vmware/pyvmomi

Comprehensive, version sensitive, guest OS listing/validation

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#153 opened on Sep 3, 2014

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Description

Based on input from here we suspect that the GuestOS list needs to change based on which version of the API we're talking to. There should be a clean and clever way to manage this list.

  • The list ostensibly changes based on vSphere API version (growing with each subsequent release)
  • The list currently resides in vim.vm.GuestOsDescriptor.GuestOsIdentifier
  • From this library we are concerned with it chiefly as a data validation measure since the server will error on an invalid value.

Questions:

  • Should we handle this list retroactively?
  • Should we merely accept the latest version of the list?
  • Can we completely ignore the list at all?
  • Can we trap errors for invalid GuestOS identifiers as sent by the server and expose them sensibly instead?

Contributor guide

Tech stack
python
Domain
backendapi
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
4
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-2 days
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
stale
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
needs investigation
Prerequisites
understanding of vSphere API versionsfamiliarity with pyvmomi codebase
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
20
Research direction
Investigate the vSphere API versioning and how the GuestOS list changes across versions. Examine the current constants in nova/virt/vmwareapi/constants.py and the pyvmomi documentation for vim.vm.GuestOsDescriptor.GuestOsIdentifier. Propose a strategy for validating GuestOS identifiers, potentially by trapping server errors or maintaining version specific lists. Consider the maintainer's questions about retroactive handling and acceptance of the latest list.