# Managed Object - Folder(vim.Folder)

Property of
  Datacenter, FolderEventArgument, HostConnectSpec, NodeDeploymentSpec, ServiceContent, StoragePlacementSpec, VAppCloneSpec, VirtualApp, VirtualMachineRelocateSpec
Parameter to
  CheckClone_Task, CloneVM_Task, CreateVApp, ImportVApp
Returned by
  CreateFolder
Extended by
  StoragePod
Extends
  ManagedEntity
See also
  ClusterComputeResource, ClusterConfigSpec, ClusterConfigSpecEx, ComputeResource, ComputeResourceConfigSpec, Datacenter, DistributedVirtualSwitch, DVSCreateSpec, FolderBatchAddHostsToClusterResult, FolderBatchAddStandaloneHostsResult, FolderNewHostSpec, HostConnectSpec, HostSystem, ManagedEntity, ResourcePool, StoragePod, VirtualMachine, VirtualMachineConfigSpec
Since
  2.0

## Managed Object Description

The Folder managed object is a container for storing and organizing inventory objects. Folders can contain folders and other objects. The ChildType property identifies a folder's type and determines the types of folders and objects the folder can contain.

- A folder can contain a child folder of the same type as the parent folder.
- All Datacenter objects contain dedicated folders for:
  - VirtualMachine, templates, and VirtualApp objects.
  - ComputeResource hierarchies.
  - Network, DistributedVirtualSwitch, and DistributedVirtualPortgroup objects.
  - Datastore objects.
- A folder can contain child objects of type ChildType. Virtual machine and network entity folders can also contain additional object types.
- The root folder is a data center folder.

See ServiceInstance for a representation of the organization of the inventory.

The Folder managed object also acts as a factory object, meaning it creates new entities in a folder. The object provides methods to create child folders and objects, methods to add existing objects to folders, and methods to remove objects from folders and to delete folders.

Folder inherits the Destroy_Task method. Destroy_Task is a recursive operation that removes all child objects and folders. When you call Destroy_Task to destroy a folder, the system uses the specified folder as a root and traverses its descendant hierarchy, calling Destroy_Task on each object. Destroy_Task is a single operation that treats each recursive call as a single transaction, committing each call to remove an object individually. If Destroy_Task fails on an object, the method terminates at that point with an exception, leaving some or all of the objects still in the inventory.

Notes on the folder destroy method:

- Calling Destroy_Task on a virtual machine folder recursively calls Destroy_Task on all the child virtual machines and vApps, which are then removed from disk. Use UnregisterAndDestroy_Task to unregister virtual machines or vApps recursively without removing them from the disk.
- For virtual machine folders, the Destroy_Task method requires the VirtualMachine.Delete privilege on the folder as well as all virtual machines to be destroyed. It also requires the VirtualApp.Delete privilege on all VirtualApp objects to be destroyed.
- Destroying a host folder or datacenter folder unregisters all child hosts and virtual machines from vCenter. The hosts are simply removed from the inventory, along with their virtual machines. The virtual machines are not removed from disk nor are their runtime states changed.
- You can remove network and datastore folders only if they are empty.
- You cannot destroy, rename, or move the virtual machine, compute resource, network entity, and datastore child folders of a Datacenter.

