Inc.
The Session element returned from a successful login contains one or more URLs from which you can
begin browsing.
The list of URLs in the Session object is based on the role and privileges of the authenticated user. A Session
object expires after a configurable interval of client inactivity. To change the length of this client inactivity
timeout, a system administrator can change the value of SessionTimeoutMinutes in the system's
GeneralSettings. See “Retrieve or Update System Settings,” on page 197.
A Session object can be deleted by its owner or an administrator. After your Session expires or is deleted, you
are not authenticated.
Example: Create a Login Session Using the Integrated Identity Provider
A request to create a login session must supply the user's credentials in the following form:
user
@
organization
:
password
nuser is the user's login name.
norganization is the name of an organization of which the user is a member.
npassword is the user's password.
These credentials must be supplied in a MIME Base64 encoding, as specified in RFC 1421.
This example shows a login request and response for a system administrator logging in to a cloud whose login
URL is https://vcloud.example.com/api/sessions.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/sessions
Authorization: Basic
encoded-credentials
Accept: application/*+xml;version=1.5
Response:
200 OK
x-vcloud-authorization: cn9uYmdugN8E2j96+5Lqrc3YBvFsEgDHXzyfJrJ/6bM=
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.session+xml
...
<Session
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
user="sysadmin"
org="System"
... >
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.orgList+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/org"/>
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vcloud+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin"/>
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwExtension+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension"/>
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.query.queryList+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/query" />
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<Link
rel="entityResolver"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.entity+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/entity/" />
</Session>
This response includes the following link types:
orgList A link to the list of organizations that you can access. See “Retrieve a List of
Organizations Accessible to You,” on page 48.
vcloud A link to administrative objects and operations. See Chapter 6, “Creating and
Managing Organizations,” on page 129
vmwExtension A link to the vCloud API extensions, accessible to a system administrator. See
Chapter 7, “Managing and Monitoring a Cloud,” on page 193.
queryList A link to the set of typed queries you can run. See Chapter 9, “Using the Query
Service,” on page 247.
entity A link to the entity resolver. See “Retrieve an Object as an Entity,” on
page 312.
Create a Login Session Using a SAML Identity Provider
The vCloud API login mechanism authenticates a user and creates a Session object that contains the URLs
from which that user can begin browsing. Users who authenticate to a SAML identity provider must acquire
and process a security assertion from that identity provider, then submit the processed assertion to the vCloud
API login URL.
Prerequisites
NOTE This procedure assumes that you are logging in with credentials managed by a SAML identity provider.
Users whose credentials are managed by the vCloud Director integrated identity provider must follow a
different login workflow.
nVerify that you know the login URL. See “Retrieve the Login URL and List of Supported API Versions,”
on page 43
nVerify that you are logging in as a user whose identity is managed by the SAML identity provider defined
by your organization.
Procedure
1 Acquire the SAML assertion from your identity provider.
The system administrator must use the vSphere SSO Service as the identity provider.
2 Compress the assertion using GZIP.
3 Encode the compressed assertion a MIME Base64 encoding, as specified in RFC 1421.
4 Use the login URL to authenticate to the cloud.
POST a request to this URL. The request must include an Authorization header that specifies SIGN as the
authorization method and has the following attributes:
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Table 3-2. Authorization Header Attributes and Values
Attribute Name Attribute Value
token The compressed, encoded identity assertion from your
SAML identity provider.
org The name of your vCloud Director organization.
See “Example: Create a Login Session Using a SAML Identity Provider,” on page 47.
5 Examine the response.
The response code indicates whether the request succeeded, or how it failed.
nIf the authentication header is missing, the server returns HTTP response code 403.
nIf the credentials supplied in the authentication header are invalid, the server returns HTTP response
code 401.
nIf the request is successful, the server returns HTTP response code 200 (OK) and headers that include
an authorization header of the form:
x-vcloud-authorization:
token
This header must be included in each subsequent vCloud API request.
The Session element returned from a successful login contains one or more URLs from which you can
begin browsing.
The list of URLs in the Session object is based on the role and privileges of the authenticated user. A Session
object expires after a configurable interval of client inactivity. To change the length of this client inactivity
timeout, a system administrator can change the value of SessionTimeoutMinutes in the system's
GeneralSettings. See “Retrieve or Update System Settings,” on page 197.
A Session object can be deleted by its owner or an administrator. After your Session expires or is deleted, you
are not authenticated.
Example: Create a Login Session Using a SAML Identity Provider
This example shows a login request and response for a user of a SAML identity provider logging in to the
Finance organization of a cloud whose login URL is https://vcloud.example.com/api/sessions. The user
name is included in the encoded credentials.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/sessions
Authorization: SIGN token="
compressed-encoded-credentials
",org="Finance"
Accept: application/*+xml;version=5.1
Response:
200 OK
x-vcloud-authorization: cn9uYmdugN8E2j96+5Lqrc3YBvFsEgDHXzyfJrJ/6bM=
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.session+xml
...
<Session
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
user="bob"
org="Finance"
... >
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.orgList+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/org"/>
Chapter 3 Exploring a Cloud
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<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vcloud+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin"/>
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwExtension+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension"/>
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.query.queryList+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/query" />
<Link
rel="entityResolver"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.entity+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/entity/" />
</Session>
This response includes the following link types:
orgList A link to the list of organizations that you can access. See “Retrieve a List of
Organizations Accessible to You,” on page 48.
vcloud A link to administrative objects and operations. See Chapter 6, “Creating and
Managing Organizations,” on page 129
vmwExtension A link to the vCloud API extensions, accessible to a system administrator. See
Chapter 7, “Managing and Monitoring a Cloud,” on page 193.
queryList A link to the set of typed queries you can run. See Chapter 9, “Using the Query
Service,” on page 247.
entity A link to the entity resolver. See “Retrieve an Object as an Entity,” on
page 312.
Retrieve a List of Organizations Accessible to You
A successful login request returns a Session element, which contains a link to a list of all organizations that
you are permitted to access.
Every authenticated user has an associated Session object that contains one or more Link elements. The set of
Link elements in your Session is based on your role and privileges. Each of these elements includes a URL that
you can use with a GET request to explore a subset of objects in the cloud.
All Session elements include a link that you can use to retrieve an OrgList element. For an ordinary user, this
list includes just the organization to which the user logged in. For an organization administrator or system
administrator, the list includes all organizations in the cloud.
Prerequisites
Create a login session. See “Create a Login Session Using the Integrated Identity Provider,” on page 44.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of your Session object.
Use a request like this one:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/session
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48 VMware, Inc.
2 Examine the contents of the Session element to locate the link to the organization list.
This link has the following form:
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.orgList+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/org"/>
3 Retrieve the list of organizations by making a GET request to the href value of the Link.
See “Example: Retrieve an Organization List,” on page 49.
Example: Retrieve an Organization List
Request:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/org
The request returns an OrgList element similar to the one shown here. Additional Org elements are returned
only when a system administrator makes the request.
Response:
200 OK
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.orgList+xml
...
<OrgList
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.orgList+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/org">
<Org
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.org+xml"
name="ExampleOrg"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/org/5" />
<Org ... />
<Org ... />
</OrgList>
Retrieve an Administrative View of a Cloud
A successful login by an organization or system administrator returns a Session element that contains a link
that you can use to retrieve a VCloud element. The VCloud element provides access to a cloud-wide namespace
of objects that an organization administrator can view and, in most cases, modify.
The primary administrative objects in a cloud include organizations, provider vDCs, rights, roles, and external
networks. Each object type is represented in a VCloud element by zero or more references. The vCloud API
defines several objects that are used only in administrative operations. Some, like User, Group, and Role, are
unique to administrative operations. Others extend common vCloud API objects to add elements and attributes
that only administrators can view or modify. An AdminOrg, for example, provides an administrative view of
an Org, and an AdminVdc does the same thing for a Vdc.
A system administrator can obtain more information about any of these objects by making a GET request to
its URL, which is the value of its href attribute.
The vCloud element includes links that enable a system administrator to add organizations and roles.
Subordinate objects such as users, catalogs, and vDCs are contained by individual organizations and not listed
at this level.
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Prerequisites
Use the credentials of an organization administrator or system administrator to create a login session. See
“Create a Login Session Using the Integrated Identity Provider,” on page 44.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of your Session object.
Use a request like this one:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/session
2 Examine the contents of the Session element to locate the link to the VCloud object.
This link has the following form:
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vcloud+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin"/>
3 Retrieve the VCloud element by making a GET request to the href value of the Link described in Step 2.
See “Example: Retrieve an Administrative View of a Cloud,” on page 50
Example: Retrieve an Administrative View of a Cloud
Request:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin
Response:
200 OK
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.vcloud+xml
...
<VCloud
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="vCloud"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin">
<Link
rel="add"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.role+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/roles" />
<Link
rel="add"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.organization+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/orgs" />
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.systemOrganization+xml"
name="System"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/99" />
<Link ... />
...
<Description>Example Corporation’s vCloud</Description>
<OrganizationReferences>
<OrganizationReference
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.organization+xml"
name="Engineering"
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50 VMware, Inc.
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/1"/>
<OrganizationReference
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.organization+xml"
name="Engineering"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/44"/>
<OrganizationReference ... />
...
</OrganizationReferences>
<ProviderVdcReferences>
<ProviderVdcReference
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.providervdc+xml"
name="Main Provider"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/providervdc/2" />
<ProviderVdcReference ... />
...
</ProviderVdcReferences>
<RightReferences>
<RightReference
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml
name="vApp_Deploy"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/right/3" />
<RightReference
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml
name="Catalog:Sharing"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/right/7" />
<RightReference ... />
...
</RightReferences>
<RoleReferences>
<RoleReference
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.role+xml"
name="Organization Administrator"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/role/102" />
<RoleReference
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.role+xml"
name="Catalog Creator"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/role/103" />
<RoleReference />
</RoleReferences>
<Networks>
<Network
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.network+xml"
name="ExternalNetwork-VC1"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/network/7" />
<Network
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.network+xml"
name="ExternalNetwork-VC2"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/network/33" />
</Networks>
</VCloud>
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Retrieve a List of vSphere Platform Operations and Objects for a Cloud
A successful login by a system administrator returns a Session element that contains a link that you can use
to retrieve a VMWExtension element.
Every vCloud Director installation depends on vSphere platform resources such as vCenter, ESX/ESXi, and
vShield Manager. The VMWExtension element provides access to a cloud-wide namespace of vSphere platform
objects that are registered for use by the cloud, and links that allow you to add vSphere servers and related
resources such as networks and resource pools to your cloud. The administrative extensions to the vCloud API
provide a system administrator with programmatic access to these resources.
Prerequisites
Use the credentials of a system administrator to create a login session. See “Create a Login Session Using the
Integrated Identity Provider,” on page 44.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of your Session object.
Use a request like this one:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/session
2 Examine the contents of the Session element to locate the link to the VMWExtension object.
This link has the following form:
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwExtension+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension"/>
3 Retrieve the list of organizations by making a GET request to the href value of the Link described in
Step 2.
The request returns a VMWExtension element, as shown in “Example: Retrieve a List of vSphere Platform
Operations and Objects for a Cloud,” on page 52.
Example: Retrieve a List of vSphere Platform Operations and Objects for a Cloud
Request:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension
The response is a VMWExtension element containing a number of Link elements. This example shows only a
subset of VMWExtension contents.
Response:
200 OK
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwextension+xml
...
<vmext:VMWExtension
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwExtension+xml">
<vcloud:Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwProviderVdcReferences+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/providerVdcReferences" />
<vcloud:Link
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52 VMware, Inc.
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwExternalNetworkReferences+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/externalNetworkReferences" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwNetworkPoolReferences+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/networkPoolReferences" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwVimServerReferences+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServerReferences" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwHostReferences+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/hostReferences" />
<vcloud:Link ... />
...
<vcloud:Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.extensionServices+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service" />
</vmext:VMWExtension>
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vCloud API Programming Guide
54 VMware, Inc.
Provisioning an Organization 4
The vCloud API provides several ways for you to make vApp templates, vApps, media images, and idependent
disks available to users in an organization.
The vCloud API allows you to upload and download OVF packages, and upload media images. Operations
are characterized as uploads when they transfer content from the local host to a remote host, and as downloads
when the local host requests the transfer of content from a remote host. A POST request initiates an upload,
and a GET request initiates a download. The vCloud Director transfer service facilitates uploads and
downloads and provides temporary storage for files. After they are uploaded, you can add templates and
media images to catalogs to make them available to other users.
In addition to uploading, you can use the following operations to provision an organization with vApp
templates, vApps, and media images:
Cloning The vCloud API clone operation creates a copy of a vApp, vApp template, or
media image. You can specify whether to delete the source object after the
operation completes. Deleting the source object after cloning it moves or
renames it. You can add cloned templates and media images to catalogs.
Capturing The vCloud API capture operation creates a vApp template from a vApp. You
can add the captured template to a catalog or download it as an OVF package.
Importing A system administrator can import a virtual machine from a vCenter server
that is registered to the cloud. You can import the virtual machine as a vApp
or as a vApp template. You can add an imported template to a catalog or
download it as an OVF package.
You can also create independent disks that are contained by an organization vDC and can be connected to any
virtual machine in that vDC.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n“Summary of vCloud API Provisioning Requests,” on page 56
n“Upload an OVF Package to Create a vApp Template,” on page 57
n“Download a vApp Template as OVF,” on page 66
n“Upload a Media Image,” on page 69
n“Copying and Moving with the vCloud API,” on page 71
n“Capturing and Importing vApps,” on page 72
n“Cataloging vApp Templates and Media Images,” on page 72
n“Creating and Using Independent Disks,” on page 75
n“View or Change the Owner of an Object,” on page 79
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Summary of vCloud API Provisioning Requests
Provisioning requests add vApp templates and media to a vDC and a catalog. You can also use provisioning
requests to copy, move, rename, and delete these objects.
nAPI-URL is a URL of the form https://vcloud.example.com/api.
nid 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.
Table 4-1. Summary of Provisioning Requests
Operation Request Request Body Response
Upload OVF to create a vApp
template.
POST API-URL/vdc/id/
action/uploadVAppTempla
te
UploadVAppTemplatePara
ms
VAppTemplate
Download a vApp template
as OVF.
GET download-URL None Depends on file type
Enable a vApp template for
download.
POST API-
URL/vAppTemplate/
vAppTemplate-
id/action/enableDownload
None Task
Disable a vApp template for
download.
POST API-
URL/vAppTemplate/
vAppTemplate-
id/action/disableDownload
None 204 No Content
Upload a media image. POST API-
URL/vdc/id/media
Media Media
Copy or move a media image. POST API-
URL/vdc/
id/action/cloneMedia
CloneMediaParams Media
Copy or move a vApp
template.
POST API-
URL/vdc/id/action/
cloneVAppTemplate
CloneVAppTemplateParam
s
VAppTemplate
Copy or move a vApp. POST API-
URL/vdc/
id/action/cloneVApp
CloneVAppParams VApp
Change the name or
description of a vApp
template.
PUT API-
URL/vAppTemplate/vappT
emplate-id
VAppTemplate Task
Change the name or
description of a media image.
PUT API-URL/media/id Media Task
Delete a vApp template,
vApp, or media image.
DELETE object-URL None Task
Add an item to a catalog. POST API-
URL/catalog/
id/catalogItems
CatalogItem CatalogItem
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Table 4-1. Summary of Provisioning Requests (Continued)
Operation Request Request Body Response
Remove an item from a
catalog.
DELETE API-URL/
catalog/id/catalogItem/id
None 204 No content
Control access to catalogs. POST API-
URL/catalog/
id/action/controlAccess
ControlAccessParams ControlAccessParams
Retrieve the owner of a media
object.
GET API-
URL/media/id/owner
None Owner
Retrieve the owner of a vApp
template.
GET API-
URL/vAppTemplate/vappT
emplate-id/owner
None Owner
Retrieve the owner of a vApp. GET API-
URL/vApp/id/owner
None Owner
Update the owner of a vApp. PUT API-
URL/vApp/id/owner
Owner 204 No Content
Create an independent disk
in a vDC. [NEW]
POST API-URL/vdc/id/ disk DiskCreateParams Disk
Retrieve properties of an
independent disk. [NEW]
GET API-URL/disk/id None Disk
Update an independent disk
in a vDC. [NEW]
POST API-URL/disk/id Disk Disk
Retrieve a list of all virtual
machines attached to an
independent disk. [NEW]
GET API-
URL/disk/id/attachedVms
None Vms
Delete an independent disk.
[NEW]
DELETE API-URL/disk/id None Task
Upload an OVF Package to Create a vApp Template
A vCloud API client that has access to an OVF package can use a standard workflow to upload the package
and create a vApp template.
The initial configuration of a vApp is established in the OVF package on which its source template is based.
In the vCloud API, vApp templates are based OVF 1.0, an open standard format. For more information about
OVF and how the vCloud API uses it, see “About OVF,” on page 81.
An OVF package includes several kinds of files.
An OVF descriptor An XML file that contains metadata that describe a virtual machine or collection
of related virtual machines and the deployment environment they require. By
convention, this file has the suffix .ovf.
Virtual disk files The descriptor lists these files and includes information about their format.
An optional certificate You can use this file to certify the authenticity of the package.
An optional manifest Contains a SHA-1 digest of each of the files in the package.
Chapter 4 Provisioning an Organization
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Upload Workflow
The upload workflow for OVF packages uses a combination of vCloud API requests and standard HTTP file
transfer requests.
1 The client uses a POST request that specifies a name and description for the template, and a transfer format
for the data.
2 The server returns an unresolved VAppTemplate element with (status="0") that includes an upload URL
for the OVF descriptor.
3 The client uses an HTTP PUT request to upload the descriptor to the upload URL.
4 The server reads the descriptor and modifies the vAppTemplate to include an upload URL for each file
listed in the References section of the descriptor. While the server is modifying the vAppTemplate, the client
makes periodic requests for it and examines the response for additional upload URLs. When the response
contains additional upload URLs that were not present in the initial response, template construction is
complete.
5 The client uses HTTP PUT requests to upload each of the files.
6 If the OVF package includes a manifest file, the entire upload is validated against the contents of the
manifest file.
Both monolithic and ranged, or chunked, PUT requests are supported. After starting an upload, a client can
make periodic requests to assess its progress. After all of the files are uploaded, and validated if a manifest is
present, the server processes them and updates the vApp template. When processing is complete, the server
sets the value of the template's status attribute to 8, indicating that it is ready for use. This status value indicates
that all of the virtual machines in the template are powered off. For more information, including a complete
list of possible status values and their meanings, see “Object Creation Status,” on page 311.
Restrictions on Uploaded Content
The vCloud Director transfer service imposes the following restrictions on uploaded OVF content:
nYou can upload either OVF 1.0 or OVF 1.1 content. OVF 1.1 packages are converted to OVF 1.0 for
download, and any OVF 1.1 content is lost.
nYou cannot upload a compressed OVF package.
nIf you upload an OVF package in which any VirtualSystem element has an ovf:id attribute value that is
longer than 13 characters, the name of the Vm that represents that VirtualSystem in the vAppTemplate that
the upload creates is rewritten as the first 13 characters of the ovf:id attribute followed by three digits.
For example, NewVirtualMachine1 and NewVirtualMachine2 become NewVirtualMac001 and
NewVirtualMac002.
1Initiating the OVF Upload on page 59
To initiate the OVF upload, a client makes a POST request to the uploadVAppTemplate URL of the target
vDC. The request body is an UploadVAppTemplateParams element.
2Uploading the OVF Descriptor on page 61
You upload the OVF descriptor by making a PUT request to an upload URL and supplying the
descriptor’s contents as an Envelope element in the request body. If the request is valid, the server
responds with a 200 OK status.
3Retrieving the Upload URLs on page 62
After an OVF descriptor is uploaded, the server validates it and, if it is valid, updates the corresponding
template with upload URLs for each of the files referenced in the descriptor. You must retrieve the
template to see these URLs.
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4Uploading Referenced Files on page 63
You can use a PUT request to upload each file that the vApp template references.
Initiating the OVF Upload
To initiate the OVF upload, a client makes a POST request to the uploadVAppTemplate URL of the target vDC.
The request body is an UploadVAppTemplateParams element.
The first step in uploading an OVF package is to request vCloud Director to create a vAppTemplate object to
represent the template that will be constructed from the upload. This request returns a response that includes
a URL to which you can upload the package's descriptor file.
Prerequisites
Verify that you have the following information:
nAn OVF package to upload.
nYou are logged in as a user who has permission to upload OVF packages and create vApp templates.
nYou know the URL of the target vDC that will receive the upload. Retrieve the XML representation of
your organization to see a list of the vDCs that it contains.
Procedure
1 Find the uploadVappTemplate link in the target vDC.
Retrieve the XML representation of the vDC using a request like the one shown in the request portion of
“Example: Deployment Information in a vDC,” on page 30. The response contains an
uploadVappTemplate link, which has the following form:
<Link
rel="add"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.uploadVAppTemplateParams+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vdc/5/action/uploadVAppTemplate" />
2 Create an UploadVAppTemplateParams element that specifies a name for the template.
The Description element is optional. Using it to provide a concise description of this object is a best
practice. See the request portion of “Example: Initiating the Upload,” on page 59.
3 (Optional) If the OVF package includes a manifest, include a manifestRequired="true" attribute in the
UploadVAppTemplateParams element.
Some OVF packages include a manifest document, which provides a checksum for each file in the package.
When the UploadVAppTemplateParams element includes a manifestRequired="true" attribute, the set of
File elements returned after you upload the OVF descriptor includes one for the manifest itself.
4 Make an HTTP POST request to the uploadVAppTemplate link that you retrieved in Step 1, supplying the
UploadVAppTemplateParams element in the request body.
See the request portion of “Example: Initiating the Upload,” on page 59.
5 Examine the response.
The response, a VAppTemplate element, contains a File element that specifies an upload URL for the
package's OVF descriptor. See the response portion of “Example: Initiating the Upload,” on page 59.
The server creates a new VAppTemplate object in the target vDC and returns the object's XML representation in
the response. See the response portion of “Example: Initiating the Upload,” on page 59.
Example: Initiating the Upload
This example assumes an OVF package that has no manifest.
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Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/vdc/5/action/uploadVAppTemplate
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.uploadVAppTemplateParams+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<UploadVAppTemplateParams
name="Ubuntu Template"
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
xmlns:ovf="http://schemas.dmtf.org/ovf/envelope/1">
<Description>Ubuntu vApp Template</Description>
</UploadVAppTemplateParams>
Response:
201 Created
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vAppTemplate+xml
...
<VAppTemplate
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
xmlns:ovf="http://schemas.dmtf.org/ovf/envelope/1"
ovfDescriptorUploaded="true"
goldMaster="false"
status="0"
name="Ubuntu Template"
id="urn:vcloud:vapptemplate:268"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vAppTemplate/vappTemplate-268"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vAppTemplate+xml">
<Link
rel="up"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vdc+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vdc/5"/>
<Link
rel="remove"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vAppTemplate/vappTemplate-268" />
<Description>Ubuntu vApp Template</Description>
<Files>
<File
name="descriptor.ovf"
bytesTransferred="0">
<Link
rel="upload:default"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/transfer/.../descriptor.ovf" />
</File>
</Files>
<Owner>
...
</Owner>
<Children />
<LeaseSettingsSection>
...
</LeaseSettingsSection>
<CustomizationSection>
...
</CustomizationSection>
</VAppTemplate>
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The response body includes the following attributes:
nAn href attribute whose value is a link to the new VAppTemplate object.
nAn ovfDescriptorUploaded attribute with a value of false, indicating that the OVF descriptor file is not
uploaded.
nA status attribute with a value of 0, indicating that the file references in the descriptor are not uploaded.
(A VAppTemplate with a status of 0 is said to be unresolved.)
nA goldMaster attribute, initially set to false.
nAn id attribute. See “Objects, References, and Representations,” on page 12.
The response body also includes a File element with an upload URL (rel="upload:default") for the OVF
descriptor. The server creates the name attribute of this File element, which specifies a container that the server
creates to receive the contents of the descriptor. The name attribute has no relation to the file name of the
descriptor in the client’s file system.
In addition to the File element, the response includes Owner, Children, LeaseSettingsSection, and
CustomizationSection elements that the server creates and sets to their default contents. For more information
about these elements, see the schema reference.
Uploading the OVF Descriptor
You upload the OVF descriptor by making a PUT request to an upload URL and supplying the descriptor’s
contents as an Envelope element in the request body. If the request is valid, the server responds with a 200
OK status.
Prerequisites
Verify that you initiated the upload with an uploadVAppTemplate request and received an upload URL for the
descriptor. See “Initiating the OVF Upload,” on page 59.
Procedure
1 Upload the OVF descriptor.
Make a PUT request to the upload URL returned in the response to the uploadVAppTemplate request, and
supply the OVF descriptor as the request body. The OVF descriptor contains a single Envelope element.
2 Verify that the request succeeded.
A response of the following form indicates that the request was valid and is being processed:
200 OK
Example: Uploading the OVF Descriptor
Request:
PUT https://vcloud.example.com/transfer/.../descriptor.ovf
Content-Type text/xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Envelope
xmlns="http://schemas.dmtf.org/ovf/envelope/1"
... >
...
</Envelope>
Response:
200 OK
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Retrieving the Upload URLs
After an OVF descriptor is uploaded, the server validates it and, if it is valid, updates the corresponding
template with upload URLs for each of the files referenced in the descriptor. You must retrieve the template
to see these URLs.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the VAppTemplate to verify that the OVF descriptor is uploaded.
Use the URL returned in the response to your uploadVAppTemplate request. See the request portion of
“Example: Upload URLs in a vAppTemplate,” on page 62.
2 Verify that the value of the template's ovfDescriptorUploaded attribute is true.
3 Examine the template to find the upload URLs for the files referenced in the OVF descriptor.
These URLs are contained in Link elements where rel="upload:default".
Example: Upload URLs in a vAppTemplate
This request uses the vApp template URL returned in “Example: Initiating the Upload,” on page 59.
Request:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/vAppTemplate/vappTemplate-268
Response:
200 OK
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vAppTemplate+xml
...
<VAppTemplate
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
xmlns:ovf="http://schemas.dmtf.org/ovf/envelope/1"
ovfDescriptorUploaded="true"
goldMaster="false"
status="0"
name="Ubuntu Template"
id="urn:vcloud:vapptemplate:268"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vAppTemplate/vappTemplate-268"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vAppTemplate+xml">
...
<Description>Ubuntu vApp Template</Description>
<Files>
<File
size="3940"
bytesTransferred="3940"
name="descriptor.ovf">
<Link
rel="upload:default"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/transfer/.../descriptor.ovf"/>
</File>
<File
size="1024"
bytesTransferred="0"
name="manifest.mf">
<Link
rel="upload:default"
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href="https://vcloud.example.com/transfer/.../manifest.mf"/>
</File>
<File
size="1950489088"
bytesTransferred="0"
name="disk0.vmdk">
<Link
rel="upload:default"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/transfer/.../disk0.vmdk"/>
</File>
</Files>
...
</VAppTemplate>
In this example, which omits most of the additional elements shown in “Example: Initiating the Upload,” on
page 59, the ovfDescriptorUploaded attribute has a value of true and the status attribute has a value of 0. If
the descriptor fails validation, status is set to -1, and the template contains a Task element whose Error element
indicates the reason for the failure.
Each of the File elements includes an upload link where rel="upload:default" and several attributes.
size The file size, taken from the size attribute of the File element in the OVF
descriptor.
bytesTransferred For all file references other than the descriptor, this attribute is initially set to a
value of 0, indicating that the upload has not begun. In the File element that
references the OVF descriptor, the value of the bytesTransferred attribute is
equal to the value of the size attribute, indicating that all the bytes in the
descriptor were transferred.
name The file name, taken from the href attribute of the File element in the OVF
descriptor.
NOTE Upload URLs remain valid while a transfer session is in progress, and for a maximum of 60 minutes of
transfer session idle time. A system administrator can change this default value. See “Retrieve or Update
System Settings,” on page 197.
Uploading Referenced Files
You can use a PUT request to upload each file that the vApp template references.
Prerequisites
nVerify that you uploaded the OVF descriptor. See “Uploading the OVF Descriptor,” on page 61.
nRetrieve the upload URLs for all files in the package. See “Retrieving the Upload URLs,” on page 62.
Procedure
1 Find the upload:default URL for the file you want to upload.
2 Use the upload:default URL to construct a PUT request for the file.
The request specifies an upload URL and a content length in bytes. See “Example: Uploading File
Data,” on page 64.
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After all the files are uploaded, the vApp template is complete, and has a status attribute value of 8. If the
upload included a manifest file, the server checks each file in the upload to verify that its checksum matches
the one stated in the manifest. If a checksum does not match, the template’s status attribute is set to -1 and the
template contains a Task element whose Error element indicates the reason for the failure.
Example: Uploading File Data
This example shows an upload request for one of the files that an OVF package requires. The upload request
is a Content-Length header followed by the serialized file content.
Request:
PUT https://vcloud.example.com/transfer/.../disk0.vmdk
Content-length: 1950489088
...serialized contents of file disk0.vmdk...
EOF
Response:
200 OK
Monitoring the Progress of an Upload
After you initiate the upload of a file referenced by a vApp template, you can monitor the progress of the
upload by periodically retrieving the vApp template and tracking the value of the file's bytesTransferred
attribute.
To monitor the progress of an upload, you can watch the bytesTransferred attribute of the file. Each File
element in the template includes a bytesTransferred attribute whose value indicates the number of bytes that
the server received.
Prerequisites
Verify that you initiated the upload of a file referenced by the vApp template.
Procedure
1 Make a GET request specifying the URL of the vApp template.
See the request portion of “Example: Monitoring the Progress of an Upload,” on page 64.
2 Compare the values of the size and the bytesTransferred attributes of each File element.
When these two values are equal, the file transfer is complete.
After all the files are uploaded, the response includes final values for the bytesTransferred attribute of each
File, and a Task that tracks the events leading up to resolution of the template with the uploaded files, as
shown in “Example: Monitoring the Progress of an Upload,” on page 64.
Example: Monitoring the Progress of an Upload
Request:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/vAppTemplate/vappTemplate-268
The complete VAppTemplate body is returned. This example omits most of it for clarity.
Response:
200 OK
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vAppTemplate+xml
...
<VAppTemplate
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...
name="Ubuntu Template"
id="urn:vcloud:vapptemplate:268"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vAppTemplate/vappTemplate-268"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vAppTemplate+xml" ... >
...
<Files>
...
<File
size="1950489088"
bytesTransferred="500000000"
name="disk0.vmdk">
<Link
rel="upload:default"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/transfer/.../disk0.vmdk"/>
</File>
</Files>
...
</VAppTemplate>
Using Ranged PUT requests to Complete a Partial Upload
You typically need ranged PUT requests for very large uploads, especially when network bandwidth or latency
might cause the operation to time out.
If the response to an upload progress request indicates that the upload terminated before it was complete, you
can use the size and bytesTransferred values from the response to construct a ranged PUT request of the
remaining contents, as shown in “Example: Ranged PUT Request to Complete a Partial Upload,” on
page 65.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the VAppTemplate and find the File element that references the partially uploaded file.
2 Make a PUT request that specifies a Content-Range and Content-Length and includes the serialized
contents of the range.
For Content-Range, specify the value of the File element's bytesTransferred attribute for the low end of
the range and the value of its size attribute for the high end of the range. For Content-Length, subtract
the value of the File element's bytesTransferred attribute from the value of its size attribute.
Example: Ranged PUT Request to Complete a Partial Upload
The following request completes the upload of the file disk0.vmdk shown in this fragment of a VAppTemplate.
<VAppTemplate
... >
...
<Files>
...
<File
size="1950489088"
bytesTransferred="500000000"
name="disk0.vmdk">
...
</File>
</Files>
...
</VAppTemplate>
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Request:
PUT https://vcloud.example.com/transfer/.../disk0.vmdk
Content-Range: bytes 500000000-1950489087/1950489088
Content-Length: 1450489088
...serialized contents of specified range...
EOF
Response:
200 OK
Download a vApp Template as OVF
You can download a vApp template as an OVF package. After you find the template by browsing a catalog,
you can request that the template be enabled for download.
When you enable a vApp template for download, the server performs several operations to create an OVF
package and make it available to the transfer service.
1 The server reconstructs the OVF descriptor using information in the vApp template. The server excludes
any deployment-specific information that the template contains, and populates the descriptor's
References element with links to files, such as .vmdk files, that are part of the package.
2 The server copies the reconstructed OVF descriptor to transfer service storage, along with all files that the
OVF descriptor references.
3 The server updates the vAppTemplate with a link that contains a URL from which you can retrieve the OVF
descriptor.
After the template is enabled for download, you can retrieve it to see the download:default URL for the
descriptor, then parse the descriptor to find the URLs from which you can retrieve the referenced files.
1Enable the vApp Template for Download on page 66
Before you can download a vApp template, an administrator or privileged user must explicitly enable
it for download.
2Download the OVF Descriptor on page 68
To download the OVF descriptor, you make a GET request to the download:default URL in the
download-enabled VappTemplate.
3Download a Referenced File on page 68
After you download the OVF descriptor of a vApp template, you can examine the contents of the
descriptor to discover download URLs for files that the template references.
Enable the vApp Template for Download
Before you can download a vApp template, an administrator or privileged user must explicitly enable it for
download.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in as an administrator or other user who has privileges to enable vApp template
for download.
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Procedure
1 Retrieve the template to find its action/enableDownload link.
Every vApp template includes a link of the following form, where id is the id of the template:
<Link
rel="enable"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vAppTemplate/vappTemplate-
id
/action/enableDownload"/>
2 Enable the template for download.
Make a POST request to the template's action/enableDownload URL.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/vAppTemplate/vappTemplate-268/action/enableDownload
Response:
202 Accepted
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.task+xml
...
<Task
...
operation="Enabling download of Virtual Application Template Ubuntu Template (268)" ... >
...
</Task>
The Task in the response tracks the creation of the download package.
3 When the task completes, retrieve the template, which now contains a download URL for the OVF
descriptor.
This URL remains valid while a transfer session is in progress, and for a maximum of 60 minutes of transfer
session idle time. A system administrator can change this default value. See “Retrieve or Update System
Settings,” on page 197.
Example: vApp Template with Download URL for OVF Descriptor
Request:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/vAppTemplate/vappTemplate-268
Response:
200 OK
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vAppTemplate+xml
...
<VAppTemplate
ovfDescriptorUploaded="true"
status="8"
name="Ubuntu Template"
... >
...
<Link type="text/xml"
rel="download:default"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/transfer/.../descriptor.ovf"/>
...
</VAppTemplate>
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Download the OVF Descriptor
To download the OVF descriptor, you make a GET request to the download:default URL in the download-
enabled VappTemplate.
Prerequisites
nVerify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator or member of an organization
in the cloud.
nVerify that you have a vApp template that is enabled for download. See “Enable the vApp Template for
Download,” on page 66.
Procedure
1 Examine the VAppTemplate to find the the download:default URL for the descriptor.
2 Make a GET request to the download:default URL to retrieve the descriptor
See “Example: Downloading the OVF Descriptor,” on page 68.
Example: Downloading the OVF Descriptor
This example downloads the OVF descriptor from the URL shown in the href value of the Link shown in
“Example: vApp Template with Download URL for OVF Descriptor,” on page 67. The response includes the
entire Envelope element, only part of which appears here.
Request:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/transfer/..../descriptor.ovf
Response:
200 OK
Content-Type text/xml
...
<Envelope
xmlns="http://schemas.dmtf.org/ovf/envelope/1"
... >
...
</Envelope>
Download a Referenced File
After you download the OVF descriptor of a vApp template, you can examine the contents of the descriptor
to discover download URLs for files that the template references.
The OVF descriptor that you download from a vApp template includes the names of files that the template
references. To retrieve one of these files, you must create a download URL for it by combining its name with
a URL derived from the download URL that you used to retrieve the descriptor. You must retrieve all of the
files to create a valid OVF package.
Prerequisites
nVerify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator or member of an organization
in the cloud.
nRetrieve the OVF descriptor of a vApp template that was enabled for download.
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Procedure
1 For each File element in the References element of the descriptor, construct a download URL.
a Start with the URL that you used to download the descriptor.
This URL is the href value of the download:default link that the template contains.
b Replace the final component of that URL with the value of the href attribute of the File element.
2 Use the constructed URLs to download each file.
See “Example: Downloading a Referenced File,” on page 69.
Example: Downloading a Referenced File
The request URL shown in this example combines the URL used in the request portion of
“Example: Downloading the OVF Descriptor,” on page 68 with the file name shown in this File element:
<File
ovf:href="disk0.vmdk"
ovf:id="file1"
ovf:size="1950489088"/>
Request:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/transfer/..../disk0.vmdk
Response:
200 OK
...
...serialized contents of file disk0.vmdk...
EOF
NOTE The downloaded package is valid only if the descriptor and all of its referenced files maintain the same
relationship in the local file system that they had on the transfer server file system. In this case, the descriptor
and disk0.vmdk were both in the same directory, which is the default arrangement.
Upload a Media Image
The vCloud API supports uploading virtual media such as CD-ROM and floppy disk images.
The workflow for uploading media images is similar to the one described in “Upload an OVF Package to Create
a vApp Template,” on page 57.
NOTE You cannot download media images.
Prerequisites
Verify that the following conditions are met:
nYou have a media image to upload.
nYou are logged in as a user who has permission to upload media images.
nYou know the URL of the target vDC that will receive the upload. Retrieve the XML representation of
your organization to see a list of the vDCs that it contains.
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Procedure
1 Find the add link for media in the target vDC.
This link has the following form:
<Link
rel="add"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.media+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vdc/5/media" />
2 POST a media request to the server.
The request body is a Media element that includes information about the virtual media item to upload. See
the request portion of “Example: Upload a Media Image,” on page 70.
The server uses this information to create a Media object, then returns a representation of the object that
contains an upload URL. See the response portion of “Example: Upload a Media Image,” on page 70.
3 PUT the media file contents to the upload:default link in the response.
The procedure is the same as the one shown in “Uploading Referenced Files,” on page 63.
Example: Upload a Media Image
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/vdc/5/media
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.media+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Media
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="database.iso"
size="51242131"
imageType="iso">
<Description>ISO database image</Description>
</Media>
In addition to the File element that contains the upload:default URL, the response includes an Owner element
and several Link elements that the server creates.
Response:
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.media+xml
201 Created
...
<Media
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
size="3121215488"
imageType="iso"
status="0"
name="database.iso"
id="urn:vcloud:media:254"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.media+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/media/254" ... >
<Link
rel="up"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vdc+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vdc/5" />
<Link
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rel="remove"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/media/254" />
<Description>ISO database image</Description>
<Files>
<File
size="51242131"
bytesTransferred="0"
name="file">
<Link
rel="upload:default"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/transfer/.../file" />
</File>
</Files>
<Owner
...
</Owner>
</Media>
Copying and Moving with the vCloud API
The vCloud API provides object-specific copy operations, implemented by clone actions, for media images,
vApp templates, and vApps. With these operations, you can create a copy of the object in the same vDC or in
another vDC in the same organization.
vCloud API copy operations support an option to delete the source object after the copy is complete. Doing so
when the source and target objects are in different vDCs moves the source object to the target vDC. Doing so
when the source and target objects are in the same vDC renames the source object. The vCloud API does not
include an explicit move operation. When you move an object by copying it and deleting its source, an
intermediate object is created in the target vDC, as part of the following sequence of events:
1 The source object is copied to an intermediate object whose name is a combination of the object name and
a UUID.
2 The source object is deleted.
3 The intermediate object is renamed with the name specified for the target object in the copy request.
Copy or Move a Media Image
The cloneMedia request makes a copy of the media image referenced in the Source element of the request body.
The request specifies a new name and, optionally, a new description for the copy. The request can optionally
include an IsSourceDelete element whose value specifies whether the source media image is deleted after the
copy is complete. If IsSourceDelete is missing from the request body or present with a value of false, the
source object remains in place after the copy is complete. Setting IsSourceDelete to true effectively moves the
media image.
For more information and an example, see the cloneMedia operation in the schema reference.
Copy or Move a vApp Template
The cloneVAppTemplate request makes a copy of the vApp template referenced in the Source element of the
request body. The request specifies a new name and, optionally, a new description for the copy. The request
can optionally include an IsSourceDelete element whose value specifies whether the source vApp template
is deleted after the copy is complete. If IsSourceDelete is missing from the request body or present with a value
of false, the source object remains in place after the copy is complete. Setting IsSourceDelete to true effectively
moves the vApp template.
For more information and an example, see the cloneVAppTemplate operation in the schema reference.
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Copy or Move a vApp
The cloneVApp request makes a copy of the vApp referenced in the Source element of the request body. The
request specifies a new name and, optionally, a new description for the copy. The request can optionally include
an IsSourceDelete element whose value specifies whether to delete the source vApp after the copy is complete.
If IsSourceDelete is missing from the request body, or present with a value of false, the source object remains
in place after the copy is complete. Setting IsSourceDelete to true effectively moves the vApp.
NOTE You cannot copy or move a vApp that is deployed.
For more information and an example, see the cloneVApp operation in the schema reference.
Capturing and Importing vApps
You can capture a vApp to create a vApp template from it. If you are a system administrator, you can also
import vApps and vApp templates from vSphere.
Every vDC includes a Link of the following form:
<Link
rel="add"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.captureVAppParams+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vdc/5/action/captureVApp"/>
You can POST a CaptureVAppParams request to this link to capture an undeployed vApp. The operation returns
a VAppTemplate that you can add to a catalog. Instantiating this template recreates the vApp from which it was
captured. Most elements of a vApp template are read-only, but you can instantiate a template, modify the
resulting vApp, and then capture it to create a modified version of the template.
For more information and an example, see the captureVApp operation in the schema reference.
Importing vApps or vApp Templates from vSphere
A system administrator can import vApps and vApp templates from vSphere. See “Import a Virtual Machine
from vCenter,” on page 228.
Cataloging vApp Templates and Media Images
Catalogs can contain references to vApp templates and media images. A system administrator or a privileged
member of the organization that owns the catalog can create and remove these references.
Although you can retrieve references to vApp templates and media images directly from the vDC to which
they were uploaded, it is common practice to place references to such assets in one of an organization’s catalogs.
When you place the references in a catalog, the assets are easier to discover, because a catalog can include assets
from all vDCs in an organization. You also have more flexible administrative control over them, because you
can restrict access to catalogs and the items in them to specific users and groups. Assets such as vApp templates
are not enabled for most uses until you include them in a catalog. For example, you cannot instantiate a vApp
template that is not included in a catalog. A media image that is not included in a catalog cannot be copied or
inserted by anyone but its owner.
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Add an Item to a Catalog
A catalog can contain references to vApp templates and media images from any vDC in an organization. A
vApp template or media image can be listed in at most one catalog.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in as a user with the Catalog Author role, as an organization administrator, or as a
system administrator.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of your organization and look for links to the catalogs and vDCs it
contains.
Links to catalogs have the following form:
<Link rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.catalog+xml"
name="CatalogName"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalog/32"/>
Links to vDCs have the following form:
<Link rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vdc+xml"
name="vDCName"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vdc/5"/>
2 Browse the vDCs in your organization to find the ResourceEntity element that represents the item to add
to the catalog.
Resource entities are contained in the ResourceEntities element of a Vdc .
<Vdc
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="ExampleVdc01"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vdc+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vdc/5">
...
<ResourceEntities>
<ResourceEntity
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vAppTemplate/vappTemplate-111"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vAppTemplate+xml"
name="Ubuntu Template with vsftpd"/>
<ResourceEntity
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vAppTemplate+xml"
name="NewVAppTemplate"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vAppTemplate/vappTemplate-559" />
...
</ResourceEntities>
...
</Vdc>
3 Retrieve the XML representation of the catalog to which to add the item.
Use a request like this one:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalog/32
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4 Examine the response to locate the Link element that contains the URL for adding items to the catalog.
This element has a rel attribute value of add and a type attribute value of
application/vnd.vmware.admin.catalogItem+xml, as this example shows:
<Link
rel="add"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.catalogItem+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalog/32/catalogItems"/>
5 Create a CatalogItem element that contains a reference to the ResourceEntity
See “Example: ResourceEntity and Corresponding CatalogItem,” on page 74 for an example.
6 POST the CatalogItem body to the catalog's rel="add" URL.
Step 4 explains how to find this URL.
Example: ResourceEntity and Corresponding CatalogItem
This example starts with this ResourceEntity, which references a vApp template.
<ResourceEntity
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vAppTemplate/vappTemplate-111"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vAppTemplate+xml"
name="Ubuntu Template with vsftpd"/>
Follow these guidelines to create a CatalogItem from a ResourceEntity.
nThe name attribute of the CatalogItem can be the same as the one in the ResourceEntity, or you can make
up a new value for name.
nThe Description element of the CatalogItem can be the same as the Description element for the object
that the ResourceEntity element references, or you can create a Description element.
nThe href attribute of the Entity element in the CatalogItem must have the same value as the href attribute
of the ResourceEntity that the CatalogItem references.
This request creates the catalog item that is retrieved in “Example: Retrieve a Catalog Item,” on page 29. The
response contains information extracted from the request, and includes links that an administrator or catalog
owner can use to manage the CatalogItem.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalog/32/catalogItems
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.catalogItem+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<CatalogItem
name="Ubuntu Template with vsftpd"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.catalogItem+xml"
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5">
<Description>Approved template for public FTP sites</Description>
<Entity
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vAppTemplate/vappTemplate-111"/>
</CatalogItem>
Response:
200 OK
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.catalogItem+xml
...
<CatalogItem
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xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="Ubuntu Template with vsftpd"
id="urn:vcloud:catalogitem:221"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalogItem/221" ... >
<Link
rel="up"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.catalog+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalog/32" />
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.metadata+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalogItem/221/metadata" />
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.catalogItem+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalogItem/221" />
<Link
rel="remove"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalogItem/221" />
<Description>Approved template for public FTP sites</Description>
<Entity
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vAppTemplate/vappTemplate-111"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vAppTemplate+xml"
name="Ubuntu Template with vsftpd"/>
</CatalogItem>
Remove an Item from a Catalog
An organization administrator or a user with adequate permissions can remove a CatalogItem by making a
DELETE request to its rel="remove" link.
For more information and an example, see the catalogItem operation in the schema reference.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in as a user with the Catalog Author role, as an organization administrator of the
organization that owns the catalog, or as a system administrator.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the catalog item from the catalog.
2 Locate the rel="remove" link in the CatalogItem element.
3 Make a DELETE request to the href value of the rel="remove" link in the CatalogItem.
Creating and Using Independent Disks
Independent disks are stand-alone virtual disks that you create in organization vDCs. Administrators and
users who have adequate rights can create, remove, and update independent disks, and connect them to virtual
machines.
When you create an independent disk, it is associated with an organization vDC but not with a virtual machine.
After the disk has been created in a vDC, the disk owner or an administrator can attach it to any virtual machine
deployed in that vDC. The disk owner can also modify disk properties, detach it from a virtual machine, and
remove it from the vDC. The system administrator and organization administrator of the organization that
contains the vDC have the same rights to use and modify the disk as the disk owner.
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Create or Update an Independent Disk
To create an independent disk in an organization vDC, POST a DiskCreateParams element to the vDC's disk
link.
To create an independent disk, you must specify its name and size. You can optionally include a description
and specify a storage profile to be used by the disk. After you have created the disk, you can modify its name,
description, and storage profile.
The owner of a disk is initially the user who created it. To change the owner, see “View or Change the Owner
of an Object,” on page 79.
Procedure
1 Choose an organization vDC to contain the disk.
2 Create a DiskCreateParams element.
You must specify the size (in Megabytes) and name of the independent disk. See the request portion of
“Example: Create an Independent Disk,” on page 76.
3 POST the DiskCreateParams element you created in Step 2 to the URL for adding disks to the organization
vDC.
See the request portion of “Example: Create an Independent Disk,” on page 76.
Example: Create an Independent Disk
This example adds an independent disk to the organization vDC created in “Add a vDC to an
Organization,” on page 140. Because optional attributes busType and busSubType are omitted, a SCSI disk is
created.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/vdc/44/disk
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.diskCreateParams+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<DiskCreateParams
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5">
<Disk
name="500GB-SCSI"
size="500000000">
<Description>500 GB SCSI Disk</Description>
</Disk>
</DiskCreateParams>
The response, a subset of which appears here, is a Disk element that contains an embedded Task that tracks
creation of the disk. Because the request did not specify a storage profile for the disk, it uses the default storage
profile for the containing organization vDC. The response also includes Link elements that enable access to
disk operations and metadata. While the disk is under construction, its status remains 0.
Response:
200 OK
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.disk+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Disk
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
size="500000000"
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status="0"
name="500GB-SCSI"
id="urn:vcloud:disk:128"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.disk+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/disk/128"
... >
<Link
rel="up"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vdc+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vdc/44" />
<Link
rel="remove"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/disk/128" />
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.disk+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/disk/128" />
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.owner+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/disk/128/owner" />
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vms+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/disk/128/attachedVms" />
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.metadata+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/disk/128/metadata" />
<Description>Independent Disk</Description>
<Tasks>
<Task
...
operationName="vdcCreateDisk"
... >
...
</Task>
</Tasks>
<StorageProfile
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vdcStorageProfile+xml"
name="bronze"
href="https://vcloud/example.com/api/vdcStorageProfile/128" />
<Owner
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.owner+xml">
<User
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.user+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/user/120" />
</Owner>
</Disk>
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Remove an Independent Disk
To remove an independent disk, verify that no powered-on virtual machines are attached to it, then use a
DELETE request to delete it.
A Disk element includes a link of the following form, which you can GET to return a list of virtual machines
to which the disk is attached.
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vms+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/disk/128/attachedVms" />
There are also two queries that you can use to return a list of virtual machines, the disks connected to them,
and the vDC that contains them:
vmDiskRelation Lists this information for Vm and Disk objects that you own.
AdminvmDiskRelation Lists this information for all Vm and Disk objects in a cloud (system
administrators only).
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator or the object owner.
Procedure
1 Verify that the independent disk is not connected to any virtual machines.
2 Delete the independent disk.
Make a DELETE request to the URL in the rel="remove" link in the Disk.
The server starts a task to manage the events that lead up to the removal of the object, and returns a Task
element that you can use to track the progress of the task.
Example: Remove an Independent Disk
Request:
DELETE https://vcloud.example.com/api/disk/128
Response:
202 Accepted
...
<Task
...
operation="Deleting Disk (128)"
... >
</Task>
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View or Change the Owner of an Object
You can view the owner of a VApp, VAppTemplate, Disk, or Media object by making a GET request to the object's
owner link. If you have adequate rights, you can change the owner of a Disk or VApp object, but not that of a
VAppTemplate or Media object. An administrator can view or change the owner of any object.
The initial owner of a VApp, VAppTemplate, Catalog, Disk, or Media object is the user who created it. Ownership
is expressed in an Owner element that the object representation contains. This element includes a User element
that references the owner. Object-specific rights to change ownership are included in several predefined roles.
See “Predefined Roles and Their Rights,” on page 187.
Prerequisites
nTo change the owner of a Disk or VApp object, you must be an organization administrator or system
administrator, or a user whose role includes the right to change the owner of these objects.
nTo change the owner of a Catalog object, you must be an organization administrator or the system
administrator.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the Owner element from the object.
This element includes a reference to the current owner and an edit URL you can use to change the owner.
This request retrieves the owner of a vApp.
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-7/owner
2 Modify the Owner element to specify a different User.
The user must be a member of the organization that contains the object.
NOTE You cannot modify the Owner of a Media or VAppTemplate object.
3 To change the owner, make a PUT request to the Owner element's rel="edit" URL and supply an Owner
element in the request body.
The User element in the Owner element references the new owner. See “Example: Change the Owner of a
vApp,” on page 79.
Example: Change the Owner of a vApp
Request:
PUT https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-7/owner
Content-type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.owner+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Owner
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5">
<User
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.user+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/user/120" />
</Owner>
Response:
204 No Content
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Deploying and Operating vApps 5
The vCloud API supports programmatic access to a range of self-service datacenter operations that allow users
to create, configure, deploy, and operate vApps.
The initial configuration of a vApp is established in the OVF package on which its source template is based.
In the vCloud API, vApp templates are based on 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.
About OVF
OVF is a widely accepted standard format that applies to many virtualization technologies.
nVirtual machines and appliances are distributed as OVF packages by many vendors.
nMany vendors, including VMware, offer tools that simplify creating and customizing OVF, support
converting virtual machines on existing virtualization platforms to OVF, or both.
nOVF can express the complex relationships between virtual appliances in enterprise applications. The
author of the appliance can handle most of the complexity, rather than the user who deploys it.
nOVF is extensible, allowing new policies and requirements to be inserted by ISVs and implemented by
the virtualization platforms that support them without requiring changes to other clients, other platforms,
or the vCloud API itself.
Administrators and advanced users should become familiar with the details of the OVF standard before
developing applications with the vCloud API. The complete OVF specification document is available at
http://www.dmtf.org/standards/published_documents/DSP0243_1.0.0.pdf. An informative white paper on
OVF is available at http://www.dmtf.org/standards/published_documents/DSP2017_1.0.0.pdf.
A virtual machine is typically made up of one or more virtual disk files that contain the operating system and
applications that run on the virtual machine, and a configuration file containing metadata that describe how
the virtual machine is configured and deployed. An OVF package includes these components, as well as
optional certificate and manifest files. The package can be distributed and stored as a collection of individual
files, or as a single archive (OVA) file. The vCloud API does not support uploading or downloading OVA files.
vApp Life Cycle
A vApp contains one or more Vm elements, which represent individual virtual machines. It also contains
information that defines operational details for the vApp and the virtual machines that it contains. The vApp
lifecycle includes several distinct states:
nAn OVF package, the form in which vApps are typically distributed.
nA vApp template, created when a client uploads an OVF package to a vDC.
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nAn undeployed vApp, created when a vApp template is instantiated without also being deployed, or a
deployed vApp is undeployed.
nA deployed vApp, ready to be powered on and operated. Instantiation can include deployment, power-
on, or both.
Figure 5-1. vApp State Transitions
This chapter includes the following topics:
n“Summary of vCloud API vApp and Virtual Machine Operations Requests,” on page 83
n“Create a vApp From a Template,” on page 85
n“Compose a vApp From Existing Virtual Machines,” on page 87
n“Recompose a vApp to Add or Remove Virtual Machines,” on page 90
n“Provide User Input Requested by a Virtual Machine,” on page 92
n“Attach or Detach an Independent Disk,” on page 93
n“Creating and Using vApp Snapshots,” on page 95
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82 VMware, Inc.
n“Operate a vApp,” on page 96
n“Configuring vApps and Virtual Machines,” on page 97
Summary of vCloud API vApp and Virtual Machine Operations Requests
These vCloud API operations requests create, manage, operate, and delete vApps and the virtual machines
that they contain.
nAPI-URL is a URL of the form https://vcloud.example.com/api.
nid is a unique identifier in the form of a UUID, as defined by RFC 4122.
nVApp-or-Vm-URL is a URL of the form API-URL/vApp/vapp-id (for a VApp object) or API-URL/vApp/vm-
id (for a Vm object)
nVm-URL is a URL of the form API-URL/vApp/vm-id
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.
