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If users have access to the Apps library, then virtual appliance spec privileges will enable them to manage specs in the Apps library. However, extra privileges will be required to manage spec scopes.

Display the details of a spec

A user with privileges to work in the Apps library view and to manage specs can use the Virtual appliance specs tab.

To display the details of a spec and its versions, on the spec's icon, click the option button and select Versions. The Manage spec versions dialog will open. Click on a version to display its details.

Define the users who can work with a spec

To define the users who can work with the spec, you can select scopes to allow access to users of tenants listed in these scopes.

Edit the spec and open the Scopes tab. You can assign the following scopes:

• Your own scope
• A child scope beneath your scope in the hierarchy

Select one or more scopes as required. 

Define the locations where a spec can be used

To define where a spec can be used, you can select locations. Users of enterprises that are allowed to access a location can work with the specs allowed in the location.

• Edit the spec and open the Locations tab
  • Another user may have already assigned locations that you cannot administer and access. In this case, you can maintain or deselect these locations. If you deselect them, you cannot add them again
• If the spec should be available in all current and future locations, select Use all locations OR
• If you want to restrict the spec to a group of current locations, deselect Use all locations and select the locations where the spec will be available for use
• Click Accept

Spec Location Compatibility Notes

The following table provides some general guidelines about using Specs in hybrid cloud. You should consider these guidelines when designing a virtual appliance for use in more than one location.

Define the version of a spec to use

When you create a virtual appliance spec, the platform automatically sets this first version as the default version.

When you create another version you can choose to make this version the default.

To change the default version of a spec:

1. In the Apps library open the Virtual appliance specs tab
2. On the spec's icon, click the option button and select Versions
3. Click on the version you want users to work with
4. On the top right hand side of the dialog, click Mark as default version
   

To unset the default, so that users will always work with the latest version:

1. Edit the spec version
   
2. Remove the mark of the default version
   

Delete virtual appliance specs or versions

When you delete a virtual appliance spec, the platform will also delete all its versions.

If you delete the default version, then the platform will return the latest version.

When you delete an enterprise, the platform will delete all its specs, regardless of their scopes.

To delete configurations saved in specs:

1. Open the Apps library and open the Virtual appliance specs tab:
2. To delete a version of a spec
   
   1. Select the version and click the delete button
      
      • If you delete the default version and don't set another version, the latest version will be used
3. To delete a spec
   
   1. Select the spec and click the delete button. The platform will delete all versions of the spec, even shared versions

What virtual resources are required for creating a virtual appliance based on a spec?

A virtual appliance can be created from a spec in another virtual datacenter or datacenter. The administrator should prepare a compatible environment before allowing users to work with a spec. For example, datastore tiers with the same names should be available in both datacenters

When creating the new virtual appliance based on the spec, the platform will:

• Try to use the same template. If the same template is not available, the user can select from the list of suggested templates with matching names (based on a database LIKE match, if the name of the spec template is contained in an Apps library template)
• Automatically reuse:
  
  • private networks with the same specifications as the ones in the spec
• Automatically create:
  
  • virtual machines in layers
  • storage 
    
    • in appropriate matching tiers
      
      • volumes in the available storage device
      • empty hard disks
  • networks:
    
    • private network
    • private IPs
    • public IPs (either tenant's pre-purchased or automatically purchased)
  • firewalls with available integration
  • load balancers with available integration

Remember that specs do not save or configure:

• persistent system disks or template volumes on external storage devices
• data from virtual machine disks or volumes
• IPs in external networks (except Azure external networks)
• IPs in unmanaged networks