the most basic questions...

[zrow]

I got a task of deploying a central management framework for virtual machines in my lab. Searched on net and found the VMWARE PERL TOOLKit. i went through the docs but being new to all this am not able to connect the dots...which component to be installed where and how are they talking.

My need is very simple: i have 10 machines each running several VM images. I need to control the management operations on all of them through the 11th machine through a web browser application.

Can you please tell me which component(Virtual Server, Toolkit, sample scripts) to install where ???

Thanks for the time pal.

[kwiseth]

Hi zrow,

Some questions for you:

1. Are the VMs running on ESX Server? If not, the VI Perl Toolkit won't help you. "To use the VI Perl Toolkit, you need access to an ESX Server (3.x) or VirtualCenter Management Server (2.x) system. ESX Server 2.5.x is also supported as long as it is being managed by a VirtualCenter Management Server 2.x system. Please see the Installation Guide at:

http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/beta/viperltoolkit/doc/perl_toolkit_guide.html#requirements

2. If you \*are* running your VMs on ESX Server (either standalone ESX Servers, or ESX Servers managed by VirtualCenter Management Server), then you would install the VI Perl Toolkit on the 11th machine you mention.

Question: do you have Perl (5.8 or later) installed on that 11th machine? Which OS are you running?

[zrow]

Hey thanks for the help buddy. No i am not using an ESX Server so i guess the Perl Toolkit wont help me..but can you let me know if there is some other framework/solution.

My requirement. 10 win 2003 boxes running multiple VM inages. I need to manage the day to day admin tasks like shutting down/ wakeup call, taking snapshots etc from an 11th box which is also running Windows 2003/Linux.

As far as VMWare sw are concerned i only have the Workstation and the GSX Server.

Any suggestions ???

[kwiseth]

The answer depends on specific versions of software you're using:

--Workstation 5, no APIs, so I'm not sure how to help you with that.

--Workstation 6 has VIX-API (see below).

For GSX Server, only available APIs are the Scripting API (VMPerl or VMCOM). Here's info for this:

http://www.vmware.com/support/developer/scripting-API/

If you upgrade to the free Server 1.0, you will have access to VIX API 1.0 (formerly known as "The Programming API"). Here's a link to some pubs:

http://www.vmware.com/support/developer/vix-api/