Table 5-1. Summary of vApp and Virtual Machine Operations Requests
Operation Request Request Body Response
Instantiate a vApp template
to create a vApp
POST API-URL/vdc/id/
action/instantiateVAppTe
mplate
InstantiateVAppTemplat
eParams
VApp
Change the name or
description of a vApp.
PUT API-URL/vApp/vapp-
id
VApp Task
Compose a vApp POST API-URL/vdc/id/
action/composeVApp
ComposeVAppParams VApp
Recompose a vApp to add or
remove virtual machines
POST API-
URL/vApp/vapp-id/
action/recomposeVApp
RecomposeVAppParams Task
Deploy a vApp or Virtual
Machine
POST VApp-or-Vm-
URL/action/deploy
DeployVAppParams Task
Undeploy a vApp or Virtual
Machine
POST VApp-or-Vm-
URL/action/undeploy
UndeployVAppParams Task
Power On a vApp or Virtual
Machine
POST VApp-or-Vm-
URL/action/powerOn
None Task
Power Off a vApp or Virtual
Machine
POST VApp-or-Vm-
URL/action/powerOff
None Task
Reset a vApp or Virtual
Machine
POST VApp-or-Vm-
URL/action/reset
None Task
Suspend a vApp or Virtual
Machine
POST VApp-or-Vm-
URL/action/suspend
None Task
Discard the Suspended State
of a vApp or Virtual Machine
POST VApp-or-Vm-
URL/action/
discardSuspendedState
None Task
Shut Down a vApp or Virtual
Machine
POST VApp-or-Vm-
URL/action/shutdown
None Task
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Table 5-1. Summary of vApp and Virtual Machine Operations Requests (Continued)
Operation Request Request Body Response
Reboot a vApp or Virtual
Machine
POST VApp-or-Vm-
URL/action/reboot
None Task
Retrieve product sections of a
vApp or virtual machine
GET VApp-or-Vm-
URL/productSections
None ProductSectionList
Update product sections of a
vApp or virtual machine
PUT VApp-or-Vm-
URL/productSections
ProductSectionList Task
Retrieve product sections of a
vApp template
GET API-
URL/vAppTemplate/vappT
emplate-id/productSections
None ProductSectionList
Retrieve version of VMware
Tools installed on a virtual
machine
GET Vm-
URL/runtimeInfoSection
None RuntimeInfoSection
Install VMware Tools on a
virtual machine
POST Vm-
URL/action/installVMware
Tools
None Task
Consolidate a virtual
machine
POST Vm-
URL/action/consolidate
None Task
Upgrade the hardware
version of a virtual machine
POST Vm-
URL/action/upgradeHardw
areVersion
None Task
Insert Media Into a Virtual
Machine
POST Vm-
URL/action/insertMedia
MediaInsertOrEjectPara
ms
Task
Eject Media from a Virtual
Machine
POST Vm-
URL/action/ejectMedia
MediaInsertOrEjectPara
ms
Task
List Media Devices of a
Virtual Machine
GET Vm-URL/
virtualHardwareSection/m
edia
None RasdItemsList
Get a Request for User Input GET Vm-URL/question None VmPendingQuestion
Provide Requested User
Input
POST Vm-
URL/question/action/answ
er
VmQuestionAnswer 204 No Content
Get a Screen Thumbnail for a
Virtual Machine
GET Vm-URL/screen None Returns a screen thumbnail
(Content-type: image/png) if
one is available. Otherwise
returns null (Content-Length:
0).
Get a Screen Ticket for a
Virtual Machine
POST Vm-
URL/screen/action/acquire
Ticket
None ScreenTicket
Attach an independent disk
to a virtual machine. [NEW]
POST Vm-
URL/disk/action/attach
DiskAttachOrDetachPara
ms
Task
Detach an independent disk
from a virtual machine.
[NEW]
POST Vm-
URL/disk/action/detach
DiskAttachOrDetachPara
ms
Task
Create snapshots of all virtual
machines in a vApp. [NEW]
POST API-
URL/vApp/vapp-id/
action/createSnapshot
CreateSnapshotParams Task
Remove snapshots of all
virtual machines in a vApp.
[NEW]
POST API-
URL/vApp/vapp-id/
action/removeAllSnapshots
None Task
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Table 5-1. Summary of vApp and Virtual Machine Operations Requests (Continued)
Operation Request Request Body Response
Revert all virtual machines in
a vApp to their current
snapshots. [NEW]
POST API-
URL/vApp/vapp-id/
action/revertToCurrentSna
pshot
None Task
Retrieve information about
vApp snapshots. [NEW]
GET API-URL/vApp/vapp-
id/snapshotSection
None SnapshotSection
Validate the storage profile
compliance of a virtual
machine. [NEW]
POST API-URL/vApp/vm-
id/action/checkCompliance
None Task
Retrieve a virtual machine
storage profile validation
report. [NEW]
GET API-URL/vApp/vm-
id/complianceResult
None ComplianceResult
Create a vApp From a Template
An instantiateVAppTemplate request creates a vApp from a vApp template. By default, this operation also
deploys the vApp and powers it on.
To create a vApp from a vApp template, you must bind the template's abstract resource requirements, such
as network connections, storage resources, memory, and CPU capacity, to appropriate resources in the target
vDC. This binding operation is called instantiation.
For an example of a simple instantiation request, see “Deploy the vApp,” on page 31. You can also specify
additional parameters as part of instantiation.
Template contents that might influence composition of the request body include the following sections:
nA NetworkConnectionSection that specifies network connection details for a virtual machine. Unless you
want to create a vApp in which none of the virtual machines are connected to a network, your instantiation
parameters must include at least one NetworkConfigSection that defines a vApp network, and that section
must include a NetworkConfig element whose networkName attribute value matches the value of the
network attribute of the NetworkConnection of each Vm in the template. If this attribute has the value none
or is missing, the Vm can connect to any network. If the template contains Vm elements that specify different
names for their network connections, you must create a vApp network for each.
nOne or more EulaSection elements that specify licensing terms or other conditions that you must accept
before creating the vApp. The InstantiateVAppTemplateParams element can include an
AllEULAsAccepted element whose value indicates whether you accept all EULA terms included in the
template. If a vApp template includes any ovf:EulaSection elements, AllEULAsAccepted must be set to a
value of true. Otherwise, instantiation fails.
nA LeaseSettingsSection. If this section is present and specifies settings that are appropriate for the vApp,
you do not need to modify it. If it is absent or empty, the vApp is created with your organization’s default
lease settings. If you specify new lease settings in a LeaseSettingsSection that you provide as part of
instantiation, those settings replace any existing settings and override your organization's defaults.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator or member of an organization in
the cloud.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of the vApp template.
Make a GET request to the URL provided in the href attribute of the Entity contained by the
CatalogItem that references the template.
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2 Examine the template to determine the set of instantiation parameters that the request must include.
3 Create an InstantiateVAppTemplateParams element.
See “Example: Instantiate a vApp Template,” on page 86 for guidelines.
4 Make a POST request to the action/instantiateVAppTemplate URL of the vDC.
Supply the InstantiateVAppTemplateParams element as the request body.
The server takes the requested action and returns a VApp element. The element has a status attribute value of
0, meaning it is unresolved because it is still being constructed. It also contains a Task element that tracks the
progress of the request.
Example: Instantiate a vApp Template
This InstantiateVAppTemplateParams request extends the request shown in “Example: Deploying a vApp,” on
page 32 to include additional elements in its InstantiationParams:
nA LeaseSettingsSection that specifies custom lease settings, overriding the settings that would otherwise
be inherited from the organization.
nAn acknowledgement of EulaSection acceptance, supplied in the AllEULAsAccepted element. If the
template does not include EulaSection elements, you can omit this acknowledgement.
For more information and a list of sections that you can include in InstantiationParams, see “Configuring a
vApp,” on page 98.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/vdc/5/action/instantiateVAppTemplate
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.instantiateVAppTemplateParams+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<InstantiateVAppTemplateParams
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="Linux FTP server"
deploy="true"
powerOn="true"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xmlns:ovf="http://schemas.dmtf.org/ovf/envelope/1">
<Description>Example FTP Server</Description>
<InstantiationParams>
<NetworkConfigSection>
<ovf:Info>Configuration parameters for logical networks</ovf:Info>
<NetworkConfig
networkName="vAppNetwork">
<Configuration>
<ParentNetwork
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/network/54" />
<FenceMode>bridged</FenceMode>
</Configuration>
</NetworkConfig>
</NetworkConfigSection>
<LeaseSettingsSection
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.leaseSettingsSection+xml">
<ovf:Info>Lease Settings</ovf:Info>
<StorageLeaseInSeconds>172800</StorageLeaseInSeconds>
<StorageLeaseExpiration>2010-04-11T08:08:16.438-07:00</StorageLeaseExpiration>
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</LeaseSettingsSection>
</InstantiationParams>
<Source
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vAppTemplate/vappTemplate-111" />
<AllEULAsAccepted>true</AllEULAsAccepted>
</InstantiateVAppTemplateParams>
The response is a sparsely populated VApp element, as shown in the response portion of “Example: Deploying
a vApp,” on page 32.
Compose a vApp From Existing Virtual Machines
With the vCloud API composeVApp operation, you can build a vApp from existing virtual machines, including
virtual machines contained by vApps and vApp templates to which you have access.
Every vDC includes a link to a composeVApp operation, which creates a new vApp in it. To compose a vApp,
POST a composeVApp request to this link. The request body is a ComposeVAppParams element, which includes the
following information:
nAn InstantiationParams element that can include any of the section types listed under “Configuring a
vApp,” on page 98. This is where you define the vApp network to which all the virtual machines in the
composed vApp connect, and custom vApp lease settings and startup parameters for the virtual machines.
nAn optional Description of the composed vApp.
nZero or more SourcedItem elements, each of which defines a source of virtual machines to include in the
composition. Each SourcedItem must contain a Source element that references a composition source, the
href of a Vm, VApp, or VAppTemplate. If the Source element references a virtual machine, the SourcedItem
can include any of the following elements:
nAn InstantiationParams element specific to that virtual machine. This element can include any of the
section types listed under “Configuring a Virtual Machine,” on page 98.
nA NetworkAssignment element that specifies how the network connections in the virtual machine are
mapped to vApp networks defined in the InstantiationParams element that applies to the composed
vApp.
nA VAppScopedLocalId element that provides a unique identifier for the virtual machine in the scope
of the composed vApp.
If the Source element references a vApp or vApp template, all Vm elements from each composition source
become peers in the Children collection of the composed vApp.
nIf any of the composition items is subject to a EULA, the ComposeVAppParams element must include an
AllEULAsAccepted element that has a value of true, indicating that you accept the EULA. Otherwise,
composition fails.
The composed vApp must be deployed and powered on before you can use it.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator or member of an organization in
the cloud.
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Procedure
1 Find the composeVApp link in the target vDC.
The XML representation of the vDC contains a composeVapp link, which has the following form:
<Link
rel="add"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.composeVAppParams+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vdc/5/action/composeVApp" />
2 Create a ComposeVappParams element that specifies the details of the composition.
3 POST the ComposeVappParams element to the composeVapp link of the target vDC.
See the Request portion of “Example: Compose a vApp,” on page 88.
Example: Compose a vApp
This request specifies two vAppTemplate items and one Vm item. The Vm item requires InstantiationParams that
modify its NetworkConnectionSection to specify the vApp network created for this vApp. The vAppTemplate
items inherit this setting from the base InstantiationParams element that appears before the first
SourcedItem is specified.
NOTE Virtual machines specified in Source elements must be powered off or this operation will fail. You can
use a query like this one to return a list of references to powered-off virtual machines that you have access to.
https://vcloud.example.com/api/query?type=adminVM&format=references&filter=status==POWERED_OFF
See Chapter 9, “Using the Query Service,” on page 247.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/vdc/5/action/composeVApp
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.composeVAppParams+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<ComposeVAppParams
name="Example Corp’s CRM Appliance"
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
xmlns:ovf="http://schemas.dmtf.org/ovf/envelope/1">
<Description>Composed CRM Appliance</Description>
<InstantiationParams>
<NetworkConfigSection>
<ovf:Info>Configuration parameters for logical networks</ovf:Info>
<NetworkConfig
networkName="CRMApplianceNetwork">
<Configuration>
<ParentNetwork
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/network/54" />
<FenceMode>natRouted</FenceMode>
</Configuration>
</NetworkConfig>
</NetworkConfigSection>
</InstantiationParams>
<SourcedItem>
<Source
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4" />
<InstantiationParams>
<NetworkConnectionSection
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xmlns:ovf="http://schemas.dmtf.org/ovf/envelope/1"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.networkConnectionSection+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/networkConnectionSection/"
ovf:required="false">
<ovf:Info />
<PrimaryNetworkConnectionIndex>0</PrimaryNetworkConnectionIndex>
<NetworkConnection
network="CRMApplianceNetwork">
<NetworkConnectionIndex>0</NetworkConnectionIndex>
<IsConnected>true</IsConnected>
<IpAddressAllocationMode>DHCP</IpAddressAllocationMode>
</NetworkConnection>
</NetworkConnectionSection>
</InstantiationParams>
</SourcedItem>
<SourcedItem>
<Source
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vAppTemplate/vappTemplate-114" />
</SourcedItem>
<SourcedItem>
<Source
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vAppTemplate/vappTemplate-190" />
</SourcedItem>
<AllEULAsAccepted>true</AllEULAsAccepted>
</ComposeVAppParams>
Response:
201 Created
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vApp+xml
...
<VApp
name="Example Corp’s CRM Appliance"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vApp+xml"
status="8"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-33" ...>
<Link
rel="up" type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vdc+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vdc/5"/>
...
<Description>Composed CRM Appliance</Description>
...
<Tasks>
<Task operation="Composing Virtual Application Example Corp’s CRM Appliance (33)" ...>
...
</Task>
</Tasks>
</VApp>
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Recompose a vApp to Add or Remove Virtual Machines
The vCloud API supports recomposition of a vApp to add or remove virtual machines. To recompose a vApp,
make a recomposeVApp request, supplying a RecomposeVAppParams element as the request body.
The RecomposeVAppParams element allows an arbitrary number of DeleteItem elements, but is otherwise
identical to ComposeVAppParams. This means that in addition to adding or removing virtual machines, a
recomposeVApp request can also change the name and description of the vApp, and can supply new
InstantiationParams to change various sections of the composed vApp or any of the added virtual machines.
Unlike a composeVapp request, which operates on a vDC and creates a new vApp, a recomposeVapp request
operates on (and modifies) an existing vApp.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator or member of an organization in
the cloud.
Procedure
1 Find the recomposeVApp link in the target vApp.
The XML representation of a vApp contains a recomposeVapp link, which has the following form:
<Link
rel="recompose"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.recomposeVAppParams+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vdc/5/action/recomposeVApp" />
2 Create a RecomposeVappParams element that specifies the details of the recomposition.
See “Example: Recompose a vApp,” on page 90.
3 POST the RecomposeVappParams element to the recomposeVapp link of the target vApp.
Example: Recompose a vApp
This example uses the recomposeVApp operation to modify this vApp, which contains three virtual machines.
Only a few of the elements in the vApp appear here.
<VApp
name="Example Corp’s CRM Appliance"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vApp+xml"
status="8"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-33" ...>
<Link
rel="up"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vdc+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vdc/5"/>
...
<Children>
<Vm
status="8"
name="CRM-DB"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-7" ...>
...
</Vm>
<Vm
status="8"
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name="CRM-CRM"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-44" ...>
...
</Vm>
<Vm
status="8"
name="CRM-HTTP"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-45" ...>
...
</Vm>
</Children>
...
</VApp>
The request removes one of the virtual machines from the vApp and creates a StartupSection that specifies a
startup order for the remaining virtual machines.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-33/action/recomposeVApp
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.recomposeVAppParams+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<RecomposeVAppParams
name="Example Corp’s CRM Appliance"
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
xmlns:ovf="http://schemas.dmtf.org/ovf/envelope/1">
<Description>Composed CRM Appliance</Description>
<InstantiationParams>
<NetworkConfigSection>
<ovf:Info>Configuration parameters for logical networks</ovf:Info>
<NetworkConfig
networkName="CRMApplianceNetwork">
<Configuration>
<ParentNetwork
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/network/54" />
<FenceMode>natRouted</FenceMode>
</Configuration>
</NetworkConfig>
</NetworkConfigSection>
<ovf:StartupSection
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
vcloud:type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.startupSection+xml">
<ovf:Info>VApp startup section</ovf:Info>
<ovf:Item
ovf:order="0"
ovf:id="CRM-DB" />
<ovf:Item
ovf:order="1"
ovf:id="CRM-CRM" />
</ovf:StartupSection>
</InstantiationParams>
<AllEULAsAccepted>true</AllEULAsAccepted>
<DeleteItem
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-45" />
</RecomposeVAppParams>
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Response:
202 Accepted
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.task+xml
...
<Task ...
operation="Updating Virtual Application Example Corp’s CRM Appliance (33)" ...>
...
</Task>
NOTE Virtual machines specified in Source elements must be powered off or this operation will fail. You can
use a query like this one to return a list of references to powered-off virtual machines that you have access to.
https://vcloud.example.com/api/query?type=adminVM&format=references&filter=status==POWERED_OFF
See Chapter 9, “Using the Query Service,” on page 247.
Provide User Input Requested by a Virtual Machine
A request for a virtual machine to change state (power on, suspend, reconfigure, and so on) might cause the
virtual machine to ask for additional user input before it can complete.
A vApp that contains a Vm awaiting a user response has status="5", and includes a link that you can GET to
discover what input is needed.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator or the object owner.
Procedure
1 Find the question link in the target vApp.
This link has the following form:
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vmPendingQuestion+xml"
href="http://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-5/question" />
2 Make a GET request to the URL in that link's href value.
The response is a VmPendingQuestion response that includes the question and the set of possible answers.
3 Create a VmQuestionAnswer element that supplies the answer.
See “Example: Provide User Input Requested by a Virtual Machine,” on page 92.
4 POST the element to the question/action/answer link included in the VmPendingQuestion response.
Example: Provide User Input Requested by a Virtual Machine
In this series of examples, a virtual machine that was recently reconfigured in vCenter to add a new parallel
port device and then powered on is requesting user input about where to send output from the device. The
powerOn request cannot complete until this input is supplied.
The first step is to use the vmPendingQuestion link, shown in Step 1, to get a VmPendingQuestion response that
includes the question and the set of possible answers.
Request:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-5/question
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Response:
200 OK
Content-type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vmPendingQuestion+xml
...
<VmPendingQuestion
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5">
<Link
rel="answer"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vmPendingAnswer+xml"
href="http://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-5/question/action/answer" />
<Question>msg.parallel.file.open:Parallel port output file
"/vmfs/volumes/d6162a46-58e50cab/linuxftp/vm-mgi.log" already
exists. Do you want to replace it with any newly created content,
or append new content to the end of the file?
</Question>
<QuestionId>50</QuestionId>
<Choices>
<Id>0</Id>
<Text>Append</Text>
</Choices>
<Choices>
<Id>1</Id>
<Text>Replace</Text>
</Choices>
<Choices>
<Id>2</Id>
<Text>Cancel</Text>
</Choices>
</VmPendingQuestion>
To supply the answer, POST a VmQuestionAnswer element to the question/action/answer link of the Vm.
Request:
POST http://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-5/question/action/answer
Content-type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vmPendingAnswer+xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<VmQuestionAnswer
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5">
<ChoiceId>2</ChoiceId>
<QuestionId>50</QuestionId>
</VmQuestionAnswer>
Attach or Detach an Independent Disk
Use the disk/action/attach or disk/action/detach links in a Vm to attach or detach an independent disk. You
must be the owner of the Vm element and the disk.
Every Vm element includes links of the following form:
<Link
rel="disk:attach"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.diskAttachOrDetachParams+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/disk/action/attach" />
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<Link
rel="disk:detach"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.diskAttachOrDetachParams+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/disk/action/detach" />
You can POST a DiskAttachOrDetachParams element to one of these URLs to attach or detach an independent
disk.
Prerequisites
nVerify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator or the object owner.
nVerify that the vDC contains an independent disk. If the vDC does not contain independent disks, you
can create one. See “Create or Update an Independent Disk,” on page 76.
Procedure
1 Retrieve a reference to the independent disk to attach to a virtual machine.
The independent disk and the virtual machine must be contained by the same vDC. You can retrieve
references to independent disks in a vDC in the following ways:
nUse the query service. A query like this one returns references to all Disk objects in the vDC named
MyVdc.
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/query?
type=disk&format=references&filter=vdcName==MyVdc
nRetrieve the vDC and look for ResourceEntity elements whose type attribute has a value of
application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.disk+xml. The href value of a ResourceEntity that represents a disk
is a reference to that Disk object.
2 Create a DiskAttachOrDetachParams element.
Provide a reference to the independent disk in the href attribute of the Disk element.
3 POST the DiskAttachOrDetachParams to the disk/action/attach link of the Vm.
Example: Attach an Independent Disk to a Virtual Machine
This request attaches the disk created in “Create or Update an Independent Disk,” on page 76 to a virtual
machine.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/disk/action/attach
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.diskAttachOrDetachParams+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<DiskAttachOrDetachParams
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5">
<Disk
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.disk+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/disk/128" />
</DiskAttachOrDetachParams>
The response is a Task.
Response:
<Task
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/task/57"
...
status="running"
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operationName="vappAttachDisk"
... />
...
</Task>
Creating and Using vApp Snapshots
You can take a snapshot of all the virtual machines in a vApp. After the snapshots are taken, you can revert
all virtual machines in the vApp to the most recent snapshot, or remove all snapshots.
You can take a snapshot of a vApp whether or not it is powered on. The createSnapshot operation always
creates a snapshot for each virtual machine in the vApp. Snapshots are created in the order specified for virtual
machines in the StartupSection of the VApp element.
vApp snapshots have the following limitations:
nThey do not capture the ovf:ProductSection elements in the vApp.
nThey do not capture NIC configurations.
nThey cannot be created if any virtual machine in the vApp is connected to an independent disk.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator or the object owner.
Procedure
1 (Optional) Retrieve information about current vApp snapshots.
When you create a snapshot, it overwrites any existing snapshots without warning. Before creating a new
snapshot, you might want to verify whether there are any existing snapshots. Make a request like this one:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-33/snapshotSection
The response is a SnapshotSection element containing a link to each of the current snapshots for the vApp.
2 Create a CreateSnapshotParams request body.
See “Example: Create a vApp Snapshot,” on page 95.
3 POST the CreateSnapshotParams to the action/createSnapshot link of the vApp.
Example: Create a vApp Snapshot
In this example, the memory and quiesce options are not specified, so default values default to true. The name
attribute is optional. If you omit it from the request, the system generates a name for the snapshot.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-33/action/createSnapshot
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.createSnapshotParams+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<CreateSnapshotParams
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="snap1">
<Description>Demo snapshot</Description>
</CreateSnapshotParams>
The response is a Task.
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Response:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Task
...
operationName="vappCreateSnapshot"
... />
...
</Task>
After the snapshot is created, you can revert the vApp to the state captured in the snapshot.
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-33/action/revertToCurrentSnapshot
You can also remove all snapshots.
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-33/action/removeAllSnapshots
Neither of these requests has a request body. Both return a Task.
Operate a vApp
vApp and Vm elements include a number of action links. You can use these links to operate a vApp or one of its
virtual machines by making requests such as power on, suspend, power off, undeploy, and so on.
Only those action links that are valid for the vApp or virtual machine in its current state are returned. For
example, if a vApp is instantiated but not deployed, only the links for deploy and remove are returned. For a
vApp that is powered on, links for all actions except powerOn are returned. Some requests apply only to vApps,
some apply only to virtual machines (Vm objects), and some apply to both.
nA request made to the power URL of a VApp invokes the requested operation on each of the virtual machines
in the Children element of the VApp, in the order specified in its ovf:StartupSection element. This element,
if present, specifies a start order and related properties for each member of a VirtualSystemCollection
(each Vm contained by the Children element). If the element is not present, all members are started up at
the same time. The same logic applies to shutdown, reboot, and similar operations.
nA request made to the power URL of a Vm affects only that virtual machine.
nSee “Summary of vCloud API vApp and Virtual Machine Operations Requests,” on page 83 for details of
each request.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator or member of an organization in
the cloud.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of the vApp to find the action links it contains.
Use a request like this one:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-7
2 POST a request to the URL that implements the desired action.
Many of these requests do not require a body.
The server takes the requested action and returns a Task element that tracks the progress of the request.
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Configuring vApps and Virtual Machines
You specify configuration details for vApps and the virtual machines they contain in ovf:SectionType elements
contained in a VApp or Vm element. You can include most of these sections in the InstantiationParams that you
supply when you instantiate a vApp template. You can also retrieve, modify, and update these sections to
reconfigure a deployed vApp.
You establish the initial configuration of a vApp in the OVF package on which its source template is based.
You cannot modify most sections of the template, but you can update the configuration during the following
operations:
nWhen you create a vApp by making an instantiateVAppTemplate request, you can update its configuration
by including modified sections in the request's InstantiationParams element.
nWhen you compose or recompose a vApp, you can update its configuration by including modified sections
in the request's InstantiationParams element.
nWhen you update any of the modifiable sections in a deployed vApp or the virtual machines that it
contains.
You can capture the reconfigured vApp to create a vApp template that preserves your modifications. See
“Capturing and Importing vApps,” on page 72.
Updating a vApp Template
You can update the following sections of a vApp template.
CustomizationSection You can use a PUT request to update this section, which contains a Boolean
value, CustomizeOnInstantiate, that specifies whether guest customization
should be run during instantiation. You cannot modify this element if the vApp
template has been added to a catalog.
Name and description You can use a PUT request to update the value of the template's name attribute
or the contents of its Description element.
Owner You can use a PUT request to update the value of the template's Owner element.
See “View or Change the Owner of an Object,” on page 79.
ProductSection elements You can retrieve or update the template's ProductSection elements, which
provide a way to pass runtime information to the virtual machines defined in
the template. See “Retrieve or Modify ProductSection Elements,” on
page 120.
Except for the Owner element, all updates to a vApp template propagate to the vApp during instantiation. The
owner of the vApp is set to the identity of the user who instantiates the template.
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Configuring a vApp
You can include the following sections in the InstantiationParams associated with an
instantiateVAppTemplate, composeVApp, or recomposeVApp request. You can also modify them in a deployed
vApp.
LeaseSettingsSection Defines the terms of storage and deployment leases for the vApp. If this section
is omitted, the vApp inherits the default lease settings of the containing
organization.
NetworkConfigSection Defines the properties of the vApp network and specifies how it is connected
to a network in the vDC. Unless you intend to create a vApp that has no
connection to any network, you must include this section in the
InstantiationParams element of an instantiateVappTemplate request.
StartupSection Defines the order in which the virtual machines in the vApp start up and shut
down. If this section is omitted, the startup and shutdown order of virtual
machines in the vApp is indeterminate.
Configuring a Virtual Machine
You can configure a virtual machine by updating any of the following sections of a Vm element:
VirtualHardwareSection Contains a description of the virtual hardware supported by a virtual machine.
You can reconfigure individual items in this section, or reconfigure groups of
related items such as hard disks or network interface cards.
OperatingSystemSection Specifies the guest operating system installed on the virtual machine.
NetworkConnectionSectio
n
Specifies how the virtual NIC devices on the virtual machine are connected to
the vApp network.
GuestCustomizationSecti
on
Contains guest customization parameters for the virtual machine.
There are several ways to update these sections:
nYou can include any or all of the sections in the InstantiationParams for a Vm.
nYou can include any or all of the sections in a reconfigureVm request.
nYou can use the workflow in “Reconfiguration Workflow,” on page 98 to update individual section or
groups of related section.
Reconfiguration Workflow
The workflow for reconfiguring a vApp or virtual machine is the same regardless of the section you are
modifying.
1 Retrieve the vApp or Vm and examine the response to find the section that you want to modify.
2 Retrieve the section by making a GET request to the URL in the section’s href attribute value.
3 Modify the section as needed.
4 Update the section by making a PUT request to the section’s edit link, a Link element in the section where
rel="edit", and supplying the modified section in the request body.
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Modified sections must contain all required elements, even if you are not changing their values. Because
optional elements revert to default values if they are omitted or empty, it is a best practice to include optional
elements in updates. Link elements and href attributes from responses do not need to be included in modified
sections. Some elements and attributes might be read-only. See the schema reference for details.
NOTE You cannot make configuration changes to a vApp if it is in maintenance mode. A system administrator
can put a vApp into maintenance mode to prevent metadata changes during administrative operations such
as backup, restore, and upgrade. See “Summary of vSphere Platform Extension Requests,” on page 193.
Retrieve the Configuration Links for a vApp
Each modifiable section of a vApp includes a Link element whose rel attribute has the value edit. You cannot
modify sections that do not contain this Link element.
Any ovf:SectionType element can include an arbitrary number of Link elements. Sections that you can modify
include a Link element where rel="edit". To modify one of these sections, retrieve it by making a GET request
to the URL in the section's href attribute. Then make a PUT request to the href attribute value of Link where
rel="edit" to update the section with your modifications.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator or member of an organization in
the cloud.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of the vApp.
Use a GET request as shown in “Example: Configuration Links in a vApp,” on page 99.
2 Examine the response for edit links to modifiable sections.
The response portion of “Example: Configuration Links in a vApp,” on page 99 includes one of these
links for each of the modifiable sections of the vApp. You cannot modify sections that do not contain a
Link element where rel="edit".
Example: Configuration Links in a vApp
In this example, the response was edited to show only the modifiable sections of the VApp element. Each Vm in
the Children element of the VApp includes additional configuration links, shown in “Example: Configuration
Links in a Vm Element,” on page 101.
Request:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-7
Response:
200 OK
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vApp+xml
...
<VApp ... href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-7">
...
<LeaseSettingsSection ...
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-7/leaseSettingsSection/" ...>
...
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.leaseSettingsSection+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-7/leaseSettingsSection/" />
...
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</LeaseSettingsSection>
<ovf:StartupSection ...
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-7/startupSection/" ... >
...
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.startupSection+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-7/startupSection/" />
...
</ovf:StartupSection>
<NetworkConfigSection ...
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-7/networkConfigSection/" ... />
...
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.networkConfigSection+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-7/networkConfigSection/" />
...
</NetworkConfigSection>
<Children>
<Vm ...
status="8"
name="ubuntu10-x86"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4">
...
</Vm>
</Children>
</VApp>
Summary of vApp Reconfiguration Requests
vApp reconfiguration requests retrieve or update modifiable sections of a vApp.
nAPI-URL is a URL of the form https://vcloud.example.com/api.
nid 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.
Table 5-2. Summary of vApp Reconfiguration Requests
Operation Request Request Body Response
Retrieve vApp
LeaseSettingsSection
GET API-URL/vApp/vapp-
id/ leaseSettingsSection/
None LeaseSettingsSection
Update vApp
LeaseSettingsSection
PUT API-URL/vApp/vapp-
id/ leaseSettingsSection/
LeaseSettingsSection Task
Retrieve vApp
StartupSection
GET API-URL/vApp/vapp-
id/ startupSection/
None StartupSection
Update vApp
StartupSection
PUT API-URL/vApp/vapp-
id/ startupSection/
StartupSection Task
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Table 5-2. Summary of vApp Reconfiguration Requests (Continued)
Operation Request Request Body Response
Retrieve vApp
NetworkConfigSection
GET API-URL/vApp/vapp-
id/ networkConfigSection/
None NetworkConfigSection
Update vApp
NetworkConfigSection
PUT API-URL/vApp/vapp-
id/ networkConfigSection/
NetworkConfigSection Task
Retrieve the Configuration Links for a Virtual Machine
A virtual machine is represented by a Vm element. Each modifiable section of a Vm element includes a Link
element whose rel attribute has the value edit. You cannot modify sections that do not contain this Link
element.
Any ovf:SectionType element can include an arbitrary number of Link elements. Sections that you can modify
include a Link element where rel="edit". To modify one of these sections, retrieve it by making a GET request
to the URL in the section's href attribute. Then make a PUT request to the href attribute value of Link where
rel="edit" to update the section with your modifications.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator or member of an organization in
the cloud.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of the vApp that contains the virtual machine to reconfigure.
Use a GET request as shown in “Example: Configuration Links in a vApp,” on page 99.
2 In the VApp element's Children element, find the Vm element that represents the virtual machine and retrieve
it.
3 Examine the response to find the reconfigureVm link and edit links to modifiable sections.
The response portion of “Example: Configuration Links in a Vm Element,” on page 101 shows the
reconfigureVm link and links for each of the modifiable sections of the Vm. You cannot modify sections that
do not contain a link where rel="edit".
Example: Configuration Links in a Vm Element
This example retrieves a Vm element shown in “Example: Configuration Links in a vApp,” on page 99. It expands
that element to show its configuration links. It also shows the entire NetworkConnectionSection of that Vm, and
additional information that is referenced in other examples. You cannot modify sections that do not have a
Link where rel="edit", so they do not appear in this example. Modifiable sections of the parent vApp are
shown in “Example: Configuration Links in a vApp,” on page 99.
Request:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4
Response:
200 OK
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vm+xml
<Vm
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
xmlns:ovf="http://schemas.dmtf.org/ovf/envelope/1"
status="8"
name="ubuntu10-x86"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4">
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...
<Link
rel="reconfigureVm"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vm+xml"
name="vm1"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/action/reconfigureVm" />
...
<ovf:VirtualHardwareSection>
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.virtualHardwareSection+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/virtualHardwareSection/" />
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.rasdItem+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/virtualHardwareSection/cpu" />
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.rasdItem+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/virtualHardwareSection/cpu" />
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.rasdItem+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/virtualHardwareSection/memory" />
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.rasdItem+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/virtualHardwareSection/memory" />
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.rasdItemsList+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/virtualHardwareSection/disks" />
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.rasdItemsList+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/virtualHardwareSection/disks" />
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.rasdItemsList+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/virtualHardwareSection/media" />
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.rasdItemsList+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/virtualHardwareSection/networkCards" />
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.rasdItemsList+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/virtualHardwareSection/networkCards" />
</ovf:VirtualHardwareSection>
<ovf:OperatingSystemSection
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/operatingSystemSection/" ... >
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.operatingSystemSection+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/operatingSystemSection/" />
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...
</ovf:OperatingSystemSection>
<NetworkConnectionSection>
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.networkConnectionSection+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/networkConnectionSection/" />
<ovf:Info>Specifies the available VM network connections</ovf:Info>
<PrimaryNetworkConnectionIndex>0</PrimaryNetworkConnectionIndex>
<NetworkConnection
network="vAppNetwork">
<NetworkConnectionIndex>0</NetworkConnectionIndex>
<IpAddress>10.147.122.134</IpAddress>
<IsConnected>false</IsConnected>
<MACAddress>00:50:56:01:01:49</MACAddress>
<IpAddressAllocationMode>POOL</IpAddressAllocationMode>
</NetworkConnection>
</NetworkConnectionSection>
<GuestCustomizationSection>
<Link
rel="edit"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/guestCustomizationSection+xml/">
</Link>
...
</GuestCustomizationSection>
...
</Vm>
Summary of Vm Reconfiguration Requests
Vm reconfiguration requests retrieve or update modifiable sections of a virtual machine (Vm object).
nAPI-URL is a URL of the form https://vcloud.example.com/api.
nid 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.
Table 5-3. Summary of Vm Reconfiguration Requests
Operation Request Request Body Response
Retrieve the
NetworkConnectionSectio
n of a virtual machine
GET API-URL/vApp/vm-id/
networkConnectionSectio
n/
None NetworkConnectionSectio
n
Update the
NetworkConnectionSectio
n of a virtual machine
PUT API-URL/vApp/vm-id/
networkConnectionSectio
n/
NetworkConnectionSecti
on
Task
Retrieve the
GuestCustomizationSecti
on of a virtual machine
GET API-URL/vApp/vm-id/
guestCustomizationSectio
n/
None GuestCustomizationSecti
o
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Table 5-3. Summary of Vm Reconfiguration Requests (Continued)
Operation Request Request Body Response
Update the
GuestCustomizationSecti
on of a virtual machine
PUT API-URL/vApp/vm-id/
guestCustomizationSectio
n/
GuestCustomizationSect
io
Task
Retrieve the
OperatingSystemSection
of a virtual machine
GET API-URL/vApp/vm-id/
operatingSystemSection/
None OperatingSystemSection
Update the
OperatingSystemSection
of a virtual machine
PUT API-URL/vApp/vm-id/
operatingSystemSection/
OperatingSystemSection Task
Retrieve the
VirtualHardwareSection
of a virtual machine
GET API-URL/vApp/vm-id/
virtualHardwareSection/
None VirtualHardwareSection
Update the
VirtualHardwareSection
of a virtual machine
PUT API-URL/vApp/vm-id/
virtualHardwareSection/
VirtualHardwareSection Task
Retrieve the CPU
configuration of a virtual
machine
GET API-URL/vApp/vm-id/
virtualHardwareSection/
cpu
None ovf:Item
Update the CPU
configuration of a virtual
machine
PUT API-URL/vApp/vm-id/
virtualHardwareSection/
cpu
ovf:Item Task
Retrieve the memory item
from the
VirtualHardwareSection
of a virtual machine
GET API-URL/vApp/vm-id/
virtualHardwareSection/
memory
None ovf:Item
Update the memory item in
the
VirtualHardwareSection
of a virtual machine
PUT API-URL/vApp/vm-id/
virtualHardwareSection/
memory
ovf:Item Task
Retrieve virtual disk items
from the
VirtualHardwareSection
of a virtual machine
GET API-URL/vApp/vm-id/
virtualHardwareSection/
disks
None RasdItemsList
Update virtual disk items in
the
VirtualHardwareSection
of a virtual machine
PUT API-URL/vApp/vm-id/
virtualHardwareSection/
disks
RasdItemsList Task
Retrieve network card items
from the
VirtualHardwareSection
of a virtual machine
GET API-URL/vApp/vm-id/
virtualHardwareSection/
networkCards
None RasdItemsList
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Table 5-3. Summary of Vm Reconfiguration Requests (Continued)
Operation Request Request Body Response
Update network card items in
the
VirtualHardwareSection
of a virtual machine
PUT API-URL/vApp/vm-id/
virtualHardwareSection/
networkCards
RasdItemsList Task
Update the name,
Description, and any or all
of
VirtualHardwareSection,
OperatingSystemSection,
NetworkConnectionSectio
n,
GuestCustomizationSecti
on of a virtual machine.
[NEW]
POST API-URL/vApp/vm-
id/ action/reconfigureVm
Vm Task
vCloud API Custom Attributes
vCloud API custom attributes extend several elements in the ovf and rasd XML namespaces. You can use these
attributes to provide additional detail about virtual NIC and hard disk controller devices, or to specify the
guest operating system type.
With the exception of osType, custom attributes are scoped to ovf:Item elements based on the elements' RASD
resource type. The osType attribute applies to the ovf:OperatingSystemSection element. All of the elements to
which these custom attributes apply are contained in the VirtualHardwareSection of a Vm.
Table 5-4. vCloud API Custom Attributes for OVF and RASD Elements
Element Name
RASD
Resource
Type Attribute Name Attribute Type Description
rasd:Connection 10
(Network
adapters)
ipAddressingMode xs:string IP addressing mode to use for this
connection. One of NONE, MANUAL,
DHCP, POOL.
rasd:Connection 10
(Network
adapters)
ipAddress xs:string If ipAddressingMode="MANUAL",
set the IP address here
rasd:Connection 10
(Network
adapters)
primaryNetworkCon
nection
xs:boolean True if this is the primary network
connection of the virtual machine
rasd:HostResource 17 (Hard
disks)
capacity xs:string Hard disk capacity in megabytes. See
“Retrieve or Modify the Hard Disk
Configuration of a Virtual
Machine,” on page 124
rasd:HostResource 17 (Hard
disks)
busType xs:string read-only
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Table 5-4. vCloud API Custom Attributes for OVF and RASD Elements (Continued)
Element Name
RASD
Resource
Type Attribute Name Attribute Type Description
rasd:HostResource 17 (Hard
disks)
busSubType xs:string read-only
ovf:OperatingSystemSec
tion
N/A osType xs:string Internal VMware identifier for the
guest operating system. See
https://www.vmware.com/suppor
t/developer/vc-
sdk/visdk41pubs/ApiReference/vim
.vm.GuestOsDescriptor.GuestOsIde
ntifier.html
For more information about OVF and RASD (CIM_ResourceAllocationSettingData) elements, see the OVF
specification, available at http://www.dmtf.org/standards/published_documents/DSP0243_1.0.0.pdf.
Update Multiple Sections of a Virtual Machine
You can make a single request that updates the name, Description, and any or all of the
VirtualHardwareSection, OperatingSystemSection, NetworkConnectionSection, GuestCustomizationSection
elements of a virtual machine.
Every Vm element contains a link to a reconfigureVm operation that you can use to update the name,
Description, and multiple sections in a single operation. Sections that you omit from the request body are not
updated.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator or the object owner.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the Vm element that you want to update.
2 Modify the retrieved Vm element.
Modifications can include the name, Description, and any or all of the VirtualHardwareSection,
OperatingSystemSection, NetworkConnectionSection, GuestCustomizationSection elements of the Vm.
Modified sections must contain all required elements, even if you are not changing their values. Because
optional elements revert to default values if they are omitted or empty, it is a best practice to include
optional elements in updates. Link elements and href attributes from responses do not need to be included
in modified sections. Some elements and attributes might be read-only. See the schema reference for
details.
3 Use the modified Vm as the body of a reconfigureVm request.
The modified Vm replaces the contents of the retrieved Vm. For some section types, modifications take effect
immediately. For others, modifications take effect only after a power or deployment state change.
Example: Update Multiple Sections of a Virtual Machine
This example uses the reconfigureVm operation to accomplish the updates shown in “Example: Update a
NetworkConnectionSection,” on page 116 and “Example: Modify the Guest Customization Section of a Virtual
Machine,” on page 119 in a single operation.
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Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/action/reconfigureVm
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vm+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Vm ... >
...
<NetworkConnectionSection
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.networkConnectionSection+xml"
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
xmlns:ovf="http://schemas.dmtf.org/ovf/envelope/1">
<ovf:Info>Firewall allows access to this address.</ovf:Info>
<PrimaryNetworkConnectionIndex>0</PrimaryNetworkConnectionIndex>
<NetworkConnection
network="vAppNetwork">
<NetworkConnectionIndex>0</NetworkConnectionIndex>
<IpAddress>10.147.115.1</IpAddress>
<IsConnected>true</IsConnected>
<MACAddress>00:50:56:01:01:49</MACAddress>
<IpAddressAllocationMode>STATIC</IpAddressAllocationMode>
</NetworkConnection>
</NetworkConnectionSection>
<GuestCustomizationSection
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
xmlns:ovf="http://schemas.dmtf.org/ovf/envelope/1"
ovf:required="false">
<ovf:Info>Specifies Guest OS Customization Settings</ovf:Info>
<Enabled>true</Enabled>
<ChangeSid>true</ChangeSid>
<VirtualMachineId>12</VirtualMachineId>
<JoinDomainEnabled>false</JoinDomainEnabled>
<UseOrgSettings>false</UseOrgSettings>
<DomainName />
<DomainUserName />
<DomainUserPassword />
<AdminPasswordEnabled>true</AdminPasswordEnabled>
<AdminPasswordAuto>true</AdminPasswordAuto>
<AdminPassword />
<ResetPasswordRequired>false</ResetPasswordRequired>
<CustomizationScript />
<ComputerName>Win2K3</ComputerName>
</GuestCustomizationSection>
...
</Vm>
Response:
202 Accepted
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.task+xml
...
<Task
...
operation="Updating Virtual Application Win2K3 (4)"
...>
...
</Task>
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Retrieve or Update a Modifiable Section
You can make a GET request to the URL of any modifiable section to retrieve it for modification. After you
modify the section, you can make a PUT request to its edit link to update the section with your modifications.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator or the object owner.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the section to modify.
Make a GET request to the URL in the section's href attribute value.
2 Modify the retrieved section.
Modified sections must contain all required elements, even if you are not changing their values. Because
optional elements revert to default values if they are omitted or empty, it is a best practice to include
optional elements in updates. Link elements and href attributes from responses do not need to be included
in modified sections. Some elements and attributes might be read-only. See the schema reference for
details.
3 Update the section with your modifications.
Find the Link element in the section where rel="edit". Make a PUT request to the URL in that link's
href attribute value, and supply the modified section as the request body.
For most section types, the response to this request is a Task element that tracks the update operation.
When the task completes, the section is updated.
The modified section replaces the contents of the original section. For some section types, modifications take
effect immediately. For others, modifications take effect only after a power or deployment state change.
Example: Retrieve a NetworkConfigSection
This example retrieves the NetworkConfigSection of the vApp shown in “Example: Configuration Links in a
vApp,” on page 99.
Request:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-7/networkConfigSection
Response:
200 OK
Content-type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.networkConfigSection+xml
...
<NetworkConfigSection
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
xmlns:ovf="http://schemas.dmtf.org/ovf/envelope/1"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-7/networkConfigSection/"
ovf:required="false">
<ovf:Info>Configuration parameters for logical networks</ovf:Info>
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.networkConfigSection+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-7/networkConfigSection/" />
<NetworkConfig
networkName="vAppNetwork">
<Configuration>
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<IpScopes>
<IpScope>
<IsInherited>true</IsInherited>
<Gateway>10.147.56.253</Gateway>
<Netmask>255.255.255.0</Netmask>
<Dns1>10.147.115.1</Dns1>
<Dns2>10.147.115.2</Dns2>
<DnsSuffix>example.com</DnsSuffix>
<IpRanges>
<IpRange>
<StartAddress>10.147.56.1</StartAddress>
<EndAddress>10.147.56.255</EndAddress>
</IpRange>
</IpRanges>
</IpScope>
</IpScopes>
<ParentNetwork
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.network+xml"
name="Internet"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/network/54" />
<FenceMode>bridged</FenceMode>
</Configuration>
<IsDeployed>false</IsDeployed>
</NetworkConfig>
</NetworkConfigSection>
For an example that updates this section, see “Example: Update a NetworkConfigSection,” on page 110 .
Update a vApp Network Configuration
To change the configuration of a vApp network, you retrieve the NetworkConfigSection element of the vApp,
modify it, and use it with a PUT request to update the section.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator or the object owner.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the vApp's NetworkConfigSection.
2 Modify the returned NetworkConfigSection as needed.
Modified sections must contain all required elements, even if you are not changing their values. Because
optional elements revert to default values if they are omitted or empty, it is a best practice to include
optional elements in updates. Link elements and href attributes from responses do not need to be included
in modified sections. Some elements and attributes might be read-only. See the schema reference for
details.
3 Update the NetworkConfigSection in the vApp.
Find the Link element in the section where rel="edit". Make a PUT request to the URL in that link's
href attribute value, and supply the modified section as the request body.
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Example: Update a NetworkConfigSection
This example modifies the NetworkConfigSection that was retrieved in “Example: Retrieve a
NetworkConfigSection,” on page 108. The modifications change the FenceMode value to natRouted and add a
Features element that defines several network features that are useful to an FTP server that must be reachable
from the public Internet, but only at the FTP and SSH ports. The modifications add the following items:
nA set of FirewallRules that allow TCP traffic to ports 21 and 22. Because these rules require you to specify
a single IP address on the inside of the firewall, the IpScope element is modified to limit the range of IP
addresses available on the vApp network to a single address. Any virtual machine that connects to the
vApp network defined in this NetworkConfigSection is given this address.
nA NatService element that maps a routable external IP address to the internal IP address allocated to the
Vm by the vApp network. The VAppScopedVmId value in this element is taken from the VAppScopedLocalId
element of the Vm and the VmNicId value is taken from its PrimaryNetworkConnectionIndex. See
“Example: Configuration Links in a Vm Element,” on page 101.
For more information about these and other network services in vApp networks, see “Network Services in
vApp Networks,” on page 112
This request, like all request bodies derived from a response, omits the Link elements and href attributes that
were part of the retrieved NetworkConfigurationSection. It also omits the IsDeployed element of the
NetworkConfig. These elements and attributes are created by the server and are read-only. They are ignored if
you include them in a request. Read-only elements are noted in the schema reference.
Request:
PUT https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-7/networkConfigSection/
Content-type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.networkConfigSection+xml
...
<NetworkConfigSection
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
xmlns:ovf="http://schemas.dmtf.org/ovf/envelope/1">
<ovf:Info>Configuration parameters for logical networks</ovf:Info>
<NetworkConfig
networkName="vAppNetwork">
<Configuration>
<IpScopes>
<IpScope>
<IsInherited>false</IsInherited>
<Gateway>10.147.56.253</Gateway>
<Netmask>255.255.255.0</Netmask>
<Dns1>10.147.115.1</Dns1>
<Dns2>10.147.115.2</Dns2>
<DnsSuffix>example.com</DnsSuffix>
<IpRanges>
<IpRange>
<StartAddress>10.147.56.1</StartAddress>
<EndAddress>10.147.56.1</EndAddress>
</IpRange>
</IpRanges>
</IpScope>
</IpScopes>
<ParentNetwork
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.network+xml"
name="Internet"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/network/54" />
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<FenceMode>natRouted</FenceMode>
<Features>
<FirewallService>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<FirewallRule>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<Description>FTP Rule</Description>
<Policy>allow</Policy>
<Protocols>
<Tcp>true</Tcp>
</Protocols>
<DestinationPortRange>21</DestinationPortRange>
<DestinationIp>10.147.115.1</DestinationIp>
<SourcePortRange>any</SourcePortRange>
<SourceIp>any</SourceIp>
<EnableLogging>false</EnableLogging>
</FirewallRule>
<FirewallRule>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<Description>SSH Rule</Description>
<Policy>allow</Policy>
<Protocols>
<Tcp>true</Tcp>
</Protocols>
<DestinationPortRange>22</DestinationPortRange>
<DestinationIp>10.147.115.1</DestinationIp>
<SourcePortRange>any</SourcePortRange>
<SourceIp>any</SourceIp>
<EnableLogging>false</EnableLogging>
</FirewallRule>
</FirewallService>
<NatService>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<NatType>ipTranslation</NatType>
<Policy>allowTraffic</Policy>
<NatRule>
<OneToOneVmRule>
<MappingMode>automatic</MappingMode>
<VAppScopedVmId>3963994b-5a0a-48fe-b9ae-7f9a2d8e8e5b</VAppScopedVmId>
<VmNicId>0</VmNicId>
</OneToOneVmRule>
</NatRule>
</NatService>
</Features>
</Configuration>
</NetworkConfig>
</NetworkConfigSection>
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Response:
202 Accepted
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.task+xml
...
<Task ... operation="Updating Virtual Application Linux FTP server (7)" ...>
...
</Task>
IMPORTANT Whenever you modify a vApp network, as we do in this example, you must be sure that the
modifications are consistent with the network connection requirements of the virtual machines in the vApp.
The vApp in this example contains a single virtual machine. Its NetworkConnection element, shown in
“Example: Configuration Links in a Vm Element,” on page 101, specifies an IP address that will not be available
after the vApp network is reconfigured as shown here. “Example: Update a NetworkConnectionSection,” on
page 116 corrects this problem. This example uses the IpScope element to restrict the IP addresses available
on a vApp network. It is usually more practical to use a wide range of addresses available on a vApp network
and apply any firewall-related IP address restrictions by modifying the NetworkConnectionSection of the Vm
to which the FirewallRules apply, as shown in “Example: Update a NetworkConnectionSection,” on
page 116. A wider range of IP addresses allows you to modify this vApp to include additional virtual machines,
and the IP address restriction applied in “Example: Update a NetworkConnectionSection,” on page 116 allows
the FirewallRules in this example to remain valid.
Network Services in vApp Networks
The Features element of a vApp NetworkConfigSection defines the network services available to virtual
machines in the vApp.
A vApp network can be configured to provide many of the same kinds of services available in an organization
vDC network. Configuration parameters for these services are similar to those of their counterparts on an Edge
Gateway, but scoped to the needs of a vApp network.
For more information about vCloud Director networks, see “About vCloud Director Networks,” on
page 148. For more information about network services for organization vDC networks, see “Configure Edge
Gateway Services,” on page 156
DHCP Service
A DhcpService element defines an IP address range and lease policies for a DHCP service that can be used by
to virtual machines in the vApp. Unlike a DHCP service in an Edge Gateway, it can support only a single IP
address range, as shown in this example.
<DhcpService>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<DefaultLeaseTime>3600</DefaultLeaseTime>
<MaxLeaseTime>7200</MaxLeaseTime>
<IpRange>
<StartAddress>192.168.3.2</StartAddress>
<EndAddress>192.168.3.99</EndAddress>
</IpRange>
</DhcpService>
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Firewall Service
A FirewallService element defines firewall rules that, when matched, block or allow incoming or outgoing
traffic on the vApp network. A firewall rule in a vApp network can specify the destination as a combination
of address and port, or as a specific virtual NIC in a Vm This FirewallService allows TCP traffic to ports 21 and
22.
<FirewallService>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<FirewallRule>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<Description>FTP Rule</Description>
<Policy>allow</Policy>
<Protocols>
<Tcp>true</Tcp>
</Protocols>
<DestinationPortRange>21</DestinationPortRange>
<DestinationIp>10.147.115.1</DestinationIp>
<SourcePortRange>any</SourcePortRange>
<SourceIp>any</SourceIp>
<EnableLogging>false</EnableLogging>
</FirewallRule>
<FirewallRule>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<Description>SSH Rule</Description>
<Policy>allow</Policy>
<Protocols>
<Tcp>true</Tcp>
</Protocols>
<DestinationPortRange>22</DestinationPortRange>
<DestinationIp>10.147.115.1</DestinationIp>
<SourcePortRange>any</SourcePortRange>
<SourceIp>any</SourceIp>
<EnableLogging>false</EnableLogging>
</FirewallRule>
</FirewallService>
You can see this example in the context of a vApp NetworkConfigSection in “Example: Update a
NetworkConfigSection,” on page 110
An alternate implementation of the second FirewallRule in this example includes a DestinationVm element
that specifies the destination as a specific virtual NIC (identified in the VmNicId element) in a specific Vm
(identified in the VAppScopedVmId element. The value of VAppScopedVmId is taken from the VAppScopedLocalId
element of the Vm and the VmNicId value is taken from its PrimaryNetworkConnectionIndex. See
“Example: Configuration Links in a Vm Element,” on page 101. The IpType is set to assigned, indicating that
the NIC retains its assigned IP address. If you set IpType is set to NAT, the IP address of the NIC is its translated
address.
