VMware Commands - ESXi and PowerCLI Reference

VMware Command Line Tools

VMware provides powerful command-line interfaces for managing ESXi hosts and vSphere infrastructure. This comprehensive reference covers ESXCLI commands for ESXi management, PowerCLI for vSphere automation, and additional command-line tools for advanced administration.

Master these commands to automate tasks, troubleshoot issues, and manage your VMware infrastructure efficiently from the command line.

ESXCLI Commands

ESXCLI is the primary command-line interface for ESXi host management, providing access to system configuration, hardware management, and troubleshooting capabilities.

System Information

# Get ESXi version and build information
esxcli system version get

# Display system hostname and domain
esxcli system hostname get

# Show system UUID
esxcli system uuid get

# Display ESXi uptime
esxcli system stats uptime get

# View welcome message and MOTD
esxcli system welcomemsg get

Network Management

# List all network interfaces
esxcli network nic list

# Show detailed NIC information
esxcli network nic get -n vmnic0

# Display network statistics for interface
esxcli network nic stats get -n vmnic0

# List all virtual switches
esxcli network vswitch standard list

# Add a virtual switch
esxcli network vswitch standard add -v vSwitch1

# Remove a virtual switch
esxcli network vswitch standard remove -v vSwitch1

# Add uplink to vSwitch
esxcli network vswitch standard uplink add -v vSwitch0 -u vmnic1

# Create a port group
esxcli network vswitch standard portgroup add -p "Production VMs" -v vSwitch0

# Set VLAN on port group
esxcli network vswitch standard portgroup set -p "Production VMs" -v 100

# Display IP interface configuration
esxcli network ip interface ipv4 get

# Set management network IP address
esxcli network ip interface ipv4 set -i vmk0 -t static -I 192.168.1.10 -N 255.255.255.0 -g 192.168.1.1

