Screenshot from the Place an ESXi Host in Maintenance Mode With esxcli walkthrough at step 1, showing Maintenance Mode State; the adjacent article text explains that confirm the host is not in maintenance mode already:#localcli vsan cluster get.

How to place VMWare vSphere ESXi Host into maintenance mode via esxcli

Recently, I was attempting to place a ESXi host into maintenance mode via the GUI in vCenter. However, it kept failing even after i restarted services and rebooted the vCenter. This forced me to break out some old commands to perform this task via CLI on the ESXi host itself. Confirm the host is not … Explore: How to place VMWare vSphere ESXi Host into…

Connected network illustration for VMware vmkping troubleshooting.

ESXi vmkping Commands: Test VMkernel Connectivity, MTU, and Jumbo Frames

vmkping tests network connectivity from an ESXi VMkernel interface rather than from a guest operating system. Use it to verify management, vMotion, vSAN, NFS, iSCSI, replication, and other VMkernel paths; force the correct source interface or TCP/IP stack; and prove whether an end-to-end path carries the configured MTU. The most useful pattern is: For IPv4, … Explore: ESXi vmkping Commands: Test VMkernel Connectivity, MTU, and…

Emergency power-off button for VMware virtual machine CLI shutdown and reboot.

How to Power off or reboot VMWare VM from CLI

Quick answer: Shut down the guest before forcing power off This is an ESXi-host CLI reference, originally written for a vSphere 6.7-era incident. These actions can interrupt service. Identify the correct VM first, then choose either shutdown or reboot; a hard power-off is a last resort. Jump to identify the VM, check power state, shutdown … Explore: How to Power off or reboot VMWare VM…

PuTTY fatal error showing that the vCenter appliance refused the SSH connection.

Unable to log into vCenter 6.7 U3 Appliance

Recently, I upgraded my vCenter to 6.7 U3 and afterwards I wasn’t able to into my vCenter appliance via SSH and more surprisingly I wasn’t able to log into the VAMI. Resolution:Reboot of the vCenter Appliance Result:I was able to log into the VAMII went to Access > Edit > enable SSHI was then able … Explore: Unable to log into vCenter 6.7 U3 Appliance

VMware vSphere 6.7 Update 3 graphic for a vCenter upgrade guide.

Upgrade of VMware vCenter 6.5 U2 to vCenter 6.7 U3

I recently had the pleasure of upgrading one of my older environments running VMware vCenter 6.5 U2 to vCenter 6.7 U3 and thought i would share my experience. I know a lot of people who are planning for this upgrade by the end of the year so I hope this helps everyone out. If you … Explore: Upgrade of VMware vCenter 6.5 U2 to vCenter…

Humorous command-line graphic introducing a VMware NSX-T CLI cheat sheet.

Useful Cheat Sheet CLI for VMware NSX-T

I just wanted to take a moment to write a quick article on some useful commands I use for troubleshooting NSX-T 2.4 By no means is this everything and I will update this article routinly. How to find VTEP (Tunnel End Points)From NSX Manager#get logical-switch vtep From ESXi Host to display TEP end point#esxcfg-vmnic -land#esxcli … Explore: Useful Cheat Sheet CLI for VMware NSX-T

Diagram showing a vSphere distributed port group spanning two hosts and connecting virtual and physical network adapters.

Create a vSphere Distributed Switch and Port Groups

Quick answer: distributed switch versus port group A vSphere Distributed Switch (vDS) is the datacenter-level switch configuration that vCenter Server applies consistently across multiple ESXi hosts. A distributed port group is a policy-defined set of ports on that switch for a specific network or traffic type. Create the vDS first, create and validate its port … Explore: Create a vSphere Distributed Switch and Port Groups

VMware vSphere Appliance Management login screen used to access the external Platform Services Controller.

Upgrade vCenter with external PSC to 6.5 U2b

In my previous article I showed everyone how to install the latest vCenter 6.5 U2d. Now I will show how to upgrade your existing vCenter to 6.5 U2b and why created new vCenter’s with embedded Platform Services Controllers will make upgrades even easier. Before we begin, always remember to take a snapshot before upgrading any … Explore: Upgrade vCenter with external PSC to 6.5 U2b

Windows File Explorer showing the downloaded vCenter Server Appliance ISO selected for mounting.

How to Install a vCenter (VCSA) 6.5 U2d

As we are all aware vCenter is at the heart of our vSphere environments. Whether deploying a lab or a net new datacenter with vSAN/VxRail, you will require a new vCenter. Before I begin, embedded vs external Platform Services Controller (PSC). I say treat any net new install as embedded PSC only. VMware is in … Explore: How to Install a vCenter (VCSA) 6.5 U2d