Vmsafe API in ESXi

[mahou123]

Hi!

Will appreciate clarification on the Vmsafe API. I read somewhere that it is not available on the free version of ESXi. Does this refer to the evaluation mode, when no license is entered?

So if I enter a free license (that says Expires: Never), should Vmsafe API be available? I don't see it under the product features portion of the license =( is there a way to check if it is enabled/available?

Thank you!

[jaymemaurice]

From what I have seen online, VMSafe will only work in conjunction with a security appliance that takes advantage of the API. If you are planning on purchasing such an appliance, I would check with the vendor. From what I can tell the VMSafe API is not publicly available either.

If you are looking to demo something I am sure a VMWare sales agent and the vendor of the product will be help you out.

[mahou123]

Hi!

I'm looking at testing an appliance and don't really need access to the API. Just trying to check if I can get it to work with ESXi. All I got from the information packet was that the API is not present in the free version of ESXi.

Would this mean ESXi in evaluation mode? Or ESXi, regardless whether it has the license or not?

I guess the main question is, does ESXi 4 have support for VMSafe API? If it does,is there anything special you need to do to enable it? (ie. get a specific license, etc).

[mwronski]

Depending on what part of VMsafe you are taking about, it's not really an API. VMsafe isn't something an individual user can take advantage of. You need to install a product that has been built using VMsafe and it will provide functions based on the access that VMsafe provides.

There are three areas of VMsafe: network, cpu, and memory.

For the network version, now part of the vNetwork API, VMsafe is a SDK that allows building of kernel modules for ESX, and ESXi. Then a specially built virtual appliance can link to that kernel module and perform various types of network introspection. AFAIK VMsafe is not a public SDK or API. You will need to be in the VMsafe development program to gain access to the specifications.

As for required VMware licences, I believe it's more of a license issue than a functional one for the use of VMsafe. It does not appear as a feature item in any of the license types. That being said, VMware doesn't offer any products today that take advantage of VMsafe so you will still need to acquire a VMsafe product to perform any testing.

What are you trying to accomplish? If you can be more specific, feel free to follow up here or contact me directly and I may be able to help.

Reflex is a VMsafe development partner and exposes VMsafe via our vTrust feature set in the VMC product. We currently require vCenter for use of our product which implies a 60 day eval or full licence from VMware is present.

-Mike

mike(at)reflexsystems.com

[mwronski]

A little follow up on this. We have confirmed that VMsafe modules WILL NOT run in the free version of ESXi. They will however install if the host is under ANY of the licences, including the 60 day evaluation.

-Mike

mike reflexsystems.com

[kac2]

VMsafe API, or any other APIs for that matter do not work under the FREE ESXi license. If you are running a licensed version of ESXi, all APIs will be available.