<FirewallRule>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<Description>allow ssh to a specific NIC in a specific Vm</Description>
<Policy>allow</Policy>
<Protocols>
<Tcp>true</Tcp>
</Protocols>
<DestinationPortRange>22</DestinationPortRange>
<DestinationVm>
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<VAppScopedVmId>3963994b-5a0a-48fe-b9ae-7f9a2d8e8e5b</VAppScopedVmId>
<VmNicId>0</VmNicId>
<IpType>assigned</IpType>
</DestinationVm>
<SourcePortRange>Any</SourcePortRange>
<SourceIp>Any</SourceIp>
<EnableLogging>false</EnableLogging>
</FirewallRule>
NAT Service
A NatService element defines network address translation services to virtual machines on the network. This
simple NatService defines a single rule that implements an IP translation stratagy for a single Vm.
<NatService>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<NatType>ipTranslation</NatType>
<Policy>allowTraffic</Policy>
<NatRule>
<OneToOneVmRule>
<MappingMode>automatic</MappingMode>
<VAppScopedVmId>3963994b-5a0a-48fe-b9ae-7f9a2d8e8e5b</VAppScopedVmId>
<VmNicId>0</VmNicId>
</OneToOneVmRule>
</NatRule>
</NatService>
You can see this example in the context of a vApp NetworkConfigSection in “Example: Update a
NetworkConfigSection,” on page 110
A NatService element like this one configures the service to use port forwarding instead of IP translation.
Instead of using a OneToOneVmRule, which specifies one external IP address to one NIC, it uses a VmRule element,
which enables port forwarding by allowing one external IP address to be forward to different ports on different
virtual machines.
<NatService>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<NatType>portForwarding</NatType>
<Policy>allowTraffic</Policy>
<NatRule>
<VmRule>
<ExternalPort>22</ExternalPort>
<VAppScopedVmId>3963994b-5a0a-48fe-b9ae-7f9a2d8e8e5b</VAppScopedVmId>
<VmNicId>0</VmNicId>
<InternalPort>22</InternalPort>
<Protocol>TCP</Protocol>
</VmRule>
</NatRule>
</NatService>
Static Routing Service
A StaticRoutingService specifies static routes to other networks. In addition to creating static routes from
organization vDC networks on an EdgeGateway (see “Example: Static Routes Between Organization vDC
Networks,” on page 161, you can create static routes between vApp networks if they both define the same
ParentNetwork. Assume two vApp networks that have the following properties:
nThe Configuration of the vApp network in vApp1 has a RouterInfo element whose ExternalIp value is
192.168.0.100.
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nThe Configuration of the vApp network in vApp2 has a RouterInfo element whose ExternalIp value is
192.168.0.101.
nBoth vApp networks have the same ParentNetwork, an organization vDC network whose network
specification in CIDR notation is 192.168.0.0/24.
You can enable static routing between these two vApp networks by inserting a StaticRoutingService element
in the Features of each vApp network Configuration. This excerpt from the NetworkConfigSection of vApp1
shows the network's Configuration and Features elements..
<!-- Static route from vApp network 1 to vApp network 2 -->
<Configuration>
...
<Features>
<StaticRoutingService>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<StaticRoute>
<Name>TovAppNet2</Name>
<Network>192.168.2.0/24</Network>
<NextHopIp>192.168.0.101</NextHopIp>
<Interface>External</Interface>
</StaticRoute>
</StaticRoutingService>
</Features>
...
</Configuration>
This is a similar excerpt from the NetworkConfigSection of vApp2.
<!-- Static route from vApp network 2 to vApp network 1 -->
<Configuration>
...
<Features>
<StaticRoutingService>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<StaticRoute>
<Name>TovAppNet1</Name>
<Network>192.168.1.0/24</Network>
<NextHopIp>192.168.0.100</NextHopIp>
<Interface>External</Interface>
</StaticRoute>
</StaticRoutingService>
</Features>
...
</Configuration>
Update the NetworkConnectionSection of a Virtual Machine
Whenever you create a vApp network or update its configuration, you might also need to update the
NetworkConnectionSection elements of the virtual machines in the vApp.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator or the object owner.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the virtual machine's NetworkConnectionSection.
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2 Modify the returned NetworkConnectionSection as needed.
Modified sections must contain all required elements, even if you are not changing their values. Because
optional elements revert to default values if they are omitted or empty, it is a best practice to include
optional elements in updates. Link elements and href attributes from responses do not need to be included
in modified sections. Some elements and attributes might be read-only. See the schema reference for
details.
3 Update the NetworkConnectionSection in the virtual machine.
Find the Link element in the section where rel="edit". Make a PUT request to the URL in that link's
href attribute value, and supply the modified section as the request body.
Example: Update a NetworkConnectionSection
This example modifies the NetworkConnectionSection shown in “Example: Configuration Links in a Vm
Element,” on page 101 so that this network connection is compatible with the reconfigured vApp network to
which it must connect. See “Example: Update a NetworkConfigSection,” on page 110. The modified
NetworkConnectionSection in the request changes two values:
nThe IpAddress now specifies the address to which the vApp network's firewall allows access.
nBecause it specifies an IP address, the modified NetworkConnectionSection also changes the value of the
IpAddressAllocationMode from DHCP to STATIC.
NOTE The ovf:Info element is a required member of NetworkConnectionSection and all other sections that
are derived from ovf:SectionType. The element must be present, even if it has no content. In this example, we
use the content to explain why the connection is configured this way.
Request:
PUT "https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/networkConnectionSection/
Content-type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.networkConnectionSection+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<NetworkConnectionSection
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.networkConnectionSection+xml"
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
xmlns:ovf="http://schemas.dmtf.org/ovf/envelope/1">
<ovf:Info>Firewall allows access to this address.</ovf:Info>
<PrimaryNetworkConnectionIndex>0</PrimaryNetworkConnectionIndex>
<NetworkConnection
network="vAppNetwork">
<NetworkConnectionIndex>0</NetworkConnectionIndex>
<IpAddress>10.147.115.1</IpAddress>
<IsConnected>true</IsConnected>
<MACAddress>00:50:56:01:01:49</MACAddress>
<IpAddressAllocationMode>STATIC</IpAddressAllocationMode>
</NetworkConnection>
</NetworkConnectionSection>
Response:
202 Accepted
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.task+xml
...
<Task ... operation="Updating Virtual Application Linux FTP server (7)" ...>
...
</Task>
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Retrieve or Modify the CPU Configuration of a Virtual Machine
The CPU configuration of a virtual machine is represented by an Item in its VirtualHardwareSection element.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator or the object owner.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the CPU section to modify.
Make a GET request to the URL in the section's href attribute value:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/virtualHardwareSection/cpu
2 Modify the retrieved section.
Modified sections must contain all required elements, even if you are not changing their values. Because
optional elements revert to default values if they are omitted or empty, it is a best practice to include
optional elements in updates. Link elements and href attributes from responses do not need to be included
in modified sections. Some elements and attributes might be read-only. See the schema reference for
details.
3 Update the section with your modifications.
Find the Link element in the section where rel="edit". Make a PUT request to the URL in that link's
href attribute value, and supply the modified section 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. For some section types, modifications take
effect immediately. For others, modifications take effect only after a power or deployment state change.
Example: Modify the CPU Configuration of a Virtual Machine
This request modifies the CPU section of the virtual machines shown in “Example: Configuration Links in a
Vm Element,” on page 101. The modified Item in the request body adds a second CPU to the Vm by changing
the rasd:VirtualQuantity value of the Item to 2.
Request:
PUT https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/virtualHardwareSection/cpu
Content-type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.rasdItem+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Item xmlns="http://schemas.dmtf.org/ovf/envelope/1"
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
xmlns:rasd="http://schemas.dmtf.org/wbem/wscim/1/cim-
schema/2/CIM_ResourceAllocationSettingData"
vcloud:type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.rasdItem+xml">
<rasd:AllocationUnits>hertz * 10^6</rasd:AllocationUnits>
<rasd:Description>Number of Virtual CPUs</rasd:Description>
<rasd:ElementName>2 virtual CPU(s)</rasd:ElementName>
<rasd:InstanceID>4</rasd:InstanceID>
<rasd:Reservation>0</rasd:Reservation>
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<rasd:ResourceType>3</rasd:ResourceType>
<rasd:VirtualQuantity>2</rasd:VirtualQuantity>
<rasd:Weight>0</rasd:Weight>
</Item>
Response:
202 Accepted
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.task+xml
...
<Task ... operation="Updating Virtual Application Linux FTP server (7)" ...>
...
</Task>
Retrieve or Modify the GuestCustomizationSection of a Virtual Machine
The GuestCustomizationSection element includes a customization script and other parameters that are applied
when you customize a virtual machine.
The GuestCustomizationSection includes predefined property names that VMware guest customization tools
recognize. Certain values in this element, if omitted or left empty, are inherited from the
OrgGuestPersonalizationSettings of the organization that owns the virtual machine. See “Retrieve or Update
Organization Settings,” on page 136
The vCloud API also supports use of the ovf:ProductSection to pass an arbitrary set of key=value pairs to a
vApp or virtual machine through the ovf:Environment element. See “Retrieve or Modify ProductSection
Elements,” on page 120.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator or the object owner.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the GuestCustomizationSection to modify.
Make a GET request to the URL in the section's href attribute value.
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-12/guestCustomizationSection/
2 Modify the retrieved section.
Modified sections must contain all required elements, even if you are not changing their values. Because
optional elements revert to default values if they are omitted or empty, it is a best practice to include
optional elements in updates. Link elements and href attributes from responses do not need to be included
in modified sections. Some elements and attributes might be read-only. See the schema reference for
details.
3 Update the section with your modifications.
In the section, find the Link element where rel="edit". Make a PUT request to the URL in that link's
href attribute value, and supply the modified section as the request body.
The response to this request is a Task element that tracks the update operation. When the task completes,
the section is updated.
The modified section replaces the contents of the original section. For some section types, modifications take
effect immediately. For others, modifications take effect only after a power or deployment state change.
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Example: Modify the Guest Customization Section of a Virtual Machine
This request specifies guest customization values, including the information required to join the virtual
machine to a Windows domain.
NOTE If you include a CustomizationScript, it cannot exceed 49,000 characters.
Request:
PUT https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-12/guestCustomizationSection/
Content-type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.guestcustomizationsection+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<GuestCustomizationSection
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
xmlns:ovf="http://schemas.dmtf.org/ovf/envelope/1"
ovf:required="false">
<ovf:Info>Specifies Guest OS Customization Settings</ovf:Info>
<Enabled>true</Enabled>
<ChangeSid>true</ChangeSid>
<VirtualMachineId>12</VirtualMachineId>
<JoinDomainEnabled>false</JoinDomainEnabled>
<UseOrgSettings>false</UseOrgSettings>
<DomainName>example</DomainName>
<DomainUserName>admin</DomainUserName>
<DomainUserPassword>Pa55w0rd</DomainUserPassword>
<AdminPasswordEnabled>true</AdminPasswordEnabled>
<AdminPasswordAuto>true</AdminPasswordAuto>
<AdminPassword />
<ResetPasswordRequired>false</ResetPasswordRequired>
<CustomizationScript />
<ComputerName>Win2K3</ComputerName>
</GuestCustomizationSection>
Response:
202 Accepted
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.task+xml
...
<Task
...
operation="Updating Virtual Application Win2K3 (12)"
...>
...
</Task>
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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:
nProperty elements that are present in the existing ProductSection but not in the update are removed.
nProperty 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.
nIf 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.
nIf 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.
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Example: Update a ProductSection in a vApp
This request creates or updates a ProductSectionList that contains a single ProductSection. The
ProductSection sets three properties. The response is a Task.
Request:
PUT https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-123/productSections
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.productSections+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<ProductSectionList
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
xmlns:ovf="http://schemas.dmtf.org/ovf/envelope/1">
<ovf:ProductSection
required="true">
<ovf:Info>Information about the installed software</ovf:Info>
<ovf:Property
ovf:type="string"
ovf:key="CRM_Database_Host"
ovf:value="CRM.example.com">
<ovf:Label>CRM Database Host</ovf:Label>
</ovf:Property>
<ovf:Property
ovf:type="string"
ovf:key="CRM_Database_Username"
ovf:value="dbuser">
<ovf:Label>CRM Database Usernname</ovf:Label>
</ovf:Property>
<ovf:Property
ovf:type="string"
ovf:key="CRM_Password"
ovf:value="Pa55w0rd">
<ovf:Label>CRM Database User Password</ovf:Label>
</ovf:Property>
</ovf:ProductSection>
</ProductSectionList>
Response:
202 Accepted
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.task+xml
...
<Task ... operation="Updating Virtual Application ..." ...>
...
</Task>
After the vApp is powered on, a virtual machine can retrieve the ovf:Environment document in the following
ways:
nIt can use the default OVF iso transport type. This makes the environment document available as a file
named ovf-env.xml on an ISO image that is mounted on the first available CD-ROM device on the virtual
machine. You can use any convenient mechanism to read this file.
[root@example-vm-RHEL ~] cat /media/cdrom/ovf-env.xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Environment ...>
...
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<PropertySection>
<Property
oe:key="CRM_Database_Host"
oe:value="CRM.example.com" />
<Property
oe:key="CRM_Database_Username"
oe:value="dbuser" />
<Property
oe:key="CRM_Password"
oe:value="Pa55w0rd" />
</PropertySection>
...
</Environment>
nIf the virtual machine has VMware Tools installed, it can use the vmtoolsd program, as shown here.
[root@example-vm-RHEL ~] /usr/sbin/vmtoolsd --cmd 'info-get guestinfo.ovfEnv'
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Environment ...>
...
<PropertySection>
<Property
oe:key="CRM_Database_Host"
oe:value="CRM.example.com" />
<Property
oe:key="CRM_Database_Username"
oe:value="dbuser" />
<Property
oe:key="CRM_Password"
oe:value="Pa55w0rd" />
</PropertySection>
...
</Environment>
On Windows, the vmtoolsd executable file is typically installed in C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware
Tools\vmtoolsd.exe
Retrieve or Modify Groups of Related Sections in a Virtual Machine
The vCloud API provides links that you can use to retrieve or update groups of sections that define related
hardware items such as disks, media devices, and network cards in a Vm element.
As shown in “Example: Configuration Links in a Vm Element,” on page 101, Link elements for disks, media
devices, and network cards are grouped at the end of the VirtualHardwareSection. These links have content
type application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.rasdItemsList+xml, and reference a RasdItemsList element in the
VirtualHardwareSection of a Vm. The vCloud API uses the RasdItemsList element to aggregate related elements
in a VirtualHardwareSection. This approach simplifies retrieval and modification of Item elements that are
typically viewed or modified as a group.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator or the object owner.
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Procedure
1 Retrieve the RasdItemsList from a Vm.
Make a GET request to the URL in the link where type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.rasdItemsList
+xml" and rel="down". See “Example: Retrieve the Hard Disks and Controllers in a Virtual Machine,” on
page 123.
2 Modify the items in the retrieved list.
Modified sections must contain all required elements, even if you are not changing their values. Because
optional elements revert to default values if they are omitted or empty, it is a best practice to include
optional elements in updates. Link elements and href attributes from responses do not need to be included
in modified sections. Some elements and attributes might be read-only. See the schema reference for
details.
3 Update the sections with your modifications.
Make a PUT request to the URL in the link where type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.rasdItemsList
+xml" and rel="edit", and supply the modified section 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.
Example: Retrieve the Hard Disks and Controllers in a Virtual Machine
This example uses the virtualHardwareSection/disks link shown in “Example: Configuration Links in a Vm
Element,” on page 101 to retrieve the list of hard disks and hard disk controllers for a virtual machine.
Request:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/virtualHardwareSection/disks
Response:
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.rasdItemsList+xml
...
<RasdItemsList
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
xmlns:rasd="http://schemas.dmtf.org/wbem/wscim/1/cim-
schema/2/CIM_ResourceAllocationSettingData"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.rasdItemsList+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/virtualHardwareSection/disks" ... >
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.rasdItemsList+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/virtualHardwareSection/disks" />
<Item>
<rasd:Address>0</rasd:Address>
<rasd:Description>SCSI Controller</rasd:Description>
<rasd:ElementName>SCSI Controller 0</rasd:ElementName>
<rasd:InstanceID>2</rasd:InstanceID>
<rasd:ResourceSubType>lsilogic</rasd:ResourceSubType>
<rasd:ResourceType>6</rasd:ResourceType>
</Item>
<Item>
<rasd:AddressOnParent>0</rasd:AddressOnParent>
<rasd:Description>Hard disk</rasd:Description>
<rasd:ElementName>Hard disk 1</rasd:ElementName>
<rasd:HostResource
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
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vcloud:capacity="1024"
vcloud:busSubType="lsilogic"
vcloud:busType="6"></rasd:HostResource>
<rasd:InstanceID>2000</rasd:InstanceID>
<rasd:Parent>2</rasd:Parent>
<rasd:ResourceType>17</rasd:ResourceType>
</Item>
<Item>
<rasd:AddressOnParent>1</rasd:AddressOnParent>
<rasd:Description>Hard disk</rasd:Description>
<rasd:ElementName>Hard disk 2</rasd:ElementName>
<rasd:HostResource
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
vcloud:capacity="2048"
vcloud:busSubType="lsilogic"
vcloud:busType="6"></rasd:HostResource>
<rasd:InstanceID>2001</rasd:InstanceID>
<rasd:Parent>2</rasd:Parent>
<rasd:ResourceType>17</rasd:ResourceType>
</Item>
<Item>
<rasd:Address>0</rasd:Address>
<rasd:Description>IDE Controller</rasd:Description>
<rasd:ElementName>IDE Controller 0</rasd:ElementName>
<rasd:InstanceID>3</rasd:InstanceID>
<rasd:ResourceType>5</rasd:ResourceType>
</Item>
</RasdItemsList>
Retrieve or Modify the Hard Disk Configuration of a Virtual Machine
The hard disk configuration of a virtual machine is represented by an Item element in its
VirtualHardwareSection.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator or the object owner.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the hard disk configuration from the virtual machine.
Make a GET request to the virtual machine's virtualHardwareSection/disks link.
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/virtualHardwareSection/disks
The response to this kind of request is a RasdItemsList element that contains an Item element for each of
the virtual machine's hard disks and hard disk controllers, as shown in “Example: Retrieve the Hard Disks
and Controllers in a Virtual Machine,” on page 123.
2 Modify the retrieved section.
Modified sections must contain all required elements, even if you are not changing their values. Because
optional elements revert to default values if they are omitted or empty, it is a best practice to include
optional elements in updates. Link elements and href attributes from responses do not need to be included
in modified sections. Some elements and attributes might be read-only. See the schema reference for
details.
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3 Update the section with your modifications.
Find the Link element in the section where rel="edit". Make a PUT request to the URL in that link's
href attribute value, and supply the modified section 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. For some section types, modifications take
effect immediately. For others, modifications take effect only after a power or deployment state change.
Example: Modify the Hard Disk Configuration of a Virtual Machine
The following request increases the capacity of the hard disk from 1GB to 10GB by changing the
vcloud:capacity value of the Item that defines the disk. The capacity is raised from 1024 to 10240. The request
body includes the entire RasdItemsList returned by the request shown in Step 1, even though only one element
is changed. Link elements from a response are ignored if you include them in a request, so they are omitted in
this example.
Request:
PUT https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4/virtualHardwareSection/disks
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.rasditemslist+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<RasdItemsList
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
xmlns:rasd="http://schemas.dmtf.org/wbem/wscim/1/cim-
schema/2/CIM_ResourceAllocationSettingData"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.rasdItemsList+xml" >
<Item>
<rasd:Address>0</rasd:Address>
<rasd:Description>SCSI Controller</rasd:Description>
<rasd:ElementName>SCSI Controller 0</rasd:ElementName>
<rasd:InstanceID>2</rasd:InstanceID>
<rasd:ResourceSubType>lsilogic</rasd:ResourceSubType>
<rasd:ResourceType>6</rasd:ResourceType>
</Item>
<Item>
<rasd:AddressOnParent>0</rasd:AddressOnParent>
<rasd:Description>Hard disk</rasd:Description>
<rasd:ElementName>Hard disk 1</rasd:ElementName>
<rasd:HostResource
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
vcloud:capacity="10240"
vcloud:busSubType="lsilogic"
vcloud:busType="6"></rasd:HostResource>
<rasd:InstanceID>2000</rasd:InstanceID>
<rasd:Parent>2</rasd:Parent>
<rasd:ResourceType>17</rasd:ResourceType>
</Item>
<Item>
<rasd:AddressOnParent>1</rasd:AddressOnParent>
<rasd:Description>Hard disk</rasd:Description>
<rasd:ElementName>Hard disk 2</rasd:ElementName>
<rasd:HostResource
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
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vcloud:capacity="2048"
vcloud:busSubType="lsilogic"
vcloud:busType="6"></rasd:HostResource>
<rasd:InstanceID>2001</rasd:InstanceID>
<rasd:Parent>2</rasd:Parent>
<rasd:ResourceType>17</rasd:ResourceType>
</Item>
<Item>
<rasd:Address>0</rasd:Address>
<rasd:Description>IDE Controller</rasd:Description>
<rasd:ElementName>IDE Controller 0</rasd:ElementName>
<rasd:InstanceID>3</rasd:InstanceID>
<rasd:ResourceType>5</rasd:ResourceType>
</Item>
</RasdItemsList>
The response is a task.
Response:
202 Accepted
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.task+xml
...
<Task ... operation="Updating Virtual Application Linux FTP server (7)" ...>
...
</Task>
Update the Storage Profile for a Virtual Machine
You can update a Vm to revalidate the storage profile it uses or specify a different storage profile. Revalidation
of a virtual machine's current storage profile is required whenever the datastore that supports the virtual
machine changes.
Every Vm element includes a StorageProfile element. The value of the href attribute of that element is a
reference to the virtual machine's storage profile. The initial value of this attribute is inherited from the vDC
that contains it unless you specify the value when the virtual machine is created. To change the value, you
must update the entire Vm element that contains it.
NOTE When the system administrator changes the datastore that stores a virtual machine, you must update
the Vm element as shown in “Example: Update the Storage Profile for a Virtual Machine,” on page 127, but
leave the href of the current StorageProfile unchanged. This action, which replaces the deprecated
relocate action, forces revalidation of the existing storage profile. If the current datastore is disabled or no
longer supports the specified storage profile, the system relocates the virtual machine to a different datastore
that supports the referenced storage profile. After the returned Task completes, the validation and, if necessary,
relocation is complete.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator or the object owner.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the Vm element.
Make a GET request to the URL in the value of the href attribute of the Vm.
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2 Modify the retrieved Vm to change the StorageProfile reference.
Modified sections must contain all required elements, even if you are not changing their values. Because
optional elements revert to default values if they are omitted or empty, it is a best practice to include
optional elements in updates. Link elements and href attributes from responses do not need to be included
in modified sections. Some elements and attributes might be read-only. See the schema reference for
details.
3 Update the Vm with your modifications.
a Find the Link element in the Vm where rel="edit".
b Make a PUT request to the URL in that link's href attribute value, and supply the modified Vm as the
request body.
The response to this request is a Task element that tracks the relocation of the virtual machine to a datastore
in the new storage profile. When the task is complete, the virtual machine has been relocated.
Example: Update the Storage Profile for a Virtual Machine
This example shows a Vm element containing a StorageProfile. The actual update operation requires the entire
Vm element, including the StorageProfile, in the request body. Only a small part of the element appears in this
example.
Request:
PUT https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-4
Content-type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vm+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Vm ...>
...
<StorageProfile
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vdcStorageProfile+xml"
name="Gold"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vdcStorageProfile/3" />
</Vm>
Response:
202 Accepted
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.task+xml
...
<Task ... operation="Updating Virtual Application Linux FTP server (7)" ...>
...
</Task>
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Creating and Managing Organizations 6
The VMware vCloud API supports objects and operations that an organization or a system administrator can
use to automate tasks associated with creating and managing organizations and their vDCs, networks, catalogs,
and users.
A successful login by an organization or system administrator returns a Session element, which contains a
link that enables the administrator to retrieve a VCloud element. This element provides access to a cloud-wide
namespace of administrative objects. See “Retrieve an Administrative View of a Cloud,” on page 49.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n“Summary of Administrative Requests,” on page 129
n“Administrator Credentials and Privileges,” on page 132
n“Organization Administration,” on page 132
n“vDC Administration,” on page 139
n“Network Administration,” on page 147
n“Catalog Administration,” on page 176
n“User and Group Administration,” on page 179
n“Working With Roles and Rights,” on page 187
n“Controlling Access to vApps and Catalogs,” on page 191
Summary of Administrative Requests
Administrative requests retrieve or update administrative objects such as organizations, users, and vDCs.
nAPI-URL is a URL of the form https://vcloud.example.com/api.
nid 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.
GET API-URL/admin/vdc/id/networks
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Table 6-1. Summary of Administrative Requests
Operation Request Request Body Response
Retrieve an administrative
view of an organization.
GET API-URL/admin/org/id None AdminOrg
Create an organization. POST API-URL/admin/orgs AdminOrg AdminOrg
Enable an organization. POST API-
URL/admin/org/
id/action/enable
None 204 No Content
Disable an organization. POST API-
URL/admin/org/
id/action/disable
None 204 No Content
Update an organization. PUT API-URL/admin/org/id AdminOrg AdminOrg
Create an Edge Gateway.
[NEW]
POST API-
URL/admin/vdc/
id/edgeGateways
EdgeGateway EdgeGateway
Retrieve an Edge Gateway.
[NEW]
GET API-
URL/admin/edgeGateway/
id
None EdgeGateway
Update Edge Gateway
services. [NEW]
POST API-
URL/admin/edgeGateway/
id/action/configureServices
EdgeGatewayServiceConf
iguration
Task
Reapply Edge Gateway
Services [NEW]
POST API-
URL/admin/edgeGateway/
id/action/reapplyServices
None 204 No Content
Redeploy an Edge Gateway
[NEW]
POST API-
URL/admin/edgeGateway/
id/action/redeploy
None 204 No Content
Delete an Edge Gateway.
[NEW]
DELETE API-
URL/admin/edgeGateway/
id
None Task
Create an organization vDC
network. [NEW]
POST API-
URL/admin/vdc/
id/networks
OrgVdcNetwork Task
Update an organization vDC
network. [NEW]
PUT API-
URL/admin/network/id
OrgVdcNetwork Task
Retrieve a list of networks in
this organization vDC.
[NEW]
GET API-
URL/admin/vdc/
id/networks
None QueryResultRecords
Delete an organization vDC
network. [NEW]
DELETE API-
URL/admin/network/id
None Task
Synchronize syslog server
settings for a vApp network.
POST API-
URL/admin/network/
id/action/syncSyslogServer
Settings
None Task
Synchronize syslog server
settings for an Edge Gateway.
[NEW]
POST API-
URL/admin/edgeGateway/
id/action/syncSyslogServer
Settings
None Task
Reset a network. POST API-
URL/admin/network/
id/action/reset
None Task
Retrieve the admin view of a
provider vDC.
GET API-
URL/admin/providervdc/id
None ProviderVdc
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Table 6-1. Summary of Administrative Requests (Continued)
Operation Request Request Body Response
List the organization vDCs
supported by a provider
vDC.
GET API-
URL/admin/providervdc/
id/vdcReferences
None VdcReferences
Create an organization vDC. POST API-
URL/admin/org/id/vdcs
AdminVdc AdminVdc
Enable an organization vDC. POST API-
URL/admin/vdc/
id/action/enable
None 204 No Content
Disable an organization vDC. POST API-
URL/admin/vdc/
id/action/disable
None 204 No Content
Delete an organization vDC. DELETE API-
URL/admin/vdc/id
None Task
Create a catalog. POST API-
URL/admin/org/id/catalogs
AdminCatalog AdminCatalog
Publish a catalog. POST API-
URL/admin/catalog/
id/action/publish
PublishCatalogParams 204 No Content
Update catalog properties. PUT API-
URL/admin/catalog/id
AdminCatalog AdminCatalog
Delete a catalog. DELETE API-
URL/admin/catalog/id
None 204 No Content
Update the owner of a
catalog.
PUT API-
URL/admin/catalog/
id/owner
Owner 204 No Content
Create or import a user. POST API-
URL/admin/org/id/users
User User
Update user properties. PUT API-
URL/admin/user/id
User User
Delete a user. DELETE API-
URL/admin/user/id
None 204 No Content
Import a group. POST API-
URL/admin/org/id/groups
Group Group
Delete a group. DELETE API-
URL/admin/group/id
None 204 No Content
Update group properties. PUT API-
URL/admin/group/id
Group Group
Create a role. POST API-
URL/admin/org/id/roles
Role Role
Update role properties. PUT API-
URL/admin/role/id
Role Role
Delete a role. DELETE API-
URL/admin/role/id
None 204 No Content
Retrieve a list of tasks owned
by organization id.
GET API-URL/tasksList/id None TasksList
Retrieve a task. GET API-URL/task/id None Task
Cancel a task. POST API-
URL/task/id/action/cancel
None 204 No Content
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Administrator Credentials and Privileges
An administrator's privileges are scoped by the organization to which the administrator authenticates.
The vCloud API defines two levels of administrative privilege:
nOrganization administrators, who have administrative privileges in a specific organization.
nSystem administrators, who have superuser privileges throughout the system. System administrators are
members of the System organization, and can create, read, update, and delete all objects in a cloud. They
have organization administrator rights in all organizations in a cloud, and can operate directly on vSphere
resources to create and modify provider vDCs, external networks, network pools, and similar system-
level objects.
Some administrative operations, and all vSphere platform operations, are restricted to the system
administrator. Before you attempt these operations, log in to the System organization with the user name and
password of the system administrator account that was created when vCloud Director was installed. For
example, if the system administrator’s user name and password was defined as administrator and Pa55w0rd,
the system administrator login credentials are the MIME Base64 encoding of the string
administrator@System:Pa55w0rd.
NOTE When logging in using a SAML identity provider, the system administrator must use the vSphere SSO
Service as the identity provider. See “Create a Login Session Using a SAML Identity Provider,” on page 46.
The System Organization
The System organization is created automatically when vCloud Director is installed. Unlike the organizations
represented by Org and AdminOrg objects, the System organization cannot contain catalogs, vDCs, groups, or
users who are not system administrators.
Example: The System Organization
When a system administrator logs in to the REST API, the OrgList in the returned Session element contains a
link to the System organization.
<OrgList ... >
...
<Org
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.systemOrganization+xml"
name="System"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/123"/>
...
</OrgList>
Organization Administration
System administrators create organizations and organization administrators, and establish certain
organization policies. Organization administrators populate their organization with users and groups, assign
roles, and can update most organization policies and properties.
A cloud can contain one or more organizations. Each organization is a unit of administration for a collection
of users, groups, and computing resources. Users authenticate at the organization level, supplying credentials
established when the user was created or imported. User credentials are authenticated by the organization's
identity provider, which can be either the integrated identity provider included in vCloud Director or an
external SAML-based identity provider.
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Create an Organization
To create an organization, a system administrator POSTs an AdminOrg element to the cloud’s add URL for
orgs.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of the cloud.
Use a request like this one.
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin
2 Examine the response to locate the Link element that contains the URL for adding organizations to the
cloud.
This element has a rel attribute value of add and a type attribute value of
application/vnd.vmware.admin.organization+xml, as shown here:
<Link href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/orgs"
rel="add"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.organization+xml"/>
3 Create an AdminOrg element that specifies the properties of the organization.
See the request portion of “Example: Create an Organization,” on page 133.
4 POST the AdminOrg element you created in Step 3 to the URL described in Step 2.
See the request portion of “Example: Create an Organization,” on page 133.
The server creates and enables the organization, and returns an AdminOrg element that includes the contents
you POSTed, along with a set of Link elements that you can use to access, remove, disable, or modify it. vCloud
API users can log in to this organization using the URL specified in the href attribute of the Link where
rel="alternate". Users of the vCloud Director Web console can log in to the organization at a URL of the form
cloud-url/org/name, where cloud-url is a URL of the form https://vcloud.example.com/cloud and name is the
value of the name attribute of the AdminOrg element. To log in to the organization created by “Example: Create
an Organization,” on page 133, a user opens a browser and navigates to
https://vcloud.example.com/cloud/org/Finance.
Example: Create an Organization
This request creates an organization and specifies its required properties. For a list of all required and optional
elements that an AdminOrg contains, see the schema reference.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/orgs
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.organization+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<AdminOrg
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="Finance"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.organization+xml">
<Description>Example Corporation’s Finance Organization</Description>
<FullName>Finance</FullName>
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<Settings>
<OrgGeneralSettings>
<CanPublishCatalogs>true</CanPublishCatalogs>
<DeployedVMQuota>0</DeployedVMQuota>
<StoredVmQuota>0</StoredVmQuota>
<UseServerBootSequence>false</UseServerBootSequence>
<DelayAfterPowerOnSeconds>0</DelayAfterPowerOnSeconds>
</OrgGeneralSettings>
<OrgLdapSettings>
<OrgLdapMode>SYSTEM</OrgLdapMode>
<CustomUsersOu />
</OrgLdapSettings>
<OrgEmailSettings>
<IsDefaultSmtpServer>true</IsDefaultSmtpServer>
<IsDefaultOrgEmail>true</IsDefaultOrgEmail>
<FromEmailAddress />
<DefaultSubjectPrefix />
<IsAlertEmailToAllAdmins>true</IsAlertEmailToAllAdmins>
</OrgEmailSettings>
</Settings>
</AdminOrg>
The response contains information extracted from the request, and includes links that an administrator can
use to manage the organization and its settings, and to add resources such as vDCs, catalogs, and users. On
creation, AdminOrg objects are disabled by default unless the create request includes an IsEnabled element with
a value of true. A system administrator must enable a disabled AdminOrg before users can log into it. See
“Example: Enable an Organization,” on page 139
The response also includes elements inherited from system defaults, such as OrgPasswordPolicySettings,
VAppLeaseSettings, and VAppTemplateLeaseSettings. The full content of these elements appears in the actual
response. This example shows only a subset.
Response:
201 Created
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.organization+xml
...
<AdminOrg
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="Finance"
id="urn:vcloud:org:26"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.organization+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26">
<Link
rel="add"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.catalog+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/catalogs" />
<Link
rel="add"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.user+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/users" />
<Link
rel="add"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.group+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/groups" />
<Link
rel="add"
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type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vdc+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/vdcs" />
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.organization+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26" />
<Link
rel="remove"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26" />
<Link
rel="enable"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/action/enable" />
<Link
rel="alternate"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.org+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/org/26" />
<Description>Example Corporation’s Finance Organization</Description>
<FullName>Finance</FullName>
<IsEnabled>false</IsEnabled>
<Settings
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.orgSettings+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/settings">
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vAppTemplateLeaseSettings+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/settings/vAppTemplateLeaseSettings" />
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.organizationEmailSettings+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/settings/email" />
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vAppLeaseSettings+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/settings/vAppLeaseSettings" />
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.organizationPasswordPolicySettings+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/settings/passwordPolicy" />
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.organizationGeneralSettings+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/settings/general" />
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.organizationLdapSettings+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/settings/general/ldap" />
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.orgSettings+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/settings" />
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.operationLimitsSettings+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/settings/operationLimitsSettings" />
<Link
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rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.orgSettings+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/settings" />
<OrgGeneralSettings
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.organizationGeneralSettings+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/settings/general">
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.organizationGeneralSettings+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/settings/general" />
<CanPublishCatalogs>false</CanPublishCatalogs>
<DeployedVMQuota>0</DeployedVMQuota>
<StoredVmQuota>0</StoredVmQuota>
<UseServerBootSequence>false</UseServerBootSequence>
<DelayAfterPowerOnSeconds>0</DelayAfterPowerOnSeconds>
</OrgGeneralSettings>
<VAppLeaseSettings>
...
</VAppLeaseSettings>
<VAppTemplateLeaseSettings>
</VAppTemplateLeaseSettings>
<OrgLdapSettings>
...
</OrgLdapSettings>
<OrgEmailSettings>
...
</OrgEmailSettings>
<OrgPasswordPolicySettings>
...
</OrgPasswordPolicySettings>
<OrgOperationLimitsSettings>
...
</OrgOperationLimitsSettings>
<OrgFederationSettings>
...
</OrgFederationSettings>
</Settings>
</AdminOrg>
Retrieve or Update Organization Settings
Organization settings define organization policies such as default lease settings for vApps and how incorrect
login attempts are handled. They also configure how the organization uses services such as email and LDAP,
and define the organization's federated identity provider if it uses one.
An AdminOrg element contains an OrgSettings element, which contains the following elements, each of which
represents a group of related organization settings. Default settings are inherited from the containing cloud.
GeneralOrgSettings Specifies quotas for stored and deployed virtual machines owned by members
of this organization. Specifies default behaviors for virtual machines in the
organization, and controls the ability to publish catalogs.
VAppLeaseSettings Controls storage and deployment leases for vApps.
VAppTemplateLeaseSettin
gs
Controls storage and deployment leases for vApp templates.
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OrgLdapSettings Defines whether this organization is connected to an LDAP service, and
whether it uses the service defined in the system LdapSettings or a custom
LDAP service defined here.
OrgEmailSettings Defines whether this organization uses the email service defined in the system
EmailSettings or a custom email service defined here.
OrgPasswordPolicySettin
gs
Specifies policies to be followed when a user in this organization enters an
incorrect password. Initial values are inherited from the system
PasswordPolicySettings.
OrgOperationLimitsSetti
ngs
Specifies limits to be placed on simultaneous resource-intensive operations and
console sessions for members of this organization.
OrgGuestPersonalization
Settings
Default values for GuestCustomizationSection elements in virtual machines
created by this organization. See “Retrieve or Modify the
GuestCustomizationSection of a Virtual Machine,” on page 118
OrgFederationSettings Defines the SAML identity provider used by this organization. An organization
can define a SAML identity provider that it shares with other applications or
enterprises. Users that authenticate to the identity provider obtain a token that
they can then use to log in to the organization. Such a strategy can enable an
enterprise to provide access to multiple, unrelated services, including
vCloud Director with a single set of credentials, an arrangement often referred
to as "single sign-on." An organization that wants to participate in a federated
identity scheme must include an OrgFederationSettings element that contains
SAML metadata retrieved from the federation's identity provider. By default,
this element is empty.
NOTE To update or remove OrgFederationSettings after a SAML identity
provider has been specified, you must include an empty SAMLMetadata element
in the update request. If this element is not present in the update request, the
OrgFederationSettings are not changed.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as an organization administrator or system administrator.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the list of organization settings elements.
Use a request like this one:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/settings
The response is an OrgSettings element.
2 Examine the OrgSettings element to find the links to the sections to view or modify.
Each section is represented in the OrgSettings element with a link where rel="down". You can use that
link to retrieve the section. The retrieved section includes a link where rel="edit". You can use that link
as the target of a PUT request that modifies the settings that the element represents. The OrgSettings
element itself also has a rel="edit" link, which you can use to update multiple settings sections in one
request.
3 Retrieve the settings element to modify.
Make a GET request to the URL in the element's href attribute value.
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4 Modify the retrieved settings element.
Modified sections must contain all required elements, even if you are not changing their values. Because
optional elements revert to default values if they are omitted or empty, it is a best practice to include
optional elements in updates. Link elements and href attributes from responses do not need to be included
in modified sections. Some elements and attributes might be read-only. See the schema reference for
details.
5 Update the settings with your modifications.
Find the Link element in the settings element where rel="edit". Make a PUT request to the URL in that
link's href attribute value, and supply the modified section as the request body. See the request portion
of “Example: Update Organization General Settings,” on page 138.
Example: Update Organization General Settings
This example updates the GeneralOrgSettings of the organization created in “Example: Create an
Organization,” on page 133. The update changes the limits on deployed and stored virtual machines. The
request includes all members of the GeneralOrgSettings element, even those that are not changing. It is a best
practice to include all members of the GeneralOrgSettings element in an update request. Optional elements
that are missing or empty in the request are reset to their default values.
Request:
PUT https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/settings/general
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.organizationGeneralSettings+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<GeneralOrgSettings
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.organizationGeneralSettings+xml">
<CanPublishCatalogs>false</CanPublishCatalogs>
<DeployedVMQuota>10</DeployedVMQuota>
<StoredVmQuota>100</StoredVmQuota>
<UseServerBootSequence>false</UseServerBootSequence>
<DelayAfterPowerOnSeconds>0</DelayAfterPowerOnSeconds>
</GeneralOrgSettings>
The response contains information extracted from the request, and includes a rel="edit" link and other
attributes that the server creates.
Response:
200 OK
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.organizationGeneralSettings+xml
...
<GeneralOrgSettings
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.organizationGeneralSettings+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/settings/general">
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.organizationGeneralSettings+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/settings/general" />
<CanPublishCatalogs>false</CanPublishCatalogs>
<DeployedVMQuota>10</DeployedVMQuota>
<StoredVmQuota>100</StoredVmQuota>
<UseServerBootSequence>false</UseServerBootSequence>
<DelayAfterPowerOnSeconds>0</DelayAfterPowerOnSeconds>
</GeneralOrgSettings>
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Enable, Disable, or Remove an Organization
An AdminOrg element includes action links that a system administrator can use to enable, disable, or remove
the organization.
Prerequisites
nVerify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
nRetrieve the XML representation of the organization. See “Retrieve a List of Organizations Accessible to
You,” on page 48.
Procedure
nTo enable an organization, POST a request to its action/enable link.
nTo disable an organization, POST a request to its action/disable link.
nTo remove an organization:
a POST a request to the action/disable link to disable the organization.
After the organization is disabled, its representation includes a rel="remove" link.
b Delete or change ownership of all objects that the organization's users own.
c Make a DELETE request to the organization's rel="remove" link.
The server takes the requested action and returns an HTTP status of 204 No Content.
Example: Enable an Organization
This example enables the organization created in “Example: Create an Organization,” on page 133.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/action/enable
Response:
204 No Content
vDC Administration
A newly created organization has no vDCs in it. A system administrator must use system resources to create
them.
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.
vDC administration involves the following objects:
nA ProviderVdc, which a system administrator creates from vSphere platform resources. See “Create a
Provider vDC,” on page 209.
nAn AdminVdc, which a system administrator creates to allocate a subset of ProviderVdc resources to a vDC
in a specific organization. Organization members see an AdminVdc as a Vdc.
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Add a vDC to an Organization
A system administrator can allocate resources from a provider vDC to a vDC in an organization by POSTing
a CreateVdcParams element to an organization’s add URL for vDCs.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
Retrieve the list of network pools. Several types of organization vDC networks require the vDC to include a
network pool, which you can specify when you create or update the vDC. See “Retrieve a List of External
Networks and Network Pools,” on page 204 for information about how to retrieve this list.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of the organization to which you want to add the vDC.
Use a request like this one:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26
2 Examine the response to locate the Link element that contains the URL for adding vDCs to the organization.
This element has a rel attribute value of add and a type attribute value of
application/vnd.vmware.admin.createVdcParams+xml, as shown here:
<Link
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/vdcsparams"
rel="add"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.createVdcParams+xml"/>
3 Choose a provider vDC to supply resources for the new organization vDC.
a Retrieve the XML representation of the VCloud object and examine the ProviderVdcReferences element
it contains.
The following request retrieves the representation of the VCloud object:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin
The VCloud element contains a ProviderVdcReferences element. Each provider vDC in the system is
represented in that element by a ProviderVdcReference element, as shown here:
<ProviderVdcReference
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.providervdc+xml"
name="Main Provider"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/providervdc/2"/>
b (Optional) List the organization vDCs that each ProviderVdc supports.
The following request retrieves the list of organization vDCs that .../providervdc/2 supports:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/providervdc/2/vdcReferences
Taking this optional step can help you allocate ProviderVdc resources equitably across the
organization vDCs in a cloud.
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4 Create a CreateVdcParams request body.
a Include an AllocationModel element that specifies how compute resources are allocated by this vDC.
Choose one of the following values for AllocationModel:
AllocationVApp Pay as you go. Resources are committed to the organization vDC only
when vApps are created in it. When you use this allocation model, any
Limit values you specify for Memory and CPU are ignored when you create
a vApp and returned as 0 when you retrieve a vApp. Resources available
to this kind of organization vDC can grow or shrink as needed when its
provider vDC has multiple resource pools.
AllocationPool Only a percentage of the resources you allocate are committed to the
organization vDC.
ReservationPool All the resources you allocate are committed as a pool to the
organization vDC. vApps in vDCs that support this allocation model
can specify values for resources and limitations.
b Include at least one VdcStorageProfile element that specifies a ProviderVdcStorageProfile defined
in the Provider vDC you chose in Step 3.
c Include a NetworkPoolReference element.
The vDC must include a network pool if you want to create routed or isolated networks in it.
d Include a ProviderVdcReference element that contains a reference to the Provider vDC you chose in
Step 3.
See the request portion of “Example: Create an Organization vDC,” on page 141.
5 POST the CreateVdcParams request body to the organization's add link for vdcs.
See the request portion of “Example: Create an Organization vDC,” on page 141.
The server creates the new vDC in the specified organization and returns an AdminVdc element that includes a
set of Link elements that you can use to access, remove, or modify the new vDC. Users can reference this vDC
using the URL specified in the href attribute in the Link where rel="alternate". See the response portion of
“Example: Create an Organization vDC,” on page 141.
Example: Create an Organization vDC
This example adds an AllocationvApp vDC to the organization created in “Example: Create an
Organization,” on page 133. The new organization vDC is provisioned from the Provider vDC created in
“Create a Provider vDC,” on page 209, and includes a storage profile named Silver, which is backed by one
of the storage profiles available in the Provider vDC. It also includes a network pool, so that it is capable of
supporting routed and isolated organization vDC networks. See “Retrieve a List of External Networks and
Network Pools,” on page 204 for information on how to find a NetworkPoolReference to use.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/vdcsparams
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.createVdcParams+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<CreateVdcParams
name="org26vdc1"
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5">
<Description>Example vDC</Description>
<AllocationModel>AllocationVApp</AllocationModel>
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<ComputeCapacity>
<Cpu>
<Units>MHz</Units>
<Allocated>2048</Allocated>
<Limit>2048</Limit>
</Cpu>
<Memory>
<Units>MB</Units>
<Allocated>2048</Allocated>
<Limit>2048</Limit>
</Memory>
</ComputeCapacity>
<NicQuota>0</NicQuota>
<NetworkQuota>100</NetworkQuota>
<VdcStorageProfile>
<Enabled>true</Enabled>
<Units>MB</Units>
<Limit>20480</Limit>
<Default>true</Default>
<ProviderVdcStorageProfile
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/pvdcStorageProfile/101" />
</VdcStorageProfile>
<ResourceGuaranteedMemory>1</ResourceGuaranteedMemory>
<ResourceGuaranteedCpu>1</ResourceGuaranteedCpu>
<VCpuInMhz>2048</VCpuInMhz>
<IsThinProvision>false</IsThinProvision>
<NetworkPoolReference
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/networkPool/313"/>
<ProviderVdcReference
name="Main Provider"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/providervdc/35" />
<UsesFastProvisioning>true</UsesFastProvisioning>
</CreateVdcParams>
The response, a subset of which appears here, contains information extracted from the request, and includes
a Task element that tracks creation of the vDC. The response also includes Link elements that enable
administrative operations on the vDC, and a Capabilities element that lists the VMware virtual hardware
architectures that the vDC supports. These elements are retrieved from the Provider vDC that you specified
when you created the CreateVdcParams. While the vDC is under construction, its status remains 0.
Response:
201 Created
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.vdc+xml
...
<AdminVdc
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
status="0"
name="org26vdc1"
id="urn:vcloud:vdc:44"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vdc+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/vdc/44" ... >
<Link
rel="up"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.organization+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26" />
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<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.metadata+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/vdc/44/metadata" />
<Link
rel="alternate"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vdc+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vdc/44" />
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.OrganizationVdcResourcePoolSet+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vdc/44/resourcePools" />
<Description>Example vDC</Description>
...
<Tasks>
<Task
name="task"
status="running"
operation="Creating Virtual Datacenter org26vdc1(44)"
...
</Task>
</Tasks>
<AllocationModel>AllocationVApp</AllocationModel>
...
<Capabilities>
<SupportedHardwareVersions>
<SupportedHardwareVersion>vmx-04</SupportedHardwareVersion>
<SupportedHardwareVersion>vmx-08</SupportedHardwareVersion>
</SupportedHardwareVersions>
</Capabilities>
...
</AdminVdc>
When construction is complete, the status changes to 1 and the Task is no longer included in representation.
The following changes in the AdminVdc are also evident:
nA reference to the vSphere resource pool that supports the vDC appears in a VCloudExtension element.
nThere is an empty ResourceEntities element, because the vDC contains no Media, VAppTemplate, or Disk
entities. For information about adding them, see Chapter 4, “Provisioning an Organization,” on page 55.
nThere is an empty AvailableNetworks element. To add networks to this organization vDC, see “Create an
Organization vDC Network,” on page 166.
nAdditional Link elements are included for operations that are now valid, but that were not valid while the
vDC was under construction.
<AdminVdc
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
status="1"
name="org26vdc1"
id="urn:vcloud:vdc:44"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vdc+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/vdc/44" ... >
<VCloudExtension
required="false">
<vmext:VimObjectRef>
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<vmext:VimServerRef
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwvirtualcenter+xml"
name="vc1"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9" />
<vmext:MoRef>resgroup-949</vmext:MoRef>
<vmext:VimObjectType>RESOURCE_POOL</vmext:VimObjectType>
</vmext:VimObjectRef>
</VCloudExtension>
<Link
rel="up"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.organization+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/e0b93bca-5dc2-453c-b3dc-bba8067d32b6" />
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vdc+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/vdc/44" />
<Link
rel="disable"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/vdc/44/action/disable" />
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.metadata+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/vdc/44/metadata" />
<Link
rel="alternate"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vdc+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vdc/44" />
<Link
rel="add"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.edgeGateway+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/vdc/44/edgeGateways" />
<Link
rel="edgeGateways"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.query.records+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/vdc/44/edgeGateways" />
<Link
rel="add"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.orgVdcNetwork+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/vdc/44/networks" />
<Link
rel="orgVdcNetworks"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.query.records+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/vdc/44/networks" />
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.OrganizationVdcResourcePoolSet+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vdc/44/resourcePools" />
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.updateVdcStorageProfiles+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/vdc/44/vdcStorageProfiles" />
...
<ResourceEntities />
<AvailableNetworks />
...
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<VdcStorageProfiles name="Silver">
<Units>MB</Units>
<Limit>20480</Limit>
<Default>false</Default>
</VdcStorageProfiles>
...
</AdminVdc>
Update Organization vDC Storage Profiles
A system administrator can update the storage profiles that are available in an organization vDC. You can add
new storage profiles and remove unused storage profiles.
An organization vDC storage profile allocates a subset of the storage available in a Provider vDC storage profile
for use by vApp templates, virtual machines, and media objects in the organization vDC. For each organization
vDC storage profile you create, you must specify a storage limit, which cannot exceed the storage available in
the Provider vDC storage profile (the value of CapacityTotal–CapacityUsed in the
ProviderVdcStorageProfile). When you update organization vDC storage profiles, you can change the default
storage profile and modify the limits on existing storage profiles.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of the vDC in the admin view.
Use a request like this one:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/vdc/44
2 Examine the AdminVdc element to find the vdcStorageProfiles link, VdcStorageProfiles element, and
ProviderVdcReference element it contains.
The vdcStorageProfiles link has the following form:
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.updateVdcStorageProfiles+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/vdc/44/vdcStorageProfiles" />
3 Create an UpdateVdcStorageProfiles request body that specifies the details of the update.
To add a storage profile:
a Select a storage profile from the Provider vDC referenced in the ProviderVdcReference element of the
vDC you are updating.
The storage profile must not be listed in the VdcStorageProfiles element of the vDC you are updating.
b Include an AddStorageProfile element in the UpdateVdcStorageProfiles request body.
The AddStorageProfile element must specify values for Units, Limit, and Default, and must include
a reference to the Provider vDC storage profile on which it is based. You can add multiple storage
profiles in a single request. Only one of them can specify Default as true. If any AddStorageProfile
element specifies Default as true, that storage profile becomes the new default storage profile for the
vDC.
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To remove a storage profile:
a Examine the VdcStorageProfiles element and find the profile to remove.
b Verify that it is not the default storage profile for the vDC, and that no virtual machines are using it.
You can use the adminVm query and filter on the storageProfileName attribute to list all storage profiles
that are in use.
c Create an UpdateVdcStorageProfiles element that contains a DeleteStorageProfile element for each
storage profile to remove.
4 POST the UpdateVdcStorageProfiles element to the vDC's vdcStorageProfiles link.
Example: Update vDC Storage Profiles
This request adds a storage profile to the vDC created in “Example: Create an Organization vDC,” on
page 141. The new storage profile is one of the profiles available from the Provider vDC that backs this
organization vDC.
One way to retrieve a list of all the Provider vDC storage profiles available from a specific Provider vDC is to
use the query service. This query applies a filter that selects only those storage profiles available from the
Provider vDC that backs the organization vDC created in “Example: Create an Organization vDC,” on
page 141.
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/query?type=providerVdcStorageProfile&format=references
&filter=providerVdc==https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/providervdc/35
The response might look something like this:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<ProviderVdcStorageProfileReferences .../>
...
<ProviderVdcStorageProfileReference
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.pvdcStorageProfile+xml"
name="Gold"
id="urn:vcloud:providervdcstorageprofile:101"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/pvdcStorageProfile/101" />
<ProviderVdcStorageProfileReference
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.pvdcStorageProfile+xml"
name="Silver"
id="urn:vcloud:providervdcstorageprofile:128"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/pvdcStorageProfile/128" />
...
</ProviderVdcStorageProfileReferences>
Using information, you can construct the AddStorageProfile element in the request body.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/vdc/44/vdcStorageProfiles
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.updateVdcStorageProfiles+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<UpdateVdcStorageProfiles
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5" >
<AddStorageProfile>
<Enabled>true</Enabled>
<Units>MB</Units>
<Limit>5038</Limit>
<Default>false</Default>
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<ProviderVdcStorageProfile
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/pvdcStorageProfile/128" />
</AddStorageProfile>
</UpdateVdcStorageProfiles>
Response:
202 Accepted
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.task+xml
...
<Task ... >
...
</Task>
Enable, Disable, or Remove a vDC
A system administrator can use the enable, disable, and remove links in an AdminVdc body to enable, disable,
or remove the vDC.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
Procedure
nTo enable a vDC, POST a request to its action/enable link.
nTo disable a vDC, POST a request to its action/disable link.
