Building a central software repository or depot simplifies the service development process. Locate the software repository in the same environment or datacenter as the target vCloud provider where vFabric Application Director provisioned applications are deployed.

Data downloads from the software repository can be large in complex deployments, so consider bandwidth and latency between the software repository and provisioned virtual machines.

vFabric Application Director can optionally place content on a provisioned virtual machine using a special content type property. To support this feature, the software repository must allow HTTP access for file downloads. Other access methods require service authors to write their own methods to retrieve data from a software repository.