Vsphere Esxi Vcenter Server 55 Command Line Interface Concepts Examples Guide PDF

vSphere Command-Line Interface
Concepts and Examples

ESXi 5.5 Update 1
vCenter Server 5.5 Update 1
This document supports the version of each product listed and

supports all subsequent versions until the document is replaced
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EN-001406-00
vSphere Command-Line Interface Concepts and Examples
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VMware, Inc.
Contents
AboutThisBook
1 vSphereCLICommandOverviews 11
Introduction 11
Documentation 12
CommandLineHelp 12
ListofAvailableCommands 12
SupportedProtocolsandPlatformsforCommands 14
RunningESXCLICommandsAgainstESXi4.xHosts 16
CommandswithanesxcfgPrefix 16
UsingESXCLIOutput 17
ConnectionOptions 17
vCLIandLockdownMode 19
2 ManagingHosts 21
Stopping,Rebooting,andExaminingHosts 21
StoppingandRebootingHostswithESXCLI 21
Stopping,Rebooting,andExaminingHostswithvicfghostops 21
EnteringandExitingMaintenanceMode 22
EnteringandExitingMaintenanceModewithESXCLI 22
EnteringandExitingMaintenanceModewithvicfghostops 23
BackingUpConfigurationInformationwithvicfgcfgbackup 23
BackupTasks 23
BackingUpConfigurationData 24
RestoringConfigurationData 24
UsingvicfgcfgbackupfromvMA 24
ManagingVMkernelModules 24
ManagingModuleswithesxclisystemmodule 25
ManagingModuleswithvicfgmodule 25
UsingvicfgauthconfigforActiveDirectoryConfiguration 25
UpdatingHosts 26
3 ManagingFiles 27
IntroductiontoVirtualMachineFileManagement 27
ManagingtheVirtualMachineFileSystemwithvmkfstools 28
UpgradingVMFS3VolumestoVMFS5 29
ManagingVMFSVolumes 29
ManagingDuplicateVMFSDatastores 29
MountingDatastoreswithExistingSignatures 29
MountingandUnmountingwithESXCLI 30
MountingandUnmountingwithvicfgvolume 30
ResignaturingVMFSCopies 30
ResignaturingaVMFSCopywithESXCLI 31
ResignaturingaVMFSCopywithvicfgvolume 31
ReclaimingUnusedStorageSpace 31
DetachingDevicesandRemovingaLUN 32
VMware, Inc.
WorkingwithPermanentDeviceLoss 33
UsingvifstoManipulateFilesonRemoteESXiHosts
Examples 35
ExampleScenario 37
33
4 ManagingStorage 39
IntroductiontoStorage 39
HowVirtualMachinesAccessStorage 40
Datastores 41
StorageDeviceNaming 41
ExaminingLUNs 42
TargetandDeviceRepresentation 42
ExaminingLUNswithesxclistoragecore 42
ExaminingLUNswithvicfgscsidevs 43
ManagingPaths 44
MultipathingwithLocalStorageandFCSANs 44
ListingPathInformation 45
ListingPathInformationwithESXCLI 45
ListingPathInformationwithvicfgmpath 46
ChangingtheStateofaPath 47
ChangingPathStatewithESXCLI 47
ChangingPathStatewithvicfgmpath 47
ManagingPathPolicies 47
MultipathingConsiderations 48
ChangingPathPolicies 49
ChangingPathPolicieswithESXCLI 49
ChangingPathPolicieswithvicfgmpath 49
SettingPolicyDetailsforDevicesthatUseRoundRobin 50
ManagingNFS/NASDatastores 50
CapabilitiesSupportedbyNFS/NAS 51
AddingandDeletingNASFileSystems 51
ManagingNASFileSystemswithESXCLI 51
ManagingNASFileSystemswithvicfgnas 51
MonitoringandManagingSANStorage 52
MigratingVirtualMachineswithsvmotion 52
StoragevMotionUses 52
StoragevMotionRequirementsandLimitations 53
RunningsvmotioninInteractiveMode 53
RunningsvmotioninNoninteractiveMode 53
ConfiguringFCoEAdapters 54
ScanningStorageAdapters 55
RetrievingSMARTInformation 55
5 ManagingiSCSIStorage 57
iSCSIStorageOverview 57
DiscoverySessions 58
DiscoveryTargetNames 59
ProtectinganiSCSISAN 59
ProtectingTransmittedData 59
SecuringiSCSIPorts 60
SettingiSCSICHAP 60
CommandSyntaxforesxcliiscsiandvicfgiscsi
esxcliiscsiCommandSyntax 61
KeytoesxcliiscsiShortOptions 62
61
VMware, Inc.
Contents
vicfgiscsiCommandSyntax 63
iSCSIStorageSetupwithESXCLI 66
SettingUpSoftwareiSCSIwithESXCLI 66
SettingUpDependentHardwareiSCSIwithESXCLI 68
SettingUpIndependentHardwareiSCSIwithESXCLI 70
iSCSIStorageSetupwithvicfgiscsi 71
SettingUpSoftwareiSCSIwithvicfgiscsi 71
SettingUpDependentHardwareiSCSIwithvicfgiscsi 73
SettingUpIndependentHardwareiSCSIwithvicfgiscsi 74
ListingandSettingiSCSIOptions 75
ListingiSCSIOptionswithESXCLI 75
SettingMTUwithESXCLI 75
ListingandSettingiSCSIOptionswithvicfgiscsi 76
ListingandSettingiSCSIParameters 76
ListingandSettingiSCSIParameterswithESXCLI 77
ReturningParameterstoDefaultInheritance 78
ListingandSettingiSCSIParameterswithvicfgiscsi 78
ReturningParameterstoDefaultInheritance 79
EnablingiSCSIAuthentication 80
EnablingiSCSIAuthenticationwithESXCLI 80
EnablingiSCSIAuthenticationwithvicfgiscsi 81
SettingUpPortsforiSCSIMultipathing 81
ManagingiSCSISessions 82
IntroductiontoiSCSISessionManagement 82
ListingiSCSISessions 83
LoggingintoiSCSISessions 83
RemovingiSCSISessions 83
6 ManagingThirdPartyStorageArrays 85
ManagingNMPwithesxclistoragenmp 85
DeviceManagementwithesxclistoragenmpdevice 86
esxclistoragenmpdevicelist 86
esxclistoragenmpdeviceset 86
ListingPathswithesxclistoragenmppath 86
ManagingPathSelectionPolicyPluginswithesxclistoragenmppsp 86
RetrievingPSPInformation 87
SettingConfigurationParametersforThirdPartyExtensions 87
FixedPathSelectionPolicyOperations 88
RetrievingthePreferredPath 88
SettingthePreferredPath 88
CustomizingRoundRobinSetup 88
RetrievingPathSelectionSettings 89
SpecifyingConditionsforPathChanges 89
ManagingSATPs 89
RetrievingInformationAboutSATPs 89
AddingSATPRules 90
RemovingSATPRules 91
RetrievingandSettingSATPConfigurationParameters 91
PathClaimingwithesxclistoragecoreclaiming 92
UsingtheReclaimTroubleshootingCommand 92
UnclaimingPathsorSetsofPaths 92
ManagingClaimRules 93
AddingClaimRules 93
ConvertingESX3.5LUNMaskstoClaimRuleFormat 95
RemovingClaimRules 96
VMware, Inc.
ListingClaimRules 96
LoadingClaimRules 96
MovingClaimRules 97
RunningPathClaimingRules 97
7 ManagingUsers 99
UsersinthevSphereEnvironment 99
vicfguserCommandSyntax 99
ManagingUserswithvicfguser 100
102
8 ManagingVirtualMachines 103
vmwarecmdOverview 103
ConnectionOptionsforvmwarecmd 104
GeneralOptionsforvmwarecmd 104
FormatforSpecifyingVirtualMachines 104
ListingandRegisteringVirtualMachines 104
RetrievingVirtualMachineAttributes 105
ManagingVirtualMachineSnapshotswithvmwarecmd 106
TakingVirtualMachineSnapshots 107
RevertingandRemovingSnapshots 107
PoweringVirtualMachinesOnandOff 107
ConnectingandDisconnectingVirtualDevices 108
WorkingwiththeAnswerVMAPI 109
ForciblyStoppingVirtualMachineswithEXCLI 109
9 ManagingvSphereNetworking 111
IntroductiontovSphereNetworking 111
NetworkingUsingvSphereStandardSwitches 112
NetworkingUsingvSphereDistributedSwitches 113
RetrievingBasicNetworkingInformation 113
NetworkTroubleshooting 114
SettingUpvSphereNetworkingwithvSphereStandardSwitches 115
SettingUpVirtualSwitchesandAssociatingaSwitchwithaNetworkInterface 115
RetrievingInformationAboutVirtualSwitches 116
RetrievingInformationaboutVirtualSwitcheswithESXCLI 116
RetrievingInformationaboutVirtualSwitcheswithvicfgvswitch 116
AddingandDeletingVirtualSwitches 117
AddingandDeletingVirtualSwitcheswithESXCLI 117
AddingandDeletingVirtualSwitcheswithvicfgvswitch 117
SettingSwitchAttributeswithesxclinetworkvswitchstandard 117
SettingSwitchAttributeswithvicfgvswitch 118
Checking,Adding,andRemovingPortGroups 118
ManagingPortGroupswithESXCLI 118
ManagingPortGroupswithvicfgvswitch 118
ManagingUplinksandPortGroups 119
ConnectingandDisconnectingUplinkAdaptersandPortGroupswithESXCLI 119
ConnectingandDisconnectingUplinksandPortGroupswithvicfgvswitch 119
SettingthePortGroupVLANID 119
SettingthePortGroupVLANIDwithESXCLI 119
SettingthePortGroupVLANIDwithvicfgvswitch 120
ManagingUplinkAdapters 120
ManagingUplinkAdapterswithesxclinetworknic 120
VMware, Inc.
Contents
SpecifyingMultipleUplinkswithESXCLI 121
ManagingUplinkAdapterswithvicfgnics 122
LinkingandUnlinkingUplinkAdapterswithESXCLI 122
LinkingandUnlinkingUplinkAdapterswithvicfgvswitch 122
AddingandModifyingVMkernelNetworkInterfaces 123
ManagingVMkernelNetworkInterfaceswithESXCLI 123
ManagingVMkernelNetworkInterfaceswithvicfgvmknic 124
SettingUpvSphereNetworkingwithvSphereDistributedSwitch 126
ManagingStandardNetworkingServicesinthevSphereEnvironment 126
SettingtheDNSConfiguration 126
SettingtheDNSConfigurationwithESXCLI 126
SettingtheDNSConfigurationwithvicfgdns 128
AddingandStartinganNTPServer 129
ManagingtheIPGateway 129
SettingUpIPsec 130
UsingIPsecwithESXi 130
ManagingSecurityAssociations 131
ManagingSecurityPolicies 132
ManagingtheESXiFirewall 133
10 MonitoringESXiHosts 135
UsingresxtopforPerformanceMonitoring 135
ManagingDiagnosticPartitions 135
DiagnosticPartitionCreation 136
DiagnosticPartitionManagement 136
ManagingCoreDumps 136
ManagingLocalCoreDumpswithESXCLI 136
ManagingCoreDumpswithESXiDumpCollector 137
ManagingCoreDumpswithvicfgdumppart 137
ConfiguringESXiSyslogServices 138
ManagingESXiSNMPAgents 139
ConfiguringSNMPCommunities 140
ConfiguringtheSNMPAgenttoSendTraps 140
ConfiguringtheSNMPAgentforPolling 141
RetrievingHardwareInformation 141
ESX,ESXi,andVirtualMachineLogs 142
Index 143
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Contents
VMware, Inc.
About This Book
ThevSphereCommandLineInterfaceConceptsandExamplesdocumentationexplainshowtousetheVMware
vSphereCommandLineInterface(vCLI)andincludescommandoverviewsandexamples.
Intended Audience
ThisbookisforexperiencedWindowsorLinuxsystemadministratorswhoarefamiliarwithvSphere
administrationtasksanddatacenteroperationsandknowhowtousecommandsinscripts.
VMware Technical Publications Glossary

VMwareTechnicalPublicationsprovidesaglossaryoftermsthatmightbeunfamiliartoyou.Fordefinitions
oftermsastheyareusedinVMwaretechnicaldocumentation,gotohttp://www.vmware.com/support/pubs.
Document Feedback
VMwarewelcomesyoursuggestionsforimprovingourdocumentation.Ifyouhavecomments,sendyour
feedbacktodocfeedback@vmware.com.
Related Documentation
ThevSphereCommandLineInterfaceReference,availableinthevSphereDocumentationCenter,includes
referenceinformationforvicfg-commandsandESXCLIcommands.
GettingStartedwithvSphereCommandLineInterfacesincludesinformationaboutavailableCLIs,enablingthe
ESXiShell,andinstallingandrunningvCLIcommands.AnappendixsuppliestheESXCLInamespaceand
commandhierarchies.
CommandLineManagementinvSphere5forServiceConsoleUsersisforcustomerswhocurrentlyusethe
ESX ServiceConsole.
ThevSphereSDKforPerldocumentationexplainshowyoucanusethevSphereSDKforPerlandrelated
utilityapplicationstomanageyourvSphereenvironment.ThedocumentationincludesanInstallationGuide,a
ProgrammingGuide,andareferencetothevSphereSDKforPerlUtilityApplications.
BackgroundinformationforthetasksdiscussedinthismanualisavailableinthevSpheredocumentationset.
ThevSpheredocumentationconsistsofthecombinedvCenterServerandESXidocumentationandincludes
informationaboutmanagingstorage,networkingvirtualmachines,andmore.
Technical Support and Education Resources

Thefollowingsectionsdescribethetechnicalsupportresourcesavailabletoyou.Toaccessthecurrentversion
ofthisbookandotherbooks,gotohttp://www.vmware.com/support/pubs.
VMware, Inc.
Online and Telephone Support

Touseonlinesupporttosubmittechnicalsupportrequests,viewyourproductandcontractinformation,and
registeryourproducts,gotohttp://www.vmware.com/support.
Customerswithappropriatesupportcontractsshouldusetelephonesupportforthefastestresponseon
priority1issues.Gotohttp://www.vmware.com/support/phone_support.
Support Offerings
TofindouthowVMwaresupportofferingscanhelpmeetyourbusinessneeds,goto
http://www.vmware.com/support/services.
VMware Professional Services

VMwareEducationServicescoursesofferextensivehandsonlabs,casestudyexamples,andcoursematerials
designedtobeusedasonthejobreferencetools.Coursesareavailableonsite,intheclassroom,andlive
online.Foronsitepilotprograms andimplementationbestpractices,VMwareConsultingServicesprovides
offeringsto helpyouassess,plan,build,andmanageyourvirtualenvironment.Toaccessinformationabout
educationclasses,certificationprograms,andconsultingservices,gotohttp://www.vmware.com/services.
10
VMware, Inc.
vSphere CLI Command Overviews
Thischapterintroducesthecommandset,presentssupportedcommandsfordifferentversionsofvSphere,
listsconnectionoptions,anddiscussesvCLIandlockdownmode.
Thischapterincludesthefollowingtopics:
Introductiononpage 11
ListofAvailableCommandsonpage 12
SupportedProtocolsandPlatformsforCommandsonpage 14
RunningESXCLICommandsAgainstESXi4.xHostsonpage 16
CommandswithanesxcfgPrefixonpage 16
UsingESXCLIOutputonpage 17
ConnectionOptionsonpage 17
vCLIandLockdownModeonpage 19
Introduction
ThevSphereCLIcommandset,availablesinceESX/ESXi3.5,allowsyoutoperformvSphereconfiguration
tasksusingavCLIpackageinstalledonsupportedplatforms,orusingvMA.Thesetconsistsofseveral
commandsets.
Table 1-1. Components of the vSphere CLI Command Set
vCLI Commands
Description
ESXCLIcommands
ComprehensivesetofcommandsformanagingmostaspectsofvSphere.InvSphere5.0,this
commandsethasbeenunified.Eventually,ESXCLIcommandswillreplaceothercommands
inthevCLIset.
CompletelyequivalentESXCLIcommandsareavailableintheESXiShell.UsevCLIESXCLI
commandsforasaferenvironment.
vicfgcommands
SetofcommandsformanyaspectsofvSphere.InvSphere5.0,onlyminorchangesweremade
tothiscommandset.Eventually,thesecommandswillbereplacedbyESXCLIcommands.
Asetofesxcfg-commandsthatpreciselymirrorsthevicfg-commandsisalsoincludedin
thevCLIpackage.
Othercommands
(vmware-cmd,vifs,
vmkfstools)
CommandsimplementedinPerlthatdonothaveavicfg-prefix.AllvCLIcommandsare
scheduledtobereplacedbyESXCLIcommands.
YoucaninstallthevSphereCLIcommandsetonasupportedLinuxorWindowssystem.SeeGettingStarted
withvSphereCommandLineInterfaces.YoucanalsodeploythevSphereManagementAssistant(vMA)toan
ESXisystemofyourchoice.ManageESXihostsfromtheLinuxorWindowssystemorfromvMAbyrunning
vCLIcommandswithconnectionoptionssuchasthetargethost,user,andpasswordoraconfigurationfile.
SeeConnectionOptionsonpage 17.
VMware, Inc.
11
Title
Documentation
GettingStartedwithvSphereCommandLineInterfacesincludesinformationaboutavailableCLIs,enablingthe
ESXiShell,andinstallingandrunningvCLIcommands.Anappendixsuppliesthenamespaceandcommand
hierarchiesforESXCLI.
ReferenceinformationforvCLIcommandsisavailableonthevCLIdocumentationpage
http://www.vmware.com/support/developer/vcli/.
vSphereCommandLineInterfaceReferenceisareferencetovicfg-andrelatedvCLIcommandsand
includesreferenceinformationforESXCLIcommands.Allreferenceinformationisgeneratedfromthe
help.
AreferencetoesxtopandresxtopisincludedintheResourceManagementdocumentation.
Command-Line Help
Availablecommandlinehelpdiffersforthedifferentcommands.
Command set
vicfgcommands
Available Command-Line Help

Run<vicfg-cmd> --helpforanoverviewofeachoptions.
RunPod2Htmlwithavicfgcommandasinputandpipetheoutputtoafileformoredetailed
helpinformation.
pod2html vicfg-authconfig.pl > vicfg-authconfig.html
ThisoutputcorrespondstotheinformationavailableinthevSphereCommandLineInterface
Reference.
ESXCLIcommands
Run--helpatanylevelofthehierarchyforinformationaboutbothcommandsand
namespacesavailablefromthatlevel.
List of Available Commands

Table 12listsallESX/ESXi4.1vCLIcommandsinalphabeticalorderandthecorrespondingESXCLIcommand
ifavailable.NonewvicfgcommandswereaddedinvSphere5.0.Manynewnamespaceswereaddedto
ESXCLIinvSphere5.0.AnadditionalsetofnewcommandsandnamespaceswasaddedinvSphere5.1.
Table 1-2. vCLI and ESXCLI Commands
vCLI 4.1 Command
vCLI 5.1 Command
Comment
esxcli
esxcli(newsyntax)
AllvCLI4.1commandshavebeenrenamed.Significantadditionshavebeen
madetoESXCLI.Manytaskspreviouslyperformedwithavicfg-command
isnowperformedwithESXCLI.
resxtop
resxtop(NoESXCLI
equivalent)
MonitorsinrealtimehowESXihostsuseresources.Runsininteractiveor
batchmode.
Supportedonlyon
Linux.
SeeUsingresxtopforPerformanceMonitoringonpage 135.SeethevSphere
ResourceManagementdocumentationforadetailedreference.
svmotion(NoESXCLI
Movesavirtualmachinesconfigurationfile,and,optionally,itsdisks,while
thevirtualmachineisrunning.
svmotion
equivalent)
Mustrunagainsta
vCenterServersystem.
vicfg-advcfg
esxcli system
settings advanced
SeeMigratingVirtualMachineswithsvmotiononpage 52.
Performsadvancedconfiguration.
TheadvancedsettingsareasetofVMkerneloptions.Theseoptionsare
typicallyinplaceforspecificworkaroundsordebugging.
UsethiscommandasinstructedbyVMware.
vicfg-authconfig
vicfg-cfgbackup
12
vicfg-authconfig(No
ESXCLIequivalent).
vicfg-cfgbackup(No
ESXCLIequivalent),
Cannotrunagainsta
vCenterServersystem.
RemotelyconfiguresActiveDirectorysettingsforanESXihost.
SeeUsingvicfgauthconfigforActiveDirectoryConfigurationonpage 25.
BacksuptheconfigurationdataofanESXisystemandrestorespreviously
savedconfigurationdata.
SeeBackingUpConfigurationInformationwithvicfgcfgbackupon
page 23.
VMware, Inc.
Chapter 1 vSphere CLI Command Overviews
Table 1-2. vCLI and ESXCLI Commands (Continued)

vCLI 4.1 Command
vCLI 5.1 Command
Comment
vicfg-dns
esxcli network ip
dns
SpecifiesanESXihostsDNS(DomainNameServer)configuration.See
SettingtheDNSConfigurationonpage 126.
vicfg-dumppart
esxcli system
coredump
Setsboththepartition(esxcli system coredump partition)andthe

network(esxcli system coredump network)touseforcoredumps.Use
thiscommandtosetupESXiDumpCollector.
ManagingDiagnosticPartitionsonpage 135.
vicfg-hostops
vicfg-ipsec
esxcli system
maintenancemode
Manageshosts.
esxcli system
shutdown
EnteringandExitingMaintenanceModeonpage 22.
esxcli network ip
ipsec
SetsupIPsec(InternetProtocolSecurity),whichsecuresIPcommunications
comingfromandarrivingatESXihosts.ESXihostssupportIPsecusingIPv6.
Stopping,Rebooting,andExaminingHostsonpage 21.
SeeSettingUpIPseconpage 130.
vicfg-iscsi
esxcli iscsi
ManageshardwareandsoftwareiSCSIstorage.
SeeManagingiSCSIStorageonpage 57.
vicfg-module
esxcli system
module
EnablesVMkerneloptions.Usethiscommandwiththeoptionslistedinthis
document,orasinstructedbyVMware.
SeeManagingVMkernelModulesonpage 24.
esxcli storage core

path
Configuresstoragearrays.
vicfg-mpath35
vicfg-nas
esxcli storage nfs
ManagesNAS/NFSfilesystems.SeeManagingNFS/NASDatastoreson
page 50.
vicfg-nics
esxcli network nic
ManagestheESXihostsuplinkadapters.SeeManagingUplinkAdapters
onpage 120.
vicfg-ntp
vicfg-ntp(NoESXCLI
equivalent)
DefinestheNTP(NetworkTimeProtocol)server.SeeAddingandStartingan
NTPServeronpage 129.
vicfg-rescan
esxcli storage core

adapter rescan
Rescansthestorageconfiguration.SeeScanningStorageAdapterson
page 55.
vicfg-route
esxcli network ip
route)
ManagestheESXihostsrouteentry.SeeManagingtheIPGatewayon
page 129.
vicfg-scsidevs
esxcli storage core

device
FindsandexaminesavailableLUNs.SeeExaminingLUNsonpage 42.
vicfg-snmp
esxcli system snmp
ManagestheSNMPagent.ManagingESXiSNMPAgentsonpage 139.
UsingSNMPinavSphereenvironmentisdiscussedindetailinthevSphere
MonitoringandPerformancedocumentation.
vicfg-mpath
ManagingPathsonpage 44.
NewoptionsaddedinvCLI5.0.
ExpandedSNMPsupportaddedinvCLI5.1.
vicfg-syslog
esxcli system
syslog
SpecifieslogsettingsforESXihostsincludinglocalstoragepoliciesandserver
andportinformationfornetworklogging.SeeConfiguringESXiSyslog
Servicesonpage 138.
ThevCenterServerandHostManagementdocumentationexplainshowtosetup
systemlogsusingthevSphereWebClient.
vicfg-user
vicfg-user(No
ESXCLIequivalent)
Creates,modifies,deletes,andlistslocaldirectaccessusersandgroupsof
users.SeeManagingUsersonpage 99.
ThevSphereSecuritydocumentationdiscussessecurityimplicationsofuser
managementandcustomroles.
vicfg-vmknic
esxcli network ip
interface.
Adds,deletes,andmodifiesVMkernelnetworkinterfaces.SeeAddingand
ModifyingVMkernelNetworkInterfacesonpage 123.
vicfg-volume
esxcli storage
filesystem
SupportsresignaturingthecopyofaVMFSvolume,andmountingand
unmountingthecopy.SeeManagingDuplicateVMFSDatastoreson
page 29.
VMware, Inc.
13
Title
Table 1-2. vCLI and ESXCLI Commands (Continued)

vCLI 4.1 Command
vCLI 5.1 Command
Comment
vicfg-vswitch
esxcli network
vswitch
Addsorremovesvirtualswitchesormodifiesvirtualswitchsettings.See
SettingUpVirtualSwitchesandAssociatingaSwitchwithaNetwork
Interfaceonpage 115.
vifs
vifs(NoESXCLI
equivalent)
Performsfilesystemoperationssuchasretrievinganduploadingfilesonthe
ESXisystem.SeeManagingtheVirtualMachineFileSystemwith
vmkfstoolsonpage 28.
vihostupdate
Runesxcli software
vibagainstESXi5.0and
later.
vihostupdate35
Runvihostupdate
againstESX/ESXi4.x.
UpdatesESXihoststoadifferentversionofthesamemajorrelease.
YoucannotrunvihostupdateagainstESXi5.0andlaterhosts.
SeeManagingVMkernelModulesonpage 24.
Runvihostupdate35
againstESX/ESXi3.5.
vmkfstools
vmkfstools(No
ESXCLIequivalent)
Createsandmanipulatesvirtualdisks,filesystems,logicalvolumes,and
physicalstoragedevicesonanESXihost.SeeManagingtheVirtualMachine
FileSystemwithvmkfstoolsonpage 28.
vmware-cmd
vmware-cmd(No
ESXCLIequivalent)
Performsvirtualmachineoperationsremotely.Thisincludes,forexample,
creatingasnapshot,poweringthevirtualmachineonoroff,andgetting
informationaboutthevirtualmachine.SeeManagingVirtualMachineson
page 103.
Supported Protocols and Platforms for Commands

TheresxtopcommandrequiresanHTTPSconnection.AllothercommandssupportHTTPandHTTPS.
MostvCLIcommandscanrunagainstanESXisystemoragainstvCenterServer.vCenterServersupport
meansthatyoucanconnecttoavCenterServersystemanduse--vihosttospecifytheESXihosttorunthe
commandagainst.Theonlyexceptionissvmotion,whichyoucanrunagainstvCenterServersystems,but
notagainstESXisystems.
ThefollowingcommandsmusthaveanESXisystem,notavCenterServersystemtarget.
vicfg-snmp
vifs
vicfg-user
vicfg-cfgbackup
vihostupdate
vmkfstools
vicfg-ipsec
YoucannotrunthevihostupdatecommandagainstanESXi5.0orlatersystem.
Youcannotrunthevihostupdateandvicfg-mpathcommandsthatareinavCLI4.0orlaterinstallation
againstESX/ESXi3.5orvCenter2.5systems.Instead,runvihostupdate35andvicfg-mpath35,includedin
thevCLI4.xinstallation,againstthosesystems.vihostupdate35issupportedforESXi,butnotforESX.
Youcannotrunvicfg-syslog --setserverorvicfg-syslog --setportwithanESXi5.0orlatertarget.
14
VMware, Inc.
IMPORTANTIfyourunvCLI4.xcommandsagainstESX/ESXi3.5systems,youcanuseonlytheoptions
supportedbythosesystems.
SeetheVMwareInfrastructureRemoteCommandLineInterfaceInstallationandReferenceGuideforESX/ESXi3.5
Update2foralistofsupportedoptions.Toaccessthatdocument,selectResources>Documentationfromthe
VMwarewebsite.FindthevSpheredocumentationsetandopenthearchive.AfewvCLI4.xoptionsare
supportedagainsthostsrunningESX/ESXi3.5Update2orlatereventhoughtheywerenotsupportedinRCLI
version3.5.
RunavCLI4.xcommandwith--helpforinformationaboutoptionsupportwithESX/ESXi3.5Update 2,or
seetheVMwareknowledgebasearticleathttp://kb.vmware.com/kb/1008940formoredetail.
Table 13listsplatformsupportforthedifferentvCLI5.xcommands.Thesecommandshavenotbeentested
againstVirtualCenter2.5Update2systems.Youcan,however,connecttoavCenterServer4.xsystemand
targetESX/ESXi3.5Update2hosts.
Table 1-3. Platform Support for vCLI 5.x Commands
Command
ESXi 5.x
VC 5.x
ESXi 4.x
ESX 4.x
VC 4.x
ESXi 3.5 U2+
ESX 3.5 U2+
esxcli
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
resxtop
Yes(from
Linux)
Yes(from
Linux)
Yes(from
Linux)
Yes(from
Linux)
Yes(from
Linux)
Yes(from
Linux)
Yes(from
Linux)
svmotion
No
Yes
No
No
Yes
No
No
vicfg-advcfg
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
vicfg-authconfig
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
vicfg-cfgbackup
Yes
No
Yes
No
No
Yes
No
vicfg-dns
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
vicfg-dumppart
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
vicfg-hostops
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
vicfg-ipsec
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
vicfg-iscsi
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
vicfg-module
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
vicfg-mpath
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Usevicfg-mpath35instead.
vicfg-nas
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
vicfg-nics
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
vicfg-ntp
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
vicfg-rescan
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
vicfg-route
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
vicfg-scsidevs
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
vicfg-snmp
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
vicfg-syslog
No
Nofor5.0
target
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
No
vicfg-user
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
vicfg-vmhbadevs
NotincludedinvCLI4.xandvCLI5.0.Usevicfg-scsidevsinstead.
Yes
Yes
vicfg-vmknic
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
vicfg-volume
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
vicfg-vswitch
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
vifs
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
VMware, Inc.
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Title
Table 1-3. Platform Support for vCLI 5.x Commands (Continued)

Command
ESXi 5.x
vihostupdate
VC 5.x
ESXi 4.x
ESX 4.x
VC 4.x
ESXi 3.5 U2+
ESX 3.5 U2+
Useesxcli software
vibinstead.
Yes
Yes
No
Use
vihostupdate35
instead
No
vmkfstools
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
vmware-cmd
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
vicfg-mpath35
No
No
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
vihostupdate35
No
No
No
No
No
Yes
No
Running ESXCLI Commands Against ESXi 4.x Hosts

WhenyourunanESXCLIvCLIcommand,youmustknowthecommandssupportedonthetargethost.
IfyouruncommandsagainstESXi4.xhosts,ESXCLI4.xcommandsaresupported.
IfyouruncommandsagainstESXi5.0hosts,ESXCLI5.0commandsaresupported.
Youspecifythetargethostwith--serverorsetupavMAtarget.
Somecommandsorcommandoutputsaredeterminedbythehosttype.Inaddition,VMwarepartnersmight
developcustomESXCLIcommandsthatyoucanrunonhostswherethepartnerVIBhasbeeninstalled.
Runesxcli --server <target> --helpforalistofnamespacessupportedonthetarget.Youcandrill
downintothenamespacesforadditionalhelp.
IMPORTANTESXCLIonESX4.xhostsdoesnotsupporttargetingavCenterServersystem.Youcantherefore
notrunESXCLIcommandswith--serverpointingtoavCenterServersystemevenifyouinstallvCLI5.0.
Commands with an esxcfg Prefix

FormanyofthevCLIcommands,youmighthaveusedscriptswithcorrespondingserviceconsolecommands
startingwithanesxcfgprefixtomanageESX3.xhosts.TofacilitateeasymigrationfromESX/ESXi3.xtolater
versionsofESXi,thevCLIpackageincludesacopyofeachvicfg-commandthatusesanesxcfg-prefix.
IMPORTANTVMwarerecommendsthatyouuseESXCLIorthevCLIcommandswiththevicfgprefix.
Commandswiththeesxcfgprefixareavailablemainlyforcompatibilityreasonsandmightbecomeobsolete.
vCLIesxcfg-commandsareequivalenttovicfg-commands,butnotcompletelyequivalenttothe
deprecatedesxcfg- serviceconsolecommands.
Table 14listsallvCLIcommandsforwhichavCLIcommandwithanesxcfgprefixisavailable.
Table 1-4. Commands with an esxcfg Prefix
16
Command with vicfg prefix
Command with esxcfg prefix
vicfg-advcfg
esxcfg-advcfg
vicfg-cfgbackup
esxcfg-cfgbackup
vicfg-dns
esxcfg-dns
vicfg-dumppart
esxcfg-dumppart
vicfg-module
esxcfg-module
vicfg-mpath
esxcfg-mpath
vicfg-nas
esxcfg-nas
vicfg-nics
esxcfg-nics
vicfg-ntp
esxcfg-ntp
VMware, Inc.
Table 1-4. Commands with an esxcfg Prefix (Continued)

Command with vicfg prefix
Command with esxcfg prefix
vicfg-rescan
esxcfg-rescan
vicfg-route
esxcfg-route
vicfg-scsidevs
esxcfg-scsidevs
vicfg-snmp
esxcfg-snmp
vicfg-syslog
esxcfg-syslog
vicfg-vmknic
esxcfg-vmknic
vicfg-volume
esxcfg-volume
vicfg-vswitch
esxcfg-vswitch
Using ESXCLI Output

ManyESXCLIcommandsgenerateoutputyoumightwanttouseinyourapplication.Youcanrunesxcli
withthe--formatterdispatcheroptionandsendtheresultingoutputasinputtoaparser.
The--formatteroptionssupportsthreevalues,csv,xml,andkeyvalueandisusedbeforeanynamespace.
esxcli --formatter=csv storage filesystem list
ListsallfilesysteminformationinCSVformat.
Youcanpipetheoutputtoafile.
esxcli --formatter=keyvalue storage filesystem list > myfilesystemlist.txt
IMPORTANTAlwaysuseaformatterforconsistentoutput.
Connection Options
Table 15listsoptionsthatareavailableforallvCLIcommandsinalphabeticalorder.Examplesinthisbook
use<conn_options>toindicatethepositionofconnectionoptions.
Forexample,esxcli <conn_options> filesystem nfs listmeansthatyoucoulduseaconfiguration
file,asessionfile,orjustspecifyatargetserverandrespondwithausernameandpasswordwhenprompted.
Thetableincludesoptionsforuseonthecommandlineandvariablesforuseinconfigurationfiles.
IMPORTANTForconnections,vCLIsupportsonlytheIPv4protocol,nottheIPv6protocol.Youcan,however,
configureIPv6onthetargethostwithseveralofthenetworkingcommands.
SeetheGettingStartedwithvSphereCommandLineInterfacesdocumentationforadditionalinformationand
examples.
Table 1-5. vCLI Connection Options
Option and Environment Variable
Description
--cacertsfile <certsfile>
ESXCLIcommandsonly.
-t <certs_file>
VI_CACERTFILE=<cert_file_path>
UsedtospecifytheCA(CertificateAuthority)certificatefile,inPEMformat,
toverifytheidentityofthevCenterServersystemorESXisystemtorunthe
commandon.Canbeused,forexample,topreventmaninthemiddleattack.
--config <cfg_file_full_path>
Usestheconfigurationfileatthespecifiedlocation.
VI_CONFIG=<cfg_file_full_path>
Specifyapaththatisreadablefromthecurrentdirectory.
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Title
Table 1-5. vCLI Connection Options (Continued)

Description
--credstore <credstore>
Nameofacredentialstorefile.Defaultsto
<HOME>/.vmware/credstore/vicredentials.xmlonLinuxand
<APPDATA>/VMware/credstore/vicredentials.xmlonWindows.
CommandsforsettingupthecredentialstoreareincludedinthevSphere
SDKforPerl,whichisinstalledwithvCLI.ThevSphereSDKforPerl
ProgrammingGuideexplainshowtomanagethecredentialstore.
--encoding <encoding>
Specifiestheencodingtobeused.Thefollowingencodingsaresupported.
VI_ENCODING=<encoding>
cp936(SimplifiedChinese)
shftjis(Japanese)
cp850(GermanandFrench).
Youcanuse--encodingtospecifytheencodingvCLIshouldmaptowhenit
isrunonaforeignlanguagesystem.
--passthroughauth
VI_PASSTHROUGHAUTH
Ifyouspecifythisoption,thesystemusestheMicrosoftWindowsSecurity
SupportProviderInterface(SSPI)forauthentication.Trustedusersarenot
promptedforausernameandpassword.SeetheMicrosoftWebsitefora
detaileddiscussionofSSPI.
ThisoptionissupportedonlyifyouarerunningvCLIonaWindowssystem
andareconnectingtoavCenterServersystem.
--passthroughauthpackage
<package>
VI_PASSTHROUGHAUTHPACKAGE=
<package>
Usethisoptionwith--passthroughauthtospecifyadomainlevel
authenticationprotocoltobeusedbyWindows.Bydefault,SSPIusesthe
Negotiateprotocol,whichmeansthatclientandservertrytonegotiatea
protocolthatbothsupport.
IfthevCenterServersystemtowhichyouareconnectingisconfiguredtouse
aspecificprotocol,youcanspecifythatprotocolusingthisoption.
ThisoptionissupportedonlyifyouarerunningvCLIonaWindowssystem
andconnectingtoavCenterServersystem.
--password <passwd>
Usesthespecifiedpassword(usedwith--username)tologintotheserver.
VI_PASSWORD=<passwd>
If--serverspecifiesavCenterServersystem,theusernameand
passwordapplytothatserver.IfyoucanlogintothevCenterServer
system,youneednoadditionalauthenticationtoruncommandsonthe
ESXihoststhatservermanages.
If--serverspecifiesanESXihost,theusernameandpasswordapplyto
thatserver.
Usetheemptystring(' 'onLinuxand onWindows)toindicateno

password.
Ifyoudonotspecifyausernameandpasswordonthecommandline,the
systempromptsyouanddoesnotechoyourinputtothescreen.
--portnumber <number>
VI_PORTNUMBER=<number>
--protocol <HTTP|HTTPS>
VI_PROTOCOL=<HTTP|HTTPS>
--savesessionfile <file>
VI_SAVESESSIONFILE=<file>
Usesthespecifiedporttoconnecttothesystemspecifiedby--server.
Defaultis443.
Usesthespecifiedprotocoltoconnecttothesystemspecifiedby--server.
DefaultisHTTPS.
Savesasessiontothespecifiedfile.Thesessionexpiresifitisnotusedfor30
minutes.
--server <server>
UsesthespecifiedESXiorvCenterServersystem.Defaultislocalhost.
VI_SERVER=<server>
If--serverpointstoavCenterServersystem,youusethe--vihostoption
tospecifytheESXihostonwhichyouwanttorunthecommand.Acommand
issupportedforvCenterServerifthe--vihostoptionisdefined.
--servicepath <path>
UsesthespecifiedservicepathtoconnecttotheESXihost.Defaultis
/sdk/webService.
VI_SERVICEPATH=<path>
VI_SESSIONFILE=<file>
Usesthespecifiedsessionfiletoloadapreviouslysavedsession.Thesession
mustbeunexpired.
--url <url>
ConnectstothespecifiedvSphereWebServicesSDKURL.
--sessionfile <file>
VI_URL=<url>
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VMware, Inc.
Table 1-5. vCLI Connection Options (Continued)

Description
--username <u_name>
Usesthespecifiedusername.
VI_USERNAME=<u_name>
If--serverspecifiesavCenterServersystem,theusernameand
passwordapplytothatserver.IfyoucanlogintothevCenterServer
system,youneednoadditionalauthenticationtoruncommandsonthe
ESXihoststhatservermanages.
If--serverspecifiesanESXisystem,theusernameandpasswordapply
tothatsystem.
Ifyoudonotspecifyausernameandpasswordonthecommandline,the
systempromptsyouanddoesnotechoyourinputtothescreen.
--vihost <host>
-h <host
WhenyourunavSphereCLIcommandwiththe--serveroptionpointing
toavCenterServersystem,use--vihosttospecifytheESXihosttorunthe
commandagainst.
NOTE:Thisoptionisnotsupportedforeachcommand.Ifsupported,the
optionisincludedintheindividualcommandoptionlist.
vCLI and Lockdown Mode

Foradditionalsecurity,anadministratorcanplaceoneormorehostsmanagedbyavCenterServersystemin
lockdownmode.LockdownmodeaffectsloginprivilegesfortheESXihost.
UsersthatwereloggedintotheESXiShellbeforelockdownmodewasenabledremainloggedinandcan
runcommands,however,thoseuserscannotdisablelockdownmode.
Nootherusers,includingtherootusers,canlogintoanESXiShellinlockdownmode.Youcannolonger
accesstheshellfromthedirectconsoleorbyusingaremoteshell.
Youcandisablelockdownmodeasfollows.
TheadministratoruseronthevCenterServersystemcandisablelockdownmodeforhostsitmanages
fromthevCenterServersystem.
TherootusercanalwayslogindirectlytotheESXihostsdirectconsoletodisablelockdownmode.Ifthe
directconsoleisdisabled,theadministratoronthevCenterServersystemcandisablelockdownmode.If
thehostisnotmanagedbyavCenterServersystemorifthehostisunreachable,youmustreinstallESXi.
TomakechangestoESXisystemsinlockdownmode,youmustgothroughavCenterServersystemthat
managestheESXisystemastheuservpxuser.
esxcli --server MyVC --vihost MyESXi storage filesystem list
ThecommandpromptsforthevCenterServersystemusernameandpassword.
YoucanusethevSphereClient,thevSphereWebClient,orvCLIcommandsthatsupportthe--vihostoption.
ThefollowingcommandscannotrunagainstvCenterServersystemsandarethereforenotavailablein
lockdownmode:
vicfg-snmp
vifs
vicfg-user
vicfg-cfgbackup
vihostupdate
vmkfstools
vicfg-ipsec
IfyouhaveproblemsrunningacommandonanESXihostdirectly(withoutspecifyingavCenterServer
target),checkwhetherlockdownmodeisenabledonthathost.
ThevSphereSecuritydocumentationdiscusseslockdownmodeindetail.
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Title
20
VMware, Inc.
Managing Hosts
HostmanagementcommandscanstopandrebootESXihosts,backupconfigurationinformation,andmanage
hostupdates.YoucanalsouseahostmanagementcommandtomakeyourhostjoinanActiveDirectory
domainorexitfromadomain.
Thechapterincludesthefollowingtopics:
Stopping,Rebooting,andExaminingHostsonpage 21
EnteringandExitingMaintenanceModeonpage 22
BackingUpConfigurationInformationwithvicfgcfgbackuponpage 23
ManagingVMkernelModulesonpage 24
UsingvicfgauthconfigforActiveDirectoryConfigurationonpage 25
UpdatingHostsonpage 26
ForinformationonupdatingESXi5.0hostswiththeesxcli softwarecommandandonchangingthehost
acceptanceleveltomatchthelevelofaVIBthatyoumightwanttouseforanupdate,seethevSphereUpgrade
documentation.
Stopping, Rebooting, and Examining Hosts

Youcanstop,reboot,andexaminehostswithESXCLIorwithvicfg-hostops.
Stopping and Rebooting Hosts with ESXCLI

YoucanshutdownorrebootanESXihostusingthevSphereWebClientorvCLIcommands(ESXCLIor
vicfg-hostops).
ShuttingdownamanagedhostdisconnectsitfromthevCenterServersystem,butdoesnotremovethehost
fromtheinventory.Youcanshutdownasinglehostorallhostsinadatacenterorcluster.Specifyoneofthe
optionslistedinConnectionOptionsonpage 17inplaceof<conn_options>.
Toshutdownahost,runesxcli system shutdown poweroff.Youmustspecifythe--reasonoptionand
supplyareasonfortheshutdown.A--delayoptionallowsyoutospecifyadelayinterval,inseconds.
Torebootahost,runsystem shutdown reboot. Youmustspecifythe--reasonoptionandsupplyareason
fortheshutdown.A--delayoptionallowsyoutospecifyadelayinterval,inseconds.
Stopping, Rebooting, and Examining Hosts with vicfg-hostops

YoucanshutdownorrebootanESXihostusingthevSphereWebClient,orESXCLIorvicfg-hostopsvCLI
command.
VMware, Inc.
21
ShuttingdownamanagedhostdisconnectsitfromthevCenterServersystem,butdoesnotremovethehost
fromtheinventory.Youcanshutdownasinglehostorallhostsinadatacenterorcluster.Specifyoneofthe
Singlehost.Runvicfg-hostopswith--operationshutdown.
Ifthehostisinmaintenancemode,runthecommandwithoutthe--forceoption.
vicfg-hostops <conn_options> --operation shutdown
Ifthehostisnotinmaintenancemode,use--forcetoshutdownthehostandallrunningvirtual
machines.
vicfg-hostops <conn_options> --operation shutdown --force
Allhostsindatacenterorcluster.Toshutdownallhostsinaclusterordatacenter,specify--clusteror
--datacenter.
vicfg-hostops <conn_options> --operation shutdown --cluster <my_cluster>
vicfg-hostops <conn_options> --operation shutdown --datacenter <my_datacenter>
Youcanrebootasinglehostorallhostsinadatacenterorcluster.
Singlehost.Runvicfg-hostopswith--operationreboot.
Ifthehostisinmaintenancemode,runthecommandwithoutthe--forceoption.
vicfg-hostops <conn_options> --operation reboot
Ifthehostisnotinmaintenancemode,use--forcetoshutdownthehostandallrunningvirtual
machines.
vicfg-hostops <conn_options> --operation reboot --force
Allhostsindatacenterorcluster.Youcanspecify--clusteror--datacentertorebootallhostsina
clusterordatacenter.
vicfg-hostops <conn_options> --operation reboot --cluster <my_cluster>
vicfg-hostops <conn_options> --operation reboot --datacenter <my_datacenter>
Youcandisplayinformationaboutahostbyrunningvicfg-hostopswith--operationinfo.
vicfg-hostops <conn_options> --operation info
Thecommandreturnsthehostname,manufacturer,model,processortype,CPUcores,memorycapacity,and
boottime.ThecommandalsoreturnswhethervMotionisenabledandwhetherthehostisinmaintenance
mode.
Entering and Exiting Maintenance Mode