When you disable an organization vDC, you prevent further use of its compute and storage resources.
Running vApps and powered on virtual machines continue to run, but you cannot create or start additional
vApps or virtual machines.
nTo remove a vDC:
a POST a request to its action/disable link to disable the vDC.
After the vDC is disabled, its representation includes a rel="remove" link.
b Relocate or delete all vApps, vApp templates, and media in the vDC.
c Make a DELETE request to the vDC's rel="remove" link.
The server takes the requested action and returns an HTTP status of 204 No Content.
Network Administration
A newly created organization vDC has no networks in it. After a system administrator has created the required
network infrastructure, an organization administrator can create and manage most types of 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.
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About vCloud Director Networks
There are three categories of vCloud Director networks: external networks, organization vDC networks, and
vApp networks. Additional infrastructure objects such as Edge Gateways and network pools are required by
most categories of networks.
You must be a system administrator to create an external network, a directly connected organization vDC
network, a network pool, or an Edge Gateway. An organization administrator can create and modify routed
and isolated organization vDC networks, and any user who has vApp Author rights can create and modify a
vApp network.
vApp Networks
A vApp network is a logical network that controls how the virtual machines in a vApp connect to each other
and to organization vDC networks. Users specify vApp network details in an instantiateVAppTemplate or
composeVApp request. The network is created when the vApp is deployed, and deleted when the vApp is
undeployed. All nonisolated virtual machines in the vApp connect to a vApp network, as specified in their
NetworkConnectionSection elements.
Every VApp element includes a link that you can use to retrieve details of a vApp network that it contains, as
the following example shows.
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vAppNetwork+xml"
name="isoNet1"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/network/94 />
A GET request to this link returns a read-only VAppNetwork element. To modify an existing vApp network or
create a new one, you must find the NetworkConfigSection of the VApp element and use its edit link, as shown
in “Update a vApp Network Configuration,” on page 109.
The configuration of a vApp network, contained in the NetworkConfig element of the
InstantiateVAppTemplateParams request body, includes the following information
nA name for the network, specified in the networkName attribute of the NetworkConfig element. The
instantiation parameters must create a vApp network whose name matches the value of the network
attribute of the NetworkConnection of each Vm element in the template. If this attribute has the value none
or is missing, the Vm can connect to any network. If the template contains Vm elements that specify different
names for their network connections, you must create a vApp network for each.
NOTE When you create a vApp network where the FenceMode is bridged, the networkName of the vApp
network must match the name of the ParentNetwork. This requirement is enforced by the composeVapp
operation. The instantiateVappTemplate operation automatically corrects a name mismatch by changing
the value of the network attribute in the NetworkConnection element of the VApp.
nA Configuration element that specifies network configuration details.
nFor routed and directly connected networks, the ParentNetwork element contains a reference to the
organization vDC network that the vApp network connects to. The FenceMode element controls how
the two networks connect. Specify a FenceMode of bridged for a direct connection to the parent
network, or natRouted to specify a routed connection controlled by network Features such as a
NatService or FirewallService. If you want the organization network to be isolated, with no external
connection, omit the ParentNetwork element and specify the FenceMode as isolated.
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nThe Features element defines features of the vApp network, and can include the following services:
DhcpService Provides DHCP services to virtual machines on the network.
FirewallService Specifies firewall rules that, when matched, block or allow incoming or
outgoing network traffic.
NatService Provides network address translation services to virtual machines on
the network.
StaticRoutingService Specifies static routes to other networks. Requires a routed organization
vDC network.
For more information, see “Network Services in vApp Networks,” on page 112
nAdditional modifiable elements like IpScopes and RetainNetInfoAcrossDeployments, and read-only
elements such as SyslogServerSettings and RouterInfo. For more information about the type and
scope of these elements, see the schema reference.
nNetwork pool resources required by an isolated or natRouted vApp network are allocated by the system
from the pool associated with the vDC in which the vApp is deployed.
Organization vDC Networks
An organization vDC network allows virtual machines in the organization vDC to communicate with each
other and to access other networks, including organization vDC networks and external networks, either
directly or through an Edge Gateway that can provide firewall and NAT services.
nA direct organization vDC network connects directly to an eternal network. Only a system administrator
can create a direct organization vDC network.
nA routed organization vDC network connects to an external network through an Edge Gateway, which
is backed by a vShield Edge device. A routed organization vDC network also requires the containing vDC
to include a network pool. After a system administrator has provisioned an organization vDC with an
Edge Gateway and associated it with a network pool, organization administrator or system administrators
can create routed organization vDC networks in that vDC.
nAn isolated organization vDC network does not require an Edge Gateway or external network, but does
require the containing vDC to be associated with a network pool. After a system administrator has created
an organization vDC with a network pool, organization administrators or system administrators can create
isolated organization vDC networks in that vDC.
nMost types of organization vDC networks do not provide any network services. Isolated organization
vDC networks can specify a DhcpPoolService, which provides DHCP addresses from several pools of IP
address ranges. All other services, such as NAT, firewall, and load balancing, are configured by a system
administrator on the Edge Gateway to which the network connects.
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Table 6-2. Types of Organization vDC Networks and Their Requirements
Organization vDC
Network Connection Description Requirements
Direct connection to an
external network.
Provides direct layer 2 connectivity to machines and
networks outside of the organization vDC. Machines
outside of this organization vDC can connect directly to
machines within the organization vDC.
The cloud must contain an
external network.
Routed connection to an
external network.
Provides controlled access to machines and networks
outside of the organization vDC via an Edge Gateway.
System administrators and organization administrators
can configure network address translation (NAT) and
firewall settings on the gateway to make specific virtual
machines in the vDC accessible from an external
network.
The vDC must contain an Edge
Gateway and a network pool.
No connection to an
external network.
Provides an isolated, private network that machines in
the organization vDC can connect to. This network
provides no incoming or outgoing connectivity to
machines outside this organization vDC.
The vDC must contain a network
pool.
By default, only virtual machines in the organization vDC that contains the network can use it. When you
create an organization vDC network, you can specify that it is shared. A shared organization vDC network
can be used by all virtual machines in the organization.
Edge Gateways
An Edge Gateway provides a routed connection between an organization vDC network and an external
network. It can provide any of the following services, defined in the GatewayFeatures element of the Edge
Gateway's Configuration.
FirewallService Specifies firewall rules that, when matched, block or allow incoming or
outgoing network traffic. See “Firewall Service Configurations,” on page 158.
GatewayDhcpService Provides DHCP services to virtual machines on the network. A variant of this
service, DhcpService, is intended to provide DHCP services in vApp networks.
See “Gateway DHCP Service Configurations,” on page 166.
GatewayIpsecVpnService Defines one or more virtual private networks that connect an Edge Gateway
to another network in or outside of the cloud.
LoadBalancerService Distributes incoming requests across a set of servers. See “Load Balancer
Service Configurations,” on page 163.
NatService Provides network address translation services to computers on the network.
StaticRoutingService Specifies static routes to other networks. See “Static Routing Service
Configurations,” on page 161.
For an example of adding services to an Edge Gateway, see “Configure Edge Gateway Services,” on
page 156. For more information about any of these services, see the vShield Administration Guide.
External Networks and Network Pools
External networks and network pools are vSphere resources backed by vSphere portgroup, VLAN, or
DVswitch objects. A system administrator must create them, as described in “Create an External Network,”
on page 219 and “Create a Network Pool,” on page 222. You must supply a reference to an external network
when you create an Edge Gateway. When you create an organization vDC, you must supply a reference to a
network pool if the vDC is to be able to contain routed or isolated networks. See “Retrieve a List of External
Networks and Network Pools,” on page 204
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Create an Edge Gateway
An Edge Gateway is a virtual router for organization vDC networks. You can configure it to provide network
services such as DHCP, firewall, NAT, static routing, VPN, and load balancing.
You can create an Edge Gateway in either a compact or a full configuration. The full configuration provides
increased capacity and performance. The compact configuration requires less memory and fewer compute
resources. All services are supported in either configuration. You can enable either configuration for high
availability, which enables automatic failover of the Edge Gateway to a backup instance that is running on a
separate virtual machine.
An Edge Gateway can support up to ten interfaces. These interfaces are categorized as uplinks when they
connect to an external network, and internal interfaces when they connect to an organization vDC network.
You must specify at least one uplink interface when you create an Edge Gateway. All uplink interfaces on an
Edge Gateway must connect to an external network available in the Provider vDC that backs the organization
vDC in which you are creating the Edge Gateway. Internal interfaces are created automatically when you create
a routed organization vDC network that connects to an Edge Gateway.
Prerequisites
nVerify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
nAn Edge Gateway requires an organization vDC backed by a Provider vDC that contains at least one
external network.
Procedure
1 Choose an organization vDC to contain the Edge Gateway.
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2 Choose an external network to use for the Edge Gateway's initial uplink interface.
This external network must be one of the networks listed in the AvailableNetworks element of the Provider
vDC that backs the organization vDC in which you are creating the Edge Gateway. Follow these steps to
find a suitable external network.
a Retrieve the XML representation of the organization vDC in which you are creating the Edge Gateway.
Use a request like this one:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/vdc/44
The ProviderVdcReference element in the response contains a reference to the Provider vDC that
backs this organization vDC.
<AdminVdc ...>
...
<ProviderVdcReference
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.providervdc+xml"
name="PvDC-Example"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/providervdc/35"
...
</AdminVdc>
b Retrieve the the XML representation of the Provider vDC.
Use a request like this one:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/providervdc/35
The AvailableNetworks element in the response lists the external networks that are available to that
Provider vDC, and to all the organization vDCs that it supports.
<vmext:VMWProviderVdc ... >
...
<vcloud:AvailableNetworks>
<vcloud:Network
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.network+xml"
name="VC1-VLAN48"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/network/297" />
<vcloud:Network ... />
<vcloud:Network ... />
</vcloud:AvailableNetworks>
...
</vmext:VMWProviderVdc>
Choose an available external network to provide the initial interface for the new Edge Gateway. See
“Example: Create an Edge Gateway,” on page 153 for more information about criteria for choosing
an external network.
3 Create an EdgeGateway element.
In the GatewayInterfaces element, create a GatewayInterface element that defines an uplink interface.
nSpecify uplink for the InterfaceType.
nInclude the external network reference you retrieved in Step 2 in the Network element.
nIf you plan to create a NAT service or load balancer service in the Edge Gateway, you must create an
IP sub-allocation for the uplink by including a SubnetParticipation element in the
GatewayInterface element. IP addresses in the range you specify in this element are reserved for use
by this Edge Gateway.
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For information about additional elements that an EdgeGateway can contain, see “Example: Create an Edge
Gateway,” on page 153 and the schema reference.
4 POST the EdgeGateway element to the URL for adding Edge Gateways to the organization vDC.
The server takes the requested action and returns an XML representation of the partially-created object. This
representation includes an href attribute, properties specified in the creation request, and an embedded
Task element that tracks the creation of the object. When the task completes, the object has been created, and
you can use the value of the href attribute with a GET request to retrieve the XML representation of the object.
See the response portion of “Example: Create an Edge Gateway,” on page 153.
Example: Create an Edge Gateway
This example adds an Edge Gateway to the organization vDC created in “Add a vDC to an Organization,” on
page 140. The uplink interface specifies one of the networks shown in Step 2b. For the purposes of this example,
assume that the external network has a Configuration element that includes this information:
<Configuration>
<IpScopes>
<IpScope>
...
<Gateway>10.147.115.190</Gateway>
<Netmask>255.255.255.0</Netmask>
...
<IpRanges>
<IpRange>
<StartAddress>10.147.115.129</StartAddress>
<EndAddress>10.147.115.189</EndAddress>
</IpRange>
</IpRanges>
<AllocatedIpAddresses>
<IpAddress>10.147.115.129</IpAddress>
<IpAddress>10.147.115.133</IpAddress>
<IpAddress>10.147.115.132</IpAddress>
<IpAddress>10.147.115.130</IpAddress>
</AllocatedIpAddresses>
...
</IpScope>
</IpScopes>
...
</Configuration>
You can see the values from this external network's IpScope reflected in the SubnetParticipation element of
the EdgeGateway. The address range specified in the IpRange element of this GatewayInterface must be within
the IpRanges of the external network, and cannot include any IP addresses listed in the external network's
AllocatedIpAddresses element. You can specify a contiguous IpRange, as we do in this example, or you can
include multiple IpRange elements in the IpRanges if you need more IP addresses than are available in a
contiguous block.
The external network specified in the GatewayInterface created in this example becomes the default route from
this Edge Gateway (UseForDefaultRoute has a value of true). The default DNS service address is inherited
from the network specified as the default route.
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Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/vdc/44/edgeGateways
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.edgeGateway+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<EdgeGateway
name="theEdge"
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5">
<Description>Example Edge Gateway</Description>
<Configuration>
<GatewayBackingConfig>compact</GatewayBackingConfig>
<GatewayInterfaces>
<GatewayInterface>
<Name>uplink1</Name>
<DisplayName>uplink1</DisplayName>
<Network
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/network/297" />
<InterfaceType>uplink</InterfaceType>
<SubnetParticipation>
<Gateway>10.147.115.190</Gateway>
<Netmask>255.255.255.0</Netmask>
<IpRanges>
<IpRange>
<StartAddress>10.147.115.155</StartAddress>
<EndAddress>10.147.115.165</EndAddress>
</IpRange>
</IpRanges>
</SubnetParticipation>
<UseForDefaultRoute>true</UseForDefaultRoute>
</GatewayInterface>
</GatewayInterfaces>
<HaEnabled>false</HaEnabled>
<UseDefaultRouteForDnsRelay>false</UseDefaultRouteForDnsRelay>
</Configuration>
</EdgeGateway>
The response is an EdgeGateway element with an embedded Task element that tracks the creation of the Edge
Gateway object.
The response includes a number of Link elements that you can use to manage the new Edge Gateway. It also
includes an EdgeGatewayServiceConfiguration element that contains a simple FirewallService, which drops
all incoming and outgoing packets, effectively blocking all traffic through the Edge Gateway. This service is
created by default if you do not specify an EdgeGatewayServiceConfiguration when you create the
EdgeGateway. To remove or modify it, see “Configure Edge Gateway Services,” on page 156.
Response:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<EdgeGateway
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="theEdge"
id="urn:vcloud:gateway:2000"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.edgeGateway+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/edgeGateway/2000" ... >
<Link
rel="edit"
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type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.edgeGateway+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/edgeGateway/2000" />
<Link
rel="remove"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/edgeGateway/2000" />
<Link
rel="up"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vdc+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/vdc/44" />
<Link
rel="edgeGateway:redeploy"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/edgeGateway/2000/action/redeploy" />
<Link
rel="edgeGateway:configureServices"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.edgeGatewayServiceConfiguration+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/edgeGateway/2000/action/configureServices" />
<Link
rel="edgeGateway:reapplyServices"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/edgeGateway/2000/action/reapplyServices" />
<Link
rel="edgeGateway:syncSyslogSettings"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/edgeGateway/2000/action/syncSyslogServerSettings" />
<Link
rel="edgeGateway:upgrade"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/edgeGateway/2000/action/upgradeConfig" />
...
<Tasks>
<Task
status="running"
...
operation="Creating EdgeGateway theEdge(2000)"
...
</Task>
</Tasks>
<Configuration>
<GatewayBackingConfig>compact</GatewayBackingConfig>
<GatewayInterfaces>
<GatewayInterface>
<Network
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.network+xml"
name=""
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/network/297" />
<InterfaceType>uplink</InterfaceType>
<ApplyRateLimit>false</ApplyRateLimit>
<UseForDefaultRoute>true</UseForDefaultRoute>
</GatewayInterface>
</GatewayInterfaces>
<EdgeGatewayServiceConfiguration>
<FirewallService>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<DefaultAction>drop</DefaultAction>
<LogDefaultAction>false</LogDefaultAction>
</FirewallService>
</EdgeGatewayServiceConfiguration>
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<HaEnabled>false</HaEnabled>
<UseDefaultRouteForDnsRelay>false</UseDefaultRouteForDnsRelay>
</Configuration>
</EdgeGateway>
Configure Edge Gateway Services
An organization administrator or system administrator can configure NAT, firewall, and similar services on
an existing Edge Gateway by updating its EdgeGatewayServiceConfiguration.
The Configuration element of an EdgeGateway includes an EdgeGatewayServiceConfiguration element, which
can contain definitions of any of the services listed in “Edge Gateways,” on page 150. Details of service
configurations vary, but the mechanism is the same for creating or updating any Edge Gateway service.
You can include an EdgeGatewayServiceConfiguration element that defines one or more services when you
create an Edge Gateway, or you can create the Edge Gateway without this element, as shown in “Create an
Edge Gateway,” on page 151, then update it to add or change services as needed. Note that some services
require a reference to one or more Edge Gateway interfaces, and cannot be configured until those interfaces
exist.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as an organization administrator or system administrator.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of the Edge Gateway.
2 Examine the response to locate the Link element that contains the URL for configuring services on the
Edge Gateway.
This element has a rel attribute value of add and a type attribute value of
application/vnd.vmware.admin.edgeGatewayServiceConfiguration+xml, as the following example shows:
<Link
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/edgeGateway/2000/action/configureServices"
rel="add"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.edgeGatewayServiceConfiguration+xml"/>
3 Copy the EdgeGatewayServiceConfiguration element from the EdgeGateway you retrieved in Step 1.
The configureServices action replaces the entire contents of the existing
EdgeGatewayServiceConfiguration with the one in the request body. Using the existing
EdgeGatewayServiceConfiguration as the basis for your modifications reduces the chances of
unintentional service changes.
4 Modify the EdgeGatewayServiceConfiguration that you copied in Step 3 to add, remove, or change the
services that this Edge Gateway offers.
An EdgeGatewayServiceConfiguration element can contain any of the following elements:
nFirewallService
nGatewayDhcpService
nGatewayIpsecVpnService
nLoadBalancerService
nNatService
nStaticRoutingService
5 POST the modified EdgeGatewayServiceConfiguration element to the URL in the value of the href attribute
of the configureServices link described in Step 2.
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The server takes the requested action and returns a Task element that tracks the progress of the request.
When the task completes successfully, the EdgeGatewayServiceConfiguration element you POSTed replaces
the one you copied in Step 3.
Example: Configure Services on an Edge Gateway
This example replaces the default firewall service on the Edge Gateway created in “Create an Edge
Gateway,” on page 151. For details about this FirewallService, see “Firewall Service Configurations,” on
page 158
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/edgeGateway/2000/action/configureServices
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.edgeGatewayServiceConfiguration+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<EdgeGatewayServiceConfiguration
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5">
<FirewallService>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<DefaultAction>allow</DefaultAction>
<LogDefaultAction>false</LogDefaultAction>
<FirewallRule>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<Description>allow incoming ssh</Description>
<Policy>allow</Policy>
<Protocols>
<Tcp>true</Tcp>
</Protocols>
<DestinationPortRange>22</DestinationPortRange>
<DestinationIp>Internal</DestinationIp>
<SourcePortRange>Any</SourcePortRange>
<SourceIp>External</SourceIp>
<EnableLogging>true</EnableLogging>
</FirewallRule>
<FirewallRule>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<Description>deny incoming telnet</Description>
<Policy>drop</Policy>
<Protocols>
<Tcp>true</Tcp>
</Protocols>
<DestinationPortRange>23</DestinationPortRange>
<DestinationIp>Internal</DestinationIp>
<SourcePortRange>Any</SourcePortRange>
<SourceIp>External</SourceIp>
<EnableLogging>false</EnableLogging>
</FirewallRule>
</FirewallService>
</EdgeGatewayServiceConfiguration>
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Response:
202 Accepted
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.task+xml
...
<Task
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/task/2120"
...
status="running"
operation="Updating services EdgeGateway theEdge(2000)"
... >
</Task>
Firewall Service Configurations
The default FirewallService in an EdgeGatewayServiceConfiguration is enabled and configured to block all
incoming traffic. You can modify that FirewallService to allow incoming traffic, block outgoing traffic, or
both.
A firewall service configuration includes several important parameters.
Firewall Rules
Each firewall rule specifies a protocol, IP address, and port. Packets that match the criteria in the rule are subject
to an action defined in the Policy element of the rule. The action can forward the packet to the destination IP
address and port, or drop it and optionally log a message describing the packet that was dropped. Packets that
do not match any rule are subject to the policy contained in the DefaultAction element of the
FirewallService.
Firewall Rule Logging
The Configuration element of an EdgeGateway can include SyslogServerSettings that specify IP addresses to
which syslog messages are sent. When you specify a value of true in the EnableLogging element of a
FirewallRule, all packets that trigger the rule are logged to the configured syslog server. Logging for all rules
is controlled by the value of the LogDefaultAction element of the FirewallService.
Port and Address Ranges
These elements in a FirewallRule specify source and destination IP ports and addresses to which the rule
applies.
Example: Firewall Service Definition with Two Rules
This fragment of an EdgeGatewayServiceConfiguration defines a firewall service with two rules: one that allows
incoming SSH connection, and one that denies incoming Telnet connections. These rules apply to any virtual
machine that connects to a network backed by this Edge Gateway. Each rule is defined in a FirewallRule
element, and can include the following specifications:
Policy The default policy value, allow, causes the firewall to forward packets that
match the rules. Specify drop to drop packets that match the rules.
Protocols By default, a rule applies to both UDP and TCP protocols. You can limit the
rule to one protocol or the other by including Tcp and Udp elements in
Protocols and specifying a value of true or false for each.
SourcePortRange Specify a source IP port or port range, or set to any to match any port.
DestinationPortRange Specify a destination IP port or port range, or set to any to match any port.
SourceIp Specify a source IP address, or use one of these strings.
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Table 6-3. SourceIp and DestinationIp Values
Value Result
Any Matches any IP address
Internal Matches any IP address originating on an
organization vDC network connected to
this EdgeGateway. When used in a vApp
network, matches any IP address assigned
to a virtual machine in the vApp.
External Matches any IP address originating on an
external network connected to this
EdgeGateway. When used in a vApp
network, matches any IP address except
those assigned to a virtual machine in the
vApp.
DestinationIp Specify a source IP address, or use one of the strings shown in Table 6-3.
EnableLogging Set to true to log all packets that trigger this rule. See “Firewall Rule
Logging,” on page 158.
Rules are applied to packets in the order in which the FirewallRule elements appear in the FirewallService
definition.
NOTE The system assigns an Id value to each rule you create and uses these values when logging rule actions.
<FirewallService>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<DefaultAction>allow</DefaultAction>
<LogDefaultAction>false</LogDefaultAction>
<FirewallRule>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<Description>allow incoming ssh</Description>
<Policy>allow</Policy>
<Protocols>
<Tcp>true</Tcp>
</Protocols>
<DestinationPortRange>22</DestinationPortRange>
<DestinationIp>Internal</DestinationIp>
<SourcePortRange>Any</SourcePortRange>
<SourceIp>External</SourceIp>
<EnableLogging>false</EnableLogging>
</FirewallRule>
<FirewallRule>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<Description>deny incoming telnet</Description>
<Policy>drop</Policy>
<Protocols>
<Tcp>true</Tcp>
</Protocols>
<DestinationPortRange>23</DestinationPortRange>
<DestinationIp>Internal</DestinationIp>
<SourcePortRange>Any</SourcePortRange>
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<SourceIp>External</SourceIp>
<EnableLogging>false</EnableLogging>
</FirewallRule>
</FirewallService>
You can see this fragment in the context of an Edge Gateway configuration in “Example: Configure Services
on an Edge Gateway,” on page 157.
NAT Service Configurations
An Edge Gateway configuration can define a NAT (Network Address Translation) service that translates
source or destination IP addresses and port numbers. In the most common case, you associate a NAT service
with an uplink interface on an Edge Gateway so that addresses on organization vDC networks are not exposed
on the external network.
A NAT service in an EdgeGatewayServiceConfiguration can include one or more rules, each of which is
expressed in a GatewayNatRule element. Each rule translates the original IP address, port, or both, and applies
to a network connected to the Edge Gateway. If the network is an uplink (to an external network), the network
must include an IP sub-allocation pool.
There are two kinds of rules, as expressed in the value of the RuleType element:
SNAT Source network address translation. This kind of rule translates the packet's
source address and, optionally, source IP port to the values you specify.
DNAT Destination network address translation. This kind of rule translates the
packet's destination address and, optionally, destination IP port to the values
you specify.
Example: NAT Service
The following fragment of an EdgeGatewayServiceConfiguration defines and enables a NatService that applies
one destination NAT rule and one source NAT rule to the uplink interface defined in “Example: Create an
Edge Gateway,” on page 153. In the DNAT rule, the OriginalIp and OriginalPort apply to the destination IP
address and port of the packet being inspected. In the SNAT rule, the OriginalIp and OriginalPort apply to
the source IP address and port of the packet being inspected. When you create an SNAT rule, you do not need
to specify values for TranslatedPort and OriginalPort, which default to any.
NOTE The system assigns an Id value to each rule you create and uses these values when logging rule actions.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<NatService>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<NatRule>
<RuleType>DNAT</RuleType>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<GatewayNatRule>
<Interface
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/network/297" />
<OriginalIp>10.147.115.155</OriginalIp>
<OriginalPort>any</OriginalPort>
<TranslatedIp>192.168.0.100-192.168.0.199</TranslatedIp>
<TranslatedPort>any</TranslatedPort>
<Protocol>any</Protocol>
<IcmpSubType>any</IcmpSubType>
</GatewayNatRule>
</NatRule>
<NatRule>
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<RuleType>SNAT</RuleType>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<GatewayNatRule>
<Interface
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/network/297" />
<OriginalIp>192.168.0.10</OriginalIp>
<TranslatedIp>10.147.115.155</TranslatedIp>
<Protocol>any</Protocol>
</GatewayNatRule>
</NatRule>
</NatService>
To add this service to an Edge Gateway, include it in an EdgeGatewayServiceConfiguration. See
“Example: Configure Services on an Edge Gateway,” on page 157.
Static Routing Service Configurations
An Edge Gateway or routed vApp network configuration can define a static routing service that specifies one
or more static routes.
You can create static routes between two organization vDC networks, or between routed vApp networks that
do not have overlapping IP address spaces. Static routing service details and routes are defined in a
StaticRoutingService element contained by the Features element of a vApp network's Configuration or the
GatewayFeatures element of an Edge Gateway's Configuration. A StaticRoutingService element can contain
zero or more StaticRoute elements. Each StaticRoute specification requires the following elements.
Name Name for the route.
Network Network specification in CIDR notation.
NextHopIp IP address of the next hop on the route. This address is typically the value in
the ExternalIp element of the RouterInfo from the network to which this static
route connects.
Interface Specify internal if NextHopIp contains an IP address in the same network.
Specify external if NextHopIp contains an IP address in a different network.
GatewayInterface Used when configuring a static route in an organization vDC network.
Contains a reference to the organization vDC network for which the static route
is configured.
Example: Static Routes Between Organization vDC Networks
Assume two routed organization vDC networks, as defined in this fragment of an EdgeGateway element.
<GatewayInterface>
<Name>vnic2</Name>
<DisplayName>routed1</DisplayName>
<Network
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.network+xml"
name="routed1"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/network/29" />
<InterfaceType>internal</InterfaceType>
<SubnetParticipation>
<Gateway>192.168.3.1</Gateway>
<Netmask>255.255.255.0</Netmask>
<IpAddress>192.168.3.1</IpAddress>
</SubnetParticipation>
<IpRanges />
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<UseForDefaultRoute>false</UseForDefaultRoute>
</GatewayInterface>
<GatewayInterface>
<Name>vnic3</Name>
<DisplayName>routed2</DisplayName>
<Network
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.network+xml"
name="routed2"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/network/67" />
<InterfaceType>internal</InterfaceType>
<SubnetParticipation>
<Gateway>172.168.0.1</Gateway>
<Netmask>255.255.255.0</Netmask>
<IpAddress>172.168.0.1</IpAddress>
</SubnetParticipation>
<IpRanges />
<UseForDefaultRoute>false</UseForDefaultRoute>
</GatewayInterface>
nThe organization vDC network named routed1 has Gateway address 192.168.3.1.
nThe organization vDC network named routed2 has Gateway address 172.168.0.1.
nThe Configuration of the vApp network in vApp1 has a RouterInfo element whose ExternalIp value is
192.168.2.100.
nThe Configuration of the vApp network in vApp2 has a RouterInfo element whose ExternalIp value is
192.168.1.100.
A StaticRoutingService defined by the following fragment creates a static route to vApp1 from network
routed1, and a static route to vApp2 from network routed2.
<StaticRoutingService>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<StaticRoute>
<Name>TovApp1</Name>
<Network>192.168.2.0/24</Network>
<NextHopIp>192.168.3.10</NextHopIp>
<Interface>Internal</Interface>
<GatewayInterface
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.orgVdcNetwork+xml"
name="routed1"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/network/29" />
</StaticRoute>
<StaticRoute>
<Name>TovApp2</Name>
<Network>192.168.1.0/24</Network>
<NextHopIp>172.168.0.10</NextHopIp>
<Interface>Internal</Interface>
<GatewayInterface
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.orgVdcNetwork+xml"
name="routed2"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/network/67" />
</StaticRoute>
</StaticRoutingService>
To add this service to an Edge Gateway, include it in an EdgeGatewayServiceConfiguration. See
“Example: Configure Services on an Edge Gateway,” on page 157.
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Static Routes Between vApp Networks
For an example of a static routing service in a vApp network, see “Network Services in vApp Networks,” on
page 112.
Load Balancer Service Configurations
An Edge Gateway can provide load-balancing services that allow you to distribute incoming requests to a
specific external IP address across multiple internal IP addresses. Several load-balancing algorithms are
supported.
A load balancer service provides load balancing for TCP, HTTP, and HTTPS traffic. The load balancer accepts
incoming IP requests on an external or internal interface, and uses the algorithm you specify to distribute
requests across a pool of servers.
To add a load-balancer service to an Edge Gateway, include a LoadBalancerService element in the Edge
Gateway's EdgeGatewayServiceConfiguration.
Example: Load Balancer Service
This fragment of anEdgeGatewayServiceConfiguration defines a LoadBalancerService that accepts incoming
requests at external address https://192.168.1.100 and balances them across two servers at internal addresses
10.200.100.10 and 10.200.100.11. The following elements define a LoadBalancerService:
nA Pool that contains ServicePort and Member elements. A LoadBalancerService must include a Pool that
defines a ServicePort for each protocol on which the load balancer handles incoming requests. You can
define up to three ServicePort elements, one for each supported protocol (HTTP, HTTPS, TCP). This load
balancer handles only SSL (HTTPS) requests, so it requires only one ServicePort element in its Pool.
You must specify one of the following load-balancing algorithms in the Algorithm element of the
ServicePort.
IP_HASH Selects a server based on a hash of the source and destination IP address of
each packet.
LEAST_CONN Distributes client requests to multiple servers based on the number of
connections already on the server. New connections are sent to the server
with the fewest connections.
ROUND_ROBIN Each server is used in turn according to the weight assigned to it. This is
the smoothest and fairest algorithm when the server's processing time
remains equally distributed.
URI The left part of the URI, before the question mark, is hashed and divided
by the total weight of the running servers. The result designates which
server receives the request, ensuring that a request is always directed to the
same server as long as all servers remain available.
The Pool in this example also defines an optional HealthCheck element that specifies parameters used for
periodic verification that all pool members are responding to requests.
Each Member element in the Pool specifies the IpAddress of a virtual machine that provides the service
being requested. Incoming requests are balanced across all members of the pool. Because the Algorithm
specified for this Pool is ROUND_ROBIN, each Member must be assigned a Weight.
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nA VirtualServer element that defines the Interface, an internal or external interface defined by the
containing EdgeGateway, on which requests are accepted.
NOTE The network referenced in the Interface element must be configured with an IP sub-allocation.
NOTE Each Member of a load balancer Pool can contain its own ServicePort element. If this element is present
in a Member, its contents override the ServicePort element of the Pool.
For more information about LoadBalancerService elements and attributes, see the schema reference.
<LoadBalancerService>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<Pool>
<Name>HTTPS_pool</Name>
<ServicePort>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<Protocol>HTTPS</Protocol>
<Algorithm>ROUND_ROBIN</Algorithm>
<Port>443</Port>
<HealthCheck>
<Mode>TCP</Mode>
<HealthThreshold>2</HealthThreshold>
<UnhealthThreshold>3</UnhealthThreshold>
<Interval>5</Interval>
<Timeout>15</Timeout>
</HealthCheck>
</ServicePort>
<Member>
<IpAddress>10.200.100.10</IpAddress>
<Weight>1</Weight>
</Member>
<Member>
<IpAddress>10.200.100.11</IpAddress>
<Weight>1</Weight>
</Member>
</Pool>
<VirtualServer>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<Name>Example Virtual Server</Name>
<Description>Incoming LoadBalancerService Requests</Description>
<Interface
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.orgVdcNetwork+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/network/199" />
<IpAddress>192.168.1.100</IpAddress>
<ServiceProfile>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<Protocol>HTTPS</Protocol>
<Port>443</Port>
<Persistence>
<Method>SSL_SESSION_ID</Method>
</Persistence>
</ServiceProfile>
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<Logging>true</Logging>
<Pool>HTTPS_pool</Pool>
</VirtualServer>
</LoadBalancerService>
To add this service to an Edge Gateway, include it in an EdgeGatewayServiceConfiguration. See
“Example: Configure Services on an Edge Gateway,” on page 157.
IPsec VPN Service Configurations
An Edge Gateway configuration can define an IPsec virtual private networking (VPN) service to provide secure
virtual private networking within an organization, between organization vDC networks, or between an
organization vDC network and an external IP address.
An EdgeGateway can contain zero or more GatewayIpsecVpnService elements, each of which defines VPN
tunnels and endpoints.
Example: IPsec VPN Service in an Edge Gateway
<GatewayIpsecVpnService>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<Tunnel>
<Name>Example VPN Tunnel</Name>
<Description />
<IpsecVpnLocalPeer>
<Id>3786bb05-dc9a-471b-91cd-554499d45629</Id>
<Name>gw02</Name>
</IpsecVpnLocalPeer>
<PeerIpAddress>10.147.46.68</PeerIpAddress>
<PeerId>C64E127E-5E86-C57C-17ED-EB175A7A1811</PeerId>
<LocalIpAddress>10.147.46.66</LocalIpAddress>
<LocalId>6844BBB4-24E6-7A50-0F29-EB175A7AD899</LocalId>
<LocalSubnet>
<Name>nw01</Name>
<Gateway>192.168.1.1</Gateway>
<Netmask>255.255.255.0</Netmask>
</LocalSubnet>
<PeerSubnet>
<Name>nw02</Name>
<Gateway>192.168.2.1</Gateway>
<Netmask>255.255.255.0</Netmask>
</PeerSubnet>
<SharedSecret>L3hithJa3zH7K4q2tH...</SharedSecret>
<SharedSecretEncrypted>false</SharedSecretEncrypted>
<EncryptionProtocol>AES256</EncryptionProtocol>
<Mtu>1500</Mtu>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
</Tunnel>
</GatewayIpsecVpnService>
To add this service to an Edge Gateway, include it in an EdgeGatewayServiceConfiguration. See
“Example: Configure Services on an Edge Gateway,” on page 157.
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Gateway DHCP Service Configurations
An Edge Gateway configuration can define a DHCP service that assigns IP addresses to clients on organization
vDC networks. You can configure multiple address pools, each of which defines a range of IP addresses that
are reserved for a specific network.
DHCP services for organization vDC networks are provided by the Edge Gateway to which those network
connect. An EdgeGateway can contain an more GatewayDhcpService element. The service can define a pool of
IP addresses for each organization vDC connected to the Edge Gateway.
NOTE To provide DHCP services on a vApp network, use the DhcpService element.
Example: Gateway DHCP Service
The following fragment of an EdgeGatewayServiceConfiguration defines and enables a GatewayDhcpService
that defines two Pool objects, each of which allocates a range of IP addresses for a single organization vDC
network.
<GatewayDhcpService>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<Pool>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<Network
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.orgVdcNetwork+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/network/46" />
<DefaultLeaseTime>3600</DefaultLeaseTime>
<MaxLeaseTime>7200</MaxLeaseTime>
<LowIpAddress>10.100.1.100</LowIpAddress>
<HighIpAddress>10.100.1.150</HighIpAddress>
</Pool>
<Pool>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<Network
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.orgVdcNetwork+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/network/47" />
<DefaultLeaseTime>3600</DefaultLeaseTime>
<MaxLeaseTime>7200</MaxLeaseTime>
<LowIpAddress>10.100.1.200</LowIpAddress>
<HighIpAddress>10.100.1.250</HighIpAddress>
</Pool>
</GatewayDhcpService>
To add this service to an Edge Gateway, include it in an EdgeGatewayServiceConfiguration. See
“Example: Configure Services on an Edge Gateway,” on page 157.
Create an Organization vDC Network
To add a network to an organization vDC, an administrator POSTs an OrgVdcNetwork element to the vDC's
add URL for networks. An organization vDC network with a direct connection to an external network must be
created by a system administrator. All other organization vDC network types can be created by either a system
administrator or an organization administrator.
The contents of the Configuration element of the OrgVdcNetwork define the properties of the network, including
its connections to other networks. See “Create an Organization vDC Network With a Direct Connection,” on
page 167, “Create an Organization vDC Network With a Routed Connection,” on page 170, and “Create an
Isolated Organization vDC Network,” on page 173.
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For more information about the types of networks you can create and the resources on which they depend,
see “About vCloud Director Networks,” on page 148.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as an organization administrator or system administrator.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of the organization vDC to which you want to add the network.
This request retrieves the admin view of an organization vDC.
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/vdc/44
2 Examine the response to locate the Link element that contains the URL for adding networks to the vDC.
This element has a rel attribute value of add and a type attribute value of
application/vnd.vmware.admin.orgVdcNetwork+xml, as shown here:
<Link
rel="add"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.orgVdcNetwork+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/vdc/44/networks" />
3 Create an OrgVdcNetwork element.
4 POST the OrgVdcNetwork element to the URL described in Step 2.
The server takes the requested action and returns a Task element that tracks the progress of the request. The
Owner element of this task includes the href attribute of the new network. When the task completes, you can
use the value of this attribute with a GET request to retrieve the XML representation of the new network.
Create an Organization vDC Network With a Direct Connection
An organization vDC network with a direct connection provides direct layer 2 connectivity to machines and
networks outside of the organization vDC. Machines outside of this organization vDC can connect to machines
within the organization vDC directly.
An organization vDC network with a direct connection is configured as a child network of one of the external
networks provisioned to the cloud by the system administrator.
Prerequisites
nVerify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
nRetrieve the list of external networks. For information about how to retrieve this list, see “External
Networks and Network Pools,” on page 150.
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Procedure
1 Choose the external network to which this organization vDC network will connect.
This external network must be one of the ones listed in the AvailableNetworks element of the Provider
vDC that backs the organization vDC in which you are creating the new network. Follow these steps to
find a suitable external network.
a Retrieve the XML representation of the organization vDC in which you are creating the new network.
Use a request like this one:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/vdc/44
The ProviderVdcReference element in the response contains a reference to the Provider vDC that
backs this organization vDC.
<AdminVdc ...>
...
<ProviderVdcReference
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.providervdc+xml"
name="PvDC-Example"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/providervdc/35"
...
</AdminVdc>
b Retrieve the the XML representation of the Provider vDC.
Use a request like this one:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/providervdc/35
The AvailableNetworks element in the response lists the external networks that are available to that
Provider vDC, and to all the organization vDCs that it supports.
<vcloud:AvailableNetworks>
<vcloud:Network
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.network+xml"
name="VC1-VLAN48"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/network/297" />
<vcloud:Network ... />
<vcloud:Network ... />
</vcloud:AvailableNetworks>
2 Create an OrgVdcNetwork element.
a Specify the href of the external network you chose in Step 1 in the ParentNetwork element.
The type and name attributes are optional here.
b Set the FenceMode to bridged.
This creates a direct connection to the parent network.
See the request portion of “Example: Create an Organization vDC Network With a Direct Connection,”
on page 169.
3 POST the OrgVdcNetwork element you created in Step 2 to the URL for adding networks to the organization
vDC.
See the request portion of “Example: Create an Organization vDC Network With a Direct Connection,”
on page 169.
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The server takes the requested action and returns an XML representation of the partially-created object. This
representation includes an href attribute, properties specified in the creation request, and an embedded
Task element that tracks the creation of the object. When the task completes, the object has been created, and
you can use the value of the href attribute with a GET request to retrieve the XML representation of the object.
See the response portion of “Example: Create an Organization vDC Network With a Direct Connection,” on
page 169.
Example: Create an Organization vDC Network With a Direct Connection
This example adds a directly-connected network to the organization vDC created in “Add a vDC to an
Organization,” on page 140. Because the network has a Configuration whose ParentNetwork element specifies
an external network to connect to and sets the FenceMode to bridged, it provides a direct connection to the parent
network.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/vdc/44/networks
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.orgVdcNetwork+xml ...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<OrgVdcNetwork
name="Internet"
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5">
<Description>Bridged to the public Internet</Description>
<Configuration>
<ParentNetwork
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/network/297" />
<FenceMode>bridged</FenceMode>
</Configuration>
</OrgVdcNetwork>
Response:
201 Created
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.orgVdcNetwork+xml
...
<OrgVdcNetwork
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="Internet"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.orgVdcNetwork+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/network/54" ...>
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.orgVdcNetwork+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/network/54" />
<Link
rel="remove"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/network/54" />
<Link
rel="up"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vdc+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/vdc/44" />
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.metadata+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/network/54/metadata" />
<Link
rel="down"
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type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.allocatedNetworkAddress+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/network/54/allocatedAddresses/" />
<Description>Bridged to the public Internet</Description>
<Tasks>
<Task
name="task"
status="running"
operation="Creating Network Internet(54)"
...
</Task>
</Tasks>
<Configuration>
...
</Configuration>
</OrgVdcNetwork>
Create an Organization vDC Network With a Routed Connection
An organization vDC network with a routed connection provides controlled access to machines and networks
outside of the organization vDC. System administrators and organization administrators can configure
network address translation (NAT) and firewall settings on the network's Edge Gateway to make specific
virtual machines in the vDC accessible from an external network.
Prerequisites
nVerify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as an organization administrator or system administrator.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the list of Edge Gateways in the organization vDC in which you plan to create the routed network.
You can use a query like this one, where href is the value of the href attribute of your organization vDC:
https://vcloud.example.com/api/query?type=edgeGateway&format=records&filter=vdc==
href
If this organization vDC does not contain any Edge Gateways, or does not contain an Edge Gateway that
has the configuration you want, a system administrator can create a new Edge Gateway. See “Create an
Edge Gateway,” on page 151.
2 Choose an Edge Gateway that has interface capacity available.
An Edge Gateway can support a maximum of nine internal and external interfaces. At least one of those
interfaces is typically consumed by a connection to an external network. Creation of a routed organization
vDC network requires the Edge Gateway to have an unused interface available for the new network. To
see how many interfaces each Edge Gateway in your organization vDC is using, you can run the query
shown in Step 1, then add the values of the numberOfExtNetworks and numberOfOrgNetworks attributes. If
the total is less than 9, the Edge Gateway can accommodate a new routed organization vDC network.
3 Create an OrgVdcNetwork element.
a Specify a value of natRouted in the FenceMode element of the network Configuration.
You can specify additional Configuration parameters, as noted in the schema reference.
b Specify the href of the Edge Gateway you chose in Step 1 in the EdgeGateway element.
See the request portion of “Example: Create an Organization vDC Network With a Routed
Connection,” on page 171.
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4 POST the OrgVdcNetwork element you created in Step 2 to the URL for adding networks to the organization
vDC.
See the request portion of “Example: Create an Organization vDC Network With a Routed
Connection,” on page 171
The server takes the requested action and returns an XML representation of the partially-created object. This
representation includes an href attribute, properties specified in the creation request, and an embedded
Task element that tracks the creation of the object. When the task completes, the object has been created, and
you can use the value of the href attribute with a GET request to retrieve the XML representation of the object.
See the response portion of “Example: Create an Organization vDC Network With a Routed Connection,” on
page 171.
Example: Create an Organization vDC Network With a Routed Connection
This example adds a routed network to the organization vDC created in “Add a vDC to an Organization,” on
page 140. The network connects through the Edge Gateway created in “Create an Edge Gateway,” on
page 151. Because the creation request sets the value of the IsShared element to true, the new network is made
available in all vDCs in this organization.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/vdc/44/networks
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.orgVdcNetwork+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<OrgVdcNetwork
name="RoutedOvDCNet"
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5">
<Description>Routed through an Edge Gateway</Description>
<Configuration>
<IpScopes>
<IpScope>
<IsInherited>false</IsInherited>
<Gateway>192.168.0.1</Gateway>
<Netmask>255.255.255.0</Netmask>
<Dns1>10.147.115.1</Dns1>
<DnsSuffix>example.com</DnsSuffix>
<IpRanges>
<IpRange>
<StartAddress>192.168.0.100</StartAddress>
<EndAddress>192.168.0.199</EndAddress>
</IpRange>
</IpRanges>
</IpScope>
</IpScopes>
<FenceMode>natRouted</FenceMode>
</Configuration>
<EdgeGateway
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/gateway/2000" />
<IsShared>true</IsShared>
</OrgVdcNetwork>
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Response:
201 Created
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.orgVdcNetwork+xml
...
<OrgVdcNetwork
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="RoutedOvDCNet"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.orgVdcNetwork+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/network/59" ...>
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.orgVdcNetwork+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/network/59" />
<Link
rel="remove"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/network/59" />
<Link
rel="up"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vdc+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/vdc/44" />
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.metadata+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/network/59/metadata" />
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.allocatedNetworkAddress+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/network/59/allocatedAddresses/" />
<Description>Routed through an Edge Gateway</Description>
<Tasks>
<Task
status="running"
...
operation="Creating Network RoutedOvDCNet(59)"
...
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/task/999">
</Task>
</Tasks>
<Configuration>
...
<RetainNetInfoAcrossDeployments>false</RetainNetInfoAcrossDeployments>
</Configuration>
<EdgeGateway
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.edgeGateway+xml"
name="theEdge"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/edgeGateway/2000" />
<IsShared>true</IsShared>
</OrgVdcNetwork>
NOTE When the Task completes, the new network is represented in the EdgeGateway by a GatewayInterface
whose InterfaceType is Internal. Unlike the Uplink interface that you create when you create an
EdgeGateway, an internal interface cannot be created explicitly. It is created only as a side-effect of creating a
routed organization vDC network.
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Create an Isolated Organization vDC Network
An isolated organization vDC network provides an isolated, private network that machines in the organization
vDC can connect to. This network provides no connectivity to machines outside this organization vDC.
Machines outside of this organization vDC have no connectivity to machines within the organization.
Prerequisites
nVerify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as an organization administrator or system administrator.
Procedure
1 Create an OrgNetwork element.
See the request portion of “Example: Create an Isolated Organization vDC Network,” on page 173.
2 POST the OrgNetwork element you created in Step 1 to the URL for adding networks to the organization
vDC
See the request portion of “Example: Create an Isolated Organization vDC Network,” on page 173.
The server takes the requested action and returns an XML representation of the partially-created object. This
representation includes an href attribute, properties specified in the creation request, and an embedded
Task element that tracks the creation of the object. When the task completes, the object has been created, and
you can use the value of the href attribute with a GET request to retrieve the XML representation of the object.
See the response portion of “Example: Create an Isolated Organization vDC Network,” on page 173.
Example: Create an Isolated Organization vDC Network
This example adds an isolated network to the organization vDC created in “Add a vDC to an Organization,”
on page 140. It includes a ServiceConfig element that configures a DHCP service for the network. This type
of DHCP service is identical to the DHCP service supported for a vApp network, and can specify only a single
IP address range. No other network services can be created in an isolated organization vDC network.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/vdc/44/networks
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.orgVdcNetwork+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<OrgVdcNetwork
name="Isolated"
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5">
<Description>Isolated Organization vDC Network</Description>
<Configuration>
<IpScopes>
<IpScope>
<IsInherited>false</IsInherited>
<Gateway>192.168.0.1</Gateway>
<Netmask>255.255.255.0</Netmask>
<Dns1>10.147.115.1</Dns1>
<DnsSuffix>example.com</DnsSuffix>
<IpRanges>
<IpRange>
<StartAddress>192.168.0.100</StartAddress>
<EndAddress>192.168.0.199</EndAddress>
</IpRange>
</IpRanges>
</IpScope>
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</IpScopes>
<FenceMode>isolated</FenceMode>
</Configuration>
<ServiceConfig>
<DhcpService>
<IsEnabled>false</IsEnabled>
<DefaultLeaseTime>3600</DefaultLeaseTime>
<MaxLeaseTime>7200</MaxLeaseTime>
<IpRange>
<StartAddress>192.168.0.2</StartAddress>
<EndAddress>192.168.0.99</EndAddress>
</IpRange>
</DhcpService>
</ServiceConfig>
</OrgVdcNetwork>
Response:
201 Created
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.orgVdcNetwork+xml
...
<OrgVdcNetwork
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="Isolated"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.orgVdcNetwork+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/network/60"...>
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.orgVdcNetwork+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/network/60" />
<Link
rel="remove"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/network/60" />
<Link
rel="up"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vdc+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/vdc/44" />
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.metadata+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/network/60/metadata" />
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.allocatedNetworkAddress+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/network/60/allocatedAddresses/" />
<Description>Isolated Organization Vdc Network</Description>
<Tasks>
<Task
name="task"
status="running"
operation="Creating Network Isolated(60)"
...
</Task>
</Tasks>
<Configuration>
...
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</Configuration>
<ServiceConfig>
<DhcpService>
<IsEnabled>false</IsEnabled>
<DefaultLeaseTime>3600</DefaultLeaseTime>
<MaxLeaseTime>7200</MaxLeaseTime>
<IpRange>
<StartAddress>192.168.0.2</StartAddress>
<EndAddress>192.168.0.99</EndAddress>
</IpRange>
</DhcpService>
</ServiceConfig>
</OrgVdcNetwork>
Synchronize Syslog Server Settings for an Edge Gateway or vApp Network
When you change the IP addresses of the primary or secondary syslog server for a cloud, you must also
synchronize the syslog server settings for each Edge Gateway or vApp network that includes a
FirewallService for which logging is enabled.
If a system administrator changes the SyslogServerSettings for a cloud, all Edge Gateways and vApp
networks that are configured with a firewall service whose EnableLogging element has a value of true must
be synchronized with the new syslog server settings so that logging can continue without interruption.
Prerequisites
nTo synchronize syslog server settings for an Edge Gateway, you must be an organization administrator
or system administrator.
nTo synchronize syslog server settings for a vApp network, you must be the vApp owner.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of the vApp network or Edge Gateway.
2 Examine the response to locate the Link element that contains the URL for the
syncSyslogServerSettings action.
This element has a rel attribute value of syncSyslogSettings and a type attribute value of
application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.task+xml, as shown in this excerpt:
<Link
rel="syncSyslogSettings"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.task+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/edgeGateway/2000/action/syncSyslogServerSettings"
3 Make a POST request to the href value of the link described in Step 2.
The request does not have a request body. The response is a task.
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Example: Synchronize Syslog Server Settings for an Edge Gateway
This request synchronizes the syslog server settings for the Edge Gateway created in “Create an Edge
Gateway,” on page 151.
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/edgeGateway/2000/action/syncSyslogServerSettings
Response:
202 Accepted
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.task+xml
...
<Task ... >
...
</Task>
Catalog Administration
A newly created organization has no catalogs in it. After an organization administrator or catalog author creates
a catalog, members of the organization can add items to it or remove items from it if they have the necessary
rights.
Catalogs can contain references to vApp templates and media images. A system administrator or a privileged
member of the organization that owns the catalog can create and remove these references. A catalog can be
shared to make it visible to other members of an organization, and can be published to make it visible to
administrators in other organizations. A system administrator specifies which organizations can publish
catalogs, and an organization administrator controls access to catalogs by organization members.
Access to Catalogs
By default, a catalog is accessible only to its creator. An organization administrator or catalog author can grant
catalog access to other members of the organization, individually or collectively. See “Controlling Access to
vApps and Catalogs,” on page 191. An organization administrator or catalog author can also publish a catalog
to make it available to administrators in other organizations. An organization administrator or system
administrator can change the owner of a catalog. See “View or Change the Owner of an Object,” on page 79.
Add a Catalog to an Organization
Every organization has an add URL for catalogs. An organization administrator or catalog author can create
a catalog by POSTing an AdminCatalog element to this URL
A newly-created Catalog object is an empty container for references to vApp templates and media images.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in as a system administrator, an organization administrator, or a user with the
Catalog Author role.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of the organization to which you want to add the catalog.
Use a request like this one:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26
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2 Examine the response to locate the Link element that contains the URL for adding catalogs to the
organization.
This element has a rel attribute value of add and a type attribute value of
application/vnd.vmware.admin.catalog+xml, as shown here:
<Link
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/5/catalogs"
rel="add"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.catalog+xml"/>
3 Create an AdminCatalog element.
See the request portion of “Example: Create a Catalog,” on page 177.
4 POST the AdminCatalog element to the organization's add URL for catalogs.
See the request portion of “Example: Create a Catalog,” on page 177.
The server creates an empty catalog. See the response portion of “Example: Create a Catalog,” on page 177.
Example: Create a Catalog
This example adds a catalog to the organization created in “Example: Create an Organization,” on page 133.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/catalogs
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.catalog+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<AdminCatalog
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="Example Catalog">
<Description>New Catalog for Example Org</Description>
</AdminCatalog>
The response contains information extracted from the request, and includes these additions that the server
creates:
nA URL, in the value of the href attribute of the response body, that references the new catalog.
nLinks that you can use to add an item to the catalog, edit catalog properties, or remove the catalog.
nA link to an alternate view of this catalog. All users can access the catalog at this URL.
nAn empty CatalogItems element.
nA Task that tracks the creation of the catalog.
nAn IsPublished element whose content is the string false, indicating that the catalog is not published.
Response:
201 Created
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.catalog+xml
...
<AdminCatalog
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="Example Catalog"
id="urn:vcloud:catalog:32"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.catalog+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/catalog/32">
<Link
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rel="up"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.organization+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26" />
<Link
rel="alternate"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.catalog+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalog/32" />
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.owner+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/catalog/32/owner" />
<Link
rel="add"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.catalogItem+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalog/32/catalogItems" />
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.catalog+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/catalog/32" />
<Link
rel="remove"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/catalog/32" />
<Link
rel="publish"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.publishCatalogParams+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/catalog/32/action/publish" />
<Tasks>
<Task ...>
...
<Task>
<Tasks>
<Description>New Catalog for Example Org</Description>
<CatalogItems/>
<IsPublished>false</IsPublished>
</AdminCatalog>
What to do next
Add CatalogItem elements to the catalog. See “Add an Item to a Catalog,” on page 73.
