Ovf APIs

Ovf APIs

The vcenter ovf package 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
ExportFlag

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

ImportFlag

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

LibraryItem

The LibraryItem service 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 LibraryItem.DeploymentTarget to specify the target deployment type and target deployment designation.
  2. Create a LibraryItem.ResourcePoolDeploymentSpec to specify the parameters for the target deployment.
  3. Use the LibraryItem.deploy operation with the created target and parameter specifications, along with the identifier of the specified source content library item. See LibraryItem.deploy.

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

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