Problem solve

Scripting administrative tasks

• Boost disk management in Windows efficiency with PowerCLI

  Extend a Windows hard disk in VMware vSphere with commands and functions from PowerCLI. Automate the management of hard disks with these steps focused on Windows Server 2012 R2. Continue Reading

• Configure ESXi Autostart to streamline host patching

  Enabling ESXi Autostart can save you time and effort when managing VMs. Learn how to configure Autostart VMs in VMware host settings to make patching hosts easier. Continue Reading

• Build a more effective approach to vSphere troubleshooting

  While there are several ways a vSphere administrator can save time and trouble before disaster visits the data center, there are a few measures to take while correcting an issue to keep a problem from growing into a full-blown catastrophe. Continue Reading

• Bust through vCenter Orchestrator limits by integrating PowerCLI

  Streamlining the strength of PowerCLI scripts with vCenter Orchestrator workflows gives vSphere admins increased automation capabilities. Continue Reading

• VMware PowerCLI 5.5 flexes administrative muscles

  System administrators with a penchant for automating tasks with cmdlets will enjoy the heady enhancements unveiled in VMware PowerCLI 5.5. Continue Reading

• Tame and tend your virtual infrastructure with these esxcli commands

  The esxcli command series has evolved since its unveiling in vSphere 4 to surpass the need for older command-line tools.Continue Reading

• VMware command line options to keep in your ESXi toolbox

  The vSphere Client works great for some tasks, but repetitive mass actions call for scripts. And, you have options in the VMware command line toolbox.Continue Reading

• VMware vCenter Protect serves up more than malware protection

  VMware vCenter Protect was born of Shavlik NetChk, and offers much more than antivirus protection. Use the tool with virtual and physical machines.Continue Reading

• How to automatically consolidate VMware snapshots in vSphere 5

  IT admins sometimes create and delete VMware snapshots for recurring tasks. Two experts suggest ways to consolidate VMware snapshots automatically.Continue Reading

• VMware vSphere Command Line Interface: Using vCLI for ESXi management

  If you’re a command-line lover, you may prefer to use the vSphere Command Line Interface instead of the vSphere Client for managing ESXi hosts.Continue Reading

• VMware Auto Deploy: ESXi installation made easy

  Installing ESXi is time consuming, but you can automate the ESXi installation and configuration process with VMware Auto Deploy in vSphere 5.Continue Reading

• ESXi console tech support mode: When the vSphere Client isn’t enough

  The ESXi console and its tech support mode can solve many issues that the vSphere Client can’t. Once enabled, you have the power of the Linux command line at your disposal.Continue Reading

• PowerCLI 5.0: New cmdlets and PowerShell snap-ins for vSphere

  PowerCLI 5.0 was just released with a host of new cmdlets and PowerShell snap-ins. This release makes scripting easier and the command-line less intimidating.Continue Reading

• Patching VMware ESXi Installable

  Patching VMware ESXi Installable has changed since the release of ESXi 4.1. Now the only way to update the free hypervisor is with the vihostupdate command-line utility.Continue Reading

• VMware backup tools and strategies for small businesses

  Virtualization has trickled down to small businesses, presenting IT pros with new challenges. Choosing the proper VMware backup tools and strategies is one such obstacle.Continue Reading

• VSphere Host Profiles vs. PowerCLI: The war for automation supremacy

  Both vSphere Host Profiles and PowerCLI scripts automate the host-provisioning process, but each tool has strengths and limitations.Continue Reading

• VCenter Orchestrator: The workflow-automation king

  With vCenter Orchestrator automated workflows, you can indulge your lazy streak. This free workflow automation tool in vCenter Server can eliminate many manual processes.Continue Reading

• Working with host profiles in the vSphere PowerCLI

  After learning how to create and manipulate host profiles from the vSphere PowerCLI, you can check and correct host compliance with a few short commands.Continue Reading

• Using the VMware vSphere PowerCLI: PowerShell training for VMware admins

  Brushing up on your PowerShell knowledge will help you take advantage of the VMware vSphere PowerCLI and automate VMware tasks – saving time and reducing administrative errors. Here's a good starting point.Continue Reading

• Getting around PowerCLI roadblocks: Tips from the field

  PowerCLI can be very useful for scripting administrative VMware tasks, but it has its limitations. With the right know-how, however, you can circumvent these limitations and join the ranks of the PowerShell elite. In this tip, we discuss two ...Continue Reading

• Bulk VMware administration: Using PowerCLI with standard switches

  Learn how to autoquickly create of a VLAN with a tagged port group for multiple VMware ESX hosts -- even if you don't have Enterprise Plus licensing.Continue Reading

• Streamlining the VMware Management Assistant: User accounts and FastPass

  If you haven't used it already, you may want to give the VMware Management Asssitant (vMA) a try. It is a remote command-line utility that allows you to use many of the same commands you can currently run on ESX. In part two of this two-part series,...Continue Reading