Publish a Catalog
Publishing a catalog makes it visible to the administrators of all organizations in a cloud.
An organization administrator can publish catalogs if the organization's CanPublishCatalogs element has a
value of true. The value of this element is controlled by the system administrator. To publish a catalog, make
a POST request to the catalog’s action/publish URL and supply a PublishCatalogParams body that sets the
value of the catalog’s IsPublished element to true.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as an organization administrator or system administrator.
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Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of the catalog to publish.
Use a request like this one, where id is the identifier of the catalog:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/catalog/
id
2 Examine the response to locate the Link element that contains the URL for publishing the catalog.
This element has a rel attribute value of publish and a type attribute value of
application/vnd.vmware.admin.publishCatalogParams+xml, as shown here:
<Link
rel="publish"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.publishCatalogParams+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/catalog/32/action/publish" />
3 Create a PublishCatalogParams element that contains an IsPublished element with a value of true.
4 POST the PublishCatalogParams body to the catalog's rel="publish" URL.
The catalog is published and becomes available to administrators in other organizations in the cloud.
Example: Publish a Catalog
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/catalog/32/action/publish
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.publishCatalogParams+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<PublishCatalogParams
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5">
<IsPublished>true</IsPublished>
</PublishCatalogParams>
Response:
204 No Content
User and Group Administration
A newly created organization has no users or groups in it. An administrator must create or import them.
An organization can contain an arbitrary number of users and groups. Users can be created by the organization
administrator or imported from an LDAP directory service or SAML-based identity provider. Groups must
be imported. Permissions within an organization are controlled through the assignment of rights and roles to
users and groups.
Local Users and Imported Users
Users can be created locally or imported from the organization's LDAP service if it has defined one. Users and
groups can also be imported from an external identity provider that supports SAML (the Security Assertion
Markup Language). Local user accounts are stored in the vCloud Director database and managed by the
organization administrator. Imported user accounts are managed by the service from which the user was
imported. If an imported user changes his password, contact information, or other account properties, those
changes are not effective in vCloud Director until the user is imported again.
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About Identity Providers
In vCloud Director, an identity provider is a service that accepts credentials such as a user name and password
and authenticates the user as a member of a group or organization. vCloud Director recognizes two kinds of
identity providers:
Integrated The integrated identity provider is a service provided by vCloud Director. It
can authenticate users who are created locally or imported from LDAP.
SAML An organization can define a SAML identity provider that can be used as part
of a federated identity strategy. Such a strategy can enable an enterprise to
provide access to multiple, unrelated services, including vCloud Director, with
a single set of credentials. This sort of authentication strategy is often referred
to as "single sign-on." See “Retrieve or Update Organization Settings,” on
page 136.
The XML representation of a User can include an IdentityProvider element that specifies either INTEGRATED
or SAML. If the element is missing or empty, a value of INTEGRATED is assumed
Modifying User or Group Metadata
An organization administrator can modify metadata such as name and description for a user or group object
by creating a modified version of the User or Group element that represents the object and updating the object
by making a PUT request to the object's rel="edit" link, supplying the modified element in the request body.
Create a User
An organization administrator can create user accounts that are local to the organization. Local user accounts
are stored in the vCloud Director database.
Every user exists within the context of an organization. An organization administrator can create a local user
in an organization by POSTing a User element to the organization’s add URL for users, as shown in “Example:
Create a Local User,” on page 180.
When you create a user, you must include the Role and Password elements in the request body. The role can
be a predefined role or one created by the organization administrator. For more information about retrieving
a list of predefined roles, see “Retrieve an Administrative View of a Cloud,” on page 49. For more information
about creating new roles, see “Create a Role,” on page 189.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as an organization administrator or system administrator.
Procedure
1 Create a User element that defines the user account properties.
See the request portion of “Example: Create a Local User,” on page 180.
2 POST the User element to the organization's add URL for users.
The server creates a user account in the vCloud Director database and returns an updated User element to the
client.
Example: Create a Local User
This example adds the user to the organization created in “Example: Create an Organization,” on page 133.
The request includes an optional IsEnabled element that enables the user. If not present in the request,
IsEnabled defaults to false.
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The response is a User element, most of which does not appear in the example. The response includes a link
that an administrator can use to edit user properties, and additional elements, such as IsDefaultCached and
StoredVmQuota, whose values are inherited from the organization.
nThe Password element, which must not be empty when you create a User, is never returned.
nThe ProviderType, which was not specified in the request, defaults to INTEGRATED. See “About Identity
Providers,” on page 180.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/users
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.user+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<User
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="ExampleUser" >
<FullName>Example User Full Name</FullName>
<EmailAddress>user@example.com</EmailAddress>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<Role
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/role/105" />
<Password>Pa55w0rd</Password>
<GroupReferences />
</User>
Response:
201 Created
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.user+xml
...
<User
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="ExampleUser"
id="urn:vcloud:user:85"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.user+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/user/85" ... >
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.user+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/user/85" />
<FullName>Example User Full Name</FullName>
<EmailAddress>user@example.com</EmailAddress>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<ProviderType>INTEGRATED</ProviderType>
<IsAlertEnabled>false</IsAlertEnabled>
<IsDefaultCached>false</IsDefaultCached>
<IsGroupRole>false</IsGroupRole>
<StoredVmQuota>0</StoredVmQuota>
<DeployedVmQuota>0</DeployedVmQuota>
<Role
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.role+xml"
name="vApp User"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/role/105" />
<GroupReferences />
</User>
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Import a User from an LDAP Database
If an organization defines an LDAP service to use, an organization or system administrator can import user
accounts from that service.
Importing a group from LDAP imports all the users in the group. See “Import a Group from an LDAP
Database,” on page 183. You can also import users individually.
Prerequisites
nVerify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as an organization administrator or system administrator.
nVerify that your organization has defined an LDAP service to use.
Procedure
1 Create a User element that identifies the LDAP user account to import.
The name attribute of the User element must match the LDAP user name, as specified in the organization's
LDAP properties. You must include the Role element in the request body.
2 POST the User element to the organization's users URL.
The server matches the value of the name attribute in the request body with the value of the LDAP attribute
that the organization specified in the value of the UserName element in the UserAttributes of its
OrgLdapSettings. LDAP attributes such as userPrincipalName or samAccountName are common choices here.
The server imports the user from the organization's LDAP service, and returns an updated User element to the
client.
Example: Import a User from an LDAP Database
This example imports a user to the organization created in “Example: Create an Organization,” on page 133.
The request includes an optional IsEnabled element, so the user is enabled as soon as the import is complete.
The response is a User element, most of which is not shown in the example. The response includes a link that
an administrator can use to edit user metadata, and additional elements, such as IsDefaultCached and
StoredVmQuota, inherited from organization defaults. It also includes a NameInSource element, which contains
the user's name as stored by the LDAP server, using the server's native encoding.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/users
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.user+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<User
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="user@example.com"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.user+xml">
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<IsExternal>true</IsExternal>
<Role
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.role+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/role/105" />
</User>
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Response:
201 Created
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.user+xml
...
<User
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="user@example.com"
id="urn:vcloud:user:85"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.user+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/user/85">
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.user+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/user/85" />
<FullName>Imported User Full Name</FullName>
<EmailAddress>user@example.com</EmailAddress>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<ProviderType>INTEGRATED</ProviderType>
<NameInSource>\F4\D3\42\8E\6A\BC\D3</NameInSource>
<IsAlertEnabled>false</IsAlertEnabled>
<IsDefaultCached>false</IsDefaultCached>
<StoredVmQuota>0</StoredVmQuota>
<DeployedVmQuota>0</DeployedVmQuota>
<Role
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.role+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/role/105" />
<GroupReferences />
</User>
Import a Group from an LDAP Database
If an organization defines an LDAP service to use, an organization or system administrator can import groups
from that service. You cannot create a group. You must import it.
Importing a group from LDAP imports all the users in the group. You can also import users individually. See
“Import a User from an LDAP Database,” on page 182.
Prerequisites
nVerify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as an organization administrator or system administrator.
nVerify that your organization has defined an LDAP service to use.
Procedure
1 Create a Group element that identifies the LDAP group to import.
The name attribute of the Group element must match the LDAP group name, as specified in the organization's
LDAP properties. You must include a Role element in the request body. The role specified in this element
is assigned to all group members during the import.
2 POST the Group element to the organization's groups URL.
The server matches the value of the name attribute in the request body with the value of the LDAP attribute
that the organization specified in the value of the GroupName element in the GroupAttributes of its
OrgLdapSettings. The LDAP cn attribute is a common choice here. The server imports that group and all of its
users from organization's LDAP service, and returns an updated Group element to the client.
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Example: Import a Group from an LDAP Database
This example imports a group to the organization created in “Example: Create an Organization,” on
page 133. The response is a Group element, most of which does not appear in the example. The response includes
a link that an administrator can use to edit group metadata such as name and description, and a UsersList
element that includes a UserReference element for each user in the group. The response also includes a
NameInSource element, which contains the group's name as stored by the LDAP server, using the server's native
encoding.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/groups
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.group+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Group
name="Engineering"
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5">
<Role
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/role/102"/>
</Group>
Response:
201 Created
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.group+xml
...
<Group
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="Engineering"
id="urn:vcloud:group:44"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.group+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/group/44" ...>
<Role
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.role+xml"
name="vApp Wrangler"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/role/102" />
</Group>
Until the import is complete, the Group element contains only partial information. After the import is complete,
the element includes a list of users and other information.
<Group
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="Engineering"
id="urn:vcloud:group:44"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.group+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/group/44" ...>
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.group+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/group/44" />
<Link
rel="remove"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/group/44" />
<Description>Research and development</Description>
<NameInSource>\C5\AF\B9\D4\9E\B5\32\40\AD\C5\E3\8E\17\4C\0D\28</NameInSource>
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<UsersList>
<UserReference
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.user+xml"
name="User-1"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/user/18" />
<UserReference
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.user+xml"
name="User-3"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/user/19" />
</UsersList>
<Role
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.role+xml"
name="vApp Wrangler"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/role/102" />
</Group>
Import a User or Group from a SAML Identity Provider
If your organization defines a SAML identity provider in its OrgFederationSettings, you cannot import the
users or groups as you can from an LDAP service. Instead, you must map the SAML-defined roles of those
users and groups to roles defined in your organization.
Unlike imports from an LDAP service, imports from a SAML identity provider do not actually import
information from an external database. Instead, the operation creates a mapping between a user or group name
in your organization's database and a user or group name defined by your organization's SAML provider. The
vCloud Director database stores these mappings, but does not store any data retrieved from the SAML
provider.
When a user login presents a SAML token to the organization, user and group names in the token are evaluated
using the mappings established by the import operation. This evaluation process can be summarized as
follows:
nIf the SAML token includes an attribute named UserName, try to match the value of that attribute to the
value of the name attribute of the User.
nIf the SAML token does not include an attribute named UserName, try to match the value of the NameId
element to the value of the name attribute of the User.
nIf the SAML token includes an attribute named Groups, assume that the value of that attribute is a list of
group names, and try to match each value in the list to the value of the name attribute of a Group in the
organization. If the
nIf the SAML token does not include an attribute named Groups, assume that the user is not a member of
any group.
Prerequisites
nVerify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as an organization administrator or system administrator.
nVerify that your organization has defined a SAML identity provider in its OrgFederationSettings.
Procedure
1 Create a User or Group element that identifies a user or group defined by your organizations SAML
provider.
2 Include the following line in the User or Group element.
<ProviderType>saml</ProviderType>
3 POST the element to the organization's users or groups URL.
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Example: Import a User from a SAML Identity Provider
This example is identical to the one shown in “Example: Import a User from an LDAP Database,” on
page 182, but includes a ProviderType element that specifies the source as the organization's SAML identity
provider. It also omits the IsExternal element, which is required when importing from LDAP but is ignored
when importing from SAML.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/users
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.user+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<User
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="user@example.com"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.user+xml">
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<ProviderType>saml</ProviderType>
<Role
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.role+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/role/105" />
</User>
Response:
201 Created
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.user+xml
...
<User
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="user@example.com"
id="urn:vcloud:user:85"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.user+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/user/85">
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.user+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/user/85" />
<FullName>Imported User Full Name</FullName>
<EmailAddress>user@example.com</EmailAddress>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<ProviderType>saml</ProviderType>
<NameInSource>\F4\D3\42\8E\6A\BC\D3</NameInSource>
<IsAlertEnabled>false</IsAlertEnabled>
<IsDefaultCached>false</IsDefaultCached>
<StoredVmQuota>0</StoredVmQuota>
<DeployedVmQuota>0</DeployedVmQuota>
<Role
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.role+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/role/105" />
<GroupReferences />
</User>
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Working With Roles and Rights
A role associates a role name with a set of rights. A newly created organization includes a set of predefined
roles and rights inherited from the containing cloud. An organization administrator can add new roles or
modify predefined roles.
vCloud Director uses roles, and their associated rights, to determine whether a user or group is authorized to
perform an operation. When you create or import a user or group, you must assign it a role. You can use one
of the predefined roles, or you can create a role from existing rights.
Predefined roles and rights are properties of a cloud. Roles that an organization administrator creates are
properties of the organization.
NOTE You can create and modify rights associated with extension services, but not those associated with
vCloud Director. See “Create a Service-Specific Right,” on page 300
Predefined Roles and Their Rights
vCloud Director includes predefined roles. Each of these roles includes a set of default rights.
A system administrator can create new roles and modify existing roles, except the System Administrator role.
Table 6-4. Default Rights for the Predefined Roles
System
Administrator
Organization
Administrator
Catalog
Author vApp Author vApp User
Console Access
Only
vApp:
Create/Reconfigu
re a vApp
X X X X
vApp: Delete a
vApp
X X X X X
vApp: Edit vApp
Properties
X X X X X
vApp:
Start/Stop/Suspe
nd/Reset a vApp
X X X X X
vApp: Share a
vApp
X X X X X
vApp: Copy a
vApp
X X X X X
vApp: Access to
VM Console
X X X X X X
vApp: Change
Owner
X X
vApp: Edit VM
Properties
X X X X X
vApp: Edit VM
Memory
X X X X
vApp: Edit VM
CPU
X X X X
vApp: Edit VM
Network
X X X X X
vApp: Edit VM
Hard Disk
X X X X
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Table 6-4. Default Rights for the Predefined Roles (Continued)
System
Administrator
Organization
Administrator
Catalog
Author vApp Author vApp User
Console Access
Only
vApp: Manage
VM Password
Settings
X X X X X X
Catalog:
Create/Delete a
new Catalog
X X X
Catalog: Edit
Catalog
Properties
X X X
Catalog: Add a
vApp from My
Cloud
X X X X
Catalog: Publish
a Catalog
X X X
Catalog: Share a
Catalog
X X X
Catalog: View
Private and
Shared Catalogs
X X X X
Catalog: View
Published
Catalogs
X X
Catalog: Change
Owner
X X
Catalog Item:
Edit vApp
Template/Media
Properties
X X X
Catalog Item:
Create/Upload a
vApp Template
or Media
X X X
Catalog Item:
Download a
vApp Template
X X X
Catalog Item:
Copy/Move a
vApp Template
or Media
X X X X
Catalog Item:
View vApp
Templates and
Media
X X X X X
Catalog Item:
Add to My Cloud
X X X X X
Organization:
Edit
Organization
Properties
X X
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Table 6-4. Default Rights for the Predefined Roles (Continued)
System
Administrator
Organization
Administrator
Catalog
Author vApp Author vApp User
Console Access
Only
Organization:
Edit SMTP
Settings
X X
Organization:
Edit Quotas
Policy
X X
Organization:
View
Organizations
X X
Organization:
Edit
Organization
vDC Network
Properties
X X
Organization:
View
Organization
vDC Networks
X X
Organization:
Edit Leases
Policy
X X
Organization:
Edit Password
Policy
X X
Organization
vDC: View
Organization
vDCs
X X
User: View
Group/User
X X
General: Send
Notification
X X
General:
Administrator
Control
X X
General:
Administrator
View
X X
Create a Role
An organization administrator can create a role by aggregating a set of rights in a Role element and POSTing
it to the organization's add URL for roles.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as an organization administrator or system administrator.
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Procedure
1 Create a Role element that defines the role with a name and a set of rights.
To get the RightReference objects you will need to populate the Role, retrieve the administrative view of
the cloud, using a request like this one:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin
2 POST the Role element to the organization's add URL for roles.
See the request portion of “Example: Create a Role,” on page 190.
The server creates a Role element and returns its representation to the client.
Example: Create a Role
This example adds a role named vAppWrangler to the organization created in “Example: Create an
Organization,” on page 133. The response is a Role element, most of which does not appear in the example.
The response includes links that an administrator can use to edit or remove the role.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/roles
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.role+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Role name="vAppWrangler" xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5">
<Description>Create and manage vApps</Description>
<RightReferences>
<RightReference
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml"
name="vApp: View"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/right/16"/>
<RightReference
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml"
name="vApp: Power Operations"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/right/9"/>
<RightReference
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml"
name="vApp: Download"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/right/11"/>
</RightReferences>
</Role>
Response:
201 Created
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.role+xml
...
<Role
name="vAppWrangler"
id="urn:vcloud:role:102"
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/role/102" ...>
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.role+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/role/102"/>
<Link
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rel="remove"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/role/102"/>
<Description>Create and manage vApps</Description>
<RightReferences>
...
</RightReferences>
</Role>
Controlling Access to vApps and Catalogs
An organization administrator can use controlAccess links to control access to vApps and catalogs.
Catalogs and vApps include two types of access control links:
nLinks where rel="down".
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.controlAccess+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/
object-type
/
id
/controlAccess/"/>
Use this kind of link to retrieve the access control settings for the object identified in the href value.
nLinks where rel="controlAccess".
<Link
rel="controlAccess"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.controlAccess+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/
object-type
/
id
/action/controlAccess/"/>
Use this kind of link to specify new access control settings for the object identified in the href value. You
specify the new access control settings in a ControlAccessParams element that you post to the URL that
the href value of this link specifies.
Granting Access to All Members of an Organization
To specify access controls that apply to all members of an organization, an organization administrator can set
IsSharedToEveryone to true and specify an access level in the EveryoneAccessLevel element. The following
ControlAccessParams element grants read access to all members of the organization.
<ControlAccessParams
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5">
<IsSharedToEveryone>true</IsSharedToEveryone>
<EveryoneAccessLevel>ReadOnly</EveryoneAccessLevel>
</ControlAccessParams>
Granting Access to Individual Members of an Organization
To specify access controls that apply to individuals, an organization administrator can set
IsSharedToEveryone to false and specify an access level in an AccessSettings element that the
ControlAccessParams request contains. An AccessSettings element is populated with one or more
AccessSetting elements, each of which assigns an access level to the user identified in the Subject element.
The following ControlAccessParams element grants full control to one user and read-only access to another
user.
<ControlAccessParams
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5">
<IsSharedToEveryone>true</IsSharedToEveryone>
<AccessSettings>
<AccessSetting>
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<Subject
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.user+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/user/40"/>
<AccessLevel>FullControl</AccessLevel>
</AccessSetting>
<AccessSetting>
<Subject
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.user+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/user/45"/>
<AccessLevel>ReadOnly</AccessLevel>
</AccessSetting>
</AccessSettings>
</ControlAccessParams>
The schema reference includes detailed information and examples for controlAccess operations and the
ControlAccessParams element. See “About the Schema Reference,” on page 21.
Viewing or Changing the Owner of a vApp or Catalog
Ownership of a VApp or Catalog object is expressed in an Owner element that you can retrieve from the object.
This element contains a User element that identifies the owner with a reference to a specific user. The initial
owner of an object is the user who created it.
A system administrator can view or change the owner of a VApp or Catalog object using the procedure
documented in “View or Change the Owner of an Object,” on page 79.
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Managing and Monitoring a Cloud 7
The VMware vCloud API includes extensions that support operations on the vSphere platform, which provides
resources to vCloud Director. A system administrator can use these extensions to retrieve or update the
configuration of a cloud, add or remove vSphere resources, and import vApps and media from vCenter.
Only the system administrator can perform vSphere platform operations. Before you attempt these operations,
log in to the System organization with the user name and password of the system administrator account that
was created when vCloud Director was installed. See “Administrator Credentials and Privileges,” on
page 132.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n“Summary of vSphere Platform Extension Requests,” on page 193
n“Retrieve or Update System Settings,” on page 197
n“Attach a vCenter Server,” on page 198
n“Finding Available vCenter Resources,” on page 200
n“Create a Provider vDC,” on page 209
n“Create an External Network,” on page 219
n“Create a Network Pool,” on page 222
n“Import a Virtual Machine from vCenter,” on page 228
n“Relocate a Virtual Machine to a Different Datastore,” on page 231
n“Truststore and Keytab Maintenance,” on page 233
n“Retrieve the vSphere URL of an Object,” on page 236
Summary of vSphere Platform Extension Requests
vSphere platform extension requests allow a system administrator to operate on vSphere platform objects
registered to vCloud Director.
nAPI-URL is a URL of the form https://vcloud.example.com/api.
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nid 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.
Table 7-1. Summary of vSphere Platform Extension Requests
Operation Request Request Body Response
Retrieve a list of Provider
vDCs in the system.
GET API-
URL/admin/extension/
providerVdcReferences
None VMWProviderVdcReference
s
Retrieve a list of external
networks in the system.
GET API-
URL/admin/extension/
externalNetworkReference
s
None VMWExternalNetworkRefer
ences
Retrieve a list of network
pools in the system.
GET API-
URL/admin/extension/
networkPoolReferences
None VMWNetworkPoolReference
s
Retrieve a list of vCenter
servers registered to
vCloud Director.
GET API-
URL/admin/extension/vim
ServerReferences
None VMWVimServerReferences
Retrieve information about a
vCenter server.
GET API-
URL/admin/extension/vim
Server/id
None VimServer
Retrieve a list of available
resource pools on a vCenter
server.
GET API-
URL/admin/extension/vim
Server/id/resourcePoolList
None ResourcePoolList
Update vCenter server
settings.
PUT API-
URL/admin/extension/vim
Server/id
VimServer Task
Register a vCenter server and
vShield manager.
POST API-
URL/admin/extension/
action/registervimserver
RegisterVimServerParam
s
RegisterVimServerParams
Unregister a vCenter server
and vShield manager.
POST API-
URL/admin/extension/
action/unregister
None Task
Force reconnection to a
vCenter server.
POST API-
URL/admin/extension/
vimServer/id/
action/forcevimserverreco
nnect
None Task
Retrieve a list of ESX/ESXi
hosts in the system.
GET API-
URL/admin/extension/host
References
None VMWHostReferences
Retrieve information about a
host.
GET API-
URL/admin/extension/hos
t/id
None Host
Prepare a host. POST API-
URL/admin/extension/hos
t/id/action/prepare
PrepareHostParams Task
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Table 7-1. Summary of vSphere Platform Extension Requests (Continued)
Operation Request Request Body Response
Unprepare a host. POST API-
URL/admin/extension/hos
t/id/action/unprepare
None Task
Enable a host. POST API-
URL/admin/extension/hos
t/id/action/enable
None Task
Disable a host. POST API-
URL/admin/extension/hos
t/id/action/disable
None Task
Repair a host. POST API-
URL/admin/extension/hos
t/id/action/repair
None 204 No Content
Upgrade a host. POST API-
URL/admin/extension/hos
t/id/action/upgrade
None Task
Create a Provider vDC.
[NEW]
POST API-
URL/admin/extension/pro
vidervdcsparams
VMWProviderVdcParams VMWProviderVdc
Create a Provider vDC.
[DEPRECATED]
POST API-
URL/admin/extension/pro
vidervdcs
VMWProviderVdc VMWProviderVdc
Retrieve a Provider vDC. GET API-
URL/admin/extension/pro
vidervdc/id
None VMWProviderVdc
Update a Provider vDC. PUT API-
URL/admin/extension/pro
vidervdc/id
VMWProviderVdc VMWProviderVdc
Enable a Provider vDC. POST API-
URL/admin/extension/pro
vidervdc/id/action/enable
None 204 No Content
Disable a Provider vDC. POST API-
URL/admin/extension/pro
vidervdc/id/action/disable
None 204 No Content
Delete a Provider vDC. DELETE API-
URL/admin/extension/pro
vidervdc/id
None Task
Create an external network. POST API-
URL/admin/extension/exte
rnalnets
VMWExternalNetwork VMWExternalNetwork
Retrieve an external network. GET API-
URL/admin/extension/exte
rnalnet/id
None VMWExternalNetwork
Update an external network. PUT API-
URL/admin/extension/exte
rnalnet/id
VMWExternalNetwork VMWExternalNetwork
Delete an external network. DELETE API-
URL/admin/extension/exte
rnalnet/id
None Task
Create a network pool. POST API-
URL/admin/extension/net
workPools
VMWNetworkPool VMWNetworkPool
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Table 7-1. Summary of vSphere Platform Extension Requests (Continued)
Operation Request Request Body Response
Retrieve a network pool. GET API-
URL/admin/extension/net
workPool/id
None VMWNetworkPool
Update a network pool. PUT API-
URL/admin/extension/net
workPool/id
VMWNetworkPool VMWNetworkPool
Delete a network pool. DELETE API-
URL/admin/extension/net
workPool/id
None Task
Import a virtual machine
from vCenter as a vApp.
POST API-
URL/admin/extension/
vimServer/
id/importVmAsVapp
ImportVmAsVAppParams VApp
Import a virtual machine
from vCenter as a vApp
template.
POST API-
URL/admin/extension/
vimServer/
id/importVmAsVappTemp
late
ImportVmAsVAppTemplate
Params
VAppTemplate
Retrieve the representation of
a datastore.
GET API-
URL/admin/extension/data
store/id
None Datastore
Enable a datastore. POST API-
URL/admin/extension/data
store/id/action/enable
None Datastore
Disable a datastore. POST API-
URL/admin/extension/data
store/id/action/disable
None Datastore
Update a datastore. PUT API-
URL/admin/extension/data
store/id
Datastore Datastore
Delete a datastore. DELETE API-
URL/admin/extension/data
store/id
None 204 No Content
Import a virtual machine
from vCenter into an existing
vApp.
POST API-
URL/admin/extension/
vimServer/
id/importVmIntoExistingV
App
ImportVmIntoExistingVA
ppParams
Task
Import a media image from
vCenter.
POST API-
URL/admin/extension/vim
Server/id/importMedia
ImportMediaParams Media
Enable a resource pool. POST API-
URL/admin/extension/reso
urcePool/id/action/enable
None 204 No Content
Disable a resource pool. POST API-
URL/admin/extension/reso
urcePool/id/action/disable
None 204 No Content
Place a vApp in maintenance
mode to prevent users from
changing vApp metadata.
POST API-
URL/vApp/
id/action/enterMaintenanc
eMode
None 204 No Content
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Table 7-1. Summary of vSphere Platform Extension Requests (Continued)
Operation Request Request Body Response
Remove a vApp from
maintenance mode.
POST API-
URL/vApp/
id/action/exitMaintenance
Mode
None 204 No Content
Relocate a virtual machine in
a vApp template to a
different datastore.
[DEPRECATED]
POST API-
URL/vAppTemplate/vm-
id/action/relocate
RelocateParams Task
Relocate a virtual machine to
a different datastore.
[DEPRECATED]
POST API-URL/vApp/vm-
id/action/relocate
RelocateParams Task
Migrate a virtual machines to
a different resource pool.
[NEW]
POST API-
URL/admin/extension/reso
urcePool/
id/action/migrateVms
MigrateParams Task
Retrieve a URL that you can
use to access a vSphere object
with a vSphere client. [NEW]
GET API-
URL/admin/extension/vim
Server/id/vimObjType/
vimObjMoref/vSphereWeb
ClientUrl
None VSphereWebClientUrl
Merge Provider vDCs.
[NEW]
PUT API-
URL/admin/extension/pro
vidervdc/id/action/merge
None 204 No Content
Retrieve the list of storage
profiles that exist on a
vCenter server. [NEW]
GET API-
URL/admin/extension/vim
Server/id/storageProfiles
None VMWStorageProfiles
Refresh the list of storage
profiles that exist on a
vCenter server. [NEW]
POST API-
URL/admin/extension/vim
Server/
id/action/refreshStoragePr
ofiles
None Task
Register vCloud Director so
that it appears as an
extension in the vSphere
Client Soultions Manager
tab. [NEW]
POST API-
URL/admin/extension/vim
Server/id/action/refresh
None Task
Retrieve or Update System Settings
A system administrator can retrieve or update a cloud-wide set of system properties. These properties specify
default values and behaviors for the cloud and all of the organizations in it.
The SystemSettings element includes all system settings for this cloud. The element also includes links that
allow you to retrieve these subsidiary elements, which define specific categories of settings.
GeneralSettings Control the configuration and behavior of the entire cloud.
NotificationsSettings Control the vCloud Director AMQP notifications service.
LdapSettings Specify details of the system LDAP directory service.
AmqpSettings Specify credentials and connection information for the AMQP broker that
handles notifications and blocking task messages.
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EmailSettings Define configuration and connection parameters for the system default email
service, and specifies properties of email alerts that the system sends.
License System license serial number and related settings.
BrandingSettings Allow you to customize the branding of the vCloud Director client UI and some
of the links that appear on the vCloud Director Home login screen.
BlockingTaskSettings Control the behavior of blocking tasks and enable blocking for specific
operations.
PasswordPolicySettings Specify default policies to be followed when a user in any organization enters
an incorrect password. Organization administrators can override this default
for their organization.
You can retrieve the entire SystemSettings element to view all of these settings. To update an individual
subsection, retrieve it with a GET request, modify it, and update it with a PUT request.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the SystemSettings element.
Use a request like this one.
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/settings
2 Examine the response to locate the Link elements that you can use to retrieve an individual subsection.
These links have a rel attribute value of down.
3 Use the link to retrieve the subsection.
Make a GET request to the href value of the link.
4 (Optional) Modify the retrieved subsection.
Subsections that you can modify include a link where rel="edit".
5 (Optional) To update the subsection, PUT the modified subsection to the href of the link described in
Step 4.
Attach a vCenter Server
A system administrator can register a vCenter server and a companion vShield Manager server for use in a
cloud by making a POST request to the cloud’s action/registervimserver URL and supplying a
RegisterVimServerParams request body.
Prerequisites
nVerify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
nVerify that you know the name, IP address, and administrator password of the vCenter server and vShield
Manager server.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of the vSphere platform extensions.
Use a request like this one.
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension
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2 Examine the response to locate the Link element that contains the URL for adding vCenter servers to the
cloud.
This element has a rel attribute value of add and a type attribute value of
application/vnd.vmware.admin.registerVimServerParams+xml, as shown here:
<Link
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.registerVimServerParams+xml"
rel="add"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/action/registervimserver"/>
3 Create a RegisterVimServerParams element that includes the information required to register the vCenter
server and vShield manager.
4 POST the RegisterVimServerParams element you created in Step 3 to the URL described in Step 2.
See the request portion of “Example: Register a vCenter Server and vShield Manager,” on page 199.
Example: Register a vCenter Server and vShield Manager
You must supply the user name and password of the vCenter administrator in the request. The response
includes vCloud URLs for the newly registered vCenter and vShield Manager servers, and omits the password.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/action/registervimserver
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.registerVimServerParams+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<vmext:RegisterVimServerParams
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5">
<vmext:VimServer
name="VC-22">
<vmext:Username>Administrator</vmext:Username>
<vmext:Password>Pa55w0rd</vmext:Password>
<vmext:Url>https://10.100.121.123:443</vmext:Url>
<vmext:IsEnabled>false</vmext:IsEnabled>
</vmext:VimServer>
<vmext:ShieldManager
name="VSM-VC-22">
<vmext:Username>Administrator</vmext:Username>
<vmext:Password>Pa55w0rd</vmext:Password>
<vmext:Url>https://10.100.121.66</vmext:Url>
</vmext:ShieldManager>
</vmext:RegisterVimServerParams>
Response:
200 OK
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.registerVimServerParams+xml
...
<vmext:RegisterVimServerParams
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5">
<vmext:VimServer
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwvirtualcenter+xml"
name="VC-22"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/100">
...
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</vmext:VimServer>
<vmext:ShieldManager
...
</vmext:ShieldManager>
</vmext:RegisterVimServerParams>
Finding Available vCenter Resources
Many of the operations required to import virtual machines or create Provider vDCs, external networks, and
network pools require you to identify vCenter resources and obtain references to them. You use these references
to make the vCenter resources available in the cloud.
Every vCenter server registered to your cloud is represented as a VimServerReference element in the cloud's
vimServerReferences list. You can retrieve one of these references to get a detailed representation of the server
object, including links to the server's resource pools, networks, ESX/ESXi hosts, and virtual machines.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the list of vCenter servers registered to this cloud.
Use a request like this one.
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServerReferences
2 Retrieve the representation of a vCenter server.
The response to the request you made in Step 1 contains a list of VimServerReference elements. You can
make a GET request to any of these references to retrieve the XML representation of a vCenter server
registered to this cloud.
The VimServer element returned in response to the request you made in Step 2 includes several Link elements
where rel="down". These links contain URLs that you can use to retrieve lists of references to vCenter resources
on this server.
Table 7-2. vCenter Resource Lists
List URL List Contents
https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extensio
n/vimServer/
id
/vmsList
References to virtual machines in this vCenter server's
inventory
https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extensio
n/vimServer/
id
/hostReferences
References to ESX/ESXi hosts in this vCenter server's
inventory
https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extensio
n/vimServer/
id
/resourcePoolList
ResourcePool objects
https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extensio
n/vimServer/
id
/networks
VimObjectRef elements of type DV_PORTGROUP and
NETWORK
https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extensio
n/vimServer/
id
/storageProfiles
VMWStorageProfile objects.
Example: Resources on a vCenter Server
Request:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9
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Response:
200 OK
...
<vmext:VimServer
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="VC22"
id="urn:vcloud:vimserver:9"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwvirtualcenter+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9" ...>
...
<vcloud:Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmsObjectRefsList+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9/vmsList" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwHostReferences+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9/hostReferences" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.resourcePoolList+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9/resourcePoolList" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vimServerNetworks+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9/networks" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwStorageProfiles+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9/storageProfiles" />
...
<vmext:Username>administrator</vmext:Username>
<vmext:Url>https://10.115.124.37:443</vmext:Url>
<vmext:IsEnabled>true</vmext:IsEnabled>
<vmext:IsConnected>true</vmext:IsConnected>
<vmext:ShieldManagerHost>10.115.124.1</vmext:ShieldManagerHost>
<vmext:ShieldManagerUserName>admin</vmext:ShieldManagerUserName>
<vmext:ShieldManagerUserName>admin</vmext:ShieldManagerUserName>
<vmext:Uuid>44D5DAAA-7F3E-456D-B1CB-8288D7308AD6</vmext:Uuid>
<vmext:VcProxy>cell1</vmext:VcProxy>
<vmext:VcVersion>5.0.0</vmext:VcVersion>
<vmext:UseVsphereService>false</vmext:UseVsphereService>
</vmext:VimServer>
Retrieve a List of Resource Pools from a vCenter Server
You can retrieve the list of resource pools available on a vCenter server registered to a cloud. To retrieve the
list, you make a GET request to the server's resourcePoolList link.
The ResourcePoolList of a VimServer element contains an entry for every available resource pool on the server.
Resource pools that a provider vDC is already using are not listed, because they are considered unavailable.
See “Finding Available vCenter Resources,” on page 200.
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Prerequisites
nVerify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
nRetrieve the XML representation of a vCenter server registered to your cloud. See “Finding Available
vCenter Resources,” on page 200.
Procedure
1 Examine the VimServer element to locate its resourcePoolList link.
The link has the following form:
<vcloud:Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.resourcePoolList+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9/resourcePoolList" />
2 Retrieve the list of resource pools.
See “Example: Retrieve a List of Resource Pools from a vCenter Server,” on page 202. If the list is empty,
all resource pools on the server are already in use.
Example: Retrieve a List of Resource Pools from a vCenter Server
Request:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9/resourcePoolList
Response:
200 OK
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.resourcepoollist+xml
...
<vmext:ResourcePoolList
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.resourcePoolList+xml" ... >
<vcloud:Link
rel="up"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwvirtualcenter+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9" />
<vmext:ResourcePool
name="cluster2">
<vmext:MoRef>resgroup-195</vmext:MoRef>
<vmext:VimObjectType>RESOURCE_POOL</vmext:VimObjectType>
<vmext:DataStoreRefs>
<vmext:VimObjectRef>
<vmext:VimServerRef
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwvirtualcenter+xml"
name="vc9-ds1"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9" />
<vmext:MoRef>datastore-172</vmext:MoRef>
<vmext:VimObjectType>DATASTORE</vmext:VimObjectType>
</vmext:VimObjectRef>
<vmext:VimObjectRef>
<vmext:VimServerRef
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwvirtualcenter+xml"
name="vc9-ds2"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9" />
<vmext:MoRef>datastore-173</vmext:MoRef>
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<vmext:VimObjectType>DATASTORE</vmext:VimObjectType>
</vmext:VimObjectRef>
</vmext:DataStoreRefs>
</vmext:ResourcePool>
<vmext:ResourcePool
name="cluster3">
<vmext:MoRef>resgroup-230</vmext:MoRef>
<vmext:VimObjectType>RESOURCE_POOL</vmext:VimObjectType>
<vmext:DataStoreRefs>
<vmext:VimObjectRef>
<vmext:VimServerRef
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwvirtualcenter+xml"
name="vc9-ds10"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9" />
<vmext:MoRef>datastore-174</vmext:MoRef>
<vmext:VimObjectType>DATASTORE</vmext:VimObjectType>
</vmext:VimObjectRef>
</vmext:DataStoreRefs>
</vmext:ResourcePool>
...
</vmext:ResourcePoolList>
Retrieve a List of Available Portgroups and Switches from a vCenter Server
You can retrieve the list of available portgroups and switches that are available on a vCenter server registered
to a cloud. To retrieve the list, make a GET request to the server's networks link.
Retrieving the networks link from a VimServer element returns a VimObjectRefList element that contains
references to available DV_SWITCH, DV_PORTGOUP, and NETWORK objects on the server. Objects that have already
been consumed in the creation of an external network are not listed. See “Finding Available vCenter
Resources,” on page 200.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of a vCenter server registered to your cloud.
2 Examine the response, a VimServer element, to locate the networks link.
This link has the following form:
<vcloud:Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vimServerNetworks+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9/networks" />
3 Retrieve the list of network resources.
See “Example: Retrieve a List of Available Portgroups and Switches from a vCenter Server,” on
page 203. If the list is empty, all network resources on the server are already in use.
Example: Retrieve a List of Available Portgroups and Switches from a vCenter
Server
Request:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9/networks
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Response:
200 OK
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.vimservernetworks+xml
...
<vmext:VimObjectRefList
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" ... >
<vcloud:Link
rel="up"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwvirtualcenter+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9" />
<vmext:VimObjectRefs>
<vmext:VimObjectRef>
<vmext:VimServerRef
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwvirtualcenter+xml"
name="vc9"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9" />
<vmext:MoRef>dvportgroup-32</vmext:MoRef>
<vmext:VimObjectType>DV_PORTGROUP</vmext:VimObjectType>
</vmext:VimObjectRef>
<vmext:VimObjectRef>
<vmext:VimServerRef
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwvirtualcenter+xml"
name=""
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9" />
<vmext:MoRef>network-175</vmext:MoRef>
<vmext:VimObjectType>NETWORK</vmext:VimObjectType>
</vmext:VimObjectRef>
</vmext:VimObjectRefs>
</vmext:VimObjectRefList>
Retrieve a List of External Networks and Network Pools
You can retrieve a list of external networks and network pools that have been created on a vCenter server
registered to a cloud.
A reference to an external network is required when you create an Edge Gateway. A reference to a network
pool is usually required when you create an organization vDC. These resources do not exist in a new
vCloud Director installation. A system administrator must create them, as described in “Create an External
Network,” on page 219 and “Create a Network Pool,” on page 222.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of your cloud.
Use a request like this one:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension
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2 Examine the response, a VMWExtension element, to locate the links to lists of external networks and network
pools.
These links have the following form:
<vcloud:Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwExternalNetworkReferences+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/externalNetworkReferences" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwNetworkPoolReferences+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/networkPoolReferences" />
3 Make a GET request to the link that represents the object type of interest.
See “Example: Retrieve a List of External Networks,” on page 205.
Example: Retrieve a List of External Networks
Request:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/externalNetworkReferences
Each reference to an external network includes its type, name, and href attributes, as shown in this example.
Response:
<vmext:VMWExternalNetworkReferences ... >
...
<vmext:ExternalNetworkReference
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.extension.network+xml"
name="VC0"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/externalnet/85" />
<vmext:ExternalNetworkReference
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.extension.network+xml"
name="VC1"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/externalnet/302" />
...
</vmext:VMWExternalNetworkReferences>
The corresponding element for network pools, VMWNetworkPoolReferences, is similar. In most cases, you can
supply just the href attribute value when you specify an external network or network pool in an organization
network creation request. You can retrieve additional information about the external network or network pool
by making a GET request to its href attribute value.
Retrieve a List of Virtual Machines from a vCenter Server
You can retrieve the list of virtual machines in the inventory of a vCenter server that is registered to a cloud.
To retrieve the list, make a GET request to the server's vmsList link.
When you import a virtual machine from vCenter, your request must supply a reference to the vCenter server
and a VIM object reference to the virtual machine. See “Finding Available vCenter Resources,” on page 200.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of a vCenter server registered to your cloud.
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2 Examine the response, a VimServer element, to locate the vmsList link.
This link has the following form:
<vcloud:Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmsObjectRefsList+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9/vmsList" />
3 Retrieve the list of virtual machines.
See the request portion of “Example: Retrieve a List of Virtual Machines from a vCenter Server,” on
page 206. If the list is empty, no virtual machines are in the server's inventory.
Example: Retrieve a List of Virtual Machines from a vCenter Server
Request:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9/vmsList
Response:
200 OK
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmsobjectrefslist+xml
...
<vmext:VmObjectRefsList
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
page="1"
numberOfPages="1"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" ... >
<vmext:VmObjectRef
name="RH5u3_32bit">
<vmext:VimServerRef
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwvirtualcenter+xml"
name="vc2-v41u1"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9" />
<vmext:MoRef>vm-41</vmext:MoRef>
<vmext:VimObjectType>VIRTUAL_MACHINE</vmext:VimObjectType>
</vmext:VmObjectRef>
<vmext:VmObjectRef
name="W2K3 64 R2">
<vmext:VimServerRef
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwvirtualcenter+xml"
name="vc2-v41u1"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9" />
<vmext:MoRef>vm-43</vmext:MoRef>
<vmext:VimObjectType>VIRTUAL_MACHINE</vmext:VimObjectType>
</vmext:VmObjectRef>
<vmext:VmObjectRef
name="Ubuntu91_32_vt4">
<vmext:VimServerRef
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwvirtualcenter+xml"
name="vc2-v41u1"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9" />
<vmext:MoRef>vm-44</vmext:MoRef>
<vmext:VimObjectType>VIRTUAL_MACHINE</vmext:VimObjectType>
</vmext:VmObjectRef>
</vmext:VmObjectRefsList>
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Retrieve a List of Storage Profiles from a vCenter Server
You can retrieve the list of storage profiles that have been defined on a vCenter server registered to a cloud.
To retrieve the list, you make a GET request to the server's storageProfiles link.
Storage profiles are named configurations of vCenter storage. When you create a Provider vDC, you must
specify the name of at least one storage profile to provide storage capacity for that Provider vDC.
The VMWStorageProfiles of a VimServer element contains an entry for every storage profile that has been
defined on the server. See “Finding Available vCenter Resources,” on page 200.
Prerequisites
nVerify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
nRetrieve the XML representation of a vCenter server registered to your cloud. See “Finding Available
vCenter Resources,” on page 200.
Procedure
1 (Optional) Refresh the cached list of storage profiles.
vCloud Director maintains a cache of the storage profiles that have been created on each of its registered
vCenter servers. The cache is refreshed on a regular schedule, and is likely to contain an up-to-date list.
If a vCenter administrator has recently created a new storage profile, you can force it to be added to the
cache by following these steps.
a Examine the VimServer element to locate its action/refreshStorageProfiles link.
The link has the following form:
<vcloud:Link
rel="refreshStorageProfiles"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9/action/refreshStoragePro
files" />
b Refresh the cached list of storage profiles from the vCenter server.
Use a request like this one.
POST
https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9/action/refreshStorageProfiles
The response is a Task. When the task completes, the cached list of storage profiles on the vCenter
server has been updated.
2 Examine the VimServer element to locate its storageProfiles link.
The link has the following form:
<vcloud:Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.storageProfiles+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9/storageProfiles" />
3 Retrieve the list of storage profiles.
See “Example: Retrieve a List of Storage Profiles from a vCenter Server,” on page 208.
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Example: Retrieve a List of Storage Profiles from a vCenter Server
Request:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9/storageProfiles
This response shows that the specified vCenter server contains three storage profiles, named Gold, Silver, and
Bronze. Storage profile details, including datastore identifiers and capacities, are included in the response, but
only the value of the name attribute of a VMWStorageProfile is needed when adding that storage profile to a
Provider vDC.
Response:
200 OK
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwstorageprofiles+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<vmext:VMWStorageProfiles
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
...>
...
<vmext:VMWStorageProfile
name="Gold">
<vmext:MoRef>storageProfile-CFAA6D92-36FC-4C16-9B30-FAC79B902371</vmext:MoRef>
<vmext:VimObjectType>STORAGE_PROFILE</vmext:VimObjectType>
<vmext:FreeStorageMb>169203.0</vmext:FreeStorageMb>
<vmext:TotalStorageMb>325120.0</vmext:TotalStorageMb>
<vmext:DataStoreRefs>
<vmext:VimObjectRef>
<vmext:VimServerRef
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwvirtualcenter+xml"
name=""
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9" />
<vmext:MoRef>datastore-44</vmext:MoRef>
<vmext:VimObjectType>DATASTORE</vmext:VimObjectType>
</vmext:VimObjectRef>
<vmext:VimObjectRef>
<vmext:VimServerRef
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwvirtualcenter+xml"
name=""
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9" />
<vmext:MoRef>datastore-45</vmext:MoRef>
<vmext:VimObjectType>DATASTORE</vmext:VimObjectType>
</vmext:VimObjectRef>
</vmext:DataStoreRefs>
</vmext:VMWStorageProfile>
<vmext:VMWStorageProfile
name="Silver">
...
</vmext:VMWStorageProfile>
<vmext:VMWStorageProfile
name="Bronze">
...
</vmext:VMWStorageProfile>
</vmext:VMWStorageProfiles>
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Create a Provider vDC
A Provider vDC is a collection of compute, memory, and storage resources from one vCenter. A Provider vDC
provides resources to organization vDCs.
A Provider vDC is represented as a VMWProviderVdc element in the extension view and a ProviderVdc element
in the admin view. A system administrator can create a VMWProviderVdc or modify it to add or remove
datastores, storage profiles, and resource pools, or change other properties such as its description. A system
administrator cannot change the primary resource pool or vCenter server that was specified when the Provider
vDC was created. An organization administrator can retrieve a read-only representation of a Provider vDC in
a ProviderVdc element. The ProviderVdc element includes a subset of the elements and attributes that are visible
in the corresponding VMWProviderVdc.
Prerequisites
nVerify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
nChoose a vCenter server to supply a resource pool and storage profiles to this Provider vDC. See “Finding
Available vCenter Resources,” on page 200.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of the vSphere platform extensions.
Use a request like this one.
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension
2 Examine the response to locate the Link element that contains the URL for adding Provider vDCs to the
cloud.
This element has a rel attribute value of add and a type attribute value of
application/vnd.vmware.admin.createProviderVdcParams+xml, as shown here:
<Link
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.createProviderVdcParams+xml"
rel="add"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/providervdcsparams"/>
3 Create a VMWProviderVdcParams element that specifies the properties of the Provider vDC.
a Include a VimServer element that references the vCenter server that you have chosen to supply a
resource pool and storage profiles to this Provider vDC.
b Include a ResourcePoolRefs element that specifies one resource pool.
The ResourcePoolRef must contain the href attribute value of the VimServer element you created in
Step 3a, as well as the MoRef and VimObjectType values of the resource pool as they appear in the
ResourcePool and element from the resource pool list. See the request portion of “Example: Create a
Provider vDC,” on page 210.
NOTE You must specify exactly one resource pool when you create the Provider vDC. You can add
more resource pools after the Provider vDC is created.
c Include at least one StorageProfile element that contains the name of a storage profile that has been
defined on the vCenter server referenced in the VimServer element you created in Step 3a.
4 POST the VMWProviderVdc element you created in Step 3 to the URL described in Step 2.
See the request portion of “Example: Create a Provider vDC,” on page 210.
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The server creates and enables the Provider vDC and returns a VMWProviderVdc element that includes
information derived from the contents you POSTed, along with a set of Link elements that you can use to
access, remove, disable, or modify the Provider vDC.
nThe new Provider vDC becomes a member of the ProviderVdcReferences element of the VCloud.
nThe resource pool you selected is removed from the resource pool list of the vCenter server.
nEach storage profile you specified becomes the basis for a ProviderVdcStorageProfile object, and can be
retrieved from the Provider vDC after it has been created, or by using a providerVdcStorageProfile query.
nA VxlanPoolType network pool is created on the vCenter server referenced by the VimServer element you
created in Step 3a and implicitly attached to the new Provider vDC. You can create other types of network
pools on that vCenter server if you want them to be available in the Provider vDC. See “Create a Network
Pool,” on page 222.
Example: Create a Provider vDC
This request creates a Provider vDC specifying a resource pool extracted from the response portion of
“Example: Retrieve a List of Resource Pools from a vCenter Server,” on page 202 and a storage profile extracted
from “Example: Retrieve a List of Storage Profiles from a vCenter Server,” on page 208. The vCenter server
that provides the resources is referenced in the VimServerRef and VimServer elements.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/providervdcsparams
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.createProviderVdcParams+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<vmext:VMWProviderVdcParams
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="PvDC-Example">
<vcloud:Description>Example Provider vDC</vcloud:Description>
<vmext:ResourcePoolRefs>
<vmext:VimObjectRef>
<vmext:VimServerRef
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9" />
<vmext:MoRef>resgroup-195</vmext:MoRef>
<vmext:VimObjectType>RESOURCE_POOL</vmext:VimObjectType>
</vmext:VimObjectRef>
</vmext:ResourcePoolRefs>
<vmext:VimServer
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9" />
<vmext:StorageProfile>Gold</vmext:StorageProfile>
</vmext:VMWProviderVdcParams>
The response includes a Task that tracks the creation of the Provider vDC, and a set of Link elements that you
can use to operate on or modify the Provider vDC. It also includes read-only values for ComputeCapacity and
SupportedHardwareVersions, and a list of HostReferences identifying the ESX hosts that provide the resources.
Response:
201 Created
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwprovidervdc+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<vmext:VMWProviderVdc
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
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xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
status="0"
name="PvDC-Example"
id="urn:vcloud:providervdc:35"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwprovidervdc+xml" ... >
<vcloud:Link
rel="up"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwProviderVdcReferences+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/providerVdcReferences" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="alternate"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.providervdc+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/providervdc/35" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="update:resourcePools"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.resourcePoolSetUpdateParams+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/providervdc/35/action/updateResourcePools"
/>
<vcloud:Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwProviderVdcResourcePool+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/providervdc/35/resourcePools" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwStorageProfiles+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/providervdc/35/availableStorageProfiles" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vdcReferences+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/providervdc/35/vdcReferences" />
<vcloud:Description>Example Provider vDC</vcloud:Description>
<vcloud:Tasks>
<vcloud:Task
...
operation="Creating Provider Virtual Datacenter PvDC-Example(35)">
...
</vcloud:Task>
</vcloud:Tasks>
<vcloud:ComputeCapacity>
<vcloud:Cpu>
<vcloud:Units>MHz</vcloud:Units>
<vcloud:Allocation>0</vcloud:Allocation>
<vcloud:Total>0</vcloud:Total>
<vcloud:Used>0</vcloud:Used>
<vcloud:Overhead>0</vcloud:Overhead>
</vcloud:Cpu>
<vcloud:Memory>
<vcloud:Units>MB</vcloud:Units>
<vcloud:Allocation>0</vcloud:Allocation>
<vcloud:Total>0</vcloud:Total>
<vcloud:Used>0</vcloud:Used>
<vcloud:Overhead>0</vcloud:Overhead>
</vcloud:Memory>
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</vcloud:ComputeCapacity>
<AvailableNetworks>
<Network
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.network+xml"
name="VC1-VLAN48"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/network/297" />
</AvailableNetworks>
<StorageProfiles>
<ProviderVdcStorageProfile
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.pvdcStorageProfile+xml"
name="Gold"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/pvdcStorageProfile/101" />
</StorageProfiles>
<Capabilities>
<SupportedHardwareVersions>
<SupportedHardwareVersion>vmx-04</SupportedHardwareVersion>
<SupportedHardwareVersion>vmx-07</SupportedHardwareVersion>
<SupportedHardwareVersion>vmx-08</SupportedHardwareVersion>
</SupportedHardwareVersions>
</Capabilities>
<IsEnabled>true</IsEnabled>
<vcloud:NetworkPoolReferences>
<vcloud:NetworkPoolReference
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.networkPool+xml"
name="VXLAN01"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/networkPool/69c0a96e-1151-439d-
b8f6-2e2a11785c9f" />
</vcloud:NetworkPoolReferences>
<vmext:DataStoreRefs />
<vmext:ResourcePoolRefs>
<vmext:VimObjectRef>
<vmext:VimServerRef
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwvirtualcenter+xml"
name="VC-A"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9" />
<vmext:MoRef>resgroup-195</vmext:MoRef>
<vmext:VimObjectType>RESOURCE_POOL</vmext:VimObjectType>
</vmext:VimObjectRef>
</vmext:ResourcePoolRefs>
<vmext:VimServer
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwvirtualcenter+xml"
name="ConfigWizard Configured vCenter"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9" />
<vmext:HostReferences>
<vmext:HostReference
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.host+xml"
name="ESX01.vcloud.example.com"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/host/83" />
<vmext:HostReference
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.host+xml"
name="ESX02.vcloud.example.com"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/host/261" />
</vmext:HostReferences>
</vmext:VMWProviderVdc>
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Retrieve a Provider vDC Resource Pool Set
The VMWProviderVdcResourcePoolSet of a Provider vDC contains information about all of the Provider vDC's
resource pools. Getting this information is usually a prerequisite to adding or removing a resource pool.
Each reference in a VMWProviderVdcResourcePoolSet lists the vCenter server that provides the resource pool
and indicates whether the resource pool is primary. All resource pools in a VMWProviderVdcResourcePoolSet
must come from the same vCenter server.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of the Provider vDC.
