VMware ESXi provides a command-line interface (CLI) for managing and configuring ESXi hosts. Below are some of the most common ESXi commands for managing and troubleshooting:
1. Login to ESXi
Host
You can access the ESXi shell via SSH or through the
direct console user interface (DCUI).
To log in via SSH:
ssh
root@<esxi_host_ip>
2. Check ESXi
Version
To check the version of your ESXi host:
vmware -v
Output example:
VMware ESXi 7.0.0
build-12345678
3. List Virtual
Machines on the Host
To list all virtual machines running on the ESXi
host:
vim-cmd
vmsvc/getallvms
Example output:
Vmid Name
File Path Status
1 VM1
[datastore1] VM1.vmx
poweredOn
2 VM2
[datastore1] VM2.vmx
poweredOff
4. Power On/Off a
Virtual Machine
To power on a VM:
vim-cmd
vmsvc/power.on <vmid>
To power off a VM:
vim-cmd
vmsvc/power.off <vmid>
5. Check System
Resources
To check CPU, memory, and disk usage on the host:
esxtop
Press q to exit.
6. Check Network
Configuration
To view the network configuration of your ESXi host:
esxcli network ip
interface list
7. Check Host
Storage
To view all storage devices on the ESXi host:
esxcli storage
core device list
8. List All
Datastores
To list all datastores available on the host:
esxcli storage
filesystem list
9. Check Host
Hardware Information
To view detailed hardware information:
esxcli system
hardware platform
10. Reboot the
ESXi Host
To reboot the ESXi host from the command line:
reboot
11. Upgrade ESXi
Host
To update or upgrade ESXi using the ESXCLI:
esxcli system
image update --url <URL_to_ESXi_image>
12. Rescan
Storage Adapters
To rescan storage adapters for new devices (e.g.,
after adding a new disk):
esxcli storage core adapter rescan --adapter
<adapter_name>
13. Enable/Disable
SSH Access
To enable SSH on the ESXi host:
/etc/init.d/ssh
start
To disable SSH access:
/etc/init.d/ssh
stop
14. Check
Firewall Status
To check the status of the ESXi firewall:
esxcli network
firewall ruleset list
15. Access ESXi
Logs
The log files can be found in /var/log/ directory. For example:
cat
/var/log/vmkernel.log
16. Check ESXi
Host Time
To check the time on the ESXi host:
esxcli system
time get
17. List ESXi
Host Services
To list all services running on the ESXi host:
services.sh
status
18. Restart the
Management Agent
If you face issues with the ESXi host management,
you can restart the management agents:
services.sh
restart
19. Check
VMkernel Adapter Configuration
To check the VMkernel adapters (for iSCSI, NFS,
etc.):
esxcli network ip
interface ipv4 list
20. Check ESXi
Host for License Information
To check the license information of the ESXi host:
vim-cmd
vimsvc/license --show
Summary:
The VMware ESXi command-line interface provides a
wide range of commands for system administrators to manage virtual machines,
monitor system resources, configure storage and network settings, and perform
troubleshooting. Many commands use the vim-cmd or esxcli utilities, and
others interact directly with the ESXi shell environment.
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