• Ease into ESXi with the VMware Management Assistant

  The VMware Management Assistant, or vMA, could help you ease into COS-less ESXi as it utilizes many of the same commands. Learn more about it and get an installation step-by-step tutorial.Continue Reading

• Using VMware's new vSphere command-line interface vCLI

  VMware updated the Remote Command-Line Interface (Remote CLI) with vSphere, renaming it vCLI. It offers many new commands, IPv6 support, the ability to run esxtop through vCenter, new options for vicfg-route and more.Continue Reading

• Upgrading to PowerCLI 4.0 update 1

  Now that I have upgraded to vSphere 4 U1, I’m just doing an upgrade of the PowerCLI.Continue Reading

• Scripted ESX4 Installations & Partitioning – Reader Email

  Scripted ESX4 Installations & Partitioning – Reader EmailContinue Reading

• VMware vSphere PowerCLI: Learn it, love it

  Getting on the vSphere PowerCLI bandwagon makes sense for administrators fed up with the time sink and error-prone nature of some administrative tasks.Continue Reading

• PowersHell: VMDK disk modes to be “Deprecated”?

  Notes that the ‘NonPersistent’ and ‘Undoable’ persistence policies are deprecated and will be discontinued in future releases. Their usage is not recommended because they do not work with snapshots and are not supported on ESX 3.5 and higher.”Continue Reading

• PowersHell: Factory Reset of ESXi

  During the course of my travels in powersHell with VMware – I’ve begun to put together my own JACS (Just-Another-Configuration-Script). The idea is to take a clean-factory set ESXi build, and use purely powersHell to configure it.Continue Reading

• PowersHell – The Uber/Master vSwitch

  Some customers I know like to create on each ESX host what they call the uber-vSwitch or the Master-vSwitchContinue Reading

• PowersHell - (re)setting the root account password

  Explains how to reset the root account password.Continue Reading

• PowersHell: Enabling DPM Settings (IPMI/iLO/BMC)

  In vSphere4 there’s a new method enabling the “Distributed Power Management” options for a DPM enabled cluster.Continue Reading

• Wanted: Command-line chops for vSphere ESXi

  Commands vary between ESX 3.x and vSphere, so VMware administrators need some command-line chops. These vSphere ESXi commands can help configure your environment consistently.Continue Reading

• What I learned yesterday: DvSData Folder,View all IPs, Sysprep & Guest Customization

  Explains how to use DvSData Folder, View all IPs, and Sysprep & Guest customization.Continue Reading

• What I learned last week

  A quick rundown of things that were discovered in the last week, including RDMs and the 2TB Limit and some nice bits of PowerShell.Continue Reading

• Power options for graceful VMware virtual machine power-offs

  If you configure related settings properly, you can avoid the damaged data associated with harsh virtual machine power-off, reset and suspend controls.Continue Reading

• PowerShell example starter scripts for VMware ESX

  You can use these five PowerShell starter scripting examples as a guide for scripting VMware ESX administrative tasks, such as powering on a virtual machine.Continue Reading

• Creating a VMware vSphere guest OS: What's new

  Since VMware vSphere offers increased functionality over ESX 3.5, there are some small but significant changes to the guest OS installation process.Continue Reading

• PowerShell scripting for VMware ESX: Using Quest's PowerGUI PowerPack script editor

  The PowerGUI PowerPack presents PowerShell code in a more digestible manner than traditional methods and enables you to write original PowerShell scripts for a VMware ESX environment.Continue Reading

• A deep dive into scripting VMware ESX host creation

  Scripting VMware ESX host creation can prevent networking issues and VMotion failures. Learn how the various Linux shell scripts work together to create VMware ESX hosts in the second part of our tip series.Continue Reading

• Using Linux shell scripts to automatically create VMware ESX 3.5 hosts

  If your clustered VMware ESX hosts aren't configured the same way, VMotion can fail. But by scripting the creation of ESX hosts, you can prevent mismatched network configurations and VMotion failures.Continue Reading

• Why you should delete outdated vCenter Server data

  With SQL commands, you can delete superfluous vCenter Server database information and save disk space and boost system performance. But you need to monitor database table size.Continue Reading

• PowerShell scripting with VMware ESX tutorial: Installing and using the PowerShell tool

  Recent VMware VI Toolkit releases include PowerShell scripting functionality, which can ease VMware management tasks. In this tutorial, learn how to install PowerShell and the VI Toolkit.Continue Reading

• Aligning disk partitions to boost virtual machine performance

  When it comes to performance tuning for virtual machines, you need to consider system volume partition alignment. This step-by-step guide indicates how to align partitions.Continue Reading

• Two options for installing the VMware Infrastructure Management Assistant

  This tip outlines two options for installing the VMware Infrastructure Management Assistant (VIMA), which streamlines ESXi management by acting as a service console. One takes less time, but the other is worth the extra effort.Continue Reading

• How VMware Infrastructure Management Assistant bridges the ESXi management gap

  VMware Infrastructure Management Assistant fills a gap in ESXi by acting as a service console, which enables you to run scripts and load third-party applications. But the requirements for VIMA are steep.Continue Reading