Use a request like this one:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/providervdc/35
2 Locate the resourcePools link in the VMWProviderVdc.
Every VMWProviderVdc element includes a link like this one to the Provider vDC's resource pools.
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwProviderVdcResourcePoolSet+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/providervdc/35/resourcePools"/>
3 Retrieve the VMWProviderVdcResourcePoolSet for the Provider vDC.
See “Example: Retrieve a Resource Pool Set,” on page 213.
Example: Retrieve a Resource Pool Set
This example lists the resource pools for the Provider vDC created in “Example: Create a Provider vDC,” on
page 210. The response is a VMWProviderVdcResourcePoolSet that contains two resource pools, one of which is
designated primary. Both reference the same vCenter server at
https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9.
Request:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/providervdc/35/resourcePools
Response:
200 OK
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwprovidervdcresourcepoolset+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<vmext:VMWProviderVdcResourcePoolSet
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5" ... >
<vcloud:Link
rel="up"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwprovidervdc+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/providervdc/35" />
<vmext:VMWProviderVdcResourcePool
primary="true">
<vcloud:Link
rel="migrateVms"
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href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/resourcePool/64/action/migrateVms" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="resourcePoolVmList"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/resourcePool/64/vmList" />
<vmext:ResourcePoolVimObjectRef>
<vmext:VimServerRef
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwvirtualcenter+xml"
name="ConfigWizard Configured vCenter"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9" />
<vmext:MoRef>resgroup-235</vmext:MoRef>
<vmext:VimObjectType>RESOURCE_POOL</vmext:VimObjectType>
</vmext:ResourcePoolVimObjectRef>
<vmext:ResourcePoolRef
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwProviderVdcResourcePool+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/resourcePool/64" />
<vmext:Enabled>true</vmext:Enabled>
</vmext:VMWProviderVdcResourcePool>
</vmext:VMWProviderVdcResourcePoolSet>
Update Provider vDC Resource Pools
A system administrator can update the resource pool set of an existing Provider vDC to add or remove resource
pools. Adding resource pools allows organization vDCs that reference the Provider vDC to consume additional
resources during periods of high demand. Removing resource pools frees the underlying resources.
When you create a Provider vDC, it initially contains a single resource pool, called the primary resource pool.
Adding secondary resource pools allows a Provider vDC to support resource elasticity in organization vDCs
that use the AllocationPool or AllocationVApp (pay as you go) allocation model. Resource elasticity allows an
organization vDC's compute resources to grow or shrink on demand.
All of a Provider vDC's resource pools must come from the same vCenter. See “Retrieve a List of Resource
Pools from a vCenter Server,” on page 201.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of the Provider vDC.
Use a request like this one:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/providervdc/35
2 Locate the updateResourcePools link in the VMWProviderVdc.
Every VMWProviderVdc element includes an action link like this one to the Provider vDC's
updateResourcePools action.
<Link
rel="update:resourcePools"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwProviderVdcResourcePoolSet+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/providervdc/35/action/updateResourcePool
s"/>
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3 Retrieve the resource pool list from the Provider vDC.
The VMWProviderVdcResourcePoolSet contains references to the Provider vDC's existing resource pools
and the vCenter server that hosts them.
4 Update the resource pool set.
To add resource pools:
a Choose another resource pool from the same vCenter server.
b Create an UpdateResourcePoolSetParams element that contains an AddItem element for each resource
pool to add.
To remove resource pools:
a Examine the resource pool list and find the pool to remove.
b Verify the pool is not the primary resource pool, and that no virtual machines are using it.
If necessary, use the action/migrateVms link to migrate virtual machines to another resource pool.
c Create an UpdateResourcePoolSetParams element that contains a DeleteItem element for each resource
pool to remove.
5 POST the UpdateResourcePoolSetParams element to the Provider vDC's resourcePools link.
Example: Update Provider vDC Resource Pools
This request adds a resource pool to the Provider vDC created in “Example: Create a Provider vDC,” on
page 210. The additional resource pool is hosted on the same vCenter server that hosts the existing resource
pool. See “Retrieve a List of Resource Pools from a vCenter Server,” on page 201 for an example that lists the
resource pools available on that server.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/providervdc/35/action/updateResourcePools
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.resourcePoolSetUpdateParams+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<vmext:UpdateResourcePoolSetParams
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5">
<vmext:AddItem>
<vmext:VimServerRef
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwvirtualcenter+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9" />
<vmext:MoRef>resgroup-230</vmext:MoRef>
<vmext:VimObjectType>RESOURCE_POOL</vmext:VimObjectType>
</vmext:AddItem>
</vmext:UpdateResourcePoolSetParams>
Response:
202 Accepted
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.task+xml
...
<Task ... >
...
</Task>
This request removes one of the two resource pools (a secondary resource pool) shown in “Retrieve a Provider
vDC Resource Pool Set,” on page 213. The response is a task.
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Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/providervdc/35/action/updateResourcePools
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.resourcePoolSetUpdateParams+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<vmext:UpdateResourcePoolSetParams
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5">
<vmext:DeleteItem
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/resourcePool/66" />
</vmext:UpdateResourcePoolSetParams>
Response:
202 Accepted
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.task+xml
...
<Task ... >
...
</Task>
Update Provider vDC Storage Profiles
A system administrator can update the storage profiles that are included in a Provider vDC. New storage
profiles can be added, and unused storage profiles can be removed.
Storage profiles can be created by a vCenter administrator on any vCenter server that supports the profile-
driven storage feature. A Provider vDC can provide access to any of the storage profiles that have been created
on its vCenter server (the one referenced in its vmext:VimServer element). A vCloud Director system
administrator must specify at least one vCenter storage profile when creating a Provider vDC, and can add or
remove storage profiles later as needed. Organization vDCs reference Provider vDC storage profiles in much
the same way that Provider vDCs reference vCenter storage profiles. Media and Disk objects, as well as vApps
and virtual machines reference organization vDC storage profiles by name.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of the Provider vDC.
Use a request like this one:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/providervdc/35
2 Examine the VMWProviderVdc element to find the storageProfiles link and the vmext:VimServer element.
The storageProfiles link has the following form:
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.updateProviderVdcStorageProfiles+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/providervdc/35/storageProfiles" />
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3 Create an UpdateProviderVdcStorageProfiles request body that specifies the details of the update.
To add a storage profile:
a Choose another storage profile from the vCenter server referenced in the vmext:VimServer element
you located in Step 2.
b Create an UpdateProviderVdcStorageProfiles element that contains an AddStorageProfile element
for each storage profile to add.
To remove a storage profile:
a Retrieve the Provider vDC's availableStorageProfiles list and find the name of the profile to remove.
Use a request like this one:
GET
https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/providervdc/35/availableStorageProfiles
b Verify that no organization vDCs are using the storage profile you want to remove.
c Create an UpdateProviderVdcStorageProfiles element that contains a RemoveStorageProfile element
for each storage profile to remove.
4 POST the UpdateProviderVdcStorageProfiles element to the Provider vDC's storageProfiles link.
The server returns a Task element that you can use to track the progress of the update. When the update is
complete, the Provider vDC includes the updated set of storage profiles in its StorageProfiles element. Each
storage profile you added becomes the basis for a ProviderVdcStorageProfile object, and can be retrieved from
the Provider vDC after it has been created, or by using a providerVdcStorageProfile query.
Example: Update Provider vDC Storage Profiles
This request adds a storage profile named Bronze to the Provider vDC created in “Example: Create a Provider
vDC,” on page 210. The new storage profile is hosted on the same vCenter server that hosts the existing storage
profile. See “Retrieve a List of Storage Profiles from a vCenter Server,” on page 207 for an example that lists
the storage profiles available on that server.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/providervdc/35/action/updateStorageProfiles
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.updateProviderVdcStorageProfiles+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<vmext:UpdateProviderVdcStorageProfiles
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5">
<vmext:AddStorageProfile>Bronze</vmext:AddStorageProfile>
</vmext:UpdateProviderVdcStorageProfiles>
Response:
202 Accepted
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.task+xml
...
<Task ... >
...
</Task>
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Merge Provider vDCs
You can merge one or more Provider vDCs with an existing Provider vDC. The merged Provider vDC contains
the union of all resources from the contributing Provider vDCs
In earlier releases of vCloud Director, a Provider vDC could be backed by no more than one resource pool.
This release removes that limitation, and allows you to merge existing Provider vDCs to create a single Provider
vDC that is backed by multiple resource pools. When you merge Provider vDCs, you select one or more
Provider vDCs as contributors and one Provider vDC as the target of the merge. When the merge is complete:
nThe target Provider vDC includes the networks, network pools, storage profiles, resource pools, and
datastores from all of the contributors.
nOrganization vDCs that were backed by the contributors are now backed by the target.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
Procedure
1 Identify the Provider vDCs to merge.
Select contributors that are not backed by the same resource pool as the target. You can use a query like
this one to discover the resource pools backing each of your Provider vDCs.
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/query?type=providerVdcResourcePoolRelation&format=records
2 Construct a ProviderVdcMergeParams element that references each of the contributor provider vDCs.
See the request portion of “Example: Merge Provider vDCs,” on page 218.
3 Make a POST request to the action/merge link of the target Provider vDC and supply the
ProviderVdcMergeParams as the request body.
Example: Merge Provider vDCs
This request includes a ProviderVdcReference for each of two contributors. The request URL specifies the target
Provider vDC.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/providervdc/35/action/merge
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.providerVdcMergeParams+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<vmext:ProviderVdcMergeParams
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.mergeParams+xml"
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5">
<vmext:ProviderVdcReference
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwprovidervdc+xml"
name="PvDC-VC001"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/providervdc/46" />
<vmext:ProviderVdcReference
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type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwprovidervdc+xml"
name="PvDC-VC005"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/providervdc/45" />
</vmext:ProviderVdcMergeParams>
Response:
202 Accepted
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.task+xml
...
<Task ... >
...
</Task>
Create an External Network
An external network is a reference to a portgroup on a vCenter server attached to vCloud Director. To create
an external network, a system administrator must specify the vCenter server and a portgroup associated with
it. External networks provide support for bridged organization networks.
Only a system administrator can create an external network. A system administrator can modify an external
network to change properties such as its description, but cannot change the portgroup that backs the network.
An organization administrator can retrieve a read-only representation of an external network to examine its
properties.
Prerequisites
nVerify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
nRetrieve the list of available portgroups. See “Retrieve a List of Available Portgroups and Switches from
a vCenter Server,” on page 203.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of the vSphere platform extensions.
Use a request like this one.
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension
2 Examine the response to locate the Link element that contains the URL for adding external networks to
the cloud.
This element has a rel attribute value of add and a type attribute value of
application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwexternalnet+xml, as shown here:
<Link
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwexternalnet+xml"
rel="add"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/externalnets"/>
3 Choose a vCenter server to provide a portgroup for the network.
4 Create a VMWExternalNetwork element that specifies the properties of the external network.
These properties include the portgroup you specified in Step 3.
5 POST the VMWExternalNetwork element you created in Step 4 to the URL described in Step 2.
See the request portion of “Example: Create an External Network,” on page 220.
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The server creates the external network and returns a VMWExternalNetwork element that includes the contents
you POSTed, along with a set of Link elements that you can use to access, remove, disable, or modify it. A
reference to the new external network is added to the VMWExternalNetworkReferences element of the VCloud.
The portgroup you specified is removed from the VimObjectRefList of the vCenter server.
Example: Create an External Network
This request creates an external network backed by a portgroup listed in the response portion of “Retrieve a
List of Available Portgroups and Switches from a vCenter Server,” on page 203.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/externalnets
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwexternalnet+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<vmext:VMWExternalNetwork
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="example-extnet"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwexternalnet+xml">
<vcloud:Description>ExternalNet</vcloud:Description>
<vcloud:Configuration>
<vcloud:IpScopes>
<vcloud:IpScope>
<vcloud:IsInherited>false</vcloud:IsInherited>
<vcloud:Gateway>10.24.64.126</vcloud:Gateway>
<vcloud:Netmask>255.255.255.192</vcloud:Netmask>
<vcloud:Dns1>10.115.120.71</vcloud:Dns1>
<vcloud:Dns2>10.6.64.29</vcloud:Dns2>
<vcloud:DnsSuffix>example.com</vcloud:DnsSuffix>
</vcloud:IpScope>
</vcloud:IpScopes>
<vcloud:FenceMode>isolated</vcloud:FenceMode>
</vcloud:Configuration>
<vmext:VimPortGroupRef>
<vmext:VimServerRef
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9" />
<vmext:MoRef>network-175</vmext:MoRef>
<vmext:VimObjectType>NETWORK</vmext:VimObjectType>
</vmext:VimPortGroupRef>
</vmext:VMWExternalNetwork>
The response includes a Task that tracks the creation of the network, and a set of Link elements that you can
use to operate on or modify it.
Response:
201 Created
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin/vmwexternalnet+xml
...
<vmext:VMWExternalNetwork
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="example-extnet"
id="urn:vcloud:network:85"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwexternalnet+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/externalnet/85"... >
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<vcloud:Link
rel="alternate"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.network+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/network/85" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwexternalnet+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/externalnet/85" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="remove"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/externalnet/85" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="up"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwExternalNetworkReferences+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/externalNetworkReferences" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="repair"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.network+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/network/85/action/reset" />
<vcloud:Description>ExternalNet</vcloud:Description>
<vcloud:Tasks>
<vcloud:Task
status="running"
startTime="2011-03-10T06:08:31.506-08:00"
operationName="_network_create_provider_network"
operation="Busy Network example-extnet(85)" ... >
...
</vcloud:Task>
</vcloud:Tasks>
<vcloud:Configuration>
<vcloud:IpScope>
<vcloud:IsInherited>false</vcloud:IsInherited>
<vcloud:Gateway>10.24.64.126</vcloud:Gateway>
<vcloud:Netmask>255.255.255.192</vcloud:Netmask>
<vcloud:Dns1>10.115.120.71</vcloud:Dns1>
<vcloud:Dns2>10.6.64.29</vcloud:Dns2>
<vcloud:DnsSuffix>eng.vmware.com</vcloud:DnsSuffix>
</vcloud:IpScope>
<vcloud:FenceMode>isolated</vcloud:FenceMode>
</vcloud:Configuration>
<vmext:VimPortGroupRef>
<vmext:VimServerRef
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwvirtualcenter+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9" />
<vmext:MoRef>network-175</vmext:MoRef>
<vmext:VimObjectType>NETWORK</vmext:VimObjectType>
</vmext:VimPortGroupRef>
</vmext:VMWExternalNetwork>
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Create a Network Pool
Network pools referenced by organization vDCs provide support for isolated and routed vApp networks and
organization vDC networks. To create a network pool, a system administrator must specify backing network
resources on a vCenter server registered to the cloud.
A network pool object represents a collection of vSphere network resources that are contained by a Provider
vDC and available to be associated with organization vDCs backed by that Provider vDC. All network pools
created on a vCenter server are available in each Provider vDC that references the server. Traffic on each
network in a pool is isolated at layer 2 from all other networks.
Only a system administrator can create a network pool. A system administrator can modify a network pool to
change properties such as its description, but cannot change the network resources, such as virtual switches
or portgroups, that provide backing for it. After a network pool has been associated with an organization vDC
(typically when the vDC is created), network resources from the pool are consumed as needed to create isolated
or routed organization vDC networks or vApp networks in the vDC.
NOTE When you create a Provider vDC, a VxlanPoolType network pool is created automatically on the vCenter
server that backs the Provider vDC. This pool is given a name derived from the name of the containing Provider
vDC and attached to it at creation. You cannot delete or modify this network pool. You cannot create
aVxlanPoolType network pool by any other method. If you rename a Provider vDC, its VxlanPoolType network
pool is automatically renamed.
vSphere VXLAN networks are based on the IETF draft VXLAN standard. These networks support local-
domain isolation equivalent to what is supported by vSphere isolation-backed networks. In addition, they
provide:
nlogical networks spanning layer 3 boundaries
nlogical networks spanning multiple racks on a single layer 2
nbroadcast containment
nhigher performance
ngreater scale (up to 16 million network addresses)
All network pools are defined by a VMWNetworkPool element. This element can have one of several types,
specified by its xsi:type attribute. The contents of the element depend on its type. See “Create a VLAN-Backed
Network Pool,” on page 223, “Create an Isolation-Backed Network Pool,” on page 225, and “Create a
Portgroup-Backed Network Pool,” on page 227.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of the vSphere platform extensions.
Use a request like this one.
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension
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2 Examine the response to locate the Link element that contains the URL for adding network pools to your
cloud.
This element has a rel attribute value of add and a type attribute value of
application/vnd.vmware.admin.networkPool+xml, as shown here:
<Link
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.networkPool+xml"
rel="add"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/networkPools"/>
3 Create a VMWNetworkPool element that specifies the pool type and backing vCenter resources.
Details of this element's contents depend on the type of pool you are creating.
4 POST the VMWNetworkPool element you created in Step 3 to the URL described in Step 2.
The server creates the network pool and returns a VMWNetworkPool element that includes the contents you
POSTed, along with a set of Link elements that you can use to access, remove, disable, or modify it. A reference
to the new network pool is added to the VMWNetworkPoolReferences element of the VCloud. Network resources
you specified in the VMWNetworkPool element are removed from the VimObjectRefList of the vCenter server.
Create a VLAN-Backed Network Pool
To create a VLAN-backed network pool, create a VMWNetworkPool element whose type attribute has the value
VlanPoolType, and POST the element to your cloud's add link for networkPools.
A VLAN-backed network pool is backed by a range of VLAN IDs.
Prerequisites
nVerify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
nVerify that you know your cloud's add URL for networkPools. See “Create a Network Pool,” on
page 222.
nVerify that at least one vCenter server attached to your cloud has network resources available. See
“Retrieve a List of Available Portgroups and Switches from a vCenter Server,” on page 203
Procedure
1 Choose a vCenter server to provide a switch for the network pool.
2 Create a VMWNetworkPool element that specifies the properties of the network pool.
See the request portion of “Example: Create a VLAN-Backed Network Pool,” on page 223.
3 POST the VMWNetworkPool element you created in Step 2 to your cloud's add URL for networkPools.
See the request portion of “Example: Create a VLAN-Backed Network Pool,” on page 223.
Example: Create a VLAN-Backed Network Pool
Use the query service to retrieve a list of DV Switch objects available on vCenter servers registered to this cloud.
https://vcloud.example.com/api/query?type=dvSwitch&format=records
The query response includes the values you'll need for the VimServerRef and MoRef elements. The
VimObjectType for a DV Switch is always DV_SWITCH.
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Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/networkPools
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.networkPool+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<vmext:VMWNetworkPool
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:type="vmext:VlanPoolType"
name="example-Vlan-pool">
<vcloud:Description>Example VLAN-backed network pool</vcloud:Description>
<vmext:VlanRange>
<vmext:Start>1</vmext:Start>
<vmext:End>4</vmext:End>
</vmext:VlanRange>
<vmext:VimSwitchRef>
<vmext:VimServerRef
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9" />
<vmext:MoRef>dvs-33</vmext:MoRef>
<vmext:VimObjectType>DV_SWITCH</vmext:VimObjectType>
</vmext:VimSwitchRef>
</vmext:VMWNetworkPool>
The response includes a Task that tracks the creation of the network pool, and a set of Link elements that you
can use to operate on or modify it.
Response:
201 Created
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.networkPool+xml
...
<vmext:VMWNetworkPool
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
xsi:type="vmext:VlanPoolType"
name="example-Vlan-pool"
id="urn:vcloud:networkpool:67"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.networkPool+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/networkPool/67" ... >
<vcloud:Link
rel="up"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwNetworkPoolReferences+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/networkPoolReferences" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.networkPool+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/networkPool/67" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="remove"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/networkPool/67" />
<vcloud:Description>Example VLAN-backed network pool</vcloud:Description>
<vcloud:Tasks>
<vcloud:Task
status="running"
...
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operation="Creating Network Pool 67"
...
</vcloud:Task>
</vcloud:Tasks>
...
</vmext:VMWNetworkPool>
Create an Isolation-Backed Network Pool
To create an isolation-backed network pool, create a VMWNetworkPool element whose type attribute has the
value FencePoolType, and POST the element to your cloud's add link for networkPools.
An isolation-backed network pool is backed by one or more vCenter isolated networks, and provides traffic
isolation from other hosts. The system provisions isolated networks automatically. Before creating an isolation-
backed network pool, consider using the VXLAN pool that is created automatically when you create a Provider
vDC
vSphere VXLAN networks are based on the IETF draft VXLAN standard. These networks support local-
domain isolation equivalent to what is supported by vSphere isolation-backed networks. In addition, they
provide:
nlogical networks spanning layer 3 boundaries
nlogical networks spanning multiple racks on a single layer 2
nbroadcast containment
nhigher performance
ngreater scale (up to 16 million network addresses)
Prerequisites
nVerify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
nVerify that you know your cloud's add URL for networkPools. See “Create a Network Pool,” on
page 222.
nVerify that at least one vCenter server attached to your cloud has network resources available. See
“Retrieve a List of Available Portgroups and Switches from a vCenter Server,” on page 203
Procedure
1 Choose a vCenter server to provide a switch for the network pool.
2 Create a VMWNetworkPool element that specifies the properties of the network pool.
3 POST the VMWNetworkPool element you created in Step 2 to your cloud's add URL for networkPools.
See the request portion of “Example: Create an Isolation-Backed Network Pool,” on page 225.
Example: Create an Isolation-Backed Network Pool
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/networkPools
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.networkPool+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<vmext:VMWNetworkPool
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:type="vmext:FencePoolType"
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name="example-isolation-pool"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.networkPool+xml">
<vcloud:Description>Example Isolation-backed network pool</vcloud:Description>
<vmext:FenceIdCount>5</vmext:FenceIdCount>
<vmext:VlanId>0</vmext:VlanId>
<vmext:VimSwitchRef>
<vmext:VimServerRef
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwvirtualcenter+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9" />
<vmext:MoRef>dvs-39</vmext:MoRef>
<vmext:VimObjectType>DV_SWITCH</vmext:VimObjectType>
</vmext:VimSwitchRef>
</vmext:VMWNetworkPool>
The response includes a Task that tracks the creation of the network pool, and a set of Link elements that you
can use to operate on or modify it.
Response:
201 Created
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.networkPool+xml
...
<vmext:VMWNetworkPool
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:type="vmext:FencePoolType"
name="example-isolation-pool"
id="urn:vcloud:networkpool:70"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.networkPool+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/networkPool/70" ... >
<vcloud:Link
rel="up"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwNetworkPoolReferences+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/networkPoolReferences" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.networkPool+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/networkPool/70" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="remove"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/networkPool/70" />
<vcloud:Description>Example isolation-backed network pool</vcloud:Description>
<vcloud:Tasks>
<vcloud:Task
status="running"
...
operation="Creating Network Pool 70 ..."
...
</vcloud:Task>
</vcloud:Tasks>
...
</vmext:VMWNetworkPool>
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Create a Portgroup-Backed Network Pool
To create a portgroup-backed network pool, you create a VMWNetworkPool element whose type attribute has the
value PortGroupPoolType, and POST the element to your cloud's add link for networkPools.
Prerequisites
nVerify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
nVerify that you know your cloud's add URL for networkPools. See “Create a Network Pool,” on
page 222.
nVerify that at least one vCenter server attached to your cloud has network resources available. See
“Retrieve a List of Available Portgroups and Switches from a vCenter Server,” on page 203
Procedure
1 Choose a vCenter server to provide a portgroup for the network pool.
2 Create a VMWNetworkPool element that specifies the properties of the network pool.
See the request portion of “Example: Create a Portgroup-Backed Network Pool,” on page 227.
3 POST the VMWNetworkPool element you created in Step 2 to your cloud's add URL for networkPools. See
“Create a Network Pool,” on page 222.
See the request portion of “Example: Create a Portgroup-Backed Network Pool,” on page 227.
Example: Create a Portgroup-Backed Network Pool
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/networkPools
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.networkPool+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<vmext:VMWNetworkPool
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:type="vmext:PortGroupPoolType"
name="example-portgroup-pool"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.networkPool+xml">
<vcloud:Description>Example portgroup-backed network pool</vcloud:Description>
<vmext:PortGroupRefs>
<vmext:VimObjectRef>
<vmext:VimServerRef
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9" />
<vmext:MoRef>dvportgroup-32</vmext:MoRef>
<vmext:VimObjectType>DV_PORTGROUP</vmext:VimObjectType>
</vmext:VimObjectRef>
</vmext:PortGroupRefs>
<vmext:VimServer
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9"></vmext:VimServer>
</vmext:VMWNetworkPool>
The response includes a Task that tracks the creation of the network pool, and a set of Link elements that you
can use to operate on or modify it.
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Response:
201 Created
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.networkPool+xml
...
<vmext:VMWNetworkPool
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:type="vmext:PortGroupPoolType"
name="example-portgroup-pool"
id="urn:vcloud:networkpool:66"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.networkPool+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/networkPool/66" ... >
<vcloud:Link
rel="up"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwNetworkPoolReferences+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/networkPoolReferences" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.networkPool+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/networkPool/66" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="remove"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/networkPool/66" />
<vcloud:Description>Example portgroup-backed network pool</vcloud:Description>
<vcloud:Tasks>
<vcloud:Task
status="running"
...
operation="Creating Network Pool 66"
...
</vcloud:Task>
</vcloud:Tasks>
...
</vmext:VMWNetworkPool>
Import a Virtual Machine from vCenter
A system administrator can import virtual machines from the inventory of any vCenter server registered to
vCloud Director. You can import the virtual machines to any vDC in a cloud, and you can import them in
vApp or vApp template form.
When you import a virtual machine from vCenter, you must specify the following items:
nA target vDC to receive the import.
nA form for the imported virtual machine to take. Choose vApp or vApp template.
nWhether to remove the source virtual machine from vCenter inventory after the import is complete.
Prerequisites
nVerify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
nIdentify the virtual machine to import. See “Retrieve a List of Virtual Machines from a vCenter Server,”
on page 205.
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Procedure
1 Choose whether to import the virtual machine as a vApp or vApp template.
The VimServer element that represents the vCenter server from which you import the virtual machine
contains two links that import virtual machines. One has the following form, and imports the virtual
machine as a vApp.
<vcloud:Link
rel="add"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.importVmAsVAppParams+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9/importVmAsVApp" />
The other has the following form, and imports the virtual machine as a vApp template.
<vcloud:Link
rel="add"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.importVmAsVAppTemplateParams+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9/importVmAsVAppTemplate" />
2 (Optional) If you plan to import the virtual machine as a vApp template, identify a catalog where you
want to place a reference to the template.
Import a Virtual Machine as a vApp
To import a virtual machine as a vApp, a system administrator can make a request to the importVmAsVApp link
of the VimServer that manages the virtual machine.
Prerequisites
nVerify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
nIdentify the virtual machine to import. See “Retrieve a List of Virtual Machines from a vCenter Server,”
on page 205.
Procedure
1 Create an ImportVmAsVAppParams element that specifies the VmMoRef of the source virtual machine and a
target vDC to hold the imported vApp.
2 POST the ImportVmAsVAppParams element to the importVmAsVApp link of the source vCenter server.
Example: Import a Virtual Machine as a vApp
This example imports one of the virtual machines shown in the response portion of “Example: Retrieve a List
of Virtual Machines from a vCenter Server,” on page 206. The request body is an ImportVmAsVAppParams element
whose sourceMove attribute specifies that the source virtual machine should remain in vCenter inventory after
the import is complete. The request body includes the href of the vDC that receives the import and a
VmMoRef element that contains the managed object reference of the virtual machine to import. The response is
an unresolved vApp body that contains a Task that tracks the import.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9/importVmAsVapp
Content-type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.importVmAsVAppParams+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<ImportVmAsVAppParams
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
name="ImportedWin2K8"
sourceMove="false">
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<VmMoRef>vm-43</VmMoRef>
<Vdc
href="http://vcloud.example.com/api/vdc/2" />
</ImportVmAsVAppParams>
Response:
201 Created
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vApp+xml
...
<VApp ...
status="0"
name="ImportedWin2K8"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vApp+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-102" ... >
...
<Description />
<Tasks>
<Task
operation=”Busy Virtual Application Win2K8 ”>
...
</Task>
</Tasks>
</VApp>
Import a Virtual Machine as a vApp Template
To import a virtual machine as a vApp template, a system administrator can make a request to the
importVmAsVAppTemplate link of the VimServer that manages the virtual machine.
Prerequisites
nVerify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
nIdentify the virtual machine to import. See “Retrieve a List of Virtual Machines from a vCenter Server,”
on page 205.
Procedure
1 Create an ImportVmAsVAppTemplateParams element that specifies the VmMoRef of the source virtual machine,
a target vDC to hold the imported vApp template, and an optional catalog where you want to place a
reference to the template.
2 POST the ImportVmAsVAppTemplateParams element to the importVmAsVAppTemplate link of the source
vCenter server.
Example: Import a Virtual Machine as a vApp Template
This example imports one of the virtual machines shown in the response portion of “Example: Retrieve a List
of Virtual Machines from a vCenter Server,” on page 206 as a vApp template. The request body is an
ImportVmAsVAppTemplateParams element whose sourceMove attribute specifies that the source virtual machine
should remain in vCenter inventory after the import is complete. The request body includes the href of the
vDC that receives the import, a VmMoRef element that contains the managed object reference of the virtual
machine to import, and a Catalog element that references the catalog to which the imported template should
be added. The response is an unresolved VAppTemplate body that contains a Task that tracks the import.
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Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9/importVmAsVappTemplate
Content-type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.importVmAsVAppTemplateParams+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<ImportVmAsVAppTemplateParams
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
name="ImportedWin2K8"
sourceMove="false">
<VmMoRef>vm-43</VmMoRef>
<Vdc
href="http://vcloud.example.com/api/vdc/2" />
<Catalog
href="http://vcloud.example.com/api/catalog/32" />
</ImportVmAsVAppTemplateParams>
Response:
201 Created
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vAppTemplate+xml
...
<VAppTemplate ...
status="0"
name="ImportedWin2K8"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vAppTemplate+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vAppTemplate/vappTemplate-64" ... >
...
<Description />
<Tasks>
<Task
operation=”Busy Virtual Application Template Win2K8 ”>
...
</Task>
</Tasks>
</VAppTemplate>
Relocate a Virtual Machine to a Different Datastore
A Vm element, whether part of a Vapp or VappTemplate element, includes an action/relocate link that you can
use to move the virtual machine to a different datastore.
NOTE Beginning with this release of the vCloud API, the action/relocate operation in a Vm is deprecated. If
the datastore that contains a virtual machine has been disabled by the system administrator or is no longer
associated with virtual machine's designated storage profile, you must update the Vm element that represents
the virtual machine. That update revalidates the storage profile and relocates the virtual machine if necessary.
See “Update the Storage Profile for a Virtual Machine,” on page 126.
In both vApps and vApp templates, virtual machines are defined by a combination of metadata in the
vCloud Director database and virtual disk files stored on a datastore in the cloud. vCloud Director determines
the initial location of this datastore based on how the virtual machine was created. You can move the disk files
to another datastore in the cloud by POSTing a RelocateParams element to the virtual machine's
action/relocate link.
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When a virtual machine is deployed in a vDC that supports fast provisioning, its disks can become part of a
tree structure that includes parent and child disks. Disk tree structure and total storage consumption remain
the same regardless of the order in which virtual machines are relocated The folder structure in the target
datastore might change depending on the order in which virtual machines are relocated.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
Procedure
1 List the datastores available in the cloud.
Use a request like this one.
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/datastores
The response is a DatastoreReferences element, as shown here:.
<vmext:DatastoreReferences
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.datastoreList+xml"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:schemaLocation="http://vcloud.example.com/api/v1.5/schema/master.xsd">
<vcloud:Link
rel="up"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwExtension+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension" />
<vcloud:Reference
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.datastore+xml"
name="example-lun2"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/datastore/607" />
<vcloud:Reference
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.datastore+xml"
name="example-lun4"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/datastore/191" />
</vmext:DatastoreReferences>
2 Retrieve the representation of the virtual machine.
The following request retrieves a Vm from a Vapp:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-257
3 Find the action/relocate link for the Vm, and note the datastore that the Vm currently occupies.
This fragment of the response to the request made in Step 2 includes the action/relocate link and the
reference to the datastore that the Vm currently occupies.
<Vm
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
... >
<VCloudExtension
required="false">
...
<vmext:VimObjectRef>
<vmext:VimServerRef
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwvirtualcenter+xml"
name="VC1"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/35" />
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<vmext:MoRef>datastore-191</vmext:MoRef>
<vmext:VimObjectType>DATASTORE</vmext:VimObjectType>
</vmext:VimObjectRef>
</VCloudExtension>
...
<Link
rel="relocate"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.relocateVmParams+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-257/action/relocate" />
...
</Vm>
4 Construct a RelocateParams element that specifies the destination datastore for the Vm.
See “Example: Relocate a Virtual Machine,” on page 233.
5 POST the RelocateParams element to the action/relocate link described in Step 3.
You do not need to power off the virtual machine before you make the request. See “Example: Relocate a
Virtual Machine,” on page 233.
The system creates a task to manage the relocation and returns a Task element in the response. When the task
is complete, the virtual machine is relocated.
Example: Relocate a Virtual Machine
This request relocates the virtual machine retrieved in Step 2 to one of the datastores listed in Step 1. The
response is a Task.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vm-257/action/relocate
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.relocateVmParams+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<RelocateParams
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5">
<Datastore
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/datastore/607" />
</RelocateParams>
Truststore and Keytab Maintenance
You can use the vCloud API to upload and manage SSL certificates, keystores, and Kerberos keytabs for your
organization's LDAP service.
The OrgLdapSettings element includes links that you can use to manage the organization's LDAP truststore
and keystore by uploading new certificates and keytabs.
<Link
rel="certificate:update"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.certificateUpdateParams+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/settings/ldap/action/updateLdapCertificate" />
<Link
rel="certificate:reset"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/settings/ldap/action/resetLdapCertificate" />
<Link
rel="keystore:update"
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type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.keystoreUpdateParams+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/settings/ldap/action/updateLdapKeyStore" />
<Link
rel="keystore:reset"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/settings/ldap/action/resetLdapKeyStore" />
<Link
rel="keytab:update"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.sspiKeytabUpdateParams+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/settings/ldap/action/updateLdapSspiKeytab" />
<Link
rel="keytab:reset"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/settings/ldap/action/resetLdapSspiKeytab" />
Similar links contained by the SystemSettings element allow the system administrator to manage the system
LDAP truststore and keystore.
<vcloud:Link
rel="certificate:update"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.certificateUpdateParams+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/settings/ldapSettings/action/updateLdapCerti
ficate" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="certificate:reset"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/settings/ldapSettings/action/resetLdapCertif
icate" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="keystore:update"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.keystoreUpdateParams+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/settings/ldapSettings/action/updateLdapKeySt
ore" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="keystore:reset"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/settings/ldapSettings/action/resetLdapKeySto
re" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="keytab:update"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.sspiKeytabUpdateParams+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/settings/ldapSettings/action/updateLdapSspiK
eytab" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="keytab:reset"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/settings/ldapSettings/action/resetLdapSspiKe
ytab" />
All of these links implement similar operations. They either upload a new certificate, keytab, or keystore, or
reset or remove an existing one. vCloud Director imposes limits on upload sizes.
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Table 7-3. Truststore, Certificate, and Keytab Upload Limits
Upload Type Maximum Size in Megabytes
vCenter truststore 10
LDAP certificate 2
LDAP keystore 2
LDAP SSPI keytab 2
AMQP certificate 2
AMQP truststore 10
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
Procedure
1 Create the request body that the request requires.
For details on these request bodies, see the schema reference.
2 POST the request body to the request URL.
The response includes an uploadLocation parameter whose value is a URL to which you can upload the
certificate, keytab, or keystore.
3 Use a PUT request to upload the certificate, keytab, or keystore.
Example: Upload an SSL Certificate for an Organization LDAP Service
This example uploads an SSL certificate whose size is 2048 bytes. The first step obtains an upload URL by
POSTing a CertificateUpdateParams element to the organization's
settings/ldap/action/updateLdapCertificate URL.
Request:
POST: https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/settings/ldap/action/updateLdapCertificate
Content-type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.certificateUpdateParams+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<CertificateUpdateParams
fileSize="2048"
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5">
</CertificateUpdateParams>
The response contains an uploadLocation parameter whose value is a URL to which you can upload the
certificate.
Response:
<CertificateUploadSocket
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
uploadLocation="https://vcloud.example.com/transfer/53bc1/ldapCertificate">
<Task
...
status="running"
operation="Updating LDAP certificate Organization (7)"
...
</Task>
</CertificateUploadSocket>
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To upload the certificate, make a PUT request to the uploadLocation URL and supply the certificate in the
request body.
Request:
PUT https://vcloud.example.com/transfer/53bc1/ldapCertificate
Content-length: 2048
...serialized contents of certificate...
EOF
Response:
200 OK
Retrieve the vSphere URL of an Object
If you know the VimObjectType and MoRef of an object represented in the vCloud API, you can use that
information to retrieve a URL that you can use to access the object with the vSphere Web Client.
Using the vSphere Web Client to examine an object vCloud Director uses can help a system administrator
diagnose problems with resource consumption and allocation. To retrieve the vSphere URL of an object, you
must construct a request URL in the following format.
API-URL
/admin/extension/vimServer/
id
/
vimObjType
/
vimObjMoref
/vSphereWebClientUrl
nAPI-URL is a URL of the form https://vcloud.example.com/api.
nid is a unique identifier in the form of a UUID, as defined by RFC 4122. The vimServer object that has this
id must be the one that hosts the object that vimObjType and vimObjMoref identify.
nvimObjType is the vSphere object type, expressed as one of the following strings:
nCLUSTER_COMPUTE_RESOURCE
nDATASTORE
nDATASTORE_CLUSTER
nDV_PORTGROUP
nDV_SWITCH
nFOLDER
nHOST
nNETWORK
nRESOURCE_POOL
nSTORAGE_PROFILE (available from vCenter 5.1 and later)
nVIRTUAL_MACHINE
nvimObjMoref is the vSphere managed object reference of the object, as returned by the vCloud API.
For an example request URL, see the request portion of “Example: Retrieve the vSphere URL of a Resource
Pool,” on page 237. All of the information you need to construct the URL is available when you retrieve the
XML representation of any of the supported object types. See “Example: Retrieve a Resource Pool Set,” on
page 213, “Example: Retrieve a List of Available Portgroups and Switches from a vCenter Server,” on
page 203, and “Example: Retrieve a List of Storage Profiles from a vCenter Server,” on page 208.
NOTE See “Mapping a vCloud Director Object to a vSphere Object,” on page 237 for a list of
vCloud Director objects and corresponding vSphere objects.
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Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
Verify that the vSphere Web Client URL is enabled for all vCenter servers from which you want to retrieve the
vSphere URL of an object. You can manage this feature on the General tab of the vSphere Properties page of
the vCloud Director Web console.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the VimObjectType and MoRef elements of the object, and the VimServerRef element of the vSphere
server that hosts the object.
2 Construct a request URL that includes the VimServerRef, VimObjectType, and MoRef elements.
You can use the value of the href attribute of the VimServerRef element as the vimServer/id part of the
request URL.
3 Make a GET request to the URL you constructed in Step 2.
The response contains a URL you can use with the vSphere Web Client. See “Example: Retrieve the vSphere
URL of a Resource Pool,” on page 237.
Example: Retrieve the vSphere URL of a Resource Pool
This request retrieves the vSphere URL of one of the resource pools referenced in “Example: Retrieve a Resource
Pool Set,” on page 213.
Request:
GET
https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/vimServer/9/RESOURCE_POOL/resgroup-195/vSphereWebC
lientUrl
Response:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<vmext:VSphereWebClientUrl
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
...>
<vmext:URL>https://10.147.22.134:8443/vsphere-client/#extensionId=vsphere.core.sp.summary;...
</vmext:URL>
</vmext:VSphereWebClientUrl>
Use the URL that the vmext:URL element contains to access the object with the vSphere Web Client. The URL
is truncated in this example.
Mapping a vCloud Director Object to a vSphere Object
When using the vSphere Web Client to examine a vCloud Director object, you can use this table to map the
vCloud Director to its representation in vSphere.
Table 7-4. Mapping a vCloud Director Object to a vSphere Object
vCloud Director Object vSphere Object
Provider vDC:Hosts Host
Provider vDC:Datastores Datastore
Provider vDC:Storage Profiles Storage Profile
Provider vDC:External Network (portgroup-backed) Standard virtual switch
Provider vDC:External Network(VLAN-backed) Distributed virtual switch
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Table 7-4. Mapping a vCloud Director Object to a vSphere Object (Continued)
vCloud Director Object vSphere Object
Provider vDC:Resource Pool (root resource pool or Cluster) Cluster
Provider vDC:Resource Pool (sub-resource pool only) Resource Pool
External Network (Portgroup-backed) Standard virtual switch
Direct Org VDC Networks (Portgroup) Standard virtual switch
External Network (VLAN-backed) Distributed virtual switch
Direct Org VDC Networks (VLAN) Distributed virtual switch
Network Pool (VLAN-backed) Distributed virtual switch
Network Pools (Portgroup-backed) Standard virtual switch
vCenter vCenter Server
Resource Pool (root resource pool or Cluster) Cluster
Resource Pool (sub-resource pool only) Resource Pool
Host Host
Datastores Datastore
Datastore Clusters Datastore Cluster
Storage Profiles N/A
vDSwitch Distributed virtual switch
Port Group Standard virtual switch
Home:vApp Folder
vApp Folder
vApp:vApp Diagram Folder
vApp:vApp Diagram:VM VM
vApp:VM List:VM VM
vApp:Networking:vApp Networks Distributed Port Group
VM VM
Expired Items:vApps Folder
Expired Items:vApp Templates Folder
Catalog:vApp Template Folder
Catalog:vApp Template:VM VM
Catalog:vApp Template:Shadow VMs VM
Organization vDC:vApp Folder
Organization vDC:vApp Template Folder
Organization vDC:Storage Profiles Storage Profile
Organization vDC:Org VDC Networks (VLAN-backed) Distributed virtual switch
Organization vDC:Org VDC Networks (Portgroup-backed) Standard virtual switch
Organization vDC:Resource Pools (root resource pool or
Cluster)
Cluster
Organization vDC:Resource Pools (sub-resource pool only) Resource Pool
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Working With Object Metadata 8
The vCloud API provides a general-purpose facility for associating user-defined metadata with an object. A
system administrator or the owner of an object can use the metadata link in the object's representation to access
object metadata.
The representations of most first-class objects in the vCloud API include a link to a Metadata element, which
contains up to 1024
name
=
value
pairs that the owner of an object can create, retrieve, update, and delete. It also
contains an additional group of
name
=
value
pairs that are under the control of the system administrator.
Object metadata gives cloud operators and cloud tenants a flexible way to apply user-defined properties to
objects and use property values to help integrate the use and management of those objects with a variety of
applications. Object metadata is preserved when objects are copied, and can be included in query filter
expressions (see “Add a Metadata Filter to a Query,” on page 260).
vCloud API Object Metadata Links
The representation of any object that supports metadata includes a link that you can use to retrieve the object's
Metadata element. This example shows the metadata link from an Org element.
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.metadata+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/org/26/metadata"/>
vCloud API Object Metadata Contents
A Metadata element can contain up to 1024 MetadataEntry elements. Each MetadataEntry includes a single
name
=
value
pair, represented in its Key and TypedValue elements. Key names are specified by Key element
contents. A key name is a UTF-8 (Unicode) string encoded as described in RFC3986 (pct-encoded).
The key name must be unique within the scope of the containing Metadata element. Because key names are
implicitly qualified by the Domain value of the containing MetadataEntry, the two key names in this example
are considered to be unique.
<Metadata
...
<MetadataEntry>
<Domain
visibility="READONLY">SYSTEM</Domain>
<Key>Foo</Key>
...
</MetadataEntry>
<MetadataEntry>
<Domain>GENERAL</Domain>
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<Key>Foo</Key>
...
</MetadataEntry>
</Metadata>
See “Access Control for vCloud API Object Metadata,” on page 240 for more information about the Domain
element.
The type of a Value is expressed in the xsi:type attribute of the containing TypedValue element. Values have
various restrictions, based on their type.
Table 8-1. Metadata TypedValue Types
Type Name Restrictions on Value Size of Value
MetadataStringValue UTF-8 character set. Strings
longer than 1000 characters
cannot be searched for in a
query.
Depends on length of string.
MetadataNumberValue Must be a signed 8-byte integer. 8 bytes
MetadataDateTimeValue UTC date and time in the format
defined by
http://www.w3.org/TR/xmlsche
ma-2/#http://www.w3.org/TR/x
mlschema-2//dateTime. For
example,
2012-06-18T12:00:00-05:00
8 bytes
MetadataBooleanValue Must be one of: 1, 0, true, false 1 byte
The following rules apply when you update a Metadata element.
nWhen the content of a Key element in the update does not match the content of an existing Key element in
the same Domain, the MetadataEntry containing that Key is added to the Metadata element.
nWhen the content of Key element in the update matches the content of an existing Key element in the same
Domain, the MetadataEntry containing that Key is replaced.
Access Control for vCloud API Object Metadata
The Domain element of a MetadataEntry controls access to that entry by users and system administrators. There
are two access domains.
GENERAL User access to metadata in the GENERAL domain is controlled by the user's rights
to the object to which the Metadata is attached. The owner of the object can
create, read, update, or delete any MetadataEntry in the GENERAL domain. A
MetadataEntry that does not include a Domain element is considered to be in the
GENERAL domain.
SYSTEM Metadata in the SYSTEM domain can be created, updated, and deleted only by
a system administrator. User access to metadata in the SYSTEM domain is
controlled by the value of the visibility attribute of the Domain element.
Table 8-2. Domain Visibility Attribute Values
Value Meaning
PRIVATE The metadata is visible to system
administrators only.
READONLY the metadata is visible to system
administrators and the object owner.
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vCloud API Object Metadata Limits
The following limits apply to vCloud API object metadata:
Metadata key size The contents of a Key element in a MetadataEntry cannot exceed 256 UTF-8
characters.
Metadata size The size of all Metadata for an object, computed as the sum of all Key and
TypedValue UTF-8 strings in all MetadataEntry elements in the GENERAL domain,
cannot exceed 128 KB. An additional 16KB of MetadataEntry content can be
created in the SYSTEM domain.
MetadataEntry limit The total metadata associated with an object cannot exceed 1024
MetadataEntry elements in the GENERAL domain and 128 MetadataEntry
elements in the SYSTEM domain.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n“Retrieve or Update a Metadata Element,” on page 241
n“Retrieve or Update a Metadata Value,” on page 244
Retrieve or Update a Metadata Element
A system administrator or the owner of an object can create, retrieve, or update the object's Metadata element.
This element contains all object metadata, and operations that modify it merge the modifications with existing
contents.
When you create an object, its representation contains an empty Metadata element. A system administrator or
the object owner can add metadata by updating the Metadata element with new MetadataEntry elements. Each
of these elements contains a Key and a TypedValue. The contents of the Key element define the key name, which
must be unique within the scope of the object's metadata. You can modify the value associated with an existing
key. See “Retrieve or Update a Metadata Value,” on page 244.
NOTE The Key element cannot contain a semicolon character (;). In addition, several other character sequences
are not allowed, or not allowed in certain positions.
Table 8-3. Content Restrictions for Key
Cannot Contain Cannot Start with Cannot End with
/../ ./ /.
/./ ../ /..
Prerequisites
Verify that you have rights to read or modify the metadata. See “Access Control for vCloud API Object
Metadata,” on page 240
Procedure
1 Retrieve the representation of the object.
Examine the response to find its metadata link. This example shows the metadata link from an Org.
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.metadata+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/org/26/metadata"/>
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2 Retrieve the Metadata element.
If the object has no metadata, the element contains only a rel="edit" link that you can use when modifying
the element and a rel="up" link that references the containing object, as shown in this example.
<Metadata
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.metadata+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/metadata"
... >
<Link
rel="add"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.metadata+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/metadata" />
<Link
rel="up"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.org+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/37" />
</Metadata>
3 Modify the retrieved Metadata element.
You can add new MetadataEntry elements or modify existing ones. If you modify existing ones, your
modifications are merged into the object's Metadata following the rules listed in “vCloud API Object
Metadata Contents,” on page 239.
4 POST the Metadata element to the rel="add" link described in Step 2.
See “Example: Update a Metadata Element,” on page 242.
Example: Update a Metadata Element
This example updates the empty Metadata element shown in Step 2 to create two MetadataEntry elements
specific to this organization. In this example, the Metadata element contains MetadataEntry elements for which
the Domain is SYSTEM. Only the system administrator can update these elements.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/metadata
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.metadata+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Metadata
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.metadata+xml">
<MetadataEntry
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.metadata.value+xml">
<Domain
visibility="READONLY">SYSTEM</Domain>
<Key>Organization Web Page</Key>
<TypedValue
xsi:type="MetadataStringValue">
<Value>http://internal.example.com/orgs/Finance</Value>
</TypedValue>
</MetadataEntry>
<MetadataEntry
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.metadata.value+xml">
<Domain
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visibility="PRIVATE">SYSTEM</Domain>
<Key>LOS</Key>
<TypedValue
xsi:type="MetadataStringValue">
<Value>bronze</Value>
</TypedValue>
</MetadataEntry>
</Metadata>
The response is a Task.
Response:
<Task
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
status="running"
...
operationName="metadataUpdate"
operation="Updating metadata for Organization (26)"
... >
...
</Task>
After the task is complete, the Metadata element is updated to contain the entries specified in the request, along
with links that you can use to retrieve or update individual MetadataEntry elements.
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/metadata
...
<Metadata
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.metadata+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/org/26/metadata"
... >
<Link
rel="add"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.metadata+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/org/26/metadata" />
<Link
rel="up"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.org+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/org/26" />
<MetadataEntry>
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.metadata.value+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/org/26/metadata/SYSTEM/Organization+Web+Page" />
<Link
rel="remove"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.metadata.value+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/org/26/metadata/SYSTEM/Organization+Web+Page" />
<Link
rel="up"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.metadata+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/org/26/metadata" />
<Domain
visibility="READONLY">SYSTEM</Domain>
<Key>Organization Web Page</Key>
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<TypedValue
xsi:type="MetadataStringValue">
<Value>http://internal.example.com/orgs/Finance</Value>
</TypedValue>
</MetadataEntry>
<MetadataEntry>
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.metadata.value+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/org/26/metadata/SYSTEM/LOS" />
<Link
rel="remove"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.metadata.value+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/org/26/metadata/SYSTEM/LOS" />
<Link
rel="up"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.metadata+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/org/26/metadata" />
<Domain
visibility="PRIVATE">SYSTEM</Domain>
<Key>LOS</Key>
<TypedValue
xsi:type="MetadataStringValue">
<Value>bronze</Value>
</TypedValue>
</MetadataEntry>
</Metadata>
Retrieve or Update a Metadata Value
Each
name
=
value
pair in an object's metadata is represented as a MetadataEntry element, which includes links
that a system administrator or object owner can use to retrieve or update the metadata value, or delete the
MetadataEntry.
Prerequisites
nVerify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator or the object owner.
nRetrieve the object's Metadata element. See “Retrieve or Update a Metadata Element,” on page 241
Procedure
1 Examine the retrieved Metadata element to find the MetadataEntry you want.
Each MetadataEntry contains a link of the following form, which you can use when updating the Value of
the entry:
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.metadata.value+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/object/
id
/metadata/
DOMAIN
/
key-name
" />
For example:
<Link
...
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/metadata/SYSTEM/LOS/>
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2 Retrieve or update the value.
Make a request to the URL in the value of the href attribute of the MetadataEntry that contains the Key.
nTo retrieve the value, make a GET request to URL in the value of the href attribute of the
MetadataEntry. The response is a MetadataValue element.
nTo update the value, make a PUT request to the URL in the edit link described in Step 1, and supply
a MetadataValue element as the request body. See .“Example: Update a Metadata Value,” on
page 245
NOTE The href value of a MetadataEntry in the SYSTEM domain includes the SYSTEM qualifier. The href
value of a MetadataEntry in the GENERAL domain does not include a qualifier.
Example: Update a Metadata Value
This request updates the value of the metadata Key named LOS from the original value of bronze (shown in
“Example: Update a Metadata Element,” on page 242) to a new value of silver. Note that because this
MetadataValue is contained by a MetadataEntry where the Domain is SYSTEM and visibility is PRIVATE, only a
system administrator can update it.
Request:
PUT https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/metadata/SYSTEM/LOS
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.metadata.value+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<MetadataValue
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<TypedValue
xsi:type="MetadataStringValue">
<Value>silver</Value>
</TypedValue>
</MetadataValue>
The response is a task.
Response:
<Task
...
operation="Updating metadata for Organization (26)"
... >
...
</Task>
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Using the Query Service 9
You can use the vCloud API query service to query the vCloud Director database for information about objects
in the cloud.
The query service provides the following kinds of queries:
nTyped queries, which require you to construct a query URL that specifies a query type and optional
parameters.
nPackaged queries, which have well-known URLs and can accept many of the same parameters used with
typed queries.
Both typed and packaged queries allow you to specify one of the following formats in which to display the
result set:
nA records format that returns name=value pairs for all properties of each matching object. This is the default.
A name can be either a static or dynamic. Static names are predefined object property names, and are
returned in an object-specific QueryRecordResultType element. For a list of these names, see the Queries
reference pages in the vCloud API Schema Reference. Dynamic names are user-defined metadata key names.
Dynamic name=value pairs are not returned unless the object includes a non-empty Metadata element. See
Chapter 8, “Working With Object Metadata,” on page 239.
nAn idrecords format that is identical to the records format, except that object reference values are returned
in id format rather than href format. See “Objects, References, and Representations,” on page 12.
nA references format that returns a reference in href format to each object that matches the query criteria.
Query results are paginated, and include links to previous and next pages where needed. Page size can be
specified in the query request. Default and maximum page sizes are specified in the vCloud Director
configuration. You can also apply filter criteria to the list of items returned.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n“Typed Queries,” on page 248
n“Packaged Queries,” on page 252
n“Query Parameters,” on page 257
n“Add a Metadata Filter to a Query,” on page 260
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Typed Queries
Typed queries require you to construct a request URL that specifies an object type and optional parameters.
Use this URL with a GET request to return query results.
Query Syntax
Typed queries have the following syntax:
API-URL
/query?type=
name
[&
param
][&
param
... ][&
filter
]
nAPI-URL is a URL of the form https://vcloud.example.com/api.
nname is the name of a query type. Type names are case-sensitive.
nparam is an optional query parameter. Zero or more parameters are allowed. See “Query Parameters,” on
page 257.
nfilter is an optional filter expression. At most one filter expression is allowed. See “Filter Expressions,” on
page 257.