Properties

Name | Type | Description
--- | --- | ---
childEntity* P | ManagedObjectReference[] to a ManagedEntity[] | An array of managed object references. Each entry is a reference to a child entity.
childType* P | xsd:string[] | Specifies the object types a folder may contain. When you create a folder, it inherits its childType from the parent folder in which it is created. childType is an array of strings. Each array entry identifies a set of object types - Folder and one or more managed object types. The following list shows childType values for the different folders: { "vim.Folder", "vim.Datacenter" } - Identifies the root folder and its descendant folders. Data center folders can contain child data center folders and Datacenter managed objects. Datacenter objects contain virtual machine, compute resource, network entity, and datastore folders. { "vim.Folder", "vim.Virtualmachine", "vim.VirtualApp" } - Identifies a virtual machine folder. A virtual machine folder may contain child virtual machine folders. It also can contain VirtualMachine managed objects, templates, and VirtualApp managed objects. { "vim.Folder", "vim.ComputeResource" } - Identifies a compute resource folder, which contains child compute resource folders and ComputeResource hierarchies. { "vim.Folder", "vim.Network" } - Identifies a network entity folder. Network entity folders on a vCenter Server can contain Network, DistributedVirtualSwitch, and DistributedVirtualPortgroup managed objects. Network entity folders on an ESXi host can contain only Network objects. { "vim.Folder", "vim.Datastore" } - Identifies a datastore folder. Datastore folders can contain child datastore folders and Datastore managed objects.
namespace* P | xsd:string | The namespace with which the Folder is associated. Namespace is a vAPI resource which divides cluster resources and allows administrators to give Kubernetes environments to their development teams. This property is set only at the time of creation and cannot change. Since vSphere API 7.0
Properties inherited from ManagedEntity
alarmActionsEnabled, configIssue, configStatus, customValue, declaredAlarmState, disabledMethod, effectiveRole, name, overallStatus, parent, permission, recentTask, tag, triggeredAlarmState
Properties inherited from ExtensibleManagedObject
availableField, value

*May not be presentP Required privilege: System.View

Methods

Methods defined in this Managed Object
AddStandaloneHost_Task, BatchAddHostsToCluster_Task, BatchAddStandaloneHosts_Task, CreateCluster, CreateClusterEx, CreateDatacenter, CreateDVS_Task, CreateFolder, CreateStoragePod, CreateVM_Task, MoveIntoFolder_Task, RegisterVM_Task, UnregisterAndDestroy_Task
Methods inherited from ManagedEntity
Destroy_Task, Reload, Rename_Task
Methods inherited from ExtensibleManagedObject
setCustomValue

# AddStandaloneHost_Task(addStandaloneHost)

Creates a new single-host compute resource. The name provided can be an IP address, such as 192.168.0.120, or a string, such as esx120. If a name is specified, a DNS lookup is used to resolve it to a fully-qualified name, such as esx120.vmware.com. If the DNS lookup fails, the string is stored as specified.

Licenses for the host are allocated when making the first connection to the host. This is because the license needed typically depends on the type of host and the number of CPUs.

In addition to the Host.Inventory.AddStandaloneHost privilege, it requires System.View privilege on the VM folder that the VMs of the host will be placed on.

Required Privileges
  Host.Inventory.AddStandaloneHost

Parameters

Name | Type | Description
--- | --- | ---
_this | ManagedObjectReference | A reference to the Folder used to make the method call.
spec P | HostConnectSpec | Specifies the parameters needed to add a single host. Since 2.0
compResSpec* P | ComputeResourceConfigSpec | Optionally specify the configuration for the compute resource that will be created to contain the host. Since 2.0
addConnected P | xsd:boolean | Flag to specify whether or not the host should be connected as soon as it is added. The host will not be added if a connection attempt is made and fails. Since 2.0
license* P | xsd:string | Provide a licenseKey or licenseKeyType. See LicenseManager Since 2.0

*Need not be set PRequired privilege - see tooltip for details

Return Value

Type | Description
--- | ---
ManagedObjectReference to a Task | This method returns a Task object with which to monitor the operation. The result property in the Task contains the newly added ComputeResource upon success.

Faults

Type | Description
--- | ---
AgentInstallFailed | Thrown if there is an error installing the vCenter agent on the new host.
AlreadyBeingManaged | Thrown if the host is already being managed by a vCenter server. If the host is being managed by a different vCenter server, this can be overridden by the "force" flag in the connection specification.
AlreadyConnected | Thrown if addConnected is true and the host is already connected to vCenter.
DuplicateName | Thrown if another host in the same folder has the name.
HostConnectFault | Thrown if an error occurred when attempting to connect to a host. Typically, a more specific subclass, such as AlreadyBeingManaged, is thrown.
InvalidLogin | Thrown if authentication with the host fails.
NoHost | Thrown if the host cannot be contacted.
NotSupportedHost | Thrown if the host is running a software version that is not supported.
RuntimeFault | Thrown if any type of runtime fault is thrown that is not covered by the other faults; for example, a communication error.
SSLVerifyFault | Thrown if the host certificate could not be authenticated

Events

Type
None

# BatchAddHostsToCluster_Task(batchAddHostsToCluster)

Adds a set of new and existing hosts to the cluster. This API is a composite API and performs the following tasks before hosts become part of the specified cluter -

- Adds all new hosts as standalone hosts.
- Move each host to the desired state.
- Move each host to the cluster.

