6.5

Running vCLI Host Management
Commands 4
You can run vSphere Command-Line Interface (vCLI) host management commands from the command line
of the system where you installed the package, from the vMA command line, and from scripts.
Host management commands, which include ESXCLI and vicfg- commands, require at a minimum access
to the target server to run the commands on. Users must authenticate to the host, and can only perform
tasks that they are authorized to perform.
N See Chapter 5, “Running DCLI Commands,” on page 45 for information about DCLI commands,
which you can use to manage vCenter Server services.
I If an ESXi system that you target is in lockdown mode, you cannot run vCLI commands
against that system directly. You must target a vCenter Server system that manages the ESXi system and use
the --vihost option to specify the ESXi target. See “vCLI and Lockdown Mode,” on page 38.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n
“Overview of Running vCLI Host Management Commands,” on page 32
n
“Protecting Passwords,” on page 32
n
“Authenticating Through vCenter Server and vCenter Single Sign-On,” on page 34
n
“Authenticating Directly to the Host,” on page 34
n
“Trust Relationship Requirement for ESXCLI Commands,” on page 38
n
“Common Options for vCLI Host Management Command Execution,” on page 40
n
“Using vCLI Commands in Scripts,” on page 42
n
“Run Host Management Commands from a Windows System,” on page 43
n
“Run Host Management Commands from a Linux System,” on page 43
VMware, Inc.
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