VMWare Web Service FAQs

http://www.vmware.com/support/developer/vc-sdk/WS_FAQs.html
What is the VMware VirtualCenter Web service?
The VMware VirtualCenter Web service is a programming interface that exposes the functionality of VMware VirtualCenter to customer-written or third party applications. How do I get the VirtualCenter Web service?
The VirtualCenter Web service is part of VirtualCenter. It is distributed and installed along with the rest of VirtualCenter and there is no additional cost or licensing required. The VirtualCenter Web service is not available prior to VirtualCenter 1.1. How do I use the VirtualCenter Web service?
A number of vendors are integrating their products with VirtualCenter through the VirtualCenter Web service interface. To use the VirtualCenter Web service with such a product, simply configure the application with the host name and port of the Web service. For documentation about writing your own programs that access the Web service, refer to the VMware SDK package available at http://www.vmware.com/support/developer/vc-sdk. This package also contains sample code in Java, C#, Visual Basic, and Perl. Can I manage both ESX Server and GSX Server using the VirtualCenter Web service?
Yes. Beginning with the VirtualCenter 1.2 release, the Web service interface supports the management of GSX Server hosts, as well as ESX Server hosts. Is the VirtualCenter Web service secure?
Yes. The VirtualCenter Web service relies on the same authentication and authorization scheme as the rest of VirtualCenter. In addition, traffic to and from the Web service is encrypted with SSL. Do I have to install the VirtualCenter Web service?
If you prefer not to install the VirtualCenter Web service, you can use the Custom option when installing VirtualCenter. How do I check that the VirtualCenter Web service is installed properly?
Using a Web browser, open the document "Documents And Settings\All Users\Application Data\VMware\VMware VirtualCenter\VMA\login\login.html." Fill in the three fields: user name, password, and the full Web service URL; for example, https://localhost:8443. If an XML document appears in your browser, the Web service is running and responding to queries. Can I use a non-SSL port with the VirtualCenter Web service?
Yes. For example, if you want to use the non-SSL port 8080, add the following entry to the vmaConfig.xml file, located in C:/Documents And Settings/All Users/Application Data/VMware/VMware VirtualCenter/VMA.

1. Open vmaConfig.xml and look for the <service> element.
2. Add the 8080 port number.
   <port>8080</port>
3. Restart the Web service for any changes to vmaConfig.xml to take effect.

Can I install the Web service on a different box than the rest of VirtualCenter?
The VirtualCenter server and the VirtualCenter Web service should reside on the same machine. This is the only supported configuration. How can I access the WSDL file programatically?
Access the vim.wsdl file by placing ?wsdl after the Web service URL; for example, https://localhost:8443/sdk/vim.wsdl?wsdl.