VMware VI and vSphere SDK

Book excerpt: Drive Even More Value from Virtualization: Write VMware® Applications that Automate Virtual Infrastructure Management Companies running VMware have already achieved enormous gains through virtualization. The next wave of benefits will come when they reduce the time and effort required to run and manage VMware platforms. The VMware Infrastructure Software Development Kit (VI SDK) includes application programming interfaces (APIs) that allow developers and administrators to do just that. Until now, there has been little documentation for the APIs. In VMware VI and vSphere SDK, software architect Steve Jin demystifies the entire VMware VI and new vSphere SDK and offers detailed, task-based coverage of using the APIs to manage VMware more efficiently and cost-effectively. Jin walks you through using the VI SDK and cloud-computing vSphere SDK to manage ESX servers, ESX clusters, and VirtualCenter servers in any environment–no matter how complex. Drawing on his extensive expertise working with VMware strategic partners and enterprise customers, he places the VI SDK in practical context, presenting realistic samples and proven best practices for building robust, effective solutions. Jin demonstrates how to manage every facet of a VMware environment, including inventory, host systems, virtual machines (VMs), snapshots, VMotion, clusters, resource pools, networking, storage, data stores, events, alarms, users, security, licenses, and scheduled tasks. Coverage includes Understanding how the VI SDK fits into your VMware VI and Cloud Ready vSphere Environment Discovering the VI and vSphere SDK from the bottom up Using the author’s new VI Java API to write shorter, faster, and more maintainable code Managing VI and vSphere inventory and configurations Moving running VMs and storages across different physical platforms without disruption Optimizing system resources, hardening system securities, backing up VMs and other resources Leveraging events, alarms, and scheduled tasks to automate the system management Developing powerful applications that integrate multiple API features and run on top of or alongside VMware platforms Using the VI SDK to monitor performance Scripting with the VI SDK: building solutions with VI Perl, PowerShell, and Jython Avoiding the pitfalls that trip up VMware VI developers Integrating with and extending VMware platforms using VI SDK This book is an indispensable resource for all VMware developers and administrators who want to get more done in less time; for hardware vendors who want to integrate their products with VMware; for ISV developers building new VMware applications; and for every professional and student seeking a deeper mastery of virtualization.