DataSets for Guest Management
The DataSets facility provides methods to manipulate VM-related key-value entries
using vSphere Automation from the vCenter Server, or from inside a guest OS with VM
Tools.
About the DataSets Service The DataSets facility can enable a variety of applications in which vSphere and a guest OS share data.Use Cases for DataSets As a method to share data between vSphere and a guest OS, the DataSets facility replaces internal mechanisms that VMware used previously.Control Through vCenter Server Programs can control DataSets through a vCenter Server using the vSphere Automation API (vAPI).DataSets Transfer to ESXi Host When vSphere Automation identifies the ESXi host running the requested VM, it transmits control information as directed.Access from Guest OS Once a DataSet is present in the VM, the guest OS can access and modify its DataSet entries using a small set of VMware Tools commands.DataSets Schema for Guest Access This section shows JSON schema for the Datasets interfaces. For each DataSets command, input and output schema appear, followed by possible errors.In-Guest Communication Limits Resource constraints impose unavoidable limits on guest to host communications.