VMware

• Download Link for ESXi

• Useful VMware command line commands
• Cloning a virtual machine using the command line
• vSphere Client auto username & password Login
• configuring VLANs through the command line interface
• Expand Windows Primary Disk
• Enable SSH from ESXi
• Enabling Copy and Paste
• Vmware - windows 7 unidentified network issue
• vReference
• http://mylearn.vmware.com/register.cfm?course=73276
• VMWare Technical Resource Centre
• Running Nested ESXi
  • Shut down the virtual ESXi5 VM
  • Click Edit Settings (of that VM)
  • Click the Options tab
  • Click Advanced / General / Configuration Parameters…
  • Click Add Row
  • For the Name/Value enter: monitor_control.restrict_backdoor / TRUE
    
• VCP 4 lab
• VCP 4 docs
• VMware SNMP
• Vmware ESXi 4.1 Clipboard Copy and Paste Not working?
• Using Rsync on ESXi

VMware vSphere Clients

https://www.vmware.com/products/vsphere/features/replication
http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/cloud-systems-management/prime-collaboration/white-paper-c11-735844.html
http://pubs.vmware.com/vsphere-replication-60/topic/com.vmware.ICbase/PDF/vsphere-replication-60-admin.pdf

if you only have a single Datastore - how do you migrate from VMFS 5 to 6

1. Copy all VMs off VMFS5 to another Machine (or delete!)
2. Disable Swamp
3. Change Scratch Config to use “/tmp” folder
4. Deactivate Core Dump File - https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphere/6.7/com.vmware.vsphere.storage.doc/GUID-0734F24A-C019-4F56-A183-BB58AA1A1390.html

Error:

<MISSING_DEPENDENCY_VIBS ERROR: Found=['EMU_bootbank_scsi_be2iscsi_12.0.1108.0-10EM.600.0.0.2494585']

[root@MYESXISERVER:~] esxcli software vib list | egrep iscsi
ima-be2iscsi                   12.0.1108.0-1OEM.600.0.0.2494585      EMU          VMwareCertified   2019-08-16
scsi-be2iscsi                  12.0.1108.0-1OEM.600.0.0.2494585      EMU          VMwareCertified   2019-08-16

[root@MYESXISERVER:~] esxcli software vib remove -n scsi-be2iscsi
Removal Result
   Message: The update completed successfully, but the system needs to be rebooted for the changes to be effective.
   Reboot Required: true
   VIBs Installed:
   VIBs Removed: EMU_bootbank_scsi-be2iscsi_12.0.1108.0-1OEM.600.0.0.2494585
   VIBs Skipped:

• https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphere/6.7/com.vmware.esxi.upgrade.doc/GUID-340F35BB-E98A-4A39-AE89-667917FCE537.html
• https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/76294 
• https://pubs.vmware.com/vsphere-51/index.jsp?topic=%2Fcom.vmware.vsphere.upgrade.doc%2FGUID-F0FE86AB-70B1-4E7E-A209-E5C5E0A4E57A.html

• Make sure no VMs reference the datastore as CD/DVD drive
• Unregister all VMs from the Datastore
• Move all these VMs to a different Datastore
• Unmount the Datastore
• Recreate the Datastore as VMFS 6

• https://my.vmware.com/group/vmware/downloads/info/slug/datacenter_cloud_infrastructure/vmware_vsphere/6_0
• https://my.vmware.com/group/vmware/downloads/info/slug/datacenter_cloud_infrastructure/vmware_vsphere/6_5
• https://my.vmware.com/group/vmware/downloads/info/slug/datacenter_cloud_infrastructure/vmware_vsphere/6_7
• https://my.vmware.com/group/vmware/downloads/info/slug/datacenter_cloud_infrastructure/vmware_vsphere/7_0

• https://www.virtuallyshane.com/posts/vmware-security-announcement-vmsa-2020-0023-critical-update-cvssv3-score-of-9-8
• https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/76372
• https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphere/6.7/rn/esxi670-202010001.html

• Download the latest bundle patch from VMware for your specific build, e.g. ESXi 6.7
• Upload this zip file using Web Client to a specific folder on a datastore (note you can also host on the Web Server - if doing many servers - this would be quicker - see reference below on using a URL for an upgrade command line).
• SSH to the host and run the update (not install) command line as per the below example.

esxcli software vib update -d "/vmfs/volumes/datastore1/VMwarePatch/ESXi670-202010001.zip"

Patching for VMware 7.0 uses the exact same process. Below is an example of installing its patch

esxcli software vib update -d "/vmfs/volumes/datastore1/VMwarePatch/7.0/VMware-ESXi-7.0U3g-20328353-depot.zip"

