VMware vSphere Web Services API - Get Host/Cluster list

[DVyas]

Hi,

How could I get all host(ESX/ESXi)/cluseter details from VMware vCenter Server?

I am newbie in developing such kind of VMware client application.

Suggest me way for developing such kind of application.

Thanks

D V

[admin]

You have to call RetrieveProperties API and use TraversalSpec to traverse through your inventory. Please refer attached C# sample for your reference on how to create a PropertyFilterSpec. This sample list Virtual Machines in a Datacenter under different Clusters. You may also refer PropertyCollector sample shipped along VI SDK.

[DVyas]

Hi,

Thanks for your reply.

It was helpful.

Is it possible to use Visual C++ ( with vSphere web service API) for developing such application or I must use C#.

[admin]

VMware has exposed certain set of APIs in form of webServices to mange their Virtual infrastructure, known as VI APIs . These can be consumed by any programming language which is soap-compliant.

C# is one such language. VMware Infrastructure (VI) SDK is used to develop client applications that can manage, monitor, and control the life-cycle of virtual infrastructure using the VMware Infrastructure management components. It includes samples in both Java and C#.

So, you may consume the APIs using C++.

[DVyas]

Hi,

Finally I came up with working C++ code to get VM names from vCenter server.

Now I want to get hostSystem details, so I changed following code

FolderTraversalSelectionSpec.name = new string("FolderTraversalSpec");

DataCenterVMTraversalSelectionSpec.name = new string("DataCenterVMTraversalSpec");

DataCenterVMTraversalSpec.name = new string("DataCenterVMTraversalSpec");

DataCenterVMTraversalSpec.type = "Datacenter";

DataCenterVMTraversalSpec.path = "vmFolder";

DataCenterVMTraversalSpec.skip = &xsd_true;

FolderTraversalSpec.name = new string("FolderTraversalSpec");

FolderTraversalSpec.type = "Folder";

FolderTraversalSpec.path = "childEntity";

FolderTraversalSpec.skip = &xsd_true;

DataCenterVMTraversalSpec.selectSet.push_back(&FolderTraversalSelectionSpec);

FolderTraversalSpec.selectSet.push_back(&DataCenterVMTraversalSelectionSpec);

FolderTraversalSpec.selectSet.push_back(&FolderTraversalSelectionSpec);

PropertySpec.type = "VirtualMachine";

PropertySpec.all = &xsd_false;

//PropertySpec.all = &xsd_true;

PropertySpec.pathSet.push_back("name");

ObjectSpec.obj = ServiceContent->rootFolder;

ObjectSpec.skip = &xsd_true;

ObjectSpec.selectSet.push_back(&FolderTraversalSpec);

ObjectSpec.selectSet.push_back(&DataCenterVMTraversalSpec);

PropertyFilterSpec.propSet.push_back(&PropertySpec);

PropertyFilterSpec.objectSet.push_back(&ObjectSpec);

RetrievePropertiesReq._USCOREthis = ServiceContent->propertyCollector;

RetrievePropertiesReq.specSet.push_back(&PropertyFilterSpec);

if ( vim.__ns1__RetrieveProperties(&RetrievePropertiesReq, &RetrievePropertiesRes) == SOAP_OK )

{

cout << "Number of Objects " << RetrievePropertiesRes.returnval.size() << endl;

for (i=0; i < RetrievePropertiesRes.returnval.size(); i++)

{

cout << " Object Type: " << *RetrievePropertiesRes.returnval[0]->obj->type;

cout << " (" << RetrievePropertiesRes.returnval[i]->propSet.size() << " properties), ";

for (j=0; j < RetrievePropertiesRes.returnval[i]->propSet.size(); j++)

{

DynamicProperty = *RetrievePropertiesRes.returnval[i]->propSet[j];

if ( DynamicProperty.name == "name" )

{

name = (xsd__string *) DynamicProperty.val;

//cout << "Name = " << ((xsd__string *) DynamicProperty.val)->__item;

cout << "Name: " << name->__item;

}

}

cout << endl;

}

else

{

soap_print_fault(vim.soap, stderr);

}

To

FolderTraversalSelectionSpec.name = new string("FolderTraversalSpec");

