Managed Object - ManagedEntity

Property of
AlarmInfo, AlarmState, ComplianceResult, ContainerView, DatacenterMismatchArgument, DistributedVirtualSwitchManagerHostContainer, DistributedVirtualSwitchPortConnectee, DistributedVirtualSwitchPortCriteria, DVPortConfigInfo, DVPortConfigSpec, DVPortgroupConfigInfo, DVPortgroupConfigSpec, DvsScopeViolated, EventFilterSpecByEntity, Folder, HttpNfcLeaseInfo, InvalidFolder, InvalidName, ManagedEntity, ManagedEntityEventArgument, Permission, Profile, ResourceConfigSpec, ScheduledTaskInfo, TaskFilterSpecByEntity, TaskInfo, TaskReasonAlarm, VAppCloneSpecResourceMap, VAppEntityConfigInfo, VirtualApp, VirtualAppLinkInfo, VirtualMachine, VmFaultToleranceConfigIssue, VmFaultToleranceConfigIssueWrapper
Parameter to
AcknowledgeAlarm, AreAlarmActionsEnabled, AssociateProfile, CheckCompliance_Task, CheckProfileCompliance_Task, ClearComplianceStatus, CloseInventoryViewFolder, CreateAlarm, CreateContainerView, CreateDescriptor, CreateScheduledTask, DissociateProfile, EnableAlarmActions, FindAssociatedProfile, FindChild, GetAlarm, GetAlarmState, LogUserEvent, MoveIntoFolder_Task, MoveIntoResourcePool, OpenInventoryViewFolder, QueryCompatibleHostForExistingDvs, QueryCompatibleHostForNewDvs, QueryComplianceStatus, RemoveEntityPermission, ResetEntityPermissions, RetrieveEntityPermissions, RetrieveEntityScheduledTask, SetEntityPermissions, SetField, UpdateLinkedChildren
Returned by
CloseInventoryViewFolder, FindAllByDnsName, FindAllByIp, FindAllByUuid, FindByDnsName, FindByInventoryPath, FindByIp, FindByUuid, FindChild, OpenInventoryViewFolder
Extended by
ComputeResource, Datacenter, Datastore, DistributedVirtualSwitch, Folder, HostSystem, Network, ResourcePool, VirtualMachine
Extends
ExtensibleManagedObject
See also
AlarmState, CustomFieldValue, Event, ManagedEntityStatus, Permission, Tag, Task


Managed Object Description

ManagedEntity is an abstract base type for all managed objects present in the inventory tree. The base type provides common functionality for traversing the tree structure, as well as health monitoring and other basic functions.

Most Virtual Infrastructure managed object types extend this type.

Properties

Name Type Description
alarmActionsEnabled* Pxsd:boolean

Whether alarm actions are enabled for this entity. True if enabled; false otherwise.

Since vSphere API 4.0
configIssue*Event[]

Current configuration issues that have been detected for this entity. Typically, these issues have already been logged as events. The entity stores these events as long as they are still current. The configStatus property provides an overall status based on these events.
configStatusManagedEntityStatus

The configStatus indicates whether or not the system has detected a configuration issue involving this entity. For example, it might have detected a duplicate IP address or MAC address, or a host in a cluster might be out of compliance. The meanings of the configStatus values are:
  • red: A problem has been detected involving the entity.
  • yellow: A problem is about to occur or a transient condition has occurred (For example, reconfigure fail-over policy).
  • green: No configuration issues have been detected.
  • gray: The configuration status of the entity is not being monitored.
A green status indicates only that a problem has not been detected; it is not a guarantee that the entity is problem-free.

The configIssue property contains a list of the problems that have been detected. In releases after vSphere API 5.0, vSphere Servers might not generate property collector update notifications for this property. To obtain the latest value of the property, you can use PropertyCollector methods RetrievePropertiesEx or WaitForUpdatesEx. If you use the PropertyCollector.WaitForUpdatesEx method, specify an empty string for the version parameter. Any other version value will not produce any property values as no updates are generated.

customValue* PCustomFieldValue[]

Custom field values.
declaredAlarmState* PAlarmState[]

A set of alarm states for alarms that apply to this managed entity. The set includes alarms defined on this entity and alarms inherited from the parent entity, or from any ancestors in the inventory hierarchy.

