Using esxcli namespaces, administrators query and configure ESX hosts, and even patch or upgrade them, whether locally in the ESX Shell, over SSH or from a remote machine.
Read more: Broadcom TechDocs
In the Ultra Transcenders books
Each book explains ESXCLI in context, with comparison tables and the common traps.
Terms in this definition
- ESX
VMware's bare-metal hypervisor, installed on each host in a VCF fleet. Up to version 9.0 it was known as ESXi.
- ESX Shell
The ESX host's local command shell, previously called the ESXi Shell. It is off by default, can be turned on from the DCUI, vSphere Client or VMware Host Client, and has its own availability and idle timeout settings.
- OVER
Gives a T-SQL window function its window: PARTITION BY, ORDER BY and, if wanted, a ROWS or RANGE frame. Rankings and running totals can then be worked out while every row is kept.
- SSH
Protocol for remote sessions, chiefly on Linux, using TCP port 22.
Related terms
- CLI
A command-line interface: a way of managing software by typing text commands rather than using a graphical tool. In vSphere examples include ESXCLI and the ESX host shell, plus the vCenter appliance shell; it should not be confused with the vCenter CLI installer.
- Space reclamation
Handing blocks that are no longer in use, after files are deleted on the datastore or inside a guest, back to the storage array using SCSI UNMAP. VMFS6 does it automatically; earlier VMFS versions relied on running an esxcli command by hand.