# Configure DNS servers
esxcli network ip dns server add -s 8.8.8.8
esxcli network ip dns server add -s 8.8.4.4

# List network connections
esxcli network ip connection list

# Display routing table
esxcli network ip route ipv4 list

# Add static route
esxcli network ip route ipv4 add -n 10.0.0.0/8 -g 192.168.1.1

Storage Management

# List all storage adapters
esxcli storage core adapter list

# Show storage adapter details
esxcli storage core adapter get -A vmhba0

# List all storage devices
esxcli storage core device list

# Display device details
esxcli storage core device get -d naa.600508b1001c1234567890abcdef

# List all storage paths
esxcli storage core path list

# Show multipathing configuration
esxcli storage nmp device list

# Set multipathing policy
esxcli storage nmp device set -d naa.600508b1001c1234 -P VMW_PSP_RR

# List VMFS volumes
esxcli storage vmfs extent list

# Create VMFS datastore
esxcli storage vmfs create -d naa.600508b1001c1234 -n "Datastore01"

# List NFS mounts
esxcli storage nfs list

# Mount NFS datastore
esxcli storage nfs add -H 192.168.1.100 -s /nfs/datastore1 -v nfs-datastore1

# Unmount NFS datastore
esxcli storage nfs remove -v nfs-datastore1

# Rescan storage adapters
esxcli storage core adapter rescan --all

# Rescan VMFS volumes
esxcli storage vmfs snapshot list

Virtual Machine Management

# List all VMs and their IDs
vim-cmd vmsvc/getallvms

# Power on a VM
vim-cmd vmsvc/power.on [vmid]

# Power off a VM
vim-cmd vmsvc/power.off [vmid]

# Reset a VM
vim-cmd vmsvc/power.reset [vmid]

# Shutdown guest OS (VMware Tools required)
vim-cmd vmsvc/power.shutdown [vmid]

# Reboot guest OS (VMware Tools required)
vim-cmd vmsvc/power.reboot [vmid]

# Get VM power state
vim-cmd vmsvc/power.getstate [vmid]

# Create VM snapshot
vim-cmd vmsvc/snapshot.create [vmid] "SnapshotName" "Description" 0 0

# List VM snapshots
vim-cmd vmsvc/snapshot.get [vmid]

# Remove VM snapshot
vim-cmd vmsvc/snapshot.remove [vmid] [snapshotId]

# Revert to snapshot
vim-cmd vmsvc/snapshot.revert [vmid] [snapshotId]

# Get VM configuration
vim-cmd vmsvc/get.config [vmid]

# Unregister VM
vim-cmd vmsvc/unregister [vmid]

# Register VM
vim-cmd solo/registervm /vmfs/volumes/datastore1/vm/vm.vmx

Host Services Management

# List all services
services.sh status

# Start SSH service
services.sh start TSM-SSH
# Or using vim-cmd
vim-cmd hostsvc/enable_ssh
vim-cmd hostsvc/start_ssh

# Stop SSH service
services.sh stop TSM-SSH
# Or using vim-cmd
vim-cmd hostsvc/stop_ssh
vim-cmd hostsvc/disable_ssh

# Start ESXi Shell
vim-cmd hostsvc/enable_esx_shell
vim-cmd hostsvc/start_esx_shell

# Stop ESXi Shell
vim-cmd hostsvc/stop_esx_shell
vim-cmd hostsvc/disable_esx_shell

# Restart management agents
services.sh restart

# List running services
chkconfig --list

Firewall Management

# List firewall rules
esxcli network firewall ruleset list

# Enable firewall rule
esxcli network firewall ruleset set -r sshServer -e true

# Disable firewall rule
esxcli network firewall ruleset set -r sshServer -e false

# Allow IP through firewall rule
esxcli network firewall ruleset allowedip add -r sshServer -i 192.168.1.0/24

# Show allowed IPs for rule
esxcli network firewall ruleset allowedip list -r sshServer

# Enable firewall
esxcli network firewall set -e true

# Disable firewall (not recommended)
esxcli network firewall set -e false

# Refresh firewall rules
esxcli network firewall refresh

Software and VIB Management

# List installed VIBs (VMware Installation Bundles)
esxcli software vib list

# Install VIB
esxcli software vib install -v /vmfs/volumes/datastore1/vib-package.vib

# Install VIB from URL
esxcli software vib install -d https://example.com/package.zip

# Remove VIB
esxcli software vib remove -n vib-name

# Update VIB
esxcli software vib update -v /vmfs/volumes/datastore1/update.vib

# List available profiles
esxcli software sources profile list -d /vmfs/volumes/datastore1/ESXi.iso

# Install offline bundle
esxcli software profile install -d /vmfs/volumes/datastore1/offline-bundle.zip -p ESXi-7.0-Profile

# Update ESXi from depot
esxcli software profile update -d https://hostupdate.vmware.com/software/VUM/PRODUCTION/main/vmw-depot-index.xml -p ESXi-7.0-Latest

# Get acceptance level
esxcli software acceptance get

# Set acceptance level
esxcli software acceptance set --level CommunitySupported

Hardware Management

# List PCI devices
esxcli hardware pci list

# Display memory information
esxcli hardware memory get

# Show CPU information
esxcli hardware cpu list

# Display platform information
esxcli hardware platform get

# Show IPMI information
esxcli hardware ipmi sdr list

# Monitor hardware sensors
esxcli hardware ipmi sel list

# Get boot device information
esxcli hardware bootdevice list

Performance Monitoring

# Monitor real-time performance (like top)
esxtop

# Batch mode for scripting
esxtop -b > esxtop-output.csv

# Monitor specific VM
esxtop -v [vmid]

# Display load average
esxcli system stats uptime get

# View memory statistics
esxcli system stats memory get

# Show swap information
esxcli sched swap system get

PowerCLI Commands

PowerCLI is VMware's PowerShell-based command-line interface for vSphere automation and management. It provides comprehensive cmdlets for managing all aspects of your VMware infrastructure.

Connection Management

# Connect to vCenter Server
Connect-VIServer -Server vcenter.example.com

# Connect with credentials
Connect-VIServer -Server vcenter.example.com -User admin -Password pass

# Connect to multiple vCenters
Connect-VIServer -Server vcenter1.example.com,vcenter2.example.com

# Disconnect from vCenter
Disconnect-VIServer -Server vcenter.example.com -Confirm:$false

# Disconnect from all servers
Disconnect-VIServer -Server * -Confirm:$false

# Get current connections
$global:DefaultVIServers

Virtual Machine Management

# List all VMs
Get-VM

# Get specific VM
Get-VM -Name "WebServer01"

# Get VMs matching pattern
Get-VM -Name "Web*"

# Power on VM
Start-VM -VM "WebServer01"

# Power off VM
Stop-VM -VM "WebServer01"

# Shutdown guest OS
Stop-VMGuest -VM "WebServer01"

# Restart VM
Restart-VM -VM "WebServer01"

# Restart guest OS
Restart-VMGuest -VM "WebServer01"

# Suspend VM
Suspend-VM -VM "WebServer01"

# Create new VM
New-VM -Name "NewVM" -VMHost esxi01.example.com -Datastore datastore1 -DiskGB 40 -MemoryGB 4 -NumCpu 2

# Remove VM
Remove-VM -VM "OldVM" -DeletePermanently -Confirm:$false

# Clone VM
New-VM -Name "Clone01" -VM "Template01" -VMHost esxi01.example.com -Datastore datastore1

# Create VM from template
New-VM -Name "NewVM" -Template "Windows2019-Template" -VMHost esxi01.example.com -Datastore datastore1

