Read and Write VMDK Using vSphere API

The VMware vSphere Web Services API (version 2 and later) offers some methods to manage VMDK files. The VirtualDiskManager managed object defines more than a dozen methods similar to those in the Virtual Disk API documented here.

For more information, navigate to the latest VMware vSphere documentation center on the Web, search for VirtualDiskManager, and follow the specific link. At top of page you can click Local Methods to see a list of all methods defined by the VirtualDiskManager managed object.

VirtualDiskManager methods were not heavily used, and have not been updated to support object oriented file systems such as vSAN and VVol, or storage profile based management (SPBM).