6.0
Table Of Contents
- Getting Started with vSphere Command-Line Interfaces
- Contents
- About This Book
- Managing vSphere with Command-Line Interfaces
- Installing vCLI
- Running Host Management Commands in the ESXi Shell
- Running vCLI Host Management Commands
- Overview of Running vCLI Host Management Commands
- Protecting Passwords
- Authenticating Through vCenter Server and vCenter Single Sign-On
- Authenticating Directly to the Host
- Trust Relationship Requirement for ESXCLI Commands
- Common Options for vCLI Host Management Command Execution
- Using vCLI Commands in Scripts
- Running Host Management Commands from a Windows System
- Running Host Management Commands from a Linux System
- Running DCLI Commands
- Index
Getting Started with vSphere Command-Line Interfaces
8 VMware, Inc.
Overview of vSphere Command-Line Interfaces
vSphereincludescommandsformanagingdifferentaspectsofyourenvironment.ThefollowingCLIsare
availableformanaginghosts,eitherdirectlyorthroughthevCenterServersystemthatmanagesthehost.
Figure 1-1. vSphere CLIs for host management.
ThefollowingcommandsetsareavailableandarediscussedeitherinthismanualorotherVMware
documentation.
Command set Description See
ESXCLIcommands ManagemanyaspectsofanESXihost.YoucanrunESXCLI
commandsremotelyorintheESXiShell.
vCLIpackage.InstallthevCLIpackageontheserverofyour
choice,ordeployavMAvirtualmachineandtargettheESXi
systemthatyouwantmanipulate.Youcanrun
ESXCLI
commandsagainstavCenterServersystemandtargetthe
hostindirectly.RunningagainstvCenterServersystemsby
usingthe-vihostparameterisrequiredifthehostisin
lockdownmode.
ESXiShell.RunESXCLIcommandsinthelocalESXishell
tomanagethathost.
YoucanalsorunESXCLIcommandsfromthevSpherePowerCLI
promptbyusingtheGet-EsxClicmdlet.
“UsingESXCLIforHost
Management”onpage 10
“InstallingvCLI”on
page 15
vSphereCommand‐Line
ConceptsandExamples
vSphereManagement
AssistantGuide
vSphereCommand‐Line
InterfaceReference
vicfg-
andother
vCLIcommands
Allowuserstomanagehostsremotely.InstallthevCLIpackage
onaWindowsorLinuxsys temordeployavMAvirtualmachine,
andtargettheESXisystemthatyouwantmanipulate.
YoucanrunthecommandsagainstESXisystemsoragainsta
vCenterServersystem.Ifyou
targetavCenterServersystem,use
the--vihostoptiontospecifythetargetESXisystem.
Note:IftheESXisystemisinstrictlockdownmode,youmustrun
commandsagainstthevCenterServersystemthatmanagesyour
ESXisystem.
“InstallingvCLI”onpage 15
vSphereCommand‐Line
ConceptsandExamples
vSphereCommand‐
Line
InterfaceReference
ESXi ESXi
vCenter Server
API
API API
ESXCLI
esxcfg-*
ESXCLI
esxcfg-*
Linux vSphere
Management
Assistant
Windows
vCLI
vicfg-*
ESXCLI
Others (esxtop, vimcmd, vsish, rvc...)
PowerCLI