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Automation

Automated ESXi Installation - Inject Kickstart File to ESXi ISO

VMware ESXi Installation can be automated by leveraging kickstart configurations. The kickstart configuration is a simple script that tells the Installer how to Install and configure ESXi.

A Kickstart configuration is commonly used for PXE boot installations and copied from the network. Another installation option is to create a bootable flash drive and copy the kickstart file to that drive. In some cases, when your infrastructure does not support PXE and you can only mount ISO files using remote management, you might want to inject the kickstart file into the ESXi Installation ISO.

This article explains how to inject a Kickstart scripted installation configuration to an official VMware ESXi ISO.

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JSON Repository Format Update and now with SCSI Codes

Whenever I create databases with information like ESXi Versions, vCenter Versions or VMware's HCL I try make these available to be used for automation or in scripts. JSON is my data-type of choice but I figured that another structure might be easier to handle in some circumstances. This is why I've now created separate versions where it is now possible to access the information with keys.

Here is an example of the old ESXi Releases JSON File (List), and the new V2 (Hashtable):

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PowerCLI Script to get ESXi Network/Storage Firmware and Driver Version

For a healthy vSphere virtualization infrastructure and to receive support from VMware it is important to verify that IO devices are listed in VMwares Compatibility Guide/Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) with their correct driver and firmware version. Gathering firmware details and comparing them to the HCL is very time-consuming. I made a small script that automatically gathers the following information:

  • IO Devices (NICs, HBAs and RAID Controllers)
  • Driver Version
  • Firmware Version
  • Official HCL Link

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VMware IO Devices HCL in JSON Format

For a healthy platform and to receive support from VMware it is important to verify that all IO devices are listed in VMwares Compatibility Guide or Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) with their correct driver and firmware version. The HCL is currently only provided as a website which is a problem for automated reports. Therefore I've transformed the VMwares IO Devices HCL into the JSON format, which works great in scripts. Here is the result:

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VMware HCL in JSON Format News and PowerCLI Function

A few month ago I created a VMware HCL in JSON Format. This file should allow you to use the information provided by VMware in their HCL in an automated way. Recently I made some improvements to the JSON HCL and created a working PowerCLI function that can match about 80% of all systems.

Currently, the JSON files are generated every 2-3 days. I also created two filtered versions because the full HCL is very large and contains outdated information:Read More »VMware HCL in JSON Format News and PowerCLI Function

How to use ESXCLI v2 Commands in PowerCLI

PowerCLI, a set of PowerShell extensions for vSphere, is a great tool for automating VMware configuration and management tasks. It allows you to change a lot of ESXi host and vCenter settings. A powerful cmdlet is Get-EsxCli which allows you to run ESXCLI tasks from your PowerCLI console. ESXCLI is the main configuration command on an ESXi host.

This post explains how to use the Get-EsxCli cmdlet with the new V2 interface, which is much more intuitive than the old method.

get-esxcli

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Getting Started with PowerCLI for Linux (PowerCLI Core)

powerclicoreBased on Microsoft PowerShell Core which enables users to use PowerShell on Linux, Mac and Docker, VMware has started to make PowerCLI compatible with the new PowerShell. This allows to run scripts that were previously only available for Windows on Linux or Mac based systems.

In this post I am going to give a quick startup guide to the installation and configuration of PowerCLI Core.

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VMware HCL Check with PowerCLI (Proof of Concept)

Announced in my VMware HCL in JSON Format post a few days ago, here is now a working version of my script. The script does not create a fancy report at the moment, it just writes some output and the result. It's only intended to show that it actually works. Here is an example:

vmware-hcl-check-script

There are still some problems, but especially with HP, Dell or IBM Systems, it produces good results.

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