Alarms are inherited if they can be triggered by this entity or its descendants. This set does not include alarms that are defined on descendants of this entity.

disabledMethod*xsd:string[]

List of operations that are disabled, given the current runtime state of the entity. For example, a power-on operation always fails if a virtual machine is already powered on. This list can be used by clients to enable or disable operations in a graphical user interface.

Note: This list is determined by the current runtime state of an entity, not by its permissions.

This list may include the following operations for a HostSystem:

This list may include the following operations for a VirtualMachine:

This list may include the following operations for a ResourcePool:

This list may include the following operations for a VirtualApp:

In releases after vSphere API 5.0, vSphere Servers might not generate property collector update notifications for this property. To obtain the latest value of the property, you can use PropertyCollector methods RetrievePropertiesEx or WaitForUpdatesEx. If you use the PropertyCollector.WaitForUpdatesEx method, specify an empty string for the version parameter. Any other version value will not produce any property values as no updates are generated.

effectiveRole* Pxsd:int[]

Access rights the current session has to this entity.
name Pxsd:string

Name of this entity, unique relative to its parent.

Any / (slash), \ (backslash), character used in this name element will be escaped. Similarly, any % (percent) character used in this name element will be escaped, unless it is used to start an escape sequence. A slash is escaped as %2F or %2f. A backslash is escaped as %5C or %5c, and a percent is escaped as %25.

overallStatusManagedEntityStatus

General health of this managed entity. The overall status of the managed entity is computed as the worst status among its alarms and the configuration issues detected on the entity. The status is reported as one of the following values:
  • red: The entity has alarms or configuration issues with a red status.
  • yellow: The entity does not have alarms or configuration issues with a red status, and has at least one with a yellow status.
  • green: The entity does not have alarms or configuration issues with a red or yellow status, and has at least one with a green status.
  • gray: All of the entity's alarms have a gray status and the configuration status of the entity is not being monitored.
In releases after vSphere API 5.0, vSphere Servers might not generate property collector update notifications for this property. To obtain the latest value of the property, you can use PropertyCollector methods RetrievePropertiesEx or WaitForUpdatesEx. If you use the PropertyCollector.WaitForUpdatesEx method, specify an empty string for the version parameter. Any other version value will not produce any property values as no updates are generated.
parent* PManagedObjectReference
to a ManagedEntity

Parent of this entity.

This value is null for the root object and for VirtualMachine objects that are part of a VirtualApp.

permission*Permission[]

List of permissions defined for this entity.
recentTask*ManagedObjectReference[]
to a Task[]

The set of recent tasks operating on this managed entity. This is a subset of recentTask belong to this entity. A task in this list could be in one of the four states: pending, running, success or error.

This property can be used to deduce intermediate power states for a virtual machine entity. For example, if the current powerState is "poweredOn" and there is a running task performing the "suspend" operation, then the virtual machine's intermediate state might be described as "suspending."

Most tasks (such as power operations) obtain exclusive access to the virtual machine, so it is unusual for this list to contain more than one running task. One exception, however, is the task of cloning a virtual machine. In releases after vSphere API 5.0, vSphere Servers might not generate property collector update notifications for this property. To obtain the latest value of the property, you can use PropertyCollector methods RetrievePropertiesEx or WaitForUpdatesEx. If you use the PropertyCollector.WaitForUpdatesEx method, specify an empty string for the version parameter. Any other version value will not produce any property values as no updates are generated.

tag* PTag[]

The set of tags associated with this managed entity. Experimental. Subject to change.

Since vSphere API 4.0
triggeredAlarmState* PAlarmState[]

A set of alarm states for alarms triggered by this entity or by its descendants.

