topic Re: ESXI shell problem in VMware User Group (VMUG) Discussions

ESXI shell problem

oxment — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:08:23 GMT

Hello,

I just installed ESXI server and I wanted to run VMware-cmd commands on this server.

the problem is that I can run these commands by installing VCLI on my client(http://www.vmware.com/support/developer/vcli/) but I need to run these commands from ESXI shell, I just activated ESXI shell and ESXI ssh. Now, I am able to connect to ESXI shell but I am not able to run commands there and I just checked /usr/bin for commands and I couldn't find anything there.

Can you tell me what shoud I do? am I able to run these commands from ESXI shell ?

Re: ESXI shell problem

a_p_ — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:15:19 GMT

Please take a look at e.g. http://www.amlehn.ch/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=23 to see whether this helps.

André

Re: ESXI shell problem

oxment — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:26:41 GMT

thank you very much.

but are you sure that VMware-cmd doesn't exist in ESXI 5.0? because I can run those commands from my client(there is a client tool that I installed on my machine and can use those old commands) and I beilve it should be one way to use these vmware-cmd commands from ESXI. Because, I can use it from one client I should be able to run them in ESXI shell as well.

Re: ESXI shell problem

a_p_ — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:40:54 GMT

Unfortuately, this command is only available from the vCLI.

from vmware-cmd Overview

Important vmware-cmd is not available in the ESXi Shell. Run the vmware-cmd vCLI command instead.

André

Re: ESXI shell problem

oxment — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:47:30 GMT

thank you

is it possible to install this VCLI package on ESXI shell? I mean it is a client application but what will happen if we install it on the server?

Re: ESXI shell problem

a_p_ — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 22:02:58 GMT

The ESXi shell is not built for installing this kind of software. The vCLI installer will not allow you to install it on the ESXi shell anyway. (see

Installing and Uninstalling vCLI on Linux)

André

Re: ESXI shell problem

oxment — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 23:23:46 GMT

my main problem is that I wrote a program for VMware serve 1, and it uses VMware-cmd commands, and VMware-cmd uses VMX as input but here I need to use VMID, and I don't know how can I retrive VMID from VMX ?!

Re: ESXI shell problem

a_p_ — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:13:32 GMT

I don't know your script, but you may use s.th. like

vim-cmd vmsvc/getallvms | grep "folder/vmname.vmx" | awk '{print $1}'

to get the VMID.

André