ESX common commands

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File Management COMMAND: vmkfstools This command helps in creating and manipulating virtual disks, file systems, logical volumes, and physical storage devices on an ESXi host. It also allows administrators to create and manage a VMFS on a physical partition of a disk and to manipulate files, such as virtual disks, stored on VMFS-3 and NFS. Here are some examples:

Creating a virtual disk 

 # vmkfstools -c 2048m testvirtualdisk.vmdk

Creating a VMFS 

 # vmkfstools -C vmfs5 -b 1m -S my_test_vmfs /vmfs/devices/disks/test.ID:1

COMMAND: vifs This command helps in performing file system operations like copying, removing, getting, and placing files and directories on remote hosts. Here are some examples: Copying a file to another location 

 # vifs -c "[StorageName] VM/VM.vmx" "[StorageName] VM_backup/VM.vmx"

Listing all the directories 

 # vifs --server -D "[StorageName] vm"

Host Management COMMAND: vicfg-hostops This command can be used to shut down or reboot an ESXi host. It can be used to shut down either a single host at a time or all the hosts in the data center or cluster, which disconnects the hosts from the vCenter Server System but does not remove them from the inventory. Here are some examples: Shutting down a single host ~ # vicfg-hostops --operation shutdown --force Rebooting entire cluster ~ # vicfg-hostops --operation reboot --cluster COMMAND: vicfg-cfgbackup This command can be used to take a backup of host configuration data. This command is available only for ESXi hosts and not available on the vCenter Server system connections. Here are some examples: Backing up configuration data ~ # vicfg-cfgbackup -s /tmp/ESXi_181842_backup.txt Restoring configuration data ~ # vicfg-cfgbackup -l /tmp/ESXi_181842_backup.tgz COMMAND: vicfg-authconfig This command helps in remote configuration of Active Directory settings on ESXi hosts. It also allows administrators to obtain lists of supported and active authentication mechanisms, as well as lists of the current domain and join or part from an Active Directory domain. Here is an example: To set up Active Directory, after synchronizing the ESXi host and Active Directory, the following command must be run: ~ # vicfg-authconfig --server=   --username=   --password=   --authscheme AD --joindomain   --adusername=   --adpassword=

Virtual Machine Management Managing virtual machines involves tasks like registering and unregistering virtual machines, retrieving virtual machine information, managing snapshots, turning virtual machines on and off, adding and removing virtual devices, and prompting for user input. COMMAND: svmotion Storage vMotion (or svmotion) helps in moving a virtual machine's configuration file, and, optionally, its disks, to a different location while the virtual machine is running. This can help in moving all virtual machines and disks to a single target location, or choosing different locations for configuration files and virtual disks. Here are some examples: Relocating a virtual machine's storage (including the disks) ~ # svmotion - -url=https://myvc.mycorp.com/sdk - -datacenter=DC1 - -vm="[storage1] myvm/myvm.vmx:new_datastore" Relocating a virtual machine's configuration file, but leaving the virtual disks ~ # svmotion - -datacenter='My DC' - -vm='[old_datastore] myvm/myvm.vmx:new_datastore' - -disks='[old_datastore] myvm/myvm_1.vmdk:old_datastore, [old_datastore] myvm/myvm_2.vmdk: old_datastore' COMMAND: vmware-cmd This command helps in performing virtual machine operations including creating a snapshot, powering a virtual machine on or off, and getting information about a virtual machine. It also helps administrators register and unregister virtual machines, retrieve virtual machine information, manage snapshots, turn virtual machines on and off, add and remove virtual devices, and prompt for user input. Here are some examples: Listing all registered virtual machines ~ # vmware-cmd -l Registering a virtual machine ~ # vmware-cmd -s register /vmfs/volumes/storage/VM/MyVM.vmx Creating a snapshot ~ # vmware-cmd -U -P -H VCServerABC -h ESXHost    /vmfs/volumes/storage1/MyVM/MyVM.vmx createsnapshot

User Management In a VMware virtual environment only authorized users with appropriate access permissions are allowed to access any information or resources. Administrators are provided with several ways to manage these users and their associated tasks and permissions. COMMAND: vicfg-user This command helps create, modify, delete, and list local direct access users and groups of users on an ESXi host. This command cannot be targeted to a vCenter Server system. Here are some examples: Listing the existing users ~ # vicfg-user -e user -o list Adding a new user with specified login ID and password ~ # vicfg-user -e user -o add -l user27 -p 27_password Creating a group ~ # vicfg-user -e group -o add -d test

