In the vCenter Server object hierarchy, tag objects are not children of vCenter Server but are created at the vCenter Server top level. In environments with multiple vCenter Server instances, tag objects are shared across vCenter Server instances. Permissions for tag objects work differently than permissions for other objects in the vCenter Server object hierarchy.

Only Global Permissions or Permissions Assigned to the Tag Object Apply

If you grant permissions to a user on a vCenter Server inventory object, such as a virtual machine, that user can perform the tasks associated with the permission. However, the user cannot perform tag operations on the object.

For example, if you grant the Assign vSphere Tag privilege to user Dana on host TPA, that permission does not affect whether Dana can assign tags on host TPA. Dana must have the Assign vSphere Tag privilege at the top level, that is, a global permission, or must have the privilege for the tag object.
Table 1. How Global Permissions and Tag Object Permissions Affect What Users Can Do
Global Permission Tag-Level Permission vCenter Server Object-Level Permission Effective Permission
No tagging privileges assigned. Dana has Assign or Unassign vSphere Tag privileges for the tag. Dana has Delete vSphere Tag privileges on ESXi host TPA. Dana has Assign or Unassign vSphere Tag privileges for the tag.
Dana has Assign or Unassign vSphere Tag privileges. No privileges assigned for the tag. Dana has Delete vSphere Tag privileges on ESXi host TPA. Dana has Assign or Unassign vSphere Tag global privileges. That includes privileges at the tag level.
No tagging privileges assigned. No privileges assigned for the tag. Dana has Assign or Unassign vSphere Tag privileges on ESXi host TPA. Dana does not have tagging privileges on any object, including host TPA.

Global Permissions Complement Tag Object Permissions

Global permissions, that is, permissions that are assigned on the top-level object, complement permissions on tag objects when the permissions on the tag objects are more restrictive. The vCenter Server permissions do not affect the tag objects.

For example, assume that you assign the Delete vSphere Tag privilege to user Robin at the top level by using global permissions. For the tag Production, you do not assign the Delete vSphere Tag privilege to Robin. In that case, Robin has the privilege for the tag Production because Robin has the global permission, which propagates from the top level. You cannot restrict privileges unless you modify the global permission.

Table 2. Global Permissions Complement Tag-Level Permissions
Global Permission Tag-Level Permission Effective Permission
Robin has Delete vSphere Tag privileges Robin does not have Delete vSphere Tag privileges for the tag. Robin has Delete vSphere Tag privileges.
No tagging privileges assigned Robin does not have Delete vSphere Tag privileges assigned for the tag. Robin does not have Delete vSphere Tag privileges

Tag-Level Permissions Can Extend Global Permissions

You can use tag-level permissions to extend global permissions. That means users can have both a global permission and a tag-level permission on a tag.

Note: This behavior is different from how vCenter Server privileges are inherited. In vCenter Server, permissions defined for a child object always override the permissions that are propagated from parent objects.
Table 3. Global Permissions Extend Tag-Level Permissions
Global Permission Tag-Level Permission Effective Permission
Lee has Assign or Unassign vSphere Tag privilege. Lee has Delete vSphere Tag privilege. Lee has the Assign vSphere Tag privilege and the Delete vSphere Tag privilege for the tag.
No tagging privileges assigned. Lee has Delete vSphere Tag privilege assigned for the tag. Lee has the Delete vSphere Tag privilege for the tag.