Query Types
Each query type returns its result set as an XML document in which objects are represented as elements and
object properties are represented as attributes, pairing the name of the property with its value at the time the
request was made. By default, result sets are returned in the records format, which shows all database records
for each object. Most queries also support the references format, which returns a set of object references,
including name, type, and href attributes. All queries that support the records format also support the
idrecords format. For more information about the format parameter, see “Query Parameters,” on page 257.
Query Reference
The vCloud API schema reference includes reference material for all queries.
Example: Listing All Queries
You can retrieve a summary list of all typed queries types accessible to the currently authenticated user by
making a request like this one:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/query
The response is a QueryList element that contains a Link for every query. The href value of each Link is a URL
you can GET to run the query specifying the default format.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<QueryList
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.query.queryList+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/query"
... >
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.query.references+xml"
name="organization"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/query?type=organization&amp;format=references" />
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.query.records+xml"
name="organization"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/query?type=organization&amp;format=records" />
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<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.query.idrecords+xml"
name="organization"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/query?type=organization&amp;format=idrecords" />
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.query.references+xml"
name="adminOrgNetwork"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/query?type=adminOrgNetwork&amp;format=references" />
...
</QueryList>
If you make a query whose result set you do not have rights to view, a response code of
ACCESS_TO_RESOURCE_IS_FORBIDDEN (403) is returned.
Example: Simple Typed Query
This simple typed query retrieves a list of all users in your organization and returns a response in the default
(records) format.
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/query?type=user
Response:
<QueryResultRecords
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
total="3"
pageSize="25"
page="1"
name="user"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.query.records+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/query?
type=user&amp;page=1&amp;pageSize=25&amp;format=records"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5
http://vcloud.example.com/api/v1.5/schema/master.xsd">
<Link
rel="alternate"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.query.references+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/query?
type=user&amp;page=1&amp;pageSize=25&amp;format=references" />
<UserRecord
storedVMQuotaRank="-1"
storedVMQuota="0"
numStoredVMs="0"
numDeployedVMs="0"
name="bob"
ldapUser="false"
fullName=" "
enabled="true"
deployedVMQuotaRank="-1"
deployedVMQuota="0"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/user/39" />
<UserRecord
storedVMQuotaRank="-1"
storedVMQuota="0"
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numStoredVMs="0"
numDeployedVMs="0"
name="administrator"
ldapUser="false"
fullName="The Admin"
enabled="true"
deployedVMQuotaRank="-1"
deployedVMQuota="0"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/user/24" />
<UserRecord
storedVMQuotaRank="-1"
storedVMQuota="0"
numStoredVMs="0"
numDeployedVMs="0"
name="zorro"
ldapUser="true"
fullName="Viewer"
enabled="true"
deployedVMQuotaRank="-1"
deployedVMQuota="0"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/user/58" />
</QueryResultRecords>
This simple typed query retrieves the same list of all users in your organization and returns a response in the
references format.
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/query?type=user&format=references
Response:
<UserReferences
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
total="3"
pageSize="25"
page="1"
name="user"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.query.references+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/query?
type=user&amp;page=1&amp;pageSize=25&amp;format=references"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" ...
<Link
rel="alternate"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.query.records+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/query?
type=user&amp;page=1&amp;pageSize=25&amp;format=records" />
<UserReference
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.user+xml"
name="bob"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/user/39" />
<UserReference
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.user+xml"
name="administrator"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/user/24" />
<UserReference
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type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.user+xml"
name="zorro"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/user/58" />
</UserReferences>
Example: Query With Parameters
This query retrieves a list of all users in your organization and returns a response in the records format. The
query includes a sortAsc=name parameter, so the result set is sorted by object name.
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/query?type=user&format=references&sortAsc=name
Response:
<UserReferences
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
total="3"
pageSize="25"
page="1"
name="user"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.query.references+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/query?
type=user&amp;page=1&amp;pageSize=25&amp;format=references"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" ... >
<Link
rel="alternate"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.query.records+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/query?
type=user&amp;page=1&amp;pageSize=25&amp;format=records" />
<UserReference
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.user+xml"
name="administrator"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/user/24" />
<UserReference
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.user+xml"
name="bob"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/user/39" />
<UserReference
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.user+xml"
name="zorro"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/user/58" />
</UserReferences>
This query retrieves a list of all users in your organization and returns a response in the records format. The
query includes a filter=ldapUser==true parameter, so the result set lists the subset of users who are imported
from LDAP. Note that you can filter on a record (attribute) value even though you specify the references format.
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/query?type=adminUser&format=references&filter=ldapUser==true
Response:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<UserReferences
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
total="2"
pageSize="25"
page="1"
name="user"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.query.references+xml"
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href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/query?
type=adminUser&amp;page=1&amp;pageSize=25&amp;format=references&amp;filter=ldapUser==true"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" ... >
<Link
rel="alternate"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.query.records+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/querytype=adminUser&amp;page=1&amp;pageSize=25&amp;format=re
cords&amp;filter=ldapUser==true" />
<UserReference
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.user+xml"
name="bob"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/user/39" />
<UserReference
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.user+xml"
name="zorro"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/user/58" />
</UserReferences>
Packaged Queries
Packaged queries have well-known URLs and can accept most of the parameters used with typed queries.
Query Syntax
Packaged queries have the following syntax:
API-URL
/
query-url
[?
param
][&
param
... ][&
filter
]
nAPI-URL is a URL of the form https://vcloud.example.com/api.
nquery-url is the packaged query URL.
nparam is an optional query parameter. Zero or more parameters are allowed. See “Query Parameters,” on
page 257.
nfilter is an optional filter expression. At most one filter expression is allowed. See “Filter Expressions,” on
page 257.
Query Categories
Packaged queries are divided into the following categories:
User queries The queries have the form API-URL/object-type/query. Any user can run these
queries.
Administrator queries The queries have the form API-URL/admin/object-type/query. An organization
administrator can run these queries.
Extension queries The queries have the form API-URL/admin/extension/object-type/query. A
system administrator can run these queries.
The response is a QueryList element that contains a Link for every query. The href value of each Link is a URL
you can GET to run the query specifying the default format.
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Each query type returns its result set as an XML document in which objects are represented as elements and
object properties are represented as attributes, pairing the name of the property with its value at the time the
request was made. By default, result sets are returned in the records format, which shows all database records
for each object. Most queries also support the references format, which returns a set of object references,
including name, type, and href attributes. All queries that support the records format also support the
idrecords format. For more information about the format parameter, see “Query Parameters,” on page 257.
Table 9-1. Packaged Queries
Query URL Result Set
API-URL/catalogs/query All catalogs in your organization that you have rights to view
or modify
API-URL/mediaList/query All media that you can view or modify
API-URL/vAppTemplates/query All vApp templates that you can view or modify
API-URL/vApps/query All vApps that you can view or modify
API-URL/vms/query All virtual machines that you can view or modify
API-URL/admin/groups/query Groups in all organizations in the system
API-URL/admin/users/query Users in all organizations in the system
API-URL/admin/strandedUsers/query Stranded users in the organization. When you delete an
LDAP group, users who were imported from that group
become stranded and cannot log in.
API-URL/admin/roles/query All roles defined in the system
API-URL/admin/rights/query All rights defined in the system
API-URL/admin/orgs/query All organizations visible to you
API-URL/admin/vdcs/query All vDCs in the system
API-URL/admin/extension/hostReferences/query ESX/ESXi hosts registered to the system
API-URL/admin/extension/datastores/query All datastores in the system
API-
URL/admin/extension/externalNetworkReferences/query
External networks in the system
API-URL/admin/extension/networkPoolReferences/query All network pools in the system
API-URL/admin/extension/providerVdcReferences/query All provider vDCs in the system
API-URL/admin/extension/vimServerReferences/query All vCenter servers registered to the system
API-URL/admin/extension/orgNetworks/query All organization networks in the system
API-URL/admin/extension/vapps/query All vApps in the system
API-URL/admin/extension/orgVdcs/query All vDCs in the system
Examples
Simple packaged query using the records format, which is the default.
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalogs/query
Response:
<QueryResultRecords
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
total="15"
pageSize="25"
page="1"
name="catalog"
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type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.query.records+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalogs/query?page=1&amp;pageSize=25&amp;format=records"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" ... >
<Link
rel="alternate"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.query.references+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalogs/query?
type=catalog&amp;page=1&amp;pageSize=25&amp;format=references" />
<CatalogRecord
ownerName="system"
organizationName="VMware"
numberOfTemplates="30"
numberOfMedia="3"
name="VAM"
isShared="true"
isPublished="true"
description=""
createdOn="2011-03-21T14:28:09.273-07:00"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalog/150" />
<CatalogRecord
ownerName="system"
organizationName="QA"
numberOfTemplates="0"
numberOfMedia="1"
name="QA-Cat"
isShared="false"
isPublished="true"
description=""
createdOn="2011-03-24T16:37:11.130-07:00"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalog/78" />
<CatalogRecord
ownerName="system"
organizationName="Org-d5443f6b-85e"
numberOfTemplates="0"
numberOfMedia="1"
name="Catalog-3f79780c-6b0"
isShared="true"
isPublished="true"
description=""
createdOn="2011-03-25T11:27:56.063-07:00"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalog/99" />
<CatalogRecord
ownerName="system"
organizationName="Engineering"
numberOfTemplates="2"
numberOfMedia="4"
name="TestCat"
isShared="true"
isPublished="true"
description="New Catalog"
createdOn="2011-03-22T17:10:10.067-07:00"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalog/43" />
<CatalogRecord
ownerName="system"
organizationName="Engineering"
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numberOfTemplates="8"
numberOfMedia="1"
name="catalog1"
isShared="true"
isPublished="true"
description=""
createdOn="2011-03-22T16:14:06.360-07:00"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalog/91" />
</QueryResultRecords>
Packaged query using references format.
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalogs/query?format=references
Response:
<CatalogReferences
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
total="15"
pageSize="25"
page="1"
name="catalog"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.query.references+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalogs/query?
page=1&amp;pageSize=25&amp;format=references"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" ... >
<Link
rel="alternate"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.query.records+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalogs/query?
type=catalog&amp;page=1&amp;pageSize=25&amp;format=records" />
<CatalogReference
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.catalog+xml"
name="VAM"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalog/150" />
<CatalogReference
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.catalog+xml"
name="QA-Cat"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalog/78" />
<CatalogReference
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.catalog+xml"
name="Catalog-3f79780c-6b0"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalog/99" />
<CatalogReference
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.catalog+xml"
name="TestCat"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalog/43" />
<CatalogReference
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.catalog+xml"
name="catalog1"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalog/91" />
</CatalogReferences>
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Packaged query with sorting and filtering. This query adds parameters and a filter expression to produce a
list of catalogs that contain one or more vApp templates. The query sorts the result set in ascending order by
number of vApp templates:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalogs/query?
format=records&sortAsc=numberOfTemplates&filter=numberOfTemplates!=0
Response:
<QueryResultRecords
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
total="3"
pageSize="25"
page="1"
name="catalog"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.query.records+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalogs/query?
page=1&amp;pageSize=25&amp;format=records&amp;filter=numberOfTemplates!
=0&amp;sortAsc=numberOfTemplates"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" ... >
<Link
rel="alternate"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.query.references+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalogs/query?
type=catalog&amp;page=1&amp;pageSize=25&amp;format=references&amp;filter=numberOfTemplates!
=0&amp;sortAsc=numberOfTemplates" />
<CatalogRecord
ownerName="system"
organizationName="Engineering"
numberOfTemplates="2"
numberOfMedia="4"
name="TestCatalog"
isShared="true"
isPublished="true"
description="New Catalog"
createdOn="2011-03-22T17:10:10.067-07:00"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalog/43" />
<CatalogRecord
ownerName="system"
organizationName="Engineering"
numberOfTemplates="8"
numberOfMedia="1"
name="catalog1"
isShared="true"
isPublished="true"
description=""
createdOn="2011-03-22T16:14:06.360-07:00"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalog/91" />
<CatalogRecord
ownerName="system"
organizationName="VMware"
numberOfTemplates="30"
numberOfMedia="3"
name="VAM"
isShared="true"
isPublished="true"
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description=""
createdOn="2011-03-21T14:28:09.273-07:00"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/catalog/150" />
</QueryResultRecords>
Query Parameters
Query parameters specify result set properties such as pagination, sort order, and filter criteria.
Query Parameters
Typed queries must include a type parameter, which specifies the type of query to run. Packaged queries
cannot specify a type parameter. All other parameters are optional. If a parameter is omitted, a default value
is assumed.
Table 9-2. Query Parameters
Parameter Name Parameter Description Default
type The type of the query. Type names are case-sensitive. See
“Query Types,” on page 248.
None. This parameter is
required for all typed
queries, and is not allowed
for any packaged query.
sortAsc=attribute-name Sort results by attribute-name in ascending order. attribute-
name cannot include metadata.
Sorted by database ID
sortDesc=attribute-name Sort results by attribute-name in descending order. attribute-
name cannot include metadata.
Sorted by database ID
page If the query results span multiple pages, return this page. page=1
pageSize Number of results per page, to a maximum of 128. pageSize=25
format One of the following types:
references Returns a reference to each object,
including its name, type, and href
attributes.
records Returns all database records for each
object, with each record as an attribute.
idrecords Identical to the records format, except
that object references are returned in id
format rather than href format.
format=records
fields Comma-separated list of attribute names or metadata key
names to return. For example, fields=name,isEnabled or
fields=metadata:rank. See “Specifying Metadata in a
Query or a Filter Expression,” on page 258.
Returns all static attribute
names. Returns metadata
only if the object has a non-
empty Metadata element.
offset Integer value specifying the first record to return. Record
numbers < offset are not returned.
offset=0
filter Filter expression. See Table 9-3 None
Filter Expressions
For queries that do not examine object metadata, you can filter results using string matching or numeric
comparison operations. A filter comprises one or more subexpressions drawn from the following set of
operators.
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Table 9-3. Query Filter Expressions
Operator Example Operation
== attribute==value Matches. The example evaluates to true if attribute
has a value that matches value in a case-sensitive
comparison.
NOTE Asterisk (*) characters that appear anywhere
in value are treated as wildcards that match any
character string. When value includes wildcards, the
comparison with attribute becomes case-insensitive.
!= attribute!=value Does not match. The example evaluates to true if
attribute has a value that does not match value in a
case-sensitive comparison. Wildcard characters are
not allowed.
;attribute1==value1;attribute2!=value2 Logical AND. The example evaluates to true only if
attribute1 has a value that matches value1 and
attribute2 has a value that does not match value2 in a
case-sensitive comparison.
,attribute1==value1,attribute2==value2 Logical OR. The example evaluates to true if
attribute1 has a value that matches value1 or
attribute2 has a value that matches value2 in a case-
sensitive comparison.
=gt= attribute=gt=value Greater than. The example evaluates to true if
attribute has a value that is greater than value. Both
attribute and value must be of type int, long, or
dateTime.
=lt= attribute=lt=value Less than. The example evaluates to true if attribute
has a value that is less than value. Both attribute and
value must be of type int, long, or dateTime.
=ge= attribute=ge=value Greater than or equal to. The example evaluates to
true if attribute has a value that is greater than or
equal to value. Both attribute and value must be of type
int, long, or dateTime.
=le= attribute=le=value Less than or equal to. The example evaluates to true
if attribute has a value that is less than or equal to
value. Both attribute and value must be of type int,
long, or dateTime.
Specifying Metadata in a Query or a Filter Expression
Because metadata values are dynamic and metadata names have an optional domain qualifier queries that
filter metadata must specify a qualified name, a value, and the type of the value.
nThe domain must be specified for any MetadataEntry that is in the SYSTEM domain. If no DOMAIN is
specified, the query returns the value for key name in the GENERAL domain, if it exists.
nThe type of the value must be specified, using one of the following keywords.
Table 9-4. Metadata Type Specifiers in Query Filters
Type Name as Specified in TypedValue Type Name as a Filter Expression Keyword
MetadataStringValue STRING
MetadataNumberValue NUMBER
MetadataDateTimeValue DATETIME
MetadataBooleanValue BOOLEAN
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For queries that examine object metadata, you can filter query results using numeric comparison operations
when a metadata value has type NUMBER or DATETIME. Because object metadata types are dynamic, filter
expressions for metadata queries require additional parameters that define the attribute part of the expression
as metadata, and specify the type of the value part of the expression.
Table 9-5. Metadata Query Filter Expressions
Operator Example Operation
=gt= metadata:attribute=gt=[NUMBER |
DATETIME]:value
Greater than. The example evaluates to true if value
is of type NUMBER or DATETIME and the value of
the metadata key named attribute is greater than
value.
=lt= metadata:attribute=lt=[NUMBER |
DATETIME]:value
Less than. The example evaluates to true if value is of
type NUMBER or DATETIME and the value of the
metadata key named attribute is less than value.
=ge= metadata:attribute=ge=[NUMBER |
DATETIME]:value
Greater than or equal to. The example evaluates to
true if value is of type NUMBER or DATETIME and
the value of the metadata key named attribute is
greater than or equal to value.
=le= metadata:attribute=le=[NUMBER |
DATETIME]:value
Less than or equal to. The example evaluates to true
if value is of type NUMBER or DATETIME and the
value of the metadata key named attribute is less than
or equal to value.
You can specify up to 8 metadata fields in a single query. You cannot use a metadata value as a sort key when
sorting query output.
The syntax for specifying metadata in a fields parameter is:
fields=metadata[@SYSTEM]:
key-name
For example:
fields=metadata:rank
fields=metadata@SYSTEM:expiry
The syntax for specifying a metadata field in a filter expression is:
metadata[@SYSTEM]:
key-name
operator
type-keyword
:
value
For example:
metadata:rank=ge=NUMBER:1
metadata@SYSTEM:expiry=le=DATETIME:2012-06-18T12:00:00-05:00
Grouping Filter Subexpressions
Group filter subexpressions with parentheses. Separate grouped subexpressions with a semicolon (no spaces).
(
attribute1
==
value1
;
attribute2
!=
value2
);(
attribute3
==
value3
;
attribute4
!=
value4
)...
For example:
https://vcloud.example.com/api/query?
type=providerVdcResourcePoolRelation&format=records&filter=(numberOfVMs!=0;isPrimary==true)
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Attribute Names and Values
Several parameters and all filter expressions require you to specify an attribute name. Use the schema reference
to find the attribute names included in a particular result set. For most queries, the name of the element that
holds a result is derived form the name and format of the query. For example, the result of an adminGroup query
in records format is an AdminGroupRecord element. You can search for result set elements by entering the
element name in the Quick Index window. For each result set element, the reference page includes a table of
attribute names, with their types and descriptions.
Add a Metadata Filter to a Query
All packaged queries and most typed queries return object metadata if it exists for an object in the result set.
You can add metadata-specific filter criteria to a query.
To query an object's metadata, add a metadata field specifier to the query. This specifier follows the fields
parameter and consists of the string metadata: followed by the name of a metadata key.
Procedure
1 Create the filter expression.
2 Add a fields parameter that specifies metadata.
The syntax for specifying a metadata field is:
fields=metadata:
key-name
[, metadata:
key-name
] ...
3 Add a filter expression to the query.
All of the standard filter expressions are supported for metadata queries. In addition, a set of numeric
comparisons are available for values of type NUMBER or DATETIME.
Example: A Query With a Metadata Filter
Assume that the system administrator adds metadata specifying an expiry date and a priority rank to every
organization in a cloud. The key name for the expiry date is expiry, and its value expressed as a
MetadataDateTimeValue. The key name for the rank is rank, and its value is expressed as a
MetadataNumberValue. The following query includes a fields parameter specifying those metadata keys by
name.
NOTE You must use a metadata@SYSTEM parameter to specify metadata keys in the SYSTEM domain. Metadata
in the GENERAL domain does not require a qualifier. Up to eight metadata parameters can be included in a query.
Request:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/query?
type=organization&format=records&fields=metadata:rank,metadata@SYSTEM:expiry"
The response includes an OrgRecord for each organization in the cloud. Each OrgRecord includes a Metadata
element that contains MetadataEntry elements for each of the requested keys.
Response:
<QueryResultRecords
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
total="3"
pageSize="25"
page="1"
...
<OrgRecord
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storedVMQuota="0"
numberOfVdcs="5"
...
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/org/70"
numberOfRunningVMs="3">
<Metadata>
<MetadataEntry>
<Domain
visibility="PRIVATE">SYSTEM</Domain>
<Key>expiry</Key>
<TypedValue
xsi:type="MetadataDateTimeValue">
<Value>2012-05-01T00:00:00.000-04:00</Value>
</TypedValue>
</MetadataEntry>
<MetadataEntry>
<Key>rank</Key>
<TypedValue
xsi:type="MetadataNumberValue">
<Value>1</Value>
</TypedValue>
</MetadataEntry>
</Metadata>
</OrgRecord>
<OrgRecord
storedVMQuota="0"
numberOfVdcs="2"
...
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/org/77"
numberOfRunningVMs="0">
<Metadata>
<MetadataEntry>
<Key>expiry</Key>
<TypedValue
xsi:type="MetadataDateTimeValue">
<Value>2012-06-01T00:00:00.000-04:00</Value>
</TypedValue>
</MetadataEntry>
<MetadataEntry>
<Key>rank</Key>
<TypedValue
xsi:type="MetadataNumberValue">
<Value>2</Value>
</TypedValue>
</MetadataEntry>
</Metadata>
</OrgRecord>
</QueryResultRecords>
To filter the query result set so that it contains only those organizations whose expiry date is later than May 1,
2012, add a filter for the expiry value, as this example shows.
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Request:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/query?
type=organization&format=records&fields=metadata:rank,metadata@SYSTEM:expiry"
&filter="metadata@SYSTEM:expiry=lt=DATETIME:2012-05-01T00:00:00.000-04:00
Response:
<QueryResultRecords
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
total="3"
pageSize="25"
page="1"
...
<OrgRecord
storedVMQuota="0"
numberOfVdcs="2"
...
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/org/77"
numberOfRunningVMs="0">
<Metadata>
<MetadataEntry>
<Key>expiry</Key>
<TypedValue
xsi:type="MetadataDateTimeValue">
<Value>2012-06-01T00:00:00.000-04:00</Value>
</TypedValue>
</MetadataEntry>
<MetadataEntry>
<Key>rank</Key>
<TypedValue
xsi:type="MetadataNumberValue">
<Value>2</Value>
</TypedValue>
</MetadataEntry>
</Metadata>
</OrgRecord>
</QueryResultRecords>
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Configuring and Using Blocking Tasks
and Notifications 10
vCloud Director allows a system administrator to configure many operations as blocking tasks, which are
suspended until a system administrator acts on them or a preconfigured timer expires. Blocking tasks also
generate AMQP messages that you can use to automate the handling of the underlying user request. A system
administrator can also enable nonblocking AMQP notifications of all system events.
When a user requests an operation that has been configured as a blocking task, the system sends a message
about the task to the configured AMQP broker. The system also creates a reference to the task in the cloud's
BlockingTaskReferences container. A system administrator can retrieve the list of BlockingTask elements by
making a GET request to the system's blockingTasks link, or to a URL included in the AMQP message.
About AMQP
AMQP, the Advanced Message Queuing Protocol, is an open standard for message queuing that supports
flexible messaging for enterprise systems. vCloud Director includes an AMQP service and defines a set of
events that, when notifications are enabled, trigger publication of messages by this service. A cloud operator
can configure the service to work with RabbitMQ and other AMQP brokers to provide a stream of notifications
about events in the cloud. By configuring specific tasks as blocking and writing AMQP clients that process the
messages generated when these tasks are launched, cloud operators can create a programmatic facility for
reviewing and acting on tenant requests.
By default, the vCloud Director AMQP service sends unencrypted messages. If you configure it to encrypt
these messages using SSL, it verifies the broker's certificate by using the default JCEKS trust store of the Java
runtime environment on the vCloud Director server. The Java runtime environment is typically located in the
$JRE_HOME/lib/security/cacerts directory.
To use SSL with the vCloud Director AMQP service, select Use SSL on the AMQP Broker Settings section of
the Extensibility page of the vCloud Director Web console, and provide either of the following:
nan SSL certificate pathname
na JCEKS trust store pathname and password
If you do not need to validate the AMQP broker's certificate, you can select Accept all certificates.
For more information about AMQP, see http://www.amqp.org.
Subscribing to Notifications
Notifications of system events are sent to the AMQP message broker that was configured in the system AMQP
settings. AMQP client programs can connect to the broker and specify components of the AMQP routing key
to indicate their interest in messages based on content. For example, a client can use the routing key to request
the broker to send it all messages from a specific organization, or all messages that indicate a failed task. See
“Routing Key Format,” on page 267.
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Processing Messages from Blocking Tasks
Messages from blocking tasks are also sent to the configured message broker, and clients can use the routing
key to indicate their interest in these messages. See “Subscribing to Notifications,” on page 263. Messages from
blocking tasks contain additional information about the task itself. Clients that process these messages can use
the vCloud API to authenticate to the system and act on the blocked task.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n“Configure Notifications and AMQP Settings,” on page 264
n“Retrieve or Update Blocking Task Settings,” on page 273
n“Monitor Blocking Tasks,” on page 276
n“Take Action on a Blocking Task,” on page 277
n“Extend The Timeout Expiration of an Active Task,” on page 279
Configure Notifications and AMQP Settings
The system administrator can enable or disable AMQP notification messages for events in a cloud. The system
administrator can also configure settings that the vCloud Director AMQP service uses when it sends messages
generated by notifications and blocking tasks.
AMQP broker settings are established when you install and configure RabbitMQ or another AMQP broker to
use with vCloud Director. These values include the following items:
nThe fully-qualified domain name of the RabbitMQ server host, for example amqp.example.com.
nA username and password that are valid for authenticating with RabbitMQ.
nThe port at which the broker listens for messages. The default is 5672.
nThe RabbitMQ virtual host. The default is "/".
NOTE It is a good practice to test the AMQP settings before you change the configuration. See “Test AMQP
Settings,” on page 266.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the SystemSettings element.
2 Examine the response to locate the links that you can use to retrieve the system's
NotificationsSettings and AmqpSettings elements.
These links have a rel attribute value of down and a type attribute value of
application/vnd.vmware.admin.notificationsSettings+xml for NotificationsSettings or
application/vnd.vmware.admin.amqpSettings+xml for AmqpSettings, as shown here:
<Link href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/settings/amqp"
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.amqpSettings+xml"/>
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3 Enable or disable notifications.
a Retrieve the NotificationsSettings element.
Make a GET request to the href value of the application/vnd.vmware.admin.notificationsSettings
+xml link.
b Modify the value of the EnableNotifications element to enable or disable notifications.
c Update the modified element with the new contents.
PUT the modified element to the href value of its rel="edit" link.
4 Review or modify system AMQP settings.
a Retrieve the AmqpSettings element.
Make a GET request to the href value of the application/vnd.vmware.admin.amqpSettings+xml link
described in Step 2.
b Modify the contents of this element as necessary.
See the schema reference for details of element contents.
c Update the modified element with the new contents.
PUT the modified element to the href value of its rel="edit" link. See “Example: Update AMQP
Settings,” on page 265
Example: Update AMQP Settings
This request modifies the AMQP settings for a cloud to require the use of SSL for AMQP connections, and to
change the AMQP exchange type from amq.direct to amq.fanout. RabbitMQ declares these exchange types by
default. For more information, see the RabbitMQ documentation.
Request:
PUT https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/settings/amqp
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.amqpSettings+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<AmqpSettings
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5">
<AmqpHost />
<AmqpPort>5672</AmqpPort>
<AmqpUsername>guest</AmqpUsername>
<AmqpPassword>Pa55w0rd</AmqpPassword>
<AmqpExchange>amq.direct</AmqpExchange>
<AmqpVHost>/</AmqpVHost>
<AmqpUseSSL>true</AmqpUseSSL>
</AmqpSettings>
The response includes information supplied in the request, and contains a link you can use to test the settings.
The value of AmqpPassword, which you must supply when you modify AmqpSettings (even if you are not
changing its value), is never returned when you retrieve AmqpSettings.
Response:
200 OK
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.amqpSettings+xml
...
<AmqpSettings
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
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type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.amqpSettings+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/settings/amqp"
... >
<vcloud:Link
rel="test"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.amqpSettingsTest+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/settings/amqp/action/test"/>
<AmqpHost />
<AmqpPort>5672</AmqpPort>
<AmqpUsername>guest</AmqpUsername>
<AmqpPassword />
<AmqpExchange>amq.direct</AmqpExchange>
<AmqpVHost>/</AmqpVHost>
<AmqpUseSSL>true</AmqpUseSSL>
</AmqpSettings>
Test AMQP Settings
The settings/amqp/action/test link of the AmqpSettings element allows you to test AMQP settings before
configuring them for the cloud.
Prerequisites
nVerify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
nVerify that you know the AMQP broker password.
nRetrieve the SystemSettings element. See “Retrieve or Update System Settings,” on page 197.
Procedure
1 Examine the SystemSettings element to locate the link that you can use to retrieve the system's
AmqpSettings element.
This link has a rel attribute value of down and a type attribute value of
application/vnd.vmware.admin.amqpSettings+xml as shown here:
<Link href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/settings/amqp"
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.amqpSettings+xml"/>
2 Retrieve the AmqpSettings element and locate the settings/amqp/action/test link it contains.
The response portion of “Example: Update AMQP Settings,” on page 265 includes this link.
3 Create a new AmqpSettings element that contains the values you want to test.
You can use the existing AmqpSettings element as a template. Whether you want to test the existing values
or create new ones, you must include the AMQP broker password in the AmqpPassword element. This
element is always returned empty when you retrieve the system's AmqpSettings.
4 Test the AMQP settings.
POST the AmqpSettings element to the settings/amqp/action/test link described in Step 2.
Example: Test AMQP Settings
This example tests the settings shown in the request portion of “Example: Update AMQP Settings,” on
page 265
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Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/settings/amqp/action/test
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.amqpSettings+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<AmqpSettings
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.amqpSettings+xml">
<AmqpHost />
<AmqpPort>5672</AmqpPort>
<AmqpUsername>guest</AmqpUsername>
<AmqpPassword>Pa55w0rd</AmqpPassword>
<AmqpExchange>systemExchange</AmqpExchange>
<AmqpVHost>/</AmqpVHost>
<AmqpUseSSL>true</AmqpUseSSL>
</AmqpSettings>
The response is an AmqpSettingsTest element whose Valid element contains a Boolean indication of whether
the settings are valid. This response indicates that they are. If a value in the POSTed AmqpSettings element is
incorrect, the AmqpSettingsTest response has a Valid value of false.
Response:
200 OK
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.amqpSettingsTest+xml
...
<vmext:AmqpSettingsTest
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.amqpSettingsTest+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/settings/amqp/action/test"
... >
<vcloud:Link
rel="up"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.amqpSettings+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/settings/amqp" />
<vmext:Valid>true</vmext:Valid>
</vmext:AmqpSettingsTest>
Notification Message Format
All messages that the vCloud Director AMQP service sends contain an AMQP routing key and a
Notification element.
The Notification element is defined in the vCloud API schema. The routing key format is defined by the
AMQP specification.
Routing Key Format
The routing key for a vCloud Director AMQP message has the following form:
operationSuccess
.
entity
.
org
.
user
.
subType1
.
subType2
...
subTypeN
.[
taskName
]
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Routing key components include:
operationSuccess A Boolean value denoting whether the operation that triggered the notification
succeeded or failed.
entity The object identifier of the object on which an operation, an event of type
com/vmware/vcloud/event/, triggered the notification. For more information
about object identifiers, see “Objects, References, and Representations,” on
page 12.
org The object identifier of the organization that owns the affected object.
user The object identifier of the user who made the request.
subType1-subTypeNEach subType is a single component of the event type name. See “Notification
Types,” on page 269.
taskName If entity is a task or blocking task, the task name is appended to the routing key.
The following routing key, in which the object identifiers are truncated to save space, is an example of a routing
key that might have been created for a successful com/vmware/vcloud/event/vapp/create event:
true.dc6a-
xxx
.0b8a-
xxx
.832c-
xxx
.com.vmware.vcloud.event.vapp.create
Notification Headers
The vCloud API defines notification headers and prepends them to every notification.
Table 10-1. Notification Headers
Header Value
notification.type See “Notification Types,” on page 269.
notification.entityType The type of vCloud entity is associated with this notification.
For example, vm.
notification.entityUUID The object identifier of the object on which an operation, an
event of type com/vmware/vcloud/event/, triggered the
notification.
notification.orgUUID The object identifier of the organization that owns the
affected object.
notification.userUUID The object identifier of the user who made the request.
notification.operationSuccess A Boolean value denoting whether the operation that
triggered the notification succeeded or failed.
Example: Notification Message Format
In addition to the routing key, a notification message contains a Notification element. This one was generated
by a blocking task.
<vmext:Notification
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
type="com/vmware/vcloud/event/blockingtask/create"
eventId="a1440dd8-60ae-46c7-b216-44693bc00c90">
<vmext:Link
rel="entityResolver"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/entity/" />
<vmext:EntityLink
rel="entity"
type="vcloud:blockingTask"
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name="vdcComposeVapp"
id="urn:vcloud:blockingTask:25" />
<vmext:EntityLink
rel="down"
type="vcloud:user"
name="vcloud"
id="urn:vcloud:user:44" />
<vmext:EntityLink
rel="up"
type="vcloud:org"
name="Default"
id="urn:vcloud:org:70" />
<vmext:EntityLink
rel="task"
type="vcloud:task"
name="vdcComposeVapp"
id="urn:vcloud:task:34" />
<vmext:EntityLink
rel="task:owner"
type="vcloud:vapp"
id="urn:vcloud:vapp:26" />
<vmext:Timestamp>2011-06-18T14:33:27.787+03:00</vmext:Timestamp>
<vmext:OperationSuccess>true</vmext:OperationSuccess>
</vmext:Notification>
A Notification contains an entityResolver URL and EntityLink elements that provide more information
about the entity, org, and user components of the routing key. Attributes of those elements show the name,
type, and id of each component. After you authenticate to the cloud as a system administrator, you can retrieve
any of the entities represented in an EntityLink by making a GET request to a URL you create by appending
the value of an id attribute to the entityResolver URL. See “Retrieve an Object as an Entity,” on page 312.
This request retrieves the blocking task that generated the Notification in this example.
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/entity/urn:vcloud:blockingtask:25
The response to this request is identical to the one shown in the response portion of “Example: Handling a
Blocking Task,” on page 278.
Notification Types
The value of the type attribute of a vCloud Director notification is a string of the form
com/vmware/vcloud/event/
object-type
/
event-type
.
Table 10-2. User, Group, Role, and Session Events
Type (com/vmware/vcloud/event/) Description
session/login A login session was created.
user/import A user was imported from LDAP.
user/remove An imported user was removed from the organization.
user/modify One or more properties of a user were modified.
user/lockout An account was locked based on the organization's password
policy settings.
user/unlock A locked account was unlocked.
user/lock_expired The lock on an account has expired.
user/create A local user was created in an organization.
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Table 10-2. User, Group, Role, and Session Events (Continued)
Type (com/vmware/vcloud/event/) Description
user/delete A local user was removed from the organization.
group/import A group was imported from LDAP.
group/remove A group was removed from an organization.
role/create A new role was created.
role/modify An existing role was modified.
role/delete A role was deleted.
Table 10-3. Organization, Network, Catalog, and vDC Events
Type (com/vmware/vcloud/event/) Description
org/create An organization was created.
org/modify An organization was modified.
org/delete An organization was deleted.
network/create A network was created.
network/modify A network was modified.
network/delete A network was deleted.
network/deploy A network was deployed.
network/undeploy A network was undeployed.
catalog/create A catalog was created.
catalog/delete A catalog was deleted.
catalog/modify One or more properties of a catalog were modified
catalog/publish A catalog was published.
catalogItem/create An item was added to a catalog.
catalogItem/delete An item was removed from a catalog.
vdc/create_request A request to create a vDC was blocked pending
administrative action.
vdc/create A vDC was created.
vdc/modify One or more properties of a vDC was modified.
vdc/delete_request A request to delete a vDC was blocked pending
administrative action.
vdc/delete A vDC was deleted.
vdc/fast_provisioning/modify The UsesFastProvisioning value of a vDC was modified.
vdc/thin_provisioning/modify The IsThinProvision value of a vDC was modified.
Table 10-4. vApp, vApp Template, Vm, and Media Events
Type (com/vmware/vcloud/event/) Description
vappTemplate/create A vApp template was created.
vappTemplate/import A virtual machine was imported from vSphere as a vApp
template.
vappTemplate/modify One or more properties of a vApp template were modified.
vappTemplate/delete A vApp template was deleted.
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Table 10-4. vApp, vApp Template, Vm, and Media Events (Continued)
Type (com/vmware/vcloud/event/) Description
vappTemplate/create_request A request to create a vApp template was blocked pending
administrative action.
vappTemplate/import_request A request to import a vApp template was blocked pending
administrative action.
vappTemplate/modify_request A request to modify a vApp template was blocked pending
administrative action.
vappTemplate/delete_request A request to delete a vApp template was blocked pending
administrative action.
vapp/create A vApp was created (instantiated)
vapp/import A virtual machine was imported from vSphere as a vApp.
vapp/modify One or more properties of a vApp were modified.
vapp/delete A vApp was deleted.
vapp/deploy A vApp was deployed.
vapp/undeploy A vApp was undeployed.
vapp/runtime_lease_expiry The runtime lease of a vApp has expired.
vapp/create_request A request to instantiate a vApp template was blocked
pending administrative action.
vapp/import_request A request to import a vApp was blocked pending
administrative action.
vapp/modify_request A request to modify a vApp was blocked pending
administrative action.
vapp/delete_request A request to delete a vApp was blocked pending
administrative action.
vapp/deploy_request A request to deploy a vApp was blocked pending
administrative action.
vapp/undeploy_request A request to undeploy a vApp was blocked pending
administrative action.
vm/create_request A request to create a virtual machine was blocked pending
administrative action.
vapp/quarantine_reject An uploaded OVF was rejected after quarantine.
vapp/upload_timeout An OVF upload has timed out.
vm/create A virtual machine was created by instantiating a vApp.
vm/modify_request A request to modify a virtual machine was blocked pending
administrative action.
vm/modify One or more properties of a virtual machine were modified.
vm/delete A virtual machine was deleted.
vm/change_state The power state of a virtual machine has changed.
vm/deploy_request A request to deploy a virtual machine was blocked pending
administrative action.
vm/deploy A virtual machine was deployed.
vm/undeploy_request A request to undeploy a virtual machine was blocked
pending administrative action.
vm/undeploy A virtual machine was undeployed.
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Table 10-4. vApp, vApp Template, Vm, and Media Events (Continued)
Type (com/vmware/vcloud/event/) Description
vm/consolidate_request A request to consolidate a virtual machine was blocked
pending administrative action.
vm/consolidate A virtual machine was consolidated.
vm/relocate_request A request to relocate a virtual machine was blocked pending
administrative action.
vm/relocate A virtual machine was relocated.
media/create A media object was created by upload or import.
media/import A media object was imported.
media/modify One or more properties of a media object were modified.
media/delete A media object was deleted.
media/create_request A request to create a media object was blocked pending
administrative action.
media/import_request A request to import a media object was blocked pending
administrative action.
media/modify_request A request to modify a media object was blocked pending
administrative action.
media/delete_request A request to delete a media object was blocked pending
administrative action.
media/upload_timeout A media upload has timed out.
media/quarantine_reject An uploaded media object was rejected after quarantine.
Table 10-5. Other System Events
Type (com/vmware/vcloud/event/) Description
providerVdc/create_request A request to create a provider vDC was blocked pending
administrative action.
providerVdc/create A provider vDC was created.
providerVdc/modify One or more properties of a provider vDC were modified.
providerVdc/delete_request A request to delete a provider vDC was blocked pending
administrative action.
providerVdc/delete A provider vDC was deleted.
vc/create A vCenter server was registered.
vc/modify One or more properties of a registered vCenter server were
modified.
vc/delete A registered vCenter server was registered.
task/create A task was created.
task/start A non-blocking task has started or a blocking task has
resumed.
task/abort A task was aborted.
task/complete A task has completed.
task/fail A task has failed.
blockingtask/create A task was blocked and a notification created.
blockingtask/resume A blocking task was resumed.
blockingtask/abort A blocking task was aborted.
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Table 10-5. Other System Events (Continued)
Type (com/vmware/vcloud/event/) Description
blockingtask/fail A blocking task was failed.
datastore/modify One or more properties of a datastore object were modified.
datastore/delete A datastore object was deleted.
Retrieve or Update Blocking Task Settings
Timeout settings, default actions, and related messages for blocking tasks are properties of a cloud. They apply
to all organizations in the cloud. Only a system administrator can view or modify them.
When a user requests an operation that is configured to create a blocking task, the system creates a reference
to the operation in the cloud's BlockingTaskReferences container. The system also sends a message about the
task to the configured AMQP broker. A system administrator can retrieve the list of
BlockingTaskReferences by making a GET request to the system's blockingTasks link. An AMQP client can
use information in the message to construct a URL that it can use to retrieve the task. See “Example: Notification
Message Format,” on page 268.
If no action is taken on the blocking task within a specified timeout interval, it is subject to a default action.
You can specify the timeout interval and default action for all blocking tasks by modifying the system's
BlockingTaskSettings element. To configure an operation as a blocking task, add the operation name to the
BlockingTaskOperations element contained by BlockingTaskSettings. See “Task Operations,” on page 274.
Prerequisites
nVerify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
nRetrieve the SystemSettings element. See “Retrieve or Update System Settings,” on page 197.
Procedure
1 Examine the response to locate the link that you can use to retrieve the system's BlockingTaskSettings
element.
This link has a rel attribute value of down and a type attribute value of
application/vnd.vmware.admin.blockingTaskSettings+xml, as shown here:
<Link href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/settings/blockingTask"
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.blockingTaskSettings+xml"/>
2 Retrieve the element.
Make a GET request to the href value of the link.
3 (Optional) Modify the element as needed to change the settings it controls.
See the schema reference.
4 (Optional) Update the modified element with the new contents.
PUT the modified element to the href value of its rel="edit" link. See “Example: Update Blocking Task
Settings,” on page 273.
Example: Update Blocking Task Settings
This request modifies the blocking task settings for a cloud to set the time-out period to 24 hours and adds
media upload as an operation that creates a blocking task. See “Task Operations,” on page 274 for a list of
operation names.
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Request:
PUT https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/settings/blockingTask
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.blockingTaskSettings+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<BlockingTaskSettings
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5">
<TimeoutAction>abort</TimeoutAction>
<BlockingTaskOperations>
<vcloud:Operation>vdcUploadMedia</vcloud:Operation>
</BlockingTaskOperations>
<TimeoutInMilliseconds>86400000</TimeoutInMilliseconds>
</BlockingTaskSettings>
The response contains information extracted from the request, and adds the href attributes and edit links for
the BlockingTaskSettings element and the BlockingTaskOperations element it contains.
Response:
200 OK
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.blockingTaskSettings+xml
...
<BlockingTaskSettings
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
TimeoutInMilliseconds="86400000"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.blockingTaskSettings+xmll"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/settings/blockingTask"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" ... >
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.blockingTaskSettings+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/settings/blockingTask" />
<Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.taskOperationList+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/settings/blockingTask/operations"/>
<TimeoutAction>abort</TimeoutAction>
<BlockingTaskOperations
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.taskOperationList+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/settings/blockingTask/operations">
<Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.taskOperationList+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/settings/blockingTask/operations"/>
<Operation>vdcUploadMedia</Operation>
</BlockingTaskOperations>
</BlockingTaskSettings>
Task Operations
Requests that you can configure as blocking tasks are represented by task operation names.
To configure a request type as a blocking task, place the operation name in an Operation element and add that
element to the cloud's BlockingTaskOperations element. See “Retrieve or Update Blocking Task Settings,” on
page 273.
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Table 10-6. Media
Operation Name Description
vdcCopyMedia Copy a media object.
vdcDeleteMedia Delete a media object.
vdcUploadMedia Upload media.
vdcUpdateMedia Modify one or more properties of a media object.
Table 10-7. Network
Operation Name Description
networkCreateNetworkPool Create a network pool.
networkCreateExternalNetwork Create an external network.
networkDelete Delete a network.
networkDeleteNetworkPool Delete a network pool.
networkCreateFencePoolTypeNetworkPool Create an isolation-backed FencePoolType network pool.
networkUpdateNetwork Modify one or more properties of a network object.
networkUpdateNetworkPool Modify one or more properties of a network pool object.
networkUpdateVlanPool Modify one or more properties of a VlanPoolType network
pool object.
Table 10-8. vApp
Operation Name Description
vappDeploy Deploy a vApp.
vappPowerOff Power-off a vApp.
vappRebootGuest Reboot any virtual machine in a vApp.
vappReset Reset any virtual machine in a vApp.
vappShutdownGuest Shut down any virtual machine in a vApp.
vappSuspend Suspend any virtual machine in a vApp.
vappUndeployPowerOff Undeploy any virtual machine in a vApp by powering it off.
vappUndeploySuspend Undeploy any virtual machine in a vApp by suspending it.
vappUpdateVm Modify one or more properties of a virtual machine.
vappUpgradeHwVersion Upgrade the hardware version of any virtual machine in a
vApp.
vdcCaptureTemplate Capture a vApp as a vApp template.
vdcComposeVapp Compose a vApp.
vdcCopyVapp Copy a vApp.
vdcDeleteVapp Delete a vApp.
vdcInstantiateVapp Instantiate a vApp template.
vdcRecomposeVapp Recompose a vApp.
vdcUpdateVapp Update or modify any section of a vApp.
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Table 10-9. vApp Template
Operation Name Description
vdcCopyTemplate Copy a vApp template.
vdcDeleteTemplate Delete a vApp template.
vdcEnableDownload Enable a vApp template for download as OVF.
vdcUpdateTemplate Modify one or more properties of a vApp template.
vdcUploadOvfContents Upload an OVF package to create a vApp template.
Table 10-10. vDC
Operation Name Description
rclCreateProviderVdc Create a provider vDC.
rclDeleteProviderVdc Delete a provider vDC.
vdcCreateVdc Create an organization vDC.
vdcDeleteVdc Delete an organization vDC.
vdcUpdateVdc Modify one or more properties of an organization vDC.
Table 10-11. Import
Operation Name Description
importMedia Import a media object from vSphere.
importSingletonVapp Import a virtual machine from vCenter as a vApp.
importSingletonTemplate Import a virtual machine from vCenter as a vApp template.
importIntoExistingTemplate Import a virtual machine from vCenter to an existing vApp
template.
importIntoExistingVapp Import a virtual machine from vCenter to an existing vApp.
Monitor Blocking Tasks
A system administrator can retrieve a list of all pending and active blocking tasks. Links in the returned
BlockingTask element allow the administrator to take action on the request.
In addition to being subject to programmatic action by an AMQP client (see “Notification Message Format,”
on page 267), blocking tasks can be monitored and managed by a system administrator using the vCloud API.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the list of blocking tasks.
See the request portion of “Example: Retrieve a List of Blocking Tasks,” on page 277. If the
BlockingTaskReferences element contains no Reference elements, no blocking tasks are currently active
in the system.
2 Retrieve an individual blocking task from one of the Reference elements in the response.
See the request portion of “Example: Handling a Blocking Task,” on page 278.
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3 Use one of the action links in the BlockingTask to take action on the task.
See the response portion of “Example: Handling a Blocking Task,” on page 278.
Example: Retrieve a List of Blocking Tasks
Request:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/blockingTasks/
Response:
200 OK
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.blockingTaskList+xml
...
<vmext:BlockingTaskReferences
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
... >
<vcloud:Link
rel="up"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.vmwExtension+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension" />
<vcloud:Reference
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.blockingTask+xml"
name="vdcUpdateTemplate"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/blockingTask/28" />
<vcloud:Reference
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.blockingTask+xml"
name="vdcComposeVapp"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/blockingTask/25" />
<vcloud:Reference
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.blockingTask+xml"
name="vdcUploadMedia"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/blockingTask/12" />
</vmext:BlockingTaskReferences>
Take Action on a Blocking Task
The BlockingTask element includes links that you can use to take action on a blocking task.
A BlockingTask element is primarily a collection of Link elements that allow you to take action on the task.
When a user requests an operation that is configured to create a blocking task, the system sends a message
about the task to the configured AMQP broker, and also creates a reference to the task in the cloud's
BlockingTaskReferences container. A system administrator can retrieve the list of BlockingTask elements by
making a GET request to the system's extension/blockingTasks link. See “Monitor Blocking Tasks,” on
page 276.
After authenticating to the cloud as a system administrator, the AMQP client can retrieve a blocking task. The
AMQP client makes a GET request to a URL that the task creates by appending the value of the id attribute of
the task to the entityResolver URL in the Notification. See “Example: Notification Message Format,” on
page 268.
The following actions are allowed:
resume Unblock the task and allow it to continue.
abort End the task, cleaning up any transient objects that it created. Task status is set
to ABORTED.
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fail End the task, setting the status of any transient objects that it created to ERROR.
Task status is set to ERROR.
updateProgress Reset the timeout value and timeout action for an active task. Use this action
to keep the task alive when it might become subject to a timeout action.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the list of active blocking tasks.
See “Monitor Blocking Tasks,” on page 276. If you are using an AMQP client to handle blocking tasks,
skip this step. Each blocking task creates its own AMQP message, which contains a reference to the
BlockingTask.
2 Retrieve an individual BlockingTask.
See the request portion of “Example: Handling a Blocking Task,” on page 278.
3 Make a request.
Action Request
resume POST a BlockingTaskOperationParams element to the Link where
rel="resume"
abort POST a BlockingTaskOperationParams element to the Link where
rel="abort"
fail POST a BlockingTaskOperationParams element to the Link where
rel="fail"
updateProgress POST a BlockingTaskUpdateProgressParams element to the Link where
rel="updateProgress"
Example: Handling a Blocking Task
This request shows how to retrieve a blocking task without using an AMQP client. “Example: Notification
Message Format,” on page 268 shows how to retrieve the same task using information in the AMQP message.
Request:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/blockingTask/25
Response:
200 OK
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.blockingTask+xml
...
<vmext:BlockingTask
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
status="active"
timeoutDate="2011-05-07T16:25:18.857+03:00"
timeoutAction="abort"
createdTime="2011-05-02T16:25:18.857+03:00"
name="importSingletonTemplate"
id="urn:vcloud:blockingTask:25"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.blockingTask+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/blockingTask/25">
<vcloud:Link
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rel="resume"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.blockingTaskOperationParams+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/blockingTask/25/action/resume" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="abort"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.blockingTaskOperationParams+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/blockingTask/25/action/abort" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="fail"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.blockingTaskOperationParams+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/blockingTask/25/action/fail" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="updateProgress"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.BlockingTaskUpdateProgressOperationParams+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/blockingTask/25/action/updateProgress" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="up"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.task+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/task/42" />
<vcloud:Organization
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.organization+xml"
name="example"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/97" />
<vcloud:User
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.user+xml"
name="system"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/user/80" />
<vcloud:TaskOwner
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vAppTemplate+xml"
name=""
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vAppTemplate/vappTemplate-89" />
</vmext:BlockingTask>
The following request allows the task to resume with a message indicating administrative approval.
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/blockingTask/25/action/resume
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.blockingTaskOperationParams+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<BlockingTaskOperationParams
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5" >
<Message>Approved by system administrator.</Message>
</BlockingTaskOperationParams>
Extend The Timeout Expiration of an Active Task
You can use the updateProgress link in a BlockingTask to extend the expiration time of an active task.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
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Procedure
1 Retrieve the list of active blocking tasks.
See “Monitor Blocking Tasks,” on page 276. If you are using an AMQP client to handle task extension
requests, skip this step. Each blocking task creates its own AMQP message, which contains a reference to
the BlockingTask mentioned in Step 1.
2 Retrieve an individual BlockingTask.
See the request portion of “Example: Handling a Blocking Task,” on page 278.
3 Provide a new timeout value, relative to now, for the task.
Create a BlockingTaskUpdateProgressParams element that specifies the number of milliseconds until the
task times out. See “Example: Extend The Timeout Expiration of an Active Task,” on page 280.
4 POST the BlockingTaskUpdateProgressParams to the updateProgress URL from the BlockingTask.
The new timeout value is set to now (the time when the updateProgress request is executed)
plusTimeoutValueInMilliseconds.
Example: Extend The Timeout Expiration of an Active Task
This request resets the expiration time of the BlockingTask shown in “Example: Handling a Blocking Task,”
on page 278 to ten minutes after the request is processed.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/blockingTask/34/action/updateProgress
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.blockingTaskUpdateProgressOperationParams+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<BlockingTaskUpdateProgressParams
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5">
<Message>Giving you ten more minutes...</Message>
<TimeoutValueInMilliseconds>600000</TimeoutValueInMilliseconds>
</BlockingTaskUpdateProgressParams>
The response includes the entire BlockingTask and shows the new value of the timeoutDate attribute. The value
assumes that the request was made at time 2011-05-11T11:50:55. This example omits most of the response.
Response:
200 OK
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.blockingTask+xml
...
<vmext:BlockingTask
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
status="active"
timeoutDate="2011-05-11T12:00:55.857+03:00"
...
</vmext:BlockingTask>
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vCloud Director Extension Services 11
vCloud Director and the vCloud API include a framework for integration of extension services that a vCloud
API client can access as though they were native services. In addition to service-specific objects or operations
they provide, extension services can implement new operations for existing API objects.
A vCloud Director extension service is a program that presents a REST interface to vCloud API clients. When
you register an extension service with the vCloud API, you specify one or more URL patterns that the
vCloud Director REST service treats as extension requests. When it receives an extension request, the
vCloud Director REST service creates an AMQP notification with a service-specific exchange and routing key,
and sends it to the vCloud Director AMQP service. Each extension service subscribes to AMQP notifications
that have its service-specific routing key. A service processes its notifications, takes whatever actions they
require, and returns a response to the AMQP service, where the vCloud Director REST service retrieves it and
uses its contents to generate a response to the client that made the request.
Message Routing
Extension services use the vCloud Director AMQP service to communicate with vCloud Director. Every
extension service must register a unique AMQP routing key, which vCloud Director prepends to AMQP
messages destined for that service. To collect replies from services, vCloud Director creates a single reply
exchange for all services, creates a separate reply queue for each cell, and binds each of those queues to the
reply exchange.
vCloud Director extension services can also be vCloud API clients, authenticating to the vCloud API and
making their own REST requests to the vCloud API URL. This type of interaction is required when creating
tasks and events that track the progress of requests made to the service. It is also required by services that
operate on vCloud Director objects like vApps and virtual machines.
Creating Events and Tasks
The vCloud API extension framework implements operations that allow an extension service to create and
update an organization's lists of tasks and events, so the status of asynchronous events running in extension
services can be displayed with the same kinds of information posted by native services.
