In the vSphere Web Client, you can view an inventory of installed solutions, view detailed information about the solutions, and monitor the solution health status. A solution is an extension of vCenter Server that adds new functions to a vCenter Server instance.
VMware products that integrate with vCenter Server are also considered solutions. For example, vSphere ESX Agent Manager is a solution provided by VMware to let you manage host agents that add new capabilities to ESX/ESXi hosts.
You can install a solution to add functionality from third-party technologies to the standard functions of vCenter Server. Solutions typically are delivered as OVF packages. You can install and deploy solutions from the vSphere Web Client. You can integrate solutions into the vCenter Solutions Manager, which provides a view in the vSphere Web Client that lists all solutions.
If a virtual machine or vApp is running a solution, a custom icon represents it in the inventory of the vSphere Web Client. Each solution registers a unique icon to identify that the virtual machine or vApp is being managed by that solution. The icons show the power states (powered on, paused, or powered off). The solutions display more than one type of icon if they manage more than one type of virtual machine or vApp.
When you power on or power off a virtual machine or vApp, you are notified that you are performing this operation on an entity that is managed by the Solutions Manager. When you attempt an operation on a virtual machine or a vApp that is managed by a solution, an informational warning message appears.
For more information, see the Developing and Deploying vSphere Solutions, vServices, and ESX Agents documentation.
