Virtual Machine Configuration and Management

A virtual machine is a software computer that, like a physical computer, runs an operating system and applications.

The virtual machine consists of a set of specification and configuration files and is backed by the physical resources of a host. Each virtual machine encapsulates a complete computing environment and runs independently of the underlying hardware.

Starting with vSphere 6.5, you can create virtual machines, configure virtual machine settings, and perform power operations on the virtual machines through the vSphere Automation APIs.

Starting with vSphere 7.0, you can use the vSphere Automation APIs to perform various virtual machine management operations. For example, you can deploy virtual machines by using several approaches, clone an existing virtual machine, create an instant clone of a running virtual machine. You can also install VMware Tools which enables you to manage the life cycle and customize the networking and identity settings of the guest operating system installed on the virtual machine.