• https://www.vladan.fr/how-to-install-vib-on-vmware-esxi/
• https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2008939
• https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphere/7.0/com.vmware.esxi.upgrade.doc/GUID-22A4B153-CB21-47B4-974E-2E5BB8AC6874.html

The root (or other accounts) can get locked by repeated failed attempts. To unlock the account you need to:

• Log into ESXI console via KVM or local monitor, i.e. Direct Console Interface or “DCUI”
• Enable ESXi Shell

  • F2 -> Login -> View Options -> Troubleshooting Mode Options -> Enable ESXi Shell

  • https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2004746
• Use ALT + F1 to switch to Command line - and log in as if you were using SSH
• Use ALT + F2 if you need to switch back to standard Text based GUI mode - Reference
• Enter pam_tally2 - -user root to find out how many failed login attempts
• Enter pam_tally2 - -user root - -reset to reset the account
  • Reference

How to copy a VM from ESXi 'A' to ESXi 'B'

• Enable SSH on ESXi Server A
• Enable SSH on ESXi Server B
• Make sure SSH client FW security profile is enabled on Server A (so you can SSH from Server A to Server B)
• The below command will copy the complete VM folder from Server A to Server B
• Use Datastore GUI interface on vSphere to add VM to the inventory

NOTE: Enable SSH Client on Firewall on Server A, so it is allowed out!!!

scp -r "/vmfs/volumes/datastore1/<VM Folder>" root@<ipaddress of esxiB>:/vmfs/volumes/datastore1/

Error

 <MISSING_DEPENDENCY_VIBS ERROR:

So the above shows 3 individual VIBs - (2 are repeated)

QLogic_bootbank_net-qlge_3.0.0.58-1OEM.550.0.0.1331820
Avago_bootbank_scsi-mpt3sas_12.00.00.00-1OEM.600.0.0.2494585
cisco_bootbank_scsi-snic_0.0.1.23-1OEM.550.0.0.1331820 

Reviewing the install VIBs (using the below command)

esxcli software vib list 

These above 3 VIBS are detailed as:

Name                           Version                               Vendor       Acceptance Level  Install Date
-----------------------------  ------------------------------------  -----------  ----------------  ------------
net-qlge                       3.0.0.58-1OEM.550.0.0.1331820         QLogic       VMwareCertified   2020-05-25
scsi-mpt3sas                   12.00.00.00-1OEM.600.0.0.2494585      Avago        VMwareCertified   2020-05-25
scsi-snic                      0.0.1.23-1OEM.550.0.0.1331820         cisco        VMwareCertified   2020-05-25

To remove the above VIBs run the below commands:

esxcli software vib remove -n net-qlge
esxcli software vib remove -n scsi-mpt3sas
esxcli software vib remove -n scsi-snic

Below is the actually output you expect to see when removing the VIBs (only 2 of the VIBs removed in below)

Once the VIBs have been removed,make sure that the VMware 7.0 ISO is attached top the vKVM and reboot the server and select to boot from vKVM DVD - to install VMware 7.0 - which now you upgrade successfully.

[root@MY-EXI-SERVER:~] esxcli software vib remove -n net-qlge
Removal Result
   Message: The update completed successfully, but the system needs to be rebooted for the changes to be effective.
   Reboot Required: true
   VIBs Installed:
   VIBs Removed: QLogic_bootbank_net-qlge_3.0.0.58-1OEM.550.0.0.1331820
   VIBs Skipped:
[root@MY-EXI-SERVER:~] esxcli software vib remove -n scsi-mpt3sas
Removal Result
   Message: The update completed successfully, but the system needs to be rebooted for the changes to be effective.
   Reboot Required: true
   VIBs Installed:
   VIBs Removed: Avago_bootbank_scsi-mpt3sas_12.00.00.00-1OEM.600.0.0.2494585
   VIBs Skipped:

Error

 <MISSING_DEPENDENCY_VIBS ERROR:

These above 2 VIBS (note only 2 on the M5 versus 3 on the m4?) are detailed as:

Name                           Version                               Vendor       Acceptance Level  Install Date
-----------------------------  ------------------------------------  -----------  ----------------  ------------
net-qlge                       3.0.0.58-1OEM.550.0.0.1331820         QLogic       VMwareCertified   2020-05-25
scsi-mpt3sas                   12.00.00.00-1OEM.600.0.0.2494585      Avago        VMwareCertified   2020-05-25

Increase the web server session timeout by setting the variable below from its default of 900 seconds (15 mins) to a higher value.

UserVars.HostClientSessionTimeout