Triggered alarms are propagated up the inventory hierarchy so that a user can readily tell when a descendant has triggered an alarm. In releases after vSphere API 5.0, vSphere Servers might not generate property collector update notifications for this property. To obtain the latest value of the property, you can use PropertyCollector methods RetrievePropertiesEx or WaitForUpdatesEx. If you use the PropertyCollector.WaitForUpdatesEx method, specify an empty string for the version parameter. Any other version value will not produce any property values as no updates are generated.

Properties inherited from ExtensibleManagedObject
availableField, value
*May not be presentPRequired privilege - see tooltip for details

Methods

Methods defined in this Managed Object
Destroy_Task, Reload, Rename_Task
Methods inherited from ExtensibleManagedObject
setCustomValue

Destroy_Task

Destroys this object, deleting its contents and removing it from its parent folder (if any).

NOTE: The appropriate privilege must be held on the parent of the destroyed entity as well as the entity itself.

This method can throw one of several exceptions. The exact set of exceptions depends on the kind of entity that is being removed. See comments for each entity for more information on destroy behavior.
Required Privileges
When object is VirtualMachine - VirtualMachine.Inventory.Delete
When object is Datacenter - Datacenter.Delete
When object is Folder - Folder.Delete
When object is - Folder.Delete
When object is HostSystem - Host.Inventory.RemoveHostFromCluster
When object is VirtualApp - VApp.Delete
When object is ResourcePool - Resource.DeletePool
When object is ComputeResource - Host.Inventory.RemoveHostFromCluster
When object is ClusterComputeResource - Host.Inventory.DeleteCluster
When object is DistributedVirtualSwitch - DVSwitch.Delete
When object is DistributedVirtualPortgroup - DVPortgroup.Delete
When object is Datastore - System.Read
When object is Network - System.Read

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
_thisManagedObjectReference A reference to the ManagedEntity used to make the method call.

Return Value

Type Description
ManagedObjectReference
to a SmsTask
This method returns a Task object with which to monitor the operation.

Faults

Type Description
RuntimeFaultThrown if any type of runtime fault is thrown that is not covered by the other faults; for example, a communication error.
VimFault

Events

Type
None



Reload

Reload the entity state. Clients only need to call this method if they changed some external state that affects the service without using the Web service interface to perform the change. For example, hand-editing a virtual machine configuration file affects the configuration of the associated virtual machine but the service managing the virtual machine might not monitor the file for changes. In this case, after such an edit, a client would call "reload" on the associated virtual machine to ensure the service and its clients have current data for the virtual machine.
Required Privileges
System.Read

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
_thisManagedObjectReference A reference to the ManagedEntity used to make the method call.

Return Value

Type Description
None

Faults

Type Description
RuntimeFaultThrown if any type of runtime fault is thrown that is not covered by the other faults; for example, a communication error.

Events

Type
None



Rename_Task

Renames this managed entity.

Any % (percent) character used in this name parameter must be escaped, unless it is used to start an escape sequence. Clients may also escape any other characters in this name parameter.


See name

Required Privileges
When object is VirtualMachine - VirtualMachine.Config.Rename
When object is Datacenter - Datacenter.Rename
When object is Folder - Folder.Rename
When object is VirtualApp - VApp.Rename
When object is ResourcePool - Resource.RenamePool
When object is ClusterComputeResource - Host.Inventory.RenameCluster
When object is DistributedVirtualSwitch - DVSwitch.Modify
When object is DistributedVirtualPortgroup - DVPortgroup.Modify
When object is Datastore - Datastore.Rename
When object is Network - System.Read

Parameters

NameTypeDescription
_thisManagedObjectReference A reference to the ManagedEntity used to make the method call.
newNamexsd:string


See name


Return Value

Type Description
ManagedObjectReference
to a SmsTask
This method returns a Task object with which to monitor the operation.

Faults

Type Description
DuplicateNameThrown if another object in the same folder has the target name.
See name
InvalidNameThrown if the new name is not a valid entity name.
See name
RuntimeFaultThrown if any type of runtime fault is thrown that is not covered by the other faults; for example, a communication error.

Events

Type
None