# Modify VM CPU count
Set-VM -VM "WebServer01" -NumCpu 4 -Confirm:$false

# Modify VM memory
Set-VM -VM "WebServer01" -MemoryGB 8 -Confirm:$false

# Add hard disk to VM
New-HardDisk -VM "WebServer01" -CapacityGB 100 -StorageFormat Thin

# Add network adapter
New-NetworkAdapter -VM "WebServer01" -NetworkName "Production" -Type Vmxnet3 -StartConnected

# Create snapshot
New-Snapshot -VM "WebServer01" -Name "Pre-Update" -Description "Before applying updates"

# List snapshots
Get-Snapshot -VM "WebServer01"

# Revert to snapshot
Set-VM -VM "WebServer01" -Snapshot (Get-Snapshot -VM "WebServer01" -Name "Pre-Update") -Confirm:$false

# Remove snapshot
Remove-Snapshot -Snapshot (Get-Snapshot -VM "WebServer01" -Name "Pre-Update") -Confirm:$false

# Remove all snapshots
Get-Snapshot -VM "WebServer01" | Remove-Snapshot -Confirm:$false

ESXi Host Management

# List all hosts
Get-VMHost

# Get specific host
Get-VMHost -Name esxi01.example.com

# Get host information
Get-VMHost esxi01.example.com | Select Name, ConnectionState, PowerState, Version

# Enter maintenance mode
Set-VMHost -VMHost esxi01.example.com -State Maintenance -Confirm:$false

# Exit maintenance mode
Set-VMHost -VMHost esxi01.example.com -State Connected -Confirm:$false

# Reboot host
Restart-VMHost -VMHost esxi01.example.com -Confirm:$false

# Shutdown host
Stop-VMHost -VMHost esxi01.example.com -Confirm:$false

# Get host uptime
Get-VMHost | Select Name, @{N="Uptime";E={(Get-Date) - $_.ExtensionData.Summary.Runtime.BootTime}}

# Configure NTP servers
Add-VMHostNtpServer -VMHost esxi01.example.com -NtpServer "pool.ntp.org"

# Start NTP service
Get-VMHostService -VMHost esxi01.example.com | Where {$_.Key -eq "ntpd"} | Start-VMHostService

# Set NTP service to start automatically
Get-VMHostService -VMHost esxi01.example.com | Where {$_.Key -eq "ntpd"} | Set-VMHostService -Policy On

vMotion Operations

# Migrate VM to different host
Move-VM -VM "WebServer01" -Destination (Get-VMHost esxi02.example.com)

# Migrate VM to different datastore (Storage vMotion)
Move-VM -VM "WebServer01" -Datastore (Get-Datastore datastore2)

# Migrate VM to different host and datastore
Move-VM -VM "WebServer01" -Destination (Get-VMHost esxi02.example.com) -Datastore (Get-Datastore datastore2)

# Migrate multiple VMs
Get-VM Web* | Move-VM -Destination (Get-VMHost esxi02.example.com)

# Cross vCenter vMotion
Move-VM -VM "WebServer01" -Destination (Get-VMHost esxi03.remote.com -Server $remoteVC) -Datastore (Get-Datastore datastore3 -Server $remoteVC)

Cluster Management

# List all clusters
Get-Cluster

# Get specific cluster
Get-Cluster -Name "Production-Cluster"

# Create new cluster
New-Cluster -Name "New-Cluster" -Location (Get-Datacenter "DC1") -DrsEnabled -HAEnabled

# Enable DRS on cluster
Set-Cluster -Cluster "Production-Cluster" -DrsEnabled $true -DrsAutomationLevel FullyAutomated -Confirm:$false

# Enable HA on cluster
Set-Cluster -Cluster "Production-Cluster" -HAEnabled $true -HAAdmissionControlEnabled $true -Confirm:$false

