vmware/pyvmomi

Pickling pyvmomi class using multiprocessing

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#817 opened on Jul 23, 2019

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 (2 comments) (0 reactions) (0 assignees)Python (2,141 stars) (807 forks)batch import
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Description

Hi folk, I try do use python multiprocessing module to parallelize some data gathering from vcenter. Unfortunately i have faced with following problem during starting parallel processes:

_pickle.PicklingError: Can't pickle <class 'pyVmomi.VmomiSupport.vim.VirtualMachine'>: attribute lookup vim.VirtualMachine on pyVmomi.VmomiSupport failed

So the question is, it's that true, that pymomi doesn't support "right pickling"? Thanks, and appreciate.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
python
Domain
backendapi
Issue type
bug
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-3 hours
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.
clear
Prerequisites
Python picklingmultiprocessingpyvmomi basics
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
45
Research direction
The issue involves a PicklingError when using multiprocessing with pyvmomi classes like vim.VirtualMachine. To resolve, one could implement custom getstate and setstate methods in the relevant classes. Review the pyVmomi source code, especially VmomiSupport.py, to understand the class structure and identify where to add pickling support. There are no existing PRs or comments suggesting a solution; maintainers should discuss the best approach.