• Collecting diagnostic data and logging for VMware environments

  By exporting diagnostic data from the VMware Infrastructure Client, you can collect information and identify VI3 problems. Learn how to export and analyze data in this tutorial.Continue Reading

• Getting started with Virtualization Management Center

  Virtualization Management Center, which monitors virtual networks, recently won two Best of VMworld awards. This tip outlines step by step how to install and configure Reflex Security's Virtual Management Center and how to use its features.Continue Reading

• Increasing virtual disk file partition size with DISKPART or GPartEd

  Expanding virtual disk space can be more effective than creating a new virtual machine. But expanding disk space requires increasing the virtual disk file partition size.Continue Reading

• Improving VMware ESX Server performance: 10 best practices

  Follow these best practices regarding hardware considerations, virtual machine (VM) configurations and more to improve VM performance.Continue Reading

• IT toolbox: Scripts for streamlining VMware ESX

  VMware ESX can be customized by executing scripts. Learn to control availability and system transparency, and how to use the VI3 SDK to write your own scripts with this tip.Continue Reading

• Configuring VMware High Availability for your virtual servers' needs

  Avoid the need for stand-by hardware with VMware High Availability (HA). Learn what it does and how to configure it to your environment's needs with our step-by-step instructions.Continue Reading

• Using VMware's remote command line interface with ESX 3i

  The VMware remote command line interface (RCLI) in ESX 3i adds versatility to virtual servers through scripting for automation. Learn how to download, install and use it.Continue Reading

• VMware ESX networking: Configurations and considerations

  Networking with VMware ESX requires special considerations. Learn how to choose physical servers, configure virtual switches, network interface cards and virtual LANs, get access to a chapter download, and more.Continue Reading

• Microsoft Active Directory and the connection broker: VDI on VMware Infrastructure 3

  Learn how the connection broker in VMware Infrastructure 3 affects Microsoft Active Directory -- and how to keep your virtual desktop infrastructure environment running smoothly.Continue Reading

• Sending VirtualCenter logs to Local7

  Learn how to deploy software that will monitor VirtualCenter and log all VirtualCenter events and tasks to the Windows event log and a Linux Syslog Server with this tip.Continue Reading

• Modifying a guest's NIC with the VI3 SDK

  Get a VMware Infrastructure 3 (VI3) script that helps you modify a guest virtual machine's NIC.Continue Reading

• Scripting VMware ESX servers to fail over to other ESX servers

  Learn how to script one VMware ESX server to failover to another VMware ESX server with this tip.Continue Reading

• How to get VMware ESX virtual machine redundancy without VMware HA or VMotion

  Learn how to get VMware ESX virtual machine (VM) redundancy without pricey VMware HA or VMotion. The first step is setting up file servers.Continue Reading

• VMware and storage: Troubleshooting SAN configurations

  Rick Vanover's guide to troubleshooting SAN configurations in VMware gives pointers on documentation and more.Continue Reading

• VMware's templates ease virtual server provisioning hassles

  With templates, VMware enables you to quickly provision and update virtual servers. In this tip, Craig Newell explains how to make server deployments more turnkey by minimizing manual tasks.Continue Reading

• Scripting VMware is getting easier

  Learn about the common tasks VMware administrators can accomplish with scripting, the different approaches, some best practices, and how this could change with ESX 3i.Continue Reading

• How to enable mail logging and secure the mail server for VMware on Windows Server 2003: Windows ser

  SMTP is the topic of part five of this series. Enabling mail logging and securing the mail server is an important part of running VMware Server. Learn how in this tip.Continue Reading

• How to secure Windows Server 2003 for VMware and install IIS: Windows series

  VMware Server: Some assembly required. Never fear, expert Andrew Kutz is here -- read this eight-part tip and be the IT pro in the know on getting VMware up and running.Continue Reading

• Leveraging the VI3 SDK with .NET, part one - Understanding the VI3 SDK

  The preferred mechanism for programmatically interacting with VI3 is the SDK, not the commands available in the ESX COS (such as the suite of commands prefixed with "esxcfg" found in /usr/sbin). The SDK is very powerful, and its power can be ...Continue Reading

• Leveraging the VI3 SDK with .NET, part two

  The best tool to interact programmatically with VI3 is the SDK. The SDK is very powerful and its power can be harnessed with another equally powerful tool, .NET. In this tip, Andrew Kutz describes how to leverage the VI3 SDK with .NET using C#.Continue Reading

• Leveraging the VI3 SDK with .NET, part three - Exploring the SDK

  The preferred mechanism for programmatically interacting with VI3 is the SDK. .NET can help you to harness the power of the SDK. In part three of this series, Andrew Kutz describes the beginning steps you can take on your path to leveraging the VI3 ...Continue Reading

• Automatically Mount Windows Shares

  Setting up Windows Share (SMB Share) to be mounted when ESX first bootsContinue Reading