YoucaninstructyourhosttoenterorexitmaintenancemodewithESXCLIorwithvicfg-hostops.
Entering and Exiting Maintenance Mode with ESXCLI

Youplaceahostinmaintenancemodetoserviceit,forexample,toinstallmorememory.Ahostentersor
leavesmaintenancemodeonlyastheresultofauserrequest.
esxcli system maintenanceMode setallowsyoutoenableordisablemaintenancemode.
Whenyourunthevicfg-hostopsvCLIcommand,youcanspecifyoneoftheoptionslistedinConnection
Optionsonpage 17inplaceof<conn_options>.
To enter and exit maintenance mode
1
Runesxcli <conn_options> system maintenanceMode set --enable true toentermaintenance

mode.
Afterallvirtualmachinesonthehosthavebeensuspendedormigrated,thehostentersmaintenance
mode.Youcannotdeployorpoweronavirtualmachineonhostsinmaintenancemode.
22
VMware, Inc.
Chapter 2 Managing Hosts
Runesxcli <conn_options> system maintenanceMode set --enable false tohaveahost

existingmaintenancemode.
Ifyouattempttoexitmaintenancemodewhenthehostisnolongerinmaintenancemode,anerrorinforms
youthatmaintenancemodeisalreadydisabled.
Entering and Exiting Maintenance Mode with vicfg-hostops

Youplaceahostinmaintenancemodetoserviceit,forexample,toinstallmorememory.Ahostentersor
leavesmaintenancemodeonlyastheresultofauserrequest.
vicfg-hostopssuspendsvirtualmachinesbydefault,orpowersoffthevirtualmachineifyourun
vicfg-hostops --action poweroff.
NOTEvicfg-hostopsdoesnotworkwithVMwareDRS.Virtualmachinesarealwayssuspended.
ThehostisinastateofEnteringMaintenanceModeuntilallrunningvirtualmachinesaresuspendedor
migrated.Whenahostisenteringmaintenancemode,youcannotpoweronvirtualmachinesonitormigrate
virtualmachinestoit.
Whenyourunthevicfg-hostopsvCLIcommand,youcanspecifyoneoftheoptionslistedinConnection
To enter maintenance mode
1
Runvicfg-hostops <conn_options> --operation entertoentermaintenancemode.
Runvicfg-hostops <conn_options> --operation infotocheckwhetherthehostisinmaintenance

modeorintheEnteringMaintenanceModestate.
Afterallvirtualmachinesonthehosthavebeensuspendedormigrated,thehostentersmaintenancemode.
Youcannotdeployorpoweronavirtualmachineonhostsinmaintenancemode.
Youcanputallhostsinaclusterordatacenterinmaintenancemodebyusingthe--clusteror--datacenter
option.Donotusethoseoptionsunlesssuspendingallvirtualmachinesinthatclusterordatacenterisno
problem.
Youcanlaterrunvicfg-hostops <conn_options> --operation exittoexitmaintenancemode.
Backing Up Configuration Information with vicfg-cfgbackup

AfteryouconfigureanESXihost,youcanbackupthehostconfigurationdata.Alwaysbackupyourhost
configurationafteryouchangetheconfigurationorupgradetheESXiimage.
IMPORTANTThevicfg-cfgbackupcommandisavailableonlyforESXihosts.Thecommandisnotavailable
throughavCenterServersystemconnection.NoequivalentESXCLIcommandissupported.
Backup Tasks
Duringaconfigurationbackup,theserialnumberisbackedupwiththeconfiguration.Thenumberisrestored
whenyourestoretheconfiguration.ThenumberisnotpreservedwhenyouruntheRecoveryCD(ESXi
Embedded)orperformarepairoperation(ESXiInstallable).
Youcanbackupandrestoreconfigurationinformationasfollows.
1
Backuptheconfigurationbyusingthevicfg-cfgbackupcommand.
RuntheRecoveryCDorrepairoperation
Restoretheconfigurationbyusingthevicfg-cfgbackupcommand.
Whenyourestoreaconfiguration,youmustmakesurethatallvirtualmachinesonthehostarestopped.
VMware, Inc.
23
Backing Up Configuration Data

Youcanbackupconfigurationdatabyrunningvicfg-cfgbackupwiththe-soption.
vicfg-cfgbackup <conn_options> -s /tmp/ESXi_181842_backup.txt
Forthebackupfilename,includethenumberofthebuildthatisrunningonthehostthatyouarebackingup.
IfyouarerunningvCLIonvMA,thebackupfileissavedlocallyonvMA.Backupfilescansafelybestored
locallybecausevirtualappliancesarestoredinthe/vmfs/volumes/<datastore>directoryonthehost,
whichisseparatefromtheESXiimageandconfigurationfiles.
Restoring Configuration Data

Ifyouhavecreatedabackup,youcanlaterrestoreESXiconfigurationdata.Whenyourestoreconfiguration
data,thenumberofthebuildrunningonthehostmustbethesameasthenumberofthebuildthatwas
runningwhenyoucreatedthebackupfile.Tooverridethisrequirement,includethe-f (force)option.
To restore ESXi configuration data
1
Poweroffallvirtualmachinesthatarerunningonthehostthatyouwanttorestore.
LogintoahostonwhichvCLIisinstalled,orlogintovMA.
Runvicfg-cfgbackupwiththe-lflagtoloadthehostconfigurationfromthespecifiedbackupfile.
SpecifyoneoftheoptionslistedinConnectionOptionsonpage 17inplaceof<conn_options>.
Ifyourunthefollowingcommand,youarepromptedforconfirmation.
vicfg-cfgbackup <conn_options> -l /tmp/ESXi_181842_backup.tgz
Ifyourunthefollowingcommand,youarenotpromptedforconfirmation.
vicfg-cfgbackup <conn_options> -l /tmp/ESXi_181842_backup.tgz -q
Torestorethehosttofactorysettings,runvicfg-cfgbackupwiththe-roption:
vicfg-cfgbackup <conn_options> -r
Using vicfg-cfgbackup from vMA

Tobackupahostconfiguration,youcanrunvicfg-cfgbackupfromavMAinstance.ThevMAinstancecan
runonthetargethost(thehostthatyouarebackinguporrestoring),oronaremotehost.
Torestoreahostconfiguration,youmustrunvicfg-cfgbackup fromavMAinstancerunningonaremote
host.Thehostmustbeinmaintenancemode,whichmeansallvirtualmachines(includingvMA)mustbe
suspendedonthetargethost.
Forexample,abackupoperationfortwoESXihosts(host1andhost2)withvMAdeployedonbothhostsworks
asfollows:
Tobackuponeofthehostsconfiguration(host1orhost2),runvicfg-cfgbackupfromthevMA
appliancerunningoneitherhost1orhost2.Usethe--serveroptiontospecifythehostforwhichyou
wantbackupinformation.TheinformationisstoredonvMA.
Torestorethehost1configuration,runvicfg-cfgbackupfromthevMAappliancerunningonhost2.Use
the--serveroptiontopointtohost1torestoretheconfigurationtothathost.
Torestorethehost2configuration,runvicfg-cfgbackupfromthevMAappliancerunningonhost1.Use
the--serveroptiontopointtohost2torestoretheconfigurationtothathost.
Managing VMkernel Modules

Theesxcli system moduleandvicfg-modulecommandssupportsettingandretrievingVMkernelmodule
options.
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VMware, Inc.
Chapter 2 Managing Hosts
vicfg-moduleandesxcli system modulecommandsareimplementationsofthedeprecated

esxcfg-moduleserviceconsolecommand.Thetwocommandssupportmostoftheoptionsesxcfg-module
supports.vicfg-moduleandesxcli system modulearecommonlyusedwhenVMwareTechnicalSupport,
aKnowledgeBasearticle,orVMwaredocumentationinstructyoutodoso.
Managing Modules with esxcli system module

NotallVMkernelmoduleshavesettablemoduleoptions.Thefollowingexampleillustrateshowtoexamine
andenableaVMkernel.SpecifyoneoftheconnectionoptionslistedinConnectionOptionsonpage 17in
placeof<conn_options>.
To examine, enable, and set a VMkernel modules
1
Listinformationaboutthemodule.
esxcli <conn_options> system module list -module=module_name
Thesystemreturnsthename,type,value,anddescriptionofthemodule.
2
(Optional)Listallenabledorloadedmodules.
esxcli <conn_options> system module list --enabled=true
esxcli <conn_options> system module list --loaded=true
Enablethemodel.
esxcli <conn_options> system module set --module=module_name --enabled=true
Settheparameter.
esxcli system module parameters set --module module_name
--parameter-string="parameter_string"
Verifythatthemoduleisconfigured.
esxcli <conn_options> system module parameters list --module=module_name
Managing Modules with vicfg-module

NotallVMkernelmoduleshavesettablemoduleoptions.Thefollowingexampleillustrateshowtheexamine
andenableaVMkernelmodules.SpecifyoneoftheconnectionoptionslistedinConnectionOptionson
page 17inplaceof<conn_options>.
To examine and set a VMkernel modules
1
Runvicfg-module --listtolistthemodulesonthehost.
vicfg-module <conn_options> --list
Runvicfg-module --set-optionswithconnectionoptions,theoptionstringtobepassedtoamodule,
andthemodulename.Forexample:
vicfg-module <conn_options> --set-options 'parameter_name=value' module_name
Toretrievetheoptionstringthatisconfiguredtobepassedtoamodulewhenthemoduleisloaded,run
vicfg-module --get-options.Thisstringisnotnecessarilytheoptionstringcurrentlyinusebythe
module.
vicfg-module <conn_options> --get-options module_name
Verifiesthatamoduleisconfigured.
Using vicfg-authconfig for Active Directory Configuration

vSphere5.0istightlyintegratedwithActiveDirectory.ActiveDirectoryprovidesauthenticationforalllocal
servicesandforremoteaccessthroughthevSphereWebServicesSDK,vSphereWebClient,PowerCLI,and
vSphereCLI.YoucanconfigureActiveDirectorysettingswiththevSphereWebClient,asdiscussedinthe
vCenterServerandHostManagementdocumentation,orusevicfg-autconfig.
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25
vicfg-authconfigallowsyoutoremotelyconfigureActiveDirectorysettingsonESXihosts.Youcanlist
supportedandactiveauthenticationmechanisms,listthecurrentdomain,andjoinorpartfromanActive
Directorydomain.BeforeyourunthecommandonanESXihost,youmustpreparethehost.
IMPORTANTAllhoststhatjoinActiveDirectorymustalsobemanagedbyanNTPServertoavoidissueswith
clockskewsandKerberostickets.
To prepare ESXi hosts for Active Directory Integration
1
MakesuretheESXisystemandtheActiveDirectoryserverareusingthesametimezonebyconfiguring
ESXiandADtousesameNTPserver.
TheESXisystemstimezoneisalwayssettoUTC.
ConfiguretheESXisystemsDNStobeintheActiveDirectorydomain.
Youcanrunvicfg-authconfigtoaddthehosttothedomain.Auserwhorunsvicfg-authconfigto
configureActiveDirectorysettingsmusthavetheappropriateActiveDirectorypermissions,andmusthave
administrativeprivilegesontheESXihost.Youcanrunthecommanddirectlyagainstthehostoragainsta
vCenterServersystem,specifyingthehostwith--vihost.
To set up Active Directory
1
InstalltheESXihost,asexplainedinthevSphereInstallationandSetupdocumentation.
InstallWindowsActiveDirectoryonaWindowsServerthatrunsWindows2000,Windows2003,or
Windows2008.SeetheMicrosoftWebsiteforinstructionsandbestpractices.
SynchronizetimebetweentheESXisystemandWindowsActiveDirectory(AD).
TestthattheWindowsADServercanpingtheESXihostbyusingthehostname.
ping <ESX_hostname>
Runvicfg-authcofigtoaddthehosttotheActiveDirectorydomain.
vicfg-authconfig --server=<ESXi Server IP Address>
--username=<ESXi Server Admin Username>
--password=<ESXi Server Admin User's Password>
--authscheme AD --joindomain <AD Domain Name>
--adusername=<Active Directory Administrator User Name>
--adpassword=<Active Directory Administrator User's Password>
Thesystempromptsforusernamesandpasswordsifyoudonotspecifythemonthecommandline.
Passwordsarenotechoedtothescreen.
6
CheckthataSuccessfully Joined <Domain Name>messageappears.
VerifytheESXihostisintheintendedWindowsADdomain.
vicfg-authconfig --server XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX --authscheme AD -c
YouarepromptedforausernameandpasswordfortheESXisystem.
Updating Hosts
Whenyouaddcustomdriversorpatchestoahost,theprocessiscalledanupdate.
26
UpdateESXi4.0andESXi4.1hostswiththevihostupdatecommand,asdiscussedinthevSphere
CommandLineInterfaceInstallationandReferenceGuideincludedinthevSphere4.1documentationset.
UpdateESXi5.0hostswithesxcli software vibcommandsdiscussedinthevSphereUpgrade

documentationincludedinthevSphere5.0documentationset.Youcannotrunthevihostupdate
commandagainstanESXi5.0host.
VMware, Inc.
Managing Files
ThevSphereCLIincludestwocommandsforfilemanipulation.vmkfstoolsallowsyoutomanipulateVMFS
(VirtualMachineFileSystem)andvirtualdisks.vifssupportsremoteinteractionwithfilesonyourESXihost.
NOTESeeManagingStorageonpage 39forinformationaboutstoragemanipulationcommands.
IntroductiontoVirtualMachineFileManagementonpage 27
ManagingtheVirtualMachineFileSystemwithvmkfstoolsonpage 28
UpgradingVMFS3VolumestoVMFS5onpage 29
ManagingVMFSVolumesonpage 29
ReclaimingUnusedStorageSpaceonpage 31
DetachingDevicesandRemovingaLUNonpage 32
WorkingwithPermanentDeviceLossonpage 33
UsingvifstoManipulateFilesonRemoteESXiHostsonpage 33
Introduction to Virtual Machine File Management

YoucanusethevSphereWebClientorvCLIcommandstoaccessdifferenttypesofstoragedevicesthatyour
ESXihostdiscoversandtodeploydatastoresonthosedevices.
NOTEDatastoresarelogicalcontainers,analogoustofilesystems,thathidespecificsofeachstoragedevice
andprovideauniformmodelforstoringvirtualmachinefiles.DatastorescanbeusedforstoringISOimages,
virtualmachinetemplates,andfloppyimages.ThevSphereWebClientusesthetermdatastoreexclusively.
ThismanualusesthetermdatastoreandVMFS(orNFS)volumetorefertothesamelogicalcontaineronthe
physicaldevice.
Dependingonthetypeofstorageyouuse,datastorescanbebackedbythefollowingfilesystemformats:
VirtualMachineFileSystem(VMFS).Highperformancefilesystemthatisoptimizedforstoringvirtual
machines.YourhostcandeployaVMFSdatastoreonanySCSIbasedlocalornetworkedstoragedevice,
includingFibreChannelandiSCSISANequipment.AsanalternativetousingtheVMFSdatastore,your
virtualmachinecanhavedirectaccesstorawdevicesanduseamappingfile(RDM)asaproxy.
YoumanageVMFSandRDMswiththevSphereWebClient,orthevmkfstoolscommand.
NetworkFileSystem(NFS).FilesystemonaNASstoragedevice.ESXisupportsNFSversion3over
TCP/IP.ThehostcanaccessadesignatedNFSvolumelocatedonanNFSserver,mountthevolume,and
useitforanystorageneeds.
YoumanageNASstoragedeviceswiththeesxcli storage nfscommand.
VMware, Inc.
27
Figure 3-1. Virtual Machines Accessing Different Types of Storage

Host
requires TCP/IP connectivity
virtual
machine
virtual
machine
virtual
machine
virtual
machine
virtual
machine
local
ethernet
SCSI
fibre
channel
HBA
VMFS
SAN
software
initiator
iSCSI
hardware
initiator
ethernet
NIC
LAN
ethernet
NIC
LAN
LAN
Key
physical
disk
datastore
virtual
disk
VMFS
fibre array
VMFS
iSCSI array
NFS
NAS appliance
Managing the Virtual Machine File System with vmkfstools

VMFSdatastoresprimarilyserveasrepositoriesforvirtualmachines.Youcanstoremultiplevirtualmachines
onthesameVMFSvolume.Eachvirtualmachine,encapsulatedinasetoffiles,occupiesaseparatesingle
directory.Fortheoperatingsysteminsidethevirtualmachine,VMFSpreservestheinternalfilesystem
semantics.
Inaddition,youcanusetheVMFSdatastorestostoreotherfiles,suchasvirtualmachinetemplatesandISO
images.VMFSsupportsfileandblocksizesthatenablevirtualmachinestorundataintensiveapplications,
includingdatabases,ERP,andCRM,invirtualmachines.SeethevSphereStoragedocumentation.
YouusethevmkfstoolsvCLItocreateandmanipulatevirtualdisks,filesystems,logicalvolumes,and
physicalstoragedevicesonanESXihost.Youcanusevmkfstoolstocreateandmanageavirtualmachinefile
system(VMFS)onaphysicalpartitionofadiskandtomanipulatefiles,suchasvirtualdisks,storedon
VMFS3andNFS.Youcanalsousevmkfstoolstosetupandmanagerawdevicemappings(RDMs).
IMPORTANTThevmkfstoolsvCLIsupportsmostbutnotalloftheoptionsthatthevmkfstoolsESXiShell
commandsupports.SeeVMwareKnowledgeBasearticle1008194.
Youcannotrunvmkfstoolswith--serverpointingtoavCenterServersystem.
ThevSphereStoragedocumentationincludesacompletereferencetothevmkfstoolscommandthatyoucan
useintheESXiShell.YoucanusemostofthesameoptionswiththevmkfstoolsvCLIcommand.Specifyone
oftheconnectionoptionslistedinConnectionOptionsonpage 17inplaceof<conn_options>.
ThefollowingoptionssupportedbythevmkfstoolsESXiShellcommandarenotsupportedbythe
vmkfstoolsvCLIcommand.
28
--breaklock -B
--chainConsistent -e
--eagerzero -k
--fix -x
--lock -L
--migratevirtualdisk -M
--parseimage -Y
--punchzero -K
--snapshotdisk -I
--verbose -v
VMware, Inc.
Chapter 3 Managing Files
Upgrading VMFS3 Volumes to VMFS5

vSphere5.0supportsVMFS5volumes,whichhaveimprovedscalabilityandperformance.Youcanupgrade
fromVMFS3toVMFS5byusingthevSphereWebClient,thevmkfstoolsESXiShellcommand,ortheesxcli
storage vmfs upgradecommand.PassthevolumelabelorthevolumeUUIDtotheESXCLIcommand.
IMPORTANTYoucannotupgradeVMFS3volumestoVMFS5withthevmkfstoolscommandincludedin
vSphereCLI.
Managing VMFS Volumes

Differentcommandsareavailableforlisting,mounting,andunmountingVMFSvolumesandforlisting,
mounting,andunmountingVMFSsnapshotvolumes.
ManagingVMFSvolumes
esxcli storage filesystem listshowsallvolumes,mountedandunmounted,thatareresolved,
thatis,thatarenotsnapshotvolumes.
esxcli storage filesystem unmountunmountsacurrentlymountedfilesystem.Usethiscommand
forsnapshotvolumesorresolvedvolumes.
Managingsnapshotvolumes
esxcli storage vmfs snapshotcommandscanbeusedforlisting,mounting,andresignaturing
snapshotvolumes.SeeMountingDatastoreswithExistingSignaturesonpage 29andResignaturing
VMFSCopiesonpage 30.
Managing Duplicate VMFS Datastores

EachVMFSdatastorecreatedinaLUNhasauniqueUUIDthatisstoredinthefilesystemsuperblock.When
theLUNisreplicatedorwhenasnapshotismade,theresultingLUNcopyisidentical,byteforbyte,tothe
originalLUN.Asaresult,iftheoriginalLUNcontainsaVMFSdatastorewithUUIDX,theLUNcopyappears
tocontainanidenticalVMFSdatastore,oraVMFSdatastorecopy,withthesameUUIDX.
ESXihostscandeterminewhetheraLUNcontainstheVMFSdatastorecopy,andeithermountthedatastore
copywithitsoriginalUUIDorchangetheUUIDtoresignaturethedatastore.
WhenaLUNcontainsaVMFSdatastorecopy,youcanmountthedatastorewiththeexistingsignatureor
assignanewsignature.ThevSphereStoragedocumentationdiscussesvolumeresignaturingindetail.
Mounting Datastores with Existing Signatures

YoucanmountaVMFSdatastorecopywithoutchangingitssignatureiftheoriginalisnotmounted.For
example,youcanmaintainsynchronizedcopiesofvirtualmachinesatasecondarysiteaspartofadisaster
recoveryplan.Intheeventofadisasterattheprimarysite,youcanmountthedatastorecopyandpoweron
thevirtualmachinesatthesecondarysite.
IMPORTANTYoucanmountaVMFSdatastoreonlyifitdoesnotconflictwithanalreadymountedVMFS
datastorethathasthesameUUID.
WhenyoumounttheVMFSdatastore,ESXiallowsbothreadandwriteoperationstothedatastorethatresides
ontheLUNcopy.TheLUNcopymustbewritable.Thedatastoremountsarepersistentandvalidacross
systemreboots.
Youcanmountadatastorewithvicfg-volume(seeTomountadatastorewithvicfgvolumeonpage 30)or
withESXCLI(seeTomountadatastorewithESXCLIonpage 30).
VMware, Inc.
29
Mounting and Unmounting with ESXCLI

Theesxcli storage filesystemcommandssupportmountingandunmountingvolumes.Youcanalso
specifywhethertopersistthemountedvolumesacrossrebootsbyusingthe--no-persistoption.
Usetheesxcli storage filesystemcommandtolistmountedvolumes,mountnewvolumes,and
unmountavolume.SpecifyoneoftheconnectionoptionslistedinConnectionOptionsonpage 17inplace
of<conn_options>.
To mount a datastore with ESXCLI
1
Listallvolumesthathavebeendetectedassnapshots.
esxcli <conn_options> storage filesystem list
Runesxcli storage filesystem mountwiththevolumelabelorvolumeUUID.

Bydefault,thevolumeismountedpersistently,use--no-persisttomountpersistently.
esxcli <conn_options> storage filesystem volume mount
--volume-label=<label>|--volume-uuid=<VMFS-UUID>
Thiscommandfailsiftheoriginalcopyisonline.
Youcanlaterrunesxcli storage filesystem volume unmounttounmountthesnapshotvolume.
esxcli <conn_options> storage filesystem volume unmount
--volume-label=<label>|--volume-uuid=<VMFS-UUID>
Mounting and Unmounting with vicfg-volume

Usethevicfg-volumecommandtolistmountedvolumes,mountnewvolumes,andunmountavolume.
SpecifyoneoftheconnectionoptionslistedinConnectionOptionsonpage 17inplaceof<conn_options>.
To mount a datastore with vicfg-volume
1
Listallvolumesthathavebeendetectedassnapshotsorreplicas.
vicfg-volume <conn_options> --list
Runvicfg-volume --persistent-mount withtheVMFSUUIDorlabelasanargumenttomounta

volume.
vicfg-volume <conn_options> --persistent-mount <VMFS-UUID|label>
Thiscommandfailsiftheoriginalcopyisonline.
Youcanlaterrunvicfg-volume --unmounttounmountthesnapshotorreplicavolume.
vicfg-volume <conn_options> --unmount <VMFS-UUID|label>
Thevicfg-volumecommandsupportsresignaturingasnapshotvolumeandmountingandunmountingthe
volume.Youcanalsomakethemountedvolumepersistentacrossrebootsandqueryalistofsnapshot
volumesandoriginalvolumes.
Resignaturing VMFS Copies

UsedatastoreresignaturingtoretainthedatastoredontheVMFSdatastorecopy.WhenresignaturingaVMFS
copy,theESXihostassignsanewUUIDandanewlabeltothecopy,andmountsthecopyasadatastore
distinctfromtheoriginal.BecauseESXipreventsyoufromresignaturingthemounteddatastore,unmountthe
datastorebeforeresignaturing.
Thedefaultformatofthenewlabelassignedtothedatastoreissnap-<snapID>-<oldLabel>,where
<snapID>isanintegerand<oldLabel>isthelabeloftheoriginaldatastore.
Whenyouperformdatastoreresignaturing,considerthefollowingpoints:
30
Datastoreresignaturingisirreversible.
TheLUNcopythatcontainstheVMFSdatastorethatyouresignatureisnolongertreatedasaLUNcopy.
VMware, Inc.
Aspanneddatastorecanberesignaturedonlyifallitsextentsareonline.
Theresignaturingprocessiscrashandfaulttolerant.Iftheprocessisinterrupted,youcanresumeitlater.
YoucanmountthenewVMFSdatastorewithoutariskofitsUUIDconflictingwithUUIDsofanyother
datastore,suchasanancestororchildinahierarchyofLUNsnapshots.
YoucanresignatureaVMFScopywithESXCLI(seeResignaturingaVMFSCopywithESXCLIonpage 31)
orwithvicfg-volumeseeResignaturingaVMFSCopywithvicfgvolumeonpage 31.
Resignaturing a VMFS Copy with ESXCLI

Theesxcli storage vmfs snapshotcommandssupportresignaturingasnapshotvolume.Specifyoneof
theconnectionoptionslistedinConnectionOptionsonpage 17inplaceof<conn_options>.
To resignature a VMFS copy with ESXCLI
1
Listunresolvedsnapshotsorreplicavolumes.
esxcli <conn_options> storage vmfs snapshot list
(Optional)Unmountthecopy.
esxcli <conn_options> storage filesystem unmount
Runtheresignaturecommand.
esxcli <conn_options> storage vmfs snapshot resignature
--volume-label=<label>|--volume-uuid=<id>
Thecommandreturnstothepromptorsignalsanerror.
Afterresignaturing,youmighthavetodothefollowing:
Iftheresignatureddatastorecontainsvirtualmachines,updatereferencestotheoriginalVMFSdatastore
inthevirtualmachinefiles,including.vmx,.vmdk,.vmsd,and.vmsn.
Topoweronvirtualmachines,registerthemwiththevCenterServersystem.
Resignaturing a VMFS Copy with vicfg-volume

Youcanusevicfg-volumetomount,unmount,andresignatureVMFSvolumes.
To resignature a VMFS copy with vicfg-volume
1
Makesurethecopyisnotmounted.
Runvicfg-volumewiththeresignatureoption.
vicfg-volume <conn_options> --resignature <VMFS-UUID|label>
Thecommandreturnstothepromptorsignalsanerror.
Reclaiming Unused Storage Space

WhenVMFSdatastoresresideonthinprovisionedLUNs,youcanuseESXCLIcommandstoreclaimthe
unusedlogicalblocksofathinprovisionedLUNformattedwithVMFS.
Whenyourunthecommands,youmustspecifythevolumelabel(--volume-label)orthevolumeid
(--volume-uuid)butyoucannotspecifyboth.
Ineachiteration,thecommandissuesunmapcommandstothenumberoffilesystemblocksthatarespecified
bytheoptionalreclaim-unitargument,whichdefaultsto200.FornewlycreatedVMFS5filesystems,the
filesystemblocksizeisalways1MB.ForVMFS3filesystemsorVMFS5filesystemsthatwereupgradedfrom
VMFS3,thefilesystemblocksizecouldbeoneof1,2,4,8MB.
Thefollowingexamplesillustratehowtousethecommand.
# esxcli storage vmfs unmap --volume-label datastore1 --reclaim-unit 100
# esxcli storage vmfs unmap -l datastore1 -n 100
VMware, Inc.
31
# esxcli storage vmfs unmap --volume-uuid 515615fb-1e65c01d-b40f-001d096dbf97 --reclaim-unit 500

# esxcli storage vmfs unmap -u 515615fb-1e65c01d-b40f-001d096dbf97 -n 500
# esxcli storage vmfs unmap -l datastore1
# esxcli storage vmfs unmap -u 515615fb-1e65c01d-b40f-001d096dbf97
Detaching Devices and Removing a LUN

BeforeyoucanremoveaLUN,youmustdetachthecorrespondingdevicebyusingthevSphereWebClient,
ortheesxcli storage core device setcommand.Detachingadevicebringsadeviceoffline.Detaching
adevicedoesnotimpactpathstates.IftheLUNisstillvisible,thepathstateisnotsettodead.
To detach a device and remove a LUN
1
Migratevirtualmachinesfromthedeviceyouplantodetach.
Forinformationonmigratingvirtualmachines,seethevCenterServerandHostManagement
documentation.
Unmountthedatastoredeployedonthedevice.SeeMountingDatastoreswithExistingSignatureson
page 29.
Iftheunmountfails,ESXCLIreturnsanerror.Ifyouignorethaterror,youwillgetanerrorinstep4when
youattempttodetachadevicewithaVMFSpartitionstillinuse.
Iftheunmountfailed,checkwhetherthedeviceisinuse.
esxcli storage core device world list -d <device>
IfaVMFSvolumeisusingthedeviceindirectly,theworldnameincludesthestringidle0.Ifavirtual
machineusesthedeviceasanRDM,thevirtualmachineprocessnameisdisplayed.Ifanyotherprocess
isusingtherawdevice,theinformationisdisplayed.
4
Detachthestoragedevice.
esxcli storage core device set -d naa.xxx... --state=off
Detachispersistentacrossrebootsanddeviceunregistration.Anydevicethatisdetachedremains
detacheduntilamanualattachoperation.Rescandoesnotbringpersistentlydetacheddevicesback
online.Apersistentlydetacheddevicecomesbackintheoffstate.
ESXimaintainsthepersistentinformationaboutthedevicesofflinestateevenifthedeviceis
unregistered.Youcanremovethedeviceinformationbyrunningesxcli storage core device
detached remove -d naa.12.
5
(Optional)Totroubleshootthedetachoperation,listalldevicesthatweredetachedmanually.
esxcli storage core device detached list
Performarescan.
esxcli <conn_options> storage core adapter rescan
Whenyouhavecompletedstoragereconfiguration,youcanreattachthestoragedevice,mountthedatastore,
andrestartthevirtualmachines.
To reattach the device
1
(Optional)Checkthatthedeviceisdetached.
esxcli storage core device detached list
Attachthedevice.
esxcli storage core device set -d naa.XXX --state=on
32
Mountthedatastoreandrestartvirtualmachines.SeeMountingDatastoreswithExistingSignatureson
page 29.
VMware, Inc.
Working with Permanent Device Loss

WithearlierESX/ESXireleases,anAPD(AllPathsDown)eventresultswhentheLUNbecomesunavailable.
Theeventisdifficultforadministratorsbecausetheydonothaveenoughinformationaboutthestateofthe
LUNtoknowwhichcorrectiveactionisappropriate.
InESXi5.0,theESXihostcandeterminewhetherthecauseofanAllPathsDown(APD)eventistemporary,or
whetherthecauseispermanentdeviceloss.APDLstatusoccurswhenthestoragearrayreturnsSCSIsense
codesindicatingthattheLUNisnolongeravailableorthatasevere,unrecoverablehardwareproblemexist
withit.ESXihasanimprovedinfrastructurethatcanspeedupoperationsofupperlayerapplicationsina
devicelossscenario.
IMPORTANTDonotplanforAPD/PDLevents,forexample,whenyouwanttoupgradeyourhardware.
Instead,performanorderlyremovalofLUNsfromyourESXiserver,whichisdescribedinDetachingDevices
andRemovingaLUNonpage 32,performtheoperation,andaddtheLUNback.
To Remove a PDL LUN
HowyouremoveaPDLLUNdependsonwhetheritwasinuse.
IftheLUNthatgoesintoPDLisnotinusebyanyuserprocessorbytheVMkernel,theLUNdisappears
byitselfafteraPDL.
IftheLUNwasinusewhenitenteredPDL,deletetheLUNmanuallybyfollowingtheprocessdescribed
inDetachingDevicesandRemovingaLUNonpage 32.
To Reattach a PDL LUN

1
ReturntheLUNtoworkingorder.
Removeanyusersofthedevice.
Youcannotbringadevicebackwithoutremovingactiveusers.TheESXihostcannotknowwhetherthe
devicethatwasaddedbackhaschanged.ESXimustbeabletotreatthedevicesimilarlytoanewdevice
beingdiscovered.
Performarescantogetthedevicebackinworkingorder.
Using vifs to Manipulate Files on Remote ESXi Hosts

Inmostcases,vmkfstoolsandothercommandsareusedtomanipulatevirtualmachinefiles.Insomecases,
youmighthavetoviewandmanipulatefilesonremoteESXihostsdirectly.
CAUTIONIfyoumanipulatefilesdirectly,yourvSpheresetupmightendupinaninconsistentstate.Usethe
vSphereWebClientoroneoftheothervCLIcommandstomanipulatevirtualmachineconfigurationfilesand
virtualdisks.
Thevifscommandperformscommonoperationssuchascopy,remove,get,andputonESXifilesand
directories.ThecommandissupportedagainstESXihostsbutnotagainstvCenterServersystems.
SomesimilaritiesbetweenvifsandDOSorUNIX/Linuxfilesystemmanagementutilitiesexist,butthereare
manydifferences.Forexample,vifsdoesnotsupportwildcardcharactersorcurrentdirectoriesand,asa
result,relativepathnames.Usevifsonlyasdocumented.
Insteadofusingthevifscommand,youcanbrowsedatastorecontentsandhostfilesbyusingaWebbrowser.
Connecttothefollowinglocation:
http://ESX_host_IP_Address/host
http://ESX_host_IP_Address/folder
YoucanviewdatacenteranddatastoredirectoriesfromthisrootURL.Forexample:
http://<ESXi_addr>/folder?dcPath=ha-datacenter
http://<ESXi_host_name>/folder?dcPath=ha-datacente
VMware, Inc.
33
TheESXihostpromptsforausernameandpassword.
Thevifscommandsupportsdifferentoperationsforthefollowinggroupsoffilesanddirectories.Different
operationsareavailableforeachgroup,andyouspecifylocationswithadifferentsyntax.Thebehaviordiffers
forvSphere4.xandvSphere5.0.
Host
vSphere 4.x
vSphere 5.0
Hostconfigurationfiles.Youmustspecifythe
filesuniquenameidentifier.
Hostconfigurationfiles.Youmustspecifythe
filesuniquenameidentifier.
Specifyhostlocationsbyusingthe
/host/<path>syntax.
Specifyhostlocationsbyusingthe
/host/<path>syntax.
Youcannotlistsubdirectoriesof/host.
Temp
The/tmpdirectoryandfilesinthatdirectory.
Notsupported.
Specifytemplocationsbyusingthe
/tmp/dir/subdirsyntax.
Datastores
Datastorefilesanddirectories.Youhavetwochoicesforspecifyingadatastore:
Datastoreprefixstyle:'[ds_name] relative_path'.Forexample:
'[myStorage1] testvms/VM1/VM1.vmx'(Linux) or "[myStorage1]
testvms/VM1/VM1.vmx" (Windows)
URLstyle:/folder/dir/subdir/file?dsName=<name>.Forexample:
'/folder/testvms/VM1/VM1.vmx?dsName=myStorage1' (Linux)
"/folder/testvms/VM1/VM1.vmx?dsName=myStorage1" (Windows)
Thetwoexamplepathsrefertoavirtualmachineconfigurationfileforthevirtualmachine
VM1inthetestvms/VM1directoryofthemyStorage1datastore.
Toavoidproblemswithdirectorynamesthatusespecialcharactersorspaces,enclosethepathinquotesfor
bothoperatingsystems.
Whenyourunvifs,youcanspecifytheoperationnameandargumentandoneofthestandardconnection
options.Usealiases,symboliclinks,orwrapperscriptstosimplifytheinvocationsyntax.
IMPORTANTTheconceptsofworkingdirectoryandlastdirectoryorfileoperatedonarenotsupportedwith
vifs.
Options
vifscommandspecificoptionsallowyoutoretrieveanduploadfilesfromtheremotehostandperforma
numberofotheroperations.Allvifsoptionsworkondatastorefilesordirectories.Someoptionsalsowork
onhostfilesandfilesinthetempdirectory.Youmustalsospecifyconnectionoptions.
Command
Description
Target
Syntax
--copy
-c <source>
<target>
Copiesafileinadatastoretoanotherlocation
inadatastore.The<source>mustbearemote
sourcepath,the<target>aremotetarget
pathordirectory.
Datastore
Temp
copy src_file_path
dst_directory_path
[force]
copy src_file_path
dst_file_path [force]
The--forceoptionreplacesexisting
destinationfiles.
34
--dir
-D <remote_dir>
Liststhecontentsofadatastoredirectory.
Datastore
Temp
dir
datastore_directory_path
--force
-F
Overwritesthedestinationfile.Usedwith
--moveand--copy.
Datastore
Temp
copy src_file_path
--get
-g <remote_path>
<local_path>
DownloadsafilefromtheESXihosttothe
machineonwhichyourunvCLI.This
operationusesHTTP GET.
Datastore
Host
get src_dstore_file_path
dst_local_file_path
--listdc
-C
ListsthedatacenterpathsavailableonanESXi
system.
Datastore
Host
get src_d store_dir_path

dst_local_file_path
VMware, Inc.
Command
Description
Target
Syntax
--listds
-S
ListsthedatastorenamesontheESXisystem.
Whenmultipledatacentersareavailable,use
the--dc (-Z)argumenttospecifythename
ofthedatacenterfromwhichyouwanttolist
thedatastore.
Datastore
Host
vifs --listds
--mkdir
-M <remote_dir>
Createsadirectoryinadatastore.This
operationfailsiftheparentdirectoryof
dst_datastore_file_pathdoesnotexist.
Datastore
Temp
mkdir dst_directory_path
--move
-m <source>
<target>
Movesafileinadatastoretoanotherlocation
inadatastore.The<source>mustbearemote
sourcepath,the<target>aremotetarget
pathordirectory.
Datastore
Temp
move src_file_path
dst_directory_path
[force]
move src_file_path
The--forceoptionreplacesexisting
destinationfiles.
--put
-p <local_path>
<remote_path>
Uploadsafilefromthemachineonwhichyou
runvCLItotheESXihost.Thisoperationuses
HTTP PUT.
Datastore
Host
Temp
put src_local_file_path
dst_file_path
Thiscommandcanreplaceexistinghostfiles
butcannotcreatenewfiles.
put src_local_file_path
dst_directory_path
--rm
-r <remote_path>
Deletesadatastorefile.
Datastore
Temp
rm dst_file_path
--rmdir
-R <remote_dir>
Deletesadatastoredirectory.Thisoperation
failsifthedirectoryisnotempty.
Datastore
Temp
rmdir dst_directory_path
Examples
YoucanusevifstointeractwiththeremoteESXiorvCenterServersysteminavarietyofways.Specifyone
oftheconnectionoptionslistedinConnectionOptionsonpage 17inplaceof<conn_options>.The
examplesillustrateuseonaLinuxsystem,usedoublequotesinsteadofsinglequoteswhenonaWindows
system.
Listing Remote Information
ListalldatacentersonavCenterServersystemwith--listdc,using--servertopointtothevCenter
Serversystem.
vifs --server <my_vc>--username administrator --password <pswd> --listdc
ListalldatastoresonavCenterServersystemwith--listds.
vifs --server <my_vc> --username administrator --password <pswd> --dc kw-dev --listds
ListalldatastoresonanESXihostwith--listds.
vifs --server <my_ESXi> --username root --password <pswd> --listds
Thecommandliststhenamesofalldatastoresonthespecifiedserver.
Youcanuseeachnamethathasbeenreturnedtorefertodatastorepathsbyusingsquarebracketnotation,
asfollows:
'[my_datastore] dir/subdir/file'
Listthecontentofadirectoryinadatastore.
vifs --server <my_ESXi> --username root --password <pswd>--dir '[Storage1]'
vifs --server <my_ESXi> --username root --password <pswd> --dir '[Storage1] WindowsXP'
Thecommandliststhedirectorycontent.Inthisexample,thecommandliststhecontentsofavirtual
machinedirectory.
Content Listing
_________________
vmware-37.log
VMware, Inc.
35
vmware-38.log
...
vmware.log
...
winxpPro-sp2.vmdk
winxpPro-sp2.vmx
winxpPro-sp2.vmxf
...
Listthecontentsofoneofthedatastores.
vifs <conn_options> --dir '[osdc-cx700-02]'
Thecommandliststhecompletecontentsofthedatastore.
Working with Directories and Files on the Remote Server
Createanewdirectoryinadatastorewith--mkdir <remote_dir>.
vifs --server <my_ESXi> --username root --password <pswd> --mkdir '[Storage1] test'
Removeadirectorywith--rmdir <remote_dir>.
vifs --server <my_ESXi> --username root --password <pswd> --rmdir '[Storage1] test'.
Forciblyremoveadirectorywith--rmdir --force <remote_dir>.

vifs --server <my_ESXi> --username root --password <pswd> --rmdir '[Storage1] test2' --force
Updateafileontheremoteserverwith--put <local_path> <remote_path>.

vifs --server <my_ESXi> --username root --password <pswd>
--put /tmp/testfile '[Storage1] test/testfile'
Retrieveafilefromtheremoteserverwith--get <remote_path> <local_path>|<local_dir>.The

commandoverwritesthelocalfileifitexists.Ifyoudonotspecifyafilename,thefilenameoftheremote
fileisused.
vifs --server <my_ESXi> --username root --password <pswd> --get '[Storage1] test/testfile'
/tmp/tfile
vifs --server <my_ESXi> --username root --password <pswd> --get '[Storage1] test/testfile'
/tmp
Deleteafileontheremoteserverwith-rm <remote_path>.
vifs --server <my_ESXi> --username root --password <pswd> --rm '[Storage1] test2/testfile'
Forciblyremoveafileontheremoteserverwith--rm <remote_path> --force.

vifs --server <my_ESXi> --username root --password <pswd> --rm '[Storage1] test2/testfile2'
--force
Moveafilefromonelocationontheremoteservertoanotherlocationwith--move
<remote_source_path> <remote_target_path>.Ifyouspecifyafilename,thefileismovedand
renamedatthesametime.
vifs --server <my_ESXi> --username root --password <pswd> --move '[Storage1] test/tfile'
'[Storage1] newfile'
Ifthetargetfilealreadyexistsontheremoteserver,thecommandfailsunlessyouuse--force.
vifs --server <my_ESXi> --username root --password <pswd> --move '[Storage1] test/tfile2'
'[Storage1] test2/tfile' --force
Createacopyofafileontheremoteserveratadifferentlocationontheremoteserver.
vifs --server <my_ESXi> --username root --password <pswd> --copy '[Storage1] test/tfile'
'[Storage1] test/tfile2'
Ifthetargetfilealreadyexistsontheremoteserver,thecommandfailsunlessyouuse--force.
vifs --server <my_ESXi> --username root --password <pswd> --copy '[Storage1] test/tfile'
'[Storage1] test/tfile2' --force
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VMware, Inc.
Example Scenario
Thefollowingexamplescenarioillustratesotherusesofvifs.Specifyoneoftheconnectionoptionslistedin
ConnectionOptionsonpage 17inplaceof<conn_options>.
To manage files and directories on the remote ESXi system
1
Createadirectoryinthedatastore.
vifs <conn_options> --mkdir '[osdc-cx700-03] vcli_test'
Youmustspecifytheprecisepath;thereisnoconceptofarelativepath.
2
Placeafilethatisonthesystemfromwhichyouarerunningthecommandsintothenewlycreated
directory.
vifs <conn_options> --put /tmp/test_doc '[osdc-cx700-03] vcli_test/test_doc'
Moveafileintoavirtualmachinedirectory.
vifs <conn_options> --move '[osdc-cx700-03] vcli_test/test_doc'
'[osdc-cx700-03] winxpPro-sp2/test_doc
Amessageindicatessuccessorfailure.
4
RetrieveoneofthefilesfromtheremoteESXisystem.
Thefollowingexampleretrievesalogfileforanalysis.
vifs <conn_options> --get '[osdc-cx700-03] winxpPro-sp2/vmware.log' ~user1/vmware.log
Cleanupbyremovingthefileanddirectoryyoucreatedearlier.
vifs <conn_options> --rm '[osdc-cx700-03] vcli_test/test_doc'
vifs <conn_options> --rmdir '[osdc-cx700-03] vcli_test'
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VMware, Inc.
Managing Storage
Avirtualmachineusesavirtualdisktostoreitsoperatingsystem,programfiles,andotherdataassociated
withitsactivities.Avirtualdiskisalargephysicalfile,orasetoffiles,thatcanbecopied,moved,archived,
andbackedup.
Tostorevirtualdiskfilesandmanipulatethefiles,ahostrequiresdedicatedstoragespace.ESXistorageis
storagespaceonavarietyofphysicalstoragesystems,localornetworked,thatahostusestostorevirtual
machinedisks.
IntroductiontoStorageonpage 39
ExaminingLUNsonpage 42
ManagingPathsonpage 44
ManagingPathPoliciesonpage 47
ManagingNFS/NASDatastoresonpage 50
MonitoringandManagingSANStorageonpage 52
MigratingVirtualMachineswithsvmotiononpage 52
ConfiguringFCoEAdaptersonpage 54
ScanningStorageAdaptersonpage 55
RetrievingSMARTInformationonpage 55
Chapter 5,ManagingiSCSIStorage,onpage 57discussesiSCSIstoragemanagement.Chapter 6,Managing

ThirdPartyStorageArrays,onpage 85explainshowtomanagethePluggableStorageArchitecture,
includingPathSelectionPlugin(PSP)andStorageArrayTypePlugin(SATP)configuration.
ForinformationonmaskingandunmaskingpathswithESXCLI,seethevSphereStoragedocumentation.
Introduction to Storage
FibreChannelSANarrays,iSCSISANarrays,andNASarraysarewidelyusedstoragetechnologiessupported
byVMwarevSpheretomeetdifferentdatacenterstorageneeds.Thestoragearraysareconnectedtoand
sharedbetweengroupsofserversthroughstorageareanetworks.Thisarrangementallowsaggregationofthe
storageresourcesandprovidesmoreflexibilityinprovisioningthemtovirtualmachines.
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Figure 4-1. vSphere Datacenter Physical Topology

vCenter Server
Web access
vSphere Client
server
group 1
server
group 2
terminal
server
group 3
virtual machines
VM
VM
VM
VM
VM
VM
fibre channel switch fabric / IP network
ESX/ESXi
fibre channel
storage array
iSCSI
storage array
NAS
storage array
How Virtual Machines Access Storage

