VSICM55 - Slide 04-12 - Default vCenter Server Plug-Ins
1. Wrong:
The overview description - in the first paragraph of the slide notes - of the vSphere Web Client plug-in packages setup is rather confused:
Plug-ins for vCenter Server are installed on both the server and client side. A plug-in component is installed on the vCenter Server while the plug-in itself is installed in the client.1. Correct:
On the vSphere Web Client side, no setup is required to make the plug-in GUI modifications available; on the contrary, instead, installing the plug-in packages is a mandatory step in the vSphere C# Client.
1. Info:According to the "vSphere Web Client Extensions Programming Guide" - "Creating and Deploying Plug-In Packages" chapter - "Deploying a Plug-In Package" paragraph, the behavior of the plug-in packages for the vSphere Web Client is the follwing:
You deploy a plug-in package to the vSphere Web Client by registering the package as an extension on vCenter Server. When you register your plug-in as an extension on vCenter Server, your plug-in becomes available to any vSphere Web Client that connects to your vSphere environment.
You must register your plug-in on every vCenter Server where you need to use it. When a vSphere Web Client connects to a vCenter Server where your plug-in is not registered, the plug-in is not visible to the client.
When a vSphere Web Client establishes a user session to vCenter Server, the vSphere Web Client application server queries vCenter Server for a list of all available plug-in packages that are registered as vCenter extensions. Any plug-in packages that are not present on the application server are downloaded and installed.
Note: the plug-in registration as a vCenter Server extension is done by the add-on component you deploy (i.e. vCenter Orchestrator, vSphere Data Protection, vSphere Replication, etc.).
1. Source:VMware vSphere 5.5 Documentation Center.
2. Wrong:
The three plug-ins described in the slide notes are listed only in the vSphere C# Client "Plug-In Manager" dialog box, not in the vSphere Web Client (which is shown in the slide graphic).
2. Correct:
- VMware vCenter Storage Monitoring Service: Enables vCenter Server to monitor and report on storage. This plug-in adds the host’s Storage Views tab to the vSphere Client interface.
- vCenter Hardware Status: Enables vCenter Server to display the hardware status of hosts (Common Information Model (CIM) monitoring). This plug-in adds the host’s Hardware Status tab to the vSphere Client interface.
- vCenter Service Status: Adds the vCenter Service Status icon to the Administration panel on the vSphere Client Home page. To display the health status, select Home > Administration > vCenter Service Status.
In the vSphere Web Client GUI instead:
- The vSphere C# Client "Storage Views" tab is shown as Storage Reports within the host Monitor tab.
- The vSphere C# Client "Hardware Status" tab is shown as Hardware Status within the host Monitor tab.
- The vSphere C# Client "vCenter Service Status" section is shown as Service Health within the vCenter Server Monitor tab.
The three default plug-ins shown in the vSphere Web Client are instead:
- vCenter Orchestrator plugin.
- SSO Admin UI plugin.
- Log Browser.
3. Wrong:
When describing what happens in the vSphere Web Client after one installs the server component of an additional vCenter Server module, slide notes state the following:
After the server component of an additional vCenter Server module is installed, the vSphere Web Client enables you to download and install the plug-in for that module.3. Correct:
This is the behavior of the vSphere C# Client, not the vSphere Web Client. The process of making plug-ins available in the vSphere Web Client is described above (see section 1. Info).
3. Info:The "vSphere Web Client Extensions Programming Guide" - "Creating and Deploying Plug-In Packages" chapter introduction explains the following:
In the vSphere Web Client, you deploy extension solutions using plug-in packages. Each plug-in package can contain both user interface plug-in modules and service plug-in modules, and manages the deployment of those modules. The vSphere Web Client extensibility framework can perform live hot deployment of the plug-in modules in a package.3. Source:
VMware vSphere 5.5 Documentation Center.