VMware vSphere SDKs and Tools 8.0

8.0 7.0 6.7 6.5

Control Through vCenter Server

Programs can control DataSets through a vCenter Server using the vSphere Automation API (vAPI).
Methods are provided for managing DataSets, and for managing entries in a DataSet. These methods can be run as REST operations, or from Java or Python programs. See developer.vmware.com for complete information about the various vSphere Automation SDKs. Ruby, Perl, and .NET bindings were deprecated but are still available as open source on Github.
DataSets have certain properties, called attributes. Attributes include a description of the DataSet, access permissions from the guest or host, and usage type. Attributes are assigned to each DataSet at create time, and can be modified by an update.
In the following REST examples,
{server}
 represents the vCenter Server that manages ESXi hosts running VMs in a datacenter.
Operations on a DataSet:
  • create – create a new DataSet with specified attributes
    POST https://{server}/api/vcenter/vm/{vm}/data-sets
  • delete - delete a DataSet
    DELETE https://{server}/api/vcenter/vm/{vm}/data-sets/{DataSet}
  • update – modify the attributes of a DataSet
    PATCH https://{server}/api/vcenter/vm/{vm}/data-sets/{DataSet}
  • get – query the attributes of a DataSet
    GET https://{server}/api/vcenter/vm/{vm}/data-sets/{DataSet}
  • list - list all DataSets in a VM
    GET  https://{server}/api/vcenter/vm/{vm}/data-sets
Operations on DataSet entries:
  • set - create or update an entry in a DataSet
    PUT https://{server}/api/vcenter/vm/{vm}/data-sets/{DataSet}/entries/{key}
  • get - retrieve the value of an entry in a DataSet
    GET https://{server}/api/vcenter/vm/{vm}/data-sets/{DataSet}/entries/{key}
  • delete - delete an entry in a DataSet
    DELETE https://{server}/api/vcenter/vm/{vm}/data-sets/{DataSet}/entries/{key}
  • list - list all entry keys in a DataSet
    GET https://{server}/api/vcenter/vm/{vm}/data-sets/{DataSet}/entries
These REST operations communicate back and forth in JSON, similar to the examples shown in the sections below.
For instruction and examples of REST programming, see the
vSphere Automation API Reference
 on code.vmware.com.

Content feedback and comments