DataCenterHostTraversalSelectionSpec.name = new string("DataCenterHostTraversalSpec");

DataCenterHostTraversalSpec.name = new string("DataCenterHostTraversalSpec");

DataCenterHostTraversalSpec.type = "Datacenter";

DataCenterHostTraversalSpec.path = "hostFolder";

DataCenterHostTraversalSpec.skip = &xsd_true;

FolderTraversalSpec.name = new string("FolderTraversalSpec");

FolderTraversalSpec.type = "Folder";

FolderTraversalSpec.path = "childEntity";

FolderTraversalSpec.skip = &xsd_true;

DataCenterVMTraversalSpec.selectSet.push_back(&FolderTraversalSelectionSpec);

FolderTraversalSpec.selectSet.push_back(&DataCenterVMTraversalSelectionSpec);

FolderTraversalSpec.selectSet.push_back(&FolderTraversalSelectionSpec);

PropertySpec.type = "HostSystem";

PropertySpec.all = &xsd_false;

PropertySpec.pathSet.push_back("name");

ObjectSpec.obj = ServiceContent->rootFolder;

ObjectSpec.skip = &xsd_true;

ObjectSpec.selectSet.push_back(&FolderTraversalSpec);

ObjectSpec.selectSet.push_back(&DataCenterVMTraversalSpec);

PropertyFilterSpec.propSet.push_back(&PropertySpec);

PropertyFilterSpec.objectSet.push_back(&ObjectSpec);

RetrievePropertiesReq._USCOREthis = ServiceContent->propertyCollector;

RetrievePropertiesReq.specSet.push_back(&PropertyFilterSpec);

if ( vim.__ns1__RetrieveProperties(&RetrievePropertiesReq, &RetrievePropertiesRes) == SOAP_OK )

{

cout << "Number of Objects " << RetrievePropertiesRes.returnval.size() << endl;

for (i=0; i < RetrievePropertiesRes.returnval.size(); i++)

{

cout << " Object Type: " << *RetrievePropertiesRes.returnval[0]->obj->type;

cout << " (" << RetrievePropertiesRes.returnval[i]->propSet.size() << " properties), ";

for (j=0; j < RetrievePropertiesRes.returnval[i]->propSet.size(); j++)

{

DynamicProperty = *RetrievePropertiesRes.returnval[i]->propSet[j];

if ( DynamicProperty.name == "name" )

{

name = (xsd__string *) DynamicProperty.val;

//cout << "Name = " << ((xsd__string *) DynamicProperty.val)->__item;

cout << "Name: " << name->__item;

}

}

cout << endl;

}

else

{

soap_print_fault(vim.soap, stderr);

}

But output gives Number of Objects 0.

Actually result should be Number of Objects 2, as there are 2 ESX managed by vCenter Server.

Thanks,

D V

[stumpr]

Without looking at it in too much detail, I think you also need a traversal spec for ComputeResource(s). Are your two hosts in an HA cluster?

Under your hostFolder you can have hosts, folders and computeResource entities. So without a traversal spec for computeResource(s) you probably won't see any hosts that are in a cluster.

[DVyas]

Hi,

I just have one datacenter. No cluster created.

Hierarachy is as follows.

-

---

datacenter1

---Host1

--VM1

--VMn

---Host2

--VM1

-- VMn

-

---

Thanks,

D V

[stumpr · Accepted solution]

So you'll actually need a traversal spec for ComputeResource. This will also pick up your clustered hosts as well.

You'll need to add the following:

ns1__TraversalSpec ComputeResourceTraversalSpec;

ComputeResourceTraversalSelectionSpec.name = new string("ComputeResourceTraversalSpec");

ComputeResourceTraversalSpec.name = new string("ComputeResourceTraversalSpec");
ComputeResourceTraversalSpec.type = "ComputeResource";
ComputeResourceTraversalSpec.path = "host";
ComputeResourceTraversalSpec.skip = &xsd_true;

FolderTraversalSpec.selectSet.push_back(&ComputeResourceTraversalSelectionSpec);

ObjectSpec.selectSet.push_back(&ComputeResourceTraversalSpec);

That will let you traverse from folder to datacenter to folder to compute resource to hostsystem.