The dynamic privilege check will ensure that appropriate privileges are acquired to allow this API to perform multiple actions on hosts and cluster. Required privileges -

- Host.Inventory.EditCluster on cluster
- Host.Config.Maintenance on the hosts if desiredState is set
- Privileges for BatchAddStandaloneHosts_Task if newHosts is set
- Host.Inventory.EditCluster on the hosts' source ComputeResource
- Host.Inventory.MoveHost on the hosts
  Required Privileges
    None
  Since
    vSphere API 6.7.1

  Parameters

  Name | Type | Description
  --- | --- | ---
  _this | ManagedObjectReference | A reference to the Folder used to make the method call.
  cluster P | ManagedObjectReference to a ClusterComputeResource | Specifies the cluster to which hosts need to be added. Since vSphere API 6.7.1
  newHosts* P | FolderNewHostSpec[] | Specifies a list of new hosts to be added to the cluster. Hosts are first added as standalone hosts. Since vSphere API 6.7.1
  existingHosts* P | ManagedObjectReference[] to a HostSystem[] | Specifies a list of existing hosts to be added to the cluster. Hosts are first moved to the desired state before moving them to cluster. Since vSphere API 6.7.1
  compResSpec* P | ComputeResourceConfigSpec | Specifies the configuration for the compute resource that will be created to contain all the hosts. Since vSphere API 6.7.1
  desiredState* P | xsd:string | Specifies desired state for hosts once added to the cluster. If not specified, hosts are added to the cluster in their current state. See FolderDesiredHostState for valid values. Since vSphere API 6.7.1

  *Need not be set PRequired privilege - see tooltip for details

  Return Value

  Type | Description
  --- | ---
  ManagedObjectReference to a Task | This method returns a Task object with which to monitor the operation.

  Faults

  Type | Description
  --- | ---
  RuntimeFault | Thrown if any type of runtime fault is thrown that is not covered by the other faults; for example, a communication error.

  Events

  Type
  None

  # BatchAddStandaloneHosts_Task(batchAddStandaloneHosts)

  Adds a list of hosts to inventory, as standalone hosts, in a single invocation. The operation returns a result containing a list of hosts that are successfully added.

  In addition to the Host.Inventory.AddStandaloneHost privilege, the operation requires System.View privilege on the VM folder that the VMs of the host will be placed on.

  Required Privileges
    Host.Inventory.AddStandaloneHost
  Since
    vSphere API 6.7.1

  Parameters

  Name | Type | Description
  --- | --- | ---
  _this | ManagedObjectReference | A reference to the Folder used to make the method call.
  newHosts* P | FolderNewHostSpec[] | Specifies a list of host specifications for new hosts. Since vSphere API 6.7.1
  compResSpec* P | ComputeResourceConfigSpec | Specifies the configuration for the compute resource that will be created to contain all the hosts. Since vSphere API 6.7.1
  addConnected P | xsd:boolean | Flag to specify whether or not hosts should be connected at the time they are added. A host will not be added if a connection attempt is made and fails. Since vSphere API 6.7.1

  *Need not be set PRequired privilege - see tooltip for details

  Return Value

  Type | Description
  --- | ---
  ManagedObjectReference to a Task | This method returns a Task object with which to monitor the operation.

  Faults

  Type | Description
  --- | ---
  RuntimeFault | Thrown if any type of runtime fault is thrown that is not covered by the other faults; for example, a communication error.

  Events

  Type
  None

  # CreateCluster(createCluster)

  Deprecated. As of VI API 2.5, use CreateClusterEx.

  Creates a new cluster compute resource in this folder.

  Any % (percent) character used in this name parameter must be escaped, unless it is used to start an escape sequence. Clients may also escape any other characters in this name parameter.