Avirtualdiskhidesthephysicalstoragelayerfromthevirtualmachinesoperatingsystem.Regardlessofthe
typeofstoragedevicethatyourhostuses,thevirtualdiskalwaysappearstothevirtualmachineasamounted
SCSIdevice.Asaresult,youcanrunoperatingsystemsthatarenotcertifiedforspecificstorageequipment,
suchasSAN,inthevirtualmachine.
Whenavirtualmachinecommunicateswithitsvirtualdiskstoredonadatastore,itissuesSCSIcommands.
Becausedatastorescanexistonvarioustypesofphysicalstorage,thesecommandsareencapsulatedintoother
forms,dependingontheprotocolthattheESXihostusestoconnecttoastoragedevice.
Figure 42depictsfivevirtualmachinesthatusedifferenttypesofstoragetoillustratethedifferencesbetween
eachtype.
Figure 4-2. Virtual Machines Accessing Different Types of Storage
Host
requires TCP/IP connectivity
virtual
machine
virtual
machine
virtual
machine
virtual
machine
virtual
machine
local
ethernet
SCSI
fibre
channel
HBA
VMFS
SAN
software
initiator
iSCSI
hardware
initiator
ethernet
NIC
LAN
ethernet
NIC
LAN
LAN
Key
physical
disk
datastore
virtual
disk
40
VMFS
fibre array
VMFS
iSCSI array
NFS
NAS appliance
VMware, Inc.
Chapter 4 Managing Storage
YoucanusevCLIcommandstomanagethevirtualmachinefilesystemandstoragedevices.
VMFS.Usevmkfstoolstocreate,modify,andmanageVMFSvirtualdisksandrawdevicemappings.
SeeManagingtheVirtualMachineFileSystemwithvmkfstoolsonpage 28foranintroductionandthe
vSphereStoragedocumentationforadetailedreference.
Datastores.Severalcommandsallowyoutomanagedatastoresandareusefulformultipleprotocols.
LUNs.Useesxcli storage coreorvicfg-scsidevscommandstodisplayavailableLUNsand

mappingsforeachVMFSvolumetoitscorrespondingpartition.SeeExaminingLUNsonpage 42.
Pathmanagement.Useesxcli storage coreorvicfg-mpathcommandstolistinformationabout

FibreChanneloriSCSILUNsandtochangeapathsstate.SeeManagingPathsonpage 44.Usethe
ESXCLIcommandtoviewandmodifypathpolicies.SeeManagingPathPoliciesonpage 47.
Rescan.Useesxcli storage coreorvicfg-rescanadapter rescantoperformarescan

operationeachtimeyoureconfigureyourstoragesetup.SeeScanningStorageAdapterson
page 55.
Storagedevices.Severalcommandsmanageonlyspecificstoragedevices.
NFSstorage.Useesxcli storage nfsorvicfg-nastomanageNASstoragedevices.See

ManagingNFS/NASDatastoresonpage 50.
iSCSIstorage.Useesxcli iscsiorvicfg-iscsitomanagebothhardwareandsoftwareiSCSI.
SeeManagingiSCSIStorageonpage 57.
Datastores
ESXihostsusestoragespaceonavarietyofphysicalstoragesystems,includinginternalandexternaldevices
andnetworkedstorage.Ahostcandiscoverstoragedevicestowhichithasaccessandformatthemas
datastores.Eachdatastoreisaspeciallogicalcontainer,analogoustoafilesystemonalogicalvolume,where
thehostplacesvirtualdiskfilesandothervirtualmachinefiles.Datastoreshidespecificsofeachstorage
productandprovideauniformmodelforstoringvirtualmachinefiles.
Dependingonthetypeofstorageyouuse,datastorescanbebackedbythefollowingfilesystemformats:
VirtualMachineFileSystem(VMFS).Highperformancefilesystemoptimizedforstoringvirtual
machines.YourhostcandeployaVMFSdatastoreonanySCSIbasedlocalornetworkedstoragedevice,
includingFibreChannelandiSCSISANequipment.
AsanalternativetousingtheVMFSdatastore,yourvirtualmachinecanhavedirectaccesstorawdevices
anduseamappingfile(RDM)asaproxy.SeeManagingtheVirtualMachineFileSystemwith
vmkfstoolsonpage 28.
NetworkFileSystem(NFS).FilesystemonaNASstoragedevice.ESXisupportsNFSversion3over
TCP/IP.ThehostcanaccessadesignatedNFSvolumelocatedonanNFSserver,mountthevolume,and
useitforanystorageneeds.
Storage Device Naming

Eachstoragedevice,orLUN,isidentifiedbyseveralnames.
Name.AfriendlynamethattheESXihostassignstoadevicebasedonthestoragetypeandmanufacturer,
forexample,DGCFibreChannelDisk.ThisnameisvisibleinthevSphereWebClient.
DeviceUID.Auniversallyuniqueidentifierassignedtoadevice.Thetypeofstoragedeterminesthe
algorithmusedtocreatetheidentifier.Theidentifierispersistentacrossrebootsandisthesameforall
hostssharingthedevice.Theformatisoftennaa.xxxxxxxoreui.xxxxxxxx.
VMLName.AlegacySCSIdevicenamespecifictoVMware.UsethedeviceUIDinstead.
Theruntimenameofthefirstpathtothedeviceisapathidentifierandnotareliableidentifierforthedevice.
Runtimenamesarecreatedbythehost,andarenotpersistent.Theruntimenamehastheformat
vmhba#:C#:T#:L#.YoucanviewtheruntimenameusingthevSphereWebClient.
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Examining LUNs
ALUN(LogicalUnitNumber)isanidentifierforadiskvolumeinastoragearraytarget.
Target and Device Representation

IntheESXicontext,thetermtargetidentifiesasinglestorageunitthatahostcanaccess.Thetermsdeviceand
LUNdescribealogicalvolumethatrepresentsstoragespaceonatarget.ThetermsdeviceandLUNmeana
SCSIvolumepresentedtothehostfromastoragetarget.
DifferentstoragevendorspresenttheirstoragesystemstoESXihostsindifferentways.Somevendorspresent
asingletargetwithmultipleLUNsonit.Othervendors,especiallyiSCSIvendors,presentmultipletargets
withoneLUNeach.
Figure 4-3. Target and LUN Representations
target
LUN
LUN
storage array
LUN
target
target
target
LUN
LUN
LUN
storage array
InFigure 43,threeLUNsareavailableineachconfiguration.Ontheleft,thehostseesonetarget,butthat
targethasthreeLUNsthatcanbeused.EachLUNrepresentsanindividualstoragevolume.Ontheright,the
hostseesthreedifferenttargets,eachhavingoneLUN.
Examining LUNs with esxcli storage core

Useesxcli storage coretodisplayinformationaboutavailableLUNsonESXi5.0.ForESX/ESXi4.xhosts,
usevicfg-scsidevs.ForESX/ESXi3.5systems,thecorrespondingcommandisvicfg-vmhbadevs.
YoucanrunoneofthefollowingcommandstoexamineLUNs.Specifyoneoftheconnectionoptionslistedin
Listalllogicaldevicesknownonthissystemwithdetailedinformation.
esxcli <conn_options> storage core device list
Thecommandlistsdeviceinformationforalllogicaldevicesonthissystem.Theinformationincludesthe
name(UUID),devicetype,displayname,andmultipathingplugin.Specifythe--deviceoptiontoonly
listinformationaboutaspecificdevice.
naa.5000c50006ee9cc7
Display Name: Local SEAGATE Disk (naa.5000c50006ee9cc7)
Has Settable Display Name: true
Size: 286102
Device Type: Direct-Access
Multipath Plugin: NMP
Devfs Path: /vmfs/devices/disks/naa.5000c50006ee9cc7
Vendor: SEAGATE
Model: ST3300555SS
Revision: T211
SCSI Level: 5
Is Pseudo: false
Status: on
Is RDM Capable: true
Is Local: true
Is Removable: false
Is SSD: false
Thin Provisioning Status: unknown
Attached Filters:
VAAI Status: unknown
VAAI Plugin Name:
Other UIDs: vml.02000000005000c50006ee9cc7535433333030
mpx.vmhba0:C0:T0:L0
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VMware, Inc.
...
Attached Filters:
VAAI Status: unsupported
VAAI Plugin Name:
Other UIDs: vml.0005000000766d686261303a303a30
Listaspecificlogicaldevicewithitsdetailedinformation.
esxcli <conn_options> storage core device list -d mpx.vmhba32:C0:T1:L0
Listalldeviceuniqueidentifiers.
esxcli <conn_options> storage core device list
ThecommandliststheprimaryUIDforeachdevice(naa.xxxorotherprimaryname)andanyotherUIDs
foreachUID(VMLname).Youcanspecify--devicetoonlylistinformationforaspecificdevice.
PrintmappingsforVMFSvolumestothecorrespondingpartition,pathtothatpartition,VMFSUUID,
extentnumber,andvolumenames.
esxcli <conn_option> storage filesystem list
PrintHBAdeviceswithidentifyinginformation.
esxcli <conn_options> storage core adapter list
ThereturnvalueincludesadapterandUIDinformation.
PrintamappingbetweenHBAsandthedevicesitprovidespathsto.
esxcli <conn_options> storage core path list
Examining LUNs with vicfg-scsidevs

Usevicfg-scsidevstodisplayinformationaboutavailableLUNsonESX/ESXi 4.xhosts.ForESX/ESXi3.5
systems,thecorrespondingcommandisvicfg-vmhbadevs.
IMPORTANTYoucanrunvicfg-scsidevs--queryandvicfg-scsidevs --vmfsagainstESX/ESXiversion
3.5.TheotheroptionsaresupportedonlyagainstESX/ESXiversion4.0andlater.
YoucanrunoneofthefollowingcommandstoexamineLUNs.Specifyoneoftheconnectionoptionslistedin
Listalllogicaldevicesknownonthissystemwithdetailedinformation.
vicfg-scsidevs <conn_options> --list
Thecommandlistsdeviceinformationforalllogicaldevicesonthissystem.Theinformationincludesthe
name(UUID),devicetype,displayname,andmultipathingplugin.Specifythe--deviceoptiontoonly
listinformationaboutaspecificdevice.Thefollowingexampleshowsoutputfortwodevices;theactual
listingmightincludemultipledevicesandthepreciseformatdiffersbetweenreleases.
mpx.vmhba2:C0:T1:L0
Device Type: cdrom
Size: 0 MB
Display Name: Local HL-DT-ST (mpx.vmhba2:C0:T1:L0)
Plugin: NMP
Console Device: /vmfs/devices/cdrom/mpx.vmhba2:C0:T1:L0
Devfs Path: /vmfs/devices/cdrom/mpx.vmhba2:C0:T1:L0
Vendor: SONY
Model: DVD-ROM GDRXX8XX Revis: 3.00
SCSI Level: 5 Is Pseudo:
Status:
Is RDM Capable: Is Removable:
Other Names:
vml.000N000000XXXdXXXXXXXXaXXXaXX
VAAI Status: nnnn
naa.60060...
Device Type: disk
Size: 614400 MB
Display Name: DGC Fibre Channel Disk (naa.60060...)
...
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Listalllogicaldeviceswithabbreviatedinformation.
vicfg-scsidevs <conn_options> --compact-list
TheinformationincludesthedeviceID,devicetype,size,plugin,anddevicedisplayname.
Listalldeviceuniqueidentifiers.
vicfg-scsidevs <conn_options> --uids
ThecommandliststheprimaryUIDforeachdevice(naa.xxxorotherprimaryname)andanyotherUIDs
foreachUID(VMLname).Youcanspecify--devicetoonlylistinformationforaspecificdevice.
Listaspecificlogicaldevicewithitsdetailedinformation.
vicfg-scsidevs <conn_options> -l -d mpx.vmhba32:C0:T1:L0
PrintmappingsforVMFSvolumestothecorrespondingpartition,pathtothatpartition,VMFSuuid,
extentnumber,andvolumenames.
vicfg-scsidevs <conn_options> --vmfs
PrintHBAdeviceswithidentifyinginformation.
vicfg-scsidevs <conn_options> --hbas
ThereturnvalueincludestheadapterID,driverID,adapterUID,PCI,vendor,andmodel.
PrintamappingbetweenHBAsandthedevicesitprovidespathsto.
vicfg-scsidevs <conn_options> --hba-device-list
Managing Paths
TomaintainaconstantconnectionbetweenanESXihostanditsstorage,ESXisupportsmultipathing.With
multipathingyoucanusemorethanonephysicalpathfortransferringdatabetweentheESXihostandthe
externalstoragedevice.
IncaseoffailureofanelementintheSANnetwork,suchasanHBA,switch,orcable,theESXihostcanfail
overtoanotherphysicalpath.Onsomedevices,multipathingalsooffersloadbalancing,whichredistributes
I/Oloadsbetweenmultiplepathstoreduceoreliminatepotentialbottlenecks.
ThestoragearchitectureinvSphere4.0andlatersupportsaspecialVMkernellayer,PluggableStorage
Architecture(PSA).ThePSAisanopenmodularframeworkthatcoordinatesthesimultaneousoperationof
multiplemultipathingplugins(MPPs).YoucanmanagePSAusingESXCLIcommands.SeeManaging
ThirdPartyStorageArraysonpage 85.ThissectionassumesyouareusingonlyPSApluginsincludedin
vSpherebydefault.
Multipathing with Local Storage and FC SANs

Inasimplemultipathinglocalstoragetopology,youcanuseoneESXihostwithtwoHBAs.TheESXihost
connectstoadualportlocalstoragesystemthroughtwocables.Thisconfigurationensuresfaulttoleranceif
oneoftheconnectionelementsbetweentheESXihostandthelocalstoragesystemfails.
TosupportpathswitchingwithFCSAN,theESXihosttypicallyhastwoHBAsavailablefromwhichthe
storagearraycanbereachedthroughoneormoreswitches.Alternatively,thesetupcanincludeoneHBAand
twostorageprocessorssothattheHBAcanuseadifferentpathtoreachthediskarray.
InFigure 44,multiplepathsconnecteachhostwiththestoragedevice.Forexample,ifHBA1orthelink
betweenHBA1andtheswitchfails,HBA2takesoverandprovidestheconnectionbetweentheserverandthe
switch.TheprocessofoneHBAtakingoverforanotheriscalledHBAfailover.
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VMware, Inc.
Figure 4-4. FC Multipathing

Host 1
HBA2
Host 2
HBA1
HBA3
HBA4
switch
switch
SP1
SP2
storage array
IfSP1orthelinkbetweenSP1andtheswitchbreaks,SP2takesoverandprovidestheconnectionbetweenthe
switchandthestoragedevice.ThisprocessiscalledSPfailover.ESXimultipathingsupportsHBAandSP
failover.
Afteryouhavesetupyourhardwaretosupportmultipathing,youcanusethevSphereWebClientorvCLI
commandstolistandmanagepaths.Youcanperformthefollowingtasks.
Listpathinformationwithvicfg-mpathoresxcli storage core path.SeeListingPathInformation

onpage 45.
Changepathstatewithvicfg-mpathoresxcli storage core path.SeeChangingtheStateofaPath

onpage 47.
IMPORTANTUseESXCLIforESXi5.0.Usevicfg-mpathforESX/ESXi4.0orlater.Usevicfg-mpath35
forESX/ESXi3.5.
ChangepathpolicieswithESXCLI.SeeSettingPolicyDetailsforDevicesthatUseRoundRobinon
page 50.
MaskpathswithESXCLI.SeethevSphereStoragedocumentation.
Manipulatetherulesthatmatchpathstomultipathingpluginstonewlydiscovereddeviceswithesxcli
claimrule.SeeManagingClaimRulesonpage 93.
Runorrerunclaimrulesorunclaimpaths.SeeManagingClaimRulesonpage 93.
Rescanwithvicfg-rescan.SeeScanningStorageAdaptersonpage 55.
Listing Path Information

YoucanlistpathinformationwithESXCLIorwithvicfg-mpath.
Listing Path Information with ESXCLI

Youcanrunesxcli storage core pathtodisplayinformationaboutFibreChanneloriSCSILUNs.
IMPORTANTUseindustrystandarddevicenames,withformateui.xxxornaa.xxxtoensureconsistency.
DonotuseVMLLUNnamesunlessdevicenamesarenotavailable.
NamesofvirtualmachineHBAsarenotguaranteedtobevalidacrossreboots.
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45
Youcandisplayinformationaboutpathsbyrunningesxcli storage core path.Specifyoneoftheoptions

listedinConnectionOptionsonpage 17inplaceof<conn_options>.
Listalldeviceswiththeircorrespondingpaths,stateofthepath,adaptertype,andotherinformation.
Limitthedisplaytoonlyaspecifiedpathordevice.
esxcli <conn_options> storage core path list --path <path>
esxcli <conn_options> storage core path list --device <device>
ListthestatisticsfortheSCSIpathsinthesystem.Youcanlistallpathsorlimitthedisplaytoaspecific
path.
esxcli <conn_options> storage core path stats get
esxcli <conn_options> storage core path stats get --path <path
Listdetailedinformationforthepathsforthedevicespecifiedwith--device.
esxcli <conn_options> storage core path list -d <naa.xxxxxx>
Listalladapters.
esxcli <conn_options> storage core adapter list
Rescanalladapters.
esxcli <conn_options> storage core adapter rescan
Listing Path Information with vicfg-mpath

Youcanrunvicfg-mpathtolistinformationaboutFibreChanneloriSCSILUNs.
IMPORTANTUseindustrystandarddevicenames,withformateui.xxxornaa.xxxtoensureconsistency.
DonotuseVMLLUNnamesunlessdevicenamesarenotavailable.
NamesofvirtualmachineHBAsarenotguaranteedtobevalidacrossreboots.
Youcandisplayinformationaboutpathsbyrunningvicfg-mpathwithoneofthefollowingoptions.Specify
oneoftheoptionslistedinConnectionOptionsonpage 17inplaceof<conn_options>.
Listalldeviceswiththeircorrespondingpaths,stateofthepath,adaptertype,andotherinformation.
vicfg-mpath <conn_options> --list-paths
Displayashortlistingofallpaths.
vicfg-mpath <conn_options> --list-compact
Listallpathswithadapteranddevicemappings.
vicfg-mpath <conn_options> --list-map
ListpathsanddetailedinformationbyspecifyingthepathUID(longpath).ThepathUIDisthefirstitem
inthevicfg-mpath --listdisplay.
vicfg-mpath <conn_options> --list
-P sas.5001c231c79c4a00-sas.1221000001000000-naa.5000c5000289c61b
Listpathsanddetailedinformationbyspecifyingthepathruntimename.
vicfg-mpath <conn_options> -l -P vmhba32:C0:T0:L0
Thereturninformationincludestheruntimename,device,devicedisplayname,adapter,adapter
identifier,targetidentifier,plugin,state,transport,andadapterandtargettransportdetails.
Listdetailedinformationforthepathsforthedevicespecifiedwith--device.
vicfg-mpath <conn_options> -l -d mpx.vmhba32:C0:T1:L0
vicfg-mpath <conn_options> --list --device naa.60060...
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VMware, Inc.
Changing the State of a Path

YoucanchangethestateofapathwithESXCLIorwithvicfg-mpath.
Changing Path State with ESXCLI

Youcantemporarilydisablepathsformaintenanceorotherreasons,andenablethepathwhenyouneedit
again.YoucandisablepathswithESXCLI.SpecifyoneoftheoptionslistedinConnectionOptionson
Ifyouarechangingapathsstate,thechangeoperationfailsifI/Oisactivewhenthepathsettingischanged.
Reissuethecommand.YoumustissueatleastoneI/Ooperationbeforethechangetakeseffect.
To disable a path with ESXCLI
1
(Optional)Listalldevicesandcorrespondingpaths.
Thedisplayincludesinformationabouteachpathsstate.
2
SetthestateofaLUNpathtooff.
esxcli <conn_options> storage core path set --state off --path vmhba32:C0:T1:L0
Whenyouareready,setthepathstatetoactiveagain.
esxcli <conn_options> storage core path set --state active --path vmhba32:C0:T1:L0
Changing Path State with vicfg-mpath

Youcandisablepathswithvicfg-mpath.SpecifyoneoftheoptionslistedinConnectionOptionson
Ifyouarechangingapathsstate,thechangeoperationfailsifI/Oisactivewhenthepathsettingischanged.
Reissuethecommand.YoumustissueatleastoneI/Ooperationbeforethechangetakeseffect.
To disable a path with vicfg-mpath
1
(Optional)Listalldevicesandcorrespondingpaths.
vicfg-mpath <conn_options> --list-paths
Thedisplayincludesinformationabouteachpathsstate.
2
SetthestateofaLUNpathtooff.
vicfg-mpath <conn_options> --state off --path vmhba32:C0:T1:L0
Whenyouareready,setthepathstatetoactiveagain.
vicfg-mpath <conn_options> --state active --path vmhba32:C0:T1:L0
Managing Path Policies

ForeachstoragedevicemanagedbyNMP(notPowerPath),anESXihostusesapathselectionpolicy.Ifyou
haveathirdpartyPSPinstalledonyourhost,itspolicyalsoappearsonthelist.Thefollowingpathpolicies
aresupportedbydefault.
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47
Table 4-1. Supported Path Policies

Policy
Description
VMW_PSP_FIXED
Thehostusesthedesignatedpreferredpath,ifithasbeenconfigured.Otherwise,thehost
selectsthefirstworkingpathdiscoveredatsystemboottime.Ifyouwantthehosttousea
particularpreferredpath,specifyitthroughthevSphereWebClient,orbyusingesxcli
storage nmp psp fixed deviceconfig set.SeeChangingPathPoliciesonpage 49.
ThedefaultpolicyforactiveactivestoragedevicesisVMW_PSP_FIXED.
VMW_PSP_MRU
Thehostselectsthepaththatitusedmostrecently.Whenthepathbecomesunavailable,the
hostselectsanalternativepath.Thehostdoesnotrevertbacktotheoriginalpathwhenthat
pathbecomesavailableagain.ThereisnopreferredpathsettingwiththeMRUpolicy.MRU
isthedefaultpolicyforactivepassivestoragedevices.
VMW_PSP_RR
Thehostusesanautomaticpathselectionalgorithmthatrotatesthroughallactivepaths
whenconnectingtoactivepassivearrays,orthroughallavailablepathswhenconnectingto
activeactivearrays.Automaticpathselectionimplementsloadbalancingacrossthephysical
pathsavailabletoyourhost.LoadbalancingistheprocessofspreadingI/Orequestsacross
thepaths.ThegoalistooptimizethroughputperformancesuchasI/Opersecond,megabytes
persecond,orresponsetimes.
VMW_PSP_RRisthedefaultforanumberofarraysandcanbeusedwithbothactiveactiveand
activepassivearraystoimplementloadbalancingacrosspathsfordifferentLUNs.
Thetypeofarrayandthepathpolicydeterminethebehaviorofthehost.
Table 4-2. Path Policy Effects
Policy
Active/Active Array
Active/Passive Array
MostRecentlyUsed
Administratoractionisrequiredtofail
backafterpathfailure.
Administratoractionisrequiredtofailback
afterpathfailure.
Fixed
VMkernelresumesusingthepreferred
pathwhenconnectivityisrestored.
VMkernelattemptstoresumebyusingthe
preferredpath.Thisactioncancausepath
thrashingorfailurewhenanotherSPnow
ownstheLUN.
RoundRobin
Nofailback.
Nextpathinroundrobinschedulingis
selected.
Multipathing Considerations
Thefollowingconsiderationshelpyouwithmultipathing:
48
IfnoSATPisassignedtothedevicebytheclaimrules,thedefaultSATPforiSCSIorFCdevicesis
VMW_SATP_DEFAULT_AA.ThedefaultPSPisVMW_PSP_FIXED.
WhenthesystemsearchestheSATPrulestolocateaSATPforagivendevice,itsearchesthedriverrules
first.Ifthereisnomatch,thevendor/modelrulesaresearched,andfinallythetransportrulesare
searched.Ifnomatchoccurs,NMPselectsadefaultSATPforthedevice.
IfVMW_SATP_ALUAisassignedtoaspecificstoragedevice,butthedeviceisnotALUAaware,noclaim
rulematchoccursforthisdevice.ThedeviceisclaimedbythedefaultSATPbasedonthedevices
transporttype.
ThedefaultPSPforalldevicesclaimedbyVMW_SATP_ALUAisVMW_PSP_MRU.TheVMW_PSP_MRUselectsan
active/optimizedpathasreportedbytheVMW_SATP_ALUA,oranactive/unoptimizedpathifthereis
noactive/optimizedpath.Thispathisuseduntilabetterpathisavailable(MRU).Forexample,ifthe
VMW_PSP_MRUiscurrentlyusinganactive/unoptimizedpathandanactive/optimizedpathbecomes
available,theVMW_PSP_MRUwillswitchthecurrentpathtotheactive/optimizedone.
VMware, Inc.
WhileVMW_PSP_MRUistypicallyselectedforALUAarraysbydefault,certainALUAstoragearraysneed
touseVMW_PSP_FIXED.TocheckwhetheryourstoragearrayrequiresVMW_PSP_FIXED,seetheVMware
CompatibilityGuideorcontactyourstoragevendor.WhenusingVMW_PSP_FIXEDwithALUAarrays,
unlessyouexplicitlyspecifyapreferredpath,theESXihostselectsthemostoptimalworkingpathand
designatesitasthedefaultpreferredpath.Ifthehostselectedpathbecomesunavailable,thehostselects
analternativeavailablepath.However,ifyouexplicitlydesignatethepreferredpath,itwillremain
preferrednomatterwhatitsstatusis.
Bydefault,thePSAclaimrule101masksDellarraypseudodevices.Donotdeletethisrule,unlessyou
wanttounmaskthesedevices.
Changing Path Policies

YoucanchangepathpolicieswithESXCLIorwithvicfg-mpath.
Changing Path Policies with ESXCLI

YoucanchangethepathpolicywithESXCLI.SpecifyoneoftheoptionslistedinConnectionOptionson
To change the path policy with ESXCLI
1
EnsureyourdeviceisclaimedbytheNMPplugin.OnlyNMPdevicesallowyoutochangethepathpolicy.
esxcli <conn_options> storage nmp device list
Retrievethelistofpathselectionpoliciesonthesystemtoseewhichvaluesarevalidforthe--pspoption
whenyousetthepathpolicy.
esxcli storage core plugin registration list --plugin-class="PSP"
Setthepathpolicyusingesxcli.
esxcli <conn_options> storage nmp device set --device naa.xxx --psp VMW_PSP_RR
SeeTable 41,SupportedPathPolicies,onpage 48.

4
(Optional)IfyouspecifiedtheVMW_PSP_FIXEDpolicy,youmustmakesurethepreferredpathisset
correctly.
a
Checkwhichpathisthepreferredpathforadevice.
esxcli <conn_options> storage nmp psp fixed deviceconfig get --device naa.xxx
Ifnecessary,changethepreferredpath.
esxcli <conn_options> storage nmp psp fixed deviceconfig set --device naa.xxx --path
vmhba3:C0:T5:L3
Thecommandsetsthepreferredpathtovmhba3:C0:T5:L3.Runthecommandwith--defaultto
clearthepreferredpathselection.
Changing Path Policies with vicfg-mpath

Youcanchangethepathpolicywithvicfg-mpath.SpecifyoneoftheoptionslistedinConnectionOptions
onpage 17inplaceof<conn_options>.
To change the path policy with vicfg-mpath
1
Listallmultipathingpluginsloadedintothesystem.
vicfg-mpath <conn_options> --list-plugins
Ataminimum,thiscommandreturnsNMP(NativeMultipathingPlugin)andMASK_PATH.IfotherMPP
pluginshavebeenloaded,theyarelistedaswell.
2
SetthepathpolicybyusingESXCLI.
esxcli <conn_options> nmp device set --device naa.xxx --psp VMW_PSP_RR
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SeeTable 41,SupportedPathPolicies,onpage 48.

3
(Optional)IfyouspecifiedtheVMW_PSP_FIXEDpolicy,youmustmakesurethepreferredpathisset
correctly.
a
Firstcheckwhichpathisthepreferredpathforadevice.
esxcli <conn_options> storage nmp psp fixed deviceconfig get -d naa.xxxx
Ifnecessary,changethepreferredpath.
esxcli <conn_options> storage nmp psp fixed deviceconfig set --device naa.xxx --path
vmhba3:C0:T5:L3
Thecommandsetsthepreferredpathtovmhba3:C0:T5:L3
Setting Policy Details for Devices that Use Round Robin

ESXihostscanusemultipathingforfailover.Withcertainstoragedevices,ESXihostscanalsouse
multipathingforloadbalancing.Toachievebetterloadbalancingacrosspaths,administratorscanspecifythat
theESXihostshouldswitchpathsundercertaincircumstances.Differentsettableoptionsdeterminewhenthe
ESXihostswitchespathsandwhatpathsarechosen.Onlyalimitednumberofstoragearrayssupportround
robin.
Youcanuseesxcli nmp roundrobintoretrieveandsetroundrobinpathoptionsonadevicecontrolledby
theroundrobinPSP.SpecifyoneoftheoptionslistedinConnectionOptionsonpage 17inplaceof
<conn_options>.
Novicfg-commandexistsforperformingtheoperations.TheESXCLIcommandsforsettingroundrobin
pathoptionshavechanged.ThecommandssupportedinESX/ESXi4.xisnolongersupported.
To view and manipulate round robin path selection settings with ESXCLI
1
RetrievepathselectionsettingsforadevicethatisusingtheroundrobinPSP.
esxcli <conn_options> storage nmp psp roundrobin deviceconfig get --device na.xxx
Setthepathselection.Youcanspecifywhenthepathshouldchange,andwhetherunoptimizedpaths
shouldbeincluded.
Use--bytesor--iopstospecifywhenthepathshouldchange,asinthefollowingexamples:
esxcli <conn_options> storage nmp psp roundrobin deviceconfig set --type "bytes" -B 12345
--device naa.xxx
Setsthedevicespecifiedby--devicetoswitchtothenextpatheachtime12345byteshavebeensent
alongthecurrentpath.
esxcli <conn_options> storage nmp psp roundrobin deviceconfig set --type=iops --iops
4200 --device naa.xxx
Setsthedevicespecifiedby--devicetoswitchafter4200I/Ooperationshavebeenperformedona
path.
UseuseanotospecifythattheroundrobinPSPshouldincludepathsintheactive,unoptimizedstate
intheroundrobinset(1)orthatthePSPshoulduseactive,unoptimizedpathsonlyifnoactive
optimizedpathsareavailable(0).Ifyoudonotincludethisoption,thePSPincludesonlyactive
optimizedpathsintheroundrobinpathset.
Managing NFS/NAS Datastores

ESXihostscanaccessadesignatedNFSvolumelocatedonaNAS(NetworkAttachedStorage)server,can
mountthevolume,andcanuseitforitsstorageneeds.YoucanuseNFSvolumestostoreandbootvirtual
machinesinthesamewaythatyouuseVMFSdatastores.
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Capabilities Supported by NFS/NAS

ESXihostssupportthefollowingsharedstoragecapabilitiesonNFSvolumes:
VMwarevMotion
VMwareDRSandVMwareHA
ISOimages,whicharepresentedasCDROMstovirtualmachines
Virtualmachinesnapshots
NASstoresvirtualmachinefilesonremotefileserversthatareaccessedoverastandardTCP/IPnetwork.The
NFSclientbuiltintotheESXisystemusesNFSversion3tocommunicatewithNAS/NFSservers.Fornetwork
connectivity,thehostrequiresastandardnetworkadapter.
InadditiontostoringvirtualdisksonNFSdatastores,youcanalsouseNFSasacentralrepositoryforISO
images,virtualmachinetemplates,andsoon.
TouseNFSasasharedrepository,youcreateadirectoryontheNFSserverandthenmountthedirectoryasa
datastoreonallhosts.IfyouusethedatastoreforISOimages,youcanconnectthevirtualmachinesCDROM
devicetoanISOfileonthedatastoreandinstallaguestoperatingsystemfromtheISOfile.
Adding and Deleting NAS File Systems

Youcanlist,add,anddeleteaNASfilesystemwithESXCLIorwithvicfg-nas.
Managing NAS File Systems with ESXCLI

YoucanuseESXCLIasavCLIcommandwithconnectionoptions(seeConnectionOptionsonpage 17)or
intheESXishell.
To manage a NAS file system
1
ListallknownNASfilesystems.
esxcli <conn_options> storage nfs list
ForeachNASfilesystem,thecommandliststhemountname,sharename,andhostnameandwhether
thefilesystemismounted.
IfnoNASfilesystemsareavailable,thesystemdoesnotreturnaNASfilesystemandreturnstothe
commandprompt.
2
AddanewNASfilesystemtotheESXihost.SpecifytheNASserverwith--host,thevolumetousefor
themountwith--volume-name,andthesharenameontheremotesystemtouseforthisNASmount
pointwith--share.
esxcli <conn_options> storage nfs add --host=dir42.eng.vmware.com --share=/<mount_dir>
--volume-name=nfsstore-dir42
ThiscommandaddsanentrytotheknownNASfilesystemlistandsuppliesthesharenameofthenew
NASfilesystem.Youmustsupplythehostname,sharename,andvolumenameforthenewNASfile
system.
3
AddasecondNASfilesystemwithreadonlyaccess.
esxcli <conn_options> storage nfs add --host=dir42.eng.vmware.com --share=/home
--volume-name=FileServerHome2 --readonly
DeleteoneoftheNASfilesystems.
esxcli <conn_options> storage nfs remove --volume-name=FileServerHome2
ThiscommandunmountstheNASfilesystemandremovesitfromthelistofknownfilesystems.
Managing NAS File Systems with vicfg-nas

Youcanusevicfg-nasasavCLIcommandwithconnectionoptions.SeeConnectionOptionsonpage 17.
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To manage a NAS file system

1
ListallknownNASfilesystems.
vicfg-nas <conn_options> -l
ForeachNASfilesystem,thecommandliststhemountname,sharename,andhostnameandwhether
thefilesystemismounted.IfnoNASfilesystemsareavailable,thesystemreturnsthefollowingmessage:
No NAS datastore found
AddanewNASfilesystemtotheESXihost.
vicfg-nas <conn_options --add
nfsstore-dir42
--nasserver dir42.eng.vmware.com -s /<mount_dir>
ThiscommandaddsanentrytotheknownNASfilesystemlistandsuppliesthesharenameofthenew
NASfilesystem.YoumustsupplythehostnameandthesharenameforthenewNASfilesystem.
3
AddasecondNASfilesystemwithreadonlyaccess.
vicfg-nas <conn_options> -a -y --n esx42nas2 -s /home FileServerHome2
DeleteoneoftheNASfilesystems.
vicfg-nas <conn_options> -d FileServerHome1
ThiscommandunmountstheNASfilesystemandremovesitfromthelistofknownfilesystems.
Monitoring and Managing SAN Storage

Theesxcli storage sancommandshelpadministratorstroubleshootissueswithI/Odevicesandfabric,
andincludeFibreChannel,FCoE,iSCSI,SASprotocolstatistics.Thecommandsallowyoutoretrievedevice
informationandI/Ostatisticsfromthosedevice.YoucanalsoissueLoopInitializationPrimitivesLIPto
FC/FCoEdevicesandyoucanresetSASdevices.
ForFCandFCoEdevices,youcanretrieveFCeventssuchasRSCN,LINKUP,LINKDOWN,FrameDropandFCoE
CVL.ThecommandslogawarningintheVMkernellogifitencounterstoomanyLinkTogglingorframedrops
To retrieve and reset the IO Device Management module
1
RetrievealleventsforaFibreChannelI/Odevice.
esxcli storage san fc events get
ClearallI/ODeviceManagementeventsforthespecifiedadapter.
esxcli storage san fc events clear --adapter adapter
Migrating Virtual Machines with svmotion

StoragevMotionmovesavirtualmachinesconfigurationfile,and,optionally,itsdisks,whilethevirtual
machineisrunning.YoucanperformStoragevMotiontasksfromthevSphereWebClientorwiththe
svmotioncommand.
IMPORTANTNoESXCLIcommandforStoragevMotionisavailable.
Youcanplacethevirtualmachineandallofitsdisksinasinglelocation,orchooseseparatelocationsforthe
virtualmachineconfigurationfileandeachvirtualdisk.Youcannotchangethevirtualmachinesexecution
hostduringamigrationwithsvmotion.
Storage vMotion Uses

StoragevMotionhasseveralusesinadministeringyourvSphereenvironment.
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UpgradeESXiwithoutvirtualmachinedowntimeinsituationswherevirtualmachinedisksmustbe
movedtosharedstoragetoallowmigrationwithvMotion.
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Performstoragemaintenanceandreconfiguration.YoucanuseStoragevMotiontomovevirtual
machinesoffastoragedevicetoallowmaintenanceorreconfigurationofthestoragedevicewithout
virtualmachinedowntime.
Redistributestorageload.YoucanuseStoragevMotiontomanuallyredistributevirtualmachinesor
virtualdiskstodifferentstoragevolumestobalancecapacityorimproveperformance.
Storage vMotion Requirements and Limitations

YoucanmigratevirtualmachinediskswithStoragevMotionifthevirtualmachineanditshostmeetthe
followingresourceandconfigurationrequirements:
ForESXi5.0hosts,youcanmigratevirtualmachinesthathavesnapshots.ForearlierversionsofESXi,you
cannotmigratevirtualmachinesthathavesnapshots.
Virtualmachinedisksmustbeinpersistentmodeorberawdevicemappings(RDMs).Forphysicaland
virtualcompatibilitymodeRDMs,youcanmigratethemappingfileonly.Forvirtualcompatibilitymode
RDMs,youcanusethevSphereWebClienttoconverttothickprovisionedorthinprovisioneddisks
duringmigrationaslongasthedestinationisnotanNFSdatastore.Youcannotusethesvmotion
commandtoperformthisconversion.
ThehostonwhichthevirtualmachineisrunningmusthavealicensethatincludesStoragevMotion.
ESX/ESXi3.5hostsmustbelicensedandconfiguredforvMotion.ESX/ESXi4.0andlaterhostsdonot
requirevMotionconfigurationtoperformmigrationwithStoragevMotion.
Thehostthevirtualmachineisrunningonmusthaveaccesstoboththesourceandtargetdatastores.
AparticularhostcanbeinvolvedinuptofourmigrationswithvMotionorStoragevMotionatonetime.
SeeLimitsonSimultaneousMigrationsinthevCenterServerandHostManagementdocumentationfor
details.
IfyouusethevSphereWebClientformigrationwithsvmotion,thesystemperformsseveralcompatibility
checks.ThesechecksarenotsupportedbythesvmotionvCLIcommand.
Running svmotion in Interactive Mode

Youcanrunsvmotionininteractivemodeusingthe--interactiveoption.Thecommandpromptsyoufor
theinformationitneedstocompletethestoragemigration.
svmotion <conn_options> --interactive
Whenyouuse--interactive,allotheroptionsareignored.
IMPORTANTWhenrespondingtotheprompts,usequotesaroundinputstringswithspecialcharacters.
Running svmotion in Noninteractive Mode

IMPORTANTWhenyourunsvmotion,--servermustpointtoavCenterServersystem.
Innoninteractivemode,thesvmotioncommandusesthefollowingsyntax:
svmotion [standard vCLI options] --datacenter=<datacenter_name>
--vm <VM config datastore path>:<new datastore>
[--disks <virtual disk datastore path>:<new datastore>,
<virtual disk datastore path>:<new datastore>]
Squarebracketsindicateoptionalelements,notdatastores.
The--vmoptionspecifiesthevirtualmachineanditsdestination.Bydefault,allvirtualdisksarerelocatedto
thesamedatastoreasthevirtualmachine.Thisoptionrequiresthecurrentvirtualmachineconfigurationfile
location.SeeTodeterminethepathtothevirtualmachineconfigurationfileanddiskfileonpage 54.
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53
The--disksoptionrelocatesindividualvirtualdiskstodifferentdatastores.The--disksoptionrequiresthe
currentvirtualdiskdatastorepathasanoption.SeeTodeterminethepathtothevirtualmachine
configurationfileanddiskfileonpage 54.
To determine the path to the virtual machine configuration file and disk file
1
Runvmware-cmd -ltolistallvirtualmachineconfigurationfiles(VMXfiles).
vmware-cmd -H <vc_server> -U <login_user> -P <login_password> -h <esx_host> -l
ChoosetheVMXfileforthevirtualmachineofinterest.
Bydefault,thevirtualdiskfilehasthesamenameastheVMXfilebuthasa.vmdkextension.
(Optional)UsevifstoverifythatyouareusingthecorrectVMDKfile.
To relocate a virtual machines storage (including disks)

1
Determinethepathtothevirtualmachineconfigurationfile.
Runsvmotion:
svmotion
--url=https://myvc.mycorp.com/sdk --datacenter=DC1
--vm=[storage1] myvm/myvm.vmx:new_datastore
TheexampleisforWindows.UsesinglequotesonLinux.
To relocate a virtual machines configuration file, but leave virtual disks
1
Determinethepathtothevirtualdiskfilesandthevirtualmachineconfigurationfile.
Runsvmotion,forexample:
svmotion
<conn_options>
--datacenter='My DC'
--vm='[old_datastore] myvm/myvm.vmx:new_datastore'
--disks='[old_datastore] myvm/myvm_1.vmdk:old_datastore, [old_datastore] myvm/myvm_2.vmdk:
old_datastore'
Thiscommandrelocatesthevirtualmachinesconfigurationfiletonew_datastore,butleavesthetwodisks
(myvm_1.vmdkandmyvm_2.vmdk)inold_datastore.TheexampleisforLinux.Usedoublequoteson
Windows.Thesquarebracketssurroundthedatastorenameanddonotindicateanoptionalelement.
Configuring FCoE Adapters

ESXicanuseFibreChanneloverEthernet(FCoE)adapterstoaccessFibreChannelstorage.
TheFCoEprotocolencapsulatesFibreChannelframesintoEthernetframes.Asaresult,yourhostdoesnot
needspecialFibreChannellinkstoconnecttoFibreChannelstorage,butcanuse10GbitlosslessEthernetto
deliverFibreChanneltraffic.
TouseFCoE,youneedtoinstallFCoEadapters.TheadaptersthatVMwaresupportsgenerallyfallintotwo
categories,hardwareFCoEadaptersandsoftwareFCoEadapters.
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HardwareFCoEAdapters.HardwareFCoEadaptersincludecompletelyoffloadedspecialized
ConvergedNetworkAdapters(CNAs)thatcontainnetworkandFibreChannelfunctionalitiesonthe
samecard.Whensuchanadapterisinstalled,yourhostdetectsandcanusebothCNAcomponents.In
thevSphereWebClient,thenetworkingcomponentappearsasastandardnetworkadapter(vmnic)and
theFibreChannelcomponentasaFCoEadapter(vmhba).YoudonothavetoconfigureahardwareFCoE
adaptertobeabletouseit.
SoftwareFCoEAdapters.AsoftwareFCoEadapterisasoftwarecodethatperformssomeoftheFCoE
processing.TheadaptercanbeusedwithanumberofNICsthatsupportpartialFCoEoffload.Unlikethe
hardwareFCoEadapter,thesoftwareadaptermustbeactivated.
VMware, Inc.
Scanning Storage Adapters

Youmustperformarescanoperationeachtimeyoureconfigureyourstoragesetup.Youcanscanusingthe
vSphereWebClientthevicfg-rescanvCLIcommand,ortheesxcli storage core adapter rescan
command.
esxcli storage core adapter rescansupportsthefollowingadditionaloptions:
-a|--allor-A|--adapter=<string>Scanalladaptersoraspecifiedadapter.
-S|--skip-claimSkipclaimingofnewdevicesbytheappropriatemultipathplugin.
-F|--skip-fs-scanSkipfilesystemscan
-t|--typeSpecifythetypeofscantoperform.Thecommandeitherscansforallchanges(all)or
foradded,deleted,orupdatedadapters(add,delete,update)
vicfg-rescansupportsonlyasimplerescanoperationonaspecifiedadapter.
To rescan a storage adapter with vicfg-rescan

Runvicfg-rescan,specifyingtheadaptername.
vicfg-rescan <conn_options> vmhba1
Thecommandreturnsanindicationofsuccessorfailure,butnodetailedinformation.
To rescan a storage adapter with ESXCLI
Thefollowingcommandscansaspecificadapterandskipsthefilesystemscanthatisperformedbydefault.
esxcli <conn_options> storage core adapter rescan --adapter=vmhba33 --skip-claim
Thecommandreturnsanindicationofsuccessorfailure,butnodetailedinformation.
Retrieving SMART Information

YoucanuseESXCLItoretrieveinformationrelatedtoSMART.SMARTisamonitoringsystemforcomputer
harddisksthatreportsinformationaboutthedisks.
esxcli storage core device smart get -d device
WhatthecommandreturnsdependsonthelevelofSMARTinformationthatthedevicesupports.Ifno
informationisavailableforaparameter,theoutputdisplaysN/A,asinthefollowingsampleoutput.
Parameter
Value Threshold Worst
----------------------------------------------------Health Status
OK
N/A
N/A
Media Wearout Indicator
N/A
N/A
N/A
Write Error Count
N/A
N/A
N/A
Read Error Count
119
6
74
Power-on Hours
57
0
57
Power Cycle Count
100
20
100
Reallocated Sector Count
100
36
100
Raw Read Error Rate
119
6
74
Drive Temperature
38
0
49
Driver Rated Max Temperature 62
45
51
Write Sectors TOT Count
200
0
200
Read Sectors TOT Count
100
0
253
Initial Bad Block Count
N/A
N/A
N/A
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53
Managing iSCSI Storage
ESXisystemsincludeiSCSItechnologytoaccessremotestorageusinganIPnetwork.YoucanusethevSphere
WebClient,commandsintheesxcliiscsinamespace,orthevicfg-iscsicommandtoconfigureboth
hardwareandsoftwareiSCSIstorageforyourESXisystem.
iSCSIStorageOverviewonpage 57
ProtectinganiSCSISANonpage 59
CommandSyntaxforesxcliiscsiandvicfgiscsionpage 61
iSCSIStorageSetupwithESXCLIonpage 66
iSCSIStorageSetupwithvicfgiscsionpage 71
ListingandSettingiSCSIOptionsonpage 75
ListingandSettingiSCSIParametersonpage 76
EnablingiSCSIAuthenticationonpage 80
SettingUpPortsforiSCSIMultipathingonpage 81
ManagingiSCSISessionsonpage 82
SeethevSphereStoragedocumentationforadditionalinformation.
iSCSI Storage Overview

