Create a Library

In the vSphere Client, you can create a local or a subscribed content library. By using content libraries, you can store and manage content in one vCenter Server instance. Alternatively, you can distribute content across vCenter Server instances to increase consistency and facilitate the deployment workloads at scale.

You can create a local content library and populate it with templates and other types of files. You can then use the content library templates to deploy virtual machines or vApps in your virtual environment. You can also share the contents of your local library with users from other vCenter Server instances.

Note: VM Templates cannot be stored in a library that uses NFS or SMB storage. OVF templates can only be stored on the datastore that is associated with the content library.

You can also create a subscribed library to use at will the contents of an already existing published local library.

By using the OVF security policy, you can protect the items of your content library.

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.
• Datastore.Allocate space on the destination datastore.

Procedure

1. Navigate to Menu > Content Libraries.
2. Click Create.
   The New Content Library wizard opens.
3. On the Name and location page, enter a name, select a vCenter Server instance for the content library and click Next.
4. On the Configure content library page, 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 by default. (Optional) To make the content of the library available to other vCenter Server instances, select Enable publishing . (Optional) If you want to require a password for accessing the content library, select Enable authentication and set a password. Click Next.
   Subscribed content library	A subscribed content library originates from a published content library. Use this option to take advantage of already existing content libraries. Note: If the published content library does not have a security policy enabled, you cannot apply the OVF default security policy to the subscribed content library. If you create a subscribed library, depending on the Subscription URL that you provide, the system performs a check to determine whether the provided URL can have a security policy enabled or not. To see up-to-date content, you can synchronize the subscribed library with the published library, 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. To subscribe to a library, provide the following information: In the Subscription URL text box, enter the URL address of the published library. Note: The system performs a check to determine whether the Subscription URL that you provide can have a security policy enabled or not. If authentication is enabled on the published library, select Enable authentication and enter the publisher password. Select a download method for the contents of the subscribed library. To download a local copy of all the items in the published library immediately after subscribing to it, select immediately. To save storage space, select when needed. You download only the metadata for the items in the published library. If you must use an item, synchronize the item or the entire library to download its content. If 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. Click Next.

5. (Optional) On the Apply security policy page, select Apply Security Policy and select OVF default policy.
6. Click Next.
7. On the Add storage page, select datastore as a storage location for the content library contents and click Next.
8. On the Ready to complete page, review the details and click Finish.