  Required Privileges
    Host.Inventory.CreateCluster

  Parameters

  Name | Type | Description
  --- | --- | ---
  _this | ManagedObjectReference | A reference to the Folder used to make the method call.
  name P | xsd:string | Name for the new cluster. Since 2.0
  spec P | ClusterConfigSpec | Specification for the cluster. Since 2.0

  PRequired privilege - see tooltip for details

  Return Value

  Type | Description
  --- | ---
  ManagedObjectReference to a ClusterComputeResource | A new ClusterComputeResource instance.

  Faults

  Type | Description
  --- | ---
  DuplicateName | Thrown if an entity with that name already exists.
  InvalidName | Thrown if the name is not a valid entity name.
  RuntimeFault | Thrown if any type of runtime fault is thrown that is not covered by the other faults; for example, a communication error.

  Events

  Type
  None

  Show WSDL type definition
  <element xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:vsan="urn:vsan" name="CreateCluster" type="vsan:CreateClusterRequestType"/> <element xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:vsan="urn:vsan" name="CreateClusterResponse"> <complexType> <sequence> <element name="returnval" type="vsan:ManagedObjectReference"/> </sequence> </complexType> </element>

  # CreateClusterEx(createClusterEx)

  Creates a new cluster compute resource in this folder.

  Any % (percent) character used in this name parameter must be escaped, unless it is used to start an escape sequence. Clients may also escape any other characters in this name parameter.

  Required Privileges
    Host.Inventory.CreateCluster
  Since
    VI API 2.5

  Parameters

  Name | Type | Description
  --- | --- | ---
  _this | ManagedObjectReference | A reference to the Folder used to make the method call.
  name P | xsd:string | Name for the new cluster. Since VI API 2.5
  spec P | ClusterConfigSpecEx | Specification for the cluster. Since VI API 2.5

  PRequired privilege - see tooltip for details

  Return Value

  Type | Description
  --- | ---
  ManagedObjectReference to a ClusterComputeResource | A new ClusterComputeResource instance.

  Faults

  Type | Description
  --- | ---
  DuplicateName | Thrown if an entity with that name already exists.
  InvalidName | Thrown if the name is not a valid entity name.
  RuntimeFault | Thrown if any type of runtime fault is thrown that is not covered by the other faults; for example, a communication error.

  Events

  Type
  None

  Show WSDL type definition
  <element xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:vsan="urn:vsan" name="CreateClusterEx" type="vsan:CreateClusterExRequestType"/> <element xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:vsan="urn:vsan" name="CreateClusterExResponse"> <complexType> <sequence> <element name="returnval" type="vsan:ManagedObjectReference"/> </sequence> </complexType> </element>

  # CreateDatacenter(createDatacenter)

  Creates a new datacenter with the given name.

  Any % (percent) character used in this name parameter must be escaped, unless it is used to start an escape sequence. Clients may also escape any other characters in this name parameter.

  Required Privileges
    Datacenter.Create

  Parameters

  Name | Type | Description
  --- | --- | ---
  _this | ManagedObjectReference | A reference to the Folder used to make the method call.
  name P | xsd:string | Name for the new datacenter. An entity name must be a non-empty string of less than 80 characters. The slash (/), backslash (\) and percent (%) will be escaped using the URL syntax. For example, %2F. Since 2.0

  P Required privilege: name

  Return Value

  Type | Description
  --- | ---
  ManagedObjectReference to a Datacenter | A new Datacenter instance.

  Faults

  Type | Description
  --- | ---
  DuplicateName | Thrown if an entity with that name already exists.
  InvalidName | Thrown if the new name is not a valid entity name.
  RuntimeFault | Thrown if any type of runtime fault is thrown that is not covered by the other faults; for example, a communication error.

