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VSA API Web Service - Overview

The VSA API Web Service provides a generalized interface for a client to programmatically interface to the VSA. This API facilitates a client being able to interface a third party package. The API focuses on the following services:

  • Connect - This service facilitates the consumer of the API to authenticate and receive a GUID to use throughout the communication. This GUID ages off similarly to how users age off.
  • Tickets - This service provides basic facilities for the user to be notified of new tickets. This facility allows users to update fields on a ticket.
  • Alarms - This service provides basic facilities for the user to be notified of new alarms and mark an alarms as closed.
  • Machines - This service provides a request to collect a set of data about one or more machines.

The VSA API Web Service is based on the Web Services Description Language (WSDL). The WSDL displays in a browser and provides an abstract description of the data being exchanged to and from a web service. A client program connecting to a web service can read the WSDL to determine what functions are available on the server. Any special datatypes used are embedded in the WSDL file in the form of XML Schema. The client can then use SOAP to actually call one of the functions listed in the WSDL.

The following is an example of vsaWS output:

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