SDK Objects for Integration with vCenter Server Extensions

You integrate a solution with vCenter Server Extensions by implementing certain properties and data objects from the vSphere Management SDK in a vCenter Server extension.

vCenter Server Extensions provides a graphical view in the vSphere Client of the list of extensions that the ExtensionManager managed object exposes to vCenter Server. To integrate a solution with vCenter Server Extensions, you set properties in the implementation of the Extension data object that defines an instance of a vCenter Server extension. Some of the properties that you set in the Extension implementation refer to data objects in the vSphere Management SDK that are specific to vCenter Server Extensions.

Properties of the Extension Data Object That Relate to the vCenter Server Extensions

Certain properties of the Extension data object are specific to vCenter Server Extensions.

You can use the properties of the Extension data object to integrate a solution with vCenter Server Extensions.

Properties	Type	Description
shownInSolutionManager	Boolean	You must set this property to `true` for a solution to appear in vCenter Server Extensions.
solutionManagerInfo	ExtSolutionManagerInfo data object	Provides the names for tabs and URLs to the Web applications that define the contents of the tabs.
extendedProductInfo	ExtExtendedProductInfo data object	Provides information about the solution, such as URLs to product and vendor Web pages.
managedEntityInfo	ExtManagedEntityInfo data object that represent virtual machines and vApps	Provides information about the objects that the solution manages, such as their type, a description of the objects, and an icon to represent the objects in the vCenter Server inventory.

vCenter Server Extensions Data Objects

You set properties in the Extension implementation to integrate a solution with the vCenter Server Extensions. Some of the properties that you set refer to data objects in the vSphere Management SDK that are specific to the vCenter Server Extensions.

For information about the properties and implementation details of each data object, see the VMware vSphere API Reference documentation.

Table 1. Data Objects in the vSphere Management SDK that relate to the vCenter Server Extensions
Data Object	Description
ExtSolutionManagerInfo	Provides an array of ExtSolutionManagerInfoTabInfo objects that implement the tabs that the solution adds to vCenter Server Extensions.
ExtExtendedProductInfo	Provides URLs to information about the solution, such as the solution vendor's Web site, a management interface for the solution, and a description of the solution. Also provides links to the virtual machine or vApp that runs the solution.
ExtManagedEntityInfo	Provides information about the objects that the solution manages, such as a description, an icon to represent the objects that the solution creates in the vCenter Server inventory, and the types of the objects.
ExtSolutionManagerInfoTabInfo	Provides label for the solution in the Solutions portlet on the Summary page. You can also add URLs to the Web application.
ManagedByInfo	Identifies types of virtual machine or vApp as belonging to a solution. You can configure the virtual machines or vApps that a solution deploys so that they appear in the vCenter Server inventory with special icons and descriptions. You can also warn users about performing operations on virtual machines or vApps that a solution manages.