  Events

  Type
  None

  Show WSDL type definition
  <element xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:vsan="urn:vsan" name="CreateDatacenter" type="vsan:CreateDatacenterRequestType"/> <element xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:vsan="urn:vsan" name="CreateDatacenterResponse"> <complexType> <sequence> <element name="returnval" type="vsan:ManagedObjectReference"/> </sequence> </complexType> </element>

  # CreateDVS_Task(createDistributedVirtualSwitch)

  Create a DistributedVirtualSwitch in the folder according to the specified DVSCreateSpec. The specified Folder must be a Network entity folder.
  Required Privileges
    DVSwitch.Create
  Since
    vSphere API 4.0

  Parameters

  Name | Type | Description
  --- | --- | ---
  _this | ManagedObjectReference | A reference to the Folder used to make the method call.
  spec P | DVSCreateSpec | The DVSCreateSpec to create the distributed virtual switch. Since vSphere API 4.0

  P Required privilege: spec

  Return Value

  Type | Description
  --- | ---
  ManagedObjectReference to a Task | This method returns a Task object with which to monitor the operation. After successful completion, the Task.Info.result property contains the newly registered DistributedVirtualSwitch.

  Faults

  Type | Description
  --- | ---
  DuplicateName |
  DvsFault |
  DvsNotAuthorized | Thrown if login-session's extension key does not match (extensionKey).
  InvalidName |
  NotFound |
  RuntimeFault | Thrown if any type of runtime fault is thrown that is not covered by the other faults; for example, a communication error.

  Events

  Type
  None

  # CreateFolder(createFolder)

  Creates a new sub-folder with the specified name. The ChildType property of the new folder is the same as the ChildType property of the current folder.
  Required Privileges
    Folder.Create

  Parameters

  Name | Type | Description
  --- | --- | ---
  _this | ManagedObjectReference | A reference to the Folder used to make the method call.
  name P | xsd:string | The name to be given the new folder. An entity name must be a non-empty string of less than 80 characters. The slash (/), backslash (\) and percent (%) will be escaped using the URL syntax. For example, %2F. Any percent (%) character used in this parameter must be escaped, unless it is used to start an escape sequence. Clients may also escape any other characters in this parameter. Since 2.0

  P Required privilege: name

  Return Value

  Type | Description
  --- | ---
  ManagedObjectReference to a Folder | A reference to the new folder.

  Faults

  Type | Description
  --- | ---
  DuplicateName | Thrown if another object in the same folder has the target name.
  InvalidName | Thrown if the name is not a valid entity name.
  RuntimeFault | Thrown if any type of runtime fault is thrown that is not covered by the other faults; for example, a communication error.

  Events

  Type
  None

  Show WSDL type definition
  <element xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:vsan="urn:vsan" name="CreateFolder" type="vsan:CreateFolderRequestType"/> <element xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:vsan="urn:vsan" name="CreateFolderResponse"> <complexType> <sequence> <element name="returnval" type="vsan:ManagedObjectReference"/> </sequence> </complexType> </element>

  # CreateStoragePod(createStoragePod)

  Creates a new storage pod in this folder.

  Any % (percent) character used in this name parameter must be escaped, unless it is used to start an escape sequence. Clients may also escape any other characters in this name parameter.

  Required Privileges
    Folder.Create
  Since
    vSphere API 5.0

  Parameters

  Name | Type | Description
  --- | --- | ---
  _this | ManagedObjectReference | A reference to the Folder used to make the method call.
  name P | xsd:string | Name for the new storage pod. Since vSphere API 5.0

  P Required privilege: name

  Return Value

  Type | Description
  --- | ---
  ManagedObjectReference to a StoragePod | A new StoragePod instance.

  Faults

  Type | Description
  --- | ---
  DuplicateName | Thrown if an entity with that name already exists.
  InvalidName | Thrown if the name is not a valid entity name.
  RuntimeFault | Thrown if any type of runtime fault is thrown that is not covered by the other faults; for example, a communication error.

  Events

  Type
  None

  Show WSDL type definition
  <element xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:vsan="urn:vsan" name="CreateStoragePod" type="vsan:CreateStoragePodRequestType"/> <element xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:vsan="urn:vsan" name="CreateStoragePodResponse"> <complexType> <sequence> <element name="returnval" type="vsan:ManagedObjectReference"/> </sequence> </complexType> </element>

  # CreateVM_Task(createVm)

  Creates a new virtual machine in the current folder and attaches it to the specified resource pool. This operation creates a virtual machine, instead of cloning a virtual machine from an existing one.

