[Engine-devel] restapi: New params for import VM/Template

[Ori Liel]

>On 05/16/2012 01:16 PM, Gilad Chaplik wrote:
>> Hi All,
>>
>> I am adding the ability to import a VM or a Template to a storage-domain,
>> when this VM or Template already exists in the destination storage domain.
>> Until now, Backend failed this. Now I want to enable the user to specify
>> that he wishes this VM/Template will be created again by a different name,
>> i.e - cloned.
>>
>> [feature page: http://www.ovirt.org/wiki/Features/ImportMoreThanOnce]
>>
>> I plan to achieve this using a new parameter, but I want to reach an agreement
>> about this parameter's name. I thought simply to call it "clone".
>>
>> Another thing that I'll do in the patch-set is add the currently-missing ability
>> to specify whether the snapshots of the VM, which is being imported, will
>> be collapsed into a single snapshot (we have this ability in GUI). I am also
>> deliberating about the name of this parameter. I thought about
>> "collapse_snapshots" (same as in GUI).
>>
>> Does anyone think "clone" and "collapse_snapshots" are inappropriate and has
>
>/clone/ already in-use (used to clone vm from template),
>
><vm>
>  <disks>
>    <clone>true|false</clone>
>...,
>
>you can simply say if imported vm has <name> element, this is import+clone, otherwise import,

If in the future we will want to enable overriding a VM's params on import, this will be confusing
(because a user might want to import a VM and change it's name - but not clone it if it already exists).

>as about collapse_snapshots, i don't mind, but this should be done in the way <clone> is implemented
>in <disks> collection

Semantically, a snapshot is a point in time of a VM. It not only associated any more only with the VM's
disks; it includes the VM's meta-data as well. For this reason, maybe the parameter collapse_snapshots
should not be in <disks> collection (although, technically, the collapse will be done on disks)

>
>
>> better suggestions?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Gilad
>
>
>--
>
>Michael Pasternak
>RedHat, ENG-Virtualization R&D