Virtual Network Management Virtual network management includes activities like setting up a vSphere virtual switch, setting the DNS configuration, adding and starting an NTP Server, managing the IP gateway and more. COMMAND: esxcli network vswitch This command can be used to create or manipulate virtual switches. It also helps in obtaining detailed information about the virtual switches. Here are some examples: Listing all virtual switches and associated port groups ~ # esxcli network vswitch standard list COMMAND: vicfg-vswitch This command works pretty much the same as the "esxcli network vswitch" command above, helping administrators create, manage, and manipulate virtual switches. Here is an example: Listing all virtual switches and associated port groups ~ # vicfg-vswitch -l COMMAND: esxcfg-vswitch This command helps in viewing and configuring virtual switches. It helps configure the port groups and link physical network interface cards (NICs) to them. It also helps in configuring virtual LAN IDs, Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP), and the maximum transmission unit (MTU) of vswitches. Here are some examples: Creating a new virtual switch ~ # esxcfg-vswitch a TestvSwitch Adding or removing network cards (known as vmnics) to or from a vNetwork Distributed Switch (vDS) ~ # esxcfg-vswitch -P vmnic -V unused_dvPort_ID dvSwitch COMMAND: esxcfg-nics This command helps in viewing and configuring physical NICs. It provides information about NIC status and also allows administrators to configure the speed of the NICs. Here is an example: Viewing the list of physical adapters and their link status ~ # esxcfg-nics l

Storage Management COMMAND: vicfg-scsidevs or esxcli storage core device list This command helps in displaying the available logical unit numbers (LUNs) and mappings for each VMFS volume to its corresponding partition. Here is an example: Listing all logical devices known on the system ~ # esxcli storage core device list OR ~ # vicfg-scsidevs --list COMMAND: vicfg-mpath or esxcli storage core path This command helps in obtaining information about Fibre Channel or iSCSI LUNs and to change a path's state. Here are some examples: Listing all devices, along with corresponding paths, state of the path, adapter type, and other information ~ # esxcli storage core path list OR ~ # vicfg-mpath --list-paths Setting the state of a LUN path to "off" ~ # esxcli storage core path set --state off --path vmhba32:C0:T1:L0 OR ~ # vicfg-mpath --state off --path vmhba32:C0:T1:L0 COMMAND: vicfg-rescan adapter rescan or esxcli storage core adapter rescan This command helps perform a rescan operation each time the storage setup is reconfigured. Here is an example: Rescanning a storage adapter ~ # esxcli storage core adapter rescan --adapter=TestAdapter OR ~ # vicfg-rescan TestAdapter COMMAND: esxcfg-mpath This command helps in displaying and setting (enabling and disabling) all paths from a host to its storage devices. Here is an example: Enabling or disabling a path ~ # esxcfg-mpath -P path -s state COMMAND: esxcfg-info This command helps in obtaining detailed information about the host from which the command is fired. Its output can be stored directly into a text file, allowing direct documentation of the host configuration. Here are some examples: Checking the ESX/ESXi host for host hardware info ~ # esxcfg-info | less i Filtering out information about a specific system ~ # esxcfg-info | grep 'system uuid'

iSCSI Storage Management ESXi systems include iSCSI storage technology, which is used to access files stored at remote locations over an IP network. For better automation, the hardware and software for iSCSI storage can be configured using the vCLI commands. COMMAND: esxcli iscsi This command helps in performing a variety of iSCSI management tasks, like setting up iSCSI storage, listing and setting iSCSI options, enabling iSCSI authentication, and more. Here are some examples: Enabling software iSCSI ~ # esxcli iscsi software set --enabled=true Adding a new adapter esxcli iscsi networkportal add -n -A COMMAND: vicfg-iscsi This command is similar to "esxcli iscsi" discussed above. It also helps in performing a variety of iSCSI management tasks, like setting up iSCSI storage, listing and setting iSCSI options, enabling iSCSI authentication, and more. Here are some examples: Enabling software iSCSI ~ # vicfg-iscsi --swiscsi enable Setting the iSCSI name and alias ~ # vicfg-iscsi --iscsiname name COMMAND: esxcli storage nmp This command can be used to manage devices associated with NMP, to set path policies, and to obtain information about the path policies. Here are some examples: Listing paths to a single device ~ # esxcli storage nmp path list --device Setting configuration parameters for third-party extensions ~ # esxcli storage nmp roundrobin setconfig

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