  The server does not support creating templates using this method. Instead, you should create templates by marking existing virtual machines as templates, or by cloning an existing virtual machine or template.

  This operation only works if the folder's childType includes VirtualMachine. In addition to the VirtualMachine.Inventory.Create privilege, may also require any of the following privileges depending on the properties of the virtual machine bring created:

  - VirtualMachine.Config.AddExistingDisk if including a virtual disk device that refers to an existing virtual disk file (not RDM)
  - VirtualMachine.Config.AddNewDisk if including a virtual disk device that creates a new virtual disk file (not RDM)
  - VirtualMachine.Config.RawDevice if including a raw device mapping (RDM) or SCSI passthrough device
  - VirtualMachine.Config.HostUSBDevice if including a VirtualUSB device backed by a host USB device
  - VirtualMachine.Config.AdvancedConfig if setting values in ConfigSpec.extraConfig
  - VirtualMachine.Config.SwapPlacement if setting swapPlacement
  - VirtualMachine.Config.ChangeTracking if setting changed block tracking for the virtual machine's disks.
  - Datastore.AllocateSpace required on all datastores where the virtual machine and its virtual disks will be created
  - Network.Assign required on the network which is assigned to the new virtual machine that is being created
  - Cryptographer.EncryptNew on the folder if the created virtual machine is encrypted
  - Cryptographer.RegisterHost on the host if the created virtual machine is encrypted, but encryption is not enabled on the host
  To create a VirtualDisk on a persistent memory storage, the storage must be specified via profile while the datastore property of corresponding VirtualDisk backing must be unset.

  To create a VirtualNVDIMM device, the storage profile must be set to the default persistent memory storage profile while the datastore property of the device backing must be unset.

  Required Privileges
    VirtualMachine.Inventory.Create

  Parameters

  Name | Type | Description
  --- | --- | ---
  _this | ManagedObjectReference | A reference to the Folder used to make the method call.
  config P | VirtualMachineConfigSpec | The configuration of the virtual machine hardware. Since 2.0
  pool P | ManagedObjectReference to a ResourcePool | The resource pool to which the virtual machine will be attached. Since 2.0
  host* P | ManagedObjectReference to a HostSystem | The target host on which the virtual machine will run. This must specify a host that is a member of the ComputeResource indirectly specified by the pool. For a stand-alone host or a cluster with DRS, host can be omitted, and the system selects a default. Since 2.0

  *Need not be set PRequired privilege - see tooltip for details

  Return Value

  Type | Description
  --- | ---
  ManagedObjectReference to a Task | This method returns a Task object with which to monitor the operation. The result property in the Task contains the newly created VirtualMachine upon success.

  Faults

  Type | Description
  --- | ---
  AlreadyExists | Thrown if the requested cfgPath (or the default cfgPath) for the virtual machine's configuration file is already loaded in the inventory.
  DuplicateName | Thrown if another virtual machine in the same folder already has the specified target name.
  FileAlreadyExists | Thrown if the requested cfgPath for the virtual machine's configuration file already exists.
  FileFault | Thrown if there is a problem creating the virtual machine on disk. Typically, a more specific subclass, such as NoDiskSpace, will be thrown.
  InsufficientResourcesFault | Thrown if this operation would violate a resource usage policy.
  InvalidDatastore | Thrown if the operation cannot be performed on the target datastores.
  InvalidName | Thrown if the name is not a valid entity name.
  InvalidState | Thrown if the operation is not allowed in current state of the entities involved.
  OutOfBounds | Thrown if Host.capability.maxSupportedVMs is exceeded.
  RuntimeFault | Thrown if any type of runtime fault is thrown that is not covered by the other faults; for example, a communication error.
  VmConfigFault | Thrown if the configSpec has incorrect values. Typically, a more specific subclass is thrown.
  VmWwnConflict | Thrown if the WWN of the virtual machine has been used by other virtual machines.

  Events

  Type
  None

  # MoveIntoFolder_Task(moveInto)

  Moves a set of managed entities into this folder.

  This operation is typically used by clients when they implement a drag-and-drop interface to move a set of objects into a folder.

