Inventory Traversal and Object Selection

PropertyCollector filter properties identify object properties and paths that define inventory traversal. For example, you can retrieve the properties for a VirtualMachine object and specify a traversal path using the VirtualMachine.network property to obtain the properties for the associated Network objects.

You can use vSphere view objects (for example, ContainerView) in filters to simplify traversal specification. A view maintains a subset of inventory objects, so if there is a change in the inventory hierarchy, you do not have to recreate the view. Use a view to specify a set of objects that the PropertyCollector can use for data collection.

For information about the vSphere inventory, see Inventory Traversal and Object Selection.