WithiSCSI,SCSIstoragecommandsthatyourvirtualmachineissuestoitsvirtualdiskareconvertedinto
TCP/IPprotocolpacketsandtransmittedtoaremotedevice,ortarget,onwhichthevirtualdiskislocated.To
thevirtualmachine,thedeviceappearsasalocallyattachedSCSIdrive.
Toaccessremotetargets,theESXihostusesiSCSIinitiators.InitiatorstransportSCSIrequestsandresponses
betweenESXiandthetargetstoragedeviceontheIPnetwork.ESXisupportsthesetypesofinitiators:
SoftwareiSCSIadapter.VMwarecodebuiltintotheVMkernel.AllowsanESXihosttoconnecttothe
iSCSIstoragedevicethroughstandardnetworkadapters.ThesoftwareinitiatorhandlesiSCSIprocessing
whilecommunicatingwiththenetworkadapter.
HardwareiSCSIadapter.OffloadsalliSCSIandnetworkprocessingfromyourhost.HardwareiSCSI
adaptersarebrokenintotwotypes.
DependenthardwareiSCSIadapter.LeveragestheVMwareiSCSImanagementandconfiguration
interfaces.
IndependenthardwareiSCSIadapter.LeveragesitsowniSCSImanagementandconfiguration
interfaces.
SeethevSphereStoragedocumentationfordetailsonsetupandfailoverscenarios.
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YoumustconfigureiSCSIinitiatorsforthehosttoaccessanddisplayiSCSIstoragedevices.
Figure 51depictshoststhatusedifferenttypesofiSCSIinitiators.
ThehostontheleftusesanindependenthardwareiSCSIadaptertoconnecttotheiSCSIstoragesystem.
ThehostontherightusessoftwareiSCSI.
DependenthardwareiSCSIcanbeimplementedindifferentwaysandisnotshown.iSCSIstoragedevices
fromthestoragesystembecomeavailabletothehost.YoucanaccessthestoragedevicesandcreateVMFS
datastoresforyourstorageneeds.
Figure 5-1. iSCSI Storage
hardware
iSCSI
software
iSCSI
host 1
host 2
software
adapter
HBA2
HBA1
NIC2
NIC1
IP network
SP
iSCSI storage
Discovery Sessions
AdiscoverysessionispartoftheiSCSIprotocol.Thediscoverysessionreturnsthesetoftargetsthatyoucan
accessonaniSCSIstoragesystem.ESXisystemssupportdynamicandstaticdiscovery.
Dynamicdiscovery.AlsoknownasSendTargetsdiscovery.EachtimetheESXihostcontactsaspecified
iSCSIstorageserver,itsendsaSendTargetsrequesttotheserver.Inresponse,theiSCSIstorageserver
suppliesalistofavailabletargetstotheESXihost.Monitorandmanagewithesxcli iscsi adapter
discovery sendtargetorvicfg-iscsicommands.
Staticdiscovery.TheESXihostdoesnothavetoperformdiscovery.Instead,theESXihostusestheIP
addressesordomainnamesandiSCSItargetnames(IQNorEUIformatnames)tocommunicatewiththe
iSCSItarget.Monitorandmanagewithesxcli iscsi adapter discovery statictargetor
vicfg-iscsicommands.
Foreithercase,yousetuptargetdiscoveryaddressessothattheinitiatorcandeterminewhichstorage
resourceonthenetworkisavailableforaccess.Youcandothissetupwithdynamicdiscoveryorstatic
discovery.Withdynamicdiscovery,alltargetsassociatedwithanIPaddressorhostnameandtheiSCSIname
arediscovered.Withstaticdiscovery,youmustspecifytheIPaddressorhostnameandtheiSCSInameofthe
targetyouwanttoaccess.TheiSCSIHBAmustbeinthesameVLANasbothportsoftheiSCSIarray.
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Chapter 5 Managing iSCSI Storage
Discovery Target Names

ThetargetnameiseitheranIQNnameoranEUIname.
TheIQNnameusesthefollowingformat:
iqn.yyyy-mm.{reversed domain name}:id_string
Forexample:iqn.2007-05.com.mydomain:storage.tape.sys3.abc
TheESXihostgeneratesanIQNnameforsoftwareiSCSIanddependenthardwareiSCSIadapters.You
canchangethatdefaultIQNname.
TheEUInameisdescribedinIETFrfc3720asfollows:
TheIEEERegistrationAuthorityprovidesaserviceforassigninggloballyuniqueidentifiers[EUI].The
EUI64formatisusedtobuildaglobalidentifierinothernetworkprotocols.Forexample,FibreChannel
definesamethodofencodingitintoaWorldWideName.
Theformatiseui.followedbyanEUI64identifier(16ASCIIencodedhexadecimaldigits).
Forexample:
Type EUI-64 identifier (ASCII-encoded hexadecimal)
+--++--------------+
| ||
|
eui.02004567A425678D
TheIEEEEUI64iSCSInameformatcanbeusedwhenamanufacturerisregisteredwiththeIEEE
RegistrationAuthorityandusesEUI64formattedworldwideuniquenamesforitsproducts.
CheckintheUIofthestoragearraywhetheranarrayusesanIQNnameoranEUIname.
Protecting an iSCSI SAN

YouriSCSIconfigurationisonlyassecureasyourIPnetwork.Byenforcinggoodsecuritystandardswhenyou
setupyournetwork,youhelpsafeguardyouriSCSIstorage.
Protecting Transmitted Data

AprimarysecurityriskiniSCSISANsisthatanattackermightsnifftransmittedstoragedata.Neitherthe
iSCSIadapternortheESXihostiSCSIinitiatorencryptsthedatathatittransmitstoandfromthetargets,
makingthedatavulnerabletosniffingattacks.Youmustthereforetakeadditionalmeasurestoprevent
attackersfromeasilyseeingiSCSIdata.
AllowingyourvirtualmachinestosharevirtualswitchesandVLANswithyouriSCSIconfiguration
potentiallyexposesiSCSItraffictomisusebyavirtualmachineattacker.Tohelpensurethatintruderscannot
listentoiSCSItransmissions,makesurethatnoneofyourvirtualmachinescanseetheiSCSIstoragenetwork.
ProtectyoursystembygivingtheiSCSISANadedicatedvirtualswitch.
IfyouuseanindependenthardwareiSCSIadapter,makesurethattheiSCSIadapterandESXiphysical
networkadapterarenotinadvertentlyconnectedoutsidethehost.Suchaconnectionmightresultfrom
sharingaswitch.
Ifyouusedependenthardwareorsoftwareiscsiadapter,whichusesESXinetworking,configureiSCSI
storagethroughadifferentvirtualswitchthantheoneusedbyyourvirtualmachines.
YoucanalsoconfigureyouriSCSISANonitsownVLANtoimproveperformanceandsecurity.Placingyour
iSCSIconfigurationonaseparateVLANensuresthatnodevicesotherthantheiSCSIadaptercansee
transmissionswithintheiSCSISAN.WithadedicatedVLAN,networkcongestionfromothersourcescannot
interferewithiSCSItraffic.
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Securing iSCSI Ports

WhenyouruniSCSIdevices,theESXihostdoesnotopenportsthatlistenfornetworkconnections.This
measurereducesthechancesthatanintrudercanbreakintotheESXihostthroughspareportsandgaincontrol
overthehost.Therefore,runningiSCSIdoesnotpresentanadditionalsecurityrisksattheESXihostendof
theconnection.
AniSCSItargetdevicemusthaveoneormoreopenTCPportstolistenforiSCSIconnections.Ifsecurity
vulnerabilitiesexistintheiSCSIdevicesoftware,yourdatacanbeatriskthroughnofaultoftheESXisystem.
Tolowerthisrisk,installallsecuritypatchesthatyourstorageequipmentmanufacturerprovidesandlimitthe
devicesconnectedtotheiSCSInetwork.
Setting iSCSI CHAP

iSCSIstoragesystemsauthenticateaninitiatorusinganameandkeypair.ESXisystemssupportChallenge
HandshakeAuthenticationProtocol(CHAP),whichVMwarerecommendsforyourSANimplementation.
TheESXihostandtheiSCSIstoragesystemmusthaveCHAPenabledandmusthavecommoncredentials.
DuringiSCSIlogin,theiSCSIstoragesystemexchangesitscredentialswiththeESXisystemandchecksthem.
YoucansetupiSCSIauthenticationbyusingthevSphereWebClient,asdiscussedinthevSphereStorage
documentationorbyusingtheesxclicommand,discussedinEnablingiSCSIAuthenticationonpage 80.
TouseCHAPauthentication,youmustenableCHAPonboththeinitiatorsideandthestoragesystemside.
Afterauthenticationisenabled,itappliesfortargetstowhichnoconnectionhasbeenestablished,butdoesnot
applytotargetstowhichaconnectionisestablished.Afterthediscoveryaddressisset,thenewvolumesto
whichyouaddaconnectionareexposedandcanbeused.
ForsoftwareiSCSIanddependenthardwareiSCSI,ESXihostssupportperdiscoveryandpertargetCHAP
credentials.ForindependenthardwareiSCSI,ESXihostssupportonlyonesetofCHAPcredentialsper
initiator.YoucannotassigndifferentCHAPcredentialsfordifferenttargets.
WhenyouconfigureindependenthardwareiSCSIinitiators,ensurethattheCHAPconfigurationmatches
youriSCSIstorage.IfCHAPisenabledonthestoragearray,itmustbeenabledontheinitiator.IfCHAPis
enabled,youmustsetuptheCHAPauthenticationcredentialsontheESXihosttomatchthecredentialson
theiSCSIstorage.
Supported CHAP Levels
TosetCHAPlevelswithesxcli iscsi adapter setauthorvicfg-iscsi,specifyoneofthevaluesin
Table 51for<level>.OnlytwolevelsaresupportedforindependenthardwareiSCSI.
MutualCHAPissupportedforsoftwareiSCSIandfordependenthardwareiSCSI,butnotforindependent
hardwareiSCSI.
IMPORTANTEnsurethatCHAPissettochapRequiredbeforeyousetmutualCHAP,andusecompatible
levelsforCHAPandmutualCHAP.UsedifferentpasswordsforCHAPandmutualCHAPtoavoidsecurity
risks.
Table 5-1. Supported Levels for CHAP
Level
Description
Supported
chapProhibited
HostdoesnotuseCHAPauthentication.Ifauthenticationis
enabled,specifychapProhibitedtodisableit.
SoftwareiSCSI
DependenthardwareiSCSI
IndependenthardwareiSCSI
chapDiscouraged
chapPreferred
HostusesanonCHAPconnection,butallowsaCHAP
connectionasfallback.
SoftwareiSCSI
HostusesCHAPiftheCHAPconnectionsucceeds,butuses
nonCHAPconnectionsasfallback.
SoftwareiSCSI
IndependenthardwareiSCSI
chapRequired
60
HostrequiressuccessfulCHAPauthentication.Theconnection
failsifCHAPnegotiationfails.
SoftwareiSCSI
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Returning Authentication to Default Inheritance

ThevaluesofiSCSIauthenticationsettingsassociatedwithadynamicdiscoveryaddressorastaticdiscovery
targetareinheritedfromthecorrespondingsettingsoftheparent.Forthedynamicdiscoveryaddress,the
parentistheadapter.Forthestatictarget,theparentistheadapterordiscoveryaddress.
IfyouusethevSphereWebClienttomodifyauthenticationsettings,youmustdeselecttheInheritfrom
Parentcheckboxbeforeyoucanmakeachangetothediscoveryaddressordiscoverytarget.
Ifyouusevicfg-iscsi,thevalueyousetoverridestheinheritedvalue.
Ifyouuseesxcli iscsicommands,thevalueyousetoverridestheinheritedvalue.YoucansetCHAP
attheselevels:
esxcli iscsi adapter auth chap [get|set]
esxcli iscsi adapter discovery sendtarget auth chap [get|set]
esxcli iscsi adapter target portal auth chap [get|set]
Inheritanceisrelevantonlyifyouwanttoreturnadynamicdiscoveryaddressorastaticdiscoverytargetto
itsinheritedvalue.Inthatcase,useoneofthefollowingcommands:
Dynamicdiscovery:esxcli iscsi adapter discovery sendtarget auth chap set --inherit
Staticdiscovery:esxcli iscsi adapter target portal auth chap set --inherit.
NOTEYoucansettargetlevelCHAPauthenticationpropertiestobeinheritedfromthesendtargetleveland
setsendtargetlevelCHAPauthenticationpropertiestobeinheritedfromtheadapterlevel.Resetting
adapterlevelpropertiesisnotsupported.
Command Syntax for esxcli iscsi and vicfg-iscsi

InvSphere5.0,youcanmanageiSCSIstoragebyusingeitheresxcli iscsicommandsorvicfg-iscsi
options.SeethevSphereCommandLineInterfaceReference.esxcliiscsiCommandSyntaxonpage 61and
vicfgiscsiCommandSyntaxonpage 63provideanoverview.
esxcli iscsi Command Syntax

Theesxcli iscsicommandincludesanumberofnestednamespaces.Thefollowingtableillustratesthe
namespacehierarchy.Commandsateachlevelareincludedinbold.Manynamespacesincludeboth
commandsandnamespaces.
Table 5-2. esxcli iscsi Command Overview
adapter[get|list|set]
auth
chap[set|get]
discovery
[rediscover]
sendtarget
[add|list|remove]
auth
chap[get|set]
param[get|set]
statictarget
[add|list|remove]
statusget
target[list]
portal[list]
auth
chap[get|set]
param[get|set]
capabilitiesget
firmware[get|set]
param[get|set]
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Table 5-2. esxcli iscsi Command Overview

networkportal
[add|list|remove]
ipconfig[get|set]
physicalnetworkportal
[list]
param[get|set]
session[add|list|remove]
connectionlist
ibftboot[get|import]
logicalnetworkportallist
pluginlist
software[get|set]
Key to esxcli iscsi Short Options

ESXCLIcommandsforiSCSImanagementconsistentlyusethesameshortoptions.Forseveraloptions,the
associatedfulloptiondependsonthecommand.
Table 5-3. Short Options for iSCSI ESXCLI Command Options
62
Lower-case Option
Option
Upper-case Option
Option
Number
Option
--address, alias
--adapter
--dns1
--cid
--dns2
--direction
--file, force
--gateway
--ip
--key
--level
--default
--inherit
--method
--module
--nic
--authname,
--name
--option
--plugin
--isid, subnet,
switch
--state, secret
--value
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vicfg-iscsi Command Syntax

vicfg-iscsisupportsacomprehensivesetofoptions,listedinTable 54.
Table 5-4. Options for vicfg-iscsi
Option
Suboptions
Description
-A --authentication
-c <level>
-m <auth_method> -b
-v <ma_username>
-x <ma_password>
[-i <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:<portnum>] [-n <iscsi_name>]]
<adapter_name>
Enablesmutualauthentication.
Youmustenableauthentication
beforeyoucanenablemutual
authentication.
--level <level>
--method <auth_method> --mutual
--mchap_username <ma_username>
--mchap_password <ma_password>
[--ip <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:<portnum>]
[--name <iscsi_name>]] <adapter_name>
-A --authentication
-c <level>
-m <auth_method>
-u <auth_u_name>
-w <a_password>
<adapter_name>
Enablesauthenticationusingthe
specifiedoptions.
--level <level>
--method <auth_method>
--chap_password <auth_u_name>
--chap_username <chap_password>
-A --authentication
-l <adapter_name>
--list <adapter_name>
Listssupportedauthentication
methods.
-D --discovery
-a -i <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname[:<portnum>] <adapter_name>
--add --ip <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:<portnum>]
<adapter_name>
Addsadynamicdiscovery
address.
-D --discovery
-l <adapter_name>
Listsdynamicdiscovery
addresses.
-D --discovery
-r -i <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname>[:<portnum>] <adapter_name>
--remove --ip <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:<portnum>]
<adapter_name>
Removesadynamicdiscovery
address.
-l [<adapter_name>]
--list [<adapter_name>]
ListsalliSCSIadaptersora
specifiedadapter.
-l <adapter_name>
ListsLUNinformation.
-H
-L --lun
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Table 5-4. Options for vicfg-iscsi (Continued)

Option
Suboptions
Description
-l -t <target_ID> <adapter_name>
--list --target_id <target_id> <adapter_name>
ListsLUNinformationfora
specifictarget.
-L --lun
-N --network (Independent hardware iSCSI only)

-l <adapter_name>
Listsnetworkproperties.

-i <ip_addr> <adapter_name>
--ip <ip_addr> <vmhba>
SetstheHBAIPv4addressto
ip_addr.

-s <subnet_mask> <adapter_name>
--subnetmask <subnet_mask> <adapter_name>
SetstheHBAnetworkmaskto
subnet_mask.

-g <default_gateway> <adapter_name>
--gateway <default_gateway> <adapter_name>
SetstheHBAgatewayto
default_gateway.

-i <ip_addr> -s <subnet mask>
-g <default_gateway> <adapter_name>
--ip <ip_addr> --subnetmask <subnet_mask>
--gateway <default_gateway> <adapter_name>
SetstheIPaddress,subnetmask,
anddefaultgatewayinone
command.
-p --pnp (Independent hardware iSCSI only)

-l <adapter_name>
Listsphysicalnetworkportal
options.
-p --pnp (Independent hardware iSCSI only)

-M <mtu_size> <adapter_name>
--mtu <mtu-size> <adapter_name>
Setsphysicalnetworkportal
options.
-I --iscsiname
-a <alias_name> <adapter_name>
--alias <alias_name> <adapter_name>
SetstheiSCSIinitiatoralias.
-I --iscsiname
-n <iscsi_name> <adapter_name>
--name <iscsi_name> <adapter_name>
SetstheiSCSIinitiatorname.
-I --iscsiname
-l <adapter_name>
ListsiSCSIinitiatoroptions.
-p -M <mtu_size> <adapter_name>
--pnp --mtu <mtu-size> <adapter_name>
SetsMTUsize.Usedwiththe
--pnpoption.
-M --mtu
-S --static
-l <adapter_name>
Listsstaticdiscoveryaddresses.
-S --static
-r -i <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:<portnum>] -n <target_name>
<adapter_name>
--remove --ip <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:<portnum>] -name
<target_name> <adapter_name>
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Removesastaticdiscovery
address.
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Table 5-4. Options for vicfg-iscsi (Continued)

Option
Suboptions
Description
-S --static
-a -i <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:<portnum>]
-n <target_name> <adapter_name>
--add --ip <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:<portnum>]
-name <target_name> <adapter_name>
Addsastaticdiscoveryaddress.
-l <adapter_name>
Listsexternal,vendorspecific
propertiesofaniSCSIadapter.
-P --phba
-T --target
-l <adapter_name>
Liststargetinformation.
-W parameter
-l [-i <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:<portnum>]
[-n <iscsi_name]] <adapter_name>
ListsiSCSIparameter
information.
--list [--ip <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:<portnum>]

[--name <iscsi_name]] <adapter_name>
-W parameter
-l -k [-i <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:<portnum>] [-n
<iscsi_name]] <adapter_name>
ListsiSCSIparameterdetails.
--list --detail
[--name <iscsi_name]] <adapter_name>
-W parameter
-W -j <name>=<value>
-i <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:port_num>] [-n <iscsi_name>]]
<adapter_name>
SetsiSCSIparameters.
--parameter --set <name>=<value>

--ip <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:port_num>]
-W parameter
-W -o <param_name>
-i <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:port_num>] [-n <iscsi_name>]]
<adapter_name>
Returnsparametersindiscovery
targetorsendtargettodefault
inheritancebehavior.
-parameter --reset <param_name>

-ip <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:port_num>]
[-name <iscsi_name>]] <adapter_name>
-z --reset_auth
-a -z
-m <auth_method> -b
<adapter_name>
Resetstargetlevelauthentication
propertiestobeinheritedfrom
adapterlevel.Usedwiththe
--authenticationoption.
--authentication --reset_auth
--method <auth_method>
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iSCSI Storage Setup with ESXCLI

YoucansetupiSCSIstorageusingvSphereWebClient,commandsintheesxcli iscsinamespace,or
vicfg-iscsicommands(seeiSCSIStorageSetupwithvicfgiscsionpage 71).
Setting Up Software iSCSI with ESXCLI

SoftwareiSCSIsetuprequiresseveraltasks.Foreachtask,seethediscussionofthecorrespondingcommand
inthischapterorthereferenceinformationavailablefromesxcli iscsi --helpandtheVMware
DocumentationCenter.SpecifyoneoftheoptionslistedinConnectionOptionsonpage 17inplaceof
<conn_options>
1
EnablesoftwareiSCSI.
esxcli <conn_options> iscsi software set --enabled=true
Checkwhetheranetworkportal,thatis,aboundport,existsforiSCSItraffic.
esxcli <conn_options> iscsi adapter list
Ifnoadapterexists,addone.SoftwareiSCSIdoesnotrequireportbinding,butrequiresthatatleastone
VMkernelNICisavailableandcanbeusedasaniSCSINIC.Youcannametheadapterasyouaddit.
esxcli <conn_options> iscsi networkportal add -n <portal_name> -A <vmhba>
(Optional)Checkthestatus.
esxcli <conn_options> iscsi software get
ThesystemprintstrueifsoftwareiSCSIisenabled,orfalseifitisnotenabled.
5
(Optional)SettheiSCSInameandalias.
esxcli <conn_options> iscsi adapter set --adapter=<iscsi adapter> --name=<name>
esxcli <conn_options> iscsi adapter set --adapter=<iscsi adapter> --alias=<alias>
Addadynamicdiscoveryaddressorastaticdiscoveryaddress.
Thetwotypesoftargetdifferasfollows:
Withdynamicdiscovery,allstoragetargetsassociatedwithahostnameorIPaddressarediscovered.
Yourunthefollowingcommand.
esxcli <conn_options> iscsi adapter discovery sendtarget add --address=<ip/dns[:port]>
--adapter=<adapter_name>
Withstaticdiscovery,youmustspecifythehostnameorIPaddressandtheiSCSInameofthestorage
target.Yourunthefollowingcommand.
esxcli <conn_options> iscsi adapter discovery statictarget add --address=<ip/dns[:port]>
--adapter=<adapter_name> --name=<target_name>
Whenyoulaterremoveadiscoveryaddress,itmightstillbedisplayedastheparentofastatictarget.You
canaddthediscoveryaddressandrescantodisplaythecorrectparentforthestatictargets.
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66
(Optional)SettheauthenticationinformationforCHAP(seeSettingiSCSICHAPonpage 60and
EnablingiSCSIAuthenticationonpage 80).YoucansetpertargetCHAPforstatictargets,peradapter
CHAP,orapplythecommandtothediscoveryaddress.
VMware, Inc.
Adapterlevel
CHAP
esxcli iscsi adapter auth chap set --direction=uni

--chap_username=<name> --chap_password=<pwd>
--level=[prohibited, discouraged, preferred, required]
--secret=<string> --adapter=<vmhba>
Discoverylevel
CHAP
esxcli iscsi adapter discovery sendtarget auth chap set --direction=uni

--address<sendtarget_address>
Targetlevel
CHAP
esxcli iscsi adapter target portal auth chap set --direction=uni

--name<iscsi_iqn_name>
Table 51,SupportedLevelsforCHAP,onpage 60listswhateachsupportedleveldoes.

Forexample:
esxcli <conn_options> iscsi adapter auth chap set --direction=uni --chap_username=<name>
--chap_password=<pwd> --level=preferred --secret=uni_secret --adapter=vmhba33
(Optional)SettheauthenticationinformationformutualCHAPbyrunningesxcli iscsi adapter

auth chap set againwith--directionsettomutualandadifferentauthenticationusernameand
secret.
Adapterlevel
CHAP
esxcli iscsi adapter auth chap set --direction=mutual

--mchap_username=<name2> --mchap_password=<pwd2>
--level=[prohibited required] --secret=<string2>
--adapter=<vmhba>
Discoverylevel
CHAP
esxcli iscsi adapter discovery sendtarget auth chap set

--direction=mutual --mchap_username=<name2>
--mchap_password=<pwd2> --level=[prohibited, required]
--secret=<string2> --adapter=<vmhba>
--address=<sendtarget_address>
Targetlevel
CHAP
eesxcli iscsi adapter target portal auth chap set --direction=mutual

--mchap_username=<nam2e> --mchap_password=<pwd2>
--adapter=<vmhba> --name=<iscsi_iqn_name>
IMPORTANTYouareresponsibleformakingsurethatCHAPissetbeforeyousetmutualCHAP,andfor
usingcompatiblelevelsforCHAPandmutualCHAP.
9
(Optional)SetiSCSIparameters.
Adapterlevel
parameters
esxcli iscsi adapter param set --adapter=<vmhba> --key=<key>

--value=<value>
Discoverylevel
parameters
esxcli iscsi adapter discovery sendtarget param set --adapter=<vmhba>

--key=<key> --value=<value>
Targetlevel
parameters
esxcli iscsi adapter target portal param set --adapter=<vmhba>

--key=<key> --value=<value> --address=<address>
--name=<iqn.name>
SeeListingandSettingiSCSIParametersonpage 76
10
Aftersetupiscomplete,performrediscoveryandrescanallstoragedevices.Forexample:
esxcli <conn_options> iscsi adapter discovery rediscover
esxcli <conn_options> storage core adapter rescan --adapter=vmhba36
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11
(Optional)IfyouwanttomakeadditionaliSCSIloginparameterchanges(seeListingandSettingiSCSI
Parametersonpage 76),youmustlogoutofthecorrespondingiSCSIsessionandlogbackin.
a
Runesxcli iscsi session removetologout.
Runesxcli iscsi session addorrescantheadaptertoaddthesessionback.
Setting Up Dependent Hardware iSCSI with ESXCLI

DependenthardwareiSCSIsetuprequiresseveralhighleveltasks.Foreachtask,seethediscussionofthe
correspondingcommandinthischapterorthereferenceinformationavailablefromesxcli iscsi --help
andtheVMwareDocumentationCenter.SpecifyoneoftheoptionslistedinConnectionOptionsonpage 17
inplaceof<conn_options>.
1
DeterminetheiSCSIadaptertypeandretrievetheiSCSIadapterID.
esxcli <conn_options> iscsi adapter set --adapter <adapter_name> --name=<name>
esxcli <conn_options> iscsi adapter set --adapter <adapter_name> --alias=<alias>
Setupportbindingbyfollowingthesesteps:
a
IdentifytheVMkernelportofthedependenthardwareiSCSIadapter.
esxcli <conn_options> iscsi logicalnetworkportal list --adapter=<adapter_name>
ConnectthedependenthardwareiSCSIinitiatortotheiSCSIVMkernelportsbyrunningthe
followingcommandforeachport.
esxcli <conn_options> iscsi networkportal add --nic=<bound_vmknic>
--adapter=<iscsi_adapter>
VerifythattheportswereaddedtothedependenthardwareiSCSIinitiator.
esxcli <conn_options> iscsi physicalnetworkportal list --adapter=<adapter_name>
--adapter=<adapter_name> --name=<target_name>
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VMware, Inc.
Adapterlevel
CHAP

Discoverylevel
CHAP

Targetlevel
CHAP


Forexample:

auth chap set againwith--directionsettomutualandadifferentauthenticationusernameand
secret.
Adapterlevel
CHAP
esxcli iscsi adapter auth chap set --direction=mutual

--mchap_username=<name> --mchap_password=<pwd>
--adapter=<vmhba>
Discoverylevel
CHAP
esxcli iscsi adapter discovery sendtarget auth chap set

--direction=mutual --mchap_username=<name>
--mchap_password=<pwd> --level=[prohibited, required]
--secret=<string2> --adapter=<vmhba>
Targetlevel
CHAP
esxcli iscsi adapter target portal auth chap set --direction=mutual

--mchap_username=<name> --mchap_password=<pwd>
--adapter=<vmhba> --name=<iscsi_iqn_name>
7
Adapterlevel
parameters

--value=<value>
Discoverylevel
parameters

Targetlevel
parameters

--name=<iqn.name>
8
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69
(Optional)IfyouwanttomakeadditionaliSCSIloginparameterchanges(seeListingandSettingiSCSI
Parametersonpage 76),youmustlogoutofthecorrespondingiSCSIsessionandlogbackin.
a
Runesxcli iscsi session removetologout.
Runesxcli iscsi session addorrescantheadaptertoaddthesessionback.
Setting Up Independent Hardware iSCSI with ESXCLI

WithindependenthardwarebasediSCSIstorage,youuseaspecializedthirdpartyadaptercapableof
accessingiSCSIstorageoverTCP/IP.ThisiSCSIinitiatorhandlesalliSCSIandnetworkprocessingand
managementforyourESXisystem.
YoumustinstallandconfiguretheindependenthardwareiSCSIadapterforyourhostbeforeyoucanaccess
theiSCSIstoragedevice.Forinstallationinformation,seevendordocumentation.
HardwareiSCSIsetuprequiresanumberofhighleveltasks.Foreachtask,seethediscussionofthe
correspondingcommandlineoptioninthischapterorthereferenceinformation.Specifyoneoftheoptions
1
DeterminetheiSCSIadaptertypeandretrievetheiSCSIadapterID.
Configurethehardwareinitiator(HBA)byrunningesxcli iscsi networkportal ipconfig withone

ormoreofthefollowingoptions.
-A|--adapter=<str>
iSCSIadaptername.(required).
-1|--dns1=<str>
iSCSInetworkportalprimaryDNSaddress.
-2|--dns2=<str>
iSCSInetworkportalsecondaryDNSaddress.
-g|--gateway=<str>
iSCSInetworkportalgatewayaddress.
-i|--ip=<str>
iSCSInetworkportalIPaddress(required).
-n|--nic=<str>
iSCSInetworkportal(vmknic).
-s|--subnet=<str>
iSCSInetworkportalsubnetmask(required).
esxcli <conn_options> iscsi adapter set --adapter <adapter_name> --name=<name>
esxcli <conn_options> iscsi adapter set --adapter <adapter_name> --alias=<alias>
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Adapterlevel
CHAP

Discoverylevel
CHAP

Targetlevel
CHAP


Forexample:
MutualCHAPisnotsupportedforindependenthardwareiSCSIstorage.
6
Adapterlevel
parameters

--value=<value>
Discoverylevel
parameters

Targetlevel
parameters

--name=<iqn.name>
7
Aftersetupiscomplete,runesxcli storage core adapter rescan --adapter=<iscsi_adapter>

torescanallstoragedevices.
iSCSI Storage Setup with vicfg-iscsi

YoucansetupiSCSIstorageusingthevSphereWebClient,commandsintheesxcli iscsinamespace(see
iSCSIStorageSetupwithESXCLIonpage 66)orthevicfg-iscsicommand.
Setting Up Software iSCSI with vicfg-iscsi

SoftwareiSCSIsetuprequiresanumberofhighleveltasks.Foreachtask,seethediscussionofthe
correspondingcommandlineoptioninthischapterorthereferenceinformation.Specifyoneoftheoptions
1
DeterminetheHBAtypeandretrievetheHBAID.
vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> --adapter --list
EnablesoftwareiSCSIfortheHBA.
vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> --swiscsi --enable
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(Optional)Checkthestatus.
vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> --swiscsi --list
ThesystemprintsSoftware iSCSI is enabledorSoftware iSCSI is not enabled.

4
vicfg-iscsi
vicfg-iscsi
vicfg-iscsi
vicfg-iscsi
<conn_options>
<conn_options>
<conn_options>
<conn_options>
-I -n <iscsi_name> <adapter_name>
--iscsiname --name <iscsi_name> <adapter_name>
-I -a <alias_name> <adapter_name>
--iscsiname --alias <alias_name> <adapter_name>
Yourunthefollowingcommand:
vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> --discovery --add --ip <ip_addr | domain_name> <adapter_name>
target.Yourunthefollowingcommand:
vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> --static --add --ip <ip_addr | domain_name>
6
EnablingiSCSIAuthenticationonpage 80).
vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> -A -c <level> -m <auth_method> -u <auth_u_name> -w <chap_password>
[-i <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:<portnum>] [-n <iscsi_name]] <adapter_name>
vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> --authentication --level <level> --method <auth_method>
--chap_username <auth_u_name> --chap_password <chap_password>
[--ip <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:<portnum>] [-name <iscsi_name]]
<adapter_name>
Thetarget(-i)andname(-n)optiondeterminewhatthecommandappliesto.
Option
Result
-iandn
CommandappliestopertargetCHAPforstatictargets.
Onlyi
Commandappliestothediscoveryaddress.
Neither-inorn
CommandappliestoperadapterCHAP.
(Optional)SettheauthenticationinformationformutualCHAPbyrunningvicfg-iscsi -Aagainwith
the-boptionandadifferentauthenticationusernameandpassword.
For<level>,specifychapProhibitedorchapRequired.
chapProhibitedThehostdoesnotuseCHAPauthentication.Ifauthenticationisenabled,specify
chapProhibitedtodisableit.
chapRequiredThehostrequiressuccessfulCHAPauthentication.TheconnectionfailsifCHAP
negotiationfails.YoucansetthisvalueformutualCHAPonlyifCHAPissettochapRequired.
For<auth_method>,CHAPistheonlyvalidvalue.
72
(Optional)SetiSCSIparametersbyrunningvicfg-iscsi -W.
Aftersetupiscomplete,runvicfg-rescantorescanallstoragedevices.
VMware, Inc.
Setting Up Dependent Hardware iSCSI with vicfg-iscsi

DependenthardwareiSCSIsetuprequiresanumberofhighleveltasks.Foreachtask,seethediscussionof
thecorrespondingcommandlineoptioninthischapter,orthereferenceinformation.Specifyoneofthe
1
vicf-iscsi <conn_options> --adapter --list
vicfg-iscsi
vicfg-iscsi
vicfg-iscsi
vicfg-iscsi
<conn_options>
<conn_options>
<conn_options>
<conn_options>
Setupportbindingbyfollowingthesesteps:
a
IdentifytheVMkernelportofthedependenthardwareiSCSIadapter.
esxcli <conn_options> swiscsi vmknic list -d <vmhba>
ConnectthedependenthardwareiSCSIinitiatortotheiSCSIVMkernelportsbyrunningthe
followingcommandforeachport.
esxcli <conn_options> swiscsi nic add -n <port_name> -d <vmhba>
VerifythattheportswereaddedtothedependenthardwareiSCSIinitiator.
esxcli <conn_options> swiscsi nic list -d <vmhba>
RescanthedependenthardwareSCSIinitiator.
vicfg-rescan <conn_options> <vmhba>
Yourunthefollowingcommand:
vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> --discovery --add --ip <ip_addr | domain_name> <adapter_name>
target.Yourunthefollowingcommand:
vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> --static --add --ip <ip_addr | domain_name>
5
EnablingiSCSIAuthenticationonpage 80).
<adapter_name>
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Option
Result
-iandn
Onlyi
Neither-inorn
73
(Optional)SettheauthenticationinformationformutualCHAPbyrunningvicfg-iscsi -Aagainwith
the-boptionandadifferentauthenticationusernameandpassword.
For<level>,specifychapProhibitedorchapRequired.
chapProhibitedThehostdoesnotuseCHAPauthentication.Ifauthenticationisenabled,specify
chapRequiredThehostrequiressuccessfulCHAPauthentication.TheconnectionfailsifCHAP
For<auth_method>,CHAPistheonlyvalidvalue.
7
(Optional)SetiSCSIparametersbyrunningvicfg-iscsi -W.
Aftersetupiscomplete,runvicfg-rescantorescanallstoragedevices.
Setting Up Independent Hardware iSCSI with vicfg-iscsi

WithindependenthardwarebasediSCSIstorage,youuseaspecializedthirdpartyadaptercapableof
accessingiSCSIstorageoverTCP/IP.ThisiSCSIinitiatorhandlesalliSCSIandnetworkprocessingand
managementforyourESXisystem.
YoumustinstallandconfiguretheindependenthardwareiSCSIadapterforyourhostbeforeyoucanaccess
theiSCSIstoragedevice.Forinstallationinformation,seevendordocumentation.
HardwareiSCSIsetuprequiresanumberofhighleveltasks.Foreachtask,seethediscussionofthe
correspondingcommandlineoptioninthischapter,themanpage(Linux),orthereferenceinformation.
1
vicf-iscsi <conn_options> --adapter --list
Configurethehardwareinitiator(HBA)byrunningvicfg-iscsi -Nwithoneormoreofthefollowing
options.
--listListnetworkproperties.
--ip <ip_addr>SetHBAIPv4address.
--subnetmask <subnet_mask>SetHBAnetworkmask.
--gateway <default_gateway>SetHBAgateway.
--set ARP=true|falseEnableordisableARPredirect.
YoucanalsosettheHBAIPv4addressandnetworkmaskandgatewayinonecommand.
vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> --ip <ip_addr> --subnetmask <subnet_mask> --gateway
<default_gateway>
vicfg-iscsi
vicfg-iscsi
vicfg-iscsi
vicfg-iscsi
<conn_options>
<conn_options>
<conn_options>
<conn_options>
Withdynamicdiscovery,allstoragetargetsassociatedwithanIPaddressarediscovered.Runthe
followingcommand:
vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> --discovery --add --ip <ip_addr> <adapter_name>
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Withstaticdiscovery,youmustspecifytheIPaddressandtheiSCSInameofthestoragetargettobe
added.Runthefollowingcommand:
vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> --static --add --ip <ip_addr>
canlateraddthediscoveryaddressandrescantodisplaythecorrectparentforthestatictargets.
5
(Optional)SettheauthenticationinformationforCHAPbyrunningvicfg-iscsi -A.
Youcansettheinformationforperadapter,perdiscovery,andpertargetCHAP.SeeSettingiSCSI
CHAPonpage 60andEnablingiSCSIAuthenticationonpage 80.
<adapter_name>
Option
Result
-iandn
Onlyi
Neither-inorn
MutualCHAPisnotsupportedforindependenthardwareiSCSIstorage.
6
(Optional)SetadditionaliSCSIparametersbyrunningvicfg-iscsi -W.
Aftersetupiscomplete,callvicfg-rescantorescanallstoragedevices.
Listing and Setting iSCSI Options

YoucanlistandsetiSCSIoptionswithESXCLIorwithvicfg-iscsi.Youcanalsomanageparameters.See
ListingandSettingiSCSIParametersonpage 76.
Listing iSCSI Options with ESXCLI

Useesxcli iscsi informationretrievalcommandstolistexternalHBAproperties,informationabout
targets,andLUNs.SpecifyoneoftheoptionslistedinConnectionOptionsonpage 17inplaceof
<conn_options>.
Runesxcli iscsi adapter firmwaretolistoruploadthefirmwarefortheiSCSIadapter.

esxcli <conn_options> iscsi adapter firmware get --adapter=<adapter_name>
esxcli <conn_options> iscsi adapter firmware set --file=<firmware_file_path>
Thesystemreturnsinformationaboutthevendor,model,description,andserialnumberoftheHBA.
Runcommandsintheesxcli iscsi adapter targetnamespace.
esxcli iscsi adapter target portallistsandsetsauthenticationandportalparameters.
esxcli iscsi adapter target listlistsLUNinformation.
Setting MTU with ESXCLI

IfyouwanttochangetheMTUusedforyouriSCSIstorage,youmustmakethechangeintwoplaces.
Runesxcli network vswitch standard settochangetheMTUofthevirtualswitch.
Runesxcli network ip interface settochangetheMTUofthenetworkinterface.
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Listing and Setting iSCSI Options with vicfg-iscsi

Usevicfg-iscsiinformationretrievaloptionstolistexternalHBAproperties,informationabouttargets,and
LUNs.Youcanusethefollowingvicfg-iscsioptionstolistiSCSIparameters.Specifyoneoftheoptions
Runvicfg-iscsi -P|--phbatolistexternal(vendorspecific)propertiesofaniSCSIadapter.
vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> -P -l <adapter_name>
vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> --phba --list <adapter_name>
Thesystemreturnsinformationaboutthevendor,model,description,andserialnumberoftheHBA.
Runvicfg-iscsi -T| --targettolisttargetinformation.

vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> -T -l <adapter_name>
vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> --target --list <adapter_name>
Thesystemreturnsinformationabouttargetsforthespecifiedadapter,includingtheiSCSIname(IQNor
EUIformat)andalias.SeeDiscoveryTargetNamesonpage 59.
Runvicfg-iscsi -L|--luntolistLUNinformation.
vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> -L -l <adapter_name>
vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> --lun --list <adapter_name>
Thecommandreturnstheoperatingsystemdevicename,busnumber,targetID,LUNID,andLUNsize
fortheLUN.
Runvicfg-iscsi -Lwith-ttolistonlyLUNsonaspecifiedtarget.
vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> -L -l -t <target_ID> <adapter_name>
vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> --lun --list --target_id <target_id> <adapter_name>
ThesystemreturnstheLUNsonthespecifiedtargetandthecorrespondingdevicename,devicenumber,
LUNID,andLUNsize.
Runvicfg-iscsi -p|--pnptolistphysicalnetworkportalinformationforindependenthardwareiSCSI
devices.Youalsousethisoptionwith--mtu.
vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> -p -l <adapter_name>
vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> --pnp --list <adapter_name>
ThesystemreturnsinformationabouttheMACaddress,MTU,andcurrenttransferrate.
Runvicfg-iscsi -I -ltolistinformationabouttheiSCSIinitiator.ESXisystemsuseasoftwarebased
iSCSIinitiatorintheVMkerneltoconnecttostorage.ThecommandreturnstheiSCSIname,aliasname,
andaliassettablebitfortheinitiator.
vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> -I -l vmhba42
Runvicfg-iscsi -p -MtosettheMTUfortheadapter.Youspecifythesizeandadaptername.
vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> -p -M <mtu_size> <adapter_name>
vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> --pnp --mtu <mtu-size> <adapter_name>
Listing and Setting iSCSI Parameters

YoucanlistandsetiSCSIparametersforsoftwareiSCSIandfordependenthardwareiSCSIwithESXCLIor
withvicfg-iscsi.
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Listing and Setting iSCSI Parameters with ESXCLI

YoucanretrieveandsetiSCSIparametersbyrunningoneofthefollowingcommands.
Adapterlevel
parameters
esxcli iscsi adapter param set --adapter=<vmhba> --key=<key> --value=<value>
Targetlevel
parameters
esxcli iscsi adapter target portal param set --adapter=<vmhba> --key=<key>

--value=<value> --address=<address> --name=<iqn.name>
Discoverylevel
parameters

Table 56listsallsettableparameters.TheseparametersarealsodescribedintheIETFrfc3720.Youcanrun
esxcli iscsi adapter param gettodeterminewhetheraparameterissettableornot.
TheparametersinTable 56applytosoftwareiSCSIanddependenthardwareiSCSI.
Table 5-5. Settable iSCSI Parameters
Parameter
Description
DataDigestType
Increasesdataintegrity.Whendatadigestisenabled,thesystemperformsachecksumover
eachPDUsdatapartandverifiesusingtheCRC32Calgorithm.
Note:SystemsthatuseIntelNehalemprocessorsoffloadtheiSCSIdigestcalculationsfor
softwareiSCSI,thusreducingtheimpactonperformance.
ValidvaluesaredigestProhibited,digestDiscouraged,digestPreferred,or
digestRequired.
HeaderDigest
Increasesdataintegrity.Whenheaderdigestisenabled,thesystemperformsachecksumover
theheaderpartofeachiSCSIProtocolDataUnit(PDU)andverifiesusingtheCRC32C
algorithm.
MaxOutstandingR2T
MaxOutstandingR2TdefinestheReadytoTransfer(R2T)PDUsthatcanbeintransitionbefore
anacknowledgementPDUisreceived.
FirstBurstLength
MaximumamountofunsoliciteddataaniSCSIinitiatorcansendtothetargetduringthe
executionofasingleSCSIcommand,inbytes.
MaxBurstLength
MaximumSCSIdatapayloadinaDataInorasolicitedDataOutiSCSIsequence,inbytes.
MaxRecvDataSegLen
Maximumdatasegmentlength,inbytes,thatcanbereceivedinaniSCSIPDU.
NoopOutInterval
Timeinterval,inseconds,betweenNOPOutrequestssentfromyouriSCSIinitiatortoaniSCSI
target.TheNOPOutrequestsserveasthepingmechanismtoverifythataconnectionbetween
theiSCSIinitiatorandtheiSCSItargetisactive.
Supportedonlyattheinitiatorlevel.
NoopOutTimeout
Amountoftime,inseconds,thatcanlapsebeforeyourhostreceivesaNOPInmessage.The
messageissentbytheiSCSItargetinresponsetotheNOPOutrequest.Whenthe
NoopTimeoutlimitisexceeded,theinitiatorterminatesthecurrentsessionandstartsanew
one.
RecoveryTimeout
Amountoftime,inseconds,thatcanlapsewhileasessionrecoveryisperformed.Ifthetimeout
exceedsitslimit,theiSCSIinitiatorterminatesthesession.
DelayedAck
Allowssystemstodelayacknowledgmentofreceiveddatapackets.
YoucanusethefollowingESXCLIcommandstolistparameteroptions.
Runesxcli iscsi adapter param gettolistparameteroptionsfortheiSCSIadapter.
Runesxcli iscsi adapter discovery sendtarget param getoresxcli iscsi adapter target
portal param settoretrieveinformationaboutiSCSIparametersandwhethertheyaresettable.
Runesxcli iscsi adapter discovery sendtarget param getoresxcli iscsi adapter target
portal param settosetiSCSIparameteroptions.
Ifspecialcharactersareinthe<name>=<value>sequence,forexample,ifyouaddaspace,youmustsurround
thesequencewithdoublequotes(<name> = <value>).
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Returning Parameters to Default Inheritance