# Add host to cluster
Add-VMHost -Name esxi01.example.com -Location (Get-Cluster "Production-Cluster") -User root -Password pass

# Get cluster resource pools
Get-Cluster "Production-Cluster" | Get-ResourcePool

# Get DRS recommendations
Get-Cluster "Production-Cluster" | Get-DrsRecommendation

# Apply DRS recommendations
Get-Cluster "Production-Cluster" | Get-DrsRecommendation | Apply-DrsRecommendation -Confirm:$false

Datastore Management

# List all datastores
Get-Datastore

# Get specific datastore
Get-Datastore -Name datastore1

# Get datastore capacity information
Get-Datastore | Select Name, @{N="CapacityGB";E={[math]::Round($_.CapacityGB,2)}}, @{N="FreeSpaceGB";E={[math]::Round($_.FreeSpaceGB,2)}}

# Find datastores with low free space
Get-Datastore | Where {$_.FreeSpacePercent -lt 20} | Select Name, FreeSpaceGB

# Mount NFS datastore
New-Datastore -Nfs -VMHost esxi01.example.com -Name "NFS-Datastore" -Path "/nfs/share" -NfsHost 192.168.1.100

# Remove datastore
Remove-Datastore -Datastore datastore1 -Confirm:$false

# Rescan datastores
Get-VMHost | Get-VMHostStorage -RescanAllHba -RescanVmfs

Networking Management

# List virtual switches
Get-VirtualSwitch

# Create standard switch
New-VirtualSwitch -VMHost esxi01.example.com -Name vSwitch1

# Add uplink to vSwitch
Get-VirtualSwitch -Name vSwitch1 | New-VirtualSwitchUplink -VirtualNetworkAdapter (Get-VMHostNetworkAdapter -Physical -Name vmnic1)

# Create port group
New-VirtualPortGroup -VirtualSwitch (Get-VirtualSwitch vSwitch0) -Name "Production" -VLanId 100

# List distributed switches
Get-VDSwitch

# Create distributed switch
New-VDSwitch -Name "DSwitch1" -Location (Get-Datacenter "DC1")

# Add host to distributed switch
Get-VMHost esxi01.example.com | Add-VDSwitchPhysicalNetworkAdapter -DistributedSwitch (Get-VDSwitch "DSwitch1") -VMHostPhysicalNic (Get-VMHostNetworkAdapter -Physical -Name vmnic2)

# Create distributed port group
Get-VDSwitch "DSwitch1" | New-VDPortgroup -Name "Production-DPG" -VlanId 100 -NumPorts 128

# Migrate VMs to distributed port group
Get-VM | Get-NetworkAdapter | Set-NetworkAdapter -NetworkName "Production-DPG" -Confirm:$false

Template and Content Library

# Convert VM to template
Set-VM -VM "Windows2019-Master" -ToTemplate -Confirm:$false

# Convert template to VM
Set-Template -Template "Windows2019-Template" -ToVM -Confirm:$false

# Deploy VM from template
New-VM -Name "NewServer" -Template "Windows2019-Template" -VMHost esxi01.example.com -Datastore datastore1

# Get content libraries
Get-ContentLibrary

# Create content library
New-ContentLibrary -Name "Production-Library" -Datastore datastore1 -Description "Production templates"

# Get content library items
Get-ContentLibraryItem -ContentLibrary "Production-Library"

# Deploy VM from content library
New-VM -Name "NewVM" -ContentLibraryItem (Get-ContentLibraryItem -Name "Template01") -VMHost esxi01.example.com -Datastore datastore1

Reporting and Monitoring

# Generate VM inventory report
Get-VM | Select Name, PowerState, NumCpu, MemoryGB, @{N="UsedSpaceGB";E={[math]::Round($_.UsedSpaceGB,2)}} | Export-Csv "vm-inventory.csv"

# Get VM with most CPU usage
Get-VM | Sort-Object -Property CPUUsage -Descending | Select -First 10 Name, NumCpu, CPUUsage

# Get VM with most memory usage
Get-VM | Sort-Object -Property MemoryUsage -Descending | Select -First 10 Name, MemoryGB, MemoryUsage

# Get host resource utilization
Get-VMHost | Select Name, @{N="CPU Usage %";E={[math]::Round($_.CpuUsageMhz/$_.CpuTotalMhz*100,2)}}, @{N="Memory Usage %";E={[math]::Round($_.MemoryUsageGB/$_.MemoryTotalGB*100,2)}}

