Administration Guide › Managing Virtual Environments › VMware vCloud › vApp Support in vCloud

vApp Support in vCloud

The concept of vApps that are created in vCloud or vSphere environments is similar. Both types represent an application object that can be operated on as a single entity. Usually, a vApp contains multiple VMs each with its own purpose to the complete vApp application or service that it provides to the end user. Operations that are performed on the vApp are also performed on all VMs in the vApp. For example, both types define start and stop orders for all VMs in a vApp and define CPU and memory resource limits that all VMs in the vApp can use.

The purpose of vApps in vCloud is to be able to define an application or service once as a template, and make it accessible to multiple organizations through the organizations catalog. vCloud stores its data in the vCloud database which is different from the vCenter Server database.

Important! Do not operate on the VMs defined in vCloud directly from a vCenter Server. Those operations can cause the vCloud database to become out-of-sync with the actual defined VM. CA Server Automation provides a limited set of operations for those VMs which appear under vCloud and vCenter Server so that the databases do not become out-of-sync.

Differences between vCloud and vSphere vApps

• A vCloud vApp does not provide the ability for a nesting hierarchy. vSphere vApps can contain other vApps and Resource Pools.
• In vCloud, CPU and memory resource limits are defined through Virtual Data Centers (vDC), and the vApp is mapped to one of those Virtual Data Centers.

  In vSphere, vApp resource limits are defined on the vApp itself.

• vCloud vApps can contain VMs that are defined on many different vCenter Servers and ESX Hosts.

  VMs in vSphere vApps are limited to VMs in a particular data center and cluster.

• vCloud vApps have lease limits. You can define a runtime and storage limit on the vApps. When the runtime limit is reached, a vCloud vApp can no longer be used. When the storage limit is reached, the vApp is deleted from the vCloud or is moved to the Expired Items folder, depending on organization lease policy.

  vSphere vApps remain in existence until a user manually deletes them.

• vCloud vApps are created from vApp templates. vApp templates are created by importing a VM from a vCenter Server or by importing an OVF package. vApps are created by deploying the template to the cloud for the organization on which the template was created. After deployment, additional VMs can be moved into the vApp.

  vSphere vApps are created by defining a vApp along with the CPU and memory resource limits desired. Then VMs for the data center where the vApp is defined can be moved into the vApp.