ThevaluesofiSCSIparametersassociatedwithadynamicdiscoveryaddressorastaticdiscoverytargetare
inheritedfromthecorrespondingsettingsoftheparent.Forthedynamicdiscoveryaddress,theparentisthe
adapter.Forthestatictarget,theparentistheadapterordiscoveryaddress.
IfyouusethevSphereWebClienttomodifyauthenticationsettings,youdeselecttheInheritfromParent
checkboxbeforeyoucanmakeachangetothediscoveryaddressordiscoverytarget.
Ifyouuseesxcli iscsi,thevalueyousetoverridestheinheritedvalue.
itsinheritedvalue.Inthatcase,usethefollowingcommand,whichrequiresthe--nameoptionforstatic
discoveryaddresses,butnotfordynamicdiscoverytargets.
Dynamictarget:esxcli iscsi adapter discovery sendtarget param set
Statictarget:esxcli iscsi adapter target portal param set
Listing and Setting iSCSI Parameters with vicfg-iscsi

YoucanlistandsetiSCSIparametersbyrunningvicfg-iscsi -W.Table 56listsallsettableparameters.
TheseparametersarealsodescribedintheIETFrfc3720.Youcanalsorunvicfg-iscsi --parameter
--list --detailstodeterminewhetheraparameterissettableornot.
TheparametersinTable 56applytosoftwareiSCSIanddependenthardwareiSCSI.
Table 5-6. Settable iSCSI Parameters
Parameter
Description
DataDigestType
Increasesdataintegrity.Whendatadigestisenabled,thesystemperformsachecksumover
eachPDUsdatapartandverifiesusingtheCRC32Calgorithm.
Note:SystemsthatuseIntelNehalemprocessorsoffloadtheiSCSIdigestcalculationsfor
softwareiSCSI,thusreducingtheimpactonperformance.
ValidvaluesaredigestProhibited,digestDiscouraged,digestPreferred,or
digestRequired.
HeaderDigest
Increasesdataintegrity.Whenheaderdigestisenabled,thesystemperformsachecksumover
theheaderpartofeachiSCSIProtocolDataUnit(PDU)andverifiesusingtheCRC32C
algorithm.
MaxOutstandingR2T
MaxOutstandingR2TdefinestheReadytoTransfer(R2T)PDUsthatcanbeintransitionbefore
anacknowledgementPDUisreceived.
FirstBurstLength
MaximumamountofunsoliciteddataaniSCSIinitiatorcansendtothetargetduringthe
executionofasingleSCSIcommand,inbytes.
MaxBurstLength
MaximumSCSIdatapayloadinaDataInorasolicitedDataOutiSCSIsequence,inbytes.
MaxRecvDataSegLen
Maximumdatasegmentlength,inbytes,thatcanbereceivedinaniSCSIPDU.
NoopOutInterval
Timeinterval,inseconds,betweenNOPOutrequestssentfromyouriSCSIinitiatortoaniSCSI
target.TheNOPOutrequestsserveasthepingmechanismtoverifythataconnectionbetween
theiSCSIinitiatorandtheiSCSItargetisactive.
NoopOutTimeout
Amountoftime,inseconds,thatcanlapsebeforeyourhostreceivesaNOPInmessage.The
messageissentbytheiSCSItargetinresponsetotheNOPOutrequest.Whenthe
NoopTimeoutlimitisexceeded,theinitiatorterminatesthecurrentsessionandstartsanew
one.
78
RecoveryTimeout
Amountoftime,inseconds,thatcanlapsewhileasessionrecoveryisperformed.Ifthetimeout
exceedsitslimit,theiSCSIinitiatorterminatesthesession.
DelayedAck
Allowssystemstodelayacknowledgmentofreceiveddatapackets.
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Youcanusethefollowingvicfg-iscsioptionstolistparameteroptions.Specifyoneoftheoptionslistedin
Runvicfg-iscsi -W -ltolistparameteroptionsfortheHBA.
vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> -W -l
[-i <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:<portnum>] [-n <iscsi_name>]] <adapter_name>
vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> --parameter --list
[--ip <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:<portnum>] [--name <iscsi_name>]] <adapter_name>
Option
Result
-iandn
Commandappliestostatictargets.
Onlyi
Neither-inorn
Commandappliestoperadapterparameters.
Runvicfg-iscsi -W -l -k tolistiSCSIparametersandwhethertheyaresettable.
vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> -W -l -k
[-i <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname>[:<port_num>] [-n <iscsi_name>]]
<adapter_name>
vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> --parameter --list --detail

[--ip <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname>[:<port_num>][--name <iscsi_name>]] <adapter_name>
Runvicfg-iscsi -W -jtosetiSCSIparameteroptions.
vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> -W -j <name>=<value>
-i <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname>[:port_num>][-n <iscsi_name>]] <adapter_name>
vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> --parameter --set <name>=<value>
--ip <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname>[:port_num>][--name <iscsi_name>]] <adapter_name>
Option
Result
-iandn
Onlyi
Neither-inorn
Ifspecialcharactersareinthe<name>=<value>sequence,forexample,ifyouaddaspace,youmustsurround
thesequencewithdoublequotes(<name> = <value>).
Returning Parameters to Default Inheritance

ThevaluesofiSCSIparametersassociatedwithadynamicdiscoveryaddressorastaticdiscoverytargetare
inheritedfromthecorrespondingsettingsoftheparent.Forthedynamicdiscoveryaddress,theparentisthe
adapter.Forthestatictarget,theparentistheadapterordiscoveryaddress.
IfyouusethevSphereWebClienttomodifyauthenticationsettings,youdeselecttheInheritfromParent
checkboxbeforeyoucanmakeachangetothediscoveryaddressordiscoverytarget.
Ifyouusevicfg-iscsi,thevalueyousetoverridestheinheritedvalue.
itsinheritedvalue.Inthatcase,usethe--reset <param_name>option,whichrequiresthe--nameoptionfor
staticdiscoveryaddresses,butnotfordynamicdiscoverytargets.
vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> --parameter --reset <param_name>
--ip <stor_ip_addr | stor_hostname>[:port_num>] <adapter_name>
vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> -W -o <param_name>
-i <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname>[:port_num>] <adapter_name>
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Enabling iSCSI Authentication

YoucanenableiSCSIauthenticationwithESXCLIorwithvicfg-iscsi.
Enabling iSCSI Authentication with ESXCLI

Theesxcli iscsi adapter authcommandsenableiSCSIauthentication.Mutualauthenticationis
supportedforsoftwareiSCSIanddependenthardwareiSCSI,butnotforindependenthardwareiSCSI(see
SettingiSCSICHAPonpage 60).
1
(Optional)SettheauthenticationinformationforCHAP.
--chap_password=<pwd> --level=[prohibited, discouraged, preferred, required]
--secret=<string> --adapter=<adapter_name>
YoucansetpertargetCHAPforstatictargets,peradapterCHAP,orapplythecommandtothediscovery
address.
peradapterCHAP:esxcli iscsi adapter auth chap set
perdiscoveryCHAP:esxcli iscsi adapter discovery sendtarget auth chap set
pertargetCHAP:esxcli iscsi adapter target portal auth chap set
Forexample:
esxcli <conn_options> iscsi adapter auth chap set --direction=uni --chap_username=User1
--chap_password=MySpecialPwd --level=preferred --secret=uni_secret
--adapter=vmhba33

auth chap set againwiththe-doptionsettomutualoptionandadifferentauthenticationusername
andsecret.
esxcli <conn_options> iscsi adapter auth chap set --direction=mutual
--mchap_username=<m_name> --mchap_password=<m_pwd> --level=[prohibited,
required] --secret=<string> --adapter=<adapter_name>
For<level>,specifyprohibitedorrequired.
prohibitedThehostdoesnotuseCHAPauthentication.Ifauthenticationisenabled,specify
requiredThehostrequiressuccessfulCHAPauthentication.TheconnectionfailsifCHAP
Fordirection,specifymutual.
usingcompatiblelevelsforCHAPandmutualCHAP.UseadifferentsecretinCHAPandmutualCHAP.
To enable mutual authentication
1
Enableauthentication.
--chap_password=<pw> --level=[prohibited, discouraged, preferred, required]
--secret=<string> --adapter=<adapter_name>
Thespecifiedchap_usernameandsecretmustbesupportedonthestorageside.
2
ListpossibleVMkernelNICstobind.
esxcli <conn_options> iscsi logicalnetworkportal list
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Enablemutualauthentication.
esxcli <conn_options> iscsi adapter auth chap set --direction=mutual
--mchap_username=<m_name> --mchap_password=<m_pwd> --level=[prohibited,
required] --secret=<string> --adapter=<adapter_name>
Thespecifiedmchap_usernameandsecretmustbesupportedonthestorageside.
Makesurethefollowingrequirementsaremet.
CHAPauthenticationisalreadysetupwhenyoustartsettingupmutualCHAP.
CHAPandmutualCHAPusedifferentusernamesandpasswords.Thesecondusernameand
passwordaresupportedformutualauthenticationonthestorageside.
CHAPandmutualCHAPusecompatibleCHAPlevels.
Enabling iSCSI Authentication with vicfg-iscsi

Thevicfg-iscsi-A -coptionsenableiSCSIauthentication.Mutualauthenticationissupportedforsoftware
iSCSIanddependenthardwareiSCSI,butnotforindependenthardwareiSCSI.SeeSettingiSCSICHAPon
page 60.
To enable mutual authentication
1
EnableauthenticationontheESXihost.
Thespecifiedusernameandpasswordmustbesupportedonthestorageside.
2
EnablemutualauthenticationontheESXihost.
vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> -A -c <level> -m <auth_method> -b -u <ma_username>
-w <ma_password> [-i <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:<portnum>]
[-n <iscsi_name]] <adapter_name>
Makesurethefollowingrequirementsaremet.
CHAPauthenticationisalreadysetupwhenyoustartsettingupmutualCHAP.
CHAPandmutualCHAPusedifferentusernamesandpasswords.Thesecondusernameand
passwordaresupportedformutualauthenticationonthestorageside.
CHAPandmutualCHAPusecompatibleCHAPlevels.
Aftersetupiscomplete,performrediscoveryandrescanallstoragedevices.
Setting Up Ports for iSCSI Multipathing

Withportbinding,youcreateaseparateVMkernelportforeachphysicalNICusing1:1mapping.Youcanadd
allnetworkadapterandVMkernelportpairstoasinglevSwitch.ThevSphereStoragedocumentationexplains
indetailhowtospecifyportbinding.
Youcannotsetupportsformultipathingbyusingvicfg-iscsi.
Intheexamplesbelow,specifyoneoftheoptionslistedinConnectionOptionsonpage 17inplaceof
<conn_options>.
IMPORTANTTheESX/ESXi4.xESXCLIcommandsforsettingupiSCSIarenolongersupported.
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To specify port binding

1
FindoutwhichuplinksareavailableforusewithiSCSIadapters.
esxcli <conn_options> iscsi physicalnetworkportal list --adapter=<adapter_name>
ConnectthesoftwareiSCSIordependenthardwareiSCSIinitiatortotheiSCSIVMkernelportsbyrunning
thefollowingcommandforeachport.
esxcli <conn_options> iscsi networkportal nic add --adapter=<adapter_name> --nic=<bound_nic>
VerifythattheportswereaddedtotheiSCSIinitiatorbyrunningthefollowingcommand:
esxcli <conn_options> iscsi networkportal list --adapter=<adapter_name>
(Optional)IfthereareactiveiSCSIsessionsbetweenyourhostandtargets,discontinuethem.See
RemovingiSCSISessionsonpage 83.
RescantheiSCSIinitiator.
esxcli <conn_options> storage core adapter rescan --adapter <iscsi adapter>
TodisconnecttheiSCSIinitiatorfromtheports,runthefollowingcommand.
esxcli <conn_options> iscsi networkportal remove --adapter=<adapter_name> --nic=<bound_nic>
Managing iSCSI Sessions

Tocommunicatewitheachother,iSCSIinitiatorsandtargetsestablishiSCSIsessions.Youcanuseesxcli
iscsi sessiontolistandmanageiSCSIsessionsforsoftwareiSCSIanddependenthardwareiSCSI.
Introduction to iSCSI Session Management

Bydefault,softwareiSCSIanddependenthardwareiSCSIinitiatorsstartoneiSCSIsessionbetweeneach
initiatorportandeachtargetport.IfyouriSCSIinitiatorortargethasmorethanoneport,yourhostcan
establishmultiplesessions.Thedefaultnumberofsessionsforeachtargetequalsthenumberofportsonthe
iSCSIadaptertimesthenumberoftargetports.Youcandisplayallcurrentsessionstoanalyzeanddebug
them.Youmightaddsessionstothedefaultforseveralreasons.
Cloningsessions.SomeiSCSIarrayssupportmultiplesessionsbetweentheiSCSIadapterandtarget
ports.Ifyoucloneanexistingsessionononeofthesearrays,thearraypresentsmoredatapathsforyour
adapter.Duplicatesessionsdonotpersistacrossreboot.Additionalsessionstothetargetmighthave
performancebenefits,buttheresultofcloningdependsentirelyonthearray.Youmustlogoutfroman
iSCSIsessionifyouwanttocloneasession.Youcanusetheesxcli iscsi session addcommandto
cloneasession.
EnablingHeaderandDataDigest.IfyouareloggedintoasessionandwanttoenabletheHeaderand
DataDigestparameters,youmustsettheparameter,removethesession,andaddthesessionbackforthe
parameterchangetotakeeffect.YoumustlogoutfromaniSCSIsessionifyouwanttocloneasession.
Establishingtargetspecificsessions.Youcanestablishasessiontoaspecifictargetport.Thiscanbe
usefulifyourhostconnectstoasingleportstoragesystemthat,bydefault,presentsonlyonetargetport
toyourinitiator,butcanredirectadditionalsessionstoadifferenttargetport.Establishinganewsession
betweenyouriSCSIinitiatorandanothertargetportcreatesanadditionalpathtothestoragesystem.
CAUTIONSomestoragesystemsdonotsupportmultiplesessionsfromthesameinitiatornameorendpoint.
AttemptstocreatemultiplesessionstosuchtargetscanresultinunpredictablebehaviorofyouriSCSI
environment.
Thefollowingexamplescenariousestheavailablecommands.Runesxcli iscsi session --helpandeach
commandwith--helpforreferenceinformation.Theexampleusesaconfigurationfiletologintothehost.
IMPORTANTTheESX/ESXi4.xESXCLIcommandsformanagingiSCSIsessionsarenotsupportedagainst
ESXi5.0hosts.
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Listing iSCSI Sessions
ListasoftwareiSCSIsessionattheadapterlevel.
esxcli <conn_options> iscsi session list --adapter=<iscsi_adapter>
ListasoftwareiSCSIsessionatthetargetlevel.
esxcli <conn_options> iscsi session list --name=<target> --adapter=<iscsi_adapter>
Logging in to iSCSI Sessions

Youcanuseesxcli iscsi sessiontologintoasession.SpecifyoneoftheoptionslistedinConnection
LogintoasessiononthecurrentsoftwareiSCSIordependenthardwareiSCSIconfigurationatthe
adapterlevel.
esxcli <conn_options> iscsi session add --adapter=<adapter_name>
Forexample:
esxcli --config /host-config-file iscsi session add --adapter=vmhba36
LogintoasessiononthecurrentsoftwareiSCSIordependenthardwareiSCSIconfigurationatthetarget
level.
esxcli <conn_options> iscsi session add --name=<target> --adapter=<adapter_name>
Forexample:
esxcli --config /host-config-file iscsi session add -name=iqn.xxx --adapter=vmhba36
AddduplicatesessionswithtargetandsessionIDsincurrentsoftwareiSCSIordependenthardware
iSCSIconfiguration.
esxcli <conn_options> iscsi session add --name=<iqn.xxxx> --isid=<session_id>
iqn.xxxxisthetargetIQN,whichyoucandeterminebylistingallsessions.session_idisthesessions
iSCSIID.Forexample:
esxcli --config /host-config-file iscsi session add -name=iqn.xxx --isid='00:02:3d:00:00:01'
--adapter=vmhba36
Removing iSCSI Sessions

Youcanuseesxcli iscsi sessiontoremoveiSCSIsessions.Specifyoneoftheoptionslistedin
RemovesessionsfromthecurrentsoftwareiSCSIordependenthardwareiSCSIconfigurationatthe
adapterlevel.
esxcli <conn_options> iscsi session remove --adapter=<iscsi_adapter>
Forexample:
esxcli iscsi session remove --adapter=vmhba36
RemovesessionsfromthecurrentsoftwareiSCSIordependenthardwareiSCSIconfigurationatthetarget
level.
esxcli <conn_options> iscsi session remove --name=<iqn> --adapter=<iscsi_adapter>
Forexample:
esxcli <conn_options> iscsi session remove --name=iqn.xxx --adapter=vmhba38
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RemovesessionsfromthecurrentsoftwareiSCSIordependenthardwareiSCSIconfigurationwithtarget
andsessionID.
esxcli <conn_options> iscsi session remove --name=<iqn.xxxx> --isid=<session id>
iqn.xxxxisthetargetIQN,whichyoucandeterminebylistingallsessions.session_idisthesessions
iSCSIID.
Forexample:
esxcli --config /host-config-file iscsi session remove --name=iqn.xxx
--session='00:02:3d:01:00:01' --adapter=vmhba36
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Managing Third-Party Storage Arrays
VMwarepartnersandcustomerscanoptimizeperformanceoftheirstoragearraysinconjunctionwith
VMwarevSphereusingVMwarePSA(pluggablestoragearchitecture).Theesxcli storage core
namespacemanagesVMwarePSAandtheesxcli storage nmpnamespacemanagestheVMwareNMP
plugin.
ThevSphereStoragedocumentationdiscussesPSAfunctionalityindetailandexplainshowtousethevSphere
ClientorthevSphereWebClienttomanagethePSA,theassociatednativemultipathingplugin(NMP)and
thirdpartyplugins.
Thischapterusesthefollowingacronyms.
Acronym
Meaning
PSA
PluggableStorageArchitecture.
NMP
NativeMultipathingPlugin.GenericVMwaremultipathingmodule.
PSP
PathSelectionPlugin.Handlespathselectionforagivendevice.
SATP
StorageArrayTypePlugin.Handlespathfailoverforagivenstoragearray.
Thischapterincludesthesetopics:
ManagingNMPwithesxclistoragenmponpage 85
PathClaimingwithesxclistoragecoreclaimingonpage 92
ManagingClaimRulesonpage 93
Managing NMP with esxcli storage nmp

TheNMP(NativeMultipathingPlugin)isanextensiblemultipathingmodulethatESXisupportsbydefault.
Youcanuseesxcli storage nmptomanagedevicesassociatedwithNMPandtosetpathpolicies.
TheNMPsupportsallstoragearrayslistedontheVMwarestorageHardwareCompatibilityList(HCL)and
providesapathselectionalgorithmbasedonthearraytype.TheNMPassociatesasetofphysicalpathswith
astoragedevice(LUN).AStorageArrayTypePlugin(SATP)determineshowpathfailoverishandledfora
specificstoragearray.APathSelectionPlugin(PSP)determineswhichphysicalpathisusedtoissueanI/O
requesttoastoragedevice.SATPsandPSPsarepluginswithintheNMPplugin.
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Device Management with esxcli storage nmp device

ThedeviceoptionperformsoperationsondevicescurrentlyclaimedbytheVMwareNMPplugin.
esxcli storage nmp device list

ThelistcommandliststhedevicescontrolledbyVMwareNMPandshowstheSATPandPSPinformation
associatedwitheachdevice.ToshowthepathsclaimedbyNMP,runesxcli storage nmp path listto
listinformationforalldevices,orforjustonedevicewiththe--deviceoption.
Options
Description
--device <device>
-d <device>
Filterstheoutputofthecommandtoshowinformationaboutasingledevice.Defaultisall
devices.
esxcli storage nmp device set

ThesetcommandsetsthePathSelectionPolicy(PSP)foradevicetooneofthepoliciesloadedonthesystem.
AnydevicecanusethePSPassignedtotheSATPhandlingthatdevice,oryoucanrunesxcli storage nmp
device set --device naa.xxx --psp <psp>tospecificallyoverridethePSPassignedtothedevice.
IfadevicedoesnothaveaspecificPSPset,italwaysusesthePSPassignedtotheSATP.IfthedefaultPSP
fortheSATPchanges,thePSPassignedtothedevicechangesonlyafterrebootorafteradeviceis
reclaimed.Adeviceisreclaimedwhenyouunclaimallpathsforthedeviceandreclaimthepaths.
Ifyouuseesxcli storage nmp device settooverridetheSATPsdefaultPSPwithaspecificPSP,the

PSPchangesimmediatelyandremainstheuserdefinedPSPacrossreboots.AchangeintheSATPsPSP
hasnoeffect.
Usethe--defaultoptiontoreturnthedevicetousingtheSATPsPSP.
Options
Description
--default
-E
SetsthePSPbacktothedefaultfortheSATPassignedtothisdevice.
--device <device>
-d <device>
DevicetosetthePSPfor.
--psp <PSP>
-P <PSP>
PSPtoassigntothespecifieddevice.Callesxcli storage nmp psp listtodisplayall

currentlyavailablePSPs.SeeTable 41,SupportedPathPolicies,onpage 48.
SeevSphereStorageforadiscussionofpathpolicies.
TosetthepathpolicyforthespecifieddevicetoVMW_PSP_FIXED,runthefollowingcommand:
esxcli <conn_options> storage nmp device set --device naa.xxx --psp VMW_PSP_FIXED
Listing Paths with esxcli storage nmp path

UsethepathoptiontolistpathsclaimedbyNMP.Bydefault,thecommanddisplaysinformationaboutall
pathsonalldevices.Youcanfilterinthefollowingways:
Onlyshowpathstoasingedevice(esxcli storage nmp path list --device <device>).
Onlyshowinformationforasinglepath(esxcli storage nmp path list --path=<path>.
Tolistdevices,callesxcli storage nmp device list.
Managing Path Selection Policy Plugins with esxcli storage nmp psp
Useesxcli storage nmp psptomanageVMwarepathselectionpolicypluginsincludedwiththeVMware
NMPpluginandtomanagethirdpartyPSPs.
IMPORTANTWhenusedwiththirdpartyPSPs,thesyntaxdependsonthethirdpartyPSPimplementation.
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Chapter 6 Managing Third-Party Storage Arrays
Retrieving PSP Information

Theesxcli storage nmp pspgeneric deviceconfig getandesxcli storage nmp pspgeneric
pathconfig getcommandretrievesPSPconfigurationparameters.ThetypeofPSPdetermineswhich
commandtouse.
Usenmp pspgeneric deviceconfig getforPSPsthataresettoVMW_PSP_RR,VMW_PSP_FIXEDor

VMW_PSP_MRU.
Usenmp pspgeneric pathconfig getforPSPsthataresettoVMW_PSP_FIXEDorVMW_PSP_MRU.No

pathconfigurationinformationisavailableforVMW_PSP_RR.
ToretrievePSPconfigurationparameters,usetheappropriatecommandforthePSP.
Deviceconfigurationinformation.
esxcli <conn_options> storage nmp psp generic deviceconfig get --device=<device>
esxcli <conn_options> storage nmp psp fixed deviceconfig get --device=<device>
esxcli <conn_options> storage nmp psp roundrobin deviceconfig get --device=<device>
Pathconfigurationinformation.
esxcli <conn_options> storage nmp psp generic pathconfig get --path=<path>
RetrievethePSPconfigurationforthespecifiedpath.
esxcli <conn_options> nmp psp pathconfig generic get --path vmhba4:C1:T2:L23
Theesxcli storage nmp psp listcommandshowsthelistofPathSelectionPluginsonthesystemanda

briefdescriptionofeachplugin.
Setting Configuration Parameters for Third-Party Extensions

The esxcli storage nmp psp generic deviceconfig setandesxcli storage nmp psp generic
pathconfig setcommandssupportfuturethirdpartyPSAexpansion.ThesetconfigcommandsetsPSP
configurationparametersforthosethirdpartyextensions.
NOTEThepreciseresultsofthesecommandsdependonthethirdpartyextension.Seetheextension
documentationforinformation.
Useesxcli storage nmp roundrobin setconfigforotherpathpolicyconfiguration.SeeCustomizing
RoundRobinSetuponpage 88.
Youcanrunesxcli storage nmp psp generic deviceconfig set --device=<device>tospecifyPSP
informationforadevice,andesxcli storage nmp psp generic pathconfig set --path=<path>to
specifyPSPinformationforapath.Foreachcommand,use--configtosetthespecifiedconfigurationstring.
Options
Description
--config <config_string>
-c <config_string>
Configurationstringtosetforthedeviceorpathspecifiedby--deviceor--path.See
Table 41,SupportedPathPolicies,onpage 48.
--device <device>
-d <device>
Deviceforwhichyouwanttocustomizethepathpolicy.
--path <path>
-p <path>
Pathforwhichyouwanttocustomizethepathpolicy.
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Fixed Path Selection Policy Operations

ThefixedoptiongetsandsetsthepreferredpathpolicyforNMPdevicesconfiguredtouseVMW_PSP_FIXED.
Retrieving the Preferred Path

Theesxclistoragenmp fixed deviceconfig getcommandretrievesthepreferredpathonaspecified
devicethatisusingNMPandtheVMW_PSP_FIXEDPSP.
Options
Description
--device <device>
-d <device>
Deviceforwhichyouwanttogetthepreferredpath.Thisdevicemustbecontrolledbythe
VMW_PSP_FIXEDPSP.
Toreturnthepathconfiguredasthepreferredpathforthespecifieddevice,runthefollowingcommand.
esxcli <conn_options> storage nmp fixed deviceconfig get --device naa.xxx
Setting the Preferred Path

Theesxcli storage nmp fixed deviceconfig setcommandsetsthepreferredpathonaspecifieddevice
thatisusingNMPandtheVMW_PSP_FIXEDpathpolicy.
Options
Description
--device <device>
-d <device>
Deviceforwhichyouwanttosetthepreferredpath.Thisdevicemustbecontrolledbythe
VMW_PSP_FIXEDPSP.
Useesxcli storage nmp device --listtolistthepoliciesforalldevices.
--path <path>
-p <path>
Pathtosetasthepreferredpathforthespecifieddevice.
Tosetthepreferredpathforthespecifieddevicetovmhba3:C0:T5:L3,runthefollowingcommand.Specify
esxcli <conn_options> storage nmp fixed deviceconfig set --device naa.xxx --path vmhba3:C0:T5:L3
Customizing Round Robin Setup

Theesxcli storage nmp psp roundrobincommandssetsroundrobinpathoptionsonadevicecontrolled
bytheVMW_PSP_RRPSP.SpecifyoneoftheoptionslistedinConnectionOptionsonpage 17inplaceof
<conn_options>.
To specify and customize round robin path policies
1
Setthepathpolicytoroundrobin.
esxcli <conn_options> storage nmp device set --device naa.xxx --psp VMW_PSP_RR
Specifywhentoswitchpaths.
YoucanchoosethenumberofI/Ooperations,numberofbytes,andsoon.Forexample:
esxcli <conn_options> storage nmp psp roundrobin deviceconfig set --type "bytes" -B 12345
--device naa.xxx
Setsthedevicespecifiedby--devicetoswitchtothenextpatheachtime12345byteshavebeensent
alongthecurrentpath.
esxcli <conn_options> storage nmp psp roundrobin deviceconfig set --type=iops --iops 4200
--device naa.xxx
Setsthedevicespecifiedby--devicetoswitchafter4200I/Ooperationshavebeenperformedonapath.
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Retrieving Path Selection Settings

Theesxcli storage nmp psp roundrobin deviceconfig get commandretrievespathselectionsettings
foradevicethatisusingtheroundrobinPSP.Youcanspecifythedevicetoretrievetheinformationfor.
Options
Description
-d <device>
--device <device>
Devicetogetroundrobinpropertiesfor.
Specifying Conditions for Path Changes

Theesxcli storage nmp psp roundrobin deviceconfig setcommandspecifiesunderwhichconditions
adevicethatisusingtheVMW_PSP_RRPSPchangestoadifferentpath.Youcanuse--bytesor--iopsto
specifywhenthepathshouldchange.
Options
Description
--bytes
-B
NumberofbytestosendalongonepathforthisdevicebeforethePSPswitchestothenextpath.
Youcanusethisoptiononlywhen--typeissettobytes.
--device
-d
Devicetosetroundrobinpropertiesfor.Thisdevicemustbecontrolledbytheroundrobin
(VMW_PSP_RR)PSP.
--iops
-I
NumberofI/OoperationstosendalongonepathforthisdevicebeforethePSPswitchestothe
nextpath.Youcanusethisoptiononlywhen--typeissettoiops.
--type
-t
Typeofroundrobinpathswitchingtoenableforthisdevice.Thefollowingvaluesfortypeare
supported:
bytes:Setthetriggerforpathswitchingbasedonthenumberofbytessentdownapath.
default:Setthetriggerforpathswitchingbacktodefaultvalues.
iops:SetthetriggerforpathswitchingbasedonthenumberofI/Ooperationsonapath.
Anequalsign(=)beforethetypeordoublequotesaroundthetypeareoptional.
--useANO
-U
Ifsetto1,theroundrobinPSPincludespathsintheactive,unoptimizedstateintheroundrobin
set.Ifsetto0,thePSPusesactive,unoptimizedpathsonlyifnoactiveoptimizedpathsare
available.Otherwise,thePSPincludesonlyactiveoptimizedpathsintheroundrobinpathset.
Managing SATPs
Theesxcli storage nmp satpcommandsmanageSATPs.Youcanusethesecommandstoperformthe
followingtasks:
Retrieveandsetconfigurationparameters
AddandremoverulesfromthelistofclaimrulesforaspecifiedSATP
SetthedefaultPSPforaspecifiedSATP
ListSATPsthatarecurrentlyloadedintoNMPandtheassociatedclaimrules
ThedefaultSATPforanactiveactiveFCarraywithavendorandmodelnotlistedintheSATPrulesis
VMW_SATP_DEFAULT_AA.
Retrieving Information About SATPs

Theesxcli storage nmp satplistcommandliststheSATPsthatarecurrentlyavailabletotheNMP
systemanddisplaysinformationaboutthoseSATPs.Thiscommandsupportsnooptionsanddisplays
informationabouttheseSATPs.
esxcli <conn_options> storage nmp satp list
Therule listcommandliststheclaimrulesforSATPs.
esxcli <conn_options> storage nmp satp rule list
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Adding SATP Rules

Claimrulesspecifythatastoragedevicethatusesacertaindriverortransportorhasacertainvendorormodel
shoulduseacertainSATP.Theesxcli storage nmp satp rule addcommandaddsarulethatperforms
suchamappingtothelistofclaimrules.Theoptionsyouspecifydefinetherule.Forexample,thefollowing
commandspecifiesthatifapathhasvendorVMWAREandmodelVirtual,thePSAassignsittothe
VMW_SATP_LOCALSATP.
esxcli <conn_options> storage nmp satp rule add --satp="VMW_SATP_LOCAL" --vendor="VMWARE"
--model="Virtual" --description="VMware virtual disk
Option
Description
--driver
DriverstringtosetwhenaddingtheSATPclaimrule.
-D
-d
DevicetosetwhenaddingSATPclaimrules.Devicerulesaremutuallyexclusivewith
vendor/modelanddriverrules.
--force
Forceclaimrulestoignorevaliditychecksandinstalltheruleevenifchecksfail.
--device
-f
--model
-M
ModelstringtosetwhenaddingtheSATPclaimrule.Canbethemodelnameorapattern
^mod*,whichmatchesalldevicesthatstartwithmod.Thatis,thepatternsuccessfullymatches
mod1andmodz,butnotmymod1.
Thecommandsupportsthestart/end(^)andwildcard(*)functionalitybutnootherregular
expressions.
-R
TransportstringtosetwhenaddingtheSATPclaimrule.DescribesthetypeofstorageHBA,
forexample,iscsiorfc.
--vendor
VendorstringtosetwhenaddingtheSATPclaimrule.
--transport
-V
--satp
SATPforwhichtheruleisadded.
-s
--claim-option
ClaimoptionstringtosetwhenaddingtheSATPclaimrule.
-c
--description
DescriptionstringtosetwhenaddingtheSATPclaimrule.
-e
-o
OptionstringtosetwhenaddingtheSATPclaimrule.Surroundtheoptionstringindouble
quotes,anduseaspace,notacomma,whenspecifyingmorethanoneoption.
enable_local enable_ssd.
--psp
DefaultPSPfortheSATPclaimrule.
--option
-P
--psp-option
PSPoptionsfortheSATPclaimrule.
-O
--type
SettheclaimtypewhenaddingaSATPclaimrule.
-t
ThefollowingexamplesillustrateaddingSATPrules.SpecifyoneoftheoptionslistedinConnection
AddaSATPrulethatspecifiesthatdiskswithvendorstringVMWAREandmodelstringVirtualshouldbe
addedtoVMW_SATP_LOCAL.
esxcli <conn_options> storage nmp satp rule add --satp="VMW_SATP_LOCAL" --vendor="VMWARE"
--model="Virtual" --description="VMware virtual disk"
AddaSATPrulethatspecifiesthatdiskswiththedriverstringsomedrivershouldbeaddedto
VMW_SATP_LOCAL.
esxcli <conn_options> storage nmp satp rule add --satp="VMW_SATP_LOCAL"
--driver="somedriver"
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AddarulethatspecifiesthatallstoragedeviceswithvendorstringABCandamodelnamethatstartswith
120shoulduseVMW_SATP_DEFAULT_AA(VMW_SATP_DEFAULT_AAisanexample).
esxcli <conn_options> storage nmp satp rule add --satp VMW_SATP_DEFAULT_AA --vendor="ABC"
--model="^120*
Removing SATP Rules

Theesxcli storage nmp satp rule removecommandremovesanexistingSATPrule.Theoptionsyou
specifydefinetheruletoremove.TheoptionslistedforAddingSATPRulesonpage 90aresupported.
ThefollowingexampleremovestherulethatassignsdeviceswithvendorstringVMWAREandmodelstring
VirtualtoVMW_SATP_LOCAL.
esxcli <conn_options> storage nmp satp rule remove
--satp="VMW_SATP_LOCAL" --vendor="VMWARE" --model="Virtual"
Retrieving and Setting SATP Configuration Parameters

Theesxcli storage nmp satp generic deviceconfig getandesxcli storage nmp satp generic
pathconfig getcommandsretrieveperdeviceorperpathSATPconfigurationparameters.Youcannot
retrievepathsordevicesforallSATPs,youmustretrievetheinformationonepathoronedeviceatatime.
UsethiscommandtoretrieveperdeviceorperpathSATPconfigurationparameters,andtoseewhetheryou
cansetcertainconfigurationparametersforadeviceorpath.
Forexampleesxcli storage nmp satp generic deviceconfig get --device naa.xxxmightreturn
SATP VMW_SATP_LSI does not support device configuration.
esxcli storage nmp satp generic pathconfig get -path vmhba1:C0:T0:L8mightreturnINIT,AVT
OFF,v5.4,DUAL ACTIVE,ESX FAILOVER
Theesxcli storage nmp satp generic deviceconfigsetandesxcli storage nmp satp generic
pathconfig set commandssetconfigurationparametersforSATPsthatareloadedintothesystem,ifthey
supportdeviceconfiguration.YoucansetperpathorperdeviceSATPconfigurationparameters.
IMPORTANTThecommandpassestheconfigurationstringtotheSATPassociatedwiththatdeviceorpath.
TheconfigurationstringsmightvarybySATP.VMwaresupportsafixedsetofconfigurationstringsfora
subsetofitsSATPs.Thestringsmightchangeinfuturereleases.
Options
Description
--config
-c
YoucansettheconfigurationforthefollowingSATPs:
Configurationstringtosetforthepathspecifiedby--pathorthedevicespecifiedby--device.
VMW_SATP_ALUA_CX
VMW_SATP_ALUA
VMW_SATP_CX
VMW_SATP_INV
Youcanspecifyoneofthefollowingdeviceconfigurationstrings:
navireg_onstartsautomaticregistrationofthedevicewithNavisphere.
navireg_offstopstheautomaticregistrationofthedevice.
ipfilter_onstopsthesendingofthehostnameforNavisphereregistration.Usedifhostis
knownaslocalhost.
ipfilter_offenablesthesendingofthehostnameduringNavisphereregistration.
--device
-d
DevicetosetSATPconfigurationfor.NotallSATPssupportthesetconfigoptionondevices.
--path
-p
PathtosetSATPconfigurationfor.NotallSATPssupportthesetconfigoptiononpaths.
Runesxcli storage nmp device set --default --device=<device> tosetthePSPforthespecified

devicebacktothedefaultfortheassignedSATPforthisdevice.
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Path Claiming with esxcli storage core claiming

Theesxcli storage core claimingnamespaceincludesanumberoftroubleshootingcommands.These
commandsarenotpersistentandareusefulonlytodeveloperswhoarewritingPSApluginsor
troubleshootingasystem.IfI/Oisactiveonthepath,unclaimandreclaimactionsfail.
IMPORTANTThehelpforesxcli storage core claiming includestheautoclaimcommand.Donotuse
thiscommandunlessinstructedtodosobyVMwaresupportstaff.
Using the Reclaim Troubleshooting Command

Theesxcli storage core claiming reclaimtroubleshootingcommandisintendedforPSAplugin
developersoradministratorswhotroubleshootPSAplugins.Thecommandproceedsasfollows.
Attemptstounclaimallpathstoadevice.
Runstheloadedclaimrulesoneachoftheunclaimedpathstoreclaimthosepaths.
Itisnormalforthiscommandtofailifadeviceisinuse.
IMPORTANTThereclaimcommandunclaimspathsassociatedwithadevice.
YoucannotusethecommandtoreclaimpathscurrentlyassociatedwiththeMASK_PATHpluginbecause
--deviceistheonlyoptionforreclaimandMASK_PATHpathsarenotassociatedwithadevice.
YoucanusethecommandtounclaimpathsforadeviceandhavethosepathsreclaimedbytheMASK_PATH
plugin.
Options
Description
--device <device>
Nameofthedeviceonwhichallpathsarereclaimed.
-d <device>
--help
Displaysthehelpmessage.
Unclaiming Paths or Sets of Paths

Theesxcli storage core claiming unclaimcommandunclaimsapathorsetofpaths,disassociating
thosepathsfromaPSAplugin.Thecommandsfailsifthedeviceisinuse.
Youcanunclaimonlyactivepathswithnooutstandingrequests.YoucannotunclaimtheESXiUSBpartition
ordeviceswithVMFSvolumesonthem.Itisthereforenormalforthiscommandtofail,especiallywhenyou
specifyapluginoradaptertounclaim.
Unclaimingdoesnotpersist.Periodicpathclaimingreclaimsunclaimedpathsunlessclaimrulesare
configuredtomaskapath.SeethevSphereStoragedocumentationfordetails.
IMPORTANTTheunclaimcommandunclaimspathsassociatedwithadevice.Youcanusethiscommandto
unclaimpathsassociatedwiththeMASK_PATHpluginbutcannotusethedeviceoptiontounclaimthose
paths.
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Options
Description
--adapter <adapter>
-A <adapter>
If--typeissettolocation,specifiesthenameoftheHBAforthepathsthatyouwant
tounclaim.Ifyoudonotspecifythisoption,unclaimingrunsonpathsfromall
adapters.
--channel <channel>
-C <channel>
If--typeissettolocation,specifiestheSCSIchannelnumberforthepathsthatyou
wanttounclaim.Ifyoudonotspecifythisoption,unclaimingrunsonpathsfromall
channels.
--claimrule-class <cl>
-c <cl>
Claimruleclasstouseinthisoperation.YoucanspecifyMP(Multipathing),Filter,or
VAAI.Multipathingisthedefault.FilterisusedonlyforVAAI.Specifyclaimrulesfor
bothVAAI_FILTERandVAAIplugintouseit.
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Options
Description
--device <device>
-d <device>
If--typeissettodevice,attemptstounclaimallpathstothespecifieddevice.Ifthere
areactiveI/Ooperationsonthespecifieddevice,atleastonepathcannotbeunclaimed.
--driver <driver>
-D <driver>
If--typeisdriver,unclaimsallpathsspecifiedbythisHBAdriver.
--lun <lun_number>
-L <lun_number>
If--typeislocation,specifiestheSCSILUNforthepathstounclaim.Ifyoudonot
specify--lun,unclaimingrunsonpathswithanyLUNnumber.
--model <model>
-m <model>
If--typeisvendor,attemptstounclaimallpathstodeviceswithspecificmodel
information(formultipathingplugins)orunclaimthedeviceitself(forfilterplugins).If
thereareactiveI/Ooperationsonthisdevice,atleastonepathfailstounclaim.
--path <path>
-p <path>
If--typeispath,unclaimsapathspecifiedbyitspathUIDorruntimename.
--plugin <plugin>
-P
If--typeisplugin,unclaimsallpathsforaspecifiedmultipathplugin.
<plugin>canbeanyvalidPSApluginonthesystem.BydefaultonlyNMPand
MASK_PATHareavailable,butadditionalpluginsmightbeinstalled.
--target <target>
-T <target>
If--typeislocation,unclaimsthepathswiththeSCSItargetnumberspecifiedby
target.Ifyoudonotspecify--target,unclaimingrunsonpathsfromalltargets.
--type <type>
-t <type>
Typeofunclaimoperationtoperform.Validvaluesarelocation,path,driver,
device,plugin,andvendor.
--vendor <vendor>
-v <vendor>
If--typeisvendor,attemptstounclaimallpathstodeviceswithspecificvendorinfo
formultipathingpluginsorunclaimthedeviceitselfforfilterplugins.Ifthereareany
activeI/Ooperationsonthisdevice,atleastonepathfailstounclaim
Thefollowingtroubleshootingcommandtriestounclaimallpathsonvmhba1.
esxcli <conn_options> storage core claiming unclaim --type location -A vmhba1
Runvicfg-mpath <conn_options> -ltoverifythatthecommandsucceeded.

Ifapathisthelastpathtoadevicethatwasinuse,oraifapathwasveryrecentlyinuse,theunclaimoperation
mightfail.Anerrorisloggedthatnotallpathscouldbeunclaimed.Stopprocessesthatmightusethedevice
andwait15secondstoletthedevicebequiesced.Retrythecommand.
Managing Claim Rules

ThePSAusesclaimrulestodeterminewhichmultipathingmoduleshouldclaimthepathstoaparticular
deviceandtomanagethedevice.esxclistorage core claimrulemanagesclaimrules.
ClaimrulemodificationcommandsdonotoperateontheVMkerneldirectly.Insteadtheyoperateonthe
configurationfilebyaddingandremovingrules.SpecifyoneoftheoptionslistedinConnectionOptionson
To change the current claim rules in the VMkernel
1
Runoneormoreoftheesxcli storage coreclaimrulemodificationcommands(add,remove,or

move).
Runesxcli storage core claimrule loadtoreplacethecurrentrulesintheVMkernelwiththe

modifiedrulesfromtheconfigurationfile.
Youcanalsorunesxcli storage core plugin listtolistallloadedplugins.
Adding Claim Rules

Theesxcli storage core claimrule addcommandaddsaclaimruletothesetofclaimrulesonthe
system.YoucanusethiscommandtoaddnewclaimrulesortomaskapathusingtheMASK_PATHclaimrule.
Youmustloadtherulesafteryouaddthem.
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Options
Description
--adapter <adapter>
Adapterofthepathstouse.Validonlyif--typeislocation.
-A <adapter>
--autoassign
-u
Addsaclaimrulebasedonitscharacteristics.Therulenumberisnotrequired.
--channel <channel>
Channelofthepathstouse.Validonlyif--typeislocation.
-C <channel>
-c <cl>
Claimruleclasstouseinthisoperation.YoucanspecifyMP(default),Filter,orVAAI.
--driver <driver>
DriverfortheHBAofthepathstouse.Validonlyif--typeisdriver.
Toconfigurehardwareaccelerationforanewarray,addtwoclaimrules,oneforthe
VAAIfilterandanotherfortheVAAIplugin.SeevSphereStoragefordetailed
instructions.
-D <driver>
--force
Forceclaimrulestoignorevaliditychecksandinstalltherule.
-f
--lun <lun_number>
LUNofthepathstouse.Validonlyif--typeislocation.
-L <lun_number>
--model <model>
Modelofthepathstouse.Validonlyif--typeisvendor.
-M <model>
ValidvaluesarevaluesoftheModelstringfromtheSCSIinquirystring.Run
vicfg-scsidevs <conn_options> -loneachdevicetoseemodelstringvalues.
--plugin
PSAplugintouse.Currently,thevaluesareNMPorMASK_PATH,butthirdpartiescan
shiptheirownPSApluginsinthefuture.
-P
MASK_PATHreferstothepluginMASK_PATH_PLUGIN.Thecommandaddsclaimrules
forthispluginiftheuserwantstomaskthepath.
ESX3.5includestheMaskLUNsadvancedconfigurationoption.Thisoptionisnot
availableinESX/ESXi4.xandESXi5.0.Ithasbeenreplacedbythe
MASK_PATH_PLUGIN.YoucanaddaclaimrulethatcausestheMASK_PATH_PLUGINto
claimthepathtomaskapathorLUNfromthehost.SeethevSphereStorage
documentationfordetails.
-r <rule_ID>
RuleIDtouse.Runesxcli storage core claimrule listtoseetheruleID.The

ruleIDindicatestheorderinwhichtheclaimruleistobeevaluated.Userdefined
claimrulesareevaluatedinnumericorderstartingwith101.
--target <target>
Targetofthepathstouse.Validonlyif--typeislocation.
--rule <rule_ID>
-T <target>
--transport <transport>
-R <transport>
--type <type>
-t <type>
--vendor
-V
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Transportofthepathstouse.Validonlyif--typeistransport.Thefollowingvalues
aresupported:
blockblockstorage
fcFibreChannel
iscsivendoriSCSI
iscsinotcurrentlyused
ideIDEstorage
sasSASstorage
sataSATAstorage
usbUSBstorage
parallelparallel
unknown
Typeofmatchingtousefortheoperation.Validvaluesarevendor,location,driver,
andtransport.
Vendorofthepathstouse.Validonlyif--typeisvendor.
ValidvaluesarevaluesofthevendorstringfromtheSCSIinquirystring.Run
vicfg-scsidevs <conn_options> -loneachdevicetoseevendorstringvalues.
--wwnn
WorldWideNodeNumberforthetargettouseinthisoperation.
--wwpn
WorldWidePortNumberforthetargettouseinthisoperation.
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Claimrulesarenumberedasfollows.
Rules0100arereservedforinternalusebyVMware.
Rules10165435areavailableforgeneraluse.Anythirdpartymultipathingpluginsinstalledonyour
systemuseclaimrulesinthisrange.Bydefault,thePSAclaimrule101masksDellarraypseudodevices.
Donotremovethisrule,unlessyouwanttounmaskthesedevices.
Rules6543665535arereservedforinternalusebyVMware.
Whenclaimingapath,thePSArunsthroughtherulesstartingfromthelowestnumberanddeterminesisa
pathmatchestheclaimrulespecification.IfthePSAfindsamatch,itgivesthepathtothecorresponding
plugin.Thisisworthnoticingbecauseagivenpathmightmatchseveralclaimrules.
Thefollowingexamplesillustrateaddingclaimrules.SpecifyoneoftheoptionslistedinConnection
Addrule321,whichclaimsthepathonadaptervmhba0,channel0,target0,LUN0fortheNMPplugin.
esxcli <conn_options> storage core claimrule add -r 321 -t location -A vmhba0 -C 0 -T 0 -L 0
-P NMP
Addrule429,whichclaimsallpathsprovidedbyanadapterwiththemptscsidriverfortheMASK_PATH
plugin.
esxcli <conn_options> storage core claimrule add -r 429 -t driver -D mptscsi -P MASK_PATH
Addrule914,whichclaimsallpathswithvendorstringVMWAREandmodelstringVirtualfortheNMP
plugin.
esxcli <conn_options> storage core claimrule add -r 914 -t vendor -V VMWARE -M Virtual -P NMP
Addrule1015,whichclaimsallpathsprovidedbyFCadaptersfortheNMPplugin.
esxcli <conn_options> storage core claimrule add -r 1015 -t transport -R fc -P NMP
Converting ESX 3.5 LUN Masks to Claim Rule Format

Theesxcli storage core claimrule convertcommandconvertsLUNmasksinESX3.5format
(/adv/Disk/MaskLUNs)toclaimruleformat.ThecommandwritestheconvertedlistanderasestheoldLUN
maskdata.SpecifyoneoftheoptionslistedinConnectionOptionsonpage 17inplaceof<conn_options>.
To convert ESX 3.5 format LUN masks to claim rule format
1
Runesxcli storage core claimrule convertwithoutoptions.