# Get VMs with snapshots older than 7 days
Get-VM | Get-Snapshot | Where {$_.Created -lt (Get-Date).AddDays(-7)} | Select VM, Name, Created, @{N="Age";E={(Get-Date) - $_.Created}}

# Find powered-off VMs
Get-VM | Where {$_.PowerState -eq "PoweredOff"} | Select Name, @{N="DaysPoweredOff";E={(Get-Date) - $_.ExtensionData.Runtime.PowerOffTime}}

# Get VMware Tools status
Get-VM | Select Name, @{N="Tools Status";E={$_.ExtensionData.Guest.ToolsStatus}}

# Check for VMs needing hardware upgrade
Get-VM | Where {$_.Version -lt "v13"} | Select Name, Version

Backup and Export

# Export VM to OVF
Export-VApp -Destination "C:\Exports" -VM "WebServer01" -Format OVF

# Import OVF/OVA
Import-VApp -Source "C:\Exports\template.ovf" -VMHost esxi01.example.com -Datastore datastore1

# Export vCenter configuration
Export-VIConfiguration -Destination "C:\Backup\vcenter-config.zip"

# Backup vCenter (VCSA)
# Use vCenter API or VAMI interface for VCSA backups

Advanced Operations

# Get VM guest info (requires VMware Tools)
Get-VM "WebServer01" | Get-VMGuest

# Run script in guest OS (requires VMware Tools)
Invoke-VMScript -VM "WebServer01" -ScriptText "Get-Service" -GuestUser Administrator -GuestPassword pass

# Copy file to VM
Copy-VMGuestFile -Source "C:\script.ps1" -Destination "C:\Temp\" -VM "WebServer01" -LocalToGuest -GuestUser Administrator -GuestPassword pass

# Copy file from VM
Copy-VMGuestFile -Source "C:\Logs\app.log" -Destination "C:\Temp\" -VM "WebServer01" -GuestToLocal -GuestUser Administrator -GuestPassword pass

# Get VM events
Get-VM "WebServer01" | Get-VIEvent -MaxSamples 100

# Get recent tasks
Get-Task -Status Error | Select Name, State, PercentComplete, StartTime

# Configure advanced VM settings
New-AdvancedSetting -Entity (Get-VM "WebServer01") -Name "isolation.tools.copy.disable" -Value $true -Confirm:$false

# Bulk VM operation
Get-VM Web* | ForEach-Object {
    Set-VM -VM $_ -MemoryGB 8 -Confirm:$false
    New-Snapshot -VM $_ -Name "Bulk Update" -Confirm:$false
}

Diagnostic Commands

# Generate support bundle
vm-support

# Generate support bundle with duration
vm-support -d 3600 -I

# Tail vmkernel log
tail -f /var/log/vmkernel.log

# View hostd log
tail -f /var/log/hostd.log

# Check VMware services status
/etc/init.d/hostd status
/etc/init.d/vpxa status

# Restart management agents
services.sh restart

# View system logs
vsi_traverse -l

# Check disk space
vdf -h

# Network troubleshooting
vmkping -I vmk0 192.168.1.1
esxcfg-nics -l
esxcfg-vmknic -l

# Check time sync
esxcli system time get

# View hardware health
esxcli hardware ipmi sel list

Best Practices

Command Line Best Practices

Always test commands in a non-production environment first
Use -WhatIf with PowerCLI to preview changes before execution
Script repetitive tasks for consistency and efficiency
Keep PowerCLI modules updated to latest version
Use proper authentication and secure credential storage
Document custom scripts and maintain version control
Enable SSH/ESXi Shell only when needed for security
Validate input parameters before executing bulk operations
Create backups before making significant configuration changes
Log command outputs for audit and troubleshooting purposes

Note: This command reference covers common operations. Always refer to official VMware documentation and PowerCLI cmdlet help for complete syntax and additional parameters. Use Get-Help cmdlet-name -Full in PowerCLI for detailed command information.

VMware Command Line Tools

ESXCLI Commands

System Information

Network Management

Storage Management

Virtual Machine Management

Host Services Management

Firewall Management

Software and VIB Management

Hardware Management

Performance Monitoring

PowerCLI Commands

Connection Management

Virtual Machine Management

ESXi Host Management

vMotion Operations

Cluster Management

Datastore Management

Networking Management

Template and Content Library

Reporting and Monitoring

Backup and Export

Advanced Operations

Diagnostic Commands

Best Practices

Command Line Best Practices

Virtualization Platforms