You can create a content library in the vSphere Web Client, and populate it with templates, which you can use to deploy virtual machines or vApps in your virtual environment.

Prerequisites

Required privileges: Content library.Create local library or Content library.Create subscribed library on the vCenter Server instance where you want to create the library.

Procedure

  1. In the vSphere Web Client navigator, select vCenter Inventory Lists > Content Libraries.
  2. Click the Objects tab.
  3. Click the Create a New Library icon (create a content library).
  4. Enter a name for the content library, and in the Notes text box, enter a description for the library and click Next.
  5. Select the type of content library that you want to create.
    Option Description
    Local content library

    A local content library is accessible only in the vCenter Server instance where you create it.

    Published content library Select Publish externally to make the content of the library available to other vCenter Server instances.

    If you want the users to use a password when accessing the library, select Enable authentication and set a password.

    Optimized published content library Select Optimize for syncing over HTTP to create an optimized published library.

    This library is optimized to ensure lower CPU usage and faster streaming of the content over HTTP. Use this library as a main content depot for your subscribed libraries. You cannot deploy virtual machines from an optimized library. Use optimized published content library when the subscribed libraries reside on a remote vCenter Server system and enhanced linked mode is not used.

    Subscribed content library Creates a content library that is subscribed to a published content library. You can sync the subscribed library with the published library to see up-to-date content, but you cannot add or remove content from the subscribed library. Only an administrator of the published library can add, modify, and remove contents from the published library.

    Provide the following settings to subscribe to a library:

    1. In the Subscription URL text box, enter the URL address of the published library.
    2. If authentication is enabled on the published library, enter the publisher password.
    3. Select a download method for the contents of the subscribed library.
      • If you want to download a local copy of all the items in the published library immediately after subscribing to it, select Download all library content immediately.
      • If you want to save storage space, select Download library content only when needed. You download only the metadata for the items in the published library.

        If you need to use an item, you can synchronize it to download its content.

    4. When prompted, accept the SSL certificate thumbprint.

      The SSL certificate thumbprint is stored on your system until you delete the subscribed content library from the inventory.

  6. Click Next.
  7. Select a datastore, or enter the path to a remote storage location where to keep the contents of this library.
    Option Description
    Enter an SMB or an NFS server and path

    If you use a vCenter Server instance that runs on a Windows system, enter the SMB machine and share name.

    If you use vCenter Server Appliance, enter a path to an NFS storage. You can store your templates on an NFS storage that is mounted to the appliance. After the create a new library operation is complete, the vCenter Server Appliance mounts the shared storage to the host OS.

    Select a datastore Select a datastore from your vSphere inventory.
  8. Review the information on the Ready to Complete page and click Finish.