ThatcallreturnsNo /adv/Disk/MaskLUNs config entry to convertordisplaysthelistofclaimrules
thatwouldresultfromtheconversion.Forexample:
Rule
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Plugin
MASK_PATH
MASK_PATH
MASK_PATH
HbaName
vmhba11
vmhba11
vmhba4
Controller
0
0
0
Target
0
0
2
LUN
11
10
1
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Runesxcli storage core claimrule convert --committoactuallycommitthechange.
WhenyouconvertLUNmaskingtotheclaimruleformatafteranupgradefromESX/ESXi3.5toESX/ESXi4.x,
thiscommandconvertsthe/adv/Disk/MaskLUNsadvancedconfigurationentryintheesx.conffiletoclaim
ruleswithMASK_PATHastheplugin.
IMPORTANTThisconversiondoesnotworkforallinputMaskLUNvariations.Forexample,roleconversion
forsoftwareiSCSILUNsisnotsupported.
Inspectthelistofgeneratedclaimrulescarefullybeforeyoucommitthembyusing--commit.
Table 6-1. esxcli storage core claimrule convert Options
Options
Description
--commit
-C
ForcesLUNmaskconfigurationchangestobesaved.Ifyoucallthecommandwithoutthis
parameter,changesarenotsaved,andyoucanfirstinspectthegeneratedclaimrules.
Removing Claim Rules

Theesxcli storage core claimrule removecommandremovesaclaimrulefromthesetofclaimrules
onthesystem.
IMPORTANTBydefault,thePSAclaimrule101masksDellarraypseudodevices.Donotremovethisrule,
unlessyouwanttounmaskthesedevices.
Option
Description
--rule <rule_ID>
-r <rule_ID>
IDoftheruletoberemoved.Runesxcli storage core claimrule listtoseetheruleID.
Thefollowingexampleremovesrule1015.
esxcli <conn_options> storage core claimrule remove -r 1015
Listing Claim Rules

Thelistcommandlistsallclaimrulesonthesystem.Youcanspecifytheclaimruleclassasanargument.
Option
Description
-c <cl>
Claimruleclasstouseinthisoperation.YoucanspecifyMP(Multipathing),Filter,or
VAAI.Multipathingisthedefault.FilterisusedonlyforVAAI.Specifyclaimrulesfor
bothVAAI_FILTERandVAAIplugintouseit.SeevSphereStorageforinformationabout
VAAI.
Youcanrunthecommandasfollows.Theequalsignisoptional,sobothformsofthecommandhavethesame
result.SpecifyoneoftheoptionslistedinConnectionOptionsonpage 17inplaceof<conn_options>.
esxcli <conn_options> storage core claimrule list -c Filter
esxcli <conn_options> storage core claimrule list --claimrule-class=Filter
Loading Claim Rules

Theesxcli storage core claimrule loadcommandloadsclaimrulesfromtheesx.confconfiguration
fileintotheVMkernel.Developersandexperiencedstorageadministratorsmightusethiscommandforboot
timeconfiguration.
Thiscommandhasnooptions;italwaysloadsallclaimrulesfromesx.conf.
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Moving Claim Rules

Theesxcli storage core claimrule movecommandmovesaclaimrulefromoneruleIDtoanother.
Options
Description
-c <cl>
Claimruleclasstouseinthisoperation.
--new-rule <rule_ID>
-n <rule_ID>
NewruleIDyouwanttogivetotherulespecifiedbythe--ruleoption.
--rule <rule_ID>
-r <rule_ID>
IDoftheruletoberemoved.Runesxcli storage core claimrule listtodisplay

theruleID.
Thefollowingexamplerenamesrule1016torule1015andremovesrule1016.Specifyoneoftheoptionslisted
inConnectionOptionsonpage 17inplaceof<conn_options>.
esxcli <conn_options> storage core claimrule move -r 1015 -n 1016
Running Path Claiming Rules

Theesxcli storage core claimrule runcommandrunspathclaimingrules.Runthiscommandapply
claimrulesthatareloaded.Ifyoudonotcallrun,thesystemchecksforclaimruleupdateseveryfiveminutes
andappliesthem.SpecifyoneoftheoptionslistedinConnectionOptionsonpage 17inplaceof
<conn_options>.
To load and apply claim rules
1
Modifyrulesandloadthem.
esxcli <conn_options> storage core claimrule load
Quiescethedevicesthatusepathsforwhichyouwanttochangetheruleandunclaimthosepaths.
esxcli <conn_options> storage core claiming unclaim --device=<device>
Runpathclaimingrules.
esxcli <conn_options> storage core claimrule run
Thiscommandisalsousedfortroubleshootingandboottimeconfiguration.
Options
Description
--adapter <adapter>
-A <adapter>
If--typeislocation,nameoftheHBAforthepathstoruntheclaimruleson.To
runclaimrulesonpathsfromalladapters,omitthisoption.
--channel <channel>
-C <channel>
If--typeislocation,valueoftheSCSIchannelnumberforthepathstorunthe
claimruleson.Torunclaimrulesonpathswithanychannelnumber,omitthis
option.
--claimrule-class
-c
Claimruleclasstouseinthisoperation.
--lun <lun>
-L <lun>
If--typeislocation,valueoftheSCSILUNforthepathstorunclaimruleson.To
runclaimrulesonpathswithanyLUN,omitthisoption.
--path <path_UID>
-p <path_UID>
If--typeispath,thisoptionindicatestheuniquepathidentifier(UID)orthe
runtimenameofapathtorunclaimruleson.
--target <target>
-T <target>
If--typeislocation,valueoftheSCSItargetnumberforthepathstorunclaim
ruleson.Torunclaimrulesonpathswithanytargetnumber,omitthisoption
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Options
Description
--type
<location|path|all>
-t <location|path|all>
Typeofclaimtoperform.Bydefault,usesall,whichmeansclaimrulesrunwithout
restrictiontospecificpathsorSCSIaddresses.Validvaluesarelocation,path,and
all.
--wait
-w
Youcanusethisoptiononlyifyoualsouse--typeall.
Iftheoptionisincluded,theclaimwaitsforpathstosettlebeforerunningtheclaim
operation.Inthatcase,thesystemdoesnotstarttheclaimingprocessuntilitislikely
thatallpathsonthesystemhaveappearedbeforestartingtheclaimprocess.
Aftertheclaimingprocesshasstarted,thecommanddoesnotreturnuntildevice
registrationhascompleted.
Ifyouaddorremovepathsduringtheclaimingorthediscoveryprocess,thisoption
mightnotworkcorrectly.
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Managing Users
AnESXisystemgrantsaccesstoitsresourceswhenaknownuserwithappropriatepermissionslogsontothe
systemwithapasswordthatmatchestheonestoredforthatuser.YoucanusethevSphereClientorthe
vSphereSDKforallusermanagementtasks.YoucannotcreateESXiuserswiththevSphereWebClient.
Youcanusethevicfg-usercommandtocreate,modify,delete,andlistlocaldirectaccessusersonanESXi
host.YoucannotrunthiscommandagainstavCenterServersystem.
IMPORTANTStartingwithvSphere5.1,youcannolongermanagegroupswithvicfg-user.
UsersinthevSphereEnvironmentonpage 99
vicfguserCommandSyntaxonpage 99
ManagingUserswithvicfguseronpage 100
Users in the vSphere Environment

Users,androlescontrolwhohasaccesstovSpherecomponentsandwhatactionseachusercanperform.User
managementisdiscussedindetailinthevSphereSecuritydocumentation.
IMPORTANTYoucannotusevicfg-usertocreateroles.Youcanmanagesystemdefinedroles.
vCenterServerandESXisystemsauthenticateauserwithacombinationofusername,password,and
permissions.Serversandhostsmaintainlistsofauthorizedusersandthepermissionsassignedtoeachuser.
Privilegesdefinebasicindividualrightsthatarerequiredtoperformactionsandretrieveinformation.ESXi
andvCenterServerusesetsofprivileges,orroles,tocontrolwhichuserscanaccessparticularvSphereobjects.
ESXiandvCenterServerprovideasetofpreestablishedroles.
TheprivilegesandrolesassignedonanESXihostareseparatefromtheprivilegesandrolesassignedona
vCenterServersystem.WhenyoumanageahostbyusingvCenterServersystem,onlytheprivilegesandroles
assignedthroughthevCenterServersystemareavailable.Ifyouconnectdirectlytothehostbyusingthe
vSphereClient,onlytheprivilegesandrolesassigneddirectlyonthehostareavailable.YoucannotcreateESXi
userswiththevSphereWebClient.
vicfg-user Command Syntax

Thevicfg-usersyntaxdiffersfromothervCLIcommands.Youspecifyoperationsasfollows:
vicfg-user <conn_options> -e <user> -o <add|modify|delete|list>
Ifyoucreateauserwithoutspecifyingtherole(--role),theuserhasnopermissions.Youcannotchangethe
usersrole,youcanonlychangetheuserspermission.
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IMPORTANTIfyoucreateauserwiththevSphereClient,youcannotmakechangestothatuserwiththe
vicfg-usercommand.
Options
Thevicfg-usercommandspecificoptionsmanipulateusers.Youmustalsospecifyconnectionoptions.See
ConnectionOptionsonpage 17.
Option
Description
--adduser <user_list>
-u <user_list>
Addsthespecifiedusers.Takesacommaseparatedlistofusers.
--entity <user>
-e <user>
Entitytoperformtheoperationon.StartingwithvSphere5.1,entityis
alwaysuser.
--login <login_id>
-l <login_id>
LoginIDoftheuser.
--newpassword <p_wd>
-p <p_wd>
Passwordforthetargetuser.
--newuserid <UUID>
-i <UUID>
NewUUIDforthetargetuser.
--newusername <name>
-n <name>
Newusernameforthetargetuser.
--operation
-o
Operationtoperform.Specifyadd,modify,delete,orlist.
--role <admin|read-only|no-access>
-r <admin|read-only|no-access>
Roleforthetargetuser.Specifyoneofadmin,read-only,orno-access.
--shell
-s
Grantshellaccesstothetargetuser.Defaultisnoshellaccess.Usethis
commandtochangethedefaultortorevokeshellaccessrightsafterthey
havebeengranted.
Usersthatyoucreatewithoutassigningpermissionshavenopermissions.
Validvaluesareyesandno.
ThisoptionisnotsupportedagainstvSphere5.0systems.Theoptionis
supportedonlyagainstESX.TheoptionisnotsupportedagainstESXi.
Managing Users with vicfg-user

AuserisanindividualauthorizedtologintoanESXiorvCenterServersystem.
vSpheredoesnotexplicitlyrestrictuserswiththesameauthenticationcredentialsfromaccessingandtaking
actionwithinthevSphereenvironmentsimultaneously.
YoumanageusersdefinedonthevCenterServersystemandusersdefinedonindividualhostsseparately.
ManageusersdefinedonESXiwiththevSphereClient,thevSphereWebServicesSDK,orvicfg-user.
ManagevCenterServeruserswiththevSphereClient,thevSphereWebClient,orthevSphereWeb
ServicesSDK.
IMPORTANTYoucannotmodifyuserscreatedwiththevSphereClientwiththevicfg-usercommand.
EveniftheuserlistsofahostandavCenterServersystemappeartohavecommonusers(forinstance,auser
calleddevuser),theseusersareseparateuserswiththesamename.TheattributesofdevuserinvCenter
Server,includingpermissions,passwords,andsoforth,areseparatefromtheattributesofdevuserontheESXi
host.IfyoulogintovCenterServerasdevuser,youmighthavepermissiontoviewanddeletefilesfroma
datastore.IfyoulogintoanESXihostasdevuser,youmightnothavethesepermissions.
UsersauthorizedtoworkdirectlyonanESXihostareaddedtotheinternaluserlistwhenESXiisinstalledor
canbeaddedbyasystemadministratorafterinstallation.Youcanusevicfg-usertoaddusers,removeusers,
changepasswords,andconfigurepermissions.
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Chapter 7 Managing Users
CAUTIONSeetheAuthenticationandUserManagementchapterofvSphereSecurityforinformationaboutroot
usersbeforeyoumakeanychangestothedefaultusers.Mistakesregardingrootuserscanhaveseriousaccess
consequences.
EachESXihosthasseveraldefaultusers:
Therootuserhasfulladministrativeprivileges.Administratorsusethisloginanditsassociatedpassword
tologintoahostthroughthevSphereClient.Rootuserscancontrolallaspectsofthehostthattheyare
loggedonto.Rootuserscanmanipulatepermissions,creatingusers(onESXihostsonly),workingwith
events,andsoon.
ThevpxuseruserisavCenterServerentitywithrootrightsontheESXihost,allowingittomanage
activitiesforthathost.ThesystemcreatesvpxuserwhenanESXihostisattachedtovCenterServer.
vpxuserisnotpresentontheESXihostunlessthehostisbeingmanagedthroughvCenterServer.
Otherusersmightbedefinedbythesystem,dependingonthenetworkingsetupandotherfactors.
Thefollowingexamplescenarioillustratessomeofthetasksthatyoucanperform.Specifyoneoftheoptions
To create, modify, and delete users
1
Listtheexistingusers.
vicfg-user <conn_options> -e user -o list
Thelistdisplaysallusersthatarepredefinedbythesystemandallusersthatwereaddedlater.
IMPORTANTThecommandlistsamaximumof100users.
2
Addanewuser,specifyingaloginIDandpassword.
vicfg-user <conn_options> -e user -o add -l user27 -p 27_password
Thecommandcreatestheuser.Bydefault,thecommandautogeneratesaUIDfortheuser.
3
ListtheusersagaintoverifythatthenewuserwasaddedandaUIDwasgenerated.
vicfg-user <conn_options> -e user -o list
USERS
------------------Principal -: root
Full Name -: root
UID -: 0
Shell Access -> 1
------------------...
-------------------Principal -: user27
Full Name -:
UID -: 501
Shell Access -> 0
Modifythepasswordforuseruser27.
vicfg-user <conn_options> -e user -o modify -l user27 -p 27_password2
ThesystemmightreturnUpdated user user27 successfully.

5
Assignreadonlyprivilegestotheuser(whocurrentlyhasnoaccess).
vicfg-user <conn_options> -e user -o modify -l user27 --role read-only
Thesystempromptswhetheryouwanttochangethepassword,whichmightbeadvisableiftheuserdoes
notcurrentlyhaveapassword.Answeryorn.Thesystemthenupdatestheuser.
Updated user user27 successfully.
Assigned the role read-only
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RemovetheuserwithloginIDuser27.
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vicfg-user <conn_options> -e user -o delete -l user27
Thesystemremovestheuserandprintsamessage.
Removed the user user27 successfully.
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Managing Virtual Machines
YoucanmanagevirtualmachineswiththevSphereWebClientorthevmware-cmdvCLIcommand.Using
vmware-cmdyoucanregisterandunregistervirtualmachines,retrievevirtualmachineinformation,manage
snapshots,turnthevirtualmachineonandoff,addandremovevirtualdevices,andpromptforuserinput.
Thechapterincludesthesetopics:
vmwarecmdOverviewonpage 103
ListingandRegisteringVirtualMachinesonpage 104
RetrievingVirtualMachineAttributesonpage 105
ManagingVirtualMachineSnapshotswithvmwarecmdonpage 106
PoweringVirtualMachinesOnandOffonpage 107
ConnectingandDisconnectingVirtualDevicesonpage 108
WorkingwiththeAnswerVMAPIonpage 109
ForciblyStoppingVirtualMachineswithEXCLIonpage 109
SomevirtualmachinemanagementutilityapplicationsareincludedinthevSphereSDKforPerl.
ThevSpherePowerCLIcmdlets,whichyoucaninstallforusewithMicrosoftPowerShell,managemany
aspectsofvirtualmachines.
vmware-cmd Overview
vmware-cmdwasincludedinearlierversionoftheESXServiceConsole.Avmware-cmdcommandhasbeen
availableinthevCLIpackagesinceESXiversion3.0.
IMPORTANTvmware-cmdisnotavailableintheESXiShell.Runthevmware-cmdvCLIcommandinstead.
Olderversionsofvmware-cmdsupportasetofconnectionoptionsandgeneraloptionsthatdifferfromthe
optionsinothervCLIcommands.Thevmware-cmdvCLIcommandsupportstheseoptions.ThevCLI
commandalsosupportsthestandardvCLI--server,--username,--password,and--vihostoptions.
vmware-cmddoesnotsupportotherconnectionoptions.
IMPORTANTvmware-cmdisalegacytoolandsupportstheusageofVMFSpathsforvirtualmachine
configurationfiles.Asarule,usedatastorepathstoaccessvirtualmachineconfigurationfiles.
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Connection Options for vmware-cmd

Thevmware-cmdvCLIcommandsupportsonlythefollowingconnectionoptions.OthervCLIconnection
optionsarenotsupported,forexample,youcannotusevariablesbecausethecorrespondingoptionisnot
supported.
Option
Description
--server <host>
TargetESXiorvCenterServersystem.
-H <host>
-h <target>
Whenyourunvmware-cmdwiththe-HoptionpointingtoavCenterServersystem,use
--vihosttospecifytheESXihosttorunthecommandagainst.
-O <port>
Alternativeconnectionport.Thedefaultportnumberis902.
username <username>
Userwhoisauthorizedtologintothehostspecifiedby--serveror--vihost.
--vihost <target>
-U <username>
password <password>
Passwordfortheuserspecifiedby-U.
-P <password>
-Q <protocol>
Protocoltouse,eitherhttporhttps.Defaultishttps.
General Options for vmware-cmd

Thevmware-cmdvCLIcommandsupportsthefollowinggeneraloptions.
Option
Description
--help
Printsahelpmessagethatliststheoptionsforthiscommand.
-q
Runsinquietmodewithminimaloutput.Theoutputdoesnotdisplaythespecifiedoperationand
arguments.
-v
Runsinverbosemode.
Format for Specifying Virtual Machines

Whenyourunvmware-cmd,thevirtualmachinepathisusuallyrequired.Youcanspecifythevirtualmachine
usingoneofthefollowingformats:
Datastoreprefixstyle:'[ds_name] relative_path',forexample:
'[myStorage1] testvms/VM1/VM1.vmx'(Linux)
"[myStorage1] testvms/VM1/VM1.vmx" (Windows)
UUIDbasedpath: folder/subfolder/file,forexample:
'/vmfs/volumes/mystorage/testvms/VM1/VM1.vmx'(Linux)
"/vmfs/volumes/mystorage/testvms/VM1/VM1.vmx"(Windows)
Listing and Registering Virtual Machines

RegisteringorunregisteringavirtualmachinemeansaddingthevirtualmachinetothevCenterServerorESXi
inventoryorremovingthevirtualmachine.
IMPORTANTIfyouregisteravirtualmachinewithavCenterServersystem,andthenremoveitfromtheESXi
host,anorphanedvirtualmachineresults.Callvmware-cmd -s unregisterwiththevCenterServersystem
asthetargettoresolvetheissue.
ThefollowingexamplescenariolistsallregisteredvirtualmachinesonavCenterServer,unregistersavirtual
machine,andreregistersthevirtualmachine.
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Chapter 8 Managing Virtual Machines
To list, unregister, and register virtual machines

1
Runvmware-cmd -ltolistallregisteredvirtualmachinesonaserver.
vmware-cmd -H <vc_server> -U <login_user> -P <login_password> --vihost <esx_host> -l
ThecommandliststheVMXfileforeachvirtualmachine.
/vmfs/volumes/<storage>/winxpPro-sp2/winxpPro-sp2.vmx
/vmfs/volumes/<storage>/RHEL-lsi/RHEL-lsi.vmx
/vmfs/volumes/<storage>/VIMA0809/VIMA0809.vmx
.....
Runvmware-cmd -s unregistertoremoveavirtualmachinefromtheinventory.
vmware-cmd -H <vc_server> -U <login_user> -P <login_password> --vihost <esx_host>
-s unregister /vmfs/volumes/Storage2/testvm/testvm.vmx
Thesystemreturns0toindicatesuccess,1toindicatefailure.
NOTEWhenyourunagainstavCenterServersystem,youmustspecifythedatacenterandtheresource
pooltoregisterthevirtualmachinein.Thedefaultdatacenterisha-datacenterandthedefaultresource
poolisResources.
WhenyourunagainstanESXihost,youusuallydonotspecifytheresourcepoolanddatacenter.
However,iftwovirtualmachineswiththesamenameexistintworesourcepools,youmustspecifythe
resourcepool.
3
Runvmware-cmd -lagaintoverifythatthevirtualmachinewasremovedfromtheinventory.
Runvmware-cmd -s registertoaddthevirtualmachinebacktotheinventory.
vmware-cmd -H <vc_server> -U <login_user -P <login_password --vihost <esx_host> -s register
/vmfs/volumes/Storage2/testvm/testvm.vmx
Thesystemreturns0toindicatesuccess,1toindicatefailure.
Retrieving Virtual Machine Attributes

vmware-cmdincludesoptionsforretrievinginformationaboutavirtualmachine.Eachoptionrequiresthat
youspecifythevirtualmachinepath(seeFormatforSpecifyingVirtualMachinesonpage 104).Youmust
alsospecifyconnectionoptions,whichdifferfromothervCLIcommands(seeConnectionOptionsfor
vmwarecmdonpage 104).
Youcanusevmware-cmdoptionstoretrieveanumberofdifferentvirtualmachineattributes.Foracomplete
listofoptions,seethevSphereCLIReference.
Theguestinfooptionallowsyoutoretrieveinformationabouttheguestoperatingsystem.Forexample,
youcanretrievethenumberofremoteconsolesallowedbyavirtualmachinebyusingguestinforwith
theRemoteDisplay.maxConnectionsvariable.
vmware-cmd -H <vc_system> -U <user> -P <password> --vihost <esx_host>
/vmfs/volumes/Storage2/testvm/testvm.vmx getguestinfo RemoteDisplay.maxConnections
TheHardeningGuideincludesadditionalinformationaboutvariablesyoucanuseinconjunctionwith
guestinfo.Acompletelistisnotavailable.
Thegetuptimeoptionretrievestheuptimeoftheguestoperatingsystemonthevirtualmachine,in
seconds.
/vmfs/volumes/Storage2/testvm/testvm.vmx getuptime
getuptime() = 17921
Thegetproductinfo productoptionliststheVMwareproductthatthevirtualmachinerunson.
/vmfs/volumes/Storage2/testvm/testvm.vmx getproductinfo product
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Thereturnvalueisesx(VMwareESX),embeddedESX(VMwareESXi),orunknown.
Thegetproductinfo platformoptionliststheplatformthatthevirtualmachinerunson.
/vmfs/volumes/Storage2/testvm/testvm.vmx getproductinfo platform
Thereturnvalueiswin32-x86(x86basedWindowssystem),linux-x86(x86basedLinuxsystem),or
vmnix-x86(x86basedESXimicrokernel).
Thegetproductinfo build,getproductinfo majorversion,orgetproductinfo minorversion

optionsretrieveversioninformation.
Thegetstateoptionretrievestheexecutionstateofthevirtualmachine,whichcanbeon,off,
suspended,orunknown.
/vmfs/volumes/Storage2/testvm/testvm.vmx getstate
getstate() = on
ThegettoolslastactiveoptionindicateswhetherVMwareToolsisinstalledandwhethertheguest
operatingsystemisrespondingnormally.
/vmfs/volumes/Storage2/testvm/testvm.vmx gettoolslastactive
Thecommandreturnsanintegerindicatinghowmuchtimehaspassed,inseconds,sincethelast
heartbeatwasdetectedfromtheVMwareToolsservice.Thisvalueisinitializedtozerowhenavirtual
machinepowerson.Thevaluestaysatzerountilthefirstheartbeatisdetected.Afterthefirstheartbeat,
thevalueisalwaysgreaterthanzerountilthevirtualmachineispowercycledagain.Thecommand
returnsoneofthefollowingvalues:
0VMwareToolsisnotinstalledornotrunning.
1Guestoperatingsystemisrespondingnormally.
5Intermittentheartbeat.Theremightbeaproblemwiththeguestoperatingsystem.
100Noheartbeat.Guestoperatingsystemmighthavestoppedresponding.
NOTEYouusuallyusethevmware-cmd guestinfooptiononlywhenVMwareSupportinstructsyoutodo
so.Thecommandisthereforenotdiscussedinthisdocument.
Managing Virtual Machine Snapshots with vmware-cmd

Asnapshotcapturestheentirestateofthevirtualmachineatthetimeyoutakethesnapshot.
Virtualmachinestateincludesthefollowingaspectsofthevirtualmachine.
Memorystate.Contentsofthevirtualmachinesmemory.
Settingsstate.Virtualmachinesettings.
Diskstate.Stateofallthevirtualmachinesvirtualdisks.
Whenyoureverttoasnapshot,youreturntheseitemstothestatetheywereinatthetimethatyoutookthe
snapshot.Ifyouwantthevirtualmachinetoberunningortobeshutdownwhenyoustartit,makesurethat
itisinthatstatewhenyoutakethesnapshot.
Youcanusesnapshotsasrestorationpointswhenyouinstallupdatepackages,orduringabranchingprocess,
suchasinstallingdifferentversionsofaprogram.Takingsnapshotsensuresthateachinstallationbeginsfrom
anidenticalbaseline.ThevSphereVirtualMachineAdministrationdocumentationdiscussessnapshotsindetail.
IMPORTANTUsethevSphereWebClienttoreverttoanamedsnapshot.vmware-cmdonlysupportsreverting
tothecurrentsnapshot.
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Taking Virtual Machine Snapshots

Youcantakeasnapshotwhileavirtualmachineisrunning,shutdown,orsuspended.Ifyouareintheprocess
ofsuspendingavirtualmachine,waituntilthesuspendoperationhasfinishedbeforetakingasnapshot.
Ifavirtualmachinehasmultipledisksindifferentdiskmodes,youmustshutdownthevirtualmachinebefore
takingasnapshot.Forexample,ifyouhaveaspecialpurposeconfigurationthatrequiresyoutousean
independentdisk,youmustshutdownthevirtualmachinebeforetakingasnapshot.
To take a snapshot
1
(Optional)Ifthevirtualmachinehasmultipledisksindifferentdiskmodes,shutdownthevirtual
machine.
/vmfs/volumes/Storage2/testvm/testvm.vmx stop soft
(Optional)Checkthattheshutdownoperationhasbeencompleted.
/vmfs/volumes/Storage2/testvm/testvm.vmx getstate
Runvmware-cmdwiththecreatesnapshotoption.
Youmustspecifythedescription,quiesceflag(0or1)andmemoryflag(0or1).
/vmfs/volumes/Storage2/testvm/testvm.vmx createsnapshot VM1Aug09
test snapshot August 09 0 0
Checkthatthevirtualmachinehasasnapshotbyusingthehassnapshotoption.
Thecallreturns1ifthevirtualmachinehasasnapshotandreturns0otherwise.
/vmfs/volumes/Storage2/testvm/testvm.vmx hassnapshot
hassnapshot () = 1
Reverting and Removing Snapshots

Youcanusevmware-cmdtoreverttothecurrentsnapshotortoremoveasnapshot.
IMPORTANTYoucannotusevmware-cmdtoreverttoanamedsnapshot.UsethevSphereWebClienttorevert
toanamedsnapshot.
Runvmware-cmdwiththerevertsnapshotoptiontoreverttothecurrentsnapshot.Ifnosnapshotexists,the
commanddoesnothingandleavesthevirtualmachinestateunchanged.
/vmfs/volumes/Storage2/testvm/testvm.vmx revertsnapshot
Runvmware-cmdwiththeremovesnapshotsoptiontoremoveallsnapshotsassociatedwithavirtual
machine.Ifnosnapshotexists,thecommanddoesnothing.
/vmfs/volumes/Storage2/testvm/testvm.vmx removesnapshots
Powering Virtual Machines On and Off

Youcanstart,reboot,stop,andsuspendvirtualmachinesbyusingvmware-cmd.Youmustsupplyavaluefor
thepowerop_modeflag,whichcanbesoftorhard.
IMPORTANTYoumusthavethecurrentversionofVMwareToolsinstalledandrunningintheguestoperating
systemtouseasoftpoweroperation.
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Softpoweroperations.Whenyouspecifysoftasthepowerop_modevalue,theresultofthecalldepends
ontheoperation.
Operation
Result
Stop
vmware-cmdattemptstoshutdowntheguestoperatingsystemandpowersoffthevirtualmachine.
Reset
vmware-cmdattemptstoshutdowntheguestoperatingsystemandrebootsthevirtualmachine.
Suspend
vmware-cmdattemptstorunascriptintheguestoperatingsystembeforesuspendingthevirtual
machine.
Hardpoweroperations.vmware-cmdimmediatelyandunconditionallyshutsdown,resets,orsuspends
thevirtualmachine.
Thefollowingexamplesillustratehowtousevmware-cmd.
Start.Usethestartoptiontopoweronavirtualmachineortoresumeasuspendedvirtualmachine.The
powerop_mode,eitherhardorsoft,isrequired.
/vmfs/volumes/Storage2/testvm/testvm.vmx start soft
Reset.Whenyouresetthevirtualmachinewiththesoftpower_opmode(thedefault),theguest
operatingsystemisshutdownbeforethereset.
IfVMwareToolsisnotcurrentlyinstalledonthevirtualmachine,youcanperformonlyahardreset
operation.
a
CheckthatVMwaretoolsisinstalledsothatyoucanresetthevirtualmachinewiththedefault
power_opmode,whichissoft.
/vmfs/volumes/Storage2/testvm/testvm.vmx gettoolslastactive
SeeRetrievingVirtualMachineAttributesonpage 105.
b
Usetheresetoptiontoshutdownandrestartthevirtualmachine.
/vmfs/volumes/Storage2/testvm/testvm.vmx reset soft
Suspend.Youhavetwooptionsforsuspendingavirtualmachine.
Thesuspendoptionwiththehardpoweropmodeunconditionallyshutsdownavirtualmachine.
/vmfs/volumes/Storage2/testvm/testvm.vmx suspend hard
Thesuspendoptionwiththesoftpoweropmoderunsscriptsthatresultinagracefulshutdownof
theguestoperatingsystemandshutsdownthevirtualmachine.VMwareToolsmustbeinstalledfor
softpowerop_mode.
/vmfs/volumes/Storage2/testvm/testvm.vmx suspend soft
Connecting and Disconnecting Virtual Devices

Thevmware-commandoptionsconnectdeviceanddisconnectdeviceallowyoutoconnectthefollowing
typesofdevicestoyourvirtualmachinesandtodisconnectthem:
Networkadapters
CD/DVDdrives
Floppydrives
Thesedevicesmustalreadybedefinedinthevirtualmachinevirtualhardwarelist.
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ThecommandoptionsconnectanddisconnectadefinedISOorFLPfileoraphysicaldeviceonthehost.After
youconnectadevice,itscontentcanbeaccessedfromtheGuestOS.Fornetworkadapters,theoptionsconnect
thevirtualNICtoitsdefinedportgroupordisconnecttheNIC.Thisisequivalenttoselectingordeselecting
theConnectedcheckboxinthevSphereWebClient.
NOTEThetermsCD/DVD drive,Floppy drive.andNetwork adapter arecasesensitive.
Youcanconnectordisconnectdevicesifthefollowingconditionsaremet:
Thevirtualmachinehasaguestoperatingsystemthatsupportshotplugfunctionality.SeetheOperating
SystemInstallationdocumentation.
Thevirtualmachineisusinghardwareversion7orlater.
Thevirtualmachineispoweredon
Thefollowingexamplesillustrateconnectinganddisconnectingavirtualdevice.Devicenamesarecase
sensitive.
TheconnectdeviceoptionconnectsthevirtualIDEdeviceCD/DVDDrive2tothespecifiedvirtual
machine.
/vmfs/volumes/Storage2/testvm/testvm.vmx connectdevice "CD/DVD drive 2"
Thedisconnectdeviceoptiondisconnectsthevirtualdevice.
/vmfs/volumes/Storage2/testvm/testvm.vmx disconnectdevice "CD/DVD drive 2"
Working with the AnswerVM API

TheAnswerVMAPIallowsuserstoprovideinputtoquestions,therebyallowingblockedvirtualmachine
operationstocomplete.Thevmware-cmd --answeroptionallowsyoutoaccesstheinput.Youmightusethis
optionwhenyouwanttoconfigureavirtualmachinebasedonauserssinput.Forexample:
1
Theuserclonesavirtualmachineandprovidesthedefaultvirtualdisktype.
Whentheuserpowersonthevirtualmachine,itpromptsforthedesiredvirtualdisktype.
Forcibly Stopping Virtual Machines with EXCLI

Insomecases,virtualmachinesdonotrespondtothenormalshutdownorstopcommands.Inthesecases,it
mightbenecessarytoforciblyshutdownthevirtualmachines.Forciblyshuttingdownavirtualmachine
mightresultinguestoperatingsystemdatalossandissimilartopullingthepowercableonaphysical
machine.
Youcanforciblystopvirtualmachinesthatarenotrespondingtonormalstopoperationwiththeesxcli vm
process killcommand.SpecifyoneoftheoptionslistedinConnectionOptionsonpage 17inplaceof
<conn_options>.
To forcibly stop a virtual machine
1
ListallrunningvirtualmachinesonthesystemtoseetheWorldIDofthevirtualmachinethatyouwant
tostop.
esxcli <conn_options> vm process list
Stopthevirtualmachinebyrunningthefollowingcommand.
esxcli <conn_options> vm process kill --type <kill_type> --world-id <ID>
Thecommandsupportsthree--typeoptions.Trythetypessequentially(softbeforehard,hardbefore
force).Thefollowingtypesaresupportedthroughthe--typeoption:
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soft.GivestheVMXprocessachancetoshutdowncleanly(likekillorkill -SIGTERM)
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hard.StopstheVMXprocessimmediately(likekill -9orkill -SIGKILL)
force.StopstheVMXprocesswhenotheroptionsdonotwork.
Ifallthreeoptionsdonotwork,rebootyourESXihosttoresolvetheissue.
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Managing vSphere Networking
ThevSphereCLInetworkingcommandsallowyoutomanagethevSpherenetworkservices.Youcanconnect
virtualmachinestothephysicalnetworkandtoeachotherandconfigurevSpherestandardswitches.Limited
configurationofvSpheredistributedswitchesisalsosupported.YoucanalsosetupyourvSphere
environmenttoworkwithexternalnetworkssuchasSNMPorNTP.
IntroductiontovSphereNetworkingonpage 111
RetrievingBasicNetworkingInformationonpage 113
NetworkTroubleshootingonpage 114
SettingUpvSphereNetworkingwithvSphereStandardSwitchesonpage 115
SettingUpvSphereNetworkingwithvSphereDistributedSwitchonpage 126
ManagingStandardNetworkingServicesinthevSphereEnvironmentonpage 126
SettingtheDNSConfigurationonpage 126
AddingandStartinganNTPServeronpage 129
ManagingtheIPGatewayonpage 129
SettingUpIPseconpage 130
ManagingtheESXiFirewallonpage 133
Introduction to vSphere Networking

AtthecoreofvSphereNetworkingarevirtualswitches.vSpheresupportsstandardswitches(VSS)and
distributedswitches(VDS).Eachvirtualswitchhasapresetnumberofportsandoneormoreportgroups.
Virtualswitchesallowyourvirtualmachinestoconnecttoeachotherandtoconnecttotheoutsideworld.
Whentwoormorevirtualmachinesareconnectedtothesamevirtualswitch,andthosevirtualmachines
arealsoonthesameportgrouporVLAN,networktrafficbetweenthemisroutedlocally.
Whenvirtualmachinesareconnectedtoavirtualswitchthatisconnectedtoanuplinkadapter,each
virtualmachinecanaccesstheexternalnetworkthroughthatuplink.Theadaptercanbeanuplink
connectedtoastandardswitchoradistributeduplinkportconnectedtoadistributedswitch.
VirtualswitchesallowyourESXihosttomigratevirtualmachineswithVMwarevMotionandtouseIPstorage
throughVMkernelnetworkinterfaces.
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UsingvMotion,youcanmigraterunningvirtualmachineswithnodowntime.YoucanenablevMotion
withvicfg-vmknic --enable-vmotion.YoucannotenablevMotionwithESXCLI.
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IPstoragereferstoanyformofstoragethatusesTCP/IPnetworkcommunicationasitsfoundationand
includesiSCSIandNFSforESXi.Becausethesestoragetypesarenetworkbased,theycanusethesame
VMkernelinterfaceandportgroup.
ThenetworkservicesthattheVMkernelprovides(iSCSI,NFS,andvMotion)useaTCP/IPstackinthe
VMkernel.TheVMkernelTCP/IPstackisalsoseparatefromtheguestoperatingsystemsnetworkstack.Each
ofthesestacksaccessesvariousnetworksbyattachingtooneormoreportgroupsononeormorevirtual
switches.
Networking Using vSphere Standard Switches

vSpherestandardswitchesallowyoutoconnectvirtualmachinestotheoutsideworld.
Figure 9-1. Networking with vSphere Standard Switches
VM
VM
VM
VM
VM
Network
C
vSphere Standard Switch
port
groups
vSphere Standard Switch
Host1
Host1
physical network adapters
Host2
virtual
Host2 physical
physical network
Figure 91showstherelationshipbetweenthephysicalandvirtualnetworkelements.Thenumbersmatch
thoseinthefigure.
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AssociatedwitheachESXihostareoneormoreuplinkadapters(1).Uplinkadaptersrepresentthe
physicalswitchestheESXihostusestoconnecttothenetwork.Youcanmanageuplinkadaptersusingthe
esxcli network nicorvicfg-nicsvCLIcommand.SeeManagingUplinkAdaptersonpage 120.
Eachuplinkadapterisconnectedtoastandardswitch(2).Youcanmanageastandardswitchand
associateitwithuplinkadaptersbyusingtheesxcli network vswitchorvicfg-vswitchvCLI
command.SeeSettingUpVirtualSwitchesandAssociatingaSwitchwithaNetworkInterfaceon
page 115.
Associatedwiththestandardswitchareportgroups(3).Portgroupisauniqueconceptinthevirtual
environment.Youcanconfigureportgroupstoenforcepoliciesthatprovideenhancednetworking
security,networksegmentation,betterperformance,highavailability,andtrafficmanagement.Youcan
usetheesxcli network vswitch standard portgrouporvicfg-vswitchcommandtoassociatea
standardswitchwithaportgroup,andtheesxcli network ip interfaceorvicfg-vmkniccommand
toassociateaportgroupwithaVMkernelnetworkinterface.
TheVMkernelTCP/IPnetworkingstacksupportsiSCSI,NFS,andvMotionandhasanassociated
VMkernelnetworkinterface.YouconfigureVMkernelnetworkinterfaceswithesxcli network ip
interfaceorvicfg-vmknic.SeeAddingandModifyingVMkernelNetworkInterfacesonpage 123.
SeparateVMkernelnetworkinterfacesareoftenusedforseparatetasks,forexample,youmightdevote
oneVMkernelNetworkinterfacecardtovMotiononly.VirtualmachinesruntheirownsystemsTCP/IP
stacksandconnecttotheVMkernelattheEthernetlevelthroughvirtualswitches.
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Chapter 9 Managing vSphere Networking
Networking Using vSphere Distributed Switches

Whenyouwanttoconnectavirtualmachinetotheoutsideworld,youcanuseastandardswitchora
distributedswitch.Withadistributedswitch,thevirtualmachinecanmaintainitsnetworksettingsevenifthe
virtualmachineismigratedtoadifferenthost.
Figure 9-2. Networking with vSphere Distributed Switches
VM
VM
VM
VM
VM
Network
C
distributed port group
A
vSphere Distributed Switch

Host1
uplink
uplink
Host1
Host2
virtual
Host2 physical
physical network adapters
physical network
Eachphysicalnetworkadapter(1)onthehostispairedwithadistributeduplinkport(2),which
representstheuplinktothevirtualmachine.Withdistributedswitches,thevirtualmachinenolonger
dependsonthehostsphysicaluplinkbutonthe(virtual)uplinkport.Youmanageauplinkports
primarilyusingthevSphereWebClient,orvSphereAPIs.
Thedistributedswitchitself(3)functionsasasinglevirtualswitchacrossallassociatedhosts.Becausethe
switchisnotassociatedwithasinglehost,virtualmachinescanmaintainconsistentnetwork
configurationastheymigratefromonehosttoanother.
Likeastandardswitch,eachdistributedswitchisanetworkhubthatvirtualmachinescanuse.A
distributedswitchcanroutetrafficinternallybetweenvirtualmachinesorlinktoanexternalnetworkby
connectingtophysicalnetworkadapters.YoucreateadistributedswitchusingthethevSphereWeb
ClientUI,butcanmanagesomeaspectsofadistributedswitchwithvicfg-vswitch.Youcanlist
distributedvirtualswitcheswiththeesxcli network vswitchcommand.SeeSettingUpVirtual
SwitchesandAssociatingaSwitchwithaNetworkInterfaceonpage 115.
Retrieving Basic Networking Information

ServiceconsolecommandsforretrievingnetworkinginformationarenotincludedintheESXiShell.Youcan
insteaduseESXCLIcommandsdirectlyintheshellorusevCLIcommands.
OnESXi5.0,ifconfiginformationshouldbetheinformationoftheVMkernelNICthatattachestothe
ManagementNetworkportgroup.YoucanretrieveinformationbyusingESXCLIcommands.
esxcli
esxcli
esxcli
esxcli
<conn_options>
<conn_options>
<conn_options>
<conn_options>
network
network
network
network
ip
ip
ip
ip
interface
interface
interface
interface
list
ipv4 get -n vmk<X>
ipv6 get -n vmk<X>
ipv6 address list
ForinformationcorrespondingtotheLinuxnetstatcommand,usethefollowingESXCLIcommand.
esxcli <conn_options> network ip connection list
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Youcanalsopingindividualhostswiththeesxcli network diag pingcommand.Thecommandincludes

optionsforusingICMPv4orICMPv6packetrequests,specifyinganinterfacetouse,specifyingtheinterval,
andsoon.
Network Troubleshooting
YoucanusevCLInetworkcommandstoviewnetworkstatisticsandtroubleshootyournetworkingsetup.The
nestedhierarchyofcommandsallowsyoutodrilldowntopotentialtroublespots.
1
Listallvirtualmachinenetworksonahost.
esxcli network vm list
ThecommandreturnsforeachvirtualmachinetheWorldID,name,numberofports,andnetworks,asin
thefollowingexample.
World ID Name
Num Ports Networks
---------------------------------------------------10374 ubuntu-server-11.04-1
2 VM Network,
10375 ubuntu-server-11.04-2
2 VM Network,
2 VM Network,
3 VM Network,
dvportgroup-19
dvportgroup-19
dvportgroup-19
VM Network 10Gbps, dvportgroup-19
ListtheportsforoneoftheVMsbyspecifyingitsWorldID.
esxcli network vm port list -w 10408
Thecommandreturnsportinformation,asinthefollowingexample.
Port:
Port ID: XXXXXXXX
vSwitch: vSwitch0
Portgroup: VM Network
DVPort ID:
MAC Address: 00:XX:XX:aa:XX:XX
IP Address: 10.XXX.XXX.XXX
Team Uplink: vmnic0
Uplink Port ID: 12345678
Active Filters:
Retrievetheswitchstatisticsforaport.
esxcli network port stats get -p 12345678
Thecommandreturnsdetailedstatistics,asinthefollowingexample.
Packet statistics for port 12345678:
Packets received: 517631
Packets sent: 18937
Bytes received: 100471874
Bytes sent: 1527233
Broadcast packets received: 474160
Broadcast packets sent: 107
Multicast packets received: 8020
Multicast packets sent: 8
Unicast packets received: 35451
Unicast packets sent: 18822
Receive packets dropped: 45
Transmit packets dropped: 0
Retrievethefilterinformationfortheport.
esxcli network port filter stats get -p 12345678
Thecommandreturnsdetailedstatistics,asinthefollowingexample.
Filter statistics for dvfilter-test:
Filter direction: Receive
Packets in: 202080
Packets out: 202080
Packets dropped: 0
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Packets filtered: 0
Packets faulted: 0
Packets queued: 0
Packets injected: 0
Packet errors: 0
RetrievecompletestatisticsforaNIC.
esxcli network nic stats get -n vmnic0
GetaperVLANpackedbreakdownonaNIC.
esxcli network nic vlan stats get -n vmnic0
ThecommandreturnsthenumberofpacketssentandreceivedfortheVLANyouspecified.
Setting Up vSphere Networking with vSphere Standard Switches

Youcansetupyourvirtualnetworkbyperformingthesetasks.
7
Createormanipulatevirtualswitchesusingesxcli network vswitchorvicfg-vswitch.Bydefault,

eachESXihosthasonevirtualswitch,vSwitch0.Youcancreateadditionalvirtualswitchesormanage
existingswitches.SeeSettingUpVirtualSwitchesandAssociatingaSwitchwithaNetworkInterface
onpage 115.
(Optional)Makechangestotheuplinkadapterusingesxcli network vswitch standard uplinkor

vicfg-nics.SeeManagingUplinkAdaptersonpage 120.
(Optional)Useesxcli network vswitch standard portgrouporvicfg-vswitchtoaddportgroups

tothevirtualswitch.SeeManagingPortGroupswithvicfgvswitchonpage 118.
10
(Optional)Useesxcli network vswitch standard portgroup setorvicfg-vswitchtoestablish

VLANsbyassociatingportgroupswithVLANIDs.SeeSettingthePortGroupVLANIDwith
vicfgvswitchonpage 120.
11
Useesxcli network ip interfaceorvicfg-vmknictoconfiguretheVMkernelnetworkinterfaces.