  This operation is transactional only with respect to each individual entity. The set of entities is moved sequentially as specified in the list, and committed one at a time. If the MoveIntoFolder_Task method fails on an object, the method terminates at that point with an exception, leaving the rest of the managed entities in their original location.

  The objects that can be moved into a folder depends on the folder's type (as defined by the folder's ChildType property). For a datacenter folder, only datacenters and datacenter folders can be moved into the folder. For a virtual machine folder, only virtual machines and virtual machine folders can be moved into the folder. For a host folder, ComputeResource objects, host folder objects, and HostSystem objects can be moved into the folder.

  Moving a HostSystem into a host folder creates a stand-alone host from a host that is currently part of a ClusterComputeResource. The host must be part of a ClusterComputeResource in the same datacenter and the host must be in maintenance mode. Otherwise, the operation fails.

  A ComputeResource with a single root resource pool is created for each HostSystem. The name of the ComputeResource is the DNS or IP address of the host. This operation moves the (physical) host resources out of a cluster. It does not move or change the ResourcePool configuration that is part of the ClusterComputeResource with which the host was associated.

  Note that all virtual machines associated with a host are moved with the host into the folder. If there are virtual machines that should not be moved with the host, then migrate them from the host before initiating this operation.

  For a HostSystem move, the privileges required are Host.Inventory.EditCluster on the source ClusterComputeResource, Host.Inventory.MoveHost on the HostSystem, and Host.Inventory.AddStandaloneHost on the target Folder.

  Otherwise, the privilege required for this operation varies depending on this folder's type and is checked against the source container, destination container, and the object:

  - Folder.Move if the object is a Folder
  - Datacenter.Move if the object is a Datacenter
  - Host.Inventory.MoveCluster if the object is a ComputeResource
  - VirtualMachine.Inventory.Move if the object is a virtual machine or virtual machine template
  - DVSwitch.Move if the object is a DistributedVirtualSwitch
  - Datastore.Move if the object is a datastore
  - Network.Move if the object is a network
  If the object is a HostSystem, the privileges required are Host.Inventory.AddStandaloneHost on the folder, Host.Inventory.MoveHost on the HostSystem, and Host.Inventory.EditCluster on the host's original ComputeResource.
  Required Privileges
    None

  Parameters

  Name | Type | Description
  --- | --- | ---
  _this | ManagedObjectReference | A reference to the Folder used to make the method call.
  list P | ManagedObjectReference[] to a ManagedEntity[] | The list of objects to be moved into the folder. Since 2.0

  P Required privilege: list

  Return Value

  Type | Description
  --- | ---
  ManagedObjectReference to a Task | This method returns a Task object with which to monitor the operation.

  Faults

  Type | Description
  --- | ---
  DuplicateName | Thrown if this folder already contains an object with the specified name.
  InvalidFolder | Thrown if a Folder that is a parent of this Folder is part of the list of objects.
  InvalidState | Thrown if a HostSystem is not part of the same datacenter, not part of a ClusterComputeResource, or not in maintenance mode.
  RuntimeFault | Thrown if any type of runtime fault is thrown that is not covered by the other faults; for example, a communication error.
  VmAlreadyExistsInDatacenter | Thrown if moving a standalone host between datacenters, and one or more of the host's virtual machines is already registered to a host in the destination datacenter.

  Events

  Type
  None

  # RegisterVM_Task(registerVm)

  Adds an existing virtual machine to the folder.

  Any % (percent) character used in this name parameter must be escaped, unless it is used to start an escape sequence. Clients may also escape any other characters in this name parameter.

  This operation only works if the folder's type is VirtualMachine. In addition to the VirtualMachine.Inventory.Register and Resource.AssignVMToPool privileges, it requires System.Read privilege on the datastore that the existing virtual machine resides on. If the virtual machine is encrypted Cryptographer.RegisterVM is required on the folder, in which the virtual machine is registered. Otherwise, the VM is registered successfully, but is left in the locked state.

