Skip to main content

VMware handlers

The handlers are containerized microservices used by Ranger to interact with the chosen hypervisor, in this case VMware vSphere. The handlers are split into four separate services and a supporting service, each with their own gRPC endpoints that fulfill different roles:

  • Templater - Handles the creation and deletion of virtual machine templates from Template type Deputy packages.
  • Machiner - Handles creation and deletion of virtual machines in the vSphere environment from already deployed templates by the Templater.
  • Executor - Allows for VM modification and state checking after creation through the use of Feature, Inject and Condition type Deputy packages.
  • Switcher - Handles creation and deletion of Layer-2 virtual switches in the vSphere environment.
  • General - Aides Ranger with preparation of certain Deputy package types such as Event and allows Ranger to query the Deputy package repository. Currently the General handler is under VMware handlers but it is not specific to VMware and can be used with any hypervisor.

The communication between Ranger and the handlers is done through gRPC. Request and response messages can be found under each handler. For even more information, visit the gRPC repository.