SeeAddingandModifyingVMkernelNetworkInterfacesonpage 123.
Setting Up Virtual Switches and Associating a Switch with a Network Interface

AvirtualswitchmodelsaphysicalEthernetswitch.Youcanmanagevirtualswitchesandportgroupsbyusing
thevSphereWebClient(seethevSphereNetworkingdocumentation)orbyusingvSphereCLIcommands.
Youcancreateamaximumof127virtualswitchesonasingleESXihost.Bydefault,eachESXihosthasasingle
virtualswitchcalledvSwitch0.Bydefault,avirtualswitchhas56logicalports.SeetheConfiguration
MaximumsdocumentonthevSpheredocumentationmainpagefordetails.Portsconnecttothevirtual
machinesandtheESXiphysicalnetworkadapters.
YoucanconnectonevirtualmachinenetworkadaptertoeachportbyusingthevSphereWebClientUI.
Youcanconnecttheuplinkadaptertothevirtualswitchesbyusingvicfg-vswitchoresxcli network
vswitch standard uplink.SeeLinkingandUnlinkingUplinkAdapterswithvicfgvswitchon
page 122.
Whentwoormorevirtualmachinesareconnectedtothesamevirtualswitch,networktrafficbetweenthemis
routedlocally.Ifanuplinkadapterisattachedtothevirtualswitch,eachvirtualmachinecanaccessthe
externalnetworkthattheadapterisconnectedto.
Thissectiondiscussesworkinginastandardswitchenvironment.SeeNetworkingUsingvSphere
DistributedSwitchesonpage 113forinformationaboutdistributedswitchenvironments.
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Whenworkingwithvirtualswitchesandportgroups,performthefollowingtasks:
1
Findoutwhichvirtualswitchesareavailableand(optionally)whattheassociatedMTUandCDP(Cisco
DiscoveryProtocol)settingsare.SeeRetrievingInformationaboutVirtualSwitcheswithESXCLIon
page 116andRetrievingInformationaboutVirtualSwitcheswithvicfgvswitchonpage 116.
Addavirtualswitch.SeeAddingandDeletingVirtualSwitcheswithESXCLIonpage 117andAdding
andDeletingVirtualSwitcheswithvicfgvswitchonpage 117.
Foranewlyaddedswitch,performthesetasks:
a
Addaportgroup.SeeManagingPortGroupswithESXCLIonpage 118andManagingPort
Groupswithvicfgvswitchonpage 118.
(Optional)SettheportgroupVLANID.SeeSettingthePortGroupVLANIDwithESXCLIon
page 119andSettingthePortGroupVLANIDwithvicfgvswitchonpage 120.
Addanuplinkadapter.SeeLinkingandUnlinkingUplinkAdapterswithESXCLIonpage 122and
LinkingandUnlinkingUplinkAdapterswithvicfgvswitchonpage 122.
(Optional)ChangetheMTUorCDPsettings.SeeSettingSwitchAttributeswithesxclinetwork
vswitchstandardonpage 117andSettingSwitchAttributeswithvicfgvswitchonpage 118.
Retrieving Information About Virtual Switches

YoucanretrieveinformationaboutvirtualswitchesbyusingESXCLIorvicfg-vswitch.Specifyoneofthe
Retrieving Information about Virtual Switches with ESXCLI

Youcanretrieveinformationaboutvirtualswitchesbyusingesxcli network vswitchcommands.
Listallvirtualswitchesandassociatedportgroups.
esxcli <conn_options> network vswitch standard list
Thecommandprintsinformationaboutthevirtualswitch,whichmightincludeitsname,numberof
ports,MTU,portgroups,andotherinformation.TheoutputincludesinformationaboutCDPsettingsfor
thevirtualswitch.Thepreciseinformationdependsonthetargetsystem.Thedefaultportgroupsare
Management NetworkandVM Network.
Listthenetworkpolicysettings(securitypolicy,trafficshapingpolicy,andfailoverpolicy)forthevirtual
switch.Thefollowingcommandsaresupported.
esxcli <conn_options> network vswitch standard policy failover get
esxcli <conn_options> network vswitch standard policy security get
esxcli <conn_options> network vswitch standard policy shaping get
Retrieving Information about Virtual Switches with vicfg-vswitch

Youcanretrieveinformationaboutvirtualswitchesbyusingthevcifg-vswitchcommand.Specifyoneof
theoptionslistedinConnectionOptionsonpage 17inplaceof<conn_options>.
CheckwhethervSwitch1exists.
vicfg-vswitch <conn_options> -c vSwitch1
Listallvirtualswitchesandassociatedportgroups.
vicfg-vswitch <conn_options> -l
Thecommandprintsinformationaboutthevirtualswitch,whichmightincludeitsname,numberof
ports,MTU,portgroups,andotherinformation.ThedefaultportgroupsareManagement Networkand
VM Network.
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RetrievethecurrentCDP(CiscoDiscoveryProtocol)settingforthisvirtualswitch.
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IfCDPisenabledonavirtualswitch,ESXiadministratorscanfindoutwhichCiscoswitchportis
connectedtowhichvirtualswitchuplink.CDPisalinklevelprotocolthatsupportsdiscoveryof
CDPawarenetworkhardwareateitherendofadirectconnection.CDPisbitforwardedthrough
switches.CDPisasimpleadvertisementprotocolwhichbeaconsinformationabouttheswitchorhostand
someportinformation.
vicfg-vswitch <conn_options> --get-cdp vSwitch1
Adding and Deleting Virtual Switches

YoucanaddanddeletevirtualswitcheswithESXCLIandwithvicfg-vswitch.
Adding and Deleting Virtual Switches with ESXCLI

Youcanaddanddeletevirtualswitchesusingtheesxcli network vswitchstandard namespace.Specify
Addavirtualswitch.
esxcli <conn_options> network vswitch standard add --vswitch-name=vSwitch42
Youcanspecifythenumberofportgroupswhileaddingthevirtualswitch.Ifyoudonotspecifyavalue,
thedefaultvalueisused.Thesystemwideportcountcannotbegreaterthan4096.
esxcli <conn_options> network vswitch standard add --vswitch-name=vSwitch42 --ports=8
Afteryouhaveaddedavirtualswitch,youcansetswitchattributes(SettingSwitchAttributeswithesxcli
networkvswitchstandardonpage 117)andaddoneormoreuplinkadapters(LinkingandUnlinking
UplinkAdapterswithESXCLIonpage 122).
Deleteavirtualswitch.
esxcli <conn_options> network vswitch standard remove --vswitch-name=vSwitch42
YoucannotdeleteavirtualswitchifanyportsontheswitcharestillinusebyVMkernelnetworksor
virtualmachines.Runesxcli network vswitch standard list todeterminewhetheravirtualswitch
isinuse.
Adding and Deleting Virtual Switches with vicfg-vswitch

Youcanaddanddeletevirtualswitchesusingthe--add|-aand--delete|-doptions.Specifyoneofthe
Addavirtualswitch.
vicfg-vswitch <conn_options> --add vSwitch2
Afteryouhaveaddedavirtualswitch,youcansetswitchattributes(SettingSwitchAttributeswith
vicfgvswitchonpage 118)andaddoneormoreuplinkadapters(LinkingandUnlinkingUplink
Adapterswithvicfgvswitchonpage 122).
Deleteavirtualswitch.
vicfg-vswitch <conn_options> --delete vSwitch1
YoucannotdeleteavirtualswitchifanyportsontheswitcharestillinusebyVMkernelnetworks,virtual
machines,orvswifs.Runvicfg-vswitch --listtodeterminewhetheravirtualswitchisinuse.
Setting Switch Attributes with esxcli network vswitch standard

Youcansetthemaximumtransmissionunit(MTU)andCDPstatusforavirtualswitch.TheCDPstatusshows
whichCiscoswitchportisconnectedtowhichuplink.SpecifyoneoftheoptionslistedinConnection
SettheMTUforavSwitch.
esxcli <conn_options> network vswitch standard set --mtu=9000 --vswitch-name=vSwitch1
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TheMTUisthesize,inbytes,ofthelargestprotocoldataunittheswitchcanprocess.Whenyousetthis
option,itaffectsalluplinksassignedtothevirtualswitch.
SettheCDPvalueforavSwitch.Youcansetstatustodown,listen,advertise,orboth.
esxcli <conn_options> network vswitch standard set --cdp-status=listen
--vswitch-name=vSwitch1
Setting Switch Attributes with vicfg-vswitch

Youcansetthemaximumtransmissionunit(MTU)andCDPstatusforavirtualswitch.TheCDPstatusshows
whichCiscoswitchportisconnectedtowhichuplink.SpecifyoneoftheoptionslistedinConnection
SettheMTUforavSwitch.
vicfg-vswitch <conn_options> -m 9000 vSwitch1
TheMTUisthesize(inbytes)ofthelargestprotocoldataunittheswitchcanprocess.Whenyousetthis
option,itaffectsalluplinksassignedtothevirtualswitch.
SettheCDPvalueforavSwitch.Youcansetstatustodown,listen,advertise,orboth.
vicfg-vswitch <conn_options> --set-cdp listen
Checking, Adding, and Removing Port Groups

Youcancheck,add,andremoveportgroupswithESXCLIandwithvicfg-vswitch.
Managing Port Groups with ESXCLI

NetworkservicesconnecttovSwitchesthroughportgroups.Aportgroupallowsyoutogrouptrafficand
specifyconfigurationoptionssuchasbandwidthlimitationsandVLANtaggingpoliciesforeachportinthe
portgroup.Avirtualswitchmusthaveoneportgroupassignedtoit.Youcanassignadditionalportgroups.
Youcanuseesxcli network vswitch standard portgroup tocheck,add,andremoveportgroups.
Listportgroupscurrentlyassociatedwithavirtualswitch.
esxcli <conn_options> network vswitch standard portgroup list
Liststheportgroupname,associatedvirtualswitch,activeclients,andVLANID.
Addaportgroup.
esxcli <conn_options> network vswitch standard portgroup add --portgroup-name=<name>
Deleteoneoftheexistingportgroups.
esxcli <conn_options> network vswitch standard portgroup remove --portgroup-name=<name>
Managing Port Groups with vicfg-vswitch

Networkservicesconnecttovirtualswitchesthroughportgroups.Aportgroupallowsyoutogrouptraffic
andspecifyconfigurationoptionssuchasbandwidthlimitationsandVLANtaggingpoliciesforeachportin
theportgroup.Avirtualswitchmusthaveoneportgroupassignedtoit.Youcanassignadditionalport
groups.SpecifyoneoftheoptionslistedinConnectionOptionsonpage 17inplaceof<conn_options>.
Youcanusevicfg-vswitchtocheck,add,andremoveportgroups.
Checkwhetherportgroupsarecurrentlyassociatedwithavirtualswitch.
vicfg-vswitch <conn_options> --check-pg <port_group> vSwitch1
Thecommandreturns0ifthespecifiedportgroupisassociatedwiththevirtualswitch,andreturns1
otherwise.Usevicfg-vswitch --listtolistallportgroups.
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Addaportgroup.
vicfg-vswitch <conn_options> --add-pg <port_group_name> vSwitch1
Deleteoneoftheexistingportgroups.
vicfg-vswitch <conn_options> --del-pg <port_group_name> vSwitch1
Managing Uplinks and Port Groups

YoucanmanageuplinksandportgroupswithESXCLIandwithvicfg-vswitch.
Connecting and Disconnecting Uplink Adapters and Port Groups with ESXCLI
Ifyoursetupincludesoneormoreportgroups,youcanassociateeachportgroupwithoneormoreuplink
adapters(andremovetheassociation).Thisfunctionalityallowsyoutofiltertrafficfromaportgrouptoa
specificuplink,evenifthevirtualswitchisconnectedwithmultipleuplinks.Specifyoneoftheoptionslisted
Connectaportgroupwithanuplinkadapter.
esxcli <conn_options> network vswitch standard portgroup policy failover set
--active-uplinks=vmnic1,vmnic6,vmnic7
Thiscommandfailssilentlyiftheuplinkadapterdoesnotexist.
Makesomeoftheadaptersstandbyinsteadofactive.
esxcli <conn_options> network vswitch standard portgroup policy failover set
--standby-uplinks=vmnic1,vmnic6,vmnic7
Connecting and Disconnecting Uplinks and Port Groups with vicfg-vswitch

Ifyoursetupincludesoneormoreportgroups,youcanassociateeachportgroupwithoneormoreuplink
adapters(andremovetheassociation).Thisfunctionalityallowsyoutofiltertrafficfromaportgrouptoa
specificuplink,evenifthevirtualswitchisconnectedwithmultipleuplinks.Specifyoneoftheoptionslisted
Connectaportgroupwithanuplinkadapter.
vicfg-vswitch <conn_options> --add-pg-uplink <adapter_name> --pg <port_group> <vswitch_name>
Thiscommandfailssilentlyiftheuplinkadapterdoesnotexist.
Removeaportgroupfromanuplinkadapter.
vicfg-vswitch <conn_options> --del-pg-uplink <adapter_name> --pg <port_group> <vswitch_name>
Setting the Port Group VLAN ID

YoucansettheportgroupVLANIDwithESXCLIandwithvicfg-vswitch.
Setting the Port Group VLAN ID with ESXCLI

VLANsallowyoutofurthersegmentasinglephysicalLANsegmentsothatgroupsofportsareisolatedasif
theywereonphysicallydifferentsegments.ThestandardisIEEE802.1Q.
AVLANIDrestrictsportgrouptraffictoalogicalEthernetsegmentwithinthephysicalnetwork.
SettheVLANIDto4095toallowaportgrouptoreachportgroupslocatedonotherVLAN.
SettheVLANIDto0todisabletheVLANforthisportgroup.
IfyouuseVLANIDs,youmustchangetheportgrouplabelsandVLANIDstogethersothatthelabels
properlyrepresentconnectivity.VLANIDsareoptional.
YoucanusethefollowingcommandsforVLANmanagement:
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AllowportgroupstoreachportgroupslocatedonotherVLANs.
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esxcli <conn_options> network vswitch standard portgroup set -p <pg_name> --vlan-id 4095
CallthecommandmultipletimestoallowallportstoreachportgroupslocatedonotherVLANs.
DisableVLANforportgroupg42
esxcli <conn_options> network vswitch standard portgroup set --vlan-id 0 -p <pg_name>
Setting the Port Group VLAN ID with vicfg-vswitch

VLANsallowyoutofurthersegmentasinglephysicalLANsegmentsothatgroupsofportsareisolatedasif
theywereonphysicallydifferentsegments.ThestandardisIEEE802.1Q.
AVLANIDrestrictsportgrouptraffictoalogicalEthernetsegmentwithinthephysicalnetwork.
SettheVLANIDto4095toallowaportgrouptoreachportgroupslocatedonotherVLAN.
SettheVLANIDto0todisabletheVLANforthisportgroup.
IfyouuseVLANIDs,youmustchangetheportgrouplabelsandVLANIDstogethersothatthelabels
properlyrepresentconnectivity.VLANIDsareoptional.
YoucanusethefollowingcommandsforVLANmanagement:
AllowallportgroupstoreachportgroupslocatedonotherVLANs.
vicfg-vswitch <conn_options> --vlan 4095 --pg ALL vSwitch2
DisableVLANforportgroupg42.
vicfg-vswitch <conn_options> --vlan 0 --pg g42 vSwitch2
Runvicfg-vswitch -ltoretrieveinformationaboutVLANIDscurrentlyassociatedwiththevirtual
switchesinthenetwork.
Runesxcli network vswitch standard portgroup listtolistallportgroupsandassociatedVLANIDs.
Managing Uplink Adapters

Youcanmanageuplinkadapters,whichrepresentthephysicalNICsthatconnecttheESXihosttothenetwork
byusingtheesxcli network nicsorthevicfg-nicscommand.Youcanalsouseesxcli network
vswitchandesxcfg-vswitchtolinkandunlinktheuplink.
Youcanusevicfg-nicstolistinformationandtospecifyspeedandduplexsettingfortheuplink.
Youcanuseesxcli network nic tolistalluplinks,tolistinformation,tosetattributes,andtobringa
specifieduplinkdownorup.
Managing Uplink Adapters with esxcli network nic

Thefollowingexampleworkflowlistsalluplinkadapters,listspropertiesforoneuplinkadapter,changesthe
uplinksspeedandduplexsettings,andbringstheuplinkdownandbackup.Specifyoneoftheoptionslisted
To manipulate uplink adapter setup
1
Listalluplinksandinformationabouteachdevice.
esxcli <conn_options> network nic list
Youcannarrowdowntheinformationdisplayedbyusingesxcli network nic get

--nic-name=<nic>.
2
(Optional)Bringdownoneoftheuplinkadapters.
esxcli <conn_options> network nic down --nic-name=vmnic0
Changeuplinkadaptersettings.
esxcli <conn_options> network nic set <option>
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Specifyoneofthefollowingoptions.
-a|--auto
Setthespeedandduplexsettingstoautonegotiate.
-D|--duplex=<str>
DuplextosetthisNICto.Acceptablevaluesarefullandhalf.
-P | --phy-address
SettheMACaddressofthedevice
-l|--message-level=<long>
Setthedrivermessagelevel.Messagelevelsandwhattheyimplydifferper
driver.
-n|--nic-name=<str>
NameoftheNICtoconfigured.Mustbeoneofthecardslistedinthenic list
command(required).
-p|--port=<str>
Selectsthedeviceport.Thefollowingdeviceportsareavailable.
auiSelectauiasthedeviceport
bncSelectbncasthedeviceport
fibreSelectmiiasthedeviceport
miiSelectmiiasthedeviceport
tpSelecttpasthedeviceport
-S|--speed=<long>
SpeedtosetthisNICto.Acceptablevaluesare10,100,1000,and10000.
-t|--transceiver-type=<str>
Selecttransceivertype.Thefollowingtransceivertypesareavailable.
-w|--wake-on-lan=<str>
externalSetthetransceivertypetoexternal
internalSetthetransceivertypetointernal
SetWake-on-LANoptions.Notalldevicessupportthisoption.Theoptionvalue
isastringofcharactersspecifyingwhichoptionstoenable.
pWakeonphyactivity
uWakeonunicastmessages
mWakeonmulticastmessages
bWakeonbroadcastmessages
aWakeonARP
gWakeonMagicPacket
sEnableSecureOnpasswordforMagicPacket
(Optional)Bringtheuplinkadapterbackup.
esxcli <conn_options> network nic up --nic-name=vmnic0
Specifying Multiple Uplinks with ESXCLI

Atanytime,oneportgroupNICarrayandacorrespondingsetofactiveuplinksexist.Whenyouchangethe
activeuplinks,youalsochangethestandbyuplinksandthenumberofactiveuplinks.
Thefollowingexampleillustrateshowactiveandstandbyuplinksareset.
1
Theportgroupnicarrayis[vmnic1,vmnic0,vmnic3,vmnic5,vmnic6,vmnic7]andactive-uplinksis
settothreeuplinks(vmnic1,vmnic0,vmnic3).Theotheruplinksarestandbyuplinks.
Yousettheactiveuplinkstoanewset[vmnic3,vmnic5].
Thenewuplinksoverridetheoldset.TheNICarraychangesto[vmnic3,vmnic5,vmnic6,vmnic7].
vmnic0andvmnic1areremovedfromtheNICarrayandmax-activebecomes2.
Ifyouwanttokeepvmnic0andvmnic1inthearray,youcanmakethoseNICsstandbyuplinksinthe
commandthatchangestheactiveuplinks.
esxcli network vswitch standard portgroup policy failover set -p testPortgroup --active-uplinks
vmnic3,vmnic5 --standby-uplinks vmnic1,vmnic0,vmnic6,vmnic7
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Managing Uplink Adapters with vicfg-nics

Thefollowingexampleworkflowlistsanuplinkadaptersproperties,changestheduplexandspeed,andsets
theuplinktoautonegotiateitsspeedandduplexsettings.SpecifyoneoftheoptionslistedinConnection
To manipulate uplink adapter setup
1
Listsettings.
vicfg-nics <conn_options> -l
Liststheuplinksinthesystem,theircurrentandconfiguredspeed,andtheirduplexsetting.
2
Setthesettingsforvmnic0tofullandthespeedto100.
vicfg-nics <conn_options> -d full -s 100 vmnic0
Setvmnic2toautonegotiateitsspeedandduplexsettings.
vicfg-nics <conn_options> -a vmnic2
Linking and Unlinking Uplink Adapters with ESXCLI

Whenyoucreateavirtualswitchusingesxcli network vswitch standard add,alltrafficonthatvirtual
switchisinitiallyconfinedtothatvirtualswitch.Allvirtualmachinesconnectedtothevirtualswitchcantalk
toeachother,butthevirtualmachinescannotconnecttothenetworkortovirtualmachinesonotherhosts.A
virtualmachinealsocannotconnecttovirtualmachinesconnectedtoadifferentvirtualswitchonthesame
host.
Havingavirtualswitchthatisnotconnectedtothenetworkmightmakesenseifyouwantagroupofvirtual
machinestobeabletocommunicatewitheachother,butnotwithotherhostsorwithvirtualmachineson
otherhosts.Inmostcases,yousetupthevirtualswitchtotransferdatatoexternalnetworksbyattachingone
ormoreuplinkadapterstothevirtualswitch.
Youcanusethefollowingcommandstolist,add,andremoveuplinkadapters.WhenyoulinkusingESXCLI,
thephysicalNICisaddedasastandbyadapterbydefault.Youcanthenmodifytheteamingpolicytomake
thephysicalNICactivebyrunningthecommandesxcli network vswitch standard policy failover
set.
Listuplinkadapters.
esxcli <conn_options> network vswitch standard list
TheuplinkadaptersarereturnedintheUplinkitem.
Addanewuplinkadaptertoavirtualswitch.
esxcli <conn_options> network vswitch standard uplink add --uplink-name=vmnic15
vswitch-name=vSwitch0
Removeanuplinkadapterfromavirtualswitch.
esxcli <conn_options> network vswitch standard uplink remove --uplink-name=vmnic15
vswitch-name=vSwitch0
Linking and Unlinking Uplink Adapters with vicfg-vswitch

Whenyoucreateavirtualswitchusingvicfg-vswitch--add,alltrafficonthatvirtualswitchisinitially
confinedtothatvirtualswitch.Allvirtualmachinesconnectedtothevirtualswitchcantalktoeachother,but
thevirtualmachinescannotconnecttothenetworkortovirtualmachinesonotherhosts.Avirtualmachine
alsocannotconnecttovirtualmachinesconnectedtoadifferentvirtualswitchonthesamehost.
Havingavirtualswitchthatisnotconnectedtothenetworkmightmakesenseifyouwantagroupofvirtual
machinestobeabletocommunicatewitheachother,butnotwithotherhostsorwithvirtualmachineson
otherhosts.Inmostcases,yousetupthevirtualswitchtotransferdatatoexternalnetworksbyattachingone
ormoreuplinkadapterstothevirtualswitch.
Youcanusethefollowingcommandstoaddandremoveuplinkadapters:
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Addanewuplinkadaptertoavirtualswitch.
vicfg-vswitch <conn_options> --link vmnic15 vSwitch0
Removeanuplinkadapterfromavirtualswitch.
vicfg-vswitch <conn_options> --unlink vmnic15 vSwitch0
Adding and Modifying VMkernel Network Interfaces

VMkernelnetworkinterfacesareusedprimarilyformanagementtraffic,whichcanincludevMotion,IP
Storage,andothermanagementtrafficontheESXisystem.YoucanalsobindanewlycreatedVMkernel
networkinterfaceforusebysoftwareanddependenthardwareiSCSIbyusingtheesxcli iscsicommands.
TheVMkernelnetworkinterfaceisseparatefromthevirtualmachinenetwork.Theguestoperatingsystem
andapplicationprogramscommunicatewithaVMkernelnetworkinterfacethroughacommonlyavailable
devicedriveroraVMwaredevicedriveroptimizedforthevirtualenvironment.Ineithercase,communication
intheguestoperatingsystemoccursasitwouldwithaphysicaldevice.Virtualmachinescanalso
communicatewithaVMkernelnetworkinterfaceifbothusethesamevirtualswitch.
EachVMkernelnetworkinterfacehasitsownMACaddressandoneormoreIPaddresses,andrespondsto
thestandardEthernetprotocolaswouldaphysicalNIC.TheVMkernelnetworkinterfaceiscreatedwithTCP
SegmentationOffload(TSO)enabled.
YoucanmanageVMkernelNICswithESXCLI(seeManagingVMkernelNetworkInterfaceswithESXCLI
onpage 123)andwithvicfg-vmknic(seeManagingVMkernelNetworkInterfaceswithvicfgvmknicon
page 124).
Managing VMkernel Network Interfaces with ESXCLI

YoucanconfiguretheVMkernelnetworkinterfaceforIPv4(seeToaddandconfigureanIPv4VMkernel
NetworkInterfaceforIPv4onpage 123)orforIPv6(seeToaddandconfigureaVMkernelNetwork
InterfaceforIPv6onpage 124)withESXCLI.Incontrasttovicfg-vmknic,ESXCLIdoesnotsupport
enablingvMotion.
YoucanaddandconfigureanIPv4VMkernelNICwithESXCLI.Specifyoneoftheoptionslistedin
To add and configure an IPv4 VMkernel Network Interface for IPv4
1
AddanewVMkernelnetworkinterface.
esxcli <conn_options> network ip interface add --interface-name=vmk<x>
--portgroup-name=<my_portgroup>
YoucanspecifytheMTUsettingafteryouhaveaddedthenetworkinterfacebyusingesxcli network
ip interface set --mtu.
2
ConfiguretheinterfaceasanIPv4interface.YoumustspecifytheIPaddressusing--ip,thenetmask,and
thename.Forthefollowingexamples,assumethatVMSFVMK363isaportgrouptowhichyouwantto
addaVMkernelnetworkinterface.
esxcli <conn_options> network ip interface ipv4 set --ipv4=<ip_address>
--netmask=255.255.255.0 --interface-name=vmk<X>
Youcansettheaddressasfollows.
<X.X.X.X>StaticIPv4address.
DHCPUseIPv4DHCP.
TheVMkernelsupportsDHCPonlyforESXi4.0andlater.
Whenthecommandfinishessuccessfully,thenewlyaddedVMkernelnetworkinterfaceisenabled.
3
ListinformationaboutallVMkernelnetworkinterfacesonthesystem.
esxcli <conn_options> network ip interface list
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Thecommanddisplaysthenetworkinformation,portgroup,MTU,andcurrentstateforeachvirtual
networkadapterinthesystem.
YoucanaddandconfigureanIPv6VMkernelNICwithESXCLI.
To add and configure a VMkernel Network Interface for IPv6
1
Runesxcli network ip interface addtoaddanewVMkernelnetworkinterface.

esxcli <conn_options> network ip interface add --interface-name=vmk<x>
--portgroup-name=<my_portgroup>
YoucanspecifytheMTUsettingafteryouhaveaddedthenetworkinterfacebyusingesxcli network
ip interface set --mtu.
Whenthecommandfinishessuccessfully,thenewlyaddedVMkernelnetworkinterfaceisenabled.
2
Runesxcli network ip interface ipv6 address add toconfiguretheinterfaceasanIPv6interface.

YoumustspecifytheIPaddressusing--ipandthename.Forthefollowingexamples,assumethat
VMSFVMK363isaportgrouptowhichyouwanttoaddaVMkernelnetworkinterface.
esxcli <conn_options> network ip interface ipv6 address add --ip=<X:X:X::/X>
--interface-name=vmk<X>
Youcansettheaddressasfollows.
<X:X:X::/X>:StaticIPv6address
--enable-dhcpv6:EnablesDHCPv6onthisinterfaceandattemptstoacquireanIPv6addressfrom
thenetwork.
--enable-router-adv:UsetheIPv6addressadvertisedbytherouter.Theaddressisaddedwhen
theroutersendsthenextrouteradvert.
Whenthecommandcompletessuccessfully,thenewlyaddedVMkernelnetworkinterfaceisenabled.
3
esxcli <conn_options> network ip interface list
Thelistcontainsthenetworkinformation,portgroup,MTU,andcurrentstateforeachVMkernel
NetworkInterfaceonthesystem.
4
YoucanlaterremovetheIPv6addressanddisableIPv6.
esxcli <conn_options> network ip interface ipv6 address remove --interface-name=<VMK_NIC>
--ipv6=<ipv6_addr>
esxcli <conn_options> network ip set --ipv6-enabled=false
Managing VMkernel Network Interfaces with vicfg-vmknic

YoucanconfiguretheVMkernelnetworkinterfaceforIPv4(seeToaddandconfigureanIPv4VMkernel
NetworkInterfacewithvicfgvmkniconpage 124)orforIPv6(seeToaddandconfigureanIPv6VMkernel
NetworkInterfacewithvicfgvmkniconpage 125).SpecifyoneoftheoptionslistedinConnectionOptions
onpage 17inplaceof<conn_options>.
To add and configure an IPv4 VMkernel Network Interface with vicfg-vmknic
1
Runvicfg-vmknic --addtoaddaVMkernelnetworkinterface.
YoumustspecifytheIPaddressbyusing--ip,thenetmask,andthename.Forthefollowingexamples,
assumethatVMSFVMK363isaportgrouptowhichyouwanttoaddaVMkernelnetworkinterface.
vicfg-vmknic <conn_options> --add --ip <ip_address> -n 255.255.255.0 VMSF-VMK-363
YoucanspecifytheMTUsettingwhenaddingaVMkernelnetworkinterface.Youcannotchangethat
settingatalatertime.
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ChangetheIPaddressasneeded.
vicfg-vmknic <conn_options> --ip <address> VMSF-VMK-363
ForIPv4,chooseoneofthefollowingformats:
<X.X.X.X>StaticIPv4address.
DHCPUseIPv4DHCP.
3
(Optional)EnablevMotion.
Bydefault,vMotionisdisabled.
vicfg-vmknic <conn_options> --enable-vmotion VMSF-VMK-363
Youcanlateruse--disable-vmotiontodisablevMotionforthisVMkernelnetworkinterface.
4
vicfg-vmknic <conn_options> --list
Thecommanddisplaysthenetworkinformation,portgroup,MTU,andcurrentstateforeachvirtual
networkadapterinthesystem.
To add and configure an IPv6 VMkernel Network Interface with vicfg-vmknic
1
Runvicfg-vmknic --addtoaddaVMkernelnetworkinterface.
YoumustspecifytheIPaddressbyusing--ip,thenetmask,andtheportgroupname.Forthefollowing
examples,assumethatVMSFVMK363isaportgrouptowhichyouwanttoaddaVMkernelnetwork
interface.
YoucanspecifytheMTUsettingwhenyouaddaVMkernelnetworkinterface.Youcannotchangethat
settingatalatertime.
EnableIPv6.
vicfg-vmknic <conn_options> --enable-ipv6 true VMSF-VMK-363
SupplyanIPv6address.
vicfg-vmknic <conn_options> --ip <ip_address> VMSF-VMK-363
ForIPv6,theIPaddresscanhaveoneofthefollowingformats:
<X:X:X::/X>StaticIPv6address
DHCPV6UseDHCPIPv6address.TheVMkernelsupportsDHCPonlyforESX/ESXi4.0andlater.
AUTOCONFUsetheIPv6addressadvertisedbytherouter.IfyoucreateaVMkernelnetworkinterface
withAUTOCONF,anaddressisassignedimmediately.IfyouaddAUTOCONFtoanexisting
vmknic,theaddressisaddedwhentheroutersendsthenextrouteradvert.
(Optional)EnablevMotion.
Bydefault,vMotionisdisabled.
vicfg-vmknic <conn_options> --enable-vmotion VMSF-VMK-363
Youcanlateruse--disable-vmotiontodisablevMotionagain.
5
vicfg-vmknic <conn_options> --list
Thelistcontainsthenetworkinformation,portgroup,MTU,andcurrentstateforeachvirtualnetwork
adapterinthesystem.
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YoucanlaterremovetheIPv6addressanddisableIPv6.
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vicfg-vmknic <conn_options> --unset-ip <X:X:X::/X> VMSF-VMK-363

vicfg-vmknic <conn_options> --enable-ipv6 false VMSF-VMK-363
Setting Up vSphere Networking with vSphere Distributed Switch

Adistributedswitchfunctionsasasinglevirtualswitchacrossallassociatedhosts.Adistributedswitchallows
virtualmachinestomaintainaconsistentnetworkconfigurationastheymigrateacrossmultiplehosts.See
NetworkingUsingvSphereDistributedSwitchesonpage 113.
LikeavSpherestandardswitch,eachdistributedswitchisanetworkhubthatvirtualmachinescanuse.A
distributedswitchcanforwardtrafficinternallybetweenvirtualmachinesorlinktoanexternalnetworkby
connectingtouplinkadapters.
Eachdistributedswitchcanhaveoneormoredistributedportgroupsassignedtoit.Distributedportgroups
groupmultipleportsunderacommonconfigurationandprovideastableanchorpointforvirtualmachines
thatareconnectingtolabelednetworks.Eachdistributedportgroupisidentifiedbyanetworklabel,whichis
uniquetothecurrentdatacenter.AVLANID,whichrestrictsportgrouptraffictoalogicalEthernetsegment
withinthephysicalnetwork,isoptional.
YoucancreatedistributedswitchesbyusingthevSphereWebClient.Afteryouhavecreatedadistributed
switch,youcanaddhostsbyusingthevSphereWebClient,createdistributedportgroups,andedit
distributedswitchpropertiesandpolicieswiththevSphereWebClient.Youcanaddandremoveuplinkports
byusingvicfg-vswitch.
IMPORTANTInvSphere5.0,youcannotcreatedistributedvirtualswitcheswithESXCLI.
SeethevSphereNetworkingdocumentationandthewhitepaperavailablethroughtheResourceslinkat
http://www.vmware.com/go/networkingforinformationaboutdistributedswitchesandhowtoconfigure
themusingthevSphereWebClient.
Youcanaddandremovedistributedswitchuplinkportswithvicfg-vswitch.
IMPORTANTYoucannotaddandremoveuplinkportswithESXCLI.
Afterthedistributedswitchhasbeensetup,youcanusevicfg-vswitchtoaddorremoveuplinkports.
Addanuplinkport.
vicfg-vswitch <conn_options> --add-dvp-uplink <adapter_name> --dvp <DVPort_id>
<dvswitch_name>
Removeanuplinkport.
vicfg-vswitch <conn_options> --del-dvp-uplink <adapter> --dvp <DVPort_id> <dvswitch_name>
Managing Standard Networking Services in the vSphere Environment

YoucanusevCLIcommandstosetupDNS,NTP,SNMP,andthedefaultgatewayforyourvSphere
environment.
Setting the DNS Configuration

YoucansettheDNSconfigurationwithESXCLIorwithvicfg-dns.
Setting the DNS Configuration with ESXCLI

Theesxcli network ip dnscommandlistsandspecifiestheDNSconfigurationofyourESXihost.
IMPORTANTIfyoutrytochangethehostordomainnameortheDNSserveronhoststhatuseDHCP,anerror
results.
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InnetworkenvironmentswhereaDHCPserverandaDNSserverareavailable,ESXihostsareautomatically
assignedDNSnames.
InnetworkenvironmentswhereautomaticDNSisnotavailableoryoudonotwanttouseautomaticDNS,you
canconfigurestaticDNSinformation,includingahostname,primarynameserver,secondarynameserver,
andDNSsuffixes.
Theesxcli network ip dnsnamespaceincludestwonamespaces.
esxcli network ip dns searchincludescommandsforDNSsearchdomainconfiguration.
esxcli network ip dns serverincludescommandsforDNSserverconfiguration.
ThefollowingexampleillustratessettingupaDNSserver.SpecifyoneoftheoptionslistedinConnection
To set up a DNS Server
1
PrintalistofDNSserversconfiguredonthesystemintheorderinwhichtheywillbeused.
esxcli <conn_options> network ip dns server list
IfDNSisnotsetupforthetargetserver,thecommandreturnsanemptystring.
2
Addaserverbyrunningesxcli network ip dns server addandspecifyingtheserverIPv4address

orIPv6address.
esxcli <conn_options> network ip dns server add --server=<str>
Changethesettingswithesxcli network ip dns.
SpecifytheDNSserverusingthe--dnsoptionandtheDNShost.
esxcli <conn_options> network ip dns server add --server=<server>
RunthecommandmultipletimestospecifymultipleDNShosts.
ConfiguretheDNShostnamefortheserverspecifiedby--server(or--vihost).
esxcli <conn_options> system hostname set --host=<new_host_name>
ConfiguretheDNSdomainnamefortheserverspecifiedby--server(or--vihost).
esxcli <conn_options> system hostname --domain=mydomain.biz
ToturnonDHCP,enableDHCPandsettheVMkernelNIC.
TurnonDHCPforIPv4
esxcli <conn_options> network ip interface ipv4 set --type dhcp/none/static

esxcli <conn_options> network ip interface ipv4 set --peer-dns=<str>
TurnonDHCPforIPv6
esxcli <conn_options> network ip interface ipv6 set --enable-dhcpv6=true/false

esxcli <conn_options> network ip interface ipv6 set --peer-dns=<str>
To modify DNS setup for a preconfigured server

1
DisplayDNSpropertiesforthespecifiedserverasfollows:
Listthehostanddomainname.
esxcli <conn_options> system hostname get
ListavailableDNSservers
esxcli <conn_options> network ip dns server list
ListtheDHCPsettingsforindividualVMkernelNICs.
esxcli <conn_options> network ip interface ipv4 get
esxcli <conn_options> network ip interface ipv6 get
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IftheDNSpropertiesareset,andyouwanttochangetheDHCPsettings,youmustspecifythevirtual
networkadaptertousewhenoverridingthesystemDNS.OverridetheexistingDHCPsettingasfollows:
esxcli <conn_options> network ip interface ipv4 set --type dhcp/none/static
esxcli <conn_options> network ip interface ipv6 set --enable-dhcpv6=true/false
Setting the DNS Configuration with vicfg-dns

Thevicfg-dnscommandlistsandspecifiestheDNSconfigurationofyourESXihost.Callthecommand
withoutcommandspecificoptionstolisttheexistingDNSconfiguration.Youcanalsouseesxcli network
ip dnsforDNSmanagement.
IMPORTANTIfyoutrytochangethehostordomainnameortheDNSserveronhoststhatuseDHCP,anerror
results.
InnetworkenvironmentswhereaDHCPserverandaDNSserverareavailable,ESXihostsareautomatically
assignedDNSnames.
InnetworkenvironmentswhereautomaticDNSisnotavailableornotdesirable,youcanconfigurestaticDNS
information,includingahostname,primarynameserver,secondarynameserver,andDNSsuffixes.
ThefollowingexampleillustratessettingupaDNSserver.SpecifyoneoftheoptionslistedinConnection
To set up DNS
1
Runvicfg-dnswithoutcommandspecificoptionstodisplayDNSpropertiesforthespecifiedserver.
vicfg-dns <conn_options>
IfDNSisnotsetupforthetargetserver,thecommandreturnsanerror.
2
Tochangethesettings,usevicfg-dnswith--dns,--domain,or--hostname.
SpecifytheDNSserverbyusingthe--dnsoptionandacommaseparatedlistofhosts,inorderof
preference.
vicfg-dns <conn_options --dns <dns1,dns2>
ConfiguretheDNShostnamefortheserverspecifiedby--server(or--vihost).
vicfg-dns <conn_options> -n dns_host_name
ConfiguretheDNSdomainnamefortheserverspecifiedby--server(or--vihost).
vicfg-dns <conn_options> -d mydomain.biz
ToturnonDHCP,usethe--DHCPoption.
vicfg-dns <conn_options> --dhcp yes
To modify DNS setup for a preconfigured server

1
Runvicfg-dnswithoutcommandspecificoptionstodisplayDNSpropertiesforthespecifiedserver.
vicfg-dns <conn_options>
Theinformationincludesthehostname,domainname,DHCPsetting(trueorfalse),andDNSserverson
theESXihost.
2
IftheDNSpropertiesareset,andyouwanttochangetheDHCPsettings,youmustspecifythevirtual
networkadaptertousewhenoverridingthesystemDNS.v_nicmustbeoneoftheVMkernelnetwork
adapters.
OverridetheexistingDHCPsettingasfollows:
vicfg-dns <conn_options> --dhcp yes --v_nic <vnic>
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Adding and Starting an NTP Server

Someprotocols,suchasKerberos,musthaveaccurateinformationaboutthecurrenttime.Inthosecases,you
canaddanNTP(NetworkTimeProtocol)servertoyourESXihost.
IMPORTANTNoESXCLIcommandexistsforaddingandstartinganNTPserver.
ThefollowingexampleillustratessettingupanNTPserver.SpecifyoneoftheoptionslistedinConnection
To manage an NTP Server
1
Runvicfg-ntp--add toaddanNTPservertothehostspecifiedin<conn_options>anduseahostname
orIPaddresstospecifyanalreadyrunningNTPserver.
vicfg-ntp <conn_options> -a 192.XXX.XXX.XX
Runvicfg-ntp --starttostarttheservice.
vicfg-ntp <conn_options> --start
Runvicfg-ntp --listtolisttheservice.
vicfg-ntp <conn_options> --list
Runvicfg-ntp --stoptostoptheservice.
vicfg-ntp <conn_options> --stop
Runvicfg-ntp --deletetoremovethespecifiedNTPserverfromthehostspecifiedin<conn_options>.
vicfg-ntp <conn_options> --delete 192.XXX.XXX.XX
Managing the IP Gateway

IfyoumoveyourESXihosttoanewphysicallocation,youmighthavetochangethedefaultIPgateway.You
canusethevicfg-routecommandtomanagethedefaultgatewayfortheVMkernelIPstack.vicfg-route
supportsasubsetoftheLinuxroutecommandsoptions.
IMPORTANTNoESXCLIcommandexiststomanagethedefaultgateway.
Ifyourunvicfg-routewithnooptions,thecommanddisplaysthedefaultgateway.Use--familytoprint
thedefaultIPv4orthedefaultIPv6gateway.Bydefault,thecommanddisplaysthedefaultIPv4gateway.
To add, view, and delete a route entry
1
AddarouteentrytotheVMkernelandmakeitthedefault.
ForIPv4networks,noadditionaloptionsarerequired.
vicfg-route <conn_options> --add <network_ip> <netmask_IP> <gateway_ip>
Forexample,toaddarouteto192.XXX.100.0through192.XXX.0.1:
vicfg-route <conn_options> -a 192.XXX.100.0/24 192.XXX.0.1
or
vicfg-route <conn_options> -a 192.XXX.100.0 255.255.255.0 192.XXX.0.1
ForIPv6networks,use--family v6
vicfg-route <conn_options> -f V6 --add <network_ip_and_mask> <gateway_ip>
Forexample:
vicfg-route <conn_options> -f V6 --add 2001:10:20:253::/64 2001:10:20:253::1
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Listrouteentriestocheckthatyourroutewasaddedbyrunningthecommandwithoutoptions.
129
vicfg-route <conn_options>
Theoutputlistsallnetworksandcorrespondingnetmasksandgateways.
3
Setthedefaultgateway.
ForIPv4,usethissyntax:
vicfg-route <conn_options> 192.XXX.0.1
or
vicfg-route <conn_options> -a default 192.XXX.0.1
ForIPv6,usethissyntax:
vicfg-route <conn_options> -f V6 -a default 2001:10:20:253::1
Runvicfg-route --deletetodeletetheroute.Specifyfirstthegateway,andthenthenetwork.
vicfg-route <conn_options> -d 192.XXX.100.0/24 192.XXX.0.1
Setting Up IPsec
YoucansetInternetProtocolSecuritywithesxcli network ip ipseccommandsorwiththevicfg-ipsec
command.whichsecuresIPcommunicationscomingfromandarrivingatESXihosts.Administratorswho
performIPsecsetupmusthaveasolidunderstandingofbothIPv6and IPsec.
ESXihostssupportIPseconlyforIPv6traffic,butnotforIPv4traffic.
IMPORTANTInESX/ESXi4.1,ESXi5.0,andESXi5.1,IPv6isbydefaultdisabled.YoucanturnonIPv6by
runningoneofthefollowingvCLIcommands:
esxcli <conn_options> network ip interface ipv6 set --enable-dhcpv6
esxcli <conn_options> network ip interface ipv6 address add
vicfg-vmknic <conn_options> --enable-ipv6
Youcannotrunvicfg-ipsecwithavCenterServersystemasthetarget(usingthe--vihostoption).
Youcanrunesxcli network ip ipseccommandswithavCenterServersystemasatarget(usingthe
--vihostoption).
TheVMwareimplementationofIPsecadherestothefollowingIPv6RFCs:
4301SecurityArchitecturefortheInternetProtocol
4303IPEncapsulatingSecurityPayload(ESP)
4835CryptographicAlgorithmImplementationRequirementsforESP
2410TheNULLEncryptionAlgorithmandItsUseWithIPsec
2451TheESPCBCModeCipherAlgorithms
3602TheAESCBCCipherAlgorithmandItsUsewithIPsec
2404TheUseofHMACSHA196withinESPandAH
4868UsingHMACSHA256,HMACSHA384,andHMACSHA512
Using IPsec with ESXi

