METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR E-MAIL-BASED MANAGEMENT OF VIRTUALIZED ENVIRONMENTS

A technique for remotely managing virtual machines employs a user interface (UI) of a rich e-mail client that is configured to interpret metadata included in a communication received from a management server for the virtual machines and, in response, generate one or more UI elements. The UI includes a first region that displays a message from the management server and a second region that displays the one or more UI elements for causing a command to be generated and sent to the management server in response to a predetermined input made thereon.