The cell management tool is a command-line utility that you can use to manage a VMware Cloud Director cell or database. You must use superuser or system administrator credentials for most operations.

The cell management tool is installed in /opt/vmware/vcloud-director/bin/. You can use it to run a single command or run it as an interactive shell.

Some functions of the cell management tool are more useful during the VMware Cloud Director deployment and initial configuration, while others are more useful for the subsequent administration of VMware Cloud Director. For this reason, you can find some of the cell management tool documentation in the VMware Cloud Director Service Provider Admin Guide. See VMware Cloud Director Cell Management Tool Reference.

Some functions of the cell management tool are more useful during the VMware Cloud Director deployment and initial configuration, while others are more useful for the subsequent administration of VMware Cloud Director. For this reason, you can find some of the cell management tool documentation in the VMware Cloud Director Installation, Configuration, and Upgrade Guide. See VMware Cloud Director Cell Management Tool Reference.

Important: For certificates documentation, see Certificate Management in the VMware Cloud Director Appliance. Starting with VMware Cloud Director 10.6, the certificates command of the cell management tool is removed. In version 10.5.1 and later, VMware Cloud Director reads the certificates from the Certificates Library.

Listing Available Commands

To list the available cell management tool commands, use the following command line. 
./cell-management-tool -h

Using Shell Mode

You can run the cell management tool as an interactive shell by invoking it with no arguments, as shown here. 
[root@cell1 /opt/vmware/vcloud-director/bin]#./cell-management-tool
Cell Management Tool v8.14.0.4146350
Type "help" for available subcommands.
cmt>
While in shell mode, you can type any cell management tool command at the cmt> prompt, as shown in this example. 
cmt>cell -h
usage: cell [options]
               -a,--application-states     display the state of each application
                                           on the cell [DEPRECATED - use the
                                           cell-application command instead]
               -h,--help                   print this message
               -i,--pid <arg>              the process id of the cell [REQUIRED
                                           if username is not specified]
               -m,--maintenance <arg>      gracefully enter maintenance mode on
                                           the cell
               -p,--password <arg>         administrator password [OPTIONAL]
               -q,--quiesce <arg>          quiesce activity on the cell
               -s,--shutdown               gracefully shutdown the cell
               -t,--status                 display activity on the cell
               -tt,--status-verbose        display a verbose description of
                                           activity on the cell
               -u,--username <arg>         administrator username [REQUIRED if
                                           pid is not specified]
Note: You will be prompted for administrator password if not entered in command
line.
cmt>
The command returns to the cmt> prompt when it finishes running. To exit the shell mode, type exit at the cmt> prompt.

Cell Management Tool Usage Help

This example runs a single, non-interactive command that lists available shell management tool commands. 
[root@cell1 /opt/vmware/vcloud-director/bin]# ./cell-management-tool -h

usage: cell-management-tool
-h,--help   print this message

Available commands:
cell - Manipulates the Cell and core components
cell-application - Manages applications running on the cell
.
.
.

For command specific help:
 cell-management-tool <commandName> -h

To troubleshoot failed access to the VMware Cloud Director UI, you must use the https://{api_host}/cloudapi/1.0.0/site/settings/cors API endpoint instead of a CMT command. For more information, see Troubleshoot Failed Access to the VMware Cloud Director User Interface.