I tested it on my end to be sure and it works.

[DVyas]

Hi,

Finally I got my program working to get both Host and VM List.

Thanks

[pk2006]

I am trying with following code - it still gives me 0 objects. i do have two ESX registered with vCenter server.

I am new to VMware API, Please let me know wht am i missing in this to host from the vCenter server?

ns2__TraversalSpec DataCenterHostTraversalSpec, FolderTraversalSpec, ComputeResourceTraversalSpec;

ns2__SelectionSpec DataCenterHostTraversalSelectionSpec, FolderTraversalSelectionSpec, ComputeResourceTraversalSelectionSpec;

ns2__PropertySpec PropertySpec;

ns2__ObjectSpec ObjectSpec;

ns2__PropertyFilterSpec PropertyFilterSpec;

ns2__DynamicProperty DynamicProperty;

ns2__RetrievePropertiesRequestType RetrievePropertiesReq;

ns2_RetrievePropertiesResponse RetrievePropertiesRes;

ns2__ManagedObjectReference* vm_mor = NULL;

bool xsd_true = 1;

bool xsd_false = 0;

FolderTraversalSelectionSpec.name = new string("FolderTraversalSpec");

DataCenterHostTraversalSelectionSpec.name = new string("DataCenterHostTraversalSpec");

DataCenterHostTraversalSpec.name = new string("DataCenterHostTraversalSpec");

DataCenterHostTraversalSpec.type = "Datacenter";

DataCenterHostTraversalSpec.path = "hostFolder";

DataCenterHostTraversalSpec.skip = &xsd_true;

FolderTraversalSpec.name = new string("FolderTraversalSpec");

FolderTraversalSpec.type = "Folder";

FolderTraversalSpec.path = "childEntity";

FolderTraversalSpec.skip = &xsd_true;

ComputeResourceTraversalSelectionSpec.name = new string("ComputeResourceTraversalSpec");

ComputeResourceTraversalSpec.name = new string("ComputeResourceTraversalSpec");

ComputeResourceTraversalSpec.type = "ComputeResource";

ComputeResourceTraversalSpec.path = "host";

ComputeResourceTraversalSpec.skip = &xsd_true;

DataCenterHostTraversalSpec.selectSet.push_back(&FolderTraversalSelectionSpec);

FolderTraversalSpec.selectSet.push_back(&DataCenterHostTraversalSelectionSpec);

FolderTraversalSpec.selectSet.push_back(&FolderTraversalSelectionSpec);

FolderTraversalSpec.selectSet.push_back(&ComputeResourceTraversalSelectionSpec);

PropertySpec.type = "HostSystem";

PropertySpec.all = &xsd_false;

PropertySpec.pathSet.push_back("name");

ObjectSpec.obj = ServiceContent->rootFolder;

ObjectSpec.skip = &xsd_true;

ObjectSpec.selectSet.push_back(&FolderTraversalSpec);

ObjectSpec.selectSet.push_back(&DataCenterHostTraversalSpec);

ObjectSpec.selectSet.push_back(&ComputeResourceTraversalSpec);

PropertyFilterSpec.propSet.push_back(&PropertySpec);

PropertyFilterSpec.objectSet.push_back(&ObjectSpec);

RetrievePropertiesReq._USCOREthis = ServiceContent->propertyCollector;

RetrievePropertiesReq.specSet.push_back(&PropertyFilterSpec);

if (vim.__ns2__RetrieveProperties(&RetrievePropertiesReq, &RetrievePropertiesRes) == SOAP_OK)

{

cout << "Number of Objects " << RetrievePropertiesRes.returnval.size() << endl;

ns2__ObjectContent* oc = NULL;

ns2__DynamicProperty dynamicProperty;

for (int i = 0; i < RetrievePropertiesRes.returnval.size(); i++) {

oc = RetrievePropertiesRes.returnval[i];

cout << " Object Type: " << oc->obj->type->c_str();

cout << " (" << oc->propSet.size() << " properties), ";

dynamicProperty = *RetrievePropertiesRes.returnval[i]->propSet[i];

xsd__string* name = (xsd__string*) dynamicProperty.val;

cout << name << endl;

}

}