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Table Of Contents
VMware, Inc. 27
4f
YoucanrunvSphereCommandLineInterface(vCLI)hostmanagementcommandsfromthecommandline
ofthesystemwhereyouinstalledthepackage,fromthevMAcommandline,andfromscripts.
Hostmanagementcommands,whichincludeESXCLIandvicfg-commands,requireataminimumthe
targetservertorunthecommand
on.Usersmustauthenticatetothehost,andcanonlyperformtasksthatthey
areauthorizedtoperform.
Thischapterincludesthefollowingtopics:
“OverviewofRunningvCLIHostManagementCommands”onpage 27
“ProtectingPasswords”onpage 28
AuthenticatingThroughvCenterServerandvCenterSingleSignOn”onpage 29
AuthenticatingDirectlytotheHost”onpage 30
“TrustRelationshipRequirementforESXCLICommands”onpage 33
“CommonOptionsforvCLIHostManagementCommandExecution”onpage 34
“UsingvCLICommandsinScripts”onpage 36
“RunningHostManagementCommandsfromaWindowsSystem”onpage 37
“RunningHostManagementCommandsfromaLinuxSystem”onpage 37
Overview of Running vCLI Host Management Commands
YoucanrunvCLIcommandsinteractivelyorinscripts,andyoucantargetthehostdirectlyortargetavCenter
Serversystemthatmanagesthehost.
Targeting the Host Directly
YoucantargetthehostdirectlyfromanadministrationserveronwhichyouinstalledVCLI,usevMA,orrun
scripts.
OpenacommandpromptonaLinuxorWindowssystemonwhichyouinstalledvCLI.Entercommands
intothatcommandprompt,specifyingconnectionoptions.SeeAuthenticatingDirectlytotheHost”on
page 30.
Running vCLI Host Management
Commands
4
NOTESee“RunningDCLICommands”onpage 39forinformationaboutDCLIcommands,whichyoucan
usetomanagevCenterServerservices.
I
MPORTANTIfanESXisystemthatyoutargetisinlockdownmode,youcannotrunvCLIcommandsagainst
thatsystemdirectly.YoumusttargetavCenterServersystemthatmanagestheESXisystemandusethe
--vihostoptiontospecifytheESXitarget.See“vCLIandLockdownMode”onpage 32.