How to connect vApp network to VM's nic at the "instantiation from a template" step?

[onappdev]

Hey guys,

I'm stuck with the situation where I'm not able to connect vApp network to VM's nic at the step of vApp instantiation from a template.

I've read this docs VMware vCloud Director 5.6 Documentation Center and tried using the construction:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<InstantiateVAppTemplateParams
   xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5"
   name="111"
   deploy="true"
   powerOn="false"
   xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
   xmlns:ovf="http://schemas.dmtf.org/ovf/envelope/1">
   <Description>vApp with the new network</Description>
   <InstantiationParams>
      <NetworkConfigSection>
         <ovf:Info>Configuration parameters for logical networks</ovf:Info>
         <NetworkConfig networkName="net1>
            <Configuration>
               <ParentNetwork href="https://example.com/api/network/e4627307-8ab9-46c3-8ae9-b6f31158f665" />
               <FenceMode>bridged</FenceMode>
            </Configuration>
         </NetworkConfig>
      </NetworkConfigSection>
   </InstantiationParams>
   <Source href="https://example.com/api/vAppTemplate/vappTemplate-db2d4ba6-7f36-44be-a2de-50ddff8a3985" />
   <SourcedItem>
      <Source href="https://example.com/api/vAppTemplate/vm-28bfdffa-a75e-4921-9de1-6a3c4fdb8af6"/>
      <VmGeneralParams>
         <Name>111VM</Name>
         <Description>VM with the new network</Description>
         <NeedsCustomization>true</NeedsCustomization>
      </VmGeneralParams>
      <InstantiationParams>
          <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="net1">
                    <NetworkConnectionIndex>0</NetworkConnectionIndex>
                    <IsConnected>true</IsConnected>
                    <MACAddress>00:50:56:01:01:49</MACAddress>
                    <IpAddressAllocationMode>POOL</IpAddressAllocationMode>
               </NetworkConnection>
          </NetworkConnectionSection>
      </InstantiationParams>
   </SourcedItem>
   <AllEULAsAccepted>true</AllEULAsAccepted>
</InstantiateVAppTemplateParams>

But vCloud Director 5.6 responds with the 400 error:

Unsupported instantiation section: {http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5}NetworkConnectionSection

However VMware docs says that InstantiationParamsType does have such a section "NetworkConnectionSection".

It's also possible in existing vCD UI wizard to instantiate vApp from a template and to connect its network to a children VM's nic.

Furthermore, when I try using the same xml syntax for recomposeVApp/reconfigureVM actions the vCD accepts it as valid and connects the network to the VM.

So is it possible with API to connect a vApp network to a VM's nic at the instantiation step or do I have to do that after the instantiation of the vApp is finished?

Thanks!

[kkeshri]

This is what I did for similar use case.

Added the required network to an existing vApp.

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="Org1-net">

<Configuration>

<ParentNetwork

href="https://192.168.9.23/api/admin/network/698fff30-b753-4373-a315-17cd9152b10a" />

<FenceMode>Bridged</FenceMode>

</Configuration>

</NetworkConfig>

</NetworkConfigSection>

</InstantiationParams>

<AllEULAsAccepted>true</AllEULAsAccepted>

</RecomposeVAppParams>

Once the network is added to the vApp add the template VM in the vApp connect it to the desired network

Content type: application/vnd.vmware.vcloud.recomposeVAppParams+xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<RecomposeVAppParams xmlns="http://www.vmware.com/vcloud/v1.5" xmlns:ovf="http://schemas.dmtf.org/ovf/envelope/1">

<SourcedItem sourceDelete="false">

    <Source href="https://192.168.9.23/api/vAppTemplate/vm-6bf05d97-e720-46f4-8141-78514b07f62e" name="new-vm"/>

<InstantiationParams>

<NetworkConnectionSection>

<ovf:Info/>

<PrimaryNetworkConnectionIndex>0</PrimaryNetworkConnectionIndex>

<NetworkConnection network="Org1-net">

<NetworkConnectionIndex>0</NetworkConnectionIndex>

<IsConnected>true</IsConnected>

<IpAddressAllocationMode>POOL</IpAddressAllocationMode>

</NetworkConnection>

</NetworkConnectionSection>

<GuestCustomizationSection>

<ovf:Info/>

<Enabled>true</Enabled>

<ChangeSid>false</ChangeSid>

<AdminPasswordEnabled>false</AdminPasswordEnabled>

<ComputerName>win12</ComputerName>

</GuestCustomizationSection>

</InstantiationParams>

</SourcedItem>

<AllEULAsAccepted>true</AllEULAsAccepted>

<CreateItem name="NIC Test VM"/>

</RecomposeVAppParams>

[onappdev]

Hi kkeshri,

Thanks for your reply!

I can confirm that it will work for an existing vApp. However our task is to add and assign a network to a new vApp being provisioned from a vApp Template. In your case you are using "RecomposeVAppParams", and we are trying to do that with one single API call using "InstantiateVAppTemplateParams". Seems like its impossible though...

[srmdocs]

Hi... I looked up vCloud REST API - InstantiationParamsType in the VMware docs and it does include a NetworkConnectionSection. Where were you seeing that this element is not part of InstantiationParams?

[onappdev]

Where have you seen that I said that NetworkConnectionSection is not a part of InstantiationParams? I'm afraid you read inattentively, cause actually I said the opposite. But it doesn't work, when I add this section to the xml, vCD throws me the validation error saying that this section isn't supported. That's actually the issue.