Raw Device Mappings tend to show up in the places where infrastructure history is still attached to the workload. A database server was moved from physical hardware years ago. A file server needed a very large LUN before VMDK limits improved. A clustered application depended on shared storage. A storage team wanted array-level tooling to … Read more
A vSphere Distributed Switch upgrade can look deceptively simple in the vCenter UI. Select the switch, choose the target version, confirm the warning, and move on. That is not how it should be treated in a brownfield environment. The risk is not that a DVS upgrade is always dangerous. The risk is that old distributed … Read more
Large VM migrations usually fail at the worst possible time: late in the change window, after the task has already consumed hours of storage, network, and operator attention. When the error is something like “Invalid configuration for device ‘##’,” the first instinct is to look for a broken virtual NIC, a missing port group, an … Read more
Learning Objectives By the end of this article, you will: My Personal Repository on GitHub VMware Repository on GitHub Prerequisites 1. Why Unlock VMware with a Python Mega-Script? While individual scripts are powerful, a well-structured Python script can orchestrate many tasks: 2. How This Script Works This example does all the following: The script is … Read more
Learning Objectives By the end of this article, you will: My Personal Repository on GitHub VMware Repository on GitHub Prerequisites 1. Why Integrate PowerCLI with External APIs? Many organizations automate IT workflows by connecting VMware scripts to ticketing, chat, monitoring, or CI/CD tools. This allows: 2. PowerShell Example: Sending a Slack Notification from PowerCLI Suppose … Read more
Learning Objectives By the end of this article, you will: My Personal Repository on GitHub VMware Repository on GitHub Prerequisites 1. Why Integrate PowerCLI with External APIs? Many organizations automate IT workflows by connecting VMware scripts to ticketing, chat, monitoring, or CI/CD tools. This allows: 2. PowerShell Example: Sending a Slack Notification from PowerCLI Suppose … Read more
Learning Objectives By the end of this article, you will: My Personal Repository on GitHub VMware Repository on GitHub Prerequisites 1. PowerCLI and NSX-T Integration PowerCLI supports NSX-T for advanced network automation. You can create logical switches, manage firewall rules, and more. Importing the NSX-T Module Import-Module VMware.VimAutomation.Nsx Example: List All NSX Logical Switches # … Read more
Learning Objectives By the end of this article, you will: My Personal Repository on GitHub VMware Repository on GitHub Prerequisites 1. Why Schedule VMware Scripts? Routine tasks like VM snapshots, reporting, backups, and audits are time-consuming if performed manually.Scheduling scripts lets you automate these tasks consistently, freeing up time and reducing human error. 2. Using … Read more
Learning Objectives By the end of this article, you will: My Personal Repository on GitHub VMware Repository on GitHub Prerequisites 1. Why Error Handling and Logging Matter Automation is powerful, but things go wrong: network issues, permissions, resource exhaustion, and more.Good scripts should log what happened and handle errors gracefully so you know where to … Read more
Learning Objectives By the end of this article, you will: My Personal Repository on GitHub VMware Repository on GitHub Prerequisites 1. Exporting VM Inventory with PowerCLI Let’s create a PowerShell script that exports VM info (Name, PowerState, Guest OS, IP, CPU, Memory) to CSV. Save as export_vm_inventory.ps1: # Import PowerCLIImport-Module VMware.PowerCLI# Connect to vCenter (update … Read more
Learning Objectives By the end of this article, you will: My Personal Repository on GitHub VMware Repository on GitHub Prerequisites 1. Introduction to VM Lifecycle Automation Managing VMs at scale is much easier when you automate frequent actions like starting, stopping, restarting, and snapshotting. PowerCLI makes these tasks scriptable, while Python lets you orchestrate and … Read more
Learning Objectives By the end of this article, you will: My Personal Repository on GitHub VMware Repository on GitHub Prerequisites 1. The PowerCLI Connection Workflow To automate VMware, you first need to connect to the environment.PowerCLI uses the Connect-VIServer cmdlet to establish a secure session with vCenter or ESXi. 2. Example: PowerShell Script to Connect … Read more
Learning Objectives By the end of this article, you will: My Personal Repository on GitHub VMware Repository on GitHub Prerequisites 1. PowerShell, PowerCLI, and Python — How They Work Together You can run PowerCLI cmdlets directly in PowerShell, or orchestrate more complex logic by having Python scripts call PowerShell commands. 2. Basic Syntax: PowerShell vs … Read more
PowerCLI is a set of PowerShell modules for automating VMware environments. Python is a powerful, easy-to-learn programming language used for automation, scripting, and integrating systems. With both, you can: My Personal Repository on GitHub VMware Repository on GitHub How to Install PowerCLI and Python Step 1: Install PowerShellWindows 10/11 comes with PowerShell. To upgrade, visit … Read more
Introduction PowerCLI is the official command-line toolkit from VMware. It extends PowerShell with over 700 cmdlets to manage vSphere, vCenter, ESXi, vSAN, NSX, and more. If you are new to VMware automation, PowerCLI is your entry point. This beginner’s guide covers: What is PowerCLI? PowerCLI is a set of VMware modules for PowerShell that allow … Read more
Introduction In multi-site or enterprise VMware environments, admins often manage more than one vCenter. Manually switching between vCenters slows automation. PowerCLI allows you to connect to multiple vCenters simultaneously and run queries or scripts across all of them. In this article, you will learn to: Step 1: Define Your vCenter Servers $vCenters = @(“vcenter-dfw.lab.local”, “vcenter-nyc.lab.local”, … Read more
Introduction VMware offers multiple tools for automation and remote management. Two of the most popular are PowerCLI and vSphere CLI (vCLI). While both allow scripting and automation, they differ in syntax, architecture, and scope. Choosing the right tool depends on your task, skillset, and environment. In this article, you’ll learn: What is PowerCLI? PowerCLI is … Read more
Introduction VM tags in vSphere are a powerful way to organize, classify, and apply policies to virtual machines. But without regular audits, environments become inconsistent, and tag drift leads to automation breakdowns. PowerCLI lets you query, sort, and export tag data at scale. In this article, you’ll learn how to: Step 1: List All Available … Read more
Introduction PowerCLI is powerful when used interactively, but it becomes transformative when scheduled. From snapshot audits to VM reports, regular automation increases consistency and saves time. You can schedule any PowerCLI script using native tools like Windows Task Scheduler or cron in Linux/macOS environments. In this article, you will learn to: Step 1: Prepare a … Read more
Introduction Over time, environments accumulate unused virtual disks and mounted ISOs that consume critical datastore space. Identifying and removing them manually is time-consuming and error-prone. PowerCLI allows you to detect these stale resources and clean them up automatically or in a controlled review process. In this article, you will learn to: Step 1: Find VMs … Read more