  Required Privileges
    VirtualMachine.Inventory.Register

  Parameters

  Name | Type | Description
  --- | --- | ---
  _this | ManagedObjectReference | A reference to the Folder used to make the method call.
  path P | xsd:string | A datastore path to the virtual machine. Since 2.0
  name* P | xsd:string | The name to be assigned to the virtual machine. If this parameter is not set, the displayName configuration parameter of the virtual machine is used. An entity name must be a non-empty string of less than 80 characters. The slash (/), backslash (\) and percent (%) will be escaped using the URL syntax. For example, %2F. Since 2.0
  asTemplate P | xsd:boolean | Flag to specify whether or not the virtual machine should be marked as a template. Since 2.0
  pool* P | ManagedObjectReference to a ResourcePool | The resource pool to which the virtual machine should be attached. If imported as a template, this parameter is not set. Since 2.0
  host* P | ManagedObjectReference to a HostSystem | The target host on which the virtual machine will run. This parameter must specify a host that is a member of the ComputeResource indirectly specified by the pool. For a stand-alone host or a cluster, the parameter can be omitted, and the system selects a default. Since 2.0

  *Need not be set PRequired privilege - see tooltip for details

  Return Value

  Type | Description
  --- | ---
  ManagedObjectReference to a Task | This method returns a Task object with which to monitor the operation. The result property in the Task contains the newly registered VirtualMachine upon success.

  Faults

  Type | Description
  --- | ---
  AlreadyExists | Thrown if the virtual machine is already registered.
  DuplicateName | Thrown if another virtual machine in the same folder has the target name.
  FileFault | Thrown if there is an error accessing the files on disk.
  InsufficientResourcesFault | Thrown if this operation would violate a resource usage policy.
  InvalidDatastore | Thrown if the operation cannot be performed on the target datastores.
  InvalidName | Thrown if the entity name is invalid.
  InvalidState | Thrown if the operation is not allowed in current state of the entities involved.
  NotFound | Thrown if the configuration file is not found on the system.
  OutOfBounds | Thrown if the maximum number of VMs for this folder has been exceeded. The maximum number is determined by Host.capability.maxSupportedVMs.
  RuntimeFault | Thrown if any type of runtime fault is thrown that is not covered by the other faults; for example, a communication error.
  VmConfigFault | Thrown if the format / configuration of the virtual machine is invalid. Typically, a more specific fault is thrown such as InvalidFormat if the configuration file cannot be read, or InvalidDiskFormat if the disks cannot be read.

  Events

  Type
  None

  # UnregisterAndDestroy_Task(unregisterAndDestroy)

  Recursively unregisters all virtual machines and vApps, and destroys all child virtual machine folders. This is similar to the Destroy_Task method, but this method calls UnregisterAndDestroy_Task on each virtual machine object instead of calling Destroy_Task. This operation applies only to VirtualMachine folders.

  UnregisterAndDestroy_Task is a recursive operation that destroys the specified virtual machine folder, unregisters all child virtual machine objects, and destroys all child virtual machine folders. When you call UnregisterAndDestroy_Task to destroy a virtual machine folder, the system uses the specified folder as a root and traverses its descendant hierarchy, calling UnregisterAndDestroy_Task on each virtual machine object and Destroy_Task on each virtual machine folder. UnregisterAndDestroy_Task is a single operation that treats each recursive call as a single transaction, committing each call to remove an object individually. If a failure occurs, the method terminates at that point with an exception, leaving some or all objects unaffected.

  If you are removing virtual machines, you must hold the VirtualMachine.Delete privilege on all of the virtual machines to be unregistered, and on their parent folders. If you are removing virtual applications, you must hold the VApp.Delete privilege on all of the virtual applications to be unregistered, and on their parent folders.

  Required Privileges
    Folder.Delete

  Parameters

  Name | Type | Description
  --- | --- | ---
  _this | ManagedObjectReference | A reference to the Folder used to make the method call.

  Return Value

  Type | Description
  --- | ---
  ManagedObjectReference to a Task | This method returns a Task object with which to monitor the operation.

  Faults

  Type | Description
  --- | ---
  ConcurrentAccess | Thrown if another client modifies the folder contents before this operation completes.
  InvalidState | Thrown if a virtual machine is not powered off or suspended.
  RuntimeFault | Thrown if any type of runtime fault is thrown that is not covered by the other faults; for example, a communication error.

  Events

  Type
  None