Learning PowerCLI

A practical guide to get you started with automating VMware vSphere via PowerCLI

Overview

• Automate your VMware vSphere environment including hosts, clusters, storage, and vCenter Server virtual machines and networks
• Create good-looking, clean reports in no time, increasing your efficiency
• Get to grips with PowerCLI to automate routine tasks using practical examples

In Detail

VMware vSphere PowerCLI is a powerful command-line tool to automate all aspects of a VMware vSphere environment. PowerCLI is built on top of the popular Windows PowerShell, with which you can automate server tasks and reduce manual input, allowing you to focus on more important tasks.

"Learning PowerCLI" is a practical, hands-on guide that provides you with a thorough knowledge of VMware vSphere PowerCLI. This knowledge will help you to automate your routine tasks so you can save valuable time.

"Learning PowerCLI" introduces you to VMware vSphere PowerCLI, from downloading and installing the software to creating good-looking reports of your VMware vSphere environment.

You will learn about working with host profiles, configuring virtual switches, removing snapshots, configuring Storage DRS, working with affinity rules, configuring an alarm, and managing roles and permissions. You will learn everything you need to know to get started with automating your VMware vSphere infrastructure. All the examples in Learning PowerCLI can be used directly in your environment.

What you will learn from this book

• Download and install PowerCLI
• Add hosts to VMware vCenter Server
• Configure vSphere Auto Deploy
• Use the esxcli command from PowerCLI
• Create OS Customization Specs
• Monitor virtual machine performance
• Configure distributed virtual switches and storage I/O Control
• Enable VM and Application Monitoring
• Manage licenses for multiple hosts to migrate them easily
• Configure an alarm to monitor your networks virtual machines
• Generate a good-looking HTML report in no time

Approach

"Learning PowerCLI" is written in a friendly and practical style with a focus on getting you started and automating daily tasks quickly and efficiently. If you manage or administrate a vSphere environment, and want to make that easier and more efficient, then this book is for you!

Who this book is written for

This book is ideal for you if you want to learn how to automate your VMware vSphere infrastructure, by getting the most out of PowerCLI. It’s assumed that you have some experience in administrating a VMware vSphere environment. Knowledge of Microsoft’s Windows PowerShell is not a prerequisite.

Robert van den Nieuwendijk

Robert van den Nieuwendijk is an IT veteran from the Netherlands with over 25 years of experience in the IT industry. He holds a bachelor's degree in Software Engineering. After working for a few years as a programmer of air traffic control and vessel traffic management systems for a company that is now called HITT, he started his own company Van den Nieuwendijk Informatica in 1988. Since then he has worked as a freelance systems administrator for OpenVMS, Windows Server, Linux, and VMware vSphere systems, mainly for Dutch governmental organizations. Currently, he is a VMware vSphere administrator at Wageningen UR (University and Research centre). During winter, he is also a ski and snowboard instructor at an indoor ski school.

With his background as a programmer, he always tries to make his job easier by writing programs or scripts to perform repetitive tasks. In the past, he used the C programming language, OpenVMS DCL, Visual Basic Script, and KiXtart to do this. Since Windows PowerShell 1.0, he uses Windows PowerShell and VMware vSphere PowerCLI for all of his scripting work.

Robert is a member of the Dutch VMware User group (VMUG) Customer Council and a frequent contributor and moderator at the VMware VMTN Communities. In 2012 and 2013, VMware awarded him the vExpert title for his "significant contributions to the community and a willingness to share his expertise with others".

He has his own blog at http://rvdnieuwendijk.com where he has shared his knowledge since 2011. He writes mainly about VMware vSphere PowerCLI, Windows PowerShell, and VMware vSphere.

If you want to get in touch with Robert, you can find him on Twitter. His username is @rvdnieuwendijk.