So what new commands is available in VMware RCLI?

VMware has updated the VMware Remote CLI with a new version on the same time they released Update 2 for VI3.5.

So what new commands has been added? Here’s a list:

• esxcfg-dns - Specifies an ESX Server host’s DNS configuration.
• esxcfg-module - Enables VMkernel options
• esxcfg-user - Creates, modifies, deletes, and lists local direct access users and groups of users
• vicfg-dns - Specifies an ESX Server host’s DNS configuration.
• vicfg-module - Enables VMkernel options
• vicfg-user - Creates, modifies, deletes, and lists local direct access users and groups of users
• vmware-cmd - Manages the virtual machines in your VMware Infrastructure environment

The vi- commands is for use with 3i and the esx- command is for use with 3.5 (and the service console)

For a complete new guide for VMware Remote CLI - check this out.

Also the new RCLI supports the use of SSPI for authentication. This feature allow us to use passthrough authentication when executing scripts.  For this too work - VirtualCenter needs to be updated with the Update 2 package.

Enable VMotion on the vmkernel interface by commandline

To fully automate an installation of ESX server 3.5 certain esxcfg- commands needs to be used. However these commands doesnt allow us to enable VMotion on a vmkernel interface. To do this in a command line use the vimsh command.

Before enabling VMotion create the neccesary virtual switches and vmkernel interfaces using esxcfg-vswitch and esxcfg-vmknic commands

Examples:

To create a new vswitch called vSwitch10 do:

• esxcfg-vswitch -a vSwitch10

To link a vmnic to vSwitch10 do:

• esxcfg-vswitch -L vmnic1 vSwitch10

To create a portgroup called VMotion on vSwitch10 do:

• esxcfg-vswitch -A VMotion vSwitch10

To create the vmkernel interface on the VMotion portgroup do:

• esxcfg-vmknic -a -i 10.0.0.1 -n 255.255.255.0 VMotion

To enable that interface as the VMotion interface. First thing we need to know is the interface name of the vmkernel port. To find that do:

• esxcfg-vmknic -l

This lists all the vmkernel interfaces that is created on the ESX host. Its likely that its called vmk0 because its probably the first vmkernel interface created

Now Enable the vmkernel interface to used by VMotion do this:

• vimsh -n -e “/hostsvc/vmotion/vnic_set vmk0″

All done. Now verify in the VirtualCenter client that your vmkernel interface now is enabled for VMotion.

Note: The vimsh command does only work in ESX 3.5 and not 3i unfortunately as 3i doenst have a service console. To use esxcfg- commands with 3i install the VMware Infrastructure RCLI Tool created by VMware.

Disaster Recovery without Site Recovery Manager

Mike Laverick from RTFM Education has again written a new guide. This time on how to do a manual disaster recovery without Site Recover Manager from VMware - but instead by using PowerShell.

Site Recovery Manager comes with one important feature that Powershell cant help with. That is to test the failover from one site to another - without touching your production environment.

Read Mike’s first draft for this guide here. This chapter is part of a new book Mike is writing on Site Recovery Manager.

Getting Started with VMware’s PowerShell Toolkit

Want to use VMware’s PowerShell Toolkit for managing and maintaining your VMware installation?

Then take a look at this whitepaper, written by By Mike Laverick from © RTFM Education:

Thanks Mike