WhenyousetupIPseconanESXihost,youenableprotectionofincomingoroutgoingdata.Whathappens
preciselydependsonhowyousetupthesystemsSecurityAssociations(SAs)andSecurityPolicies (SPs).
130
AnSAdetermineshowthesystemprotectstraffic.WhenyoucreateanSA,youspecifythesourceand
destination,authentication,andencryptionparameters,andanidentifierfortheSAwiththefollowing
options.
vicfg-ipsec
esxcli network ip ipsec
sa-srcandsa-dst
--sa-sourceand--sa-destination
spi(securityparameterindex)
--sa-spi
VMware, Inc.
vicfg-ipsec
sa-mode(tunnelortransport)
--sa-mode
ealgoandekey
-encryption-algorithmand--encryption-key
ialgoandikey
--integrity-algorithmand--integrity-key
AnSPidentifiesandselectstrafficthatmustbeprotected.AnSPconsistsoftwologicalsections,aselector,
andanaction.
Theselectorisspecifiedbythefollowingoptions.
vicfg-ipsec
src-addrandsrc-port
--sa-sourceand--source-port
dst-addranddst-port
--destination-port
ulproto
--upper-layer-protocol
direction(inorout)
--flow-direction
Theactionisspecifiedbythefollowingoptions
vicfg-ipsec
sa-name
--sa-name
sp-name
--sp-name
action (none, discard, ipsec
--action
BecauseIPsecallowsyoutotargetpreciselywhichtrafficshouldbeencrypted,itiswellsuitedforsecuring
yourvSphereenvironment.Forexample,youcansetuptheenvironmentsoallvMotiontrafficisencrypted.
Managing Security Associations

YoucanspecifyanSAandrequestthattheVMkernelusethatSA.ThefollowingoptionsforSAsetupare
supported.
vicfg-ipsec Option
esxcli Option
Description
sa-src <source_IP>
sa-source <source_IP>
SourceIPfortheSA.
sa-dst
<destination_IP>
sa-destination
<destination_IP>
DestinationIPfortheSA.
spi
sa-spi
SecurityParameterIndex(SPI)fortheSA.Mustbea
hexadecimalnumberwitha0xprefix.
WhenIPsecisinuse,ESXiusestheESPprotocol(RFC43030),
whichincludesauthenticationandencryptioninformationand
theSPI.TheSPIidentifiestheSAtouseatthereceivinghost.
EachSAyoucreatemusthaveauniquecombinationofsource,
destination,protocol,andSPI.
sa-mode [tunnel |
transport]
sa-mode [tunnel |
transport]
Eithertunnelortransport.
ealgo [null |
3des-cbc |
aes128-cbc]
encryption-algorithm
[null | 3des-cbc |
aes128-cbc]
Encryptionalgorithmtobeused.Choose3des-cbcor
aes128-cbc,ornullfornoencryption.
ekey <key>
encryption-key <key>
Encryptionkeytobeusedbytheencryptionalgorithm.A
seriesofhexadecimaldigitswitha0xprefixoranASCIIstring.
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Intunnelmode,theoriginalpacketisencapsulatedinanother
IPv6packet,wheresourceanddestinationaddressesarethe
SAendpointaddresses.
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vicfg-ipsec Option
esxcli Option
Description
ialgo [hmac-sha1 |
hmac-sha2-256 ]
integrity-algorithm
[hmac-sha1 |
hmac-sha2-256 ]
Authenticationalgorithmtobeused.Choosehmac-sha1or
hmac-sha2-256.
ikey
integrity-key
Authenticationkeytobeused.Aseriesofhexadecimaldigitsor
anASCIIstring.
YoucanperformthesemaintaskswithSAs:
CreateanSA.Youspecifythesource,thedestination,andtheauthenticationmode.Youalsospecifythe
authenticationalgorithmandauthenticationkeytouse.Youmustspecifyanencryptionalgorithmand
key,butyoucanspecifynullifyouwantnoencryption.Authenticationisrequiredandcannotbenull.
Thefollowingexampleincludesextralinebreaksforreadability.Thelastoption(sa_2intheexample)is
thenameoftheSA.
esxcli network ip ipsec sa add
--sa-source 2001:DB8:1::121
--sa-destination 2001:DB8:1::122
--sa-mode transport
--sa-spi 0x1000
--encryption-algorithm 3des-cbc
--encryption-key 0x6970763672656164796c6f676f336465736362636f757432
--integrity-algorithm hmac-sha1
--integrity-key 0x6970763672656164796c6f67736861316f757432
--sa-name sa_2
ListanSAwithesxcli network ip ipsec sa list.ThiscommandreturnsSAscurrentlyavailable

forusebyanSP.ThelistincludesSAsyoucreated.
RemoveasingleSAwithesxcli network ip ipsec sa remove.IftheSAisinusewhenyourunthis

command,thecommandcannotperformtheremoval.
RemoveallSAswithesxcli network ip ipsec sa remove--removeall.ThisoptionremovesallSAs

evenwhentheyareinuse.
CAUTIONRunningesxcli network ip ipsec sa remove--removeallremovesallSAsonyour
systemandmightleaveyoursysteminaninconsistentstate.
Managing Security Policies

AfteryouhavecreatedoneormoreSAs,youcanaddsecuritypolicies(SPs)toyourESXihosts.WhiletheSA
specifiestheauthenticationandencryptionparameterstouse,theSPidentifiesandselectstraffic.
ThefollowingoptionsforSPmanagementaresupported.
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vicfg-ipsec Option
esxcli Option
Description
sp-src <ip>/<p_len>
sp-source
<ip>/<p_len>
SourceIPaddressandprefixlength.
sp-dst <ip>/<p_len>
sp-destination
<ip>/<p_len>
DestinationIPaddressandprefixlength.
src-port <port>
source-port <port>
Sourceport(065535).Specifyanyforanyports.
dst-port <port>
destination-port
<port>
Destinationport(065535).Specifyanyforanyports.Ifulproto
isicmp6,thisnumberreferstotheicmp6type.Otherwise,this
numberreferstotheport.
ulproto [any | tcp

| udp | icmp6]
upper-layer-protocol
[any | tcp | udp |
icmp6]
Upperlayerprotocol.UsethisoptiontorestricttheSPtoonly
certainprotocols,oruseanytoapplytheSPtoallprotocols.
dir [in | out]
flow-direction [in |
out]
Directioninwhichyouwanttomonitorthetraffic.Tomonitor
trafficinbothdirections,createtwopolicies.
VMware, Inc.
vicfg-ipsec Option
esxcli Option
Description
action [none |
discard | ipsec]
action [none |
discard | ipsec]
Actiontotakewhentrafficwiththespecifiedparametersis
encountered.
noneTakenoaction,thatis,allowtrafficunmodified.
discardDonotallowdatainorout.
ipsecUsetheauthenticationandencryptioninformation
specifiedintheSAtodeterminewhetherthedatacomefroma
trustedsource.
sp-mode [tunnel |
transport]
sp-mode [tunnel |
transport]
Mode,eithertunnelortransport.
sa-name
sa-name
NameoftheSAtousebythisSP.
YoucanperformthesemaintaskswithSPs:
CreateanSPwithesxcli network ip ipsec add.Youidentifythedatatomonitorbyspecifyingthe

selectorssourceanddestinationIPaddressandprefix,sourceportanddestinationport,upperlayer
protocol,directionoftraffic,actiontotake,andSPmode.ThelasttwooptionarethenameoftheSAto
useandthenameoftheSPthatisbeingcreated.Thefollowingexampleincludesextralinebreaksfor
readability.
esxcli network ip ipsec add
--sp-source=2001:0DB8:0001:/48
--sp-destination=2001:0DB8:0002:/48
--source-port=23
--destination-port=25
--upper-layer-protocol=tcp
--flow-direction=out
--action=ipsec
--sp-mode=transport
--sp-name sp_2
ListanSPwithesxcli network ip ipsec list.ThiscommandreturnsSPscurrentlyavailable.All

SPsarecreatedbytheadministrator.
RemoveanSPwithesxcli network ip ipsecremove.IftheSPisinusewhenyourunthiscommand,

thecommandcannotperformtheremoval.Youcanrunesxcli network ip ipsecremove
--removeallinsteadtoremovetheSPevenwhenitisinuse.
CAUTIONRunningesxcli network ip ipsecremove --removeallremovesallSPsonyoursystem
andmightleaveyoursysteminaninconsistentstate.
Managing the ESXi Firewall

Tominimizetheriskofanattackthroughthemanagementinterface,ESXiincludesafirewallbetweenthe
managementinterfaceandthenetwork.Toensuretheintegrityofthehost,onlyasmallnumberoffirewall
portsareopenbydefault.ThevSphereSecuritydocumentationexplainshowtosetupfirewallsforyour
environmentandwhichportsyoumighthavetotemporarilyenableforcertaintraffic.
Youmanagefirewallsbysettingupfirewallrulesets.vSphereSecuritydocumentationexplainshowtoperform
thesetaskswiththevSphereWebClient.Youcanalsouseesxcli network firewalltomanagefirewall
rulesetsandtoretrieveinformationaboutthem.SpecifyoneoftheoptionslistedinConnectionOptionson
To limit shell access
1
CheckfirewallstatusandsshServerrulesetstatus.
esxcli <conn_options> network firewall get
Default Action: DROP
Enabled: true
Loaded: true
esxcli <conn_options> network firewall ruleset list --ruleset-id sshServer
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133
Name
--------sshServer
Enabled
------true
EnablethesshServerrulesetifitisdisabled.
esxcli <conn_options> network firewall ruleset set --ruleset-id sshServer --enabled true
ObtainaccesstotheESXiShellandcheckthestatusoftheallowedAllflag.
esxcli <conn_options> network firewall ruleset allowedip list --ruleset-id sshServer
Ruleset
Allowed IP Addresses
--------- -------------------sshServer All
SeeGettingStartedwithvSphereCommandLineInterfacesforinformationonaccessingtheESXiShell.
4
SetthestatusoftheallowedAllflagtofalse.
esxcli <conn_options> network firewall ruleset set --ruleset-id sshServer --allowed-all false
AddthelistofallowedIPaddresses.
esxcli <conn_options> network firewall ruleset allowedip add --ruleset-id sshServer
--ip-address 192.XXX.1.0/24
esxcli <conn_options> network firewall ruleset allowedip add --ruleset-id sshServer
--ip-address 192.XXX.10.10
ChecktheallowedIPaddresslist.
esxcli <conn_options> network firewall ruleset allowedip list --ruleset-id sshServer
Ruleset
Allowed IP Addresses
--------- ----------------------------sshServer 192.XXX.10.10, 192.XXX.1.0/24
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10
Monitoring ESXi Hosts
10
StartingwiththevSphere4.0release,thevCenterServermakesperformancechartsforCPU,memory,diskI/O,
networking,andstorageavailable.YoucanviewtheseperformancechartsbyusingthevSphereWebClient
andreadabouttheminthevSphereMonitoringdocumentation.Youcanalsoperformsomemonitoringofyour
ESXisystemusingvCLIcommands.
Thischapterincludesthesetopics:
UsingresxtopforPerformanceMonitoringonpage 135
ManagingDiagnosticPartitionsonpage 135
ManagingCoreDumpsonpage 136
ConfiguringESXiSyslogServicesonpage 138
ManagingESXiSNMPAgentsonpage 139
RetrievingHardwareInformationonpage 141
ESX,ESXi,andVirtualMachineLogsonpage 142
Using resxtop for Performance Monitoring

TheresxtopvCLIcommandallowsyoutoexaminehowESXisystemsuseresources.Youcanusethe
commandininteractivemode(default)orinbatchmode.TheResourceManagementdocumentationexplains
howtouseresxtopandprovidesinformationaboutavailablecommandsanddisplaystatistics.
IfyoucannotreachthehostwiththeresxtopvCLIcommand,youmightbeabletousetheesxtopcommand
intheESXiShellinstead.SeeGettingStartedwithvSphereCommandLineInterfacesforinformationonaccessing
theshell.
IMPORTANTresxtopandesxtoparesupportedonlyonLinux.
Managing Diagnostic Partitions

Yourhostmusthaveadiagnosticpartition(dumppartition)tostorecoredumpsfordebuggingandforuseby
VMwaretechnicalsupport.
AdiagnosticpartitioncanbeonthelocaldiskwheretheESXisoftwareisinstalled.Thisisthedefault
configurationforESXiInstallable.Youcanalsouseadiagnosticpartitiononaremotedisksharedbetween
multiplehosts.Ifyouwanttouseanetworkdiagnosticpartition,youcaninstallESXiDumpCollectorand
configurethenetworkedpartition.SeeManagingCoreDumpswithESXiDumpCollectoronpage 137.
Thefollowingconsiderationsapply:
VMware, Inc.
AdiagnosticpartitioncannotbelocatedonaniSCSILUNaccessedthroughthesoftwareiSCSIor
dependenthardwareiSCSIadapter.FormoreinformationaboutdiagnosticpartitionswithiSCSI,see
GeneralBootfromiSCSISANRecommendationsinthevSphereStoragedocumentation.
135
Astandalonehostmusthaveadiagnosticpartitionof110MB.
IfmultiplehostsshareadiagnosticpartitiononaSANLUN,configurealargediagnosticpartitionthat
thehostsshare.
Ifahostthatusesashareddiagnosticpartitionfails,rebootthehostandextractlogfilesimmediatelyafter
thefailure.Otherwise,thesecondhostthatfailsbeforeyoucollectthediagnosticdataofthefirsthost
mightnotbeabletosavethecoredump.
Diagnostic Partition Creation

YoucanusethevSphereWebClienttocreatethediagnosticpartitiononalocaldiskoronaprivateorshared
SANLUN.Youcannotusevicfg-dumpparttocreatethediagnosticpartition.TheSANLUNcanbesetup
withFibreChannelorhardwareiSCSI.SANLUNsaccessedthroughasoftwareiSCSIinitiatorarenot
supported.
CAUTIONIftwohoststhatshareadiagnosticpartitionfailandsavecoredumpstothesameslot,thecore
dumpsmightbelost.
Ifahostthatusesashareddiagnosticpartitionfails,rebootthehostandextractlogfilesimmediatelyafterthe
failure.
Diagnostic Partition Management

Youcanusethevicfg-dumppartortheesxcli system coredumpcommandtoquery,set,andscananESXi
systemsdiagnosticpartitions.ThevSphereStoragedocumentationexplainshowtosetupdiagnosticpartitions
withthevSphereWebClientandhowtomanagediagnosticpartitionsonaFibreChannelorhardwareiSCSI
SAN.
Diagnosticpartitionscaninclude,inorderofsuitability,paralleladapter,blockadapter,FC,orhardwareiSCSI
partitions.ParalleladapterpartitionsaremostsuitableandhardwareiSCSIpartitionstheleastsuitable.
IMPORTANTWhenyoulistdiagnosticpartitions,softwareiSCSIpartitionsareincluded.However,SANLUNs
accessedthroughasoftwareiSCSIinitiatorarenotsupportedasdiagnosticpartitions.
Managing Core Dumps

Withesxcli system coredump,youcanmanagelocaldiagnosticpartitionsorsetupcoredumponaremote
serverinconjunctionwithESXiDumpCollector.ForinformationaboutESXiDumpCollector,seethevSphere
Networkingdocumentation.
Managing Local Core Dumps with ESXCLI

ThefollowingexamplescenariochangesthelocaldiagnosticpartitionwithESXCLI.Specifyoneofthe
connectionoptionslistedinConnectionOptionsonpage 17inplaceof<conn_options>.
To manage a local diagnostic partition
1
ShowthediagnosticpartitiontheVMkernelusesanddisplayinformationaboutallpartitionsthatcanbe
usedasdiagnosticpartitions.
esxcli <conn_options> system coredump partition list
Deactivatethecurrentdiagnosticpartition.
esxcli <conn_options> system coredump partition set --unconfigure
TheESXisystemisnowwithoutadiagnosticpartition,andyoumustimmediatelysetanewone.
3
Settheactivepartitiontonaa.<naa_ID>.
esxcli <conn_options> system coredump partition set --partition=naa.<naa_ID>
136
Listpartitionsagaintoverifythatadiagnosticpartitionisset.
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Chapter 10 Monitoring ESXi Hosts
esxcli <conn_options> system coredump partition list
Ifadiagnosticpartitionisset,thecommanddisplaysinformationaboutit.Otherwise,thecommand
showsthatnopartitionisactivatedandconfigured.
Managing Core Dumps with ESXi Dump Collector

Bydefault,acoredumpissavedtothelocaldisk.YoucanuseESXiDumpCollectortokeepcoredumpsona
networkserverforuseduringdebugging.ESXiDumpCollectorisespeciallyusefulforAutoDeploy,but
supportedforanyESXi5.0host.ESXiDumpCollectorsupportsothercustomization,includingsendingcore
dumpstothelocaldisk.
ESXiDumpCollectorisincludedwiththevCenterServerautorun.exeapplication.YoucaninstallESXi
DumpCollectoronthesamesystemasthevCenterServerserviceoronadifferentWindowsorLinux
machine.SeevSphereNetworking.
YoucanconfigureESXihoststouseESXiDumpCollectorbyusingtheHostProfilesinterfaceofthevSphere
WebClient,orbyusingESXCLI.SpecifyoneoftheconnectionoptionslistedinConnectionOptionson
To manage core dumps with ESXi Dump Collector
1
SetupanESXisystemtouseESXiDumpCollectorbyrunningesxcli system coredump.

esxcli <conn_options> system coredump network set --interface-name vmk0
--server-ipv4=1-XX.XXX --port=6500
YoumustspecifyaVMkernelportwith--interface-name,andtheIPaddressandportoftheserverto
sendthecoredumpsto.IfyouconfigureanESXisystemthatisrunninginsideavirtualmachine,you
mustchooseaVMkernelportthatisinpromiscuousmode.
2
EnableESXiDumpCollector.
esxcli <conn_options> system coredump network set --enable=true
(Optional)CheckthatESXiDumpCollectorisconfiguredcorrectly.
esxcli <conn_options> system coredump network get
ThehostonwhichyouhavesetupESXiDumpCollectorsendscoredumpstothespecifiedserverbyusing
thespecifiedVMkernelNICandoptionalport.
Managing Core Dumps with vicfg-dumppart

Thefollowingexamplescenariochangesthediagnosticpartition.Specifyoneoftheconnectionoptionslisted
To manage a diagnostic partition
1
ShowthediagnosticpartitiontheVMkerneluses.
vicfg-dumppart <conn_options> -t
Displayinformationaboutallpartitionsthatcanbeusedasdiagnosticpartitions.Use-ltolistall
diagnosticpartitions,-ftolistalldiagnosticpartitionsinorderofpriority.
vicfg-dumppart <conn_options> -f
Theoutputmightappearasfollows.
Partition name on vml.mpx.vmhba36:C0:T0:L0:7 -> mpx.vmhba36:C0:T0:L0:7
Deactivatethediagnosticpartition.
vicfg-dumppart <conn_options> -d
TheESXisystemisnowwithoutadiagnosticpartition,andyoumustimmediatelysetanewone.
4
Settheactivepartitiontonaa.<naa_ID>.
vicfg-dumppart <conn_options> -s naa.<naa_ID>
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137
Runvicfg-dumppart -tagaintoverifythatadiagnosticpartitionisset.
vicfg-dumppart <conn_options> -t
Ifadiagnosticpartitionisset,thecommanddisplaysinformationaboutit.Otherwise,thecommand
informsyouthatnopartitionisset.
Configuring ESXi Syslog Services

AllESXihostsrunaSyslogservice,whichlogsmessagesfromtheVMkernelandothersystemcomponentsto
localfilesortoaremotehost.YoucanusethevSphereWebClient,orusetheesxcli system syslog
commandtoconfigurethefollowingparametersofthesyslogservice.
Remotehostandport.RemotehosttowhichSyslogmessagesareforwardedandportonwhichthe
remotehostreceivesSyslogmessages.Theremotehostmusthavealoglistenerserviceinstalledand
correctlyconfiguredtoreceivetheforwardedsyslogmessages.Seethedocumentationforthesyslog
serviceinstalledontheremotehostforinformationonconfiguration.
Transportprotocol.LogscanbesentbyusingUDP(default),TCPorSSLtransports.
Localloggingdirectory.Directorywherelocalcopiesofthelogsarestored.Thedirectorycanbelocated
onmountedNFSorVMFSvolumes.Onlythe/scratchdirectoryonthelocalfilesystemispersistent
acrossreboots.
Uniquedirectorynameprefix.SettingthisoptiontotruecreatesasubdirectorywiththenameofESXi
hostunderthespecifiedloggingdirectory.ThismethodisespeciallyusefulifthesameNFSdirectoryis
usedbymultipleESXihosts.
Logrotationpolicies.Setsmaximumlogsizeandthenumberofarchivestokeep.Policiescanbespecified
bothglobally,andforindividualsubloggers.Forexample,youcansetalargersizelimitforthevmkernel
log.
IMPORTANTTheesxcli system syslogcommandistheonlysupportedcommandforchangingESXi5.0

loggingconfiguration.Thevicfg-syslogcommandandeditingconfigurationfilesisnotsupportedforESXi
5.0andcanresultinerrors.
Aftermakingconfigurationchanges,restartthesyslogservice(vmsyslogd)byrunningesxcli system
syslog reload.
Theesxcli system syslogcommandallowsyoutoconfiguretheloggingbehaviorofyourESXisystem.
WithvSphere5.0,youcanmanagethetoplevelloggerandsubloggers.Thecommandhasthefollowing
options.
138
Option
Description
mark
Marksalllogswiththespecifiedstring.
reload
Reloadstheconfiguration,andupdatesanychangedconfigurationvalues.
config get
Retrievesthecurrentconfiguration.
config set
Setstheconfiguration.Useoneofthefollowingoptions.
--logdir=<path>Savelogstoagivenpath.
--loghost=<host>Sendlogstoagivenhost.SeeesxclisystemsyslogExampleson
page 139.
--logdir-unique=<true|false>Specifywhetherthelogshouldgotoaunique
subdirectoryofthedirectoryspecifiedinlogdir.
--default-rotate=<int>Defaultnumberoflogrotationstokeep.
--default-size=<int>Sizebeforerotatinglogs,inKB.
VMware, Inc.
Option
Description
config logger list
Showcurrentlyconfiguredsubloggers.
config logger set
Setconfigurationoptionsforaspecificsublogger.Useoneofthefollowingoptions.
--id=<str>IDoftheloggertoconfigure(required).
--reset=<str>Resetvaluestodefault.
--rotate=<long>Numberofrotatedlogstokeepforaspecificlogger(requires--id).
--size=<long>Sizeoflogsbeforerotationforaspecificlogger,inKB(requires--id).
esxcli system syslog Examples

Thefollowingworkflowillustrateshowyoumightuseesxcli system syslogforlogconfiguration.Specify
1
Showconfigurationoptions.
esxcli <conn_options> system syslog config get
Default Rotation Size: 1024
Default Rotations: 8
Log Output: /scratch/log
Logto Unique Subdirectory: false
Remote Host: <none>
Setalllogstokeeptwentyrotationsbeforeoverwritingtheoldestlog.
esxcli <conn_options> system syslog config set --default-rotate=20
SettherotationpolicyforVMkernellogsto10rotations,rotatingat2MB.
esxcli <conn_options> system syslog config logger --id=vmkernel --size=2048 --rotate=10
Sendlogstoremotehostmyhost.mycompany.com.Thelogswillusethedefaulttransport(UDP)andport
(514).
esxcli system syslog config set --loghost='myhost.mycompany.com'
Savethelocalcopyoflogsto/scratch/mylogsandsendanothercopytotheremotehost.
esxcli <conn_options> system syslog config set --loghost='tcp://myhost.mycompany.com:1514'
--logdir='/scratch/mylogs'
Yousetthedirectoryontheremotehostbyconfiguringtheclientrunningonthathost.Youcanusethe
vSphereWebClienttoredirectsystemlogstoaremotehostbychangingtheSystem.global.logHost
advancedsetting.
6
Sendalogmessagetoalllogssimultaneously.
esxcli <conn_options> system syslog mark --message="this is a message!"
Reloadthesyslogdaemonandapplyconfigurationchanges.
esxcli <conn_options> system syslog reload
Managing ESXi SNMP Agents

SimpleNetworkManagementProtocol(SNMP)allowsmanagementprogramstomonitorandcontrol
networkeddevices.YoucanmanagevSphere5.0SNMPagentswithvicfg-snmpcommandsdiscussedhere.
IMPORTANTSignificantenhancementstoSNMP,includingsupportforSNMPv3,areincludedinESXi5.1.The
newfunctionalityismanagedthroughESXCLIcommands.SeethevSphereMonitoringandPerformance
documentationthatisavailableinthevSphere5.1DocumentationCenter.
vCenterServerandESXisystemsincludedifferentSNMPagents.
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139
vCenterServerSNMPagent.TheSNMPagentincludedwithvCenterServercansendtrapswhenthe
vCenterServersystemisstartedorwhenanalarmistriggeredonvCenterServer.ThevCenterServer
SNMPagentfunctionsonlyasatrapemitteranddoesnotsupportotherSNMPoperations(forexample,
GET).
YoucanmanagethevCenterServeragentwiththevSphereWebClientbutnotwiththevCLIcommand.
HostbasedembeddedSNMPagent.ESXi4.0andlaterincludesanSNMPagentembeddedinthehost
daemon(hostd)thatcansendtrapsandreceivepollingrequestssuchasGETrequests.
YoucanmanageSNMPonESXihostswiththevicfg-snmpvCLIcommand,butnotwiththevSphere
ClientorwiththeESXCLIcommand.
NetSNMPbasedagent.VersionsofESXreleasedbeforeESX/ESXi4.0includeaNetSNMPbasedagent.
YoucancontinuetousethisNetSNMPbasedagentinESX4.xwithMIBssuppliedbyyourhardware
vendorandotherthirdpartymanagementapplications.However,tousetheVMwareMIBfiles,youmust
usethehostbasedembeddedSNMPagent.
TousetheNETSNMPbasedagentandhostbasedembeddedSNMPagentatthesametime,makeoneofthe
agentslistenonanondefaultport.Bydefault,bothagentsusethesameport.
ThehostbasedembeddedSNMPagentisdisabledbydefault.Configuringandenablingtheagentrequires
thatyouperformthefollowingtasks:
1
ConfigureSNMPCommunities.SeeConfiguringSNMPCommunitiesonpage 140.
ConfiguretheSNMPAgent.Youhavethefollowingchoices:
ConfiguringtheSNMPAgenttoSendTrapsonpage 140
ConfiguringtheSNMPAgentforPollingonpage 141
Configuring SNMP Communities

BeforeyouenabletheESXiembeddedSNMPagent,youmustconfigureatleastonecommunityfortheagent.
AnSNMPcommunitydefinesagroupofdevicesandmanagementsystems.Onlydevicesandmanagement
systemsthataremembersofthesamecommunitycanexchangeSNMPmessages.Adeviceormanagement
systemcanbeamemberofmultiplecommunities.
ToconfigureSNMPcommunities,runvicfg-snmp -c,specifyingacommaseparatedlistofcommunities.For
example:
vicfg-snmp <conn_options> -c public, internal
Eachtimeyouspecifyacommunitywiththiscommand,thesettingsthatyouspecifyoverwritetheprevious
configuration.
Configuring the SNMP Agent to Send Traps

YoucanusetheSNMPagentembeddedinESXitosendvirtualmachineandenvironmentaltrapsto
managementsystems.Toconfiguretheagenttosendtraps,youmustspecifyatarget(receiver)address,the
community,andanoptionalport.Ifyoudonotspecifyaport,theSNMPagentsendstrapstoUDPport162
onthetargetmanagementsystembydefault.
To configure a trap destination
1
Makesureacommunityissetup.
vicfg-snmp <conn_options> --show
Current SNMP agent settings:
Enabled: 1
UDP port: 161
Communities: public
Notification targets:
140
VMware, Inc.
Runvicfg-snmp --targetwiththetargetaddress,portnumber,andcommunity.
vicfg-snmp <conn_options> -t target.example.com@163/public
Eachtimeyouspecifyatargetwiththiscommand,thesettingsyouspecifyoverwriteallpreviously
specifiedsettings.Tospecifymultipletargets,separatethemwithacomma.
YoucanchangetheportthattheSNMPagentsendsdatatoonthetargetusingthe--targetsoption.
ThatportisUDP162bydefault.
(Optional)EnabletheSNMPagentifitisnotyetrunning.
vicfg-snmp <conn_options> --enable
(Optional)Sendatesttraptoverifythattheagentisconfiguredcorrectly.
vicfg-snmp <conn_options> --test
TheagentsendsawarmStarttraptotheconfiguredtarget.
Configuring the SNMP Agent for Polling

IfyouconfiguretheESXiembeddedSNMPagentforpolling,itcanlistenforandrespondtorequestssuchas
GETrequestsfromSNMPmanagementclientsystems.
Bydefault,theembeddedSNMPagentlistensonUDPport161forpollingrequestsfrommanagement
systems.Youcanusethevicfg-snmpcommandtoconfigureanalternativeport.Toavoidconflictswithother
services,useaUDPportthatisnotdefinedin/etc/services.
IMPORTANTBoththeembeddedSNMPagentandtheNetSNMPbasedagentavailableintheESX4.xservice
consolelistenonUDPport161bydefault.IfyouareusinganESX4.xsystem,changetheportforoneagent
toenablebothagentsforpolling.
To configure the SNMP agent for polling
1
Runvicfg-snmp --targetwiththetargetaddress,portnumber,andcommunity.
vicfg-snmp <conn_options> -c public -t target.example.com@163/public
Eachtimeyouspecifyatargetwiththiscommand,thesettingsyouspecifyoverwriteallpreviously
specifiedsettings.Tospecifymultipletargets,separatethemwithacomma.
YoucanchangetheportthattheSNMPagentsendsdatatoonthetargetbyusingthe--targetsoption.
ThatportisUDP162bydefault.
(Optional)Specifyaportforlisteningforpollingrequests.
vicfg-snmp <conn_options> -p <port>
(Optional)IftheSNMPagentisnotenabled,enableit.
vicfg-snmp <conn_options> --enable
Runvicfg-snmp --testtovalidatetheconfiguration.
Thefollowingexampleshowshowthecommandsareruninsequence.
vicfg-snmp <conn_options> c public t example.com@162/private --enable
# next validate your config by doing these things:
vicfg-snmp <conn_options> -test
walk v1 c public esx-host
Retrieving Hardware Information

CommandsindifferentESXCLInamespacesmightdisplaysomehardwareinformation,buttheesxcli
hardwarenamespaceisspecificallyintendedtogiveyouthatinformation.Thenamespaceincludes
commandsforgettingandsettingCPUproperties,forlistingbootdevices,andforgettingandsettingthe
hardwareclocktime.
VMware, Inc.
141
YoucanalsousetheipminamespacetoretrieveIPMIsystemeventlogs(SEL)andsensordatarecords(SDR).
Thecommandsupportsbothget(singlereturnvalue)andlist(multiplereturnvalues)commandsandreturns
rawsensorinformation.
esxcli hardware ipmi sel get
esxcli hardware ipmi sdr get
ESX, ESXi, and Virtual Machine Logs

Logscanhelpyoufindoutwhathappenedifcommandsdonothavethedesiredresults.OnESXi5.0systems,
findalllogsinthe/var/logdirectory.Someoftheitemsinthatdirectoryaresymboliclinksfromthe
/var/run/logdirectory.
OnESXi4.1systems,youcanfindthefollowinglogs.
142
Component
Location
ESXServer3.xorESXservicelog
/var/log/vmware/hostd.log
vSphereclientagentlog
/var/log/vmware/vpx/vpxa.log
Virtualmachinekernelcorefile
Afteryourebootyourmachine,files/root/vmkernel-log.<date>and
/root/vmkernel-core.<date>arepresent.
Sysloglog
/var/log/messages
Serviceconsoleavailabilityreport
/var/log/vmkernel
VMkernelmessages,alerts,and
availabilityreport
/var/log/vmkernel
VMkernelwarning
/var/log/vmkwarning
Virtualmachinelogfile
vmware.loginthesamedirectoryastheVMXfileforthevirtualmachine
Virtualmachineconfigurationfile
<virtual_machine_name>/<virtual_machine_name>.vmxlocatedona
datastoreassociatedwiththemanagedhost.Usethevirtualmachinesummary
pageinthevSphereWebClienttodeterminethedatastoreonwhichthisfileis
located.
VMware, Inc.
Index
Numerics
3.5 LUN masks 95
A
Active Directory 25, 26
active path 47
ARP redirect 74
authentication
algorithm (IPsec) 132
default inheritance 61
key (IPsec) 132
returning to default inheritance 61
AUTOCONF 125
B
backing up configuration data 24
C
CDP 116, 117, 118
Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol 60
changing IP gateway 129
CHAP 60
chapDiscouraged 60
chapPreferred 60
chapProhibited 60
chapRequired 60
Cisco Discovery Protocol 116
claim rules
adding 93
converting 95
deleting 96
from 3.5 systems 95
from LUN mask 95
listing 96
loading 96
moving 97
rule IDs 95
running 97
commands with esxcfg prefix 12
configuration data
backing up 24
restoring 24
configuration files, path 54
copying files 34
core dumps 136
ESXi Dump Collector 137
VMware, Inc.
local 136
managing 137
cp850 encoding 18
cp936 encoding 18
creating directories 35
D
datastores
mounting 30
NFS 50
overview 41
default gateway 130
default inheritance 61, 78, 79
default port groups 116
dependent hardware iSCSI 57, 68, 73
device 41
device management 44, 86
device mappings 43, 44
device naming
device UID 41
runtime name 41
VML name 41
Device UID 41
DHCP 127, 128
DHCPV6 125
diagnostic partitions
creating 136
example 136, 137
managing 135
directory management 37
directory names with special characters 34
discovery sessions 58
discovery targets 59
disk file path 54
distributed switches 111, 112, 113, 115
DNS 126, 127, 128
downloading files 34
duplicate datastores 29
dynamic discovery 58
E
encoding
cp936 18
Shift_JIS 18
encodings
cp850 18
143
encryption algorithm (IPsec) 131

encryption key (IPsec) 131
ESX/ESXi logs 142
esxcfg prefix 12
esxcli network ip commands 123
esxcli network ip dns 127
esxcli network nic commands 120
esxcli network vswitch commands 116, 118, 122
esxcli storag
nfs commands 51
esxcli storage core
claiming commands 92
claimrule commands 93
claimrule convert commands 95
claimrule delete command 96
claimrule list command 96
claimrule load command 96
claimrule move command 97
claimrule run command 97
device list 42
esxcli storage core adapter rescan 55
esxcli storage core claiming
reclaim command 92
unclaim command 92
esxcli storage core path 45, 47
esxcli storage nmp 85
device list command 86
device set command 86
fixed deviceconfig commands 88
path list command 86
psp commands 86, 87
psp roundrobin commands 88
roundrobin 50, 89
satp commands 89
esxcli system coredump 136
ESXi Dump Collector 135, 137
EUI name 45, 46, 59
examples
backup with vMA 24
configure VMkernel NIC for IPv4 123
configure VMkernel NIC for IPv6 124
DNS setup 127
enable and set NetQueue modules 25
entering maintenance mode 22, 23
iSCSI storage setup 66, 68, 71, 73
managing users 101
route entry setup 129
svmotion 54
uplink adapter setup 120
external HBA properties 76
F
failover 44
144
FC LUNs 41
Fibre Channel LUNs 41
file management
introduction 27
vifs 28, 37
file path, configuration file 54
file systems
NAS 51
VMFS 29
fixed path selection policy 88
G
gateway, IP 129
groups 99, 102
H
hard power operations 108
hardware iSCSI setup tasks 70, 74
HBA mappings 44
HBA properties 76
hosts
managing 21
shutdown or reboot 21
I
ifconfig, ESXCLI equivalents 113
independent hardware iSCSI
definition 57
setup tasks 70, 74
inheritance 79
IP gateway 129
IP storage 112
IPsec 130
IPv4 123, 124
IPv6 124, 125
IQN name 59
iSCSI
authentication 61, 80, 81
default inheritance 78, 79
dependent hardware iSCSI 68, 73
discovery target names 59
independent hardware iSCSI 70, 74
LUNs 41
mutual authentication 80, 81
options 75
overview 57
parameters 77, 78
parameters, returning to default inheritance 78,
79
port binding 68, 73
ports for multipathing 81
remove sessions 83
securing ports 60
VMware, Inc.
Index
security 59
sessions 82, 83
setup examples 66, 68, 71, 73
NMP 44, 85, 86

NTP server 129
Kerberos 129
offload iSCSI 57
orphaned virtual machine 104
license 53
listing available LUNs 42, 43
listing IP gateway 129
loading claim rules 96
lockdown mode 19
logical devices, listing 44
logs 142
LUN masks, convert to claim rule 95
LUNs
listing available 42, 43
names 45, 46
overview 42
parameters
default inheritance (iSCSI) 79
setting (iSCSI) 78
partitions, diagnostic 136
path change conditions for round robin 89
path claiming 92
path operations 86
path policies 47, 88, 89
path state, changing 47
paths
active 47
changing state 47
disabling 47
identifier 41
listing 46
listing with ESXCLI 45
managing 44
preferred 49, 50, 88
performance monitoring 135
physical network interfaces 120
platform support 14
Pluggable Storage Architecture 44
port binding 68, 73, 82
port groups 112, 119, 120
adding 118
and uplink adapter 119
default 116
removing 118
ports, iSCSI multipathing 81
power operations 108
powerop_mode 108
preferred path 49, 50, 88
PSA 44
acronym 85
managing claim rules 93
PSP
acronym 85
information 87
operations 86
M
MAC address, VMkernel NIC 123
MagicPacket 121
maintenance mode 22, 23
Managing 44, 57, 120
managing 136
managing local core dumps 136
managing NMP 85
managing paths 44
managing physical network interfaces 120
migrating virtual machines,svmotion 52
mount datastores 30
MTU 117, 118
multipathing 44, 45
mutual authentication 80, 81
mutual CHAP 67, 69, 72, 74, 80, 81
N
naa.xxx device name 45, 46
NAS datastores, datastores, NAS 50
NAS file systems 51
NetQueue VMkernel modules 25
network adapters
duplex value 120
managing 120
speed 120
network interfaces 115, 120
networking
vDS 126
vSS 115
NFS datastores 50
NFS, capabilities 51
VMware, Inc.
R
raw devices 41
rebooting hosts 21
register virtual machines 105
removing snapshots 107
145
rescanning adapters 55
rescanning storage 41, 55
rescanning storage adapters 55
resignature VMFS copy 31
restoring configuration data 24
resxtop 12, 135
reverting snapshots 107
RFCs (vicfg-ipsec) 130
roles 99
round robin
operations 50, 88
path change conditions 89
retrieve settings 89
route entry setup 129
rule IDs 95
rules 91
claim rules 93
SATP rules 91
runtime name 41
S
SATP
configuration parameters 91
deleting rules 91
retrieve settings 89
rules, adding 90
securing iSCSI ports 60
security associations (IPsec) 131
security policies (IPsec) 132
sessions, iSCSI 83
Shift_JIS encoding 18
Simple Network Management Protocol 139
snapshots 106, 107
SNMP
communities 140
management 139
polling 141
traps 140
soft power operations 108
software iSCSI setup tasks 66, 68, 71, 73
spaces in directory names 34
special characters
in directories 34
vicfg-iscsi 77, 79
standard networking services 126
starting NTP server 129
state of path, changing 47
static discovery 58
stopping virtual machines 109
storage
creating directories with vifs 35
overview 39
path claiming 92
146
rescanning 41, 55
virtual machines 40
storage array target 42
storage device naming 41
supported platforms 14
svmotion 52
interactive Mode 53
license for storage vMotion 53
limitations 53
noninteractive mode 53
requirements 53
special characters 53
switch attributes 117, 118
syslog server specification 138
T
TCP Segmentation Offload 123
TCP/IP 70, 74, 112
transport mode 131
TSO 123
tunnel mode 131
U
unregister virtual machines 105
uplink adapters 112, 120
and port groups 119
setup 122
useANO (round robin) 50
user input 109
users
creating 101
in vSphere environment 99
modifying 101
V
VDS 111
vicfg-authconfig 25
vicfg-cfgbackup 23, 24
vicfg-dumppart 136, 137
vicfg-hostops 21, 22
vicfg-ipsec 131, 132
vicfg-iscsi
command syntax 61
default inheritance for authentication 61
default inheritance for parameters 78, 79
iscsi parameter options 79
vicfg-module 24
vicfg-mpath 46
vicfg-nas 50, 51
vicfg-nics 122
vicfg-ntp 129
vicfg-rescan 55, 72, 73
vicfg-scsidevs
VMware, Inc.
Index
3.5 support 43
list options 43
vicfg-snmp 139
vicfg-syslog 138
vicfg-user 99, 100, 102
vicfg-vmhbadevs 42, 43
vicfg-vmknic 123
vicfg-volume 29
vicfg-vswitch 115, 118
vifs 28, 33
virtual devices 108
virtual machine configuration file path 54
virtual machines
attributes 105
file management 27
listing 104, 105
logs 142
managing 105
migration with svmotion 52
network settings 113
orphaned 104
path 104
registering 104, 105
starting 107
stopping 109
storage VMotion 52
vmware-cmd 105
virtual switches 111, 115, 116
MTU 117, 118
retrieving information 116
vicfg-vswitch 115
VLAN ID 119, 120
VMFS
duplicate datastores 29
resignature copy 30
resignaturing 31
VMFS3 to VMFS5 conversion 29
VMkernel modules 24
VMkernel network interfaces 123
VMkernel NIC 123
enable VMotion 125
IPv4 123, 124
IPv6 124, 125
VMkernel NICs 123
vmkfstools 28
VML LUN names 45, 46
VMotion 112, 125
VMW_PSP_FIXED 48
VMW_PSP_MRU 48
VMW_PSP_RR 48
vmware-cmd
connection options 104
VMware, Inc.
general options 104

server options 104
snapshots 106
virtual machine options 105
VMware Tools 108
vSphere distributed switches 113, 126
VSS 111
W
Windows Active Directory 26
147
148
VMware, Inc.

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vSphere Command-Line Interface

Concepts and Examples

This document supports the version of each product listed and

vSphere Command-Line Interface Concepts and Examples

vSphere Command-Line Interface Concepts and Examples

vSphere Command-Line Interface Concepts and Examples

About This Book

VMware Technical Publications Glossary

Technical Support and Education Resources

vSphere Command-Line Interface Concepts and Examples

Online and Telephone Support

VMware Professional Services

vSphere CLI Command Overviews

Available Command-Line Help

List of Available Commands

vCLI 5.1 Command

Chapter 1 vSphere CLI Command Overviews

Table 1-2. vCLI and ESXCLI Commands (Continued)

vCLI 5.1 Command

Setsboththepartition(esxcli system coredump partition)andthe

esxcli storage core

esxcli storage nfs

esxcli network nic

esxcli storage core

esxcli storage core

esxcli system snmp

Table 1-2. vCLI and ESXCLI Commands (Continued)

vCLI 5.1 Command

Supported Protocols and Platforms for Commands

Chapter 1 vSphere CLI Command Overviews

ESXi 3.5 U2+

ESX 3.5 U2+

Table 1-3. Platform Support for vCLI 5.x Commands (Continued)

ESXi 3.5 U2+

ESX 3.5 U2+

Running ESXCLI Commands Against ESXi 4.x Hosts

Commands with an esxcfg Prefix

Command with vicfg prefix

Command with esxcfg prefix

Chapter 1 vSphere CLI Command Overviews

Table 1-4. Commands with an esxcfg Prefix (Continued)

Command with esxcfg prefix

Using ESXCLI Output

Table 1-5. vCLI Connection Options (Continued)

Usetheemptystring(' 'onLinuxand onWindows)toindicateno

Chapter 1 vSphere CLI Command Overviews

Table 1-5. vCLI Connection Options (Continued)

vCLI and Lockdown Mode

Stopping, Rebooting, and Examining Hosts

Stopping and Rebooting Hosts with ESXCLI

Stopping, Rebooting, and Examining Hosts with vicfg-hostops

vSphere Command-Line Interface Concepts and Examples

Entering and Exiting Maintenance Mode

Entering and Exiting Maintenance Mode with ESXCLI

Runesxcli <conn_options> system maintenanceMode set --enable true toentermaintenance

Chapter 2 Managing Hosts

Runesxcli <conn_options> system maintenanceMode set --enable false tohaveahost

Entering and Exiting Maintenance Mode with vicfg-hostops

Runvicfg-hostops <conn_options> --operation entertoentermaintenancemode.

Runvicfg-hostops <conn_options> --operation infotocheckwhetherthehostisinmaintenance

Backing Up Configuration Information with vicfg-cfgbackup

vSphere Command-Line Interface Concepts and Examples