Vcenter Ovf APIs

Vcenter Ovf APIs

The com.vmware.vcenter.ovf namespace provides services to capture and deploy Open Virtualization Format (OVF) packages to and from the content library.

It provides the ability to deploy OVF packages from the content library with support for advanced network topologies, network services, creating virtual appliances and virtual machines in hosts, resource pools or clusters. It also provides the ability to export virtual appliances and virtual machines from hosts, resource pools or clusters as OVF packages to the content library.

API Categories
Vcenter Ovf Export Flag

The Vcenter Ovf ExportFlag resource provides operations for retrieving information about the export flags supported by the server. Export flags can be specified in a Vcenter Ovf LibraryItem CreateSpec to customize an OVF export.

Vcenter Ovf Import Flag

The Vcenter Ovf ImportFlag resource provides operations for retrieving information about the import flags supported by the deployment platform. Import flags can be specified in a Vcenter Ovf LibraryItem ResourcePoolDeploymentSpec to customize an OVF deployment.

Vcenter Ovf Library Item

The Vcenter Ovf LibraryItem resource provides operations to deploy virtual machines and virtual appliances from library items containing Open Virtualization Format (OVF) packages in content library, as well as operations to create library items in content library from virtual machines and virtual appliances.

To deploy a virtual machine or a virtual appliance from a library item:

  1. Create a Vcenter Ovf LibraryItem DeploymentTarget to specify the target deployment type and target deployment designation.
  2. Create a Vcenter Ovf LibraryItem ResourcePoolDeploymentSpec to specify the parameters for the target deployment.
  3. Use the deploy operation with the created target and parameter specifications, along with the identifier of the specified source content library item. See POST /vcenter/ovf/library-item/{ovfLibraryItemId}?action=deploy.

To create a library item in content library from a virtual machine or virtual appliance:

  1. Create a Vcenter Ovf LibraryItem DeployableIdentity to specify the source virtual machine or virtual appliance to be used as the OVF template source.
  2. Create a Vcenter Ovf LibraryItem CreateTarget to specify the target library and library item.
  3. Create a Vcenter Ovf LibraryItem CreateSpec to specify the settings for the OVF package to be created.
  4. Use the create operation with the created target and parameter specifications, along with the specified source entity. See POST /vcenter/ovf/library-item.