Authorization Framework
All requests to extension services are processed through the vCloud Director authentication framework. A
user making a request to an extension service must be authenticated by vCloud Director as a system
administrator or a member of a vCloud Director organization.
An extension service can add service-specific rights and associate those rights with operations on its own
objects or with operations it adds to vCloud API objects .
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Service APIs
An extension service can define its own request and response body elements if it needs to. API schema files
can be specified as part of service registration or can be added later. Schema files can reside at any location
that is reachable by the extension service.
Support for Idempotent Operations
Most requests to extension services can include an operationKey attribute, which is a string meant to uniquely
identify the operation so that if it is invoked multiple times, the result will be the same as if it had been invoked
only once. The following types support use of the operationKey attribute:
nAclRuleType
nApiDefinitionType
nApiFilterType
nFileDescriptorType
nResourceClassActionType
nResourceClassType
nServiceLinkType
nServiceResourceType
nServiceType
This chapter includes the following topics:
n“Summary of vCloud API Extensibility Requests,” on page 282
n“Register an Extension Service,” on page 284
n“Adding or Removing Service Links,” on page 288
n“Service-Specific Tasks and Events,” on page 291
n“Authorization Framework for Extension Service Operations,” on page 294
n“Localization Framework for Extension Services,” on page 302
n“REST APIs for Extension Services,” on page 302
Summary of vCloud API Extensibility Requests
vCloud API extensibility requests allow you to develop extension to vCloud Director.
nAPI-URL is a URL of the form https://vcloud.example.com/api.
nid 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.
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Table 11-1. Summary of vCloud API Extensibility Requests
Operation Request Request Body Response
Register an extension service
with vCloud Director
POST API-
URL/admin/extension/serv
ice
Service Service
Retrieve a list of registered
extension services.
GET API-
URL/admin/extension/serv
ice
None ExtensionServices
Update a registered
extension service.
PUT API-
URL/admin/extension/serv
ice/id
Service Service
Delete a registered extension
service.
DELETE API-
URL/admin/extension/serv
ice/id
None 204 No Content
Register extension service
links with vCloud Director
objects.
POST API-
URL/admin/extension/serv
ice/id/links
ServiceLink ServiceLink
Create resource class
definitions for a registered
extension service.
POST API-
URL/admin/extension/serv
ice/id/resourceClasses
ResourceClass ResourceClass
Associate actions with a
resource class.
POSTAPI-
URL/admin/extension/serv
ice/resourceClass/
id/resourceClassActions
ResourceClassAction ResourceClassAction
Create an ACL rule for a
resource class.
POSTAPI-
URL/admin/extension/serv
ice/resourceClassAction/
id/aclRules
AclRule AclRule
Associate a right with an
extension service.
POSTAPI-
URL/admin/extension/serv
ice/id/rights
Right RightRight
Update a right associated
with an extension service.
PUTAPI-
URL/admin/right/id
Right Right
Delete rights no longer
associated with a role or ACL
rule after the associated
extension service has been
deleted.
POSTAPI-
URL/admin/extension/serv
ice/action/clearUnusedRig
hts
None 204 No Content
List the access rights for a
specific combination of user
and entity
POSTAPI-
URL/admin/user/
id/entityRights
EntityReferences UserEntityRights
Create a Task object in the
organization/id
POSTAPI-URL/tasksList/id Task Task
Update a Task object PUTAPI-URL/task/id Task Task
Post an extension service
event to the system.
POSTAPI-
URL/admin/org/id/events
Event 204 No Content
Initiate the upload of a
localization bundle for an
extension service.
POSTAPI-
URL/admin/extension/serv
ice/id/localizationBundles
BundleUploadParams BundleUploadSocket
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Table 11-1. Summary of vCloud API Extensibility Requests (Continued)
Operation Request Request Body Response
Create API definitions for a
registered extension service.
POST API-
URL/admin/extension/serv
ice/id/definitions
ApiDefinition ApiDefinition
Create file descriptors for a
registered extension service.
POSTAPI-
URL/admin/extension/serv
ice/definition/id/files
FileDescriptor FileDescriptor
Register an Extension Service
Register an extension service to specify its namespace, AMQP exchange and routing key, and URL patterns.
You can specify additional service properties during registration or update them later.
An extension service typically authenticates with the vCloud API as a system administrator, then registers
itself by POSTing a Service element to the system's .../api/admin/extension/service URL. A Service element
must include the following elements.
Namespace The service namespace, which must be unique among all registered extension
services. Service namespace names that follow the naming convention used for
Java packages (for example, com.example.service.backup) are more likely to
be unique. If a service tries to register a namespace that is already registered,
registration fails.
RoutingKey The AMQP routing key that vCloud Director must use when routing messages
to the service.
Exchange The AMQP exchange name that vCloud Director must use when routing
messages to the service. The service must create the specified exchange on the
AMQP service that vCloud Director uses. The exchange type must be direct.
ApiFilters Specifies one or more URL patterns that the vCloud Director REST service must
treat as extension requests. URL patterns can include regular expressions that
java.util.regex.Pattern recognizes. See “Create an API Filter for an
Extension Service,” on page 302.
Registration can also specify the following optional properties:
nDefinitions of Link elements that the service adds to the representations of vCloud API objects. See
“Adding or Removing Service Links,” on page 288
nAuthorization framework for controlling access to the service's objects and operations. See “Authorization
Framework for Extension Service Operations,” on page 294.
nLocations of schema files if the service provides its own API. See “REST APIs for Extension Services,” on
page 302
You can also create or update these properties after you register the service.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of the cloud.
Use a request like this one:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension
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2 Examine the response to find the Link for adding extension services.
This URL is present in the VMWExtension element, and has the following form.
<vcloud:Link
rel="down"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.extensionServices+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service"/>
3 Construct a Service element.
See the request portion of “Example: Register an Extension Service,” on page 285.
4 POST the Service element to the URL described in Step 2.
See the request portion of “Example: Register an Extension Service,” on page 285.
Example: Register an Extension Service
This request registers an extension service named SDK-BackupExtension. The request specifies the service
namespace and routing key, and several URL patterns to be used as API filters. Messages for the service are
sent to the AMQP exchange named sdkext with routing key sdkbackup.
NOTE If the specified exchange does not exist on the AMQP service that vCloud Director uses, an internal
server error occurs whenever vCloud Director receives a request that matches one of the service's API filters.
This request also includes several ServiceLink elements. For information about the contents of these elements,
see “Adding or Removing Service Links,” on page 288.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service
Content Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.service+xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<vmext:Service
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
name="SDK-BackupExtension">
<vmext:Namespace>org.example.vcd.backup</vmext:Namespace>
<vmext:Enabled>true</vmext:Enabled>
<vmext:AuthorizationEnabled>true</vmext:AuthorizationEnabled>
<vmext:RoutingKey>backup</vmext:RoutingKey>
<vmext:Priority>50</vmext:Priority>
<vmext:Exchange>sdkext</vmext:Exchange>
<vmext:ApiFilters>
<vmext:ApiFilter>
<vmext:UrlPattern>(/api/org/.*/backups)|(/api/vApp/vapp-.*/backups)|
(/api/vApp/vapp-.*/action/backup)|(/api/backup/.*)</vmext:UrlPattern>
</vmext:ApiFilter>
</vmext:ApiFilters>
<vmext:ServiceLinks>
<vmext:ServiceLink>
<vmext:LinkHref>{baseUri}org/{resourceId}</vmext:LinkHref>
<vmext:MimeType>application/vnd.example.vcd-backup.backupList+xml</vmext:MimeType>
<vmext:Rel>down</vmext:Rel>
<vmext:ResourceType>application/vnd.example.vcd-backup.org+xml</vmext:ResourceType>
</vmext:ServiceLink>
<vmext:ServiceLink>
<vmext:LinkHref>{baseUri}api/vApp/vapp-{resourceId}/backups</vmext:LinkHref>
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<vmext:MimeType>application/vnd.example.vcd-backup.backupList+xml</vmext:MimeType>
<vmext:Rel>down</vmext:Rel>
<vmext:ResourceType>application/vnd.example.vcd-backup.vApp+xml</vmext:ResourceType>
</vmext:ServiceLink>
<vmext:ServiceLink>
<vmext:LinkHref>{baseUri}vApp/vapp-{resourceId}/action/backup</vmext:LinkHref>
<vmext:MimeType>application/vnd.example.vcd-backup.createBackupParams
+xml</vmext:MimeType>
<vmext:Rel>backup</vmext:Rel>
<vmext:ResourceType>application/vnd.example.vcd-backup.vApp+xml</vmext:ResourceType>
</vmext:ServiceLink>
</vmext:ServiceLinks>
</vmext:Service>
The server registers the service and returns a Service element that includes information derived from the
contents you POSTed, and a set of Link elements that you can use to access, remove, disable, or modify the
extension service.
Response:
201 Created
Content Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.service+xml
...
<vmext:Service
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="SDK-BackupExtension"
id="urn:vcloud:externalService:45"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.service+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45"
... >
<vcloud:Link
rel="remove"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="edit"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.service+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="rights"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.rights+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45/rights" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="down:serviceLinks"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.query.records+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45/links" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="bundle:upload"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.bundleUploadParams+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/localizationbundles" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="add"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.serviceLink+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45/links" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="down:apiFilters"
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type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.query.records+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45/apifilters" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="add"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.apiFilter+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45/apifilters" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="add"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.apiDefinition+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45/apidefinitions" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="down:apiDefinitions"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.query.records+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45/apidefinitions" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="add"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.resourceClass+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45/resourceclasses" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="down:resourceClasses"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.query.records+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45/resourceclasses" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="authorization:check"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.authorizationCheckParams+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45/authorizationcheck" />
...
</vmext:Service>
The following elements are never returned as part of a response body. Instead, they are returned as Link
elements in the body of their container.
nAclRules
nApiDefinitions and Files
nApiFilters
nResourceClassActions
nResourceClasses
nServiceLinks
nServiceResources
For example, to retrieve the contents of the ServiceLinks element POSTed with the request body in this example,
GET the URL in this Link:
<vcloud:Link
rel="down:serviceLinks"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.query.records+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45/links" />
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Adding or Removing Service Links
A service can add its own Link elements to the representations of vCloud API objects. You can create these
service links when you register a service. You can also add or remove the links after you register the service.
You can create multiple service links as part of registering a service. After you register a service, you can add
or remove individual links. Service links typically appear in the representations of all objects of a specific type,
but you can constrain them to appear in a particular object of that type. Service links are not included in object
representations unless the service that created them is enabled.
NOTE You cannot update a service link, but you can remove existing links and create links.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
Add a Service Link
You can add a service link to an existing service.
A ServiceLink element must contain the following child elements:
LinkHref The value of href attribute of the Link. This can be any URI, and can include
the variables {baseUri} and {resourceId}. When constructing the href value
of the Link, vCloud Director replaces {baseUri} with the vCloud Director REST
API base URL, and replaces {resourceId} with the UUID portion of the id
attribute value of the resource in which the Link is inserted. The following
example might expand to the string https://vcloud.example.com/org/17.
<LinkHref>
{baseUri}/org/{resourceId}
</LinkHref>
MimeType The value, specified as a MIME content type, of the type attribute of the Link.
Rel Defines the relationship of the link to the object that contains it. A relationship
can be the name of an operation on the object, a reference to a contained or
containing object, or a reference to an alternate representation of the object. The
relationship value implies the HTTP verb to use when you use the link's href
value as a request URL.
ResourceType The object type, specified as a MIME content type, of the object in which the
Link appears.
NOTE You can constrain the Link to appear in a specific resource by including a ResourceId element in the
ServiceLink. This element contains the id of the resource in which the Link will appear. This resource must
be of the type specified in the ResourceType element of the ServiceLink.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of the service.
This request retrieves the XML representation of the service created in “Example: Register an Extension
Service,” on page 285:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45
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2 Examine the response to find the Link for adding service links.
This Link has the following form:
<vcloud:Link
rel="add"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.serviceLink+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/44/links" />
3 Create a ServiceLink element that specifies the properties of the new link.
4 POST the ServiceLink element to the URL described in Step 2
See “Example: Add a Service Link,” on page 289.
Example: Add a Service Link
This request adds a ServiceLink to the service created in “Example: Register an Extension Service,” on
page 285
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45/links
Content-type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.serviceLink+xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<vmext:ServiceLink
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.serviceLink+xml">
<vmext:LinkHref>{baseUri}vApp/vapp-{resourceId}/action/deleteBackup</vmext:LinkHref>
<vmext:MimeType>application/vnd.example.vcd-backup.createBackupParams+xml</vmext:MimeType>
<vmext:Rel>deleteBackup</vmext:Rel>
<vmext:ResourceType>application/vnd.example.vcd-backup.vApp+xml</vmext:ResourceType>
</vmext:ServiceLink>
Response:
200 OK
Content-type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.serviceLink+xml
...
<vmext:ServiceLink ...>
...
</vmext:ServiceLink>
Delete a Service Link
Delete a service link when you no longer want it to appear in the representation of an vCloud API objects, or
when you want to replace it with a new service link.
When you retrieve the list of service links associated with a service, the response is a QueryResultRecords
element in which each service link is represented as a ServiceLinkRecord element. The value of the href
attribute of a ServiceLinkRecord is a URL you can use to retrieve or delete the service link.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
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Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of the service.
This request retrieves the XML representation of the service created in “Example: Register an Extension
Service,” on page 285:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45
2 Examine the response to find the Link for listing service links.
This Link has the following form:
<vcloud:Link
rel="down:serviceLinks"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.query.records+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/44/links" />
3 Make a GET request to the link described in Step 2.
4 Examine the response to find the ServiceLinkRecord that represents the service link to delete.
5 Make a DELETE request to the URL in the href attribute value of that ServiceLinkRecord.
Example: Delete a Service Link
Start by getting the service's list of service links.
Request:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45
Response:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<QueryResultRecords
total="3"
pageSize="25"
page="1"
name="serviceLink"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.query.records+xml"
... >
...
<ServiceLinkRecord
service="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45"
resourceType="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vApp+xml"
rel="down"
mimeType="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.backupList+xml"
linkHref="{baseUri}api/vApp/vapp-{resourceId}/backups"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/link/01ca..." />
<ServiceLinkRecord
service="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45"
resourceType="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.org+xml"
rel="down"
mimeType="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.backupList+xml"
linkHref="{baseUri}org/{resourceId}"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/link/a624..." />
<ServiceLinkRecord
service="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45"
resourceType="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vApp+xml"
rel="backup"
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mimeType="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.createBackupParams+xml"
linkHref="{baseUri}vApp/vapp-{resourceId}/action/backup"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/link/f62e..." />
</QueryResultRecords>
NOTE Link id values are truncated in this example.
Using this information, find the ServiceLinkRecord that represents the service link you want to delete, and
make a DELETE request to that URL.
DELETE https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/link/f62e...
Service-Specific Tasks and Events
An extension service can create Task objects in a vCloud Director organization, and can post events to the
organization's event stream.
Tasks and events are created in the context of an organization. Each task or event is associated with exactly
one user, who must be a system administrator or a member of the organization in which the task or event is
created. Tasks and events can also have an owner, which is a reference to the subject of the task or event (for
example, an object being created or updated by a task).
Task and Event Workflow
vCloud Director native services typically create Task objects to track the progress of asynchronous events.
These objects are returned to clients as Task elements, which can be embedded in a container that represents
an object under construction, or simply returned in Task form.
Tasks are also reported in the organization's event stream. A service can also add its own events to this stream,
in addition to the ones added as a side-effect of creating a task.
Extension services act as vCloud API clients when creating tasks and events, even if those tasks and events are
created to track service-specific objects or operations. After a task is created in vCloud Director, an extension
service can use its AMQP connection to vCloud Director to return a Task as the response, or part of the response,
to a client request.
Localizing Task and Event Message Content
Message strings included in tasks and events can be localized. See “Localization Framework for Extension
Services,” on page 302.
Create or Update a Service-Specific Task
When a user requests an asynchronous operation from an extension service, the service can create a task object
and add it to an organization's tasks list.
Every vCloud Director organization has a tasks list and accepts requests to add a task to the list. When a client
requests an asynchronous operation from a service, the service starts to process the request and also POSTs a
Task element to the organization's tasksList URL. vCloud Director adds information such as an id and
startTime to the Task, places it on the organization's TasksList, creates an event in the organization's event
stream, and returns the Task to the service. The service can then send the Task, as an AMQP message, to
vCloud Director, which sends it as a response to the client that made the original request.
NOTE Because of the diversity of sources from which an extension service can draw references to the User,
Owner, and Organization elements of a Task, it may not always be possible for every client to resolve such
references. For example, if a service creates an object in an organization of which you are not a member, you
will not be able to resolve the reference to the object in the Owner element of the Task.
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Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of the organization in which you want to create the Task.
Use a request like this one:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26
2 Examine the response to locate the Link element that contains the URL for adding tasks to the
organization's tasks list.
This element has a rel attribute value of task:create and a type attribute value of
application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.task+xml, as shown here:
<Link
rel="task:create"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.task"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/tasksList/26" />
3 Create a Task element that specifies the details of the task.
4 POST the Task element to the organization's tasksList URL.
The server creates a task object and adds it to the organization's tasks list, and returns the representation of
the object to the service. To return the XML representation of the task object to the client that made the original
request, the service must create a JSON representation of the Task and return it to vCloud Director AMQP
service.
Example: Add a Task to an Organization's Tasks List
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/tasksList/26
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.task+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Task
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
status="running"
serviceNamespace="org.example.vcd.backup"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.task+xml"
name="task">
<User
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.user+xml"
name="administrator"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/user/85" />
</Task>
Response:
200 OK
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.task+xml
...
<Task
...
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operationName="jobCustom"
operation="External processing" >
...
</Task>
Create a Service-Specific Event
An extension service can request that vCloud Director add an event message to the event stream of an
organization.
The system always creates an event message when a service posts a Task to an organization's tasks list. To
create additional event messages, a service can POST an Event element to an organization's events URL.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of the organization in which you want to create the event.
Use a request like this one:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26
2 Examine the response to locate the Link element that contains the URL for adding events to the
organization's events stream.
This element has a rel attribute value of event:create and a type attribute value of
application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.event+xml, as the following example shows:
<Link
rel="event:create"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.event"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/events" />
3 Create an Event element that specifies the details of the task.
4 POST the Event element to the organization's events URL.
Example: Add an Event to an Organization's Event Stream
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26/events
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.event+xml
...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Event
success="true"
serviceNamespace="org.example.vcd.backup"
type="backupComplete">
<User
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.user+xml"
name="administrator"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/user/85" />
</Event>
Response:
204 No Content
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Authorization Framework for Extension Service Operations
All requests to extension services must be authenticated through the vCloud API. Extension services can
participate in vCloud API REST authorization by controlling access to their objects and operations through
new or existing rights and roles.
An extension service that does not enable the use of vCloud Director REST authorization implicitly grants
permission for all users to perform all operations that the service uses. A service can use the native
vCloud Director REST authorization model by taking the following steps:
1 Define resource classes that represent references to service-specific object types.
2 Define resource class actions that specify the actions that are implemented for those object types.
3 Define ACL rules specifying the rights required to perform an operation on objects of a specific type.
Participation in the Authorization Framework
To participate in the authorization framework, a service must include an AuthorizationEnabled element with
a value of true in its registration request.
<vmext:AuthorizationEnabled>true</vmext:AuthorizationEnabled>
It must also define at least one resource class, specify at least one action for that class, and define an ACL rule
that constrains use of the action on the class.
Resource Classes and Actions
A service uses the following constructs to define the objects, operations, and permissions that constitute its
authorization model.
Resource Classes Set of rules for creating references to service-specific objects. Like other object
references in the vCloud API, resource classes are a Link element that specifies
the MIME type of the resource and includes an href,URL, that can be used to
retrieve the resource. The rules include a MIME type, a URL pattern, and a
template for creating an id attribute value in URN form.
Resource Class Actions Combination of a URL pattern that specifies a resource class and an HTTP
method that implements an action on a resource of that class. The action uses
the specified method in a request to a URL that matches the specified pattern.
ACL Rules Specifies the rights that an organization or user have to an operation defined
as a resource class action.
Querying for Organization and User Rights
The vCloud API query service implements several queries that return a list of rights that a specified user or
organization is granted. A user can make a request that specifies one or more entity references and returns a
summary of user rights to the specified entities.
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Create an Extension Service Resource Class
To configure your extension service to provide access control for the objects it creates, define a resource class
for each of its object types.
A ResourceClass element contains the information needed to construct a URL that a client can use to access
the resource in a specific context. It must contain the following child elements:
MimeType The MIME content type of all instances of the resource class.
UrlTemplate The value of href attribute value for resources of this class. This can be any
URI, and can include the variables {baseUri} and {resourceId}. When
constructing the href value, vCloud Director replaces {baseUri} with the
vCloud Director REST API base URL, and replaces {resourceId} with the
UUID portion of the id attribute value of the resource.
Nid The Namespace Identifier for resources of this type, as specified in
http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2141.txt.
UrnPattern The Namespace Specific String for resources of this type, as specified in
http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2141.txt. You can provide a string or a named
regular expression, where (?<id>) matches the resource identifier.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of the service.
Use a request like this one:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45
2 Examine the response to find the Link for adding resource classes.
This Link has the following form:
<vcloud:Link
rel="add"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.resourceClass+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45/resourceclasses" />
3 Construct a ResourceClass element.
See the request portion of “Example: Create an Extension Service Resource Class,” on page 295 for
information about the contents of this element.
4 POST the ResourceClass element to the URL described in Step 2.
Example: Create an Extension Service Resource Class
This request defines a resource class named Backup.
nThe MimeType is specified using the standard form for vnd type names.
nThe UrlTemplate uses the {baseUri} and {resourceId} variables, and could expand to a URL like
https://vcloud.example.com/backup/27
nThe Nid and UrnPattern elements provide rules for constructing an URN of the form:
urn:vcloud:backup:
id
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as shown in the response.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45/resourceclasses
Content-type:application/vnd.vmware.admin.resourceClass+xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<vmext:ResourceClass
name="Backup"
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5">
<vmext:MimeType>application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.backup+xml</vmext:MimeType>
<vmext:UrlTemplate>{baseUri}backup/{resourceId}</vmext:UrlTemplate>
<vmext:Nid>vcloud</vmext:Nid>
<vmext:UrnPattern>^backup(?&lt;id&gt;[0-9]*)</vmext:UrnPattern>
</vmext:ResourceClass>
Response:
201 Created
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.resourceClass+xml
...
<vmext:ResourceClass
name="Backup"
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
id="urn:vcloud:backup:83"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.resourceClass+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/resourceclass/83"
...>
<vcloud:Link
rel="remove"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/resourceclass/83" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="up"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.service+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="down:resourceClassActions"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.query.records+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/resourceclass/83/resourceclassaction
s" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="down:serviceResources"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.query.records+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/resourceclass/83/serviceresources"
/>
<vmext:MimeType>BackupType+xml</vmext:MimeType>
<vmext:UrlTemplate>{baseUri}backup/{resourceId}</vmext:UrlTemplate>
<vmext:Nid>nidBackup</vmext:Nid>
<vmext:UrnPattern>^myNssBackup(?&lt;id&gt;[0-9]*)</vmext:UrnPattern>
</vmext:ResourceClass>
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Define an Action for a Resource Class
After you define a resource class, you can specify the actions that are permitted on resources of that class.
A ResourceClassAction object defines an HTTP method that is allowed on a specific UrlPattern.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of the service.
Use a request like this one:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45
2 Examine the response to find the Link for specifying resource class actions.
This Link has the following form:
<vcloud:Link
rel="add"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.resourceClassAction+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45/resourceclassactions" />
3 Construct a ResourceClassAction element.
See the request portion of “Example: Define an Action for a Resource Class,” on page 297 for information
about the contents of this element.
4 POST the ResourceClassAction element to the URL described in Step 2.
Example: Define an Action for a Resource Class
This request specifies a GET action for a URL matching the pattern could expand to a URL like
https://vcloud.example.com/backup/27.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45/resourceclassactions
Content-type:application/vnd.vmware.admin.resourceClassAction+xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<vmext:ResourceClassAction
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="Read backups">
<vmext:HttpMethod>GET</vmext:HttpMethod>
<vmext:UrlPattern>/api/backup/(?&lt;id&gt;[-,a-g,0-9]*)</vmext:UrlPattern>
</vmext:ResourceClassAction>
The response is a ResourceClassAction element that includes information derived from the contents you
POSTed, along with a set of Link elements that you can use to remove the ResourceClassAction or add ACL
rules that control access to the resource class via the action.
Response:
201 Created
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.resourceClassAction+xml
...
<vmext:ResourceClassAction
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
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xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="Read backups"
id="urn:vcloud:resourceClassAction:268"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.resourceClassAction+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/resourceclassaction/268"
... >
<vcloud:Link
rel="remove"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/resourceclassaction/268" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="up"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.resourceClass+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/resourceclass/83" />
<vcloud:Link
rel="down:aclRules"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.query.records+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/resourceclassaction/268/aclrules" />
<vmext:HttpMethod>GET</vmext:HttpMethod>
<vmext:UrlPattern>/api/backup/(?&lt;id&gt;[-,a-g,0-9]*)</vmext:UrlPattern>
</vmext:ResourceClassAction>
Define an ACL Rule for a Resource Class Action
Permission to execute an extension service operation is controlled by an AclRule contained in the
ResourceClassAction.
An ACL rule specifies the access controls that apply to a ResourceClassAction. Access controls can be defined
for any of the following principals:
nan individual user
na member of a specified organization
nany user whose role includes a specific right
nany resource defined by the service that created the ACL rule
Rights for specific entity types are specified in the following container elements:
ServiceResourceAccess This specification is optional.
OrganizationAccess Access for the organizations. This specification is required.
PrincipalAccess Access control for users, or for any role that includes a specified right. This
specification is required.
If the Access element in any of these containers has the value Entity, the container must also include an
Entity element that provides a reference to a resource entity, organization, user, or right.
Table 11-2. ACL Rules
Container Element Access Comments
ServiceResourceAccess Shared The action is authorized for all resources in this resource class
Entity The action is authorized for the service resource referenced in the Entity
element in this container.
OrganizationAccess Shared The action is authorized for all members of the organization that owns the
resource.
Published The action is authorized for all members of any organization in the cloud.
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Table 11-2. ACL Rules (Continued)
Container Element Access Comments
Entity The action is authorized for members of the organization referenced in the
Entity element in this container.
PrincipalAccess Shared The action is authorized for all users
Entity The action is authorized for the User referenced in the Entity element in this
container, or for any role that includes the Right referenced in the Entity
element in this container.
A ResourceClassAction can include an arbitrary number of AclRule elements. The action is permitted if the
user or resource attempting the action matches any rule.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of the resource class action.
This request retrieves the XML representation of the resource class action created in “Example: Define an
Action for a Resource Class,” on page 297:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/resourceclassaction/268
2 Examine the response to find the Link for specifying ACL rules for the resource class action.
This Link has the following form:
<vcloud:Link
rel="add"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.query.aclRule+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/resourceclassaction/268/aclrules
" />
3 Construct an AclRule element.
See the request portion of “Example: Define an ACL Rule for a Resource Class Action,” on page 299 for
information about the contents of this element.
4 POST the ResourceClassAction element to the URL described in Step 2.
Example: Define an ACL Rule for a Resource Class Action
This example adds an ACL rule to the resource class action created in “Example: Define an Action for a Resource
Class,” on page 297. The rule specifies that all members of a specific organization who have a role that includes
a specific right can execute the action.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/resourceclassaction/268/aclrules
Content-type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.aclRule+xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<vmext:AclRule
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
name="ACL rule for read backups">
<Description>Only users in org/26 who have right/2 can read backups</Description>
<vmext:ServiceResourceAccess>
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<vmext:Access>Shared</vmext:Access>
</vmext:ServiceResourceAccess>
<vmext:OrganizationAccess>
<vmext:Access>Entity</vmext:Access>
<vmext:Entity
xsi:type="vcloud:ResourceReferenceType"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.org+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/org/26" />
</vmext:OrganizationAccess>
<vmext:PrincipalAccess>
<vmext:Access>Entity</vmext:Access>
<vmext:Entity
xsi:type="vcloud:ResourceReferenceType"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/right/2" />
</vmext:PrincipalAccess>
</vmext:AclRule>
The response contains information supplied in the request, along with several Link elements created by the
server.
Response:
201 Created
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.aclrule+xml
...
<vmext:AclRule
xmlns:vmext="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5"
xmlns:vcloud="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="ACL rule for read backups"
id="urn:vcloud:aclRule:5"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.aclRule+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/aclrule/5">
<Description>Only users in org/26 who have right/2 can read backups</Description><vcloud:Link
<vcloud:Link
rel="remove"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/resourceclassaction/268" />
...
</vmext:AclRule>
Create a Service-Specific Right
A service can create rights that apply to its operations. You can add these rights to existing roles or new roles.
In the vCloud API, a right is simply a name that a service attaches to a privilege. When a service specifies an
ACL rule for a resource class action, the rule can reference a right. A user who is assigned a role that includes
the right is authorized to take the specified action.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of the service.
Use a request like this one:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45
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2 Examine the response to find the Link for adding or listing service-specific rights
This Link has the following form:
<vcloud:Link
rel="rights"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.rights+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45/rights" />
3 Construct a Right element.
For information about the contents of this element, see the request portion of “Example: Create a Service-
Specific Right,” on page 301.
4 POST the Right element to the URL described in Step 2.
Example: Create a Service-Specific Right
This request creates a right named DeleteBackup. The name attribute and Category element are required, and
can have any string value. Include a BundleKey if any messages associated with the right appear in a localization
bundle.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45/rights
Content-type:application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Right
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="DeleteBackup">
<Description>Right to remove a backup object</Description>
<Category>VcdBackup</Category>
<BundleKey>BackupBundle</BundleKey>
</Right>
The response is a Right element that includes information derived from the contents you POSTed. The service
namespace name is prepended to the name of the right.
Response:
201 Created
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml
...
<Right
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
name="{org.example.vcd.backup}:DeleteBackup"
id="urn:vcloud:right:99"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.right+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/right/99"
... >
<Description>Right to remove a backup object</Description>
<Category>VcdBackup</Category>
<BundleKey>BackupBundle</BundleKey>
</Right>
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Localization Framework for Extension Services
Extension service developers can provide localized service-specific messages by creating and uploading a
localization bundle.
An extension service localization bundle is a file in zip format that contains one or more properties files. Each
properties file consists of an arbitrary number of key=value pairs, where the key is the name of a service-specific
task operation or event, and the value is the localized message.
REST APIs for Extension Services
A simple extension service does not need a REST API. You can define a service-specific REST API entrypoint
and one or more schema definition files.
An extension service that does not require request or response bodies other than those that the vCloud API
defines, Task, for example, can simply define the URL patterns that constitute its API filters and the service
links that implement its operations.
A service that defines its own request or response bodies must also specify a URL to which clients can direct
requests. The service must specify locations of the files, such as XML schema definition (XSD) files, to which
its clients require access.
Create an API Filter for an Extension Service
When you register an extension service with vCloud Director, you specify one or more API filters, which are
URL patterns or MIME content types that the vCloud Director REST service should treat as extension requests.
You cannot update the API filter for a registered service, but you can replace it with a new one.
An API filter can be either a URL pattern, typically in the form of a regular expression, or a content type,
typically in the form of a MIME content-type string. Requests whose URL matches the specified UrlPattern
are sent to the service that has registered the filter. An API filter that specifies ResponseContentType is applied
only to responses whose Content-type attribute has a value that matches the specified ResponseContentType.
An extension service that receives such a response must return it, after making any service-specific
modifications, to the AMQP service as a JSON message, so that it can be returned to the vCloud Director client
that made the request.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of the service.
This request retrieves the XML representation of the service created in “Example: Register an Extension
Service,” on page 285:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45
2 Examine the response to find the Link for adding API filters
This Link has the following form:
<vcloud:Link
rel="add"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.apiFilter+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45/apifilters" />
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3 Construct an ApiFilter element.
This ApiFilter overwrites any existing ApiFilter defined by the service. See the request portion of
“Example: Create an API Filter for an Extension Service,” on page 303 for information about the contents
of this element.
4 POST the ApiFilter element to the URL described in Step 2.
Example: Create an API Filter for an Extension Service
This request adds a new UrlPattern to set of patterns defined in the request portion of “Example: Register an
Extension Service,” on page 285. The request replaces the existing set of filter expressions with a new one that
includes the original set and one additional expression.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45/apifilters
Content-type:application/vnd.vmware.admin.apiFilter+xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<vmext:ApiFilter>
<vmext:UrlPattern>(/api/org/.*/backups)|(/api/vApp/vapp-.*/backups)|
(/api/vApp/vapp-.*/action/backup)|(/api/backup/.*) |
(/api/vApp/vapp-.*/action/recoverBackup)</vmext:UrlPattern>
</vmext:ApiFilter>
Response:
201 Created
Content-Type: application/vnd.vmware.admin.resourceClass+xml
...
<vmext:ApiFilter>
<vmext:UrlPattern>(/api/org/.*/backups)|(/api/vApp/vapp-.*/backups)|
(/api/vApp/vapp-.*/action/backup)|(/api/backup/.*) |
(/api/vApp/vapp-.*/action/recoverBackup)</vmext:UrlPattern>
</vmext:ApiFilter>
Create or Update an Extension Service API Definition
You can define an API for an extension service when you register the service. You can also create or update
the service API definition later.
An API definition for an extension service includes an API entry point (A URL at which a client can send
requests to the API) and a set of file descriptors, each of which consists of a description and a reference to a
schema definition file.
An ApiDefinition element must contain the following child elements:
EntryPoint The URL to which a client can send requests to the service API. This can be any
URL, and can include the variable {baseUri}, which represents the
vCloud Director REST API base URL.
Namespace The service namespace. See “Register an Extension Service,” on page 284
Files One or more references to schema definition files. The references must be
accessible to vCloud Director.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator.
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Procedure
1 Retrieve the XML representation of the service.
Use a request like this one:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45
2 Examine the response to find the Link for adding API definitions.
This Link has the following form:
<vcloud:Link
rel="add"
type="application/vnd.vmware.admin.apiDefinition+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45/apidefinitions" />
3 Construct an ApiDefinition element.
For information about the contents of this element, see the request portion of “Example: Create an
Extension Service API Definition,” on page 304.
4 POST the ApiDefinition element to the URL described in Step 2.
Example: Create an Extension Service API Definition
This request defines an API for a backup service. The definition includes two FileDescriptor elements that
reference files available on the vendor's public Website. The entrypoint for requests to the service is the
vCloud Director API login URL.
Request:
POST https://vcloud.example.com/api/admin/extension/service/45/apidefinitions
Content-type:application/vnd.vmware.admin.apiDefinition+xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<vmext:ApiDefinition
name="Backup service version 5.1">
<Description>Backup service API</Description>
<vmext:EntryPoint>{baseUri}/login</vmext:EntryPoint>
<Namespace>org.example.vcd.backup</Namespace>
<vmext:Files>
<vmext:FileDescriptor>
<vmext:Description>Master schema definition file.</vmext:Description>
<vmext:File
href="http://example.com/backp/schema/v5.1/master.xsd" />
</vmext:FileDescriptor>
<vmext:FileDescriptor>
<vmext:Description>Schema definition file for backup devices.</vmext:Description>
<vmext:File
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href="http://example.com/vcdBackup/schema/v5.1/devices.xsd" />
</vmext:FileDescriptor>
</vmext:Files>
</vmext:ApiDefinition>
Response:
201 Created
Content-type:application/vnd.vmware.admin.apiDefinition+xml
...
<vmext:ApiDefinition
name="Backup service version 5.1">
...
</vmext:ApiDefinition>
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XML Representations in the vCloud
API 12
The vCloud API represents objects in a cloud as XML documents in which object properties are contained in
elements and attributes that have typed values and an explicit object hierarchy defined by an XML schema.
Schema reference information is available as a download.
Client programs of RESTful Web services must be able to request object representations from the server, parse
the server’s responses to extract the information they contain, and compose requests that, in many cases, are
based on the information extracted from a response. Developers of such clients must understand the structure
of each representation that might be part of a request or response, and any requirements that the network
protocol (HTTP) places on client-server interaction.
Schemas
Each vCloud API object is defined in an XML schema document. Some objects are defined in their own schema
documents. Others are defined in the context of the larger schema in which they are used. Still others are
defined in a common schema document, from which other schemas inherit. Schema files and reference
information about all elements, types, and operations is included in the schema reference download. See
“About the Schema Reference,” on page 21.
vCloud Director uses a validating XML parser that requires elements in XML documents to agree in order and
number with the schema. Required elements must appear in request bodies. All elements that appear in request
bodies must appear in the order established by the schema, and with content that conforms to the type
constraint specified in the schema. Default values, where defined, are supplied for elements that are empty.
See “XML Namespace Identifiers,” on page 309.
Date and Time Values
Values of type xs:dateTime are always interpreted as UTC if a timezone has not been explicitly specified.
Length Limits on Element and Attribute String Values
String values for the name attribute, Description element, and ComputerName have length limitations that depend
on the object to which they are attached.
Table 12-1. Length Limits on Element and Attribute String Values
Object Element or Attribute Name Maximum Length in Characters
Vdc name 256
Vdc Description 256
VApp name 128
VApp Description 256
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Table 12-1. Length Limits on Element and Attribute String Values (Continued)
Object Element or Attribute Name Maximum Length in Characters
VAppTemplate name 128
VAppTemplate Description 256
Vm name 128
Vm ComputerName 15 on Windows, 63 on all other platforms
Catalog name 128
Catalog Description 256
Media name 128
Media Description 256
API Versioning
vCloud API schema version information appears in the values of the xsi:schemaLocation and xmlns attributes
in a response document. For example, a response body that used schema version 1.5 would include the
following attributes:
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
xsi:schemaLocation="https://vcloud.example.com/api/v1.5/schema/master.xsd"
To discover the schema versions that a server supports, a client can make an unauthenticated GET request to
a well-known URL on the server, as shown in “Example: Versions Request and Response,” on page 43.
NOTE Starting with API version 1.5, requests to all versions of the vCloud API are processed in the
http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5 XML namespace. Treatment of version-specific elements and attributes
in requests is controlled by the value of the Accept header. For example, this Accept header specifies that the
request body is presumed to be valid for vCloud API version 5.1 and a version 5.1 response is expected:
Accept: application/*+xml;version=5.1
Requests are validated against the elements and attributes defined in the specified version. Responses are
filtered to remove elements and attributes that are not defined in the specified version.
The vCloud API Schema Reference indicates the deprecation status of elements and attributes, and also indicates
when each element or attribute was added to the API. See “About the Schema Reference,” on page 21.
Extensibility
The vCloud API provides complete programmatic access to the vCloud Director Extension Services facility
described at Chapter 11, “vCloud Director Extension Services,” on page 281.
In addition, there is a more general extensibility mechanism, VCloudExtension, that clients are free to use.
VCloudExtensibleType is an abstract type that all complex types defined in the vCloud API namespace extend.
It can contain an arbitrary number of elements and attributes, and provides a way for you to add custom
attributes and elements to any type.
The VCloudExtension element has an attribute named required that specifies how clients and servers proceed
when they see an unknown extension. All VCloudExtension elements are assumed to require a server that
understands them. The required attribute is optional, but if omitted is assumed to be present with a value of
true. This extensibility mechanism allows new servers to extend the XML representations native to the vCloud
API without requiring existing clients to understand those extensions.
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A client might encounter a VCloudExtension element in any response. If the element declares
required=”true” and the client does not know how to interpret the contents of the element, the client can ignore
it, but it must include the VCloudExtension in any request to modify the element that contains it. A server must
return a failure when a request includes a VCloudExtension element that declares required=”true” but the
server does not understand the extension. For more information about VCloudExtension, see the schema
reference.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n“XML Namespace Identifiers,” on page 309
n“Common vCloud API Attributes,” on page 310
n“Retrieve an Object as an Entity,” on page 312
XML Namespace Identifiers
Elements used as request or response bodies contain a set of attributes that enable XML validation. The body
of a PUT or POST request must contain all XML namespace identifiers required to validate the elements it
contains. A response body typically includes all the XML namespace identifiers that the server used to validate
it, in addition to other attributes that specify the schema locations searched during validation.
The vCloud API uses these XML namespace identifier attributes and prefixes.
Table 12-2. XML Namespace Identifiers in the vCloud API
Name Value Requirement
xmlns http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5 Required in all request bodies.
xmlns:vmext http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/extension/v1.5 Required in request bodies that include
elements from the vSphere platform
extensions.
xmlns:ve http://www.vmware.com/schema/ovfenv Required in request bodies that include
an ovf:Environmentelement.
xmlns:ovf http://schemas.dmtf.org/ovf/envelope/1 Required in request bodies that include
elements defined in OVF schema
http://schemas.dmtf.org/ovf/envelop
e/1/dsp8023.xsd.
xmlns:rasd http://schemas.dmtf.org/wbem/wscim/1/cim-schema/2/
CIM_ResourceAllocationSettingData
Required in request bodies that include
elements defined in OVF schema
CIM_ResourceAllocationSettingData.x
sd.
xmlns:oe http://schemas.dmtf.org/ovf/environment/1 Required in request bodies that include
elements defined in OVF schema
dsp8027_1.1.0.xsd.
xmlns:vssd http://schemas.dmtf.org/wbem/wscim/1/cim-schema/2/
CIM_VirtualSystemSettingData
Not required in request bodies.
xsi:schemaLocati
on
An installation-dependent schema location search path. See
http://www.w3.org/TR/xmlschema-0/.
Not required in request bodies.
xmlns:xsi http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance Not required in request bodies.
XML Namespace Prefixes in Request and Response Bodies
When a request or response includes elements from multiple XML namespaces, each element name is prefixed
with a namespace identifier. Unless all elements in a request or response originate in the same XML namespace,
these prefixes are required in request bodies, and are always included in response bodies.
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The examples omit XML namespace identifiers from most responses. The following fragment shows how some
of them appear in a typical response body.
<VApp
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
...
xmlns:ovf="http://schemas.dmtf.org/ovf/envelope/1"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5
https://vcloud.example.com/api/schema/v1.5/master.xsd">
...>
...
</VApp>
Common vCloud API Attributes
Most vCloud API objects have a number of common attributes. With the exception of name, none of these
attributes are required in request bodies, and are ignored if included. All of them are included in response
bodies.
Object Name
Every object requires a name attribute. The string value of this attribute is included in all object references, and
can be used as the display name for the object. The value of name must be unique within a given scope.
Table 12-3. Requirements for Unique Object Names
Object Type Name Scope
ProviderVdc Cloud
Org Cloud
Vdc Organization
Catalog Organization
CatalogItem Catalog
vAppTemplate None
vApp Organization
Vm vApp
Media Catalog
Disk None
Network Container (Organization vDC, vApp, or cloud)
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Object Identifier, Type, and Reference
These attributes are common to all object representations.
id The object identifier, expressed in URN format. The value of the id attribute
uniquely identifies the object, persists for the life of the object, and is never
reused. The id attribute value is intended to provide a context-free identifier
that can be used with the vCloud API entityResolver (see “Retrieve an Object
as an Entity,” on page 312).
type The object type, specified as a MIME content type.
href An object reference, expressed in URL format. Because this URL includes the
object identifier portion of the id attribute value, it uniquely identifies the
object, persists for the life of the object, and is never reused. The value of the
href attribute is a reference to a view of the object, and can be used to access a
representation of the object that is valid in a particular context. Although URLs
have a well-known syntax and a well-understood interpretation, a client
should treat each href as an opaque string. The rules that govern how the server
constructs href strings might change in future releases.
Object Creation Status
Objects such as VAppTemplate, VApp, and Vm, that extend the ResourceEntity type have a status attribute whose
value indicates the state of the object. In this table, YES indicates that a status value is allowed for the object
listed in the column header. The status value for a VAppTemplate or VApp, which contain Vm objects that each
have a status attribute of their own, is computed from the status of the contained objects.
Table 12-4. status Attribute
Value Description
vAppTemplat
e vApp Vm Media
-1 The object could not be created. YES YES YES YES
0 The object is unresolved. YES YES YES YES
1 The object is resolved. YES YES YES YES
2 The object is deployed. No No No No
3 The object is suspended. No YES YES No
4 The object is powered on. No YES YES No
5 The object is waiting for user input. No YES YES No
6 The object is in an unknown state. YES YES YES No
7 The object is in an unrecognized state. YES YES YES No
8 The object is powered off. YES YES YES No
9 The object is in an inconsistent state. No YES YES No
10 Children do not all have the same status. YES YES No No
11 Upload initiated, OVF descriptor
pending.
YES No No No
12 Upload initiated, copying contents. YES No No No
13 Upload initiated , disk contents pending. YES No No No
14 Upload has been quarantined. YES No No No
15 Upload quarantine period has expired. YES No No No
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Retrieve an Object as an Entity
You can use the vCloud API entity resolver with an object's id attribute value to retrieve a context-free reference
to the object.
Every first-class object that the vCloud API defines includes an id attribute whose value is the object identifier
expressed in URN format. The value of the id attribute uniquely identifies the object, persists for the life of the
object, and is never reused.
You can append the value of the id attribute to the vCloud API entityResolver URL to retrieve a context-free
representation of the underlying object as an Entity element.
Prerequisites
Verify that you are logged in to the vCloud API as a system administrator or member of an organization in
the cloud.
Procedure
1 Retrieve the current Session object to get the entityResolver URL.
Use a request like this one:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/session
The response is a Session element like the one shown in “Example: Create a Login Session Using the
Integrated Identity Provider,” on page 45. The Session element contains the entityResolver URL in the
href of the Link element in this excerpt.
<Session ... >
...
<Link
rel="entityResolver"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.entity+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/entity/" />
</Session>
2 Append the value of the object's id attribute to the entityResolver URL.
3 Make a GET request to the URL you created in Step 2
See the request portion of “Example: Using the entityResolver URL,” on page 312.
Example: Using the entityResolver URL
This example retrieves the Vapp object shown in the excerpt “Example: Object id, type, and href Attributes,”
on page 12 as an Entity.
Request:
GET https://vcloud.example.com/api/entity/urn:vcloud:vapp:490af534-1491-452e-8ed6-a5eb54447dac
Response:
<Entity
xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
id="urn:vcloud:vapp:490af534-1491-452e-8ed6-a5eb54447dac"
name="urn:vcloud:vapp:490af534-1491-452e-8ed6-a5eb54447dac"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.entity+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/entity/urn:vcloud:vapp:490af534-1491-452e-8ed6-
a5eb54447dac"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" ...>
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<Link
rel="alternate"
type="application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.vApp+xml"
href="https://vcloud.example.com/api/vApp/vapp-490af534-1491-452e-8ed6-a5eb54447dac" />
</Entity>
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Index
A
administrative tasks, about 129
administrator, system 132
AMQP
about 263
certificate and truststore 233
AMQP settings
to configure 264
to test 266
API client, to develop 21
attributes
custom 105
name 310
status 310
B
blocking task, to configure 263
blocking task requests, to monitor 276
blocking task settings, to configure 273
browsing 41
C
catalog
adding items 73
change owner 79
controlling access to 191
removing items 75
to administer 176
to change owner 129
to create 129, 176
to delete 129
to find 26
to publish 178
to retrieve 27, 41
catalog item, to retrieve 28, 41
client, REST 21
cloud, administrative view of 49
console, displaying 37
D
datastore
to delete 193
to enable or disable 193
to retrieve or update 193
DHCP 160, 166
dhcp service, in vApp network 112
DHCP service, in Edge Gateway 166
disk, independent 75
download URL 68
E
Edge Gateway
about 148
interface capacity 170
syslog server settings 175
to create 151
to create or update 129
entity, retrieve object as 12
entity resolver, about 312
event, service-specific 293
examples, conventions for 22
extensibility 282
extension framework 281
extension services
ACL rules 298
and events 291
and tasks 291
API definition 303
API filters for 302
authorization frameworks for 294
localization of 302
resource class actions 297
resource classes 295
REST APIs for 302
to register 284
URL patterns for 302
external network
to create 219
to retrieve or update 193
F
firewall service
and syslog 175
in Edge Gateway 158
in vApp network 112
G
group
to create, update, or remove 129
to import 183
to import from SAML 185
groups, to administer 179
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H
host
to enable or disable 193
to update or repair 193
I
id attribute, and entity resolver 312
independent disk
about 75
list virtual machines using 56
to attach or detach 83, 93
to create 76
to create or update 56
to remove 78
instantiation parameters
in instantiateVAppTemplate request 85
sections allowed in 97
IP address, of virtual machine NIC 115
IP addresses, allocated to network 41
K
keytab, to upload 233
L
LDAP, certificate and keystore 233
Link element, rel attribute 12
load balancer service 163
logging, of firewall actions 158
login
integrated identity provider 44
SAML identity provider 46
login URL, to obtain 41, 43
logout 40
M
maintenance mode, vApp 97
media
cataloging 72
copying or moving 71
retrieve owner 79
to copy, move, or delete 56
to insert or remove virtual 83
to upload 55
to upload or download 56
uploading 69
metadata
about 239
to retrieve or modify 241
to search for 260
metadata value, to retrieve or modify 244
N
NAT service
in Edge Gateway 160
in vApp network 112
network
list IP addresses allocated to 41
to create, update, or remove 129
to reset 129
to retrieve 41
network pool
and organization vDC network 148
isolation-backed 225
list of 204
portgroup-backed 227
to create 222
to retrieve or update 193
VLAN-backed 223
VxlanPoolType 209, 222, 225
network services
in Edge Gateway 156
in vApp network 112
list of 148
networks
about 148
DHCP service 166
NAT services 160
to retrieve list from vCenter 203
VPN 165
notifications
format of 267
to enable or disable 264
O
object hierarchy, diagram of 10
object identifiers 12
object references, about 12
organization
retrieve or update settings 136
system 132
to administer 132
to create 133
to create, update, or remove 129
to enable or disable 129, 139
to remove 139
to retrieve administrative view of 129
organization vDC network
about 148
direct 167
isolated 173
routed 170
to administer 147
to configure static routes 161
to create 166
to create, update, or remove 129
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organizations
federation of 136
to list 41, 48
OVF descriptor, to download 68
OVF environment 120
OVF package
manifest file 59, 63
to upload or download 55
uploading 57
OVF specification 81
OVF upload
initiating 59
to monitor progress of 64
using ranged PUTs 65
P
ProductSection element, to retrieve or
update 83
Provider vDC
resource pool set 213
to add or remove storage profiles 216
to create 209
to merge 193, 218
to retrieve or update 193
Q
queries
packaged 252
typed 248
query service
about 247
and metadata 260
query parameters 257
query types 248
R
requests
about 18
headers 18, 307
login 24
resource pool
adding 214
list of 193
removing 214
to enable or disable 193
to migrate virtual machines to or from 193
resource pool set, Provider vDC 213
resource pools, to retrieve list from vCenter 201
responses, about 20
right, to create 300
role, to create 187, 189
roles and rights 187
S
SAML
identity provider 46, 179
organization settings for 136
schema files
accessing 21
retrieving 43
schema reference 21
SectionType element, to retrieve or update 108
service
DHCP 166
NAT 160
service links
required and optional elements 288
to add 288
to add or remove 288
to delete 289
Session object, to delete 40
snapshot, of vApp 83
SSL certificate, to upload 233
static routing service
in Edge Gateway 161
in vApp network 112
status attribute
of vApp or vApp template 57
values 310
storage profiles
compliance check for virtual machine 83
to refresh list of 207
to retrieve list from vCenter 207
system settings, to retrieve or update 197
T
task
blocking 277
service-specific 291
to cancel 129
to retrieve 129
update progress 279
task list, to retrieve 129
task operations 274
timezone, in dateTime values 307
truststore, to upload 233
U
user
to create 129, 180
to import 182
to import from SAML 185
to retrieve 129
to update or remove 129
users, to administer 179
Index
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V
vApp
add virtual machines 90
capturing 72
changing owner 79
composing 87
configuration links in 99
controlling access to 191
datacenter operations 81
importing 72
importing from vCenter 228
list of power operations 83
maintenance mode 97
recompose 90
remove virtual machines 90
to change name or description 83
to change owner 129
to compose or recompose 83
to configure 97
to delete 38
to deploy or undeploy 83
to enter or exit maintenance mode 193
to import from vCenter as template 193
to import from vSphere 193
to instantiate 85
to modify vApp network configuration 109
to operate 96
to power off 38
to retrieve 34
to undeploy 38
to view or modify lease settings 100
to view or modify network settings 100
to view or modify startup settings 100
Vm snapshots 83
vApp network
about 148
to modify 109
to retrieve 148
to view or modify configuration 100
vApp snapshot 95
vApp template
cataloging 72
copying or moving 71
retrieve owner 79
to change name or description 56
to copy, move, or delete 56
to create from OVF 56
to download 56
to download as OVF package 66
to enable for download 66
to enable or disable for download 56
to import virtual machine as 229, 230
to instantiate 31, 83
to relocate virtual machine from 83
to retrieve 41
to update 97
to upload or download 55
upload URL 62
uploading vmdk files 63
vCenter resources, to discover 200
vCenter server
to attach 198
to register or unregister 193
to update settings 193
vCloud API, and RESTful programming style 9
vDC
allocation models 140
instantiateVAppTemplate action 30
networks in 30
SupportedHardwareVersion elements 140
to add or remove storage profiles 145
to administer 139
to create 140
to create, update, or remove 129
to enable or disable 129, 147
to find 26
to remove 147
to retrieve 41
virtual hardware, vmx versions supported by
Provider vDC 209
virtual machine
available for import 205
CPU configuration 117
disks 122
guest customization for 118
hard disk configuration 124
importing from vCenter 228
network cards 122
question from 92
to attach or detach independent disk 83
to consolidate 83
to import into existing vApp 193
to install VMware tools 83
to relocate 83, 231
to relocate to a new instance of a storage
profile 126
to update multiple sections 106
to update NetworkConnectionSection 115
to update storage profile 126
to upgrade hardware version 83
to view or modify CPU properties 103
to view or modify guest customization
properties 103
to view or modify memory settings 103
to view or modify network cards 103
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to view or modify network connection 103
to view or modify operating system
properties 103
to view or modify virtual disks 103
Vm
configuration links in 101
list of power operations 83
pending question 83
to reboot or reset 83
to retrieve 41
vmdk file, to download from template 68
VMware Tools
to install 83
to retrieve installed version 83
vSphere
operations 52
retrieve object URL 236
vSphere client, to generate URL for use by 193
vSphere object, retrieve URL to access
directly 193
vSphere object map 237
vSphere platform, to manage 193
W
workflow, example of 23
X
XML
compressed responses 18
validation of 18
XML